News•Feb 24, 2026
Inside the Quixotic Team Trying to Build an Entire World in a 20-Year-Old Game
Modding teams Tamriel Rebuilt and Project Tamriel have spent two decades expanding Bethesda’s 2002 game Morrowind to cover the entire continent of Tamriel. Thousands of volunteers have delivered nine major releases, adding hundreds of hours of quests, dungeons, and landscapes, with the next update slated for 2026 and a full completion estimate around 2035. The projects succeed by issuing frequent, small updates, leveraging open‑source tools like Blender, and maintaining a low‑barrier onboarding system that rapidly converts newcomers into contributors.
By Ars Technica – Gaming
News•Feb 9, 2026
Just Look at Ayaneo's Absolute Unit of a Windows Gaming "Handheld"
Ayaneo unveiled the Next II, a 13‑inch Windows gaming handheld that tips the scales at 3.14 pounds, dwarfing rivals like the Steam Deck and Lenovo Legion Go. The device packs a Ryzen AI Max+ 395 processor with a Radeon 8060S GPU, delivering performance comparable to...
By Ars Technica – Gaming
News•Feb 5, 2026
The Switch 2 Is Getting a New Virtual Console (Kind Of)
Hamster Corporation announced Console Archives, a new line of downloadable retro games for the Switch 2, debuting with Cool Boarders ($12) and Ninja Gaiden II ($8). The service mirrors Nintendo’s former Virtual Console but offers individual purchases rather than a subscription model....
By Ars Technica – Gaming
News•Feb 5, 2026
Steam Machine and Steam Frame Delays Are the Latest Product of the RAM Crisis
Valve has postponed definitive pricing and launch dates for its Steam Machine gaming PC and Steam Frame VR headset, citing soaring RAM and storage costs driven by an AI‑fuelled memory shortage. The company still aims to release both products, along...
By Ars Technica – Gaming
News•Feb 2, 2026
Looking Back at Catacomb 3D, the Game that Led to Wolfenstein 3D
John Romero reunited id Software’s founders to revisit Catacomb 3D, the 1991 first‑person adventure that introduced texture‑mapped walls and mouse support. The game was a modest commercial effort—earning only $5,000 from Softdisk—yet its immersive perspective convinced the team to abandon a...
By Ars Technica – Gaming
News•Feb 2, 2026
Why Civilization VII Is the Way It Is, and How Its Devs Plan to Win Critics Back
Firaxis Games announced a spring "Test of Time" update for Civilization VII, addressing player backlash by restoring the option to play a single civilization throughout all three ages and replacing the controversial legacy‑paths with a new Triumph system. The patch...
By Ars Technica – Gaming
News•Feb 2, 2026
Here's What Cities: Skylines 2’s New Developer Is Updating First
Paradox handed the Cities: Skylines 2 franchise to Iceflake after parting ways with longtime developer Colossal Order. Iceflake’s first developer diary outlines a patch centered on visual and UI upgrades, including a streamlined onboarding flow, clearer icons, and a new in‑game...
By Ars Technica – Gaming
News•Jan 28, 2026
Why Reviving the Shuttered Anthem Is Turning Out Tougher than Expected
EA shut down Anthem’s servers in January, making the multiplayer sci‑fi title unplayable. A volunteer group called The Fort’s Forge has reverse‑engineered the game’s network traffic, reproducing the Blaze authentication and BIGS data services in a private‑server demo. Their proof‑of‑concept...
By Ars Technica – Gaming
News•Jan 22, 2026
Finally, a New Controller that Solves the Switch 2's "Flat Joy-Con" Problem
Nyxi has launched the Hyperion 3, the first third‑party controller to attach magnetically to Nintendo's Switch 2, directly addressing the console’s thin Joy‑Con grip complaints. Building on the Hyperion 2, the new model adds ergonomic shaping, Hall‑Effect joysticks and Bluetooth 5.0 while retaining magnetic...
By Ars Technica – Gaming
News•Jan 21, 2026
Why Adding Modern Controls to 1996's Tomb Raider Simply Doesn't Work
The 2024 Tomb Racer I‑III Remastered collection updates the 1996 classic’s visuals and adds a modern control option. However, the original’s tank‑style controls and strict grid‑based level design clash with the new scheme, making platforming and puzzle precision feel guesswork. While...
By Ars Technica – Gaming
News•Jan 19, 2026
The First New Marathon Game in Decades Will Launch on March 5
Bungie announced that the long‑awaited Marathon revival will launch on March 5 for PS5, Windows and Xbox Series X|S, narrowing the previously vague release window. The game will be sold as a $40 Standard Edition or a $60 Deluxe Edition that adds...
By Ars Technica – Gaming
News•Jan 19, 2026
Reports of Ad-Supported Xbox Game Streams Show Microsoft's Lack of Imagination
Microsoft is reportedly testing an ad‑supported tier for Xbox Cloud Gaming, allowing non‑subscribers to stream games they already own for limited sessions. The pilot would grant roughly one hour of gameplay per session, funded by short video ads. This approach...
By Ars Technica – Gaming