Destructoid Saturday, January 3, 2026 6:25 PM
As is tradition by now, Valve hosted the annual Steam Awards, which ran for a couple months near the end of last year. Entirely player-based, the Awards are granted by Steam users alone, who, believe it or not, did not pick the undisputed king of gaming, Expedition 33.
Instead, the ultimate Game of the Year among Steam users was none other than Hollow Knight: Silksong, a game so wildly popular it crashed the platform upon its launch. Enjoyed by millions and highly-anticipated, it's no surprise Silksong won, given just how long players had waited for its release since the first game in the series blew everyone away back in early 2017.
That isn't to say that Expedition 33 won nothing. It, indeed, did carry home one award, the one for Best Soundtrack, and I wholeheartedly believe it deserved it. We can argue about how much E33 deserved the many awards it got, especially in some categories at the TGA (cough, Best Direction over Death Stranding 2, cough), but the soundtrack is so phenomenal and outstanding that no number of awards would do it justice.
Silksong also won the Best Game You Suck At Award, again no surprise due to its overall difficulty, as is only natural for a Soulslike title.
Dispatch, too, was awarded here even if it was snubbed at last year's award shows, primarily because its episodes started coming out after most shows had cemented their nominees. We should see Dispatch considered in the 2026 window, though, but it's nice to see the Steam community recognize the game on such short notice, and in a category as prestigious as they come: Outstanding Story-Rich Game.
Other categories and winners include:
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Destructoid Saturday, January 3, 2026 5:01 PM
The septic pumping job is something you can undertake in My Winter Car if you're short of cash, and it will allow you to drive an extra vehicle that's otherwise not possible.
The job of pumping the septic tank can be unlocked after a phone call that will ask you for a favor. This appears to be the only job from which you can't get fired (so no performance pressure at all). This guide will elaborate on all the steps to complete if you want to excel at cleaning someone else's bathroom.
Table of contents
How to start the septic pumping job in My Winter Car
To begin the job, you'll have to wait for a phone call that will inform you that their sewage well is full. Answer the call and wait for the NPC to disconnect it from their end. Don't disconnect it prematurely; otherwise, the quest won't begin. Once the dialogue completes and you accept the job, a new location marker will pop up, indicating where you have to be.
Your main task is to drive the Gifu to this location. The Gifu is a special tanker that will allow you to clear the sewage.
How to complete the septic pumping job in My Winter Car
Once you've reached the marked location with the Gifu, you'll find a septic tank (grey-colored and has a square lid). Remove the lid carefully after parking the Gifu close to the septic tank. Remove the hose from the back of the tanker and place it inside the septic tank.
Go to the cabin of the Gifu and turn on the hydraulics. You'll also find a hand throttle. If your character starts coughing at the stench, it means that you've started the work successfully. Once the job is over, you'll be informed by the homeowner, who will congratulate you.
Take the money, remove the hose from the septic tank, and place the hose end at the back of the Gifu. If it accidentally falls inside the tank, save and reload to reset its position. If the Gifu's tank is full, you can unload the waste at the Waste Treatment Facility.
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Destructoid Saturday, January 3, 2026 4:11 PM
There are many ways to earn money in My Winter Car, and one of them involves delivering firewood to suitable locations.
This specific job can provide you with a steady source of revenue while you're trying to build your project car. The Corris Rivett has plenty of parts to buy, and obtaining them will become easier once you sell firewood to the required NPC.
This guide will list all the steps required to become a woodcutter (of sorts) in the game.
How to start the firewood delivery job in My Winter Car
The firewood delivery job can be unlocked pretty early, but there are a few prerequisites. You'll want to first visit two spots as denoted by the following map image.
If you go to the spot marked as "CR" in the image above, you'll find an NPC called Reijo. He will reveal the Corris Rivett to you, which is the project vehicle. He will also require you to find firewood.
The next task is to reach the point marked as "KM" on the map. You'll find the Kekmet 502 tractor at this location. You'll also get the lumber conveyor at the same spot. Drive the Kekmet carefully around the chopper and attach the two. We already have a detailed guide about how to complete the process.
You can use the throttle inside the Kekmet to control the speed and power at which the cutter operates. You'll also find logs in the storage. Pick one up and place it in the cutter. The cutter will automatically chop the logs and place the pieces in the trailer.
Once all the wood has been cut, take the trailer back to Reijo. You'll need to use the Kekmet to move the trailer, and then reverse it so that the firewood can be unloaded using the hydraulic lever. You'll get your payment based on how much wood you deliver.
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Destructoid Saturday, January 3, 2026 3:10 PM
The masterful Silent Hill 2 remake and the adventurous Silent Hill f had fans hopeful that the franchise would find new life. Konami has recently revealed that Silent Hill will indeed continue, but in a manner worthy of great concern.
In a recent year-end interview with Japanese website 4 Gamer, series producer Motoi Okamoto revealed that Konami is committed to Silent Hill, and that they want to make it a yearly thing. Currently, Konami is employing different studios to work on the announced Silent Hill games, Townfall, and the remake of the original Silent Hill game. That's the right approach.
They have a higher chance of meeting the high-quality standards of fans, as opposed to having the same studio continuously trying to meet short deadlines to release a fresh and authentic-feeling title. Still, we can look into so many big franchises like Harry Potter, Star Wars, and the MCU to realize you can easily have people fatigued through relentless output.
The original Silent Hill completely changed the gaming landscape because it was allowed to. Konami didn't originally know what to do with the members of what would become "Team Silent," so the company tasked them with doing whatever they wanted, however they wanted, so long as it would result in a horror game. Konami knew that Resident Evil's massive success ensured that every subsequent survival horror title would turn a profit. What it didn't know, however, was that the team was also cracking the code on how to make a great game.
While Konami is currently fulfilling everyone's Silent Hill needs, that hasn't been the case for quite a while. After the incredibly promising Silent Hills got axed in 2014, we had one entire decade where the only official Silent Hill outings were pachinko machines. No, really. The new course correction lands the series at the opposite end of the spectrum it had inhabited for the past decade. Are we about to find out that longing for Silent Hill was better than just seeing it become another product aimed at just profiting on all fronts? Motoi Okamoto's statement, "In the future, the number of merchandise items will increase, so I think there will be even more fun outside of games," seems to point to the less-desired outcome.
Silent Hill's wider future
Silent Hill features companion products, such as a novel that expands on the game's lore, a practice I'm not keen on. I believe everything about a game's background should be contained within the game itself. This way, you have a full experience, not something whose supposed incomplete state can be exploited by a company to extract extra money from fans.
Konami is also trying to expand Silent Hill in more conventional ways. After the abject failure of the second Silent Hill movie, Silent Hill: Revelation, and the terrible Silent Hill interactive series, Konami is having a more serious go with Return to Silent Hill. It's a live-action retelling of Silent Hill 2, the series' trump card, but it has already been met with criticism. The first released trailer drew the ire of so many fans that the studio decided to remove it a couple of hours later.
I like what they're going for, a reimagining of SH2 instead of another straight-up remake, though I fear the production may not have as much budget as they probably needed to realize their ambitious vision. I just could do without the trailer hammering that it's "Based on the visionary game Silent Hill 2" twice.
Either way, Cristophe Gans is a great director. Chances are, you know he directed the underrated first Silent Hill film, but did you know his Brotherhood of the Wolf film directly inspired the hunters from Bloodborne? Bloober Team definitely had a weaker track record before doing Silent Hill 2 Remake, and they sure did pull it off, so let's give the man a chance.
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Destructoid Saturday, January 3, 2026 3:06 PM
The Progressing Along Evolution is now live in FC 26 Ultimate Team, and it's an exciting upgrade option for a Bronze card of your choice.
This evolution is available for free, but you have to assist at least one goal in five games in the new Time Warp Bronze Exhibition tournament. The evolution upgrades your selected Bronze card to a Silver and adds the Time Warp promo to it. Your chosen card will also get vital stat upgrades, playstyles, and roles.
Table of contents
FC 26 Progressing Along Evolution requirements
Here are the requirements of Progressing Along Evolution in FC 26.
FC 26 Progressing Along Evolution upgrades
The evolution has four levels of upgrades, each with certain conditions to fulfill.
Level 1 upgrades
Level 2 upgrades
Level 3 upgrades
Level 4 upgrades
Level 1 upgrade requirements
Level 2 upgrade requirements
Level 3 upgrade requirements
Level 4 upgrade requirements
Best players to use in Progressing Along Evolution
Here are some of my best recommendations for inclusion in the evolution.
While the upgrades are significant, you will be able to include these cards in future evolutions to create a chain and evolve their stats further.
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Destructoid Saturday, January 3, 2026 1:45 PM
The Let's do the Time Warp again objective is now live in FC 26 Ultimate Team, offering some significant evolutions, packs, and a guaranteed Time Warp promo item.
The latest objective is part of the Time Warp Bronze Exhibition that rewards you with some fantastic stuff. For the first time, we have a tourney specifically focused towards Bronze items, and playing games in it will help you get plenty of freebies.
FC 26 Let's do the Time Warp again objective guide
The Let's do the Time Warp again objective has five tasks to complete. The table below has exact information about what you need to do to complete all of them.
Completing the full set also gets you the Timeless Talent evolution that allows you to add defensive solidity to a card of your choice. The entire objective set looks quite interesting, as you don't have to win any game to get the rewards. As long as you're playing and scoring goals, you should eventually finish all the tasks.
While you can save the packs for the TOTY promo, the three evolutions are excellent. They're perfect for boosting Silver Icon Stars if you've unlocked them this season. The upgraded cards will also help you ace the Season 4 Silver Exhibition tournament that goes live later in January.
The free Nzonzi promo item also looks decent at CDM despite missing a few crucial playstyles. Overall, you should complete the new Bronze cup objective as quickly as possible.
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Destructoid Saturday, January 3, 2026 1:24 PM
The Fresh Legs Evolution is now live in FC 26 Ultimate Team, and it's an interesting set of upgrades to complete.
The upgrade costs 10,000 coins and can be purchased up to four times. Your chosen card will get a speed upgrade and a slight boost to its overall rating. Let's look at the best contenders for this evolution based on the requirements and the offered upgrades.
Table of contents
FC 26 Fresh Legs Evolution requirements
Here are the requirements for Frosty Dribbler Evolution in FC 26.
FC 26 Fresh Legs Evolution upgrades
The Fresh Legs Evolution has two levels of upgrades. To obtain the boosts, you'll need to complete specific tasks.
Level 1 upgrades
Level 2 upgrades
Level 1 upgrade requirements
Level 2 upgrade requirements
Best players for Fresh Legs Evolution in FC 26
You can include a wide variety of items in this evolution.
These are arguably some of the best options you can include in this evolution. This is one of the best evolutions for creating a chain. While there's a slight overall boost, your chosen card will remain in the fray for getting more upgrades in the near future.
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Destructoid Saturday, January 3, 2026 1:22 PM
Over the past few months, I've crafted my fair share of builds in ARC Raiders—from loot-oriented quick and nimble loadouts to fully stacked, armored, and heavily armed PVP ones. But where I have faltered are the skills, specifically by not investing heavily in the Traveling Tinkerer perk.
Field crafting seemed quite interesting to me from the first time I saw it, and I even ended up including it in my initial skill tree guide back when the game first released. What I failed to take into account was how useful the second field crafting perk was, i.e., how invaluable Traveling Tinkerer is. It's located a bit further into the Survival skill tree and builds on top of the field crafting perk that enables making items on the go.
One particular item that gives you the ability to craft mid-match is Raider Hatch Keys, which are perhaps the most valuable pieces of loot in the entire game. Extracting from a regular elevator is fine and dandy until you find yourself carrying 100,000 credits of loot, pink items, blueprints, weapons, and other rare items that turn extraction into a nightmare.
Raider Hatch Keys? They solve that issue instantly, allowing you to extract without waiting for a long time, hoping no ARC or player shows up to put an end to your escape attempt.
Given how many hatches are located on each of the maps, Keys would almost guarantee your success topside. The only downside here is that you'd have to carry the necessary materials on your person, which could be challenging to come by. However, that is more than made up for by the sheer ability to make these Keys (among all the other valuable items that field crafting unlocks, like consumables for healing and shield recharging).
Suffice it to say that I'm never leaving Speranza without this thing, and since Embark introduced proper skill resets (that do not require Expeditions), it's quite easy to take away points from useless trees I'd been investing into thus far.
And I'd suggest you do the same.
The post I never realized how good this ARC Raider skill is, but from now on I'm not leaving Speranza without it appeared first on Destructoid. |
WGB Saturday, January 3, 2026 7:11 PM This isn't a Game of the Year list. It's a look back at the games that lingered in my brain long after I stopped playing them — whether they were brilliant, deeply flawed, or simply hit me at the wrong (or very right) moment in 2025. |
Gaming Instincts – Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism Saturday, January 3, 2026 2:30 PM According to The Game Business's Christopher Dring. The post 2025 Was Reportedly Xbox's Worst Sales Year In The UK appeared first on Gaming Instincts - Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism. |
Gaming Instincts – Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism Saturday, January 3, 2026 1:13 PM New claims in a new report. The post The Witcher 3 DLC Still Rumored For This Year appeared first on Gaming Instincts - Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism. |