Gaming

More story trailers from each era still to come. Publisher SEGA and developer RGG Studio have released the first in a set of multiple story trailers for each era of 50-year action adventure saga STRANGER THAN HEAVEN. The first is dubbed “Act 1: Kokura.” The description reads, “Trace the events that lead protagonist Makoto Daito to sneak aboard the trading merchant Orpheus’ ship bound for Japan, and the harsh realities that await in the first city he reaches: Kokura, Fukuoka.”STRANGER THAN HEAVEN is due out for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, and PC via Steam and Microsoft Store on January 15, 2027. It will also be available via Game Pass. Watch the trailer below. Act 1: Kokura Story TrailerEnglish

Embark on a grand adventure as treasure hunter Shiren. Publisher Headup and developer Skyward Entertainment will release a demo for action RPG Second Stone for PC via Steam on October 19, the companies announced. Here is an overview of the game, via Skyward Entertainment:AboutSecond Stone: The Legend of the Hidden World is a vibrant action RPG following young Shiren as he searches for his lost spirit guardian, combining fast and fluid movement while mastering powerful magic to battle through two fractured worlds on the brink of collision. Key FeaturesHigh-Mobility Action-RPG Combat – Master fast-paced combat defined by dynamic movement, fluid platforming, and environmental puzzles that keep the action evolving. Modular Build Customization – Express your creativity by fusing elemental stones to craft unique powers, then slot them into your gear to design a combat style entirely your own. Bustling Village Hub – Return to a lively home base to upgrade your gear, chat with locals for quests, and unwind with a dice-battler minigame.

We got a bunch of new details about The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake this week thanks to a final round of previews and trailers ahead of the Switch 2 game’s November 5 release date. But our first look at how the new game is treating one of the coolest moments from the original was actually tucked away inside a short teaser on the game’s Nintendo Japan website. It shows Dark Link, and I’m very excited to go toe-to-toe with the Hero of Time’s old existential nemesis using the remake’s overhauled combat. It’s only a split second, but the new teaser shows a brief series of frames where Dark Link hops on Link’s sword during the Water Temple mini-boss fight. [任天堂HP]Nintendo Switch 2 ソフト『ゼルダの伝説 時のオカリナ』のCMを公開しました。#時のオカリナ #ゼルダの伝説40周年https://t.co/Y0gB7x0RUN — 任天堂株式会社 (@Nintendo) October 16, 2026 Dark Link, not to be confused with Shadow Link, is one of the more memorable parts of an already excellent Zelda game. It’s in the back half of one of the game’s more confusing dungeons and is carefully executed to create a moment that feels cinematic but is completely interactive. Players run across a mysterious, foggy room full of shallow puddles with a tree in the center.

ANA posted teasers of the limited and exclusive merchandise that will be available during its collaboration with the Chiikawa franchise, which casts the major characters from the series in jobs like pilots and flight attendants. The planes will also be decked out in designs based on the series both internally and externally during this period. Sales for the Chiikawa characters wearing the various uniforms of ANA personnel will begin on October 23, 2026. They’ll be available in stores within the airports, as well as from the in-flight store on domestic and international flights. In-flight orders will be available from November 1, 2026. Recommended Videos Here is the list of merchandise (and the prices) for the collaboration: Acrylic trading keychains: 6,160 JPY (8 variations) Can badges: 2,640 JPY (8 variations) Ceramic mug that looks like the in-flight paper cups: 5,500 JPY Clear file: 1,320 JPY (3) Doll: 3,080 JPY Mascot keychains: 2,310 JPY Stickers: 2,200 JPY (5) Towel handkerchief: 880 JPY And here are what all of the items look like. Images via ANA The characters that are part of this collaboration are Chiikawa, Hachiware, Usagi, Momonga, Kurimanju, Rakko, Shisa, and Furuhonya

Welcome to Next Week on XBOX! In this weekly feature we cover all the games coming soon to XBOX Series X|S, XBOX One, XBOX on PC, and Game Pass! Get more details on these upcoming games below and click their profiles for further info (release dates subject to change). Let’s jump in! Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 pushes the series into darker and more dangerous territory, where consequence and escalation bring long-running storylines to a powerful and emotional breaking point. Pre-order Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 today to gain Early Access to the game’s Campaign starting Friday, October 16 ahead of its global launch on October 23.

Developers have dealt with copycat games for many years, but generative AI has made it easier than ever to whip up a clone, and that problem has grown in recent years. The developer behind Drunken Goddess Reflux is aware of this, and out of fear that its anime Russian roulette game could be the victim of a cash-grab imitation, it has announced that it has canceled its upcoming public demo. Instead, Alliance Arts will hold closed online play sessions for a limited number of players. https://youtu.be/SRFDW2Pm9nk "We sincerely apologize for the short notice to everyone who was looking forward to it," the developer wrote online . "We're concerned that the demo's content could be used to quickly imitate or replicate the game's presentation and gameplay with AI or other tools, and that such works could be released before our launch." Alliance Arts is also concerned that it can't properly manage restrictions on posting and streaming content from the game, and it'll instead hand out demo keys and collect feedback for the game through its group Discord. The studio's fears aren't unwarranted, with the upcoming Needle in a Haystack being a prime example of Steam's copycat problem. After the g

Epic Games is officially working on bringing its battle royale shooter Fortnite to Linux. The announcement was tucked away at the bottom of Epic's widely mocked blog post revealing the new, "vibe-coded" Epic Games Store, which is also coming to Linux. At the time, Epic explained it's going to be working with Linux distro maintainers on a set of security requirements needed to run Fortnite. Distros - short for distributions - are operating system variants of Linux, each with its own goals and prioritised system operations. Valve's SteamOS, for instance, is based on Arch Linux. Because of the many discrepancies between Linux distros, each would need to implement Epic's security requirements individually if they want Fortnite to run on their operating system. Fortnite will arrive on Linux via the EGS launcher, but only if a "critical mass of distro maintainers" is reached. Epic didn't specify numbers.

The launch of a new live season is hard, and subtle changes to a game can have massive consequences when players get their hands on it. Wardogs proved this true with the launch of its second season this week, as players were able to unlock tanks on day one. The good news (or bad, depending on whether you feel you've missed out on a head start) is that this exploit has already been fixed. Players could drive just outside of their HQ, drop off pallets, and return to base to earn a sizable amount of XP. This, paired with faster XP gains for the Driver role allowed people to ascend rapidly through the Driver progression track and unlock tanks.

Big Walk has been a critical hit since it launched a few months ago on PC and PS5, but one major platform where you won't find it is Xbox Series X|S. That's no accident: Developer House House said its decision not to release the game on Xbox was a show of support for the Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement. "It has always been our intention for Big Walk to be played by groups of friends, and we know that keeping the game off Xbox runs counter to those intentions," House House wrote in a statement. "This decision means that some people will miss out on playing Big Walk with their friends, and we understand the disappointment we’re causing. We are disappointed too. We would love for people to be able to play the game on Xbox, but not until Microsoft and/or Xbox have been removed as BDS boycott targets. We’ve made this decision with the belief that meaningful change can be made in the world, that coordinated collective action can confront even the most powerful interests, and that one day, Palestine will be free." Microsoft became a priority target of the BDS initiative due to the contracts it had with the Israeli government and military. BDS has called for a

Ken Kutaragi, the former PlayStation executive known colloquially as the "Father of PlayStation," has reacted to the ongoing debate and discussion about physical games in the wake of Sony's announcement that it will end support for PS5 game discs in 2028. Speaking to VGC , Kutaragi said he understands that people think they "own" games when they buy them physically. However, he said, "Nobody thinks [physical media] is necessary for a networked device like a smartphone, for example, because people feel that they will keep their content." He went on to say that he "really" does understand why some people are upset about PlayStation's decision to end discs. After all, Sony continues to sell millions and millions of physical games annually , and in some regions, sales of new games on PS5 are more than 50% physical . However, as many others have said and data shows, consumers are increasingly leaning toward digital, and that trend is only expected to continue. "I don’t think it’s economically reasonable [to continue to support discs]. Maybe it’s a mentality issue," he said. For its part, Sony said ending support for physical discs is a "natural direction" for the company as it adapts to

Street Fighter is officially out in theaters now, and if you’re reading this, you’ve probably already seen the live-action adaptation of Capcom’s fighting game series and are sitting in the theater now waiting for the credits to end. Or maybe you’re just curious and wondering what director Kitao Sakurai and crew put in the movie’s credits to set up a hypothetical sequel. If you somehow clicked on this by accident and are scared of spoilers, you’ve had a whole three sentences now to click away, so let’s get into Street Fighter’s post-credits scene. © Capcom Throughout Street Fighter, we get a number of animated sequences, but these are reserved for  flashbacks. In a mid-credits scene, it breaks this rule (not that it was really abiding by many rules to begin with), using animation to show a moment that takes place after all the street fighting is over. Sagat, who was first shown in the opening scenes of the movie as Ryu’s final opponent in the first World Warrior tournament, is now seen angrily training, clearly still holding a grudge against Ryu for his defeat. M.

As part of IGN Fan Fest: Fall Edition 2026, we were able to exclusively reveal a first look at the officially licensed Fallout Power Fist 1:1 Scale Replica, a perfect addition to the collection of those with fond memories of their visits to that iconic post-apocalyptic wasteland. This Power Fist replica is "faithful to every brutal, pneumatic detail," and even includes the beloved in-game sound activation that "lets you announce your presence the old-fashioned way. "Weighing in at 4.6 lbs and stretching 17 inches long, this replica is forged from premium PVC, ABS, and alloy materials. It also comes with an instruction manual because "even apex wasteland survivors read the fine print. "With Fallout 5 and Season 3 of Prime Video's Fallout series on the way, there couldn't be a better time to start stocking up on items like these. And hey, if we ever do enter into a post-apocalyptic future, you'll already be prepared! For more from IGN Fan Fest: Fall Edition 2026, check out our roundup of the biggest moments, including from VisionQuest, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2, Whalefall, and more! Adam Bankhurst is a writer for IGN.

GTA 6's takeover of real-life Miami is continuing, and in a big way, ahead of the open-world crime game's release in November. For anyone unaware, GTA 6 takes place in Vice City, which is a stand-in for Miami, and the game also takes players to surrounding areas of its version of Florida, known as Leonida. After the GTA 6 logo was airlifted onto Miami's Kaseya Earlier this month to promote the game and an upcoming Miami Heat x GTA 6 crossover , Rockstar's marketing efforts have now grown substantially. This has included a number of real-life marketing activations in the Miami area covering real cars, blimps, beach chairs, and more. The efforts have not been without controversy. Multiple Miami-Dade County commissioners expressed serious concerns about the city taking Rockstar's money to promote a game about violence and murder, among other ... vices. "We're depicting Miami like a murder capital," Commissioner René Garcia said, according to the Miami Herald. Commissioner Micky Steinberg added: "Philosophically, I feel we should not be moving forward." Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava and her office is hoping to bring in millions from its partnership with Rockstar to promo

A few years back, Warhammer: Boltgun hit PC and console and won me over with its snappy combat, crunchy retro visuals, and dark humor that made it clear that the people who built the game understood the universe of W40k. And at first, Boltgun 2, out now, didn’t seem like a huge improvement over the last game. But as I’ve played more, I’ve discovered that this new sequel is bigger and better in every way. Boltgun 2 is set directly after the events of the first game, but you don’t need to have played that game to hop into this one. Long story short, you play as a tough-as-nails Space Marine who is focused on one thing: Destroying enemies of the Imperium of Man and doing it as brutally and effectively as possible. This involves a lot of shooting and explosions. Heretics tend to put up a fight. This time around, however, players can take up the fight against heretical demons and soldiers as either returning protagonist Malum Caedo or new playable character and badass Battle Sister Nyla Veyrath. Both are very deadly warriors, but they get the job done differently. Malum hits hard and moves slower.

Kernal Hearts is a roguelike action-RPG with a message about war and bosses that like to hit you with both melee attacks and bullet patterns. Oh, and it’s a post-apocalyptic world with a Tower of Babel to climb and angels to fight. With young women androids who rely on the recorded memories and personalities of former living weapons. It’s very NieR and NieR: Automata coded for sure. But while there are some interesting elements, I also sometimes feel like things such as the dodging mechanic, camera, and even need to level up at specific shrine spots on a map get in the way of it being great. Instead, it’s something novel, which is fine in its own way. Recommended Videos Kernal Hearts takes place in an alternate timeline where a Russian astronaut’s child after the trip to space developed unknown, inexplicable abilities. Humans, being what they are, decided to turn what would perhaps be considered a “magical girl” into a weapon of war. This meant tons of young women treated as tools, forced to fight, with only some of them being “honored” by having their memories saved as data. Naturally, an apocalypse occurred.

Assassin’s Creed Destiny was its working title, report claims Footage alleged to show a prototype of a cancelled Assassin’s Creed game in action has popped up online. The game, it's claimed, was set in ancient China, went by the working title Assassin’s Creed Destiny, and was a separate project to Chinese-set mobile game Assassin’s Creed Jade. Instead, from the sounds of it Destiny would have been a game aimed at PC and consoles.

No matter how much I wish it were the case, I’ll never know what it was like to have seen Jaws in the summer of 1975. Yet, I still get the joy of watching the film that changed blockbuster cinema forever 50 years later, whether that be on towering IMAX screens or wonderfully restored 4K blu-rays. The experience of being there when a film, game, or piece of music entered our culture and witnessing its impact firsthand can never be replicated, but through preservation, remasters, and remakes, new audiences get to uncover these treasures for themselves. This is the case with The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. My recent playtime with a demo of the Switch 2 remake felt like digital archaeology; the unearthing of a cultural artefact that informed so much of what came after it, while remaining a gleaming treasure in its own right. A link between one era of video games and another. A sacred text. At least, that’s how it felt to me. You see, I’ve never played the original. Well, that’s a tiny bit of a lie — I did briefly mess around in the opening hour or so of the 3DS port around a decade ago. I know, I should be subject to whatever form of medieval torture you deem appropriate.

CD Projekt Red has finally spoken up about the live-action Cyberpunk 2077 movie. The company said it doesn’t want to do a 1:1 adaptation of the game, instead telling a new story within the same universe. "At this point, we can only say that we definitely don't want to make a film adaptation of the game," co-CEO Michał Nowakowski told Polish outlet PAP Biznes, via GamesRadar. "We want to tell a story in the world of Cyberpunk, but it won't be a one-to-one translation of the game's story. "The Cyberpunk movie is being created in partnership with Parmount, now under the Skydance banner after the recent merger. The film will be produced by Lorenzo di Bonaventura, of live-action Transformers fame. It’ll be interesting to see how far the movie strays from the game, which featured a freelance mercenary called V who put a mysterious computer chip in their brain and ended up haunted by the digital ghost of Keanu Reeves’ Johnny Silverhand. I’d personally love them to go back, get Reeves back in, and tell Silverhand’s story before he ended up stuck in a chip.