Game Informer

Nintendo has revealed Pictonico, a new mobile game launching next week. The party game takes existing photos from your phone or tablet and turns them into WarioWare-esque minigames. 

The reveal trailer shows examples such as turning a portrait into a corn-eating minigame where you move the subject’s mouth to chomp on food, or pulling down crabs pinching someone’s face. “Rediscover old photos of loved ones and see them in a whole new light as they navigate everything from zombie attacks, quirky costume changes, carnival challenges and more,” reads Nintendo’s press release. Pictonico also offers a Score Attack mode, a board-game-style stage-clearing challenge, and even a fortune-telling feature. 

The game features 80 minigames and is “free-to-start”, Nintendo’s terminology for free-to-play. This means you can download and play Pictonico for free, but a disclaimer notes that "Purchase of a game volume is required for gameplay, but you can play a demo of some minigames for free." According to the game's FAQ,  the "free" version is actually a demo with access to only three games. Players must purchase "game volumes", basically packs that include an unknown number of minigames, to gain full access to content. Nintendo has yet to confirm how much a game volume will cost or how many will be for sale. 

Pictonico launches on May 28 for iOS and Android, and players can pre-register starting today. 

Reviewed on: Switch 2
Platform:
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Nintendo
Release: May 21, 2026
Rating: Everyone

I adore the 1995 Super Nintendo game, Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, but I am mature enough to admit that each new Yoshi game is worth examining on its own terms. Yoshi and the Mysterious Book has no obligation to be a new retread of that 30-year-old game and it isn't. I admire the willingness to try something different. This adventure plays more like a unique puzzle game with Yoshi aesthetics, and the result is a largely rewarding experience that rarely challenged me, but didn’t have a problem delivering the charm.

You’re still eating creatures and throwing eggs as we have been for three decades, but The Mysterious Book doesn’t fight against you. Yoshi really can’t take damage, and the closest thing to a traditional video game death is falling down an endless pit that immediately transports you back to safety. I would almost be comfortable calling it a cozy game, an admittedly fuzzy genre qualifier, but it does mechanically play like a smooth, classic Nintendo 2D platformer.

4K resolution looks good on Yoshi, and exploring the pages of Mr. E with Yoshi’s stilted movement gives it a stop-motion style that is inviting to look at. The designs of all the creatures, both familiar to the world of Yoshi and completely new, look great, but it’s their various animations that stand out. You don’t spend much time in the “real world” where Yoshi is just a boring old shiny dinosaur who uses every single animation frame, and I was always eager to be back in the pages to embrace the paper visuals.

The reward for progress isn’t overcoming jumping and combat challenges, but rather figuring out and acknowledging every little potential interaction possible in each level. That process can be joyful when you accidentally activate unexpected interplay, like getting mud all over a flower character riding your back and washing them off by running through some water. When the game points that out, marks it down in the book, and says, “Isn’t that neat?” I am inclined to agree.

 

It is less fun, however, when the key to completing a level or puzzle is something vague like, “You should probably look for a cave somewhere,” or the solution is arbitrary, like eating all the butterflies. Thankfully, few puzzles create impassable barriers, and you can purchase hints too, but it also means there isn’t much incentive to find everything and chase forward progress beyond seeing what’s new.

As is the case with many recent comparably structured Nintendo games, you will see credits and experience the paper-thin narrative conclusion at what is ostensibly the halfway point of the game. I like this setup, and without spoiling specifics, the tools, nostalgic references, and levels after the credits are a highlight. They don’t address my inconsistent feeling of reward for solving puzzles, but I appreciate how the game opens up at that point.

Yoshi and the Mysterious Book is, by design, an inviting game with little challenge – a pleasant vacation where all the animals want to be friends and the soundtrack sounds like colorful bubbles bursting in front of a double rainbow. I admit I pined for the stress I associate with Yoshi taking care of a helpless baby, but this low-stakes adventure (potentially Yoshi’s lowest) does take care in making you feel acknowledged and generally rewarded in its attempt at a new style of puzzle-platformer.

Score: 7.75

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Update, May 18:

Back in March, Bloomberg reported that then-upcoming PlayStation 5 games like Saros and Ghost of Yōtei would not be released on PC while Sony charted a return to console exclusivity. Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier, who wrote the aforementioned report, has now revealed on Bluesky that PlayStation CEO Hermen Hulst told staff in a company town hall meeting this morning that all future PlayStation single-player games will, in fact, be exclusive. 

Schreier writes on Bluesky, "SCOOP: PlayStation Studio business CEO Hermen Hulst told staff in a town hall Monday morning that the company's narrative single-player games will now be PlayStation exclusive, confirming Bloomberg's reporting from earlier this year." 

That "single-player" callout is a big distinction, as PlayStation recently launched Marathon, Bungie's excellent first-person extraction shooter, on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC, and upcoming PlayStation console-exclusives like Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls (releasing in August), which is a multiplayer title, are planned for PC too. But Uncharted and The Last of Us maker Naughty Dog's upcoming single-player sci-fi game, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, will be a PS5 exclusive (if we're following the logic of Hulst's town hall announcement). 

The original story continues below...

Original Story, March 4:

After releasing first-party games like Marvel's Spider-Man 2, God of War Ragnarök, and The Last of Us Part II on PC over the past six years, PlayStation is returning to console exclusivity going forward. That's according to a new report from Bloomberg, which also says single-player games like last year's Ghost of Yōtei and the upcoming bullet-hell shooter Saros will not be released on PC.

This is part of a wider shift in release strategy, which will see PlayStation still launch multiplayer games like this week's Marathon and Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls (releasing in August) on other platforms like PC and even Xbox, while single-player releases are expected to remain exclusive to PlayStation 5. 

Bloomberg cites sources familiar with PlayStation's plans for this strategy, adding that reasons for the shift include PlayStation games not selling as well on PC, concerns that PC releases could hurt the console brand (and sales), and a lack of consistency in release quality and schedules. The report says PlayStation is now returning to console exclusives, which is a notable shift away from its biggest rival, Xbox, which now releases most of its titles on Xbox, PlayStation, and PC. This year's Forza Horizon 6 and Fable are launching on PS5, for example. 

According to Bloomberg, there were plans to bring Ghost of Yōtei to PC, but those plans were scrapped in recent weeks alongside other planned PlayStation PC releases. That said, previously announced games like the aforementioned Marathon and Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls are safe and still coming to PC, as are others like Death Stranding 2: On The Beach and Kena: Scars of Kosmora. 

The report ends with notice that some executives at PlayStation may not be happy that games like God of War Ragnarök, a beloved sequel in a series that has only ever appeared on PlayStation consoles and handhelds (okay, and on mobile phones that one time), will likely be playable on an Xbox in the future, if the anticipated next-gen console from Xbox is capable of playing PC games as rumored. 

Though players have seen PlayStation games come to PC over the past six years, it seems those days are over, prompting a returning question: Do you buy a PlayStation 5 to play the company's next big release, or do you skip it altogether? It seems PlayStation is betting on players to do the former. 

[Source: Bloomberg]

Do you think this is the right decision for PlayStation? Let us know in the comments below!

Roughly a month and a half after Sony announced price increases for the PlayStation 5, the company will raise the prices of PlayStation Plus Essential (the cheapest tier). Both 1-month and 3-month subscriptions will increase starting May 20 due to "ongoing market conditions," according to the announcement. 

More specifically, starting May 20, the price of a 1-month subscription will increase to $10.99, up from $9.99, while the 3-month subscription will increase to $27.99, up from $24.99; basically, the 1-month subscription will increase by $1 and the 3-month subscription will increase by $3. 

Sony notes that this price change will not apply to current subscribers (except those in Turkey and India) unless your existing subscription changes or lapses. As for the ongoing market conditions, Sony keeps it vague, but it's likely alluding to rising memory costs due to AI buy-up, existing economic and market struggles, and tariffs implemented by the U.S. President. 

This PlayStation Plus Essential price jump comes after Sony raised the price of a base PS5 to $649.99 (up from $549.99), the PS5 Digital Edition to $599.99 (up from $499.99), and the PS5 Pro to $899.99 (up from $749.99) back in March. It also raised the price of the cloud- and remote-streaming PlayStation Portal device to $249.99 (up from $199.99). 

Speaking of PlayStation Plus, Sony revealed last week that Star Wars Outlaws, Red Dead Redemption, and Time Crisis headline this month's Plus offerings. 

How do you feel about this price jump? Let us know in the comments below!

Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced is sailing into port soon, launching on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC on July 9. I recently attended a preview event for the game – and I'll have more to share about that soon, including my impressions after playing the game and interviewing key devs behind the remake – and there, I got the chance to speak to Edward Kenway voice actor Matt Ryan. And surprise: he's a joy to talk to, and someone who genuinely loves this character as much as the Assassin's Creed community (and it was also great to finally tell him that his Constantine kicks ass). 

To keep things simple, I'll list my questions below, along with Ryan's answers – enjoy!

Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced: Matt Ryan Q/A Game Informer's Wesley LeBlanc and Edward Kenway voice actor Matt Ryan

Game Informer's Wesley LeBlanc: How did you originally get involved with Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag? 

Edward Kenway voice actor Matt Ryan: Well, originally, it was pitched as a pirate TV show because it was all top secret, so I did the first audition and I thought that the scenes – they didn’t give me a script – but the scenes that were given were great, and the description of the character was great. And when they invited me back, they said it was an Assassin’s Creed game, and I’d already played the first ones, so I was like, “Great, yeah!” But yeah, it was all in the writing.

Why do you think Edward is so beloved? 

For me, personally, I think it’s about his arc, the journey he goes on. He starts off as just a normal kind of guy who’s trying to get a better life for himself and his wife, but he’s also ruthless and he’ll do whatever he can to take it. And he thinks he can get to that place where, you know, he can provide for his family and have a better life. He thinks it’s fame and glory and riches, and it’s not; he really goes on this journey to get those things, but even though he doesn’t get what he needs and what he wants, through the way that he’s going about it, it does eventually lead him to something worthwhile.

What was the original direction they gave you for Edward?
What’s funny is that when I did the audition, Edward was based in the north of England with a completely different accent. So my audition was in a different accent, and it wasn’t until I went over to Montreal to start filming that they went, “Oh, you sound different.” And I was like, “Yeah, well, this is my real voice.” And they said, “Where are you from?” And I said, “I’m from a place called Swansea in Wales.” They asked me if it was on the sea, and it is, so then they were like, “Maybe we can use that.” So they made the character where I’m from, which I thought was great, because nobody knows where Swansea is in Wales, and it adds to the character – this guy coming from a small town, with no money growing up, and then wanting to change that. The other similarity, which is funny, is that I left Wales at 19; I left Swansea at 19 to go to Bristol, to the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, to become an actor, and Edward actually left Swansea to go to Bristol too. It’s a really cool parallel.  

What was it like coming back to Edward? 

It was a strange and wonderful and nostalgic and beautiful experience, man. It’s like an old friend. The funny thing is, when I did the original game, you didn’t quite know what it would be. You want to do the best job you can; you do your research, you do your preparation, and you give it your all. Coming back to something that you know has been very successful and that [Assassin's Creed fans] like, and you’re like, “Oh shit, where is he? How do I realign to him?” But he was there, man, and it was kind of easy to slip into. My voice has changed slightly; it is slightly lower now, but I trained as an actor for this. But yeah, what a joy to come back and after all this, all this time, doing new scenes. [These] new scenes just jumped off the page, and they really add to the character – they add depth to the character and the story. They’re not just there for the sake of filling it out. 

What are you most excited about? 

I’m excited for the fans, old and new, to discover this great character in this astoundingly beautiful, ruthless, cruel, wonderful world and go on a journey with [Edward Kenway]. And I think that all the people who’ve been on that journey with him before, I’m excited for them to go on it again, and for them to feel the depth that has been brought to the character through the new stuff that we’ve done and the physics engine that they’re using in the game, and how the game looks and feels. 

We'll have plenty more about Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced from the recent preview event I attended, so keep an eye on Game Informer so you don't miss it. In the meantime, read about all of the changes and updates made to Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced as a remake, and then check out the Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced PC specs and requirements. After that, read about how Ubisoft has launched a real-life $500,000 treasure hunt to celebrate the remake. 

At Game Informer, writing game reviews is one of our primary functions. As such, we cover hundreds of titles each and every year, hoping to turn you on to your next favorite game. However, within that field, a select few rise to the top as the games we most highly recommend. While you're always welcome to peruse our reviews page for the latest and greatest (and sometimes worst) games on the market, we've gathered our highest-scoring reviews of 2026 right here. 

Be sure to bookmark this page and check back frequently, as we'll continue to update it as more titles earn review scores on the top end of our review scale.

9.75 Resident Evil Requiem

A masterclass in refinement and a tour de force of gameplay, Requiem is Resident Evil at its finest. Read review

Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch 2, PC
Release Date: February 27, 2026

9.25 Cairn

Cairn is more than a remarkably gripping mountain-climbing game. It's also a deeply affecting narrative of anguish, loss, and the steep cost of obsession. Read review

Platforms: PlayStation 5, PC
Release Date: January 29, 2026

Forza Horizon 6

Even for a series built on delivering approachable racing action that appeals to both newcomers and hardcore players, Forza Horizon 6 impresses at each turn, delivering one of the greatest racing games of this generation. Read review

Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Release Date: May 19, 2026 (Xbox Series X/S, PC), 2026 (PlayStation 5)

Marathon

Bungie’s excellent audio design and gunplay, paired with increasingly complicated level design borrowing from over a decade of expertise designing Destiny raids coalesce into something special. Marathon is proof Bungie is still at the top of its game. Read review

Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Release Date: March 5, 2026

Saros

Moving, shooting, improving (both in stats and skill), winning, and even losing is an unequivocal joy, and I only wish I could write this final sentence faster so I can hurry up and get back to planet Carcosa and attempt another run. Read review

Platforms: PlayStation 5
Release Date: April 30, 2026

Super Mario Bros. Wonder Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Meetup in Bellabel Park

Super Mario Bros. Wonder was a joy to play through in 2023, and now, a few years later, it's even better. Read review

Platforms: Switch 2
Release Date: March 26, 2026

9 Deadzone: Rogue

Thanks to superb gunplay, a compelling mystery, and terrific use of the roguelite formula, Deadzone: Rogue avoids getting lost in the crowded sci-fi shooter genre. Read review

Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch 2, PC
Release Date: August 11, 2025 (PC), September 3, 2025 (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S), March 17, 2026 (Switch 2)

Mixtape

Mixtape's stellar writing, concise runtime, and inspired use of its licensed soundtrack make it an instant classic and a heartfelt trip down memory lane. Read review

Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch 2, PC
Release Date: May 7, 2026

Nioh 3

Nioh 3's consistently rewarding approach to open-world design, combined with its entertaining Ninja gameplay style, cements it as the best entry in the franchise. Read review

Platforms: PlayStation 5, PC
Release Date: February 6, 2026

Paranormasight: The Mermaid's Curse

Paranormasight: The Mermaid's Curse is a brilliant modern adventure game, filled with mysteries, delightful characters, and gorgeous art. Read review

Platforms: Switch 2, Switch, PC, iOS, Android
Release Date: February 19, 2026

Pokémon Pokopia

Despite minor complaints, Pokémon Pokopia sticks out as one of the best examples of a third-party developer using the Pokémon license to the fullest extent possible. Read review

Platforms: Switch 2
Release Date: March 5, 2026

World of Warcraft: Midnight

Now more than ever, Azeroth feels like a home away from home. Read review

Platforms: PC, Mac
Release Date: March 2, 2026

8.75 Death Howl

Death Howl is a cohesive and well-crafted fusion of deckbuilders and Soulslikes. Read review

Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, PC
Release Date: December 9, 2025 (PC), February 19, 2026 (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch)

High On Life 2

High on Life 2 is the kind of game that you can put on, laugh at for a while, and forget what's troubling you, even though reminders might slip in through the pointed social commentary. Read review

Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Release Date: February 13, 2026

Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight

Even with my dissatisfaction with stealth and some minor glitches, the latest Lego Batman is a rain-slicked success. Read review

Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch 2, PC
Release Date: May 22, 2026 (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC), 2026 (Switch 2)

MIO: Memories in Orbit

Taking cues from the likes of Hollow Knight and Ori, this punishing platforming and exploration game is well worth your time if you're up for a big challenge. Read review

Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch 2, Switch, PC
Release Date: January 20, 2026

8.5 Diablo IV: Lord of Hatred

Lord of Hatred is an exceptional cherry on top of Diablo IV, further cementing the entire package as among the best action RPGs of the generation. Read review

Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
Release Date: April 28, 2026

Fur Squadron Phoenix

Nintendo may not know what to do with the Star Fox franchise, but Fur Squadron Phoenix makes a great case that the genre can still flourish in 2026. Read review

Platforms: Switch, PC
Release Date: February 18, 2026 (PC), February 25, 2026 (Switch)

Invincible VS

With a solid foundation built upon approachability and personality, Invincible VS is easy to recommend to both seasoned fighting games fans and Invincible enthusiasts. Read review

Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Release Date: April 30, 2026

For more of our top reviews from recent years, head to the links below.

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• 2014

Marvel Cosmic Invasion’s first two DLC characters are now available for purchase, introducing a new X-Man and the game’s first Fantastic Four member: Cyclops and The Thing.

Cyclops, rocking a pretty sweet jacket, can fire his optic beams to keep foes at bay while pummeling them in hand-to-hand combat. The Thing is, as you would expect, a powerhouse who pummels foes using his rocky fists, living up to his catchphrase “It’s clobberin’ time!” Both characters can be purchased together for $3.99. Check them out in action in the trailer below.

Developer Tribute Games also teases that DLC 2 arrives this fall, though we’ll have to wait a few months to see which characters it will include. In the meantime, be sure to check out our review of Marvel Cosmic Invasion here. 

Reviewed on: PlayStation 5
Platform: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Publisher: Warner Bros. Games
Developer: TT Games
Release: May 22, 2026 (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC), 2026 (Switch 2)
Rating: Everyone 10+

As a lifelong Lego Batman fan, Legacy of the Dark Knight is nothing short of a dream come true. While I will praise the revamped combat, detailed open world, and charming story, it's the design philosophy they're spawned from that makes the game so successful. Legacy of the Dark Knight leaves no meat on the bone, with no corner of Batman's mythology left unturned as it depicts every version of the Caped Crusader fans have come to love. Even with my dissatisfaction with stealth and some minor glitches, the latest Lego Batman is a rain-slicked success. As I played, I heard developer TT Games' thesis ringing through, loud and clear: People love Batman; here are all the reasons why.

Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight Review:

Story mode takes players across decades of Bruce Wayne's life, from young child to rookie vigilante to greying patriarch of the Bat Family. To do so, TT Games pulls sequences from most of Batman's live-action appearances, remixing them into a single narrative. Despite recognizing every reference, I never got tired of seeing Batman's highlights in goofy, brick-based form, and I was always curious to learn how TT Games would transition from one movie villain to the next. Ultimately, however, Legacy of the Dark Knight combines these pieces into a new story, which I appreciated. The ending and final boss fight are particularly exciting, as they alter expected twists to tell an original conclusion.

Each chapter also introduces a new companion for Batman. You train alongside Talia al Ghul at the League of Shadows, take on Carmine Falcone with Jim Gordon, battle Mr. Freeze with Batgirl, and even get to see Dick Grayson's journey from Robin to Nightwing. That said, I was left wishing Nightwing felt more distinct from his younger self, as both wield escrima sticks and their gadgets are nearly identical. Catwoman is also present, and while I enjoyed playing as her early on, she feels cast aside by the story's conclusion compared to the rest of the cast.

Players inhabit these characters to use the game's overhauled mechanics, which are the most complex a Lego game has ever had, while remaining comprehensible to younger audiences. Plenty of prior Lego games were specifically designed for children, but with skill trees, gadget upgrades, great level design, and a new combat system, Legacy of the Dark Knight is truly meant for all ages.

The aforementioned combat system is lifted almost verbatim from the Arkham games, with counter-based gameplay and familiar enemy variants. While there are also three included difficulty levels (a first for the Lego franchise), the highest level was only mildly challenging. It's likely my prior Arkham playthroughs altered my experience, but I played the whole game without upgrading my health and never lost all three of my lives. However, it's certainly engaging enough to hold my interest, and I still had lots of fun punching henchmen.

Meanwhile, stealth is Legacy of the Dark Knight's least consistent element. It's an option in many story encounters, but it's either far too simple, with enemies lined up with their backs to you, or simply intended as an entrance move, with enemies so clustered up that you can only take out one or two before being seen. Luckily, it's also not very punishing, as a failed stealth approach just turns into normal combat, but I wish more thought had been put into this side of the Dark Knight's skillset.

You'll spend time between story missions in open-world Gotham City, which is easily one of the game's most successful features. Across its four islands, it's dynamic and organic, full of diverse architecture, pedestrian and vehicle traffic, and just about every Batman-related landmark you could hope for. There's plenty to discover just by driving the city's roads, but it's also built with Batman's verticality in mind, with puzzles and collectibles scattered across the skyline. There's no shortage of things to do here, with hundreds of puzzles and short sidequests appearing on the map as you progress through the campaign. It will take me hours and hours to scour the city in the quest to reach 100-percent completion, and I plan to enjoy every second of it.

I should also note that I encountered some scarce bugs across my roughly 15-hour playthrough, usually because of the game's physics. I'd grapple to a ledge but fail to hold on, characters would oddly vibrate on uneven surfaces, and a few times my camera clipped out of bounds. No issues were game-breaking, but all were distracting, even though they only happened about a dozen times.

Still, I am utterly delighted by Legacy of the Dark Knight. Its story is charming and effective, its combat is engaging, and its open world is top-notch. It's a no-holds-barred approach to the revered character, and though there are spots where the execution could have been better, TT Games included everything I could have asked for in one wholly entertaining package. The Dark Knight has a storied legacy, and this adventure does it justice.

Score: 8.75

About Game Informer's review system

In this week's episode, we dive into the exclusive details of our Blood of Dawnwalker cover story, including an early look at romance options in the vampiric role-playing game from The Witcher 3's former game director. The crew also discusses Forza Horizon 6 and where the racing game goes next, why Directive 8020 disappointed executive editor Kyle Hilliard, and Call of the Elder Gods, another puzzle game from Out of the Blue Games. Finally, we wrap the podcast with a new wave of listener questions! 

The Game Informer Show is a weekly podcast covering the video game industry. Join us every Friday for chats about video game reviews, news, and exclusive reveals alongside Game Informer staff and special guests from around the industry. Support the show by subscribing to our physical video game magazine! Submit a question or topic you'd like to hear us discuss: Podcast@GameInformer.com

Sponsored: Logitech G just changed the game again with the new PRO X2 Superstrike. This isn't just an upgrade; it’s a total reimagining of the mouse click. Stop playing fair and start playing faster. Go to LogitechG.com and enter code GAMEINFORMER25 at checkout to save 25% off Logitech G products.Watch or Listen to the Podcast:Listen to "The Blood of Dawnwalker Exclusive Details & Forza Horizon 6 Review" on Spreaker. Follow our hosts online:

• Alex Van Aken (@itsVanAken)
• Kyle Hilliard (@KyleHilliard)
• Marcus Stewart (@MarcusStewart7)
• Brian Shea (@BrianPShea)

Timestamps:

00:00 - Introduction

05:02 – Forza Horizon 6 Review

25:46 – Directive 8020 Review

38:39 – The Blood of Dawnwalker Exclusive Details (Cover Story)

01:11:44 – Call of the Elder Gods

01:23:11 – Listener Questions

It's the freakin' weekend, baby. It was a busy week here at Game Informer. We revealed the next cover and launched the issue! We're highlighting The Blood of Dawnwalker, a new game about vampires from the director of Witcher 3. There's plenty more to the game than that, but you will have to read the cover story for the full picture. That issue also includes a big interview with Stardew Valley creator Eric Barone, which subscribers can read right here and lots more.

Here's some other articles that we put online this week before we offer up some weekend gamin' recommendations.

• Cover Reveal – The Blood Of Dawnwalker
• Forza Horizon 6 Review - Remaining On The Podium
• Directive 8020 Review - A Failed Copy
• Call of the Elder Gods Review - Maintaining Sanity
• Best Buy May Have Leaked Grand Theft Auto VI Preorders Going Live Monday
• As Early Access Fav Witchfire Nears 1.0 Launch This Year, Its Devs Make Clear You Won't Ever Find Generative AI In It

Subnautica 2 Marcus Stewart

I adored the original Subnautica, so I’m pumped that the third game (Subnautica: Below Zero still exists, guys) is finally here. I don’t often put much time into Early Access titles, but I’m looking forward to exploring Subnautica 2’s depths and enduring what will likely be several jumpscares from all manner of Leviathan-class organisms lurking below. It seems I’ll be far from alone given how massively successful the launch has been, so here’s hoping the game is nothing but smooth sailing throughout its Early Access period.

Forza Horizon 6 Brian Shea

As the follow-up to my favorite racing game of all-time, taking place in my favorite travel destination on the planet, Forza Horizon 6 has a lot of pieces in place to appeal directly to me. However, it goes beyond that, as this entry continues to make a case for being the best racing franchise around. Speeding around Japan is an absolute delight, full of all the incredible vistas you've come to expect, and the open-world design has me constantly veering off course to discover new collectibles, vehicles, and events. After more than 30 hours in Playground's gorgeous rendition of Japan, I'm still itching to jump back into the driver seat and explore more of what wonders still await.

 

Of course, all of that comes with the caveat that in order to play Forza Horizon 6 today, ahead of its official May 19 release date next week, you do have to opt in for the $120 Premium Edition, which includes a bunch of digital extras alongside early access to the game. It's a hefty price tag that will be much lower next week, and even lower if you're a Game Pass subscriber.

Game Informer's Forza Horizon 6 Review Infinity Sweeper Matt Miller

For long years, the one game you could count on to be loaded up on school and work PCs was Minesweeper. For many, it was a respite from boredom that was hard to beat. Infinity Sweeper takes that very old gaming concept and adds a roguelite twist. You're still clicking on a big grid of numbers and trying to flag and avoid enemy mines, but playing and building score gives you the chance to unlock both single-run and permanent upgrades that improve your chances as additional traps and other complications. Is this the game that is going to change your world? No, it's definitely not. But if you recall the way Minesweeper could offer an absorbing logical rabbit hole to climb down, it's fun to see someone add a new twist.

Marvel Rivals Season 8 Matt Miller

If Jeff the Land Shark just wasn't quite large and fierce enough for you, but you still are hoping for that "adorable apex predator" vibe in your multiplayer game, then the arrival of Devil Dinosaur into Marvel Rivals should be right up your alley. NetEase continues to offer one of the most consistent and regular approaches to game updates currently on the market; this new character is the beginning of a rollout this season that includes the arrival of X-Man Cyclops, a new map, and a whole host of new costumes and other cosmetics. As for our early matches playing as (or against) the infamous red T-Rex, our expert conclusion is that he's...big.

Call Of The Elder Gods Marcus Stewart

If you’re looking to spend the weekend testing your smarts, Call of the Elder Gods offers a fun challenge. The Lovecraft-inspired adventure packs several well-designed and inventive riddles into a comfortably succinct runtime, allowing you to feel like a genius without devouring your entire weekend. And if you enjoy pulpy cosmic horror mysteries, the game has that in spades. I promise you’ll only go a little mad while playing it.

Game Informer's Call of the Elder Gods review Directive 8020 Kyle Hilliard

I didn't particularly like Directive 8020, the latest cinematic choice-driven game from Supermassive, the makers of Until Dawn. You can read my full review here where I voice complaints about the story, characters, and gameplay. But, my review was on the lower end of the critical pool, which is to say that just because I didn't love it doesn't mean you also won't. Supermassive games also benefit from playing with a group, like you're in a theater watching an interactive movie. There is definitely fun to be had in watching the fates of doomed astronauts play out with your input... it just didn't particularly work for me. But maybe it will for you!

Game Informer's Directive 8020 Review

The NFL season will commence this September, but ahead of Week 1, all 32 teams in the league released their schedules today to let fans know the teams they'll face. There are a lot of unique and funny ways the teams went about this, but nothing tops the Los Angeles Chargers spoofing Halo and the Cleveland Browns spoofing Street Fighter 2. 

These aren't just creative workarounds either – the Chargers worked directly with Halo Studios to create various in-game Halo matches, complete with custom armor and other creative touches to showcase each football team in the style of the long-running FPS. They even got Jeff Steitzer, the man behind the iconic Halo multiplayer voice, to provide new voice lines for the video, and it rules. You can check out the Chargers' Halo-inspired schedule release video here (the Chargers have annoyingly blocked the videos from being embedded on websites). 

The Cleveland Browns dug even deeper into the nostalgia bag, utilizing an old-school aspect ratio, grainy film, hiring MatPat as a corny host, and displaying plenty of arcade cabinets to spoof Street Fighter 2 for the team's schedule release. Each NFL team is represented with a pretty good approximation of a Street Fighter 2 character in this fake version of the game, and you can see the Browns' fighter face off against them. Check it out below (shout out to the Browns for letting this video be embedded, unlike another NFL team...): 

For more, read Game Informer's Street Fighter 6 review, and then head to our Street Fighter 6 coverage hub (from when the game graced our cover back in 2022) for behind-the-scenes interviews and more. After that, check out the Halo: Campaign Evolved reveal trailer for a look at this Halo: Combat Evolved remake coming to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.

Which schedule release video do you think is better? Let us know in the comments below!

Platform: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Publisher: Bandai Namco
Developer: Rebel Wolves
Release: September 3, 2026
Rating: Mature

We recently announced our latest cover story as The Blood of Dawnwalker, the debut title from Rebel Wolves, a studio co-founded by Konrad Tomaszkiewicz, who directed The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and Cyberpunk 2077. We spent a full day in the Rebel Wolves' studio in Warsaw, Poland, seeing an extended hands-off demo and speaking with key members of the development team. After watching a long demo consisting of the prologue (read our impressions of that here), we went into a small room with Tomaszkiewicz to get an exclusive look at an extra sequence that hints at how relationships will play out as you play through this extremely promising action/RPG built on player choice.

In the extra quest I see, protagonist Coen, a Dawnwalker who is a human by day and vampire by night, visits the town herbalist, Anca, to procure an elixir to strengthen the body and mind of his mother, Esme. Coen does this so that the primary antagonist, Brencis, and his clique of vampires don't know Esme's been starving herself. When Coen arrives at Anca's house, he asks her about a concoction that can calm his mother's mind and fortify her body. However, a surprise storm rolls in, trapping Coen and Anca in the house. Anca asks Coen if he'd like to use this opportunity to practice his Latin; it turns out she's more than just an herbalist. Choosing to stay consumes a time segment, a finite resource that dictates the passage of time within the daily calendar.

They begin working through a poem that Anca originally indicates might be a bit much for Coen, but they dive into it anyway. The ode to the poet's lover certainly sets the mood, and small facial expressions indicate there might be a bit more to this teacher/student relationship. The fact that I can read their facial expressions stands in stark contrast to how romance options used to feel even just a few years ago, where it felt like two mannequins talking, flirting, and getting physical, highlighting how far the technology has progressed in recent years.

"Now, you can believe that they are really characters or people," game director Konrad Tomaszkiewicz says. "Our goal is to allow you to believe that and to feel that, because then immersion is totally different, you know, and emotions are different because you believe that you are speaking almost with a real person."

However, that mood is interrupted as the storm knocks over a tree, smashing through the roof of Anca's herb shack. Since those herbs are her livelihood, it's a "drop everything" kind of situation. Coen and Anca run outside, but in the pouring rain, Anca slips and cuts herself. Coen saves the herbs, but now he must address Anca's injuries.

Though she's resistant to the idea, Coen insists he helps patch her up. She agrees and removes her shirt so he can see the wound on her back. Now, the chemistry between the two feels even more intense. Through an interactive scene, Coen dresses the wound while the two make small talk. Nothing too risqué occurs in this sequence (aside from the shirt being removed), but Coen certainly gets in a few flirtatious lines on the way out. 

Player choice is at the center of The Blood of Dawnwalker, and that includes not only what quests you take on and how you complete them, but how you interact with people in the world. "We have a number of systems around this; some of them are kind of exposed to you as a player," creative director Mateusz Tomaszkiewicz says. "The system we have in place for that, we call 'infamy.' And this system tracks your actions throughout the game and how known you become to the vampiric court and to the people of Vale Sangora in this negative way. This can be done in multiple ways: If you go on rampages, if you just kill people, if you steal things and people catch you, you, of course, get this bad rep. But also, like, quest choices and just choosing to go after Brencis, his retinue, and their organization will definitely bump you up on their 'bad people' list. There are consequences to this, negative and positive. On the negative side, Brencis will take notice, and he will enact these edicts that basically are meant to make your life harder. So, for example, he might send bounty hunters after you, or he might put the city on lockdown, in an extreme case, where it's very difficult to get in and get out and get to those shopkeepers, or you have to find your way around it. [He might] put more military patrols on the street, and so on."

But it's not all negative, as infamy can aid Coen in his quest to take down Brencis and save his family. "On the positive side, there are people that hate Brencis and work against him, and raising your infamy will provide them with proof that you're on their side, that you're not just another vampire that is working against them," Mateusz Tomaszkiewicz says. "It also might make it easier for you to intimidate people because now, suddenly, you have this reputation of this infamous guy that goes around and wrecks the [vampire] organization."

But it goes beyond widespread infamy and Coen's reputation, as Rebel Wolves also tracks your interactions with people on a micro level, building a database of Coen's relationships, which can eventually lead to romance. “We track your choices individually on a more detailed level,” Mateusz Tomaszkiewicz says. “Because of that, we have a lot of reactivity to your choices in the quests. NPCs might remember certain things you do and react to it in other places.”

“You can build relations in our game, not only through normal dialogue, but also action,” Konrad Tomaszkiewicz says. “We have a lot of different activities and quests in the game. Some of them are flashy and you have combat or magic, and some are subtle or more calm, but you have people with whom you can speak or do some other thing to help them and build your relation. Sometimes, maybe romantic relations will come out of it.” 

This demo, when combined with these systems, plants the seed for how romance can play out in Rebel Wolves' debut game, but the studio isn't quite ready to share much beyond what I saw. "We have a rule that we are not speaking about romances," Konrad Tomaszkiewicz says. "You will see it after we release the game, but there will be some romance options that you can do. [Regarding this demo], we are taking a lot of care about the details to create those people to be really rich and interesting, and you'll need to build your relations to achieve that."

If you're a subscriber, you can read more about this sequence, as well as get the most comprehensive look at The Blood of Dawnwalker yet in our cover story. It's available online for both print and digital subscribers right now, with the print issues arriving in mid-June. The Blood of Dawnwalker launches for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC on September 3.

Games Done Quick (GDQ) has announced that its flagship speedrunning marathon, Summer Games Done Quick, will return to Minneapolis this July to benefit Doctors Without Borders. The full schedule has been released and will feature a wide range of speedruns from July 5 to July 11, including a game-breaking Balatro run, a unique tool-assisted Super Mario 64 run, the NES Tetris Tournament Finals, and so much more. 

The in-person event will be held at the Hilton Minneapolis Downtown in Minneapolis, Minnesota, to benefit Doctors Without Borders, a private international humanitarian organization founded in 1971 to provide lifesaving medical care to those most in need around the world. The money raised helps Doctors Without Borders' mission – last year's Summer event raised more than $2.4 million. 

You can check out the full Summer Games Done Quick schedule here. 

Here's a quick look at some of the speedruns GDQ is highlighting for this year's Summer event: 

• Super Mario 64 – GDQ’s first-ever 120 Star TAS (tool-assisted) run.
• Total Nuclear Annihilation - Runner Ryan McSquid will be doing a Total Nuclear Annihilation pinball run, all while explaining his advanced techniques.
• NES Tetris Tournament Finals - The finals hit the mainstage! Online qualifiers will be live on GDQ Hotfix in June, with a last chance qualifier for attendees on-site.
• Balatro - Runner adef will attempt to reach a score in Balatro so high it breaks the game.
• Gordon & Daxter - A one-of-a-kind hybrid run where Half-Life 1 movement is imported into Jak & Daxter.

Summer Games Done Quick will be available to watch in person (with a pass) or live on the organization's YouTube and Twitch accounts. 

Bungie revealed earlier this week that Season 2 of Marathon will begin on June 2. Ahead of the new season's start, the studio has released a massive blog post detailing plans for Season 2 and beyond, what went wrong with Season 1, what went well, and more. Perhaps the biggest surprise in the post is the news that Bungie will implement experimental PvE modes in Marathon during Season 2. 

In a section of the blog post titled "More Options To Chill And New Survival Experiences," Bungie says it is looking to evolve Marathon as a whole to be an experience where you can find more novel ways to play when "you're stressed out from a nail-biting run and just need to cool off." In steps experimental PvE modes. 

"In Season 2, we will be experimenting with two modes, one at the beginning of the season and one towards the middle/latter half of the season," the blog post reads. "The experimental mode at the beginning of the season will focus more on PvE, but with a light touch of PvP. The second experimental mode will be a PvE-only mode that's focused on crews being tasked with completing objectives together and making some progress across matches." 

While I, personally, quite enjoy Maratho's PvP stress, I can understand why the intense focus on it might be a turn-off for some would-be players, and PvE modes would likely draw them in (and maybe convince them to give the excellent PvP a go, too). 

Bungie says it will continue to run experimental queues beyond these two offerings in Season 2 and beyond, testing the waters around other mechanics, like a more purely PvP-focused mode) with potential for these modes to become part of the core game loop. 

In Season 3, Bungie says it plans to introduce many revisions to Marathon's early experience, including major updates to Perimeter, a new Runner shell, and additional content. Season 4 will focus on building more depth into the existing extraction loop, and Season 5 will be about bringing the "whole ecosystem of (Pv(P)vE) play together and evolving our weird sci-fi world in new ways." 

Bungie The upcoming Sentinel Runner shell

Elsewhere in the post, Bungie Duos will return in Season 2 alongside Vault size expansion and increased faction progression rates. It will dive deep into more Season 2 content, like Night Marsh, the new Cradle progression system, and the brand-new Sentinel Runner shell (pictured above), the week of May 25. 

The blog post goes into extreme detail on plenty of other topics, so if you're a more hardcore Marathon player, check it out here. 

For more, read Game Informer's Marathon review to find out why it's one of our favorite shooters of the year. 

If you're not already playing Marathon, would PvE modes bring you in? Let us know in the comments below!

Reviewed on: PlayStation 5
Platform: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Publisher: Kwalee
Developer: Out of the Blue
Release: May 12, 2026
Rating: Everyone 10+

Professor Harry Everhart may have survived the cosmic horror that plagued him while he was trapped on that accursed Pacific island in Call of the Sea, but he still suffers from ominous visions decades later. Elsewhere, university student Evangeline Drayton has similarly bizarre dreams of a life and civilization beyond her understanding. When fate brings these two together, it leads to an intriguing and fun mystery centered on solving puzzles that bend the mind and reality itself.

Like its 2020 predecessor, Call of the Elder Gods challenges players to solve elaborate environmental puzzles using observational and deductive skills, with no small amount of out-of-the-box thinking. As a whole, the first-person adventure has much in common with Call of the Sea, but I like how the globetrotting premise allows for more varied visuals. Players solve riddles in a storm-battered mansion, an abandoned snow-covered facility, a sweltering Australian desert, plus surreal locations not of this world.  

Puzzles sometimes require switching between controlling Evangeline, an engineer, and Harry, an archaeologist, though neither possesses distinct gameplay abilities. Instead, exercises require two heads to tackle, such as using Harry to carefully open a series of rooms for Evangeline to explore while evading and containing a supernatural threat. These exercises are fine subversions of the generally good and often challenging solo-character-designed puzzles, but I would have liked more tandem puzzles, given that they’re the biggest difference from the first game.

Still, I was both impressed and perplexed by multi-layered riddles, such as deciphering otherworldly musical notes to open doors using ancient instruments or uncovering information on members of a mysterious cult to access their inner chambers. Finding every clue strewn about an area and recording key information in a journal is key, as missing one piece of evidence can be the difference between a breakthrough and an hour spent staring at your notes. While I find the puzzles logical, journal notes are sometimes too vague. On a few occasions, I questioned the exact meaning of a phrase or instruction because a note stopped short of fully clarifying or contextualizing something, turning some problems into frustrating guessing games (a cable-to-socket-matching exercise being the most egregious). Thankfully, a penalty-free hint system offers gentle nudges that build to outright solutions, depending on how deeply you choose to delve into it.

 

Some puzzles lay out a buffet of notes, photographs, and other clues before you even have a grasp of the problem at hand. I would have liked some of these clues to be a bit more funneled, as sifting through so much out-of-context information at once is sometimes overwhelming. Furthermore, I was annoyed that certain clues I found useful would not be recorded in the journal for easy reference; revisiting these clues wherever they lay to cross-reference any hunches is a pain. Ultimately, these are small complaints, but they reared their heads often enough to be irksome.  

Call of the Elder Gods’ roughly seven-hour story, narrated by Call of the Sea protagonist Norah Everhart, is a decently entertaining mystery that takes some unexpected but neat twists. Despite having a good emotional core, particularly in how each character’s motivation is rooted in the loss of a loved one, Evangeline and Harry still aren’t the most memorable leads. The game’s villains fall even further below that benchmark; you won’t see them often, and one major foe’s fate unfolds anticlimactically. While the modest character models and illustrated cinematics won’t wow anyone, strong voice performances give the adventure some gravitas.

Although it may not reach the heights of other narrative-puzzle contemporaries released since Call of the Sea, Call of the Elder Gods is still an entertaining test for your noggin, wrapped in an adequately engaging Lovecraft-inspired story. Harry and Evangeline would say otherwise, but it’s okay to embrace this game’s insanity-inducing madness with open arms. 

Score: 8

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Developer/publisher Unknown Worlds Entertainment launched Subnautica 2 into Early Access yesterday, May 14, and in just 12 hours, the game surpassed 2 million copies sold. Subnautica 2 also reached 651,000 peak concurrent players across Steam, the Epic Games Store, and Xbox yesterday, making it clear that this highly anticipated underwater survival game is an Early Access hit. 

Subnautica 2 also has more than 12,500 reviews on Steam and maintains a "Very Positive" rating. Though Subnautica 2 still has a ways to go before matching its predecessor's sales, which sits at 18.5 million copies sold worldwide, it's off to a great start. 

Unknown Worlds Entertainment is Subnautica 2's publisher, but Krafton originally filled that role. However, a lengthy (and still ongoing) legal battle saw Krafton fire Unknown Worlds Entertainment's then-CEO Ted Gill and other studio co-founders over allegations that they (and the team) had failed to get Subnautica 2 up to par for launch, arguing that Gill and others were even working on other games instead of the survival sequel. The legal battle led to Gill and others being reinstated and Unknown World Entertainment gaining publishing rights for Subnautica 2. 

Gill and co-founders Max McGuire and Charlie Cleveland argued in court that Krafton did this to prevent Unknown Worlds Entertainment from earning a $250 million bonus payout (which activates upon Subnautica 2 achieving certain performance and sales milestones), but that the collection period was extended to September. And, given how well Subnautica 2 has performed in less than 24 hours, it seems very likely the studio will get that bonus. 

Game Informer will be streaming Subnautica 2 later today, so if you're interested in seeing the game in action, check it out on our Twitch channel later. 

Are you playing Subnautica 2? Let us know in the comments below!

Some of the best games you can play in a VR headset are developer/publisher Polyarc's Moss and Moss: Book II. The former launched in 2018 exclusively on PlayStation VR, and the latter launched on PlayStation VR and Meta Quest in 2022. Though both are playable on other VR headsets now, they still require, well, a VR headset. But players without a headset, or those who prefer their gaming escapades to be flatscreen, will get to enjoy both adventures in Moss: The Forgotten Relic, which combines both Moss games into a single "unified" experience for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch, and PC this Summer. 

Polyarc announced The Forgotten Relic with an exclusive trailer over at IGN, and it highlights that Moss' platformer-puzzle gameplay works just fine on a non-VR display. In it, players will traverse a fallen kingdom, solve environmental puzzles uniquely woven into the surrounding environment, and embark on a heartfelt tale as Quill, a very cute and very miniature mouse. 

Check it out in the Moss: The Forgotten Relic reveal trailer for yourself below: 

"Moss: The Forgotten Relic is an emotional and atmospheric adventure set in the pages of a living storybook, brimming with myth and ancient magic," the game's Steam description reads. "Guide a tiny but determined hero on a heartfelt journey of challenge, courage, and connection." 

Moss: The Forgotten Relic hits PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch 2, Switch, and PC sometime this Summer. 

In the meantime, read Game Informer's review of Moss. 

Are you going to check out Moss: The Forgotten Relic when it launches this Summer? Let us know in the comments below!

The Witness and Braid director Jonathan Blow revealed Order of the Sinking Star, a massive puzzle mash-up game, at The Game Awards back in December for PC. Now, Blow has announced that Order of the Sinking Star will also launch on Nintendo Switch 2 sometime this year alongside the PC release. 

Unfortunately, despite the platform update, Blow and his team at developer Thekla haven't revealed the game's release date, sticking to the vague "2026" for now. Nonetheless, Order of the Sinking Star looks like a great game for Switch 2. 

Check out the Switch 2 trailer for Order of the Sinking Star below for a look at how it runs: 

Game Informer senior associate editor Marcus Stewart previewed the game ahead of its reveal last year and came away very impressed – you can read his Order of the Sinking Star preview here. 

Order of the Sinking Star launches on Switch 2 and PC sometime this year. 

Are you picking up Order of the Sinking Star when it launches? Let us know in the comments below!

Developer Expression Games and publisher Team17 have revealed that Hell Let Loose: Vietnam, the quasi-sequel to the hit WW2 shooter Hell Let Loose, will launch next month. More specifically, Hell Let Loose: Vietnam hits PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC (via Steam and the Epic Games Store) digitally on Thursday, June 18. 

Physical editions for PS5 and Xbox will be released on August 4, and you can preorder both digital and physical versions starting today. Plus, ahead of the game's launch, Expression Games will hold a Hell Let Loose: Vietnam free-to-play open beta weekend later this month, starting May 29 and ending June 1, on PC. It will be set on the Thanh Hóa Bridge map, which I recently previewed for two hours for an in-depth behind-the-scenes feature on Hell Let Loose: Vietnam that subscribers can read here, and give players the opportunity to experience new additions to the shooter series like tunnels, helicopters, patrol boats, and more. 

Get a taste of Hell Let Loose: Vietnam in the trailer below: 

When Hell Let Loose: Vietnam launches in June, it will feature six large-scale maps for 50v50 battles, along with plenty of historically accurate weapons, vehicles, and tactical options. 

Are you going to check out Hell Let Loose: Vietnam next month? Let us know in the comments below!

Kylie Jenner, the billionaire Kardashian sister behind Kylie Cosmetics, apparently has time for Nintendo Switch gaming when she's not filming reality TV, running a makeup business, or attending awards shows and basketball games with boyfriend Timothée Chalamet (who is also a gamer). But when The Legend of Zelda gets its hooks in you, what are you to do? 

In the latest episode of Therapuss, a mock-therapy talk show on Netflix hosted by influencer/media personality Jake Shane, Jenner says Zelda is "one of the best games ever." Though she doesn't specifically name The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, which launched with the Switch back in 2017, the details she provides make clear that's the adventure she's playing through. You can watch a clip of this discussion here. 

She describes to Shane, who is seemingly unfamiliar with the series, that you play as Link, 100 years after a war, and take on Divine Beast dungeons, fight Ganondorf, and explore Hyrule while attempting to save Princess Zelda. While explaining it, Jenner laughs and jokes she's "going to sound like such a nerd" (you're in good company, Kylie), but she also says she's still kind of new to the game – she's completed one Divine Beast dungeon and is en route to a second now, apparently. 

"It's the most intricate – [I've] played for days and hours," Jenner tells Shane. 

Excellent taste, Jenner. Make sure you play The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom after you finish BOTW! She's not alone in Hollywood, either – Sally Field loves BOTW too!

Speaking of, in case you haven't for some reason, read Game Informer's reviews for Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom. After that, read Game Informer's exclusive Zelda 40th Anniversary feature, where we spoke to dozens of developers around the industry about the impact the Nintendo series has had on their lives. 

Which game do you think is better: Breath of the Wild or Tears of the Kingdom? Let us know in the comments below!

Grand Theft Auto VI is set to launch on November 19 on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S. It's been over a year since the last trailer, and fans are clamoring for new information every day. While there's no news of a trailer on the horizon, preorders might be going live next week, at least according to leaked affiliate information from retailer Best Buy.

Over on the GamingLeaksAndRumours subreddit, there's a popular post gathering various posts from Best Buy affiliates (content creators that get cuts of sales when players use their code to purchase something from the store online) who claim to have received an email that reveals preorders for Grand Theft Auto VI might go live next week. Specifically, the Best Buy emails these creators have received show a 5% earnings (or maybe discount – the email isn't super clear) rate for a campaign called "GTA 6 Pre Order (Physical Game)" with a duration of "May 18, 2026 - May 21, 2026," meaning preorders could go live on Monday. 

Frogboyx1Gaming on X A screenshot of the email Best Buy affiliate users are reportedly receiving

While it's best to remain cautious, especially with anything pertaining to Rockstar Games, more and more creators are discovering this affiliate email in their inboxes – the GamingLeaksAndRumours post is rounding them up as they come in with photo and video proof. Even popular video game deals accounts, like Cheap Ass Gamer over on X, have received the Best Buy affiliate account email, further proving that the emails with the details are real and not a fabrication.

Now, of course, it's important to point out that just because Best Buy apparently has an affiliate sales campaign starting Monday for Grand Theft Auto VI, it doesn't mean preorders for the game will go live next week. This could be a mistake or misprint from Best Buy – fortunately, we seemingly won't have to wait long to find out. 

In the meantime, check out the latest Grand Theft Auto VI trailer, and then read about these nine characters you'll meet in Vice City this November. 

Do you believe? Let us know in the comments below!

Forza Horizon 6 will finally bring players to Japan, a long-requested setting for the open-world racing game series from developer Playground Games, when it launches on Xbox Series X/S and PC next week on May 19. Ahead of the game's launch, Playground has released the PC specs and requirements you'll need to play Forza Horizon 6 at minimum settings and beyond. 

Before that, though, you should read Game Informer's Forza Horizon 6 review to find out why it's one of our favorite games of the year. 

Forza Horizon 6 PC Specs And Requirements

Below, we'll list the minimum and recommended PC specs and requirements you'll need to play Forza Horizon 6, alongside details about key PC features and more. 

Minimum

• CPU: Intel Core i5-8400, AMD Ryzen 5 1600
• GPU: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650, AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT, Intel Arc A389
• System RAM: 16GB
• Storage: SSD
• Windows Version: Windows 10/11, at least 22H2
• Additional Notes: Graphical Preset – Low (1080p at 60 FPS)

Recommended

• CPU: Intel Core i5-12400F, AMD Ryzen 5 5600X
• GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT, Intel Arc A580
• System RAM: 16GB
• Storage: SSD
• Windows Version: Windows 10/11, at least 22H2
• Additional Notes: Graphical Preset – High (1440p at 60+ FPS)

Extreme

• CPU: Intel Core i7-12700K, AMD Ryzen 7 7700X
• GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 Ti, AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT
• System RAM: 24GB
• Storage: NVMe SSD
• Windows Version: Windows 10/11, at least 22H2
• Additional Notes: Graphical Preset – Extreme (4K at 60+ FPS)

Extreme Ray Tracing

• CPU: Intel Core i7-12700K, AMD Ryzen 7 7700X
• GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 Ti, AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT
• System RAM: 32GB
• Storage: NVMe SSD
• Windows Version: Windows 10/11, at least 22H2
• Additional Notes: Graphical Preset – Extreme Ray Tracing-enabled (4K upscaled at 60+ FPS)

As you can see, key features reserved for the PC version of Forza Horizon 6 include Nvidia DLSS 4/AMD FSR 3+4/Intel XeSS 2.1 technology, the ability to utilize high uncapped framerates, ultrawide monitor support, Ray Traced reflections and global illumination, controller and racing wheel support, and Steam Deck and Xbox ROG Ally support. 

Forza Horizon 6 launches on Xbox Series X/S and PC on May 19 (with the PS5 version expected to launch sometime later this year). 

While waiting for its release, read Game Informer's Forza Horizon 6 review, then read Game Informer's preview of Fable, the next game from Playground. 

Are you picking up Forza Horizon 6 next week on PC? Let us know how you feel about these PC specs and requirements in the comments below!

Reviewed on: Xbox Series X/S
Platform: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Publisher: Xbox Game Studios
Developer: Playground Games
Release: May 19, 2026 (Xbox Series X/S, PC), 2026 (PlayStation 5)
Rating: Everyone

Featuring fun, approachable arcade-style racing gameplay and beautiful locales, the Forza Horizon series has been one of my favorite franchises since it left the starting line. The most recent entry, Forza Horizon 5, is my favorite racing game of all time, thanks in large part to its stunning re-creation of Mexico, full of diverse biomes and varied activities. While that is a tough act to follow, Forza Horizon 6’s Japan plays perfect host to the series’ next evolution, which moves the franchise forward without straying too far from the racing line.

Forza Horizon 6 Video Review:

True to the series pedigree, Forza Horizon 6 puts you behind the wheel of an ever-growing garage, ranging from everyday vehicles to the fastest supercars on the planet. Using these, you compete in an impressive spectrum of events centered on the Horizon Festival and the broader Japanese racing culture, with cars, cosmetics, and currency doled out in masterful fashion. And with the innovative Drivatar feature, where the opponent AI learns and emulates the behavior of your friends list, you get the feeling of racing against friends, even when you’re playing solo.

 

I had an absolute blast, whether I was competing in Horizon Festival events like traditional circuit races and sprints or Discover Japan events like unsanctioned street races and winding touge battles, both solo and with other players. Even more than 30 hours in, I still have many activities I haven’t completed. And with Japan serving as a stunning backdrop to all these events, Forza Horizon 6 injects cultural touchpoints to aptly play off the setting.

As you progress through the Horizon Festival storyline, you earn points to unlock special events that serve as set-piece checkpoints in the broader festival narrative. These often consist of flashy courses full of stunt opportunities and spectacle, but my favorite was one where you race across the countryside against a literal stories-high mech. And even better, once you complete these, you gain access to additional events, creating a rewarding loop.

Similarly, the Discover Japan line lives up to its name with tours of certain regions, complete with a guide who gives you facts not only about Japan and its culture, but the cars it produces. Though inconsistent voice acting sometimes pulled me out of these excursions, I loved learning about the vehicle I was driving or the area I was speeding through. Discover Japan also has an extremely fun food delivery minigame, which requires you to meet certain conditions and gain promotions as you go. It’s a great way to explore Tokyo and earn extra money, even though I was rarely strapped for cash.

Those moments and quest lines are memorable standouts, but when I look back on my hours spent in Forza Horizon 6, I most recall my time simply getting from point A to point B. Playground Games’ incredible rendition of Japan constantly encouraged me to veer off course in the name of discovery. I couldn’t help but smash through collectible regional mascots or seek out hidden Barn Find and Treasure Cars across each of the 10 regions. And with Japan’s endless beauty and range of biomes, I never tired of what was showing on my screen.

Driving through Shibuya Crossing or cresting over a hill to reveal Mount Fuji in the distance always feels special. Playground Games captured the beauty of these iconic locations, and the size of Tokyo, the series’ largest city to date, is an accomplishment, even though it falls well short of the seemingly endless sprawl of the real-world city. And though I’m in love with the map, it is disappointing that cities like Kyoto and Osaka are absent.

There’s always a moment early on in the Forza Horizon games when everything just clicks. Though that moment came a bit later for me in this sixth entry, by the time the game opened up, revealing its broad collection of offerings, I was absolutely hooked. Even for a series built on delivering approachable racing action that appeals to both newcomers and hardcore players, Forza Horizon 6 impresses at each turn, delivering one of the greatest racing games of this generation.

Score: 9.25

About Game Informer's review system

In what has become his trademark "This is Miyamoto" social media PSA's, Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto has shared a small but positive update about the upcoming live-action The Legend of Zelda movie. While the film was scheduled to premiere on May 7, 2027, Miyamoto has announced it will arrive one week earlier. 

That means fans can now flock to theaters to see Link and Zelda on the big screen on April 30, 2027.  "The team is working hard to deliver the film to everyone as soon as possible. There’s less than a year to go until release, so thank you for waiting," writes Miyamoto in his X post. The Legend of Zelda's date has moved a couple of times now. It was initially scheduled to premiere on March 26, 2027, got delayed to May 7, and now we're sitting at April 30. Hopefully, this date sticks.

This is Miyamoto. I would like to let you know that the worldwide theatrical release date for the live-action film of The Legend of Zelda has been moved up to April 30, 2027, from May 7. The team is working hard to deliver the film to everyone as soon as possible. There’s less…

— 任天堂株式会社 (@Nintendo) May 13, 2026

First announced in 2023, The Legend of Zelda stars Benjamin Evan Ainsworth (The Haunting of Bly Manor, The Recycling Man) as Link and Bo Bragason (Renegade Nell, The Radleys) as Zelda. Additional casting has not yet been confirmed, but Nintendo has shared on-set images of Ainsworth and Bragason in costume.  The film is being directed by Wes Ball, director of Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes and the Maze Runner trilogy. 

Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced launches on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC on July 9, and ahead of the game's release, Ubisoft has launched a real-life hunt for a $500,000 treasure out there somewhere in the Caribbean. Before you make way, though, you bloomin' cockroaches, understand that you'll need to pay at least $40 to participate in the hunt. 

This treasure hunt is a result of a collaboration with real-world scavenger hunt maker Unsolved Hunts, and in order to get started, you'll need to pay for clues, starting with the Deckhand pack that you can purchase for $39.99; it comes with a digital version of the treasure hunt game, which includes clues, rules, and more. However, you can pay more at various tiers for additional goodies, like a physical version of the game, a themed notebook, other pirate games, and more. There's even a Pirate Lord tier that costs $229.99 that includes the physical and digital version of the treasure hunt game, a themed notebook, the pirate strategy game Chaotic Armada, the investigation game Amelia Davies and the Treasure of Blackbeard, one real gold coin minted for the hunt, Captain Edward Kenway's flag, and a seal, wax, and calligraphy set. 

Here's a look at the Gold & Crystal – The Lost Treasure of Edward Kenway hunt below: 

The actual treasure is sitting in a handcrafted replica of the Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced chest and features minted gold coins worth $350,000 and a crystal skull with a red opal jewel embedded in it worth $150,000. To find the treasure, you'll need to solve 15 riddles; Ubisoft and Unsolved Hunts expect players to spend up to five years trying to accomplish this. Only one player will ultimately find the chest in the Caribbean and win the game. 

You can find more details about this treasure hunt from Unsolved Hunts here. 

Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced, which is a remake of the original 2013 Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, launches on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC on July 9. 

For more, check out the Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced reveal trailer, then read up on the Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced PC specs and requirements after that. 

Do you think $40 is worth the chance to participate in this hunt? Let us know in the comments below!

Epic Games and Blizzard Entertainment have revealed the Overwatch content coming to Fortnite as part of an upcoming collaboration. Overwatch will make its way to Fortnite in an update that goes live tomorrow, on May 14, and will feature skins/outfits of heroes Tracer, Genji, D.Va, and Mercy.

Plus, the Fortnite battle island will get new landmarks based on the following Overwatch maps: Hanamura, Busan Drum Pavilion, King's Row, and Watchpoints. New hero weapons like Mercy's Caduceus Staff and Tracer's Pulse Pistols will be added to the battle royale's loot pool (and in an interesting twist, Tracer's Pulse Pistols will let you play in first-person when using the weapons). Additionally, new showdown milestones include the payload from Overwatch and loot boxes (though don't worry, loot boxes are not coming to Fortnite). 

Check out the Fortnite x Overwatch collaboration trailer for yourself below: 

The Zero Build battle royale mode of Fortnite, which removes all building mechanics from the game's typical battle royale formula, will feature infinite sprinting with your pickaxe equipped, new starting loadouts, overshield siphon abilities, and new pocket items. 

All of this Overwatch content hits Fortnite tomorrow. 

In the meantime, read about how Overwatch 2 is just Overwatch again, and then check out our exclusive feature about how this year's new chapter of Overwatch is going back to the hero shooter's roots. 

Are you excited about this Fortnite x Overwatch collaboration? Let us know in the comments below!

Bungie has revealed that Season 2 of its first-person extraction shooter Marathon will begin next month on June 2. Ahead of the new season, the team has detailed the finale update for Season 1, alongside information Runners should know about the progression reset and more. 

Season 2, dubbed Nightfall, begins on June 2, but before that, Bungie says UESC security (the NPC enemies in the game's various maps) efforts will be renewed and amplified in the final days of Season 1. When update 1.0.9 launches on Tuesday, Runners will find that locked room keys are guaranteed to drop from Wardens for the remainder of the season; plus, map events like Intercept, Lockdown, Warden Spawns, Convoy, and Anomaly will also be guaranteed on each run, allowing you to benefit from better rewards more often. 

You'll also find new Warden encounters at new points of interest on Perimeter, Dire Marsh, and Outpost, alongside an increased presence of UESC dropship flyovers and crash sites. Bungie also teases a "new threat" on Dire Marsh designed to shut down Runner activity, but stops short of saying anything more. 

Cryo Archive is the capstone endgame content of Marathon thus far in Season 1, representing the most intense challenge in the game. To help all Runners see what Cryo Archive offers, Bungie will make the map available every day (as opposed to select weekends) every day starting May 21 through the end of the season on June 2. And if you're worried about losing your loot, fret not: Bungie will send every player a free Cryo Archive Sponsored Kit to your mailbox every day, giving you at least one free run in the map. 

Also, through the end of the season, Bungie has amplified Faction experience gains to help players rank each Faction up in Season 1. 

As part of Marathon's seasonal model, there will be a reset at the end of Season 1. This means all players will have a clean slate and equal footing when Season 2 starts on June 2. This reset only affects things related to gameplay progression; you will keep your achievements, non-seasonal Codex progression, and cosmetics. Reward Passes will not reset either, meaning you can continue working on your Season 1 Reward Pass even in Season 2. 

Here's a breakdown of everything that will be affected by the season reset and the things that won't: 

Affected: 

• Runner Level
• Ranked Level
• Faction Level and Upgrades
• Credits and other currencies (exception: LUX and SILK)
• All items in your inventory and Vault
• Purchases unlocked by Schemas
• Messages, rewards, and returned items in your mailbox
• Priority Contracts (exception: first contract for each Faction)
• Gear-granting seasonal Codex entries for Runner Level and Ranked

Not Affected

• Cosmetics and weapons unlocked and redeemed during Season 1
• Codex challenges, including partial progress (except Runner and Ranked levels): Combat, Feats, Loot, Map, Runner, Title
• Faction Unlocks: Access to each faction you've previously unlocked is retained; no need to repeat Liaison Contracts
• Initial Priority Contracts: Completion status of the first contract for each faction is retained
• LUX and SILK balances
• Rewards Pass progress

Bungie will deliver CyberAcme Sponsored Kits in Season 2 based on your Runner Level in Season 1, and you can expect the following: 

• Runner Level 10: Enhanced CyberAcme Sponsored Kit
• Runner Level 25: Enhanced CyberAcme Sponsored Kit
• Runner Level 50: Deluxe CyberAcme Sponsored Kit
• Runner Level 75: Superior CyberAcme Sponsored Kit

These rewards are additive, meaning that if you reach Runner Level 75, for example, you'll receive all four kits. 

To close out today's details, Bungie has revealed that Season 2: Nightfall will bring the new Night Marsh zone, a new Runner shell, new weapons, a new system to customize your Runner shell stats called The Cradle, faster faction progression, several quality-of-life updates based on player feedback, and more. 

For more details on today's update, head to the full notes here. Bungie says a full reveal for Season 2: Nightfall will arrive the week of May 25.

In the meantime, read Game Informer's Marathon review to find out why it's one of our favorite games of the year. 

Are you playing Marathon? Let us know what you're looking forward to in Season 2 below!

Earlier this year, I dove deep into the Early Access hit Witchfire and came away so impressed that I had to rethink my entire approach to Early Access games. Not only is it a unique shooter from studio The Astronauts, which also developed 2014's The Vanishing of Ethan Carter, but it's an admirable attempt at a team responding to its community feedback as it heads towards a 1.0 release sometime this year. 

Wanting to learn more about this team and the development of Witchfire, I interviewed various members of the studio, and I highly encourage you to read my full feature – Hunting A Witch – for all kinds of behind-the-scenes tidbits and more. But, during that interview, I also spoke to the team about generative AI and its place in game development. That's how I learned that there is no generative AI in Witchfire (though nobody suspected that anyway), and more importantly, especially as the team works towards the 1.0 launch, it will never have generative AI involved in its development. That's something studio co-founder and Witchfire creative director Adrian Chmielarz, lead artist and technical art director Andrzej Poznanski, enemy and encounter designer Kacper Domanski, and lead designer Karol Krok affirmed to me during my interview. 

But that's not all these four leads at The Astronauts had to say on the controversial topic. Poznanski describes generative AI as a Michelin-starred chef ordering fast food for his guests, stating, "It's just not going to happen. He loves his kitchen magic too much, and his clients expect a unique signature dish, not the statistical average of a thousand other meals." Chmielarz disagreed, however, saying generative AI is like a Michelin-starred chef teaching AI to create his own dishes, perhaps nailing the look and feel but lacking the taste and soul of the human hand that mixed the ingredients. 

"That human connection is needed, [so] with Witchfire, we are creating it because we love creation; we want Witchfire to be humans talking to other humans," Chmielarz tells me. 

Krok says he can see a future where AI has a more prominent role in game development, whether we like it or not, and says it's important to find and maintain the human connection in how it's used. But ultimately, "As a creator, you have to ask yourself: 'Should we as an industry go there?' and my answer is, 'I don't know.'" 

After that, I asked the team about generative AI in Witchfire, and they all told me it hasn't been used there and won't be. 

Witchfire is currently available as an Early Access game on PC, but is planned to launch into 1.0 sometime this year. 

How do you feel about developers who use generative AI to make their games? Let us know in the comments below!

Developer Croteam and publisher Devolver Digital have announced The Talos Principle 3, the finale of the critically acclaimed puzzle game series. 

The brief teaser trailer doesn’t show any gameplay, but a batch of screenshots, posted below, reveals new twists on the series' signature light-bouncing puzzles as well as some pretty fantastical locations, such as a giant mushroom forest.  The series takes place hundreds of years after mankind's extinction; intelligent robots have inherited the Earth and possess the sum of mankind's knowledge, which is tested in various puzzles and philosophical dilemmas. 

As for The Talo Principle 3's plot, the trailer's description only offers this cryptic synopsis: "What differentiates a story from the real world, or a simulation? A story is a series of choices, a set of moments captured, examined, and elevated. The real world goes on and on, but a story must have a clear beginning, middle, and end. And so the Talos Principle, a story Croteam worked on for more than a decade, must also come to an end."

 

The Talos Principle 3 is coming to PlayStation 5 and PC in 2027. In the meantime, be sure to check out our reviews of The Talos Principle, released in 2014, and its 2023 sequel, The Talos Principle 2. 

Sony has revealed the latest batch of games coming to PlayStation Plus, and it's quite a good lineup. Headlining the additions are 2024's Star Wars Outlaws, Red Dead Redemption II, and a classic in the form of Time Crisis. You'll need PlayStation Plus Premium to access all of the month's offerings, but even if you have PlayStation Plus Extra, you can access all of the games except for Time Crisis. 

PlayStation Plus May 2026 Catalog Game Additions

All of the games listed below will be added to PlayStation Plus on May 19. Below, we'll list each one, along with reviews for the games (if we've reviewed them). 

• Star Wars Outlaws – Our Review
• Red Dead Redemption II – Our Review
• Bramble: The Mountain King – New Gameplay Today Video
• The Thaumaturge
• Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn – Our Review
• Broken Sword – Shadows of the Templar: Reforged
• Enotria – The Last Song – Okay, so Game Informer doesn't have any review coverage of this game, but I've played some of it and it's a pretty decent Soulslike!
• Time Crisis (PlayStation Plus Premium required) 

For more information about each game, check out the PlayStation Blog post here. 

Are you going to check out any of these games? Let us know in the comments below!

The Pokémon Company has released a new behind-the-scenes video that shows the Japan-based NHK Symphony Orchestra recording the main theme for Pokémon Winds and Waves, and it's a treat for fans of the series' music. In the recording, we can see the entire orchestra performing the main theme featured in the reveal trailer for Pokémon Winds and Waves, which The Pokémon Company revealed back in February. 

We still have a ways to go before Pokémon Winds and Waves, which is set to launch exclusively on Nintendo Switch 2 sometime in 2027, but this recording is a fun look at the orchestral work that goes into recording a new main theme for the next generation of Pokémon. You won't find any new footage of the games themselves here, but it's still worth a watch. 

Check out the Pokémon Winds and Waves main theme recording for yourself below: 

Pokémon Winds and Waves launches in 2027 on Switch 2. 

In the meantime, check out the Pokémon Winds and Waves reveal trailer, and then read our recap of everything announced at the latest Pokémon Presents showcase. After that, check out our reviews for Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, and Pokémon Legends: Z-A.

How do you feel about this theme compared to others in the series? Let us know in the comments below! 

Deadzone: Rogue was a game that slipped past our collective radars, but once we finally played it upon its Switch 2 release, we absolutely loved it, awarding it a 9 out of 10. Now, quicker than most expected, developer Prophecy Games has announced a sequel to its roguelite FPS, Deadzone Rogue 2.

In Deadzone Rogue 2, you fight as Talon 13-10 on a fallen Earth. While the core gameplay sounds familiar to anyone who played the first game – you work through runs of each area, forging your loadout as you blast through hordes of enemies – it iterates in seemingly important ways. In addition to extended play progression with new abilities, weapons, and run modifiers, players can expect new biomes, layouts, enemies, and bosses to deal with. On top of that, drop-in co-op joins the formula, allowing for more flexible cooperative play for up to three players.

 

While we don't know too much more about this sequel, we know we can't wait to see how Prophecy Games is improving on the already-excellent foundation of the franchise. And with details on a pre-release demo promised in June, we hope we'll have that chance sooner rather than later. For more on why we loved Deadzone: Rogue so much, check out our review.

In 2015, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt set the bar for immersive storytelling and choice-driven narrative within the action/RPG space. Now, the director of that game is back with his new studio, Rebel Wolves, to deliver another ambitious, narrative-driven role-playing game with The Blood of Dawnwalker. That very game graces the cover of the latest issue of Game Informer, and it's available to read digitally right now!

To get the most comprehensive look at The Blood of Dawnwalker yet, we flew out to Rebel Wolves' studio in Warsaw, Poland, where we spent a full day with a wide range of developers, learning all about how the young studio is aiming to deliver a genre-defining RPG. On top of hours of conversations with the developers, we also sat through two distinct hands-off gameplay demos, one of which nobody else outside of the studio has seen. In our huge 16-page cover story, you'll learn all about how this team took the lessons learned developing some of the greatest games of all time and applied them to this new, extremely exciting vampire story. We also get into topics like the game's overarching structure (hint, it's very player-choice driven), the map, the engaging combat, the fun time mechanic, just how far you can influence the narrative, and how relationships can play out. 

 

Not only that, but we have a special poster for The Blood of Dawnwalker bundled with print subscriber copies! The poster features the key art, with protagonist Coen front and center. While that is a special perk for our print subscribers, regardless of what kind of subscription you have, you can read the full magazine in its digital form right this very moment!

But this issue is so much more than just our deep dive into The Blood of Dawnwalker. Within the pages of issue 378 of Game Informer, you'll find features with in-depth looks at Hell Let Loose: Vietnam, Grave Seasons, End of Abyss, and Gothic 1 Remake. Plus, we spoke with the developers behind Stardew Valley, Donkey Kong Bananza, and Paranormasight: The Mermaid's Curse to get some post-release retrospection from them. Meanwhle, Hayes Madsen talked with the teams behind series like Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, Persona, and Sea of Stars to dissect the revival of the turn-based RPG genre. That's on top of our previews section, which includes new looks at Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced, Metro 2039, Final Fantasy XIV: Evercold, Neverway, and more! 

Subscribers can read the digital edition right now! Physical versions will begin arriving in the mail in mid-to-late June, and you can expect to find the magazine in bookstores and newsstands around the same timeframe. Be sure to subscribe today to receive 10 Game Informer magazines a year (physical and digital) and get The Blood of Dawnwalker as your first issue!

SNK Corporation, the company behind franchises such as Fatal Fury, The King of Fighters, and Metal Slug, has announced a new game development subsidiary called VS Studio helmed by former Bandai Namco veteran Katsuhiro Harada. The news comes six months after Harada departed Bandai last December after serving as the longtime director and producer of the Tekken franchise.

Harada will serve as Representative Director/CEO of VS Studio. The veteran fighting game director explains in a press release that the philosophy behind the Tokyo-based VS Studio is “Beyond tradition, crafted to perfection.” Harada describes VS Studio as a “free, open, and spacious environment” to "generate new ideas and create memorable games," and that they are recruiting talent. The studio's website is set to launch in June. 

Here is Harada’s full statement:

"We are pleased to announce the launch of our new game development studio, "VS Studio." VS Studio's philosophy is "Beyond tradition, crafted to perfection."

We will combine technology, sensibility, and world-class expertise to pursue the ultimate.

From a free, open, and spacious environment, we will generate new ideas and create memorable games.

We established this studio to bring this vision to life.

The "VS" in VS Studio holds various meanings. It represents our roots in "Video game Soft (VS Development Division)," the spirit of "Versus" challenging tradition, and many other meanings symbolizing innovation and challenge, such as "Visionary Standard," "Volition Shift," and "Vanguard Spirit."

Having been involved in game development for many years, I've constantly considered how I want to spend my time as a developer and what kind of environment allows developers to perform at their best. VS Studio is one answer to that question.

By bringing together technology and knowledge, and working with passionate colleagues, we aim to deliver the best gaming experiences to users worldwide. VS Studio aspires to be a studio that continues to take on such challenges, and we are looking for new team members who share our vision.

Please look forward to the future of VS Studio.

We'll likely have quite a long wait before we learn about VS Studio's first project, but it will be interesting to see if Harada gets right back on the fighting game saddle or leads a completely different type of game. 

Sega has canceled its Super Game, which was originally revealed as in development in 2021 with a budget of $882 million. When it was announced, all signs pointed to the Super Game being a single game, but we later learned "Super Game" was a title Sega used to describe various games with large budgets. 

In the five years since the Super Game announcement, we never did learn exactly what these games were – there was no formal announcement or titles associated with the descriptor. But now, thanks to Sega's latest financial earnings report, it's clear we'll likely never know. On the "Review of the GaaS [games as a service]" page, Sega has a short line that reads, "Decided to cancel Super Game," noting that the company did not incur additional costs as a result of the cancellation for Quarter 3 of its 2026 Fiscal Year. And that's all she/Sega wrote. 

Elsewhere in the report, Sega lists the following games as part of its "Upcoming Plans" slide, giving us a birds-eye view of games the company plans to release in the coming years: 

• Stranger Than Heaven: Winter
• Persona 4 Revival: Release Date TBD
• Total War: Warhammer 40,000: Release Date TBD
• Total War: Medieval III: Release Date TBD
• New Virtua Fighter Project: Title/Release Date TBD
• Crazy Taxi: Title/Release Date TBD
• Golden Axe: Title/Release Date TBD
• Jet Set Radio: Title/Release Date TBD
• Streets of Rage: Title/Release Date TBD
• Alien: Isolation Sequel: Title/Release Date TBD

Though Sega doesn't name any games specifically, it says that in its Quarter 3 2027 Fiscal Year forecast, it expects to "launch four new titles based on mainstay IPs," suggesting it might be planning to launch four of the aforementioned games within the next fiscal year. 

While we wait to learn more about these games, read about how we're finally getting an Alien: Isolation sequel, and then read about how Stranger Than Heaven will take place across five time periods. After that, check out the Persona 4 Revival reveal trailer, and then read about the recently released Persona 30th Anniversary jazz cover album. 

Which of Sega's in-development games are you most excited for? Let us know in the comments below!

Brothers Mattias and Marcus Ottvall and Gustaf Heinerwall worked on Little Nightmares and its sequel for Tarsier Studios, but recently branched off to create an original game with their original studio, Section 9 Interactive.

End of Abyss is Section 9's first game and it combines an impressive collection of inspirations from games like classic Zelda, Metroid, and even Metal Gear Solid. Below, Charlest Harte and I play and gush about the game ahead of its release later this year and show off a brand new boss.

End of Abyss – Exclusive Boss Fight Gameplay:

Subscribe to Game Informer's YouTube channel for more episodes of New Gameplay Today as well as video reviews, The Game Informer Show Podcast, and more.

Aaron Paul, an actor known for his roles in Breaking Bad, Bojack Horseman, and Westworld, is officially joining the next season of the Fallout series on Prime Video. His role remains undisclosed. The actor recently garnered praise his performance as the lead in the video game Dispatch, a choice-driven superhero workplace comedy.

Paul's casting is notable for two reasons. First, it reunites him with Lisa Joy and Jonathan Nolan, who have been executive producers on both Fallout and Westworld. Second, it marks the Breaking Bad star's return to the world of live-action video game adaptations; he starred in 2014's Need For Speed, a film based on the game franchise of the same name.

The press release announcing Paul's casting also notes that Annabel O’Hagan and Dave Register, who play Stephanie Harper and Chet, respectively, will be bumped up to series regulars in season 3. Additionally, Frances Turner (who plays Barb Howard) became a regular in season 2, and will remain a regular for the next season.

Finally, it appears Fallout has hit some significant milestones. According to Prime Video, the show has had over 100 million viewers, and in the first 13 weeks of season 2's launch, both seasons ranked among the top four most-watched on Prime Video.

For more on Fallout, check out our reviews for season 1 and season 2. For more Aaron Paul, check out our interview we did with him last year discussing his role in Dispatch.

Discord launched its Nitro subscription almost 10 years ago, and it's changed a lot over the years. While its current tiers mainly offer users more emojis, higher quality streaming, and generally more customization options, it used to include complementary games, but that perk was discontinued in 2019. Today, the company announced plans to revive that idea and partner with Xbox and provide Game Pass for Nitro users – kind of.

According to a blog post on Discord's website, the new program is called Nitro Rewards, and it's exactly what it sounds like – perks for Discord's paid subscribers. Discord describes today's announcement as the "first wave," with more benefits to come at a later date.

The first perk is access to Xbox Game Pass. Discord describes the level of access as "a starter version" of the service, which seems to line up with Game Pass Essential, as it includes "a library of 50+ PC and console games." This tier includes a fraction of the titles available on Game Pass' higher tiers (which have 200+ and 500+, respectively), but as a benefit to Nitro subscribers at no extra cost, it's a pretty good deal.

Nitro Rewards also includes discounts on certain Logitech products, with subscribers getting "up to 30% off at Logitech G, 15% off SteelSeries, and 20% off KontrolFreek, with new offers rotating regularly." Finally, Nitro subscribers will also get bonus Orbs each month and an Orbs multiplier, meaning they'll get more Orbs for completing quests. The blog closes with a disclaimer that features will be rolling out gradually "over the coming weeks," so you might not see them right away, but they'll probably be showing up soon. 

On the flipside, an Xbox Wire post about the same subject announced an inverted version of the deal; Game Pass subscribers will soon get certain Discord Nitro benefits. More specifically, they'll get 250 Discord Orbs each month, 1.2x extra Orbs when completing quests, and automatically applied Discord Shop discounts, which sounds like the new Nitro Rewards Orb upgrades.

In other Xbox news, the highest tier, Game Pass Ultimate, recently decreased in price, and Copilot AI will no longer be coming to consoles.

Reviewed on: PlayStation 5
Platform: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Publisher: Supermassive Games
Developer: Supermassive Games
Release: May 12, 2026
Rating: Mature

When Until Dawn was released in 2015, it felt novel. Telltale had popularized a specific formula of interactive narrative, but Supermassive’s teen-slasher horror game took its ideas and applied an impressive layer of creativity and production value on top of it alongside casting choices that only look more brilliant with time. Successive entries in the The Dark Pictures Anthology series, however, have increasingly failed to live up to the promise of Until Dawn, and Directive 8020 is the latest result of that downward trend.

Directive 8020 looks great. Close-up shots of character faces show an incredible level of detail, and the overall art direction stands above the severe shortcomings of the narrative. The attractive, if uninspired, general design of the spaceship Cassiopeia and its computer systems feel like they’re from the future, and the monstrous alien menaces you must contend with are impressively grotesque. The visuals of this peek into a potential science-fiction future are Directive 8020’s strongest element. But much like the mission the Cassiopeia crew is on, it all falls apart once you start.

The stakes are high in Directive 8020 with a small crew of astronauts scouting a potentially habitable planet as Earth’s long-term viability wanes. A strong licensed soundtrack backgrounds an enticing opening as the only conscious members of the crew kill time until the rest can be woken from hypersleep. Once the astronauts start talking, characterizations and mysteries are established with the subtlety of a giant flashing red arrow, and I began to immediately question the credentials of every crew member chosen for this historic mission.

In the horror genre, playing armchair expert while scared people make stupid decisions is part of the fun. But that joy gets sucked out of the airlock when the story has painstakingly and repeatedly established that the cast is the smartest of the smartest, hand-picked and trained to be humanity’s last hope for a mission that literally could not be more important. Instead of revelling in the outcomes of their poor decisions, stupid mistakes become frustrating and feel preventable, which they aren’t even when you’re trying valiantly to push everyone toward the right calls.

 

The larger story beats are all achingly cliched. The references to science-fiction horror like Alien and The Thing are so transparent that they feel like rip-offs that don’t understand the source material as opposed to fun homage. I absolutely don’t mind taking a dip in the warm bath of genre storytelling, but Directive 8020 struggles to establish its own identity while citing its sources. I also just generally felt like I was being talked down to as its “mysteries” were being unfurled. I shouldn’t always be three steps ahead of, as is repeatedly established, the smartest people on planet Earth – supposedly the only ones capable of completing this mission.

But even in the individual moments, Directive 8020 struggles. A fire in one area of the ship that forces a decision between saving the lives of two crew members results in the unfortunate victim sitting down amidst the flames and calling it a day, as they basically make no attempt to reach a nearby door. In times like this, you can immediately rewind a story moment to try a different outcome, which raises the question: What are we even doing here? If I can change every element of the story as I am making my way through it, then why does any wrong decision or missed quicktime event matter? I like seeing the story permutations eventually, but if the choices in the moment don’t matter, then my feelings about the characters and the story don’t matter either.

Gameplay, which is admittedly not Directive 8020’s focus, mainly involves avoiding the eyeline of bad guys in the dark. Moving the characters is functional, but waiting for backs to be turned so you can sneak by is not particularly thrilling or scary. The door-unlocking minigame is enjoyable, and I liked being able to text other characters between cutscenes for additional conversations, but it did little to endear me to anyone in the forgettable cast.

I took more notes while playing Directive 8020 than I normally do while reviewing a game, and they’re almost all character complaints or story frustrations. The primary purpose of this experience is to engage and draw me into a narrative filled with characters whose fates I am invested in. Instead, I was too busy questioning decisions (theirs, not mine), rolling my eyes, and grappling with an overwhelming feeling of déjà vu to ever lock in.

Score: 5

About Game Informer's review system

In this week's episode of The Game Informer Show, Alex returns from MagicCon: Las Vegas to share his experience spending the weekend playing and learning about upcoming Magic: The Gathering card sets, Charles dives into his Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight preview, and Marcus finally gets the chance to talk about the black-and-white boomer shooter, Mouse: P.I. For Hire! The Game Informer Show is a weekly podcast covering the video game industry. Join us every Friday for chats about video game reviews, news, and exclusive reveals alongside Game Informer staff and special guests from around the industry. Support the show by subscribing to our physical video game magazine! Sponsored: Logitech G just changed the game again with the new PRO X2 Superstrike. This isn't just an upgrade; it’s a total reimagining of the mouse click. Stop playing fair and start playing faster. Go to LogitechG.com and enter code GAMEINFORMER25 at checkout to save 25% off Logitech G products.Watch or Listen to the Podcast:Listen to "Lego Batman: Legacy Of The Dark Knight + Mixtape Review" on Spreaker. Follow our hosts online:

• Alex Van Aken (@itsVanAken)
• Charles Harte (@chuckduck365)
• Marcus Stewart (@MarcusStewart7)

Timestamps:00:00 - Introduction00:45 - MagicCon: Las Vegas Recap11:19 - Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight22:30 - "GI Oughta Know" Trivia: Lego Batman Edition41:53 - SPONSOR AD: Logitech G PRO X2 Superstrike43:44 - Mixtape Review56:13 - Mouse: P.I. For Hire

Call of the Elder Gods, like its predecessor Call of the Sea, is a Lovecraft-inspired narrative puzzle adventure. The game features dual protagonists, Evangeline Drayton and Professor Harry Everhart, as they embark on a globetrotting journey to get to the bottom of their horrific, supernatural visions. Ahead of the game's launch next week, editors Marcus Stewart and Kyle Hilliard took an exclusive look at the game's second chapter to see how this puzzling adventure is shaping up. 

We did it, everyone. We made it through Star Wars day unscathed. They said it couldn't be done. They said it shouldn't even be attempted. Some even said, "Why are you wasting all this time rewatching Star Wars again when you could be watching Star Trek: Deep Space Nine for the first time!?" But persist we did, and now we're better for it. And I guess we're all excited for Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu, a movie I would confidently describe as one I can technically go see when it's in theaters if I happen to have nothing better going on.

Anyway! Happy Friday. Here are a number of pieces we're proud of this week before moving on to the games we think would be a good idea to check out this weekend.

• Mixtape Review - A Night Of Greatest Hits
• Takashi Tezuka Was The Heart Of Nintendo And Deserves To Be Mentioned Alongside The Industry Greats
• Mortal Kombat II Movie Review – Faithfully Fatal
• Sam Reich Jokingly Told Us He's Too Involved With Game Changer Board Game: 'Please, For The Love Of God, Help Me'
• Our Favorite Star Wars Features
• InKonbini: One Store. Many Stories Review - Inadequate Convenience

Oh! Also! Important follow-up to promises made last week: I did, in fact, get the Saros Platinum Trophy. I hope Housemarque is already working on DLC.

I finally feel like I can move on with my life (and on to other games).

[image or embed]

— Kyle Hilliard (@kylehilliard.com) May 3, 2026 at 12:47 PM

Mixtape Charles Harte

I love coming-of-age stories, but Mixtape stands out even among my favorites for how well it nails its earnest, whimsical tone, treating life milestones with grave sincerity. Its stellar writing, concise runtime, and inspired use of its licensed soundtrack make it an instant classic and a heartfelt trip down memory lane. Mixtape has an incredible atmosphere, and like my favorite coming-of-age stories, makes me nostalgic for a life I never lived. I do not often finish reviewing a game and immediately contemplate my next playthrough, but I am certain I will be replaying Mixtape for years to come. Rockford and her friends are right to feel emotional at this story's bittersweet ending, but as the player, I'm lucky enough to add this game to my rotation to play again and again.

Read Game Informer's Mixtape review right here Dead As Disco Matt Miller If you always enjoyed the way the Batman: Arkham combat formula had a rhythmic quality to it, Dead As Disco should be an easy pick-up. Even though the game just entered early access, there's already a good indication of where the project is headed. Players control band member Charlie Disco as he fights his way past his previous bandmates (and their cronies) in a stylish button-tapping martial arts throwdown. The distinction here is that everything is tied in to the beat of the music, so timing your attacks and blocks with the tunes gets better results. As you get into the groove, it's one of those "flow" experiences that is quite unlike other melee combat systems in other games. The early access version includes the beginnings of the story as well as several songs, but you can also input your own songs and fight to those. Resident Evil Requiem: Leon Must Die Forever Kyle Hilliard

A free update released for Resident Evil Requiem yesterday that adds a free-if-you-own-the-game action-focused mode to 2026's best survival horror game (so far). The mode is called Leon Must Die Forever, which has some real Suda 51 Romeo is a Dead Man energy, at least in its title. In the mode, you play a number of Leon's sections from the base game, but go after a high score and choose from various upgrades rewarded during individual sessions, giving it some rogue game energy. Leon can also apparently wear a miniature version of his car as a hat? It looks odd and I admit I haven't touched the mode yet, but I am eager to try it out this weekend.

Read Game Informer's Resident Evil Requiem review right here Mortal Kombat 1 Brian Shea

Mortal Kombat 1 was maligned by the community when it came out in 2023, thanks in large part to its microtransaction-heavy modes, but the fighting mechanics are solid and the visuals remain extremely impressive. With Mortal Kombat II in theaters now, some might be looking to carry on the brutality of the film at home, and Mortal Kombat 1 just added some skins from the movie for Johnny Cage, Scorpion, General Shao, Sub-Zero, and Kitana. While you will need to purchase them, it's worth noting that the game itself already looks great, and the main story mode is a fun reboot storyline to play through. Mortal Kombat 1 may not be the most beloved version of the franchise, but it's an enjoyable way to scratch that itch after emerging from the theater.

Read Game Informer's Mortal Kombat 1 review here

When you think of Nintendo, you likely think of Shigeru Miyamoto. And rightfully so. Miyamoto is widely credited for the creation of such properties as Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, and other beloved franchises. In fact, if you asked even the most clued-in gamers to name a Nintendo developer, names like Eiji Aonuma, Yoshiaki Koizumi, Masahiro Sakurai, and the late Gunpei Yokoi likely come to mind for many before Takashi Tezuka. While they are all deserved legends in their own rights, Takashi Tezuka has been perhaps as, if not more, consequential to the history of Nintendo (and, as a result, the greater gaming landscape) as any one of them.

Establishing Excellence

Joining Nintendo in 1984, Tezuka hit the ground running, debuting as a designer on the game Devil World. Devil World didn't come to North America until it finally arrived on Nintendo Switch Online in 2023, but it's notable for being the first console-exclusive title of Miyamoto, who had primarily made a name for himself in the arcade space. But I would argue its legacy is more important for introducing us to the greatest trio in gaming history. Joining an assistant director and designer, Tezuka kicked his career off by collaborating directly with Miyamoto and composer Koji Kondo on some of their earliest works. 

From there, the trio continued working together, with Tezuka helping Miyamoto create Super Mario Bros., one of the most foundational pieces of 20th-century media. The notion of Super Mario Bros. as an expansion of the concepts laid out in the 1983 arcade game Mario Bros., which Miyamoto directed just prior to Tezuka joining Nintendo, was largely Tezuka's brainchild. After presenting his idea of a larger hero running around in a colorful environment, Tezuka began brainstorming with Miyamoto and the rest of the team. The result was Super Mario Bros., which effectively altered the course of entertainment history.

However, in 1985, it was much more difficult for developers to receive feedback, and Tezuka had no idea the team had created anything important. "Not long after its release, I did have a bit of an impression that people were enjoying Super Mario Bros.," Tezuka told me during a 2015 interview. "There wasn’t any place like the internet for people to exchange information, but I could hear feedback from my friends. I didn’t think we did anything groundbreaking, but I definitely felt happy to hear that feedback."

During that time, Tezuka also began working with Miyamoto and Kondo on another ambitious title: The Legend of Zelda. This time, Tezuka stepped into the director role for the first time in his career, joining his longtime collaborator in the role. And as we all know, The Legend of Zelda came to be nearly as iconic and influential as Super Mario Bros.

While these games were hardly developed solely by these three now-legends, it's fair to say that their consistent collaboration and, even beyond the trio's work together, Tezuka's consistent involvement with some of Nintendo's biggest franchises has led to unrivaled results. And Tezuka would go on to direct what are considered today some of the greatest video games ever made, including Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Mario World, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening, Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, and serve as assistant director of Super Mario 64. 

Following that run, which arguably hasn't been matched to this day, he transitioned to primarily a producer and supervisory role, but continued to have a hand in many of Nintendo's biggest titles, with a specific focus on the Yoshi and Mario series. To call Tezuka a titan of the games industry would be a vast understatement, as a career spanning 42 years at a single company yielded one of the most legendary resumés we will ever see.

An Enduring Legacy

Earlier today, Takashi Tezuka announced his retirement from Nintendo. The 65-year-old designer, director, producer, supervisor, and creative executive worked at Nintendo for more than four decades, having a direct hand in some of the greatest video games ever created. Here is just a sampling of some of the games Tezuka worked on during his 42 years at Nintendo:

• Super Mario Bros.
• The Legend of Zelda
• Super Mario Bros. 2
• Zelda II: The Adventure of Link
• Super Mario Bros. 3
• Super Mario World
• The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
• The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
• Super Mario All-Stars
• Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
• Super Mario 64
• Star Fox 64
• Yoshi's Story
• The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
• Mario Tennis
• Paper Mario
• The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages
• The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons
• Luigi's Mansion
• Pikmin
• Animal Crossing
• Super Mario Sunshine
• The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
• Mario Kart: Double Dash
• The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap
• The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures
• Pikmin 2
• Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
• New Super Mario Bros.
• Yoshi's Island DS
• The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
• Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story
• Super Mario Galaxy 2
• The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D
• Super Mario 3D Land
• The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
• New Super Mario Bros. 2
• New Super Mario Bros. U
• Super Mario 3D World
• The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds
• Yoshi's Woolly World
• Super Mario Maker
• Super Mario Run
• The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
• Arms
• Yoshi's Crafted World
• Super Mario Maker 2
• Pikmin 4
• Super Mario Bros. Wonder
• Super Mario RPG (Remake)
• Princess Peach Showtime
• Mario & Luigi: Brothership
• Super Mario Bros. Wonder: Meetup in Bellabel Park

But beyond that, Takashi Tezuka has always come across as a delightful human being. I've interviewed him four times since 2015, and in each interaction, he was not only extremely pleasant but also very humble, playful, and appreciative of any time spent speaking with him. When people ask me what Shigeru Miyamoto is like in-person, I always tell them, "He's the exact kind of person who you hope would have created Mario." The same could be said of Takashi Tezuka. He never stepped into the spotlight as much as Miyamoto, Koizumi, or Aonuma, but he didn't have to. Tezuka was content creating influential title after influential title from behind the scenes, only stepping into public-facing roles when it was asked of him. But behind the scenes, he was mentoring subsequent waves of developers, including during one of his final major releases, Super Mario Bros. Wonder.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder Director Shiro Mouri with Takashi Tezuka in 2023

"When looking at creating a new Mario title, we actually went ahead and brought in a lot of younger people into our staff," Tezuka told me in a 2023 interview. "There are people who hadn't made a Super Mario game before; they're our target audience. They're, of course, developers, but they're also people who enjoy playing games, and so they wanted to create something that they themselves would enjoy as gamers. [...] We never, ever, ever ignore the feedback that we get from our new staff members. And when I present an idea myself, they really are quite honest in saying, 'Yeah, I don't like that,' or 'I do like that.' I think that's a really beneficial environment that we have."

This isn't the first time we've seen a major creator leave a company after what seems like an impossibly long tenure, but this one hit me harder than I expected. Tezuka's departure is a stark reminder that these legendary developers won't be doing this forever, even though it feels like they already have been. We can't stop the flow of time or the progression of people's lives, but we can cherish them while we have them, and we can continue to honor their legacies long after they stop creating by enjoying the works we were lucky enough to receive from them.

And for Takashi Tezuka, his impact will continue far beyond the length of his career. As long as video games exist, the legacy of Takashi Tezuka will as well.

Hot off the heels of Nintendo announcing a Switch 2 remake of Star Fox 64, now is a good time to revisit the original Nintendo 64 adventure from start to finish. 

First released in the US on June 30, 1997, to critical acclaim, Star Fox 64 is the second entry in the Star Fox series that sees Fox and his crew battle t defend the Lylat system from the villain Andross.  Star Fox 64 is also kind of a reboot of the original Star Fox, and that's only the beginning of this game's strange trajectory. It has been remade for the 3DS, was remixed and reimagined for Wii U as Star Fox Zero, and is being remade again for Switch 2. Why makes Star Fox 64 worthy of so many reiterations? We're going to find out. 

Join me, Marcus Stewart, alongside editors Brian Shea and Charles Harte as we soar through a complete playthrough of Star Fox 64.

Star Fox 64 Super Replay (YouTube)

Developer IO Interactive has released the PC specs and requirements for its upcoming James Bond game, 007 First Light, which launches on May 27. As you might expect, in order to play the game at the highest resolution and frame rate, you're going to need a beefy PC, but the minimum required specs don't ask for too much power. 

Alongside the PC specs, which will be detailed below, IO Interactive has highlighted exclusive PC features like uncapped framerate, Nvidia DLSS 4.5 dynamic multi-frame generation and super resolution, path tracing, and DLSS Ray Reconstruction (though this isn't coming until sometime this Summer), and additional in-depth customization options. Plus, the studio has detailed the global accessibility options for 007 First Light, and the options will include different audio profiles, subtitled with customization options, input remapping, input adjustments (sensitivity, deadone, invert), audio output options, menu narration, input activation options, and autocomplete for certain actions and quick-time events. 

Below, we'll list the various PC specs and requirements needed to play 007 First Light: 

007 First Light PC Specs and Requirements Minimum

• Performance: 1080p at 30 FPS
• Settings Preset: Low
• CPU: Intel Core i5-9500/AMD Ryzen 5 3500
• RAM: 16GB
• GPU: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660/AMD Radeon RX 5700
• VRAM (Minimum): 6GB
• Storage: 80 GB minimum/SSD required
• OS: Windows 10/11 64-bit

Recommended

• Performance: 1080p at 60 FPS
• Settings Preset: Medium
• CPU: Intel Core i5-13500/AMD Ryzen 5 7600
• RAM: 16GB
• GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060Ti/AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT
• VRAM (Minimum): 8GB
• Storage: 80 GB minimum/SSD required
• OS: Windows 10/11 64-bit

Enthusiast 1

• Performance: 1440p at 60 FPS
• Settings Preset: High
• CPU: Intel Core i5-13500/AMD Ryzen 5 7600
• RAM: 16GB
• GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070/AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT
• VRAM (Minimum): 12GB
• Storage: 80 GB minimum/SSD required
• OS: Windows 10/11 64-bit

Enthusiast 2

• Performance: 4K at 60 FPS
• Settings Preset: High
• CPU: Intel Core i5-13500/AMD Ryzen 5 7600
• RAM: 16GB
• GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080/AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX
• VRAM (Minimum): 16GB
• Storage: 80 GB minimum/SSD required
• OS: Windows 10/11 64-bit

Ultra

• Performance: 4K at 200+ FPS (DLSS 4.5)
• Settings Preset: Ultra
• CPU: Intel Core i5-13600K/AMD Ryzen 7 7700X
• RAM: 32GB
• GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080
• VRAM (Minimum): 16GB
• Storage: 80 GB minimum/SSD required
• OS: Windows 10/11 64-bit

IO Interactive says DLSS is not enabled for Minimum, Recommended, or Enthusiast. 

007 First Light hits PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC on May 27. It will launch on Nintendo Switch 2 sometime this Summer. 

In the meantime, check out this exclusive video interview with IO Interactive about the differences between the studio's Hitman games and 007 First Light, and then read about how the team crafted its young version of James Bond. After that, head to Game Informer's 007 First Light hub to read our cover story about the game and all kinds of other exclusive articles and more. 

Are you picking up 007 First Light on launch day? Let us know in the comments below!

Sony Interactive Entertainment/PlayStation CEO Hideaki Nishino has called AI a "powerful tool" in the company's aim to make PlayStation "the best place to play" and "the best place to publish" during Sony's latest earnings call. Throughout the call, both Nishino and Sony Group president and CEO Totoki Hiroki discussed the various ways the company is using AI in film, music, and gaming. 

Despite evidence from various entertainment industries showing that the use of generative AI and related technologies has led to layoffs, Hiroki said, "human creativity must remain at the center," while adding that "AI is a powerful tool, [but not] a replacement for artists or creators." He instead called it an amplifier for human imagination and a catalyst for new possibilities, as noted by Variety. 

Sony Pictures (movies) has invested more than $50 million in AI across production planning, content protection, enterprise productivity, data analytics, innovation, and 3D conversion, while Sony Music has invested in pursuing industry-wide labeling of AI-generated content across platforms. Sony's video arm is collaborating with Elden Ring publisher Bandai Namco to research how generative AI can help creators in video production. 

After Hiroki's portion of the earnings call, Nishino explained how PlayStation is using AI. He said, "Our goal is always to be the best place to play and the best place to publish," adding, "We see AI as a powerful tool to help us in this mission." 

As noted by Kotaku, Nishino explained how first-party studios are using generative AI and related technologies in game development today, including a proprietary generative AI program called Mockingbird, which "quickly [animates] 3D facial models based on performance capture." Studios like Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet developer Naughty Dog, San Diego Studio, and others are using Mockingbird and other tools, according to Nishino. 

"Importantly, we are not replacing human performers, but rather optimizing how we process the data from these live captures," Nishino said. "With Mockingbird, animation work that would have taken hours can now be completed in a fraction of a second." Nishino pointed out another example in a tool PlayStation built for animating hair, stating, "This is often a labor-intensive process given the volume of strands that must be created. 

"Our teams have accelerated this process by taking videos of real hairstyles and having an AI tool output a 3D model with hundreds of strand models. These practical applications allow our teams to spend less time on manual, high-effort tasks, and to instead reinvest their time into building richer worlds and gameplay for our players." 

Of course, Nishino is the PlayStation CEO and at this moment in time, investors across various entertainment mediums love to hear executives state companies are using AI; it's not surprising Nishino waxed poetic about how (apparently) beneficial generative AI and other AI-based programs have been for first-party studios, but there are a lot of questions around the use of AI like this: Whose work are the models trained on? Will humans actually retain their jobs in the long term? Are developers happy to use these tools, or are they doing so because of mandates from above? 

During the call, Nishino continued to explain that AI-powered payment routing tools have generated more than $700 million in revenue over the past few years. He said Sony is creating machine-learning programs aimed at personalization for consumers, systems that could one day recommend a player's next game, subscription, accessory purchase, or merchandise buy based on their interests – yippee, who needs a brain? 

AI is also responsible for memory product shortages around the world, but Totoki said during the call that he expects PlayStation's hardware business to contain the cost impact within the current fiscal year due to ongoing (seemingly positive?) supplier negotiations, as noted by Variety. 

Meanwhile, one of PlayStation's primary competitors, Nintendo, is raising the price of the Switch 2 later this year, following a move PlayStation made with the PS5 back in March. 

For more, read Game Informer's Saros review, and then check out the latest trailer for Insomniac Games' Wolverine ahead of its September launch. After that, watch the latest Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet trailer. 

[Source: Variety, Kotaku]

How do you feel about Sony's thoughts on AI? Let us know in the comments below!

Capcom has revealed Leon Must Die Forever, a brand-new minigame challenge that's now available in Resident Evil Requiem, which launched on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch 2, and PC on February 27. The mode unlocks after you beat Resident Evil Requiem and will take players through various areas they visited during the campaign to work against the clock as they battle through hordes of zombies and more. 

"Fight your way through areas you've visited previously throughout the game and defeat the final boss, all with stronger enemy variants, five increasingly difficulty ranks, and a race against the clock," a press release reads. "Fill your enhancement gauge by defeating enemies in order to unlock Leon's 'enhancer abilities' exclusive to this game mode." The order and progression of each area, as well as the options for Leon's enhancer abilities, differ from each run, making each play-through of Leon Must Die Forever unique. 

Get a look at Leon Must Die Forever in the trailer below: 

Alongside the addition of Leon Must Die Forever to Resident Evil Requiem, Capcom has added PC support for the PlayStation DualSense controller's adaptive triggers, haptic feedback, and motion sensor features. It has also deployed various bug fixes across platforms where the game is playable. 

Resident Evil Requiem hit PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch 2, and PC on February 27, and the Leon Must Die Forever minigame is available in-game right now. In case you forgot, Capcom is working on story DLC for Resident Evil Requiem, too. 

For more, read Game Informer's Resident Evil Requiem review to find out why it's one of our favorite games of the year, and then check out the Resident Evil Requiem amiibo releasing on July 30. After that, read Game Informer's reviews for Resident Evil Village and Resident Evil 7: Biohazard. 

Are you going to check out Leon Must Die Forever? Let us know in the comments below!

Nintendo has announced it will be raising the price of the Switch 2, citing “changes in market conditions.” The new prices will take effect in Japan first, then extend to other regions in the coming months.

Japan

On May 25, the new prices for the Switch 2 and models of the original Switch will be as follows:

Nintendo Switch 2: ¥59,980 (currently ¥49,980) *The price of the Nintendo Switch 2 Multi-Language System available from My Nintendo Store will remain unchanged.

Nintendo Switch (OLED): ¥47,980 (currently ¥37,980)

Nintendo Switch: ¥43,980 (currently ¥32,978)

Nintendo Switch Lite: ¥29,980 (currently ¥21,978)

On July 1, the price of Nintendo Switch Online subscriptions will increase in Japan. Nintendo is planning to do the same in South Korea at an unknown date, but has not announced that these new price tiers will extend to other regions. You can read more about these pricing changes on Nintendo's website. 

US, Canada, And Europe

In the US, Canada, and Europe, only the Switch 2 is going up in price, effective September 1.

US: $499.99 (currently $449.99)

Canada: $679.99 (currently $629.99)

Europe: €499.99 (currently €469.99)

It's worth noting that the new price of the standalone Switch 2 in the US is now the same as the Mario Kart World bundle, which Nintendo stopped making last December and is now available in limited quantities (if at all).  Nintendo also states that price revisions are planned for other non-specified regions, but has not confirmed details. Today's news comes after Nintendo announced Switch 2 sales are nearing 20 million units sold, though the company expects sales to decline in the next fiscal year. 

Given that the Switch 2 launched globally on June 5, 2025, Japanese players will have to contend with a more expensive console less than a year into its lifecycle, with other regions following suit a few months later. If you’re an American, Canadian, or European who has been planning to purchase a Switch 2 but hasn’t pulled the trigger, you now have roughly four months to grab the system at its current price.

The Switch 2 was the last holdout in the wave of video game hardware price raises occurring over the last year. The PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S have risen in price more than once over the last 8-10 months, and the original Switch became more expensive in the US last year. PC players have had to contend with price hikes and shortages for RAM and other components, which have been some of the primary culprits for video game hardware going up in price across the board, among other economic factors. 

For more recent Nintendo news, legendary director Takashi Tezuka announced his retirement from the company today, and earlier this week, Nintendo revealed a remake of Star Fox 64 is coming to Switch 2 this June. 

Nintendo has released its latest financial report for Fiscal Year 2026, revealing that it has sold through nearly 20 million Switch 2 units. Despite what Nintendo calls a launch year where "sales reached a level we had not experienced with any of our previous hardware systems" (due to high interest in the Switch console), it expects a decline in year-over-year sales for Fiscal Year 2027, which ends in March of next year. 

Officially, 19.86 million Switch 2 units have been sold in the console's first fiscal year, but for its second fiscal year, Nintendo is forecasting 16.5 million units sold. "For our hardware systems to date, sales units have generally tended to be higher in the second fiscal year after launch than in the launch year," the fiscal report notes read. "Nintendo Switch 2, however, launched at a time when many consumers were continuing to enjoy Nintendo Switch. Against this backdrop and amid many other factors [Editor's Note: likely an allusion to rising memory costs resulting from AI buy-up worldwide, alongside tariffs enacted by the U.S. President], launch-year sales reached a level we had not seen with any of our previous hardware systems. 

"In light of strong sales performance in the first year following launch and price adjustments, we expect unit sales for the fiscal year ending March 2027 to decline year over year. That said, we view this as a healthy level of sales for Nintendo Switch 2 in its second year after launch, and we continue to anticipate further growth in the installed base." 

As you can see, despite the expected decline in Switch 2 sales, Nintendo still views the console's growth as healthy. If you look back at how the Switch performed in a similar time frame, Switch 2 outpaces it. Switch 2 sales have exceeded the fiscal-year sales of the Switch's March 2018 and March 2019 fiscal years, the two full-year periods immediately following the Switch's launch. In other words, the Switch 2 is performing better than the Switch so far.  Today's news comes alongside the announcement that Nintendo plans to increase the price of the Switch 2 in various regions, including the US, due to "changes in market conditions." 

Elsewhere in the fiscal report, Nintendo has detailed the sales numbers for various games released this fiscal year. They are as follows: 

• Mario Kart World: 14.7 million units
• Donkey Kong Bananza: 4.52 million units
• Pokémon Legends: Z-A – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition: 3.94 million units
• Pokémon Pokopia: 2.41 million units
• Kirby Air Riders: 1.87 million units
• Pokémon FireRed and Pokémon LeafGreen: 4 million units
• Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream: 3.8 million units

For more about Nintendo, read Game Informer's reviews for Mario Kart World, Donkey Kong Bananza, Pokémon Legends: Z-A, Pokémon Pokopia, Kirby Air Riders, and Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream. After that, read about how The Legend of Zelda and Super Mario World director Takashi Tezuka is retiring from Nintendo in June. 

How do you feel about the Switch 2's first year of life? Let us know in the comments below!

Takashi Tezuka, the storied director behind games like The Legend of Zelda and Super Mario World, is retiring from Nintendo, the company has revealed. In Nintendo's latest fiscal report, there is a note titled "Announcement of Personnel Changes of Company Officers," and within it, news that Tezuka, an executive officer at the company, is retiring on June 26. 

Tezuka, who co-created Yoshi and also directed The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past and Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, most recently served as the producer for Super Mario Bros. Wonder, but at age 65, he's moving on from game development at the Kyoto-based company. He worked at Nintendo for more than four decades, having joined in 1984 at age 23. Over his 40-plus years at Nintendo, he has worked as a longtime collaborator with Super Mario Bros. and The Legend of Zelda creator Shigeru Miyamoto, who serves as a representative director overseeing various projects there. Alongside Miyamoto, Tezuka has worked not only on The Legend of Zelda and Mario franchises but also on other Nintendo staples like Pikmin, Animal Crossing, and more. 

Game Informer did a rapid-fire interview with Tezuka back in 2019, and if you haven't seen it yet, it's a must-watch: 

For more, read Game Informer's list of the top 10 Nintendo Switch 2 games, and then check out our list of the top 10 Switch games. After that, read Game Informer's industry round-up celebrating 40 years of The Legend of Zelda. 

What do you make of this news? Let us know in the comments below!

Valve’s much-anticipated Steam Controller went on sale on Monday, May 4, and quickly sold out amid what many consider a chaotic launch. Payment processing errors at checkout prevented many customers from buying the controller before it went out of stock (which occurred in minutes), leaving frustrated players empty-handed. Valve has acknowledged this rough start and is going back to the drawing board to ensure the next wave of orders goes more smoothly. 

In a Steam post, Valve announced it will open a reservation queue for the Steam Controller tomorrow, May 8, starting at 10 a.m. PT/1 p.m. ET. Once you reserve your controller (limited to 1 per customer), your place in line will be saved.  When the controller comes back in stock, order emails will be sent in the same order that reservations were made. 

Once your order email arrives, it will state that you have three days (72 hours) to complete your purchase, or you will lose your reserved controller. Those who bought a Steam Controller the first go around cannot reserve another one during this second wave.

Additionally, there are two other prerequisites users must meet to purchase a Steam Controller at this juncture:

• Your account must be in good standing on Steam
• You must have made a purchase on Steam prior to April 27, 2026

“Replenishment of inventory will vary from region to region,” reads Valve’s Steam post. “We will start fulfilling reservations next week in the US / Canada, and UK / EU / AU in the following weeks.”

The Steam Controller is priced at $99 and launches ahead of the Steam Machine console that was announced last November. Although the Controller is designed to be compatible with the upcoming console, which is coming this year but has been delayed due to ongoing RAM shortages, it can be used independently as a dedicated PC gamepad. Reviews of the Steam Controller have been largely positive, which has contributed to its hype, so hopefully those looking to reserve one tomorrow have a much smoother time than what customers endured on Monday. 

This year marks 30 years of Persona, and to celebrate the occasion, developer Atlus has revealed a new addition to its Persona vinyl collection with the Persona 30th Anniversary Jazz Album. It's available to stream on Spotify, Apple Music, and elsewhere today, and vinyl preorders are live as well. 

This collection of jazz covers, which includes songs like "Last Surprise," "Heaven," and "Aria of the Soul," comes from iam8bit's in-house jazz group, Blueshift Big Band. You can preorder the iam8bit-exclusive "Blue Butterfly" variant of the vinyl today through June 8, with shipping expected to start in Q4 of 2026. Other variants include a standard 180-gram Black Vinyl Edition at select retailers and an FYE-exclusive "Translucent Purple" vinyl. 

Here's a look at the Blue Butterfly variant, the cover, and the included slip art: 

 

For more Persona, check out the reveal trailer for Persona 4 Revival, and then read Game Informer's Persona 3 Reload review. After that, check out our thoughts on Persona 5 Royal. 

Which jazz cover is your favorite? Let us know in the comments below!

Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2, a sequel to 2021's PvE shooter Aliens: Fireteam Elite, has been announced, and it's launching this summer on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. Developers Cold Iron Studios and Daybreak Game Company revealed the news with an exclusive trailer over at IGN, which reveals returning Xenomorphs, weapons, and more, with one big new addition: a fourth party member. 

Unlike its predecessor, Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2 is not a trio-based third-person shooter but instead, a four-player party shooter. The game will support crossplay across all playable platforms and feature new Xenomorph types, player classes (including the Specialist, which IGN describes as a "fully customizable class that lets you mix and match abilities from any class"), and more. The publication writes that Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2 will include a Horde mode, too. 

Check out the Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2 trailer for yourself below: 

Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2 launches on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC (via Steam and the Epic Games Store) sometime this summer. 

In the meantime, read Game Informer's Aliens: Fireteam Elite review, and then check out the first trailer for the Alien: Isolation sequel. 

What do you hope to see in Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2? Let us know in the comments below!