Today's Gaming Pulse
Resident Evil Requiem launches free demo after 7 million copies sold
Capcom’s Resident Evil Requiem, which has sold over 7 million copies since its release three months ago, is now offering a free demo on Steam, Epic, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and Switch 2. The demo lets players experience early chapters with protagonist Grace Ashcroft, though progress cannot be transferred to the full game.
Also developing:
By the numbers: Goldenpeak takes majority stake in Ampere Analysis
A Storied Life: Tabitha Now Available on Switch
Lab42 Games’ narrative puzzle title *A Storied Life: Tabitha* is now available on Nintendo Switch, published by Secret Mode. The game invites players into the former home of the late Tabitha, where they must sort, pack, and preserve items to reconstruct her memoirs. Its watercolor aesthetic and choice‑driven storytelling let players craft multiple versions of Tabitha’s life. Early feedback highlights the emotional resonance and inventive mechanics.
Riot Reinvents LoL Arena with Events, Augment Leveling, and New Maps
Riot Games launches Arena Season 2, overhauling League of Legends’ fast‑paced mode with rotating Events, a new augment‑leveling system, fresh maps, and expanded Guests of Honor. Events such as 3×6, Bravery and Swift replace the static 2v2 format, while the new...
League of Legends’ WASD Controls Pass Balance Test, Headed to Ranked
Riot Games announced that its experimental WASD control scheme has cleared internal balance tests and will debut in League of Legends Ranked play with Patch 26.9, kicking off Season 2. After months of large‑scale playtesting, the new movement system now sits at...
Gamer Census ‘25-’26 Shows Pokémon, Splatoon, and Smash Bros. As Japan's Most Popular Games
The 2025‑2026 Gamer Census surveyed 11,850 Japanese players, revealing Nintendo’s dominance on consoles. Pokémon Scarlet/Violet claimed the top spot, followed by Splatoon 3 and Pokémon Legends: Z‑A. Nintendo exclusives filled the majority of the top‑15 list, with titles like Donkey Kong Bananza and Animal...
Diablo IV: Lord of Hatred Rated for Switch Release
The Indonesian Game Rating System (IGRS) has listed Diablo IV: Lord of Hatred for a Nintendo Switch release, indicating the expansion – and likely the base game – will arrive on Switch or its successor, Switch 2. The rating suggests a near‑certain...
I've Seen Skate's New Nike SB Event Early, but EA Still Isn't Talking About Its Mobile Version
EA’s Full Circle studio launched a high‑profile Nike SB collaboration for Skate, running a free‑gear event through May 5, 2026. The event showcases classic and modern Nike sneakers while expanding the game’s battle‑pass cosmetics. Full Circle cites over 30 million players since Season 3’s...
"I Wanted You to Feel Bad": Former Battlefield Audio Designer Recalls Punching Himself to Record More Realistic Gunshot Screams
Former DICE audio designer Bence Pajor revealed on the Game Makers Notebook podcast that he once punched himself under a blanket to capture realistic gun‑hit screams for Battlefield 3/4. The raw, painful recordings impressed him but triggered panic attacks in a fellow...
How to Increase Your Inventory in Windrose
Windrose lets players expand their limited inventory by building a workbench early in the game. The workbench unlocks two backpack options—a torn sailcloth bag and a more spacious sailor backpack—both equipped in the accessories slot. Crafting the sailor backpack requires...
How to Increase Stamina in Windrose
Windrose players often struggle with low stamina, which limits combat, movement, and exploration. The guide outlines four primary methods to boost stamina: cooking specific recipes, allocating Endurance stat points on level‑up, investing talent points in Agile and Marathon Runner, and...
Ace Combat 7 Influenced Sentenced to Be a Hero — Here's Why It's a Must-Play Game
Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown, the 2019 combat flight simulator, has been cited as a key inspiration for the fantasy anime series Sentenced to Be a Hero. In an interview with Anime News Network, writer Rocket Shokai explained that the game’s...
Capcom’s Killing It Right Now
Capcom has entered a period of critical and commercial resurgence in 2026, highlighted by strong early reviews for Pragmata and Resident Evil Requiem. After a decade of missteps—including the poorly received Resident Evil 6 and Street Fighter V—the company has revitalized its...
How to Level Up Crafting Stations in Windrose
Windrose requires players to upgrade crafting stations by building specific add‑on structures within a Bonfire’s area of influence, rather than using a simple UI button. Each station—such as the Workbench, Weaponsmith, or Alchemy Table—has its own set of required add‑ons,...
No Man's Sky Gets New Update for April 2026
Hello Games released the Xeno 6.32 update for No Man's Sky, addressing six bugs identified after the Xeno Arena expansion launched on April 8. The patch resolves an NPC unresponsiveness issue near Holo Arena tables, underwater visual flicker, Corvette upgrade loss, item duplication, a...
Hades 2 Update 2 Out Now, Patch Notes – Bonus Content and More
Supergiant Games has rolled out Hades 2 Update 2 for Nintendo Switch 2 and Switch, introducing a suite of new narrative content, quality‑of‑life tweaks, and extensive bug fixes. Players now see narrated conclusion scenes for character prophecies and can gift Bath Salts, Twin...
Vitality Survive G2 Scare to Secure Playoffs in Rio
Team Vitality secured a playoff berth at IEM Rio by defeating G2 Esports 2‑1 in a three‑map series. The win halted G2's momentum after a dominant 13‑5 Mirage victory but extended Vitality's series win streak to 18 consecutive matches, a...
How to Get Plant Fiber in Windrose to Kickstart the Early Game
Windrose players need Plant Fiber for early‑game construction, armor, and quest items. The resource drops only from bushes and ferns, yielding roughly two fibers per bush, and a sword is the fastest tool for collection. Experts recommend stockpiling about 200...
Replaced Dev Warns Of Issue For Xbox Series S Players At Launch, Fix Planned For This Week
Sad Cat Studios announced that the new Xbox Game Pass title Replaced experiences a memory‑related hang on Xbox Series S when transitioning from Chapter 4 to Chapter 5 after a continuous play session. The issue can cause loss of progress, but a temporary...
Metro Author Teases New Detail About Upcoming 2039 Game
Xbox officially confirmed Metro 2039 at its First Look event on April 16, signaling the long‑awaited continuation of the post‑apocalyptic shooter franchise. Author Dmitry Glukhovsky teased that the title will be the series’ darkest installment, drawing heavily on the Russo‑Ukrainian war’s grim realities....
Disney Yank a Bunch of Games From Steam, Including Bonafide Classics Star Wars: Dark Forces, Outlaws and High School Musical...
Disney removed 15 of its linked titles from Steam on April 14, including classic shooters Star Wars: Dark Forces and Outlaws. The purge follows a January wave that saw 14 more Disney‑related games disappear. Most of the delisted titles are...
Marathon’s Biggest Update Yet Tries To Make It Less Mean
Bungie rolled out Marathon update 1.0.5.2, introducing the CyberAcme Runner Reinforcement Initiative and a Mercy Kit that reward cross‑crew cooperation and allow reviving strangers. The Beginner map is now solo‑only until level 12, while solo players receive extra XP and faction...
Dice Throne Launches Kickstarter Campaign for Digital Game
Dice Throne, the creator of the popular dice‑and‑card combat tabletop, has partnered with Nerd Ninjas to launch a Kickstarter campaign for Dice Throne Digital. The campaign targets a $100,000 goal and promises to bring the game to Steam, mobile devices,...
Battlefield 6 Reveals Details for New Operation Augur Game Mode
Battlefield 6’s Season 2 Phase 3 introduces Operation Augur, a new multi‑map mode that fuses the Contaminated and Hagental Base maps into a nine‑sector, three‑battalion showdown. The mode eliminates respawns on controlled objectives, forcing players to rely on landmines, vehicles, gas masks and smoke grenades...
The New Arc Raiders Update Stops Your Game Crashing During Every Other Raid
Arc Raiders released Patch 1.24.0, primarily targeting the frequent crashes that disrupted raids after the previous update. The patch also introduces a new Arc enemy, enhanced inventory management tools, and two new cosmetic skin sets—Nascosto and Scrappy Speckled—available in the...
Elementallis Gets Nintendo Switch Release Date, New Trailer
After a five‑year wait, Ankae Games announced that its top‑down adventure Elementallis will launch on Nintendo Switch on April 28, 2026. The game blends classic Zelda‑style exploration with elemental magic combat and puzzle‑filled temples. Featuring eight distinct biomes, real‑time combat,...
Richard Moss’s 2010 Interview With John Calhoun on the Origins of Glider
John Calhoun’s Glider began as a paper‑airplane experiment on a VIC‑20 and evolved into a beloved Mac shareware title through iterative physics‑based design. After prototyping in MacPaint on his first Mac Plus, he added obstacles and power‑ups one by one, creating...
How China Came to Dominate Mobile Games – and How Western Companies Can Compete | Opinion
Chinese mobile game publishers now dominate global revenue charts, with seven of the top 15 titles generating $668 million in February 2026 and $20.5 billion in overseas earnings in 2025. Their advantage stems from a decade‑long head start on free‑to‑play monetisation, massive live‑ops...
Roblox Launches Age‑Based Accounts to Boost Child Safety on Platform
Roblox is introducing "Roblox Kids" and "Roblox Select" account tiers, using facial analysis and ID checks to assign users aged 5‑8 and 9‑15 to more restrictive environments. The change, set to launch in early June, adds mandatory parental controls and...
Bloober CEO Says Relying on One Title Creates 'Too Much Risk' In Today's Market
Bloober Team announced a refreshed executive lineup and reaffirmed its two‑project development model to mitigate market risk. CEO Piotr Babieno said the studio will maintain exactly two first‑party productions, balancing ambition with quality oversight. The company also highlighted its co‑development...
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe: Dragon Pearl of Destruction Delayed to Summer
Limited Run Games and developer Bitmap Bureau have pushed the side‑scrolling beat ’em up *He‑Man and the Masters of the Universe: Dragon Pearl of Destruction* from its slated April 28, 2026 launch to a summer release. The title will appear digitally on...
Reverse 1999 3.4 Release Date Countdown
Bluepoch announced the Reverse: 1999 3.4 update will launch globally on April 16, 2026 at 11:00 AM ET, marking the game’s 2½‑year anniversary. The patch promises a bundle of free in‑game items, quality‑of‑life improvements, and new side quests to re‑engage existing players. Maintenance begins...
Bloodborne Video Game Film Adaptation Announced with YouTuber Jacksepticeye
Sony Pictures and PlayStation Productions announced an animated film adaptation of the 2015 action‑RPG Bloodborne, with YouTube star Jacksepticeye co‑producing. The project was unveiled at CinemaCon 2026, though plot details and a release window remain undisclosed. Bloodborne, a critically acclaimed...
GameStop Is Taking Pokémon Card Gambling To The Masses
GameStop announced that its Power Packs digital trading‑card platform will open to the U.S. public on April 15, 2026. The service lets users purchase virtual packs ranging from a $25 Starter tier to a $2,500 Lunar tier, each offering a spin on...
Gentle Mates Suffer Fifth Loss in a Row After Elimination by RED Canids
Gentle Mates were knocked out of IEM Rio by RED Canids, marking their fifth straight loss. The Spanish squad had started the event with a map‑one win over G2, driven by AWP star Antonio “MartinezSa” Martinez, but faltered on Mirage where...
Marathon's Next Experimental Mode Goes All in on Sponsored Kits, Which Sounds Great for Scaredy-Cats Like Me
Bungie is launching a two‑week experimental mode in Marathon called Dire Marsh – Sponsored Queue, running from April 15 to April 29. Players must equip a free white‑tier sponsored kit and play with only the gear they find in the map, eliminating...
Roblox Launches Age‑Based Accounts to Tighten Child Safety, Impacting Virtual Goods Marketplace
Roblox announced new age‑segmented account types—Roblox Kids and Roblox Select—using facial‑analysis technology that it says is accurate within 1.4 years for users under 18. The change aims to tighten child‑safety controls on a platform with 144 million daily users, directly affecting...
Games With Better Magic Schools Than Harry Potter
The article surveys video games that reinterpret the magic‑school trope, offering experiences that often surpass the Harry Potter template. Titles like Ikenfell place the academy at the heart of gameplay, while Spellcaster University lets players build and run their own...
Roundup: Here's What The Critics Think Of Mouse: P.I. For Hire Ahead Of Its Xbox Launch
*Mouse: P.I. For Hire*, the rubber‑hose animated shooter from Fumi Games, is set to launch on Xbox on April 16, 2026. Early reviews are overwhelmingly positive, with scores ranging from 6/10 (IGN) to 9.5/10 (DualShockers) and an aggregate Metacritic rating...
Sony’s Latest Gaming Headset Offers Great Open-Back Audio
Sony has launched the InZone H6 Air, a $199.99 wired gaming headset that adopts an open‑back architecture for a more natural soundstage. Weighing roughly 200 g, the headset borrows the ergonomic chassis of the premium H9 II and incorporates the same MDR‑MV1...
Sony Announces High-End Gaming Monitor for the Uber Sweats
Sony’s INZONE brand unveiled two premium gaming products: the H6 Air open‑back headset, priced at about $224, and the M10S II OLED monitor, a 27‑inch QHD display with a 540 Hz refresh rate and $1,535 price tag. The headset adds a detachable...
Sony Electronics Launches New InZone Gaming Gear and Gaming Monitor
Sony Electronics unveiled its InZone gaming ecosystem, introducing a wired open‑back H6 headset, an InZone M10S II 27‑inch QHD OLED monitor, a gaming mouse, and Fnatic‑branded accessories. The monitor boasts a 540 Hz refresh rate aimed at ultra‑responsive play, while the headset...
Pragmata Review Roundup: 'Nostalgia Wrapped in a Shiny New Spacesuit'
Capcom’s long‑awaited new IP, Pragmata, launched on April 17, 2026 across PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and PC, quickly earning an 86 Metacritic score from 88 critic reviews. Reviewers highlighted the game’s clever level design, satisfying combat, and a...
Marathon Patch 1.0.6 Adds System that Rewards Teamwork & Solo Players
Bungie’s Marathon 1.0.6 mid‑season patch introduces the CyberAcme Runner Reinforcement Initiative (CARRI), a system that rewards both coordinated squads and solo players for cooperative exfiltration. The update also adds a Mercy Kit consumable that lets Rooks revive enemies, eleven new...
Roblox Is Turning Its Product Roadmap Into Advertising Inventory
Roblox introduced a new Makeup feature on March 31, letting creators sell avatar cosmetics that overlay players' faces. The launch was partnered with e.l.f. Beauty, which worked with Roblox’s Kestrel studio to create five branded looks and offered them in the...
How to Host and Join Servers to Play Co-Op in Windrose
Windrose, a pirate‑survival crafting game, now supports seamless co‑op play through an in‑game host or join menu and a free dedicated‑server tool on Steam. Players can host up to eight participants, though the developer advises keeping crews to four for...
Nintendo Developers Obsessed Over Getting Farting Right In Tomodachi Life
Nintendo’s upcoming Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream has been in development for nearly a decade, with six to seven years dedicated to expanding Mii customization. The team famously debated whether Miis should be able to fart, iterating on sound and...
Peter Parker Actor Teases ‘Marvel’s Spider-Man 3’ Game
Ben Jordan, the facial model for Peter Parker in Insomniac’s *Marvel’s Spider‑Man* games, posted a motion‑capture photo on Instagram on April 13, hinting that work has begun on a third installment. Although he quickly deleted the post, fans captured it,...
Mind-Warping Morrowind-Like 'Dread Delusion' Rejects Modernity and Embraces Teeth-Bared Retro Nightmares on Xbox and PC
Lovely Hellplace's Dread Delusion launched on March 17, 2026 for Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One at $19.99. The game embraces a low‑poly, 90s‑era horror aesthetic while delivering an open‑world RPG inspired by early Bethesda titles. Players craft characters from...
Phaser 4 Released
Phaser, the open‑source JavaScript/TypeScript 2D game engine, launched Phaser 4 on April 14, 2026. The update features a ground‑up rewrite of the WebGL renderer, shifting from a pipeline to a node‑based architecture. New GPU‑accelerated layers let developers draw millions of sprites or massive...
Marathon Mid-Season Update Adds C.A.R.R.I. Protocol and New Rewards – Here’s What’s in the Latest Patch
Bungie released Marathon patch 1.0.6, the first mid‑season update, adding balance tweaks, new rewards and the C.A.R.R.I. protocol. The Season Pass now includes premium styles Thief, Assassin and Destroyer, while the free track adds a Recon style, a shotgun skin and a...
STALKER 2’s Latest Update Adds an Easily Missed New Questline, While Dispersing Accidental Mutant Crowds
STALKER 2: Heart of Chernobyl received the Sealed Truth update, introducing a new story-driven questline set in the X‑18 laboratory and fixing several gameplay bugs. The quest can only be triggered between the Scar sawmill mission and the SIRCAA scanner mission,...