Notorious Battlefield 6 skin Wicked Grin has had its colors toned down once again, but this time, players are celebrating the removal of, well, its Wicked Grin. Battlefield Studios launched update 1.1.3.0 alongside its Season 1 finale, Winter Offensive, today. Although patch notes covered sweeping changes to Breakthrough, hit registration, and the overall audio experience, much of the online community was pleased to see the update tackle one of the EA FPS’s biggest controversies. You may recognize the above Support cosmetic as the Wicked Grin skin. While the clothing items themselves seem to be largely unchanged (minus one new bright yellow armband), the outfit’s standout features have been almost completely reworked. Where there were once bright blue colors highlighting the infantry class, players will now find muted tones and the complete removal of the toothy smile the skin originally earned its name from. The Wicked Grin changes exist as what many in the Battlefield 6 community are calling another victory what has become a massive push against goofy skins. Players began fighting against fears that Fortnite and Call of Duty-esque skins would eventually infiltrate Battlefield 6 when the System Override skin, not-so-lovingly called the “Monster Energy drink skin,” was unveiled weeks before launch. With technical director Christian Buhl previously telling IGN that BF Studios would stick to realistic, grounded visuals “for a while,” players worried the developers could change course sooner rather than later. Wicked Grin emerged weeks after launch as a prime example of what many believed was the beginning of the end for grounded infantry skins. Backlash related to the Support skin got out of hand so quickly that some players threatened to not revive any player seen wearing it. Word of player dissatisfaction got back to BF Studios and resulted in changes to System Override. Now, Wicked Grin, which had already been tweaked with lighter colors with the November 18 launch of California Resistance, is almost unrecognizable in Winter Offensive. There is almost certainly a group of players disappointed to see those bright blues leave, but for the more vocal players online, they’re mostly happy BF Studios is listening. “They fixed him," one popular Reddit post says. "They fixed this skin, super muted blues and removed the ugly mask design. Big W on lostening to the people." “Props to the community for standing up,” one comment adds, “props to the devs for listening and acting accordingly.” Battlefield 6 launched October 10 for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X | S, and BF Studios has been doing a balancing act since. A few updates targeting glitches, aim assist, gameplay balance, hit registration, and more have arrived in the last month alone, with content updates adding new maps as Season 1 rolls on. Today, Winter Offensive added snowy terrain to some familiar locations while handing players access to the new Ice Climbing Axe melee weapon. For more, you can read our 8/10 Battlefield 6 multiplayer review. You can also see how some players are using Portal to cope with what they feel is a lack of large Conquest map options, and why others weren't sure how to feel about some pricey new skins. 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
After over a month-long wait since it was announced, ARC Raiders' highly anticipated Cold Snap update has finally received an official release date of December 16, 2025. With the game's player count beginning to decline (if only in the slightest), the announcement made via ARC Raiders' official X account is very timely, as the update is expected to bring back players who have been awaiting something new in the game since they completed the majority of its content. View the full article
Red Dead Redemption 2 has an incredible modding community and a massive, heavily engaged audience even seven years after its release in 2018. Mods give players a reason to keep going back to RDR2's huge open world and experiencing the game in new ways, and one recent modder has taken things to a whole new level. View the full article
A large coalition of environmentally-focused organizations has sent a scathing letter to members of Congress, urging US representatives to put the development of new data centers on hold. The letter identifies generative AI and cryptocurrency as among the most significant environmental and social threats of this generation, citing their role... Read Entire Article View the full article
Whether it's as a striking fashion statement, or as a uniform to pledge your allegiance to your favorite streamer, Arc Raiders has some pretty flashy cosmetics already. Thankfully, given this isn't a free-to-play game, Embark hasn't been too aggressive with store updates, and there are plenty of outfits and items earnable through gameplay, too. There are some alternative ways to get some free gear, though, and one of them is by redeeming goodies from the Nvidia app. The company's next freebie is a backpack item that'll become available very soon, but you may need to be quick off the mark as they're in limited supply. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: The Arc Raiders wipe is coming soon, and choosing to reset will earn you some massive bonuses Hey Arc Raiders, a free Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 could be yours, and all you need to do is say why you deserve it You could get Arc Raiders, my favorite multiplayer game of the year, for just $1 if you're lucky View the full article
It's tough for board games to convey a sense of horror, but sometimes, you cross paths with one that haunts you. These games carve a twisted path through your psyche, targeting anxieties and grief that are already all too real. The Time We Have, a two-player storytelling card game by Elliot Davis, is such a game. To play is to spend an hour tormented by difficult questions and impossible choices. It's emotional. It's evocative. It's excellent. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: King of Tokyo, the beloved kaiju-battling board game, gets a digital edition in 2026 The publishers of Catan announce a new board game about committing the Perfect ******* Gritty horror awaits in this Texas Chainsaw Massacre-style TTRPG adventure View the full article
"What defines a Soulslike?" is a question I would not dare to try and answer on IGN given the myriad viewpoints on it out there, but one oft-discussed feature of FromSoftware's games at least is the "runback", or the... well, run back to a boss after you've died to it, especially when there's a significant distance or challenge involved. Not a lot of games have these. FromSoftware and Hollow Knight games have some heinous ones. How heinous? Truly heinous, if the many internet threads and discussions complaining about some of them are any indication. But we wanted to know, which one is the worst? We ran a poll on IGN last month where we asked readers to vote on the Soulslike boss with the worst runback. To populate our poll options, I consulted a number of sources. I asked our Soulslike experts here at IGN, I asked for suggestions on Bluesky, and I went back to several old Reddit threads in various Souls communities where fans lamented horrible runbacks to see what was complained about the most. Interestingly enough, absolutely no one suggested anything that wasn't either a Hollow Knight game or a FromSoftware game, which perhaps says something about how both of those games approach save points in relation to bosses. I asked IGN staff to think really hard if there were any other bosses from any other games we should add, and we came up with Umi-Bozu from Nioh, just to add some variety. We then posted the poll on multiple articles connected to Soulslike games, and shared it around on social media asking our readers to vote. We acknowledge this is a rather unscientific poll, given that it was included first in an article explicitly about Bilewater in Hollow Knight: Silksong. That said... IGN readers voted for Groal from Silksong as the Soulslike boss with the worst runback, at 16.2% of the vote. However, it wasn't an overwhelming victory. Coming in just behind it with 15.3% was "The entire Dark Souls 2 DLC" which we listed to include the Blue Smelter ******, Lud and Zallen, and Sir Allone. Again, this is an admittedly unscientific poll - including three bosses in that one probably swung the vote a little bit, but when we asked around so many people mentioned either bosses from or the entirety of the Dark Souls 2 DLC it felt wrong not to group them together. In third place with a marginally more scientific percent of the vote at 9.8% was Placidusax from Elden Ring and... yeah, that chunk of Crumbling Farum Azula you have to run through every time you fight him sucks! Close behind him was Bed of Chaos from the original Dark Souls, an already-frustrating fight compounded by a horrible runback regardless of whether you slog through lava or take the "short"-cut behind Queelag's sister. Umi-Bozu got the least amount of votes, perhaps suggesting that runbacks outside of Hollow Knight and FromSoftware games really aren't that bad. If you're playing Silksong and haven't gotten to Groal yet, great news: we have a walkthrough that will help you survive Bilewater in general, and if you're adverse to using guides, we have a quick tip here that will make your runback to Groal... slightly easier. It's still bad. In addition to our Bilewater guide, we have a detailed Wiki to help you through every step of your journey in Pharloom, so check it out before, during, and after Bilewater. And if you've already beaten Groal and think our poll is wrong, please feel free to vote above. Percentages mention in this piece are accurate at the time of publication, but maybe there are some Nioh fans that really want to help Umi-Bozu out. Personally, after two straight nights of failing to climb a tower with nothing at the top of it, I'm regretting not having put Baby Steps in this poll somewhere. Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. Got a story tip? Send it to [email protected]. View the full article
High on Life 2 is our IGN First “cover story” game for December, which means we’ve got exclusive coverage all month long. We’ve already posted plenty of new gameplay, and today we’re thrilled to announce one of High on Life 2’s brand-new weapons: Say hello to Travis, the SMG-style weapon voiced by Ken Marino, who you might know from The State as well as Wet Hot American Summer. Travis is one-half of a dual SMG pair with Jan – check out the half of a heart pendant around his, uh, neck, I guess? Anyway, they’re married, but it seems the relationship has gotten a bit toxic. Take a look at some footage of Travis in action in the video below, and for more exclusive High on Life 2 coverage – including another weapon reveal coming up soon. High on Life 2 will be released on February 13, 2026 for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S – including launching on day one into Xbox Game Pass. Ryan McCaffrey is IGN's executive editor of previews and host of both IGN's weekly Xbox show, Podcast Unlocked, as well as our monthly(-ish) interview show, IGN Unfiltered. He's a North Jersey guy, so it's "Taylor ham," not "pork roll." Debate it with him on Twitter at @DMC_Ryan. View the full article
The surprising crossover betweenStranger Thingsand Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024is now available, and a series of new images reveal major locations from the show that make it into the game. While Microsoft Flight Simulator represents the gold standard in realistic flight simulation, it's also become a hotbed for pop culture crossovers like Top Gunand Dune. Stranger Things might be the most surprising yet, but it's certainly a welcome addition for fans of the show. View the full article
The latest Battlefield 6 update, released on December 9 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC, seems to have caused severe performance issues for many players, as much of the community is now reporting stuttering problems following the release of patch 1.1.3.0. The new Battlefield 6update was the final content patch for Season 1, adding tons of new content to the title, while also making plenty of fixes and improvements. Unfortunately, despite addressing many existing problems, the update appears to have brought more issues along with it. View the full article
It's been a real treat seeing all the components of Minecraft Mounts of Mayhem trickle into snapshots and previews, but now the full package has arrived in Bedrock and Java. One of the biggest drops in terms of new mobs, it also lets you wield the deadly spear, craft netherite armor for horses, and so much more. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: Minecraft spear crafting recipe, uses, and more If you love Minecraft, this new Thermaltake CPU cooler is absolutely perfect for you Minecraft Mounts of Mayhem is finally ready to be unleashed, so here's when you can ride a zombie horse into battle View the full article
USC Games announced its 10th annual USC Games Expo will return to USC’s campus on May 12, 2026. The USC Games Expo, the largest university-run gaming showcase in the world, will spotlight the work of students who are shaping the future of interactive entertainment. The 2026 Expo will be supported by Wemade, the pioneering global game developer and publisher behind the Legend of Mir series and a leader in MMORPG and blockchain gaming innovation. “The USC Games Expo is the highlight of our year, giving our students the opportunity to showcase the games they’ve poured their creativity, talent, and dedication into,” said Danny Bilson, chair of the USC School of Cinematic Arts Interactive Media & Games Division and director of USC Games, in a statement. “As we celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Expo in 2026, we reflect on a decade of innovation and collaboration that has helped define USC Games as a leader in interactive entertainment education. We’re proud to welcome Wemade as a partner, whose support reinforces our shared commitment to nurturing the next generation of game creators.” .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 USC unveils 10th annual USC Games Expo for May 12, 2026 appeared first on GamesBeat. View the full article
Winter is here in Marvel Rivals, and it's about to get real cold outside, sugah. Rogue is here as the game's newest tank hero alongside the Dec. 12 update, but there's a lot more to look forward to once it goes live, including seasonal skins, events, and some changes to existing team-up abilities. Read on below for the season 5.5 patch notes in Marvel Rivals thus far. Table of contentsMarvel Rivals season 5.5 patch notesNew Vanguard hero: RogueTeam-Up Ability changesHero buffs and nerfsJeff's Winter Splash Festival returnsWinter-themed skinsMarvel Rivals season 5.5 patch notes Screenshot by Destructoid New Vanguard hero: Rogue Marvel Rivals' 45th hero is Rogue of the X-Men. She's a Vanguard (tank) that is described as a "true powerhouse on the battlefield" and a melee hero who can get up close and personal to deal big damage. True to her mutant powers in the comics, Rogue can absorb abilities from heroes she has taken down, such as stealing Doctor Strange's Shield of the Seraphim or Loki's Regeneration Domain. Her ultimate allows her to absorb ultimate energy from nearby enemies, so she could truly shake up the meta. Her full ability list and kit will be revealed ahead of the update. Team-Up Ability changes Image via Netease / Marvel One team-up is gone from season 5.5, while three others are adding a new hero to their ranks. RemovedMental Projection (Emma Frost and Psylocke)ChangedChilling Assault (Luna Snow and Iron Fist)Emma Frost addedSword of Duality (Hawkeye and Cloak & Dagger)Psylocke addedExplosive Entanglement (Magneto and Gambit)Rogue addedHero buffs and nerfs Some balancing changes are expected alongside the midseason update. Check back here closer to the launch on Dec. 12 for more info. Jeff's Winter Splash Festival returns Screenshot by Destructoid The seasonal event featuring Land Shark madness is back and better with a new map called Jeffland. The mode now has three unique Jeff builds with their own skill sets. Winter-themed skins Screenshot by Destructoid Holiday and winter-themed skins galore! New outfits for Squirrel Girl, Daredevil, Winter Soldier, Peni Parker, Cloak & Dagger, and more are coming to the shop and "festive events." For more on season 5.5, check out the Dev Vision Vol. 12 video from NetEase Games. [Hidden Content] The post Marvel Rivals season 5.5 early patch notes – Rogue, new team-ups, Jeff’s winter event, and more appeared first on Destructoid. View the full article
Pokémon Legends Z-A players can pick up a surprise gift in the form of Alpha Charizard for absolutely free for a limited time. It appears that Nintendo and The Pokémon Company have already started the Christmas celebrations early, ahead of the Mega Dimension DLC launch. Unlike the recently released Mewtwo, Alpha Charizard is quite easy to obtain as it's part of a limited-time code. Table of contentsHow to obtain Alpha Charizard in Pokémon Legends Z-AHow to redeem a Mystery Gift code in Pokémon Legends Z-AHow to obtain Alpha Charizard in Pokémon Legends Z-A Alpha Charizard can be obtained with the help of a code as part of the Mystery Gift feature in Pokémon Legends Z-A. Like all previously released Mystery Gifts, the latest one also has an expiry *******. Here's the valid code for obtaining your free Alpha Charizard. B1G0006 The code is valid until Jan. 19, 2026, so make sure to redeem before it expires. [Hidden Content] to redeem a Mystery Gift code in Pokémon Legends Z-A The process of redeeming the code for Alpha Pokémon is pretty much the same as all older codes. Hit X to open the main menu.Select Link Play.Go to Mystery Gift, and scroll down to choose Get with Code/Password.For the next step, you'll need to ensure that your Switch/Switch 2 is connected to the Internet.Enter the Mystery Gift code and wait for the system to confirm your password.Head to your Pokémon Boxes to find your Alpha Charizard. Incidentally, the code is available to all players for free, and you don't need to own or access Pokémon Legends Z-A Mega Dimension DLC to enjoy him. Only a few more hours are left, as of writing, for the DLC to go live worldwide. However, you can redeem the code mentioned above to start enjoying Charizard and get him ready for the upcoming quests. The post How to get Alpha Charizard for free in Pokémon Legends Z-A appeared first on Destructoid. View the full article
As someone who always loved the world of Vampire: The Masquerade but never quite knew how to get started, LA By Night inspired me to pick up my dice and head to my local game store. I've made amazing friends along the way, rolled consistent ******** failures, and spent many an hour winding down to Annabelle, Jasper, Nelli, and Victor's bloody adventures. In many ways, Jason Carl brought VTM back from the brink of final death, but despite LA and New York By Night's critical acclaim, the World of Darkness' recent videogame endeavors have struggled to stick the landing. With Bloodlines 2 launching to middling reviews and Bloodhunt shuttering next year, both VTM and Paradox's non-strategy output are in a weird place - one could say that multiple things are happening at once. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: Bloodlines 2's disastrous $37 million write-down "lies fully" with Paradox, says its CEO, as the controversial VTM game flops ******** Room co-founder wanted Paradox to drop the 'Bloodlines 2' name, because "no one would be happy" with the final game Best Vampire the Masquerade Bloodlines 2 clans - all clans explained View the full article
Corsair's new Cyberpunk special editions kit out some of the brand's best gaming tech in full Arasaka regalia, pre-orders open now.View the full article
Where Winds Meethas only been out in North America for a matter of weeks, but it's already slated to receive a huge content update this week. In the free-to-play tradition, Where Winds Meet is a big game that's only getting *******, aiming to provide enough material to keep players coming back daily for months or years. View the full article
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Notorious Battlefield 6 skin Wicked Grin has had its colors toned down once again, but this time, players are celebrating the removal of, well, its Wicked Grin. Battlefield Studios launched update 1.1.3.0 alongside its Season 1 finale, Winter Offensive, today. Although patch notes covered sweeping changes to Breakthrough, hit registration, and the overall audio experience, much of the online community was pleased to see the update tackle one of the EA FPS’s biggest controversies. You may recognize the above Support cosmetic as the Wicked Grin skin. While the clothing items themselves seem to be largely unchanged (minus one new bright yellow armband), the outfit’s standout features have been almost completely reworked. Where there were once bright blue colors highlighting the infantry class, players will now find muted tones and the complete removal of the toothy smile the skin originally earned its name from. The Wicked Grin changes exist as what many in the Battlefield 6 community are calling another victory what has become a massive push against goofy skins. Players began fighting against fears that Fortnite and Call of Duty-esque skins would eventually infiltrate Battlefield 6 when the System Override skin, not-so-lovingly called the “Monster Energy drink skin,” was unveiled weeks before launch. With technical director Christian Buhl previously telling IGN that BF Studios would stick to realistic, grounded visuals “for a while,” players worried the developers could change course sooner rather than later. Wicked Grin emerged weeks after launch as a prime example of what many believed was the beginning of the end for grounded infantry skins. Backlash related to the Support skin got out of hand so quickly that some players threatened to not revive any player seen wearing it. Word of player dissatisfaction got back to BF Studios and resulted in changes to System Override. Now, Wicked Grin, which had already been tweaked with lighter colors with the November 18 launch of California Resistance, is almost unrecognizable in Winter Offensive. There is almost certainly a group of players disappointed to see those bright blues leave, but for the more vocal players online, they’re mostly happy BF Studios is listening. “They fixed him," one popular Reddit post says. "They fixed this skin, super muted blues and removed the ugly mask design. Big W on lostening to the people." “Props to the community for standing up,” one comment adds, “props to the devs for listening and acting accordingly.” Battlefield 6 launched October 10 for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X | S, and BF Studios has been doing a balancing act since. A few updates targeting glitches, aim assist, gameplay balance, hit registration, and more have arrived in the last month alone, with content updates adding new maps as Season 1 rolls on. Today, Winter Offensive added snowy terrain to some familiar locations while handing players access to the new Ice Climbing Axe melee weapon. For more, you can read our 8/10 Battlefield 6 multiplayer review. You can also see how some players are using Portal to cope with what they feel is a lack of large Conquest map options, and why others weren't sure how to feel about some pricey new skins. 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