Welcome to the last week of July and another fairly packed week of new game releases. We kick off the week with a cosy trip to the shire, which is swiftly followed by some vehicular combat, some insect action, a virtual rebellion, a bit of law and order and finally landing in a post-apocalyptic world. We also have a few more new games that didn't quite make the list this week.

Tales of the Shire: A The Lord of The Rings Game / This week's major release / Tuesday 29 July
Welcome home, Hobbit! Live the cosy life of a Hobbit in the wonderfully serene landscape of the Shire. Discover, decorate, & share in this idyllic corner of Middle-earth. Join friendly Hobbits & familiar faces awaiting your arrival in Tales of the Shire: A The Lord of the Rings Game. Steam link

BEHOLD THE ARGONATH, THE PILLARS OF THE KINGS! Standing guard over the northern borders of Gondor, the Argonath is a pair of statues without compare—even in a place like Middle- earth. Now, it's found a place on your desk. Follow the Fellowship South through storied statues. Depicted in stunning impressionist style by the talented artists at Dwarf Factory, the scene on this mat is pulled straight from The Fellowship of the Ring, following our nine heroes as they go south along the river Anduin.

GLIDE ACROSS A WATER-REPELLANT SURFACE WITH SPACE TO SPARE
Towering statues aren't the only breathtaking structures here. Nearly as impressive is our mat itself, measuring 36 inches wide, 16 inches tall, and 4 millimeters thick. It's also water-repellant-perfect for any accidental rivers across your desk. Work and play on mythical materials: made from high-density, low-friction Mercerized fabric and eco-friendly anti-slip rubber, this mat stays put and feels exceptional. It may just last as long as the Argonath itself.

There's more to being a Hobbit than fleeing for your life and trying to survive increasingly hostile environments. This is why Wētā Workshop invites you to a taste of adventure that's a little more… wholesome. I had a cozy chat with Stephen Lambert, Tales of the Shire: A Lord of The Rings Game creative director, to dig a bit deeper into why this particular Hobbit hole will feel like a home away from home when it launches on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam—July 29.

How would you describe the main pillars of gameplay in Tales of the Shire?
Stephen Lambert: So much of the game is about community. We've got four main areas that we focus on while living your idyllic life as a Hobbit: how you spend your time cooking, gardening, fishing, and doing peaceful activities. The other aspect is exploring by water, so looking around the environment and discovering little secret moments and lovely little glades and areas to hang out within the world. And then there are obviously the tales within the community. So getting to meet new people and help them along their journeys.

CSTM creations worthy of the Dark Lord. Into these keyboards, we poured his malice, his cruelty, and his will to dominate all life. Customize like the shapeshifter Sauron himself on the new Drop + The Lord of the Rings Black Speech CSTM80 and CSTM65. Enshrouding these pre-builts in their own shadows of Mordor are our all-new Black Speech CSTM Decorative Cases—featuring exclusive artwork and magnetic detachability for easy customization.

Officially licensed MT3 Black Speech Keycaps
Speaking that same shadow into existence is our officially licensed MT3 Black Speech Keycap set - showcasing legends written in the same sinister scrawl found on The One Ring, as well as extra accent keys from our Magma Kit. CSTM components to conquer any desk—Marching for Mordor alongside our exclusive Black Speech accessories is a whole legion of enthusiast components; including Gateron switches, customizable gasket mounting, case foam, case weights, and more...

The Lords of Gondor have returned! Two new additions to the line of CSTM Kings. A line, a blade, a board - all that were once broken have been remade. Now, they can be custom-made, again and again. Inspired by the greatest kingdom of men; our Gondor CSTM80 and CSTM65 keyboards are kings of customization. Keeping safe all borders of these keebs, our all-new Gondor CSTM Decorative Cases feature exclusive artwork from the South Kingdom—as well as easy magnetic attachment for quick swapping with other cases in our collection.

Crowned with CSTM components fit for a King
Taking up the call of quality and customization alongside our Gondor accessories is a whole tower guard's worth of enthusiast components. Including: Gateron switches, customizable gasket mounting, case foam, case weights, and more...

Dear Fellow Hobbits, a good Hobbit feast takes time, and so does Tales of the Shire! We're taking a little longer to ensure that every Hobbit, on every platform, can enjoy the same cozy experience. The game will now launch on July 29, 2025. We want this game to feel like a warm hug from Middle-earth, and we are making sure that no matter where you play, you'll feel right at home in The Shire. From foot-hair styles to the fluffiest cakes, every detail will be just right.

We appreciate your patience and cannot wait for you to experience life in The Shire this summer. In the meantime, arrange the table, polish your silver and get ready for a feast fit for a Hobbit! Looking forward to welcoming you to Bywater.

• From the folks at Weta Workshop Game Studio

"Muster the Rohirrim. Assemble the army at Dunharrow. As many men as can be found. You have two days." CTSM the Rohirrim...and we have two new keyboards. At the core of these Rohan forces are Rohan CSTM Decorative Cases, made from regal green polycarbonate and adorned with iconography from Calenardhon. Hoisting the banners of Rohan all the way to the top is our officially licensed DCD Rohan Keycap Set-rallied in here in the green Aldburg variant to match our new cases.

CSTM Construction for any Formation
Alongside our exclusive Rohan accessories is a whole cavalry's worth of enthusiast components—including Gateron switches, customizable gasket mounting, case foam, case weights, and more.

From heart-pounding action games to remastered classics, there's something for everyone this GFN Thursday. Six new titles join the cloud this week, starting with The Thing: Remastered. Face the horrors of the Antarctic as the game oozes onto GeForce NOW. Nightdive Studios' revival of the cult-classic 2002 survival-horror game came to the cloud as a surprise at the PC Gaming Show last week. Since then, GeForce NOW members have been able to experience all the bone-chilling action in the sequel to the title based on Universal Pictures' genre-defining 1982 film. And don't miss out on the limited-time GeForce NOW holiday sale, which offers 50% off the first month of a new Ultimate or Performance membership. The 25% off Day Pass sale ends today - take advantage of the offer to experience 24 hours of cloud gaming with all the benefits of Ultimate or Performance membership.

It's Alive!
The Thing: Remastered brings the 2002 third-person shooter into the modern era with stunning visual upgrades, including improved character models, textures and animations, all meticulously crafted to enhance the game's already-tense atmosphere. Playing as Captain J.F. Blake, leader of a U.S. governmental rescue team, navigate the blood-curdling aftermath of the events depicted in the original film. Trust is a precious commodity as members command their squad through 11 terrifying levels, never knowing who might harbor the alien within. The remaster introduces enhanced lighting and atmospheric effects that make the desolate research facility more immersive and frightening than ever.

Private Division, a publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc., and Wētā Workshop, known for their work on the world of Middle-earth for The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, today revealed Tales of the Shire: A The Lord of the Rings Game, a cosy Hobbit life sim set in the Middle-earth universe of J.R.R. Tolkien. Developed by Wētā Workshop Game Studio, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Wētā Workshop, Tales of the Shire will launch in the second half of 2024 on the Nintendo Switch system, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam.

In Tales of the Shire, experience the storybook return to Middle-earth's most inviting region by living life as a Hobbit in the idyllic town of Bywater. Unwind in the breathtaking pastures, visit the townsfolks' local shops, or even enjoy second breakfast. Help bring the community together and achieve official village status by throwing the greatest Bywater Festival the Shire has ever seen!

We always had more Middle-earth keyboards in us. We just had to get back on the horse. For our latest release, we mean that in more ways (and more boards) than one. Meet the Drop + The Lord of the Rings Rohan Keyboard: a heroic typing staple sent from our stables in two styles, each inspired by the kingdom of horsemasters. Choose from the brown Edoras or the green Aldburg, named after the Riddermark's two biggest cities—and adorned with pad-printed artwork from OSHETART depicting a Rohan-inspired seal your entire desk can rally around.

MUSTER THE ROHIRRIM—IN 2 COLORWAYS
And like the great gathering of the Rohirrim before the Battle of the Pelennor Fields—these keyboards are sporting something of an army themselves. That army comes in the form of a newly created DCD-profile keycap set (in matching green or brown) featuring a host of Rohan-inspired novelties designed by OSHETART—including galloping horses, a cavalry helmet, the beacons of Minas Tirith, and iconography from Anglo Saxon culture: an inspiration for Rohan. Throw in tactile Holy Panda X Switches paired with our nearly silent Phantom Stabilizers, and you're ready to type—type now, for ruin, and the world's ending.

Welcome to Epic Games Store's Black Friday Event 2023! Why launch it on a Tuesday? With the return of the Epic Coupon, delivering 33% off of eligible transactions, and a boost to 10% Epic Rewards, we couldn't wait until Friday to tell you! Save on a range of top games!

From Nov. 21, 2023 at 11 AM ET / 4 PM GMT / 5PM CET until Nov. 28, 11 AM ET / 4 PM GMT / 5 PM CET, any eligible transactions (see the Terms and Conditions), or shopping carts of $14.99 or over will have a 33% discount applied at checkout. And the coupon is limitless, so you'll receive one following each eligible transaction completed for the duration of the event. We'll also be boosting our Epic Rewards program to 10% for the duration of the event. We've crafted a Black Friday Buyer's Guide to help you out. We've gathered some highlights below, listing great titles new and old, but it's just a taste of the range of games that you can buy this Black Friday. Enjoy!

Each week, we bring you news of the latest DLSS and RTX integrations in games and apps. Last week, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III launched with DLSS 3, and Like A Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name with DLSS 2. This week, Desynced adds support for DLSS 3, Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Realms of Ruin arrives with DLSS 2, the DLSS 2-enhanced Earth: Revival Open Beta begins, and the DLSS 3-enhanced Remnant II gets even better with the launch of The Awakened King DLC later today. Additionally, Starfield's Steam beta update is now available with DLSS 3, DLAA and NVIDIA Reflex, ahead of its official release at a later date.

Desynced Update Adds DLSS 3 On November 16th
Desynced is an Early Access sci-fi strategy game with fully customizable units and behaviors, from Stage Games Inc. and Forklift Interactive. Gather, build, research, and explore the unknown. Alone or with friends, unveil the mystery of an AI on the edge of self-awareness and uncover the hidden truth in this blend of strategy, automation, and exploration.

Tales of the Shire—a "The Lord of the Rings" game—has been teased by Private Division. The introductory trailer does not contain any gameplay footage, but it indicates that a "cozy" Hobbit-related living habitat will serve as the main environment. A live action sequence shows a character adding yet another drawing to a sketchbook filled to the brim with illustrations of Hobbit life and key Shire locales. Take Two Interactive's indie specialist offshoot will be publishing the game, while Wētā Workshop is listed as Tales of the Shire's main development studio. The latter is best known for creating special effects and props—most notably on the Peter Jackson directed The Lord of the Rings and Hobbit film trilogies.

Wētā Workshop's move into video games seems to be an odd one—but Take Two Interactive and its development partner did announce an unnamed The Lord of the Rings title last summer—Amie Wolken, head of interactive at Wētā Workshop stated (at the time): "It's a privilege to create a new game set in Middle-earth, especially one that's so different from what fans have played previously. As fans ourselves, we're excited for gamers to explore Middle-earth in a way they never have before, and introduce new fans to the magic of The Lord of the Rings." Private Division has set a very general 2024 launch window, with Tales of the Shire arriving on PC and consoles.

Independent developer Free Range Games and publisher North Beach Games today announced the release date for their highly anticipated co-op survival crafting title, The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria, which will welcome Dwarves into the storied mines on Oct. 24 with a digital release for the PlayStation 5 computer entertainment system and Windows PC version via the Epic Games Store. The game will see a physical release for the PS5 at retail on Dec. 5, and is scheduled to release for the Xbox Series X|S console systems in early 2024. Eager adventurers can pre-order the title digitally starting today on PC via the Epic Games Store or wishlist the game on the PlayStation Store for PS5. Set in the Fourth Age of Middle-earth, the epic fantasy world created by J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria follows the Dwarves as they embark on unique adventures to reclaim and restore their Dwarven homeland of Moria.

The story of The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria takes players beyond the books and into the Fourth Age of Middle-earth, the fantastical world created by J.R.R. Tolkien. Summoned to the Misty Mountains by Lord Gimli Lockbearer, players take control of a company of Dwarves tasked to reclaim the lost spoils from the Dwarven homeland of Moria—known as Khazad-dûm or Dwarrowdelf—in the depths below their very feet. Their quest will require fortitude and teamwork, delving deep into the Mines of Moria to recover its treasures and in the hopes of one day restoring them to their former glory.

Each week, we're bringing you news of the latest DLSS and ray tracing integrations in games and apps. Last week, The Lord of the Rings: Gollum launched with DLSS 3 and ray tracing, and more DLSS 2 games were released. This week, at COMPUTEX 2023, we've announced that Ash Echoes, Honor of Kings: World, and Legend of Ymir will all launch with DLSS 3, and Party Animals with DLSS 2. And we're celebrating the release of Diablo IV with DLSS 3, and System Shock with DLSS 2.

NVIDIA DLSS Now Available In Over 300 Released Games and Apps
NVIDIA DLSS uses AI and GeForce RTX Tensor Cores to boost frame rates while maintaining great image quality. With DLSS 3, AI-powered frame generation creates new, high-quality frames for smoother gameplay. Combined with our Super Resolution technology, DLSS 3 can render seven out of every eight pixels in a scene with AI. Adoption continues to accelerate and NVIDIA DLSS is now delivering AI-accelerated performance in over 300 games and applications.

NVIDIA today released the GeForce 532.03 WHQL Game Ready drivers. These introduce support for the GeForce RTX 4060 Ti 8 GB desktop graphics card the company launched earlier today. The drivers also come with optimization for "The Lord of the Rings: Gollum." The drivers come with a major update for the AI capabilities of GeForce graphics cards with Tensor cores, promising a 2x performance boost in AI inference performance. Among the handful issues fixed with this release are stability issues with "Age of Wonders 4" and broken Ansel and Freestyle with "Bus Simulator 31."

DOWNLOAD: NVIDIA GeForce 532.03 WHQL

Each week, we're bringing you news about the latest DLSS and ray tracing integrations in games and apps. Last week, D5 Render got a DLSS 3-powered upgrade, DLSS 2 boarded Bus Simulator 21, and The Outlast Trials launched into Early Access with day-1 DLSS 2 support.

This week, The Lord of the Rings: Gollum launches with support for DLSS 3 and many other NVIDIA technologies, and two new DLSS 2 titles are available now - Firmament and Togges.

To call this a busy week of game releases would be an understatement and there should be something for everyone except those that want a new sports or racing game of some kind. This week's AAA title is all about precious things, but we also have games covering the post-human world on earth, rescue missions, hammers of war, the colour yellow and snakes, for those that are into those kinds of things. Oddly enough, most of the games this week are released on Tuesday, so we included a whole bunch of new releases on the same day of week this time around due to this, not because we hate the other days of the week.

The Lord of the Rings: Gollum / This week's AAA title / Thursday 25 May
Play as Gollum on his quest to retrieve his Precious. You will need to climb the mountains of Mordor, sneak around Mirkwood and make difficult choices. Who will gain the upper hand: the cunning Gollum or the innocent Smeagol?

Amazon Games and Embracer Group, through its wholly owned subsidiary Middle-earth Enterprises, part of the operative group Freemode, today announced they have reached an agreement for Amazon Games to develop and publish a new massively multiplayer online (MMO) game based on The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien.

The upcoming game will be an open-world MMO adventure in a persistent world set in Middle-earth, featuring the beloved stories of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings literary trilogy. The game is in early stages of production, with the Amazon Games Orange County studio—makers of the popular open-world MMO game New World—leading development. Amazon Games will publish the game globally for PC and consoles. Additional details, including launch timing, will be shared at a later date.

Introducing three new officially licensed keycaps - one does not simply type into Mordor. You need the right artisan keycap to make it happen. Try the new Drop + The Lord of the Rings Mordor Artisan Keycap—featuring three entrancing exclusives inspired by Mordor's most menacing icons. Three for the Elven-kings under the sky, seven for the Dwarf-lords in halls of stone, nine for Mortal Men, doomed to die—and three for Drop, on our dark throne in the Land of Mordor, where the Shadows type.

We speak not of rings, but of keycaps. Forged in secret by the skilled hands at Dwarf Factory, a new line of artisan keycaps has fallen over the free lands of our Mech Keys community. It's the Drop + The Lord of the Rings Mordor Artisan Keycap—featuring three entrancing artisan keycaps inspired by Mordor's most menacing icons. Adorn your keyboard with The Eye of Barad-dûr, Morgul Fellbeast, and Sauron The Dark Lord. Because we could all use a little more Mordor.

What has it got in its pocketses? More games coming in May, that's what. GFN Thursday gets the summer started early with two newly supported games this week and 16 more coming later this month - including The Lord of the Rings: Gollum. Daedalic's action-adventure leads off a big month of cloud gaming, starting with two titles this week.

Don't forget to take advantage of the limited-time discount on six-month Priority memberships. Priority members get faster access to cloud gaming servers, as well as support for RTX ON in supported games - all for 40% off the normal price. But hurry, this offer ends Sunday, May 21. And the fun in May won't stop there. Stay tuned for more news on Xbox games joining the GeForce NOW library soon.

Each week we're bringing you the latest news on games launching with NVIDIA DLSS and advanced ray tracing. Last week, the list of supported DLSS games and apps surpassed 290, and this week we're adding even more games! Today, Returnal upgrades its DLSS integration to DLSS 3, giving GeForce RTX 40 Series players even higher frame rates in the fast-paced shooter, The Lord of the Rings: Gollum shows off its DLSS and ray tracing tech in a new trailer, and another 3 games add support for DLSS 2. Read on to learn more.

The Returnal: DLSS 3 upgrade launches today. Returnal, Sony and Housemarque's critically acclaimed third-person roguelike shooter, launched on PC in February, featuring out of the box support for DLSS 2 and ray tracing. After crash-landing on a shape-shifting world, players must guide astronaut Selene through the barren landscape of an ancient civilization for her escape. Isolated and alone, she finds herself fighting tooth and nail for survival. Again and again, she's defeated - forced to restart her journey every time she dies.

Daedalic Entertainment has published the official PC system requirements for The Lord of the Rings: Gollum, and these are quite high, especially considering that the game has been delayed several times and that it will be available for Nintendo Switch. Even though game has opened up pre-orders on Steam earlier today, many users are wary that the game might be another unoptimized PC port, specifically due to its high RAM and graphics card requirements.

Developed by Daedalic Entertainment and co-published by Daedalic Entertainment and NACON, The Lord of the Rings: Gollum will be available on May 25, 2023 on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and at a later date on Nintendo Switch. As far as PC system requirements are concerned, you'll need at least an Intel Core i7-4770 or AMD Ryzen 5 1600 CPU, 16 GB of RAM, and either an GTX 1080 or RTX 2060 graphics card, and this will get you 1080p resolution at medium preset and no ray tracing. For recommended requirements that will run the game at 1440p with ray tracing and DLSS Quality, you'll need an Intel Core i3-6100 or AMD Ryzen 2600 CPU, a hefty 32 GB of RAM, and an RTX 3080 graphics card. The game will have both DirectX 11 and DirectX 12 support, and need 45 GB of storage space.

Hello everyone, today we are thrilled to announce that Steam pre-orders have started! We are also happy to share more about The Lord of the Rings: Gollum : Precious Edition, which includes some premium perks for fans of Tolkien's Middle-earth. You can join Gollum's unshakeable quest for the One Ring on May 25th, 2023.

The Precious Edition was put together with Tolkien fans in mind. Daedalic Entertainment and NACON have gone above and beyond to curate a captivating package that includes over 100 stunning art pieces, a lore compendium to deepen your Middle-earth knowledge, additional Sindarin lines for the game's Elves, which will make you feel like you are properly east of the Misty Mountains, and more! With a focus on immersing players in the world of Middle-earth, this edition is sure to delight fans and gamers alike.

Today Daedalic Entertainment and NACON announced that their highly anticipated adventure game, The Lord of the Rings: Gollum, will release to PC, PlayStation, and Xbox on May 25th. A version for Nintendo Switch is planned for later this year.

Based on the beloved The Lord of the Rings trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien, the fantasy game takes players on an epic journey across Middle-earth, starring one of the lore's most compelling characters: Sméagol - *Gollum, Gollum*.