Games news

• Minecraft Is Adding A Highly Requested Feature It’s Been Missing For 17 Years

  08-07-2026 15:57 via gamespot.com
  
  A new update coming to Minecraft is adding something the game has never had in its 17-year history and it's something everyone loves to do: sit down.In a new video, producer Gustav Höglund confirmed that there will finally be a "straightforward" way to take a load off, and that's with a new craftable cushion that players can sit on. As Höglund noted, people have found creative ways to sit down already by way of plopping down in a boat, a mine cart, or by riding an animal. But that's no
  
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• Bernie Sanders Rips Microsoft For Xbox Layoffs And Price Hikes

  08-07-2026 18:21 via gamespot.com
  
  Microsoft recently announced mass layoffs affecting 4,800 people, including 3,200 at Xbox, and now US Senator Bernie Sanders (D-VT) has ripped the technology giant for cutting staff at a time when it's making massive profits.
  Posting on social media, Sanders pointed out how Microsoft made more than $100 billion in profit in 2025, with CEO Satya Nadella getting paid $96 million. He also called out how US President Donald Trump's new tax plan would save Microsoft $12.5 billion.
  "Please don’t
  
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• England Has A New King, And He’s Thirsty For Blood In Vampirium 1997

  08-07-2026 17:53 via gamespot.com
  
  Thomas Was Alone and Amberspire developer Bithell Games has announced its next project, a non-linear horror game in which the vampire King of England tasks you with assassinating his enemies. Set in an alternate timeline during the late '90s--so you're probably safe from hearing Hanson's MMMBop on repeat--Vampirium 1997 is billed as an immersive sim boiled to its essence by game director Mike Bithell."Dracula is King of England. At his command, master your dark gifts to assassinate his enem
  
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• Paralives’ Success Shows Being Generous To Players Isn’t Unreasonable

  08-07-2026 17:30 via gamespot.com
  
  Earlier this year Paralives released in early access, and so far, things are looking good for the life-sim. The game has proven to be popular since its May launch; the cozy vibes have been praised, and the promise of free post-launch DLC and updates for the lifespan of Paralives continues to be a big selling point. In an industry focused on extracting the maximum amount of cash possible out of every player, it has become the norm--just look at how GTA 6 is locking in-game shops away from pl
  
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• Paralives Isn’t Interested In Taking Down The Sims

  08-07-2026 17:30 via gamespot.com
  
  Fans of life-simulator games have been eating well lately, as the dominance of The Sims 4 has been challenged by new kids on the block like InZoi and Paralives. While both of these titles are considered to be serious challengers in a cozy genre of living your best life, the team behind Paralives doesn't see itself as a "Sims-killer," preferring instead to view the game as another option in the genre. After all, competition in this field will ultimately benefit players by offering them more choic
  
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• Palworld Reaches A Huge Player Milestone Ahead Of 1.0 Launch

  08-07-2026 17:14 via gamespot.com
  
  After two and a half years in early access, the Pokemon-like game Palworld has reached 40 million players before its 1.0 release. Developer Pocketpair announced this milestone just days before the game's massive 1.0 update, which brings several major changes to overhaul the game."Palworld passes 40 million players," the developer said on social media. "Thank you all so much for your incredible support! Over the last two and a half years, Palworld has grown alongside our community."Of course, hit
  
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• World Cup Star Erling Haaland Shows Off His Gaming Setup, Wants Xbox To Sponsor Him, And Is Excited For GTA 6

  08-07-2026 16:38 via gamespot.com
  
  If you've been watching the World Cup or soccer in general, you're surely familiar with Norwegian striker Erling Haaland, and now he's provided a deeper window into his life and specifically his gaming habits.
  In a "day in the life" video on his YouTube channel (via PureXbox), Haaland began by saying he's a big fan of Xbox, so much so that he even owns the Xbox minifridge and it's not just for show. As you can see in the video, he has it stocked with MTN Dew and Coke. "One day, Xbox, I want them
  
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• Pokemon Winds And Waves Could Have 300 New Pokemon, But Don’t Get Too Excited

  08-07-2026 15:19 via gamespot.com
  
  Pokemon Winds and Waves won't be out until 2027, but it looks like a few Poke-leaks are already surfacing. The Switch 2 exclusive is the next mainline entry in the series, and like previous games before it, it'll introduce a whole new region populated with unique Pokemon. Just how many new Pokemon will there be? According to one report, we could be looking at hundreds of new critters to collect.Traditionally, each new mainline Pokemon game introduces around 100 new Pokemon--Generations
  
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• Was This Duck Trying To Get Secrets About The Witcher 4?

  08-07-2026 14:51 via gamespot.com
  
  It's nesting season for ducks in Poland, and one mallard mom chose CD Projekt Red's office in Warsaw to lay its eggs, the studio recently shared. For anyone scared that this story does not have a happy ending, fear not. It's safe to read on.
  The Polish developer said the duck laid eight eggs at an open-air part of the impressive-looking modern office. The momma duck "cared for them attentively throughout the nesting period," and CD Projekt Red staff gave her plenty of room to sit on the eggs in
  
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• Mario Kart Tour Will Be Unplayable After Nintendo Shuts It Down In September

  08-07-2026 13:09 via gamespot.com
  
  Nintendo has announced that it will shut down Mario Kart Tour on September 29, ending its seven-year run on mobile devices. Originally launching in September 2019, Mario Kart Tour was one of several games released for mobile devices as Nintendo made a push into that space. Most of those games have since been shut down, but Mario Kart Tour proved to be a lucrative spin-off of the main series, employing controversial gacha game mechanics to keep players invested the racer."We sincerely thank the m
  
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• One Final Fantasy Game Is Shutting Down, But You’ve Still Got Time To Play

  08-07-2026 10:22 via gamespot.com
  
  With Final Fantasy VII Revelation set to complete the remake trilogy soon, fans have been eagerly revisiting FFVII's various releases and spinoffs in anticipation, speculating about what the future might hold for the finale. Unfortunately, one of those spinoffs, the live-service game Final Fantasy VII Ever Crisis, now has a Doom timer attached to it--meaning you'll need to play it as quickly as possible before it shutters if you want to see what it has to offer.Released on December 2023, Final F
  
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• Sony Tries To Change The Subject After Killing PlayStation Discs

  08-07-2026 01:01 via gamespot.com
  
  To kick off July, Sony made the surprising announcement that it plans to end support of physical discs for PlayStation games at the beginning of 2028. In the week since that news, Sony kept quiet on social media. Now, Sony has attempted to start a new conversation with gamers, but it's not going well so far.In the message seen below, Sony touts the FlexStrike wireless fight stick. Under normal circumstances, this product could have been positively received on its own terms. Unfortunately for the
  
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• Arc Raiders’ Matchmaking Update Gives Players What They’ve Always Wanted

  07-07-2026 22:58 via gamespot.com
  
  The latest Arc Raiders update is out now, and alongside the opening of the Expedition 4 window and an upcoming crossover event with Embark's first-person shooter The Finals, the extraction game is getting a matchmaking overhaul that fulfills one of players' biggest wishlist items.Starting today, Arc Raiders offers separate matchmaking buckets for solo, duo, and trio queues. This means that players who may prefer to express different playstyles depending on their team size can now find lobbies th
  
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• College Football 27 Is Pissing Everyone Off

  07-07-2026 22:00 via gamespot.com
  
  Ask players what their favorite mode is in EA's revitalized College Football series, and most will tell you it's Dynasty or Road To Glory, which give players control of an entire school football program or a created player, respectively. Unlike Ultimate Team, EA's long-standing pay-to-win mode seen in all of its sports games, these modes have largely been untouched by microtransactions. But College Football 27 has crossed a line, according to many players who have voiced their frustrations onlin
  
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• Microsoft Spent $80 Billion On Its Bet For Xbox Game Pass. It Did Not Work.

  07-07-2026 21:20 via gamespot.com
  A new report sheds more light on the situation at Xbox that led to the big news this week that Microsoft was cutting 3,200 jobs at the gaming company, divesting from studios, and making other cutbacks to "reset" the business.
  Bloomberg reported that Microsoft spent"nearly $80 billion" in the past 10 years on deals to help revitalize Xbox and realize its dream for Xbox Game Pass, but those plans did not pan out the way Microsoft envisioned.
  Xbox CEO Asha Sharma said this week that the big bets ma
  
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• After Xbox Pulls Funding, Hitman Dev Is Closing A Studio And Laying People Off

  07-07-2026 20:45 via gamespot.com
  
  Hitman and 007: First Light developer IO Interactive has confirmed that it is closing its Istanbul office, laying off staff in the process as part of cuts that the studio said were "necessary" to help the company stay afloat in the future.IO said it made these cuts after Xbox dropped out of funding Project Fantasy, the company's mysterious upcoming RPG. IO has now "regained full ownership of the project and our IP" related to Project Fantasy, and IO will now fund it independently. However, this
  
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• Bethesda Tells Workers The Company Needs To “Change Course” And Focus On Games With “Greatest Potential”

  07-07-2026 18:43 via gamespot.com
  
  Microsoft recently announced sweeping layoffs affecting 4,800 people, including 3,200 at Xbox alone. This is happening as part of a "reset" of Xbox, and this includes changes to the company's various subsidiaries, including Bethesda.Bethesda boss Jill Braff said the cuts at Xbox "reflect the realities of our industry and business." She said Bethesda has a responsibility to ensure it is "operating from a more stable foundation." In addition to layoffs across the organization--Betheda's id Softwar
  
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• State Of Decay 3 Might Not Come To Xbox Game Pass, After Being Promised Last Month

  07-07-2026 17:14 via gamespot.com
  
  Exactly a month ago, State of Decay 3 re-emerged at the Xbox Games Showcase with a new gameplay trailer promising a 2027 release window--plus the game's inclusion on Xbox Game Pass. But the open-world survival game might not arrive on Microsoft's subscription service after all. Game File reports the company acquiring developer Undead Labs is under no requirement to put State of Decay 3 on Xbox Game Pass. The deal between Microsoft and the unknown purchaser doesn't contain "any Xbox-controll
  
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• Resident Evil Meets FNAF In This Horror Game Arriving Before Halloween

  07-07-2026 17:00 via gamespot.com
  
  If you've already cleared Resident Evil Requiem several times over, Fright Train may be the next game to consume you, particularly if you're also a fan of Five Nights at Freddy's.
  Fright Train combines the third-person gunplay and inventory management of the former with the mascot-style characters of the latter, and wraps it all up in a roguelite structure aboard a doomed train crossing Antarctica.GameSpot can exclusively reveal Fright Train's release date: It's coming to PC on September 15, and
  
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• Xbox Layoffs Included 37-Year Veteran Who Designed One Of Xbox’s Best Features Ever

  07-07-2026 16:53 via gamespot.com
  
  The recent layoffs at Microsoft, including deep cuts at Xbox, impacted 4,800 people across the business. One of the staffers let go was Kevin LaChapelle, a 37-year Microsoft veteran who helped bring to market one of the best, most-beloved features in Xbox console history: backwards compatibility.LaChapelle, who was the vice president of the Xbox platform, confirmed on LinkedIn that he was part of the cuts. He started at Microsoft in 1989 as a software designer engineer, and moved to different pa
  
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• Xbox’s New Plan After Brutal Cuts: Focus On The Thing Called Xbox

  07-07-2026 16:52 via gamespot.com
  
  In the wake of mass layoffs at Xbox and several studios exiting the company, Microsoft's gaming division has outlined it plans for growth. Some of these plans include a focus on its biggest IP, investing more in games like Minecraft, and removing several layers of management to streamline its studio model. One other major area of focus will be on Xbox hardware itself, as the company says its flagship console represents 80% of its current business."In order to grow, we made a bunch of bets--and a
  
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• Obsidian Hit Hard By Xbox Layoffs, With 25% Of Devs Cut From Studio

  07-07-2026 16:47 via gamespot.com
  
  Microsoft's mass layoffs had a heavy impact on the Xbox division, and Obsidian Entertainment, the studio behind The Outer Worlds, is one of many Xbox-owned studios where cuts were deep. Kotaku reports that between 60 and 70 people--roughly a quarter of the studio's workforce--have been let go. The talent laid off includes producers, QA testers, artists, and many others spanning different disciplines.
  Senior talent was not spared in the cuts, with Kotaku saying that some laid off were with the st
  
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• Xbox Game Pass New Games For July Revealed

  07-07-2026 16:02 via gamespot.com
  
  Amidst a lot of bad news at Xbox this week--including its CEO mentioning how Game Pass hasn't exactly paid off-- the company has also revealed the first wave of titles being added to the Game Pass library in July 2026. This month's new additions run across a wide variety of genres, and a day-one release is also mixed among them. Here's a closer look at everything that's on the way, which platforms these games will be available for, and which tier of Game Pass you'll need to play them.Available t
  
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• Xbox Wants To Entertain 1 Billion People Every Day. It Can’t Even Explain How

  07-07-2026 15:04 via gamespot.com
  
  1 Billion DAU!Following the announcement that Xbox will cut its workforce by 20%--with 1,600 employees already laid off in the first wave of retrenchments--Xbox CEO Asha Sharma has detailed plans for the company to reach an absurd number of people every day."I want Xbox to be one of the few companies that entertains more than a billion people each day and gives everyone the opportunity to create and connect. I know we can achieve this goal. Xbox has many of the most beloved franchises in enterta
  
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• Original Nintendo Switch Will Be Discontinued In Europe

  07-07-2026 02:18 via gamespot.com
  
  Next year will mark the 10th anniversary of the original Nintendo Switch, which remains in active production despite the debut of Switch 2 in 2025. However, the Switch's time will be coming to a close in Europe just shy of a decade after its initial release.According to a notice on Nintendo's official site, the Switch, Switch Lite, and Switch OLED will no longer be available to European retailers after mid-February 2027. Nintendo Store will also stop carrying the original Switch models for Europ
  
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• Diablo 4’s Massive Mythic Item Changes Aren’t Finding Many Fans

  06-07-2026 22:08 via gamespot.com
  
  Diablo 4 Season 14 dramatically reworked Mythic items in Blizzard's ARPG going forward, and judging from early feedback, it's a change that isn't going over well.Season of Death Awakening launched on June 30 and introduced what Blizzard coined Mythic Uniques 3.0, a new system where any of the game's hundreds of Unique items could be found (or turned into) even stronger Mythic versions. In theory, it would open up the game's endgame build options and give players more choices when it comes to out
  
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• “Catastrophic Mismanagement” And AI Gambits Led To Mass Xbox Layoffs, Expert Says

  06-07-2026 22:00 via gamespot.com
  
  Microsoft has announced sweeping layoffs and other dramatic changes resulting in 4,800 layoffs across the company, including 3,200 at Xbox specifically. What's led to this? According to one expert, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and his "catastrophic mismanagement" of the company is to blame.Ed Zitron, an author who specializes in covering the technology space and is the CEO of EZ Primary Research, offered a blistering take on Microsoft's management in response to the mass layoffs."Catastrophic mis
  
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• Xbox CEO Reflects On Massive Cuts: “We Simply Spread Ourselves Too Thin”

  06-07-2026 21:24 via gamespot.com
  
  Xbox CEO Asha Sharma has shared new details on the significant changes at Xbox, including mass layoffs, studio spinoffs, and more.
  In an interview with Fortune, Sharma said Microsoft undertook "a bunch of bets" years ago to help grow the business, including Game Pass, going multiplatform, and beefing up its studio base. These bets did not pay off, and in the process of pursuing these new ventures, "We inherently didn't focus on the core business," Sharma said.
  "The number one measure of your str
  
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• The Steam Machine’s Red Line Of Death Is Less Scary, And More Useful, Than You Might Think

  06-07-2026 21:01 via gamespot.com
  
  With the Steam Machine starting to land in some lucky buyers hands, a few of the gremlins in Valve's compact living-room PC have started to surface. But while some might remind you of infamous hardware failures of old, many of them are smartly designed errors that you can, for the most part, resolve yourself.Last week, the Steam Machine subreddit was rocked with what the community described as the "Red Line of Death," a reference to the catastrophic Red Ring of Death that plagued early Xbox 360
  
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• World Of Warcraft Just Got A Sequel To Its Most Literally Viral Moment

  06-07-2026 19:47 via gamespot.com
  
  A deadly plague spread through World of Warcraft's Moonguard server over the weekend, making it the second time in WoW history a horrific virus has run uncontrolled through the game's populace.As broken down by Wowhead, the origin of the plague in question comes from a Dragonflight dungeon, Brackenhide Hollow. Within the dungeon, some enemies cast a spell called Withering Contagion, a disease that inflicts heavy nature- damage-over-time and spreads to all players within five yards. Whether
  
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