As part of the upcoming Monster Hunter Wilds Title 1 update, Capcom plans to introduce a new Arena Quests mode, a ranked, timed multiplayer mode with a competitive leaderboard and in-game cosmetic prizes. In anticipation of the new game mode, Capcom has issued a stern warning to would-be cheaters, and it will be following that up with punitive measures. According to a post on X and a recent blog post about the new game mode, any confirmed cheaters may face repercussions like removal of rewards, disqualification from further participation in Arena Quests, or even account restriction or outright suspension.

Curiously, Capcom seems to be relying on community reporting for its cheater detection, since Monster Hunter Wilds notably does not feature an anti-cheat system. While this means the AAA game runs well on Linux and the Steam Deck alike, it also makes it more difficult to catch cheating players. It also presents the unfortunate side effect of innocent players being caught in the cross fire. Addressing the latter, Capcom says the following: "Individuals who are mistakenly deemed to have committed a prohibited act will not be compensated later with participation and ranking rewards," and it encourages any players who suspect that they have been teamed up with a cheater to leave the quest immediately and report the offending player.

Today, publisher ESDigital Games and Italian studio Storm in a Teacup announced that the release date of the highly anticipated stealth-action adventure Steel Seed has been pushed back to April 22 on PC (Steam and Epic Games Store), PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S, rather than launching on April 10 as previously announced. These extra few weeks will give the talented team behind the game more time to fine-tune both platform adaptation on consoles and game optimization.

"Since the game's announcement, your excitement has been truly inspiring, and we know how much you've been looking forward to a deep dive into a dark sci-fi future on all platforms. That's why we want to be completely open with you: We encountered some technical hurdles related to platform adaptation when running our platform certification tests. Rather than rushing the console release and risking a potentially substandard console user experience that requires swift patching, we have made the difficult, but necessary decision to delay the launch," said Ilia Svanidze, Head of Marketing of ESDigital Games.

The call of the North beckons once more! Indie publisher Silver Lining Interactive and developer Infuse Studio are thrilled to announce that Spirit of the North 2 will launch on May 8th, 2025, bringing its stunning world of folklore, adventure and mysticism to PC via Steam, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series S/X. In addition to the digital release, an extraordinary physical Signature Edition for PC and PlayStation 5 will offer devoted fans a treasure trove of handcrafted collectibles.

This long-awaited sequel in the critically acclaimed series transports players into a vast and awe-inspiring world where a lone fox and its raven companion must embark on a perilous journey of healing, discovery, and ancient magic deeply rooted in Nordic legend. Wishlist Spirit of the North 2 now on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series S/X, and prepare to step into an unforgettable adventure.

Welcome to the first week of April and the month kicks off on the slow side. This week's major release is a remaster of a game that launched on the PS4 in 2020, which is why we decided to avoid calling it a AAA release, even though the original console game was. This is followed by some parkour, going on adventures with a puppy, some mechs, running a roman outpost and finally being in charge of some police officers.

The Last of Us Part II Remastered / This week's major release / Thursday 3 April
Five years after their dangerous journey across the post-pandemic United States, Ellie and Joel have settled down in Jackson, Wyoming. Living amongst a thriving community of survivors has allowed them peace and stability, despite the constant threat of the infected and other, more desperate survivors. When a violent event disrupts that peace, Ellie embarks on a relentless journey to carry out justice and find closure. Steam link

Wizordum, the retro first-person spell caster developed by Emberheart Games and published by Apogee Entertainment, summons a 1.0 launch for PC via Steam on Tuesday, April 29, 2025, for $19.99. As one of the last surviving mages, traverse seven new levels on a journey to eradicate Chaos for good in this magical finale of Wizordum.

Battle arcane foes aboard speedy mine carts across Episode 3's chaotic fire and ice levels, filled with fiery lava and razor-sharp falling icicles. Face formidable bosses using all-new mage-tastic weapons, including the bolt-throwing Faewood Crossbow and the Staff of Chaos, an elemental triple-threat harnessing ferocious ice, fire, and storm spells.

Amazon Luna, the online game streaming service, has officially announced that it will be expanding further into Europe, introducing availability in Belgium, Luxembourg, Portugal, and Sweden. The launch includes both the free-to-play games available via Amazon Prime Gaming and the standalone Luna+ subscription service. Along with that announcement, it was also revealed that Amazon Luna has entered into a multi-year partnership with EA to bring some of the game studio's AAA hits to Luna+ members. EA joins GOG, Ubisoft, and Jackbox Games as publishers and game studios whose games are now available on Luna.

Kicking off the EA partnership are Star Ward: Jedi Survivor, Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order, and Dead Space. Unlike the Ubisoft and Jackbox games, which require an additional subscription tier to access, EA's games are available in the basic Luna+ subscription. Amazon says that more EA games will be coming to Luna soon, specifically mentioning the EA Sports portfolio, although it did not specify which games or say when they would be coming to the platform. With Luna's expansion into more European countries, Amazon is also increasing the availability of the Luna controller, which connects directly to the cloud game streaming servers for reduced latency. The Luna controller will now be available in Belgium, Luxembourg, and Sweden for €69.99 MSRP or 799.99 SEK, with introductory sales bringing prices down to €44.99 and 519.99 SEK, respectively. The Luna controller is not yet available in Portugal, but it will launch there later this year. Luna+ subscribers can play on a variety of devices, including Mac, Windows, iOS/iPadOS, Android, and ChromeOS devices (via Chrome or Safari web browsers), as well as Amazon Fire tablets and TVs and Samsung and LG TVs.

Indie publisher Brain Seal just announced Dark Quest 4, the latest entry in the beloved Dark Quest series—a bold, standalone return to the dungeon that feels like a living board game.

Inspired by iconic board games such as Hero Quest, Descent, and Dungeon Saga, Dark Quest 4 is a turn-based RPG dungeon crawler that blends strategy, imagination, and unforgettable quests into one immersive experience.

CD Projekt Red, the studio behind wildly popular The Witcher and Cyberpunk 2077 game franchises, is once again entering the mobile gaming scene, this time in partnership with Scopely, the massive publisher that recently made news for buying Niantic, developer behind Pokémon Go. CD Projekt Red announced the partnership in its 2024 financial earnings report, although the announcement is rather vague.

According to the earnings report, CDPR and Scopely will develop "a game set within one of CD PROJEKT's IPs," and nothing more than that. Currently, a Witcher or Cyberpunk spin-off seem equally likely, although with The Witcher 4 expected to launch within the next few years, CDPR may be looking to build up hype around the Witcher universe leading up to that launch. That said, there is also reportedly a Cyberpunk 2077 sequel in the works as well, so a Cyberpunk spin-off is also a possibility. CDPR has already released a number of iOS and Android games set in The Witcher IP, including Gwent: The Witcher Card Game, Gwent: Rogue Mage, The Witcher, Monster Slayer, The Witcher Battle Arena, The Witcher Adventure Game, and Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales. Meanwhile, there has been but one mobile game based on the Cyberpunk universe—Roach Race—so it would not be surprising to see a Cyberpunk 2077 spin-off come out of the partnership.

Dreamhaven development studio Secret Door today announced Sunderfolk, a tactical co-op adventure inspired by a deep love of tabletop gaming, will launch on Steam, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch on April 23, 2025, for $49.99 USD. Future heroes of the Sunderlands can wishlist the game now on Steam, the PlayStation Store, Xbox, and the Nintendo eShop. Players eager to try the game can play the free, exclusive First Look Demo on the NVIDIA GeForce NOW cloud gaming service, available today through April 7.

Sunderfolk's First Look Demo showcases the game's early experience with all playable characters unlocked. Players can replay the demo to experiment with different character combinations and gameplay strategies. Be among the first to try it with NVIDIA GeForce NOW. To access the demo, players can simply create a membership with NVIDIA GeForce NOW and launch Sunderfolk, along with the Sunderfolk mobile app to use as the game's controller. Signing up for an NVIDIA GeForce NOW membership is free-no paid membership is required to play Sunderfolk's First Look Demo.

It looks as though GeoGuessr, that browser-based geography puzzle game filling your YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels, will finally get a Steam version, after 12 years as a browser game. According to a freshly launched Steam Store page and an announcement on said Steam Store page, GeoGuessr will launch on Steam in April, 2025. Until now, GoeGuessr has been a browser-based game with a monthly subscription, but it's not entirely clear what the monetization strategy will be when it launches to Steam next month. At launch, the Steam version of the game will feature two online gameplay modes: Ranked Solo Duels and unranked Team Duels.

GeoGuessr is a puzzle game that drops you in a random unknown location on a street view map, and you have to use visual clues to determine where you've been dropped. The more accurate you are and the quicker you guess, the higher your score. The GeoGuessr Steam Store page makes mention of a "Steam Pass" that will be needed to play in the ranked Solo Duels mode, but there is also mention of a free version that includes unlimited access to the Amateur Division for Solo gameplay and unranked Team Duels mode. While the subscriptions for the browser-based and Steam Edition versions of GeoGuessr will remain separate—buying one does not grant access to the other—there will be cross-play between browser and Steam gamers. Pricing for the Steam Edition is so far unclear, but the browser-based GeoGuessr costs between $3.99 and $9.99 per month, depending on which plan you opt for.

The launch of Grand Theft Auto VI is such a hotly anticipated game launch that Corsair seems to think the game's PC launch will have a noticeable effect on the sales of gaming hardware and peripherals. Some fans have even speculated that 2K was planning the launch of Borderlands 4—itself a sequel to a massively popular franchise—around the expected launch of GTA VI. While this was previously mere speculation, comments from publishers lend credence to this theory. According to The Game Business, as many as three major game publishers have said that they are preparing to shift their game launches so that they don't get completely overshadowed by the launch of GTA VI.

The unnamed studios specifically called out GTA VI in their comments, with concerns ranging from gamers spending all their time and money on GTA VI to the new GTA title simply dominating the news cycle and making other games fall through the cracks. Several live-service game developers also commented that they would be delaying any updates to their games, with one suggesting a three-to-four week window would be the expected safe zone for most developers. It should be noted that this "safe zone" is both before and after the expected release of GTA VI, so there may be a wave of games and updates just before and just after GTA VI. While GTA VI wasn't directly mentioned, EA CEO, Andrew Wilson, has previously stated that "some things happening in the year that may cause us to think differently about our launch timing," specifically talking about the launch of Battlefield 6, which is currently slated for release before the end of Q1 2026.

More than 700 games and applications feature RTX technologies, and each week new games integrating NVIDIA DLSS, NVIDIA Reflex, and advanced ray-traced effects are released or announced, delivering the definitive PC experience for GeForce RTX players. This week, DLSS 4 with Multi Frame Generation is multiplying performance in Enlisted, the Half-Life 2 RTX demo, KARMA: The Dark World, The First Berserker: Khazan, and Warhammer 40,000: Darktide. And we can announce that Remedy Entertainment's FBC: Firebreak will launch with DLSS 4 Multi Frame Generation support.

Additionally, there's a DLSS and technology-upgrading Control update available, Kingdom Come: Deliverance II has updated to the latest DLSS Super Resolution transformer AI model, and RF Online Next is launching with support for DLSS Super Resolution. Read on for further details about each of these announcements, and check out our last DLSS article to learn about the addition of DLSS 4 with Multi Frame Generation to future releases, including Lost Soul Aside, Mecha BREAK, Phantom Blade Zero, Stellar Blade, Tides of Annihilation, and Wild Assault.

With games like Ghost of Tsushima, and Assassin's Creed Shadows more recently, being set in various periods across historical Japan, the developers of the games upped the realism by including real-world locations in each of the games. While this has the added benefit of grounding the game and sharing some of Japan's cultural heritage with the gaming world, it has apparently also caused some controversy due to incidents involving vandalism at those very same culturally significant sites across Japan. According to Automaton, the Watazumi shrine featured in Ghost of Tsushima was forced to close its doors to tourists after an "unforgivable act of disrespect" was perpetrated at the site. No additional information about the site was provided by Japanese authorities, but it is assumed that some act of vandalism took place at the religious site.

[Editor's note: Our in-depth review of [Assassin's Creed Shadows] is now live]

This isn't the first time the shrine has banned visitors from its gates, but this time around, the shrine's officials report having had to contact the police on numerous occasions relating to vandalism and verbal and physical abuse of the management staff by visitors. The day after Ubisoft launched Assassin's Creed Shadows, the developer issued a patch removing destructible assets from religious shrines as a result of concern relating to vandalism of the religious sites. IGN reports that this concern came from none other than Japanese Prime Minister, Shigeru Ishiba, who issued a very serious statement clarifying that "Defacing a shrine is out of the question - it is an insult to the nation itself. When the Self-Defense Forces were deployed to Samawah, Iraq, we ensured they studied Islamic customs beforehand. Respecting the culture and religion of a country is fundamental, and we must make it clear that we will not simply accept acts that disregard them." He also suggested that these issues may require legal attention. The Assassin's Creed Shadows update removing destructible assets from shrines also made it so that civilians in and around sites of religious significance would not bleed when attacked by the player, reducing bloodshed in the shrines.

Dune: Awakening, the multiplayer survival game inspired by Frank Herbert's legendary sci-fi novel and Legendary Entertainment's award-winning films, will launch on May 20th. Funcom is excited to share that pre-orders begin today, and gamers everywhere are now less than two months away from descending upon the most dangerous planet in the universe.

The standard edition, the Deluxe Edition, and the Ultimate Edition are now available for pre-order on Steam, with the latter including, among many other goodies, an incredible, 90-minute-long digital soundtrack. In celebration of this moment, Funcom has prepared a journey behind the scenes of the making of the music, giving viewers a unique glimpse at how award-winning composer Knut Avenstroup Haugen brought the album to life with a live orchestra at the legendary AIR Lyndhurst studio in London.

Welcome to the last full week of March and it's jam-packed with new releases, with this week's major release coming out of South Korea and it should appeal to all the single player RPG fans out there. The week continues with driving really really far away, a modern take on an early arcade game, some more RPG action, although this time based on a popular TV show, which is followed up by an open world post-apocalyptic first person shooter that takes place in the UK and the week finally ends with a life sim that is not from EA. There's also a bunch of other games launching this week.

The First Berserker: Khazan / This week's major release / Thursday 27 March
Experience the brutal action of The First Berserker: Khazan, a hardcore Action RPG adventure set 800 years before the events of the Dungeon Fighter Online (DNF) Universe. You will experience the vast universe and journey to the continent of Arad and discover the untold story of General Khazan. Master deep and immersive combat mechanics while you engage in strategic battles against a diverse array of foes and bosses. Will you embrace the path of the First Berserker and embark on Khazan's path of revenge? Steam link

The upcoming park management sim Mars Attracts has just released a playable demo of the game on Steam. The demo release coincided with the release of an all-new trailer featuring an in-depth look at the gameplay, which sees the player building whacky rides, managing the needs of fickle Martian guests, and abducting humans to serve as the star attractions. This latest trailer reveals all new experiments and amenities for messing with the unfortunate human captives.

In the demo, players will be able to push their humans to the limits of sanity in the name of Martian science, and get a real taste for the management systems and darkly mischievous gameplay that Mars Attracts has to offer. Throughout the development journey, Outlier has encouraged fans to contribute to the direction of Mars Attracts - and the demo is just the latest step in this journey, ahead of an Early Access release later this year.

Kaiserpunk, the highly-anticipated grand city-builder, from Overseer Games and co-published by Elda Entertainment, is now available on Steam for $29.99. Kaiserpunk challenges players to build thriving cities, maximize industrial power, and lead military campaigns across an alternate-history Interbellum Era (1918-1945). Combining large scale city-building, deep production chains, and global conquest, Kaiserpunk offers a unique blend of creativity and strategy. Players can shape their empire through military might or diplomacy—creating a city-state that will rise from the ashes of war and leave its mark on history.

"Kaiserpunk has been a journey of ambition and passion," said Danijel Mihokovic, game director on Kaiserpunk and co-founder of Overseer Games. "We set out to create a city-builder that not only lets you construct a metropolis but also challenges you to shape its destiny on a global scale. We're beyond excited to see players dive into the world and make history their own."

Prepare for pain! During today's Future Games Show, Saber Interactive's 3D Realms label and developer Anshar Studios announced Painkiller, an intense new spin on the classic action-shooter launching in fall 2025 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC via Steam. Experience fast-paced gameplay set to a powerful metal soundtrack with heart-pounding combat and brutal weapons in solo or co-op. Check out the game's debut trailer for a first look at the gruesome terrors and gothic torment that await in this modern reimagining of the infamous franchise.

Welcome to Purgatory! You've been sentenced for your transgressions against Heaven, but the Voice of the Creator is giving you one chance to redeem yourself. Wield an arsenal of infernal weapons, including nods to the original Painkiller plus totally new creations to discover. Blast your way through hordes of demons and titanic terrors - solo or in online co-op for up to three players - across gruesomely detailed gothic environments to stop the fallen angel Azazel's invasion of Earth and earn your salvation.

The war for Saiadha is about to begin, and Hooded Horse and Amplitude are excited to offer an in-depth look at one of ENDLESS Legend 2's playable factions - The Kin of Sheredyn. Descended from interstellar explorers, this hardened society will defend its lands at all costs while searching for its lost leader.

The Kin of Sheredyn are strangers to the world of Saiadha. Descendants of an expedition sent by a mighty interstellar empire, they arrived decades ago to explore the ocean planet and establish a new colony. Instead, they found themselves stranded, beset on all sides by devastating storms and relentless Necrophage attacks. Their charismatic leader, Commander Garin, disappeared many years ago and has ascended into myth - the lost hero who will one day return to save the Kin from their enemies.

With the release of the highly anticipated Atomfall just days away Rebellion, the independent video game studio behind the smash hit Sniper Elite and Zombie Army franchises, has today revealed the new pre-launch trailer that raises the question 'What Truth Lies Beneath?' Available to watch here, the new trailer offers a further glimpse of the mysterious riddles and environments players will encounter within Atomfall's quarantine zone. Whoever you are, whatever path you choose, you need to get to the bottom of what happened at the Atom Plant.

A UK-based post-apocalyptic survival-action game, Atomfall is inspired by the real life Windscale nuclear incident in the 1950s. Players will embark on a fictionalised adventure meeting a cast of weird and wonderful characters as they try to uncover the mystery and escape the quarantine zone. Atomfall will launch on 27 March 2025, coming day one to Game Pass. It is available to pre-order now on Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Windows PC and PC via Steam and Epic Games Store, PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4. Atomfall is also Certified on Steam Deck. Players who purchase the Deluxe Edition will also enjoy 3 days early access.

Despite some minor complaints about in-game performance and optimization, it's plain to see that Monster Hunter Wilds has been a successful launch for Capcom, but it has now been confirmed that Monster Hunter Wilds is topping both sales charts for February and 2025 so far. This is according to a report by Circana (via VG247), which claims that Monster Hunter Wilds managed to secure the top spot in February's and game sales across all the platforms where it is available, at least for the US market. Given the game series's popularity in Asia, it's likely a similar story played out there. SteamDB's data indicates that Monster Hunter Wilds has sold between 4.47 million and 5.96 million copies on Steam alone, with the peak concurrent player count reaching a whopping 1,384 608 players. Still, Wilds is currently in eighth position on the Steam Charts top sellers list or fourth if you consider the year to date. Previously, Monster Hunter Wilds also managed to surpass 8 million copies sold in just 3 days after release. All that said, these records are unlikely to last, since 2025 is stacking up to be a monumental year for gaming.

Both GTA VI and Borderlands 4 are slated for launch later this year, and while Borderlands 4 itself is hotly anticipated, GTA VI's announcement trailer broke YouTube's view records in the first 24 hours when it was first published. Since then, GTA VI's trailer has attracted 245 million views on YouTube. While GTA VI is slated to launch sometime in late 2025, it will be a console exclusive, meaning Monster Hunter Wilds and Borderlands 4 will likely be some of the biggest franchise launches for Steam this year. GTA VI has been rumored to be launching on PC in early 2026, although it's unclear if it will be launched to Steam at that time. Ubisoft also just launched Assassin's Creed Shadows to a somewhat mixed reception. While it remains to be seen how sales play out for Shadows, it is currently second on the top sellers chart on SteamDB.

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Kuuasema, the Finnish veteran game developer, welcomes all aspiring cult leaders to try the recently announced Cthulhu Keeper! All players are invited to head to the Steam page of the game to give the darkly humorous and challenging strategy game a go!

Have you ever dreamed of ruling over an evil empire alongside the most iconic nightmare creature of all time? Cthulhu Keeper blends classic dungeon-keeping with real-time tactics, immersing players in the creeping horror of Lovecraft's world, all set in the period-appropriate 1920s. In Cthulhu Keeper, you can build your very own cult and generate fear and chaos around you. Command your minions, build a terrifying lair, and unleash chaos upon the unsuspecting populace.

The Esports World Cup Foundation (EWCF) today announced the top 40 esports Clubs that have been accepted into the EWCF Club Partner Program, an industry-leading initiative designed to promote the sustainable growth of esports organizations. The $20 million program offers participating Clubs up to $1 million in funding to expand their brand and grow their global audience through innovative content and marketing campaigns leading up to and throughout the Esports World Cup 2025.

Since 2023, the EWCF has supported esports Clubs with a carefully aligned funding model that contributes to the Club Partner Program members' financial stability and brand growth. To achieve this, the 2025 Program will focus on fueling global fan growth across all borders and games through impactful storytelling and creative campaigns.

Time flies and as we enter the latter half of March, we have a AAA release from a popular franchise that involves murder by another name. This is followed by a rather weird party game, a 33 player co-op game (good luck finding enough friends), some casual ski resort fun, an anime based game that appears to be related to chemicals and finally some alternative 20th century strategy gaming.

Assassin's Creed Shadows / This week's AAA release / Thursday 20 March
Become Naoe, a shinobi Assassin, and Yasuke, a legendary samurai, as you experience their riveting stories and master their complementary playstyles. As Naoe, use stealth to avoid detection and agility to confound your enemies. As Yasuke, strike your foes with lethal precision and power. Steam link