GamersHeroes Thursday, January 29, 2026 5:33 PM Set to release in just one week (February 5!), Square Enix has released a suite of new screenshots for their upcoming JRPG Dragon Quest VII Reimagined. The post Dragon Quest VII Reimagined New Screenshots Released appeared first on GamersHeroes. |
GamersHeroes Thursday, January 29, 2026 1:56 PM For those looking to finesse their side hustle, three new Odd Jobs have made their way to Rockstar Games' GTA Online. The post Three New Odd Jobs Now Available in GTA Online appeared first on GamersHeroes. |
GamersHeroes Thursday, January 29, 2026 1:04 PM Players will be able to enjoy the little details and restore a forgotten neighborhood when Come On Studio and tinyBuild's Hozy launches for PC and Mac March 30. The post Soothing Home Renovator Hozy Launching March 30 appeared first on GamersHeroes. |
GamersHeroes Thursday, January 29, 2026 12:41 PM Set in a world ruled by cosmic entities, the tainted artifacts are yours to wield with solo developer Matthaios Lappas' newly revealed dark fantasy adventure Asthenia. The post Dark Fantasy Adventure Asthenia Revealed appeared first on GamersHeroes. |
GamersHeroes Thursday, January 29, 2026 12:17 PM Marking its debut on a Nintendo platform, SEGA announced that Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. World Stage will launch for the Nintendo Switch 2 on March 26. The post Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. World Stage Launching for Nintendo Switch 2 March 26 appeared first on GamersHeroes. |
Kotaku Thursday, January 29, 2026 5:48 PM
Gearbox's open-world sci-fi looter shooter is set to have a big year according to a new roadmap and blog The post <i>Borderlands 4</i> Reminds Fans It's Alive In 2026 appeared first on Kotaku. |
Kotaku Thursday, January 29, 2026 5:40 PM
The action-RPG is currently on sale after a breakout free-to-play weekend The post <i>No Rest For The Wicked</i> Will Cost As Much As <i>Baldur's Gate 3</i> When It Leaves Early Access: 'I'm Not Trying To Do Any FOMO Marketing Here' appeared first on Kotaku. |
Kotaku Thursday, January 29, 2026 4:57 PM
MeowGun: Hell Denizen is a boomer shooter that understands why people play these games The post Save Kittens And Blast Away Demons In This New $15 FPS appeared first on Kotaku. |
Kotaku Thursday, January 29, 2026 3:30 PM
More unwatchable than the ending of Requiem for a Dream The post Darren Aronofsky's AI Movie Is As Bad As It Sounds: 'Slop About The Forming Of The Country That Is About To Crumble' appeared first on Kotaku. |
Kotaku Thursday, January 29, 2026 3:20 PM
Project Genie whipped up an obvious Breath of the Wild clone, complete with paragliding The post Google's New AI Tool Had No Problem Making Bad Rip-Offs Of <i>Mario</i> And <i>Zelda</i> appeared first on Kotaku. |
Kotaku Thursday, January 29, 2026 2:30 PM
There are some great and not-so-great ways to hop into this classic RPG from Bethesda and Obsidian The post The Best Way To Play <i>Fallout: New Vegas</i> In 2026 appeared first on Kotaku. |
Kotaku Thursday, January 29, 2026 1:40 PM
New settings options aim to help with framerates on PC The post <i>Highguard'</i>s First Patch Brings Much-Requested Fixes, But PC Optimization Is Still Being Worked On appeared first on Kotaku. |
Kotaku Thursday, January 29, 2026 12:54 PM
Also: a fan-favorite mode returns to Call of Duty after a seven year wait The post <i>Mega Man</i> Designer Keiji Inafune's Studio Behind The <i>Mighty No.9</i> Kickstarter Debacle Is No More appeared first on Kotaku. |
Kotaku Thursday, January 29, 2026 11:35 AM
It sounds like the company is worried about people sharing images of 'unpredictable moments' online The post Nintendo Is Going To Make It Really Hard To Share Screenshots In <i>Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream</i> appeared first on Kotaku. |
Kotaku Thursday, January 29, 2026 11:10 AM
MapleStory: Idle RPG publisher Nexon told players that someone has been fired for the issue and that it's working to 'regain the trust' of players The post Idle Game From <i>Arc Raiders</i> Publisher Offering Full Refunds After Players Discover 'Systematic Deception' appeared first on Kotaku. |
Kotaku Thursday, January 29, 2026 11:01 AM
Square Enix's RPG series comes to GOG with four entries from 'different eras' The post These <i>Final Fantasy</i> Games Are Really Cheap And DRM-Free appeared first on Kotaku. |
PCGamesN Thursday, January 29, 2026 5:00 PM From February 2, people without a VPN in the UK will be unable to access Pornhub unless they have an existing account. I'm sure that'll prompt a big uptick in VPN use. |
PCGamesN Thursday, January 29, 2026 12:31 PM World of Warcraft Midnight's launch will be huge, but what comes after sounds just as good, with several unexpectedly stacked updates. |
PCGamesN Thursday, January 29, 2026 12:31 PM Learn everything there is to know about Tau Ceti IV and the four zones that comprise the Marathon map. |
PCGamesN Thursday, January 29, 2026 12:24 PM The Midnight Walkers ditches cheesy storylines and open worlds for extraction mechanics and a single, zombie-infested tower block. |
PCGamesN Thursday, January 29, 2026 12:09 PM With a 9% drop in gaming revenue overall, Microsoft's More Personal Computing department is far from a cash cow for the company. |
PCGamesN Thursday, January 29, 2026 11:45 AM Here are the best Arknights Endfield blueprints to use right now, from humble beginnings with a Refining Unit or two, to huge factories. |
PCGamesN Thursday, January 29, 2026 11:27 AM Europa Universalis 5 update 1.1 adds new advances, buildings, and units in the German region, and improves both Manchuria and Mesoamerica. |
Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Thursday, January 29, 2026 12:14 PM  When I first played Crimson Desert I had trouble working out what it wanted to be – Spider-Man? The Witcher? Dynasty Warriors? Dragon's Dogma? Jedi Academy? The first of three new talkthrough videos from developers Pearl Abyss has helped concentrate the game in my mind. This is a grittier medieval fantasy take on The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom, isn't it! Those airborne ruins are a dead giveaway. All it's missing is the elegance and feeling of completeness. OK, it doesn't have a magic vehicle editor, either. That I know about. Without further ado, here's the video. |
Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Thursday, January 29, 2026 11:53 AM  Break out your blocky cybernetic killing apparatus and the sort of shotgun Arnold Schwarzenegger might have wielded on the big screen back in the days of big hair and cocaine. Huntdown: Overtime, a prequel to side-scrolling shoot-em-up Huntdown has been announced and is set to arrive in early access this year. |
Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Thursday, January 29, 2026 11:20 AM  One of the nicer Industry Trends of the past few years has been the rise and rise and rise of climbing sims. It turns out climbing is a source of many emotions, from the melancholy wonder of Jusant through the savage loneliness of Lorn's Lure to the slapstick camaraderie of Peak and the agony of various Sisyphus sims. Also Celeste. And I guess we should mention Getting Over It here? See, it's an absolute avalanche. Cairn is on the somber side. Created by The Game Bakers, it's about a woman with bandaged legs and a scuttling robo buddy. She's trying to reach the top of a mysterious mountain, with a selection of routes to choose from and a backpack inventory to manage. I get the sense that there's more up there than goats, snow and the tents of fellow climbers. We will find out shortly, for Cairn is on sale now on Steam. |
Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Thursday, January 29, 2026 11:11 AM  Hello you. Welcome to Quick Kits, a new series of PC hardware reviews for people who just want to know, with minimal preamble and probably zero bar charts, what a piece of gear is like to use. I'll still be testing everything as if it were getting a full-length writeup, but shrink-raying the wordy parts should help us bring you more hardware advice, more often, and across a wider range of component and peripheral types. I've got just the thing to get us started with, too: a three-month-old keyboard. You're welcome. |
Siliconera Thursday, January 29, 2026 2:00 PM
Good Smile Company announced release windows for the FigmaPlus PlayStation console and replica set for Figma figures that includes the PS1, PS5, and Vita. It will launch in September 2026 in Japan and Q1 2027 worldwide. It costs $36.99/￥5,500.
The full PlayStation FigmaPlus set of consoles and handhelds includes systems, game boxes, memory cards, controllers, and in the case of the PS1 a disc since the lid can open. There are also hand parts for holding controllers, the PSP or Vita, and cases.
Here's the list of consoles (and games) that appear:
Here are some photos of everything and Figmas using them, courtesy of Good Smile Company.
This isn't the first time Good Smile Company released console replicas to use with Figma figures as part of the FigmaPlus line. It did so with Sega consoles and handhelds too. That included items like the Game Gear and Dreamcast, and it did include games to insert into the systems.
The FigmaPlus PlayStation console and handheld replicas designed for Figma figures will debut in Japan in September 2026, and they will show up worldwide in Q1 2027. Pre-orders close on March 18, 2026.
The post Figma PlayStation Console and Handheld Replicas Shown appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Thursday, January 29, 2026 1:00 PM
Keiji Inafune announced that he has closed down Comcept following the decision of the company's shareholder meeting on January 13, 2026. This announcement appeared on Page 83 of the official Japanese telegram published on January 29, 2026. [Thanks, gamebiz!]
Inafune established Comcept in late 2010—soon after he left Capcom, where he was best known for producing series like Mega Man, Onimusha, Dead Rising, and Lost Planet. During Inafune's tenure at Comcept, he produced concepts for Inti Creates' Azure Striker Gunvolt, Koei Tecmo's Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z, and Soul Sacrifice. One of his biggest highlights during this tenure was the Kickstarter campaign for Mighty No. 9.
Keiji Inafune was also known for establishing Level5 Comcept as a subsidiary of Akihiro Hino's company Level-5 in 2017. However, Inafune completely left his positions at Level-5 in 2024. This led Hino to absorb Level5 Comcept into Level-5's new office in Osaka in 2025 and dissolve the Comcept subsidiary.
Even though the Comcept company has already closed down, Keiji Inafune is still involved in the video game industry to some extent. Game*Spark reported that Inafune took part in the Sapporo Game Camp in October 2025 as a company executive in Rocket Studio, which had been involved in productions of titles like Momotaro Dentetsu World and Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection.
The post Keiji Inafune's Comcept Closed appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Thursday, January 29, 2026 12:00 PM
Inti Creates announced that Card-en-Ciel will get crossover DLC featuring characters and songs from its games Blaster Master Zero and Gal Guardians: Servants of Dark. They will be available alone or together via an expansion pass. The Gal Guardians add-on will appear first on February 19, 2026. Blaster Master Zero elements won't arrive until March 12, 2026.
The initial details are a bit slim. For example, we don't know exactly which characters from the two Inti Creates games will be part of their crossover DLC in Card-en-Ciel. We do know that each one will get dungeons based on their series, new dialogue scenes involving Neon and Ancie with the characters, of course cards based on them, and Muses that will feature music from those games.
While details about that aren't completely available, there is another element that is fully revealed. Card-en-Ciel is now on the Switch 2. That version features some quality of life adjustments catering to the system's additional elements, such as mouse controls when selecting cards as an option during fights. If you own the original Switch game, it will cost $9.99 to upgrade.
You can see the trailer for that here:
Card-en-Ciel is available on the Switch, Switch 2, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and PC, and the first crossover DLC will bring in Gal Guardians characters and elements on February 19, 2026.
The post Card-en-Ciel Getting Crossover DLC Dated appeared first on Siliconera. |
Destructoid Thursday, January 29, 2026 3:53 PM
The God of War TV show is slowly taking form, with casting choices revealed every now and again, showing that yes, in the big 2026 there can be a TV show that takes into consideration what it's adapting when choosing who it wants to act in it.
Earlier this month, we saw Ryan Hurst cast as Kratos, which couldn't have been more perfect, not only due to his looks and acting skills but also because he played Thor in the game itself. And speaking of Thor, we now have the official casting choice for him as well: Ólafur Darri Ólafsson, an Icelandic-American actor known for his portrayal of Mr. Drummond in the Severance TV show, who I think couldn't have been a more perfect choice.
Aside from being a great actor who knows how to carry out a serious, gritty, heavyweight role, Ólafsson is a 6'5 giant that, if we take his appearance as Mr. Drummond into consideration, is the spitting image of Thor from the video game. Once again, the TV show casts a person who looks like the character portrayed, as well as one who can establish the scene presence necessary to convey it evocatively.
Ólafsson, as I've mentioned, is also Icelandic, which could help him in portraying the cultural nuances that are tied to Old Norse mythology. Their language remained unchanged for almost a thousand years, giving Ólafsson the ability to get into the fine details and nitty-gritty of Thor as a figure of myth, not only gaming.
I don't know if we'll get Thor speaking Old Norse in the show, but there's no better pick for such scenes than Ólafsson.
As for his general background, Ólafsson has extensive experience in both film and television. He's appeared in shows like Banshee, True Detective, Twilight of the Gods (another show based on Norse myths), and, as mentioned, Severance. His experience with fantasy goes a step further, as he played roles in Beowulf and Grendel, How to Train Your Dragon, The Last Witch Hunter, and many others.
With this good of an initial cast, I'm genuinely excited to see who Amazon will reveal to us next. So far, we've got Thor and Kratos, but are missing fundamental characters: Odin, Baldur, Freya, Atreus, and Mimir, among others.
Update on Jan. 29 at 2:50pm CT: And it just keeps getting better. Deadline is now reporting that Odin, the Allfather and King of Asgard, will be played by legendary actor of stage and screen, Mandy Patinkin.
Several key roles are still left to cast, if the series will follow the game, including Atreus, Freya, Faye, and Baldur, to name a few.
The post If the initial God of War casting reveals were icing on the cake, this latest is the cherry on top (UPDATE) appeared first on Destructoid. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Destructoid Thursday, January 29, 2026 3:44 PM
Destiny 2 old-timers may remember the Oxygen SR3 scout rifle, and Renegades gave all players a chance to grab a god roll of this striking scout rifle. This reissued weapon keeps what makes it unique, but brings a few new additions.
Oxygen SR3 can be a great pick if you're looking for a tiered Solar scout, especially if you snag a roll with Accelerated Assault. Unsurprisingly, it retains Meganeura, but it gets some extra Solar synergy and, shockingly enough, a little help for melee builds. Here are our Oxygen SR3 god rolls in Destiny 2, based on data d2foundry.gg.
Oxygen SR3 PvE god rolls in Destiny 2
Oxygen SR3's perk pool isn't super strong, but it has what's expected. For your first column, Heal Clip is a staple of Solar weapons, so this is an excellent option for content where you'd like the extra sustain. Rapid Hit is a top-tier contender in several weapons, including scout rifles, and it's unsurprisingly up there as well.
Shoot to Loot gets an honorable mention because it'll hardly feature as the best roll, but it provides enough utility to be a decent choice. You're not giving up that much with Oxygen to have it, either, so it's not a bad pick for some extra comfort.
There's not that much that's stellar here, outside of these options. Pugilist works for melee builds, but you'll likely use a different weapon in those cases. Phoneutria Fera is the first pairing that comes to mind, but scout rifles don't exactly excel at close range, so that perk might just be out. To The Pain is PvP-oriented, so don't count on that either. And Stats For All is a nice bonus if you're using One For All, but it's hard to place it against the top-two picks.
The fourth column has Oxygen SR3's signature perk, Meganeura, to round out our god roll. With Renegades, this perk started appearing on multiple weapons, but it's very much at home on this scout rifle. Your only option for Solar synergy in this column is Burning Ambition, which lets you apply more Scorch to already-scorched enemies. One For All is your classic damage boost by hitting three enemies, which comes in handy in content where you need the extra firepower and pairs well with Stats For All.
The rest of the options here are hardly special. You'd likely have more uptime on One For All than on Boxed Breathing, and while Binary Orbit is a great damage perk, it depends on running Dark-aligned elements in your build. Collective Pugilism is there if you're looking for a melee build, but unless you're running extremely niche scenarios, odds are this is a pass.
How to get Oxygen SR3 in Destiny 2
Oxygen SR3 drops from the Pinnacle Ops playlist in the Portal, which includes old Exotic missions. If you're trying to target farm it, either pick a day when it's the daily focused weapon or go for shorter, easy-to-finish missions such as Presage. Alternatively, it may appear as the weekly reward for the Grandmaster Vanguard Alert, akin to the old Nightfall weapons.
The post Oxygen SR3 god rolls and how to get them in Destiny 2 appeared first on Destructoid. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Destructoid Thursday, January 29, 2026 3:36 PM
Cairn is out on PC and consoles, and the first task for you is to master the controls.
The ascent to the top of the mountain isn't going to be easy. You can choose to do so with your PC keyboard and mouse, or you can use a controller. If you're on the PS5, there's no option to use a keyboard and mouse.
Let's look at all the default controls that you'll want to add to your muscle memory.
Table of contents
All Cairn PC controls
The table below has every keyboard and mouse control you're going to need to help your characters reach the top of the mountain.
All Cairn console controls
The following default inputs are for either playing on a console or using a controller on your PC.
How to change controls in Cairn
Cairn allows you to customize all the controls as per your wishes.
The post All Cairn PC and console controls appeared first on Destructoid. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Destructoid Thursday, January 29, 2026 2:56 PM
The Game Developers Conference, an annual event where game developers from all over the world come to show off new technologies, ideas, and other gaming-related goodies, is reportedly bringing in lower numbers this year amid rising costs and fears of the current safety environment in the US amid heightened ICE activities.
"Far fewer staff" are coming to the 2026 GDC, "a multitude of senior industry figures" told Mobilegamer.biz on Jan. 29. "Concerns over US immigration, safety and costs" are the primary reasons, with developers from "large, mid-sized and smaller game companies" voicing particular worries over the current situation with ICE in the United States.
According to Mobilegamer.biz, Netspeak Games chief executive Callum Cooper-Brighting said the company's "immediate sense of woke" and support for LGBTQ+ communities is something he doesn't "feel like is welcome in America at the moment," which has prompted him to abstain from participating in this year's GDC. Other executives from big and smaller companies echoed similar sentiments, though socio-cultural issues aren't the only reason some aren't coming.
Rising costs and the question of whether attendance at the GDC is even worth it have prompted certain developers into rethinking their visit. Marco Minoli, the marketing director at Slitherine Games, said the GDC has failed to "adapt to a changing market, offer fair pricing for its educational content or address the logistical hurdles," which is why the company is only sending one person this year.
However, GDC says turnout is looking good and that hasn't yet "seen" cancellations by international developers. As per GamesIndustry.biz, attendance at the conference is "tracking in line with expectation." Regional variance indicates some regions have poorer attendance, while others are on the upside.
It could be that most of the companies that toned their attendance down could be smaller ones, making a less significant dent in the total numbers. We just have to take GDC's word for it, but it seems the conference is facing mounting issues, from the political climate in the US to its positioning in the market.
The rise of AI and other business-oriented conferences that were once made by and for gamers could have also impacted these changes, though we'll have to wait to see how it'll play out in the coming years.
One thing's for certain, though: it's a very rough time we're living in.
The post International devs are reportedly withdrawing from GDC amid ICE and safety fears. But the event's organizer says turnout looks good appeared first on Destructoid. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Destructoid Thursday, January 29, 2026 1:54 PM
Compact Defender is one of the Star Wars-styled weapons in Destiny 2's Renegades, but there's a lot more to it than just style. This sidearm's god roll and archetype make it particularly deadly across both PvE and PvP.
As one of the first batch of heat weapons in the game, Compact Defender doesn't use a traditional magazine. Instead, it generates heat and cools down, giving it a highly coveted advantage. If you're quick on the draw, you can also land perfect vents, which let you fire longer.
Looking at its perk pool, this sidearm is not the type of gun that gets you to pick between four or five good options per column, but what it does offer is more than enough to get the job done. Here are our Compact Defender god rolls in Destiny 2, based on perk data from d2foundry.gg.
Compact Defender PvE god rolls in Destiny 2
The power of the Void brings out Compact Defender's best qualities, and its god roll is tied to this arcane element. Destabilizing Rounds is a natural pick even if you're not running Void: final blows create an area-of-effect that applies Volatile, making it easy to chain kills.
If you're going up close and personal, melee-based builds will benefit from Proximity Power. With this perk, kills while near enemies grant you a bonus to the Melee stat. Sidearms are close-ranged weapons by default, so you'll get plenty of uptime with this perk.
The rest of the choices here aren't anything too special. Cooling Baubles and Delicate Tuning are exclusive to heat weapons, but they're actually counterproductive here. You can keep your weapon cooled just fine if you chain perfect reloads for the intrinsic Dynamic Heat Limiter buff, so the former is out. Delicate Tuning is more PvP-focused, so it doesn't belong here either. Hip-Fire Grip and Built to Blast can't compete with Destabilizing Rounds, especially not with the state of primaries in Renegades.
The fourth column has more than a few solid choices. Repulsor Brace is the obvious one, especially with access to Destabilizing Rounds. This tried-and-true Void combo grants you overshields in any subclass, so it's the natural pairing in our god roll.
For more damage, however, Compact Defender brings Desperate Measures, Kill Clip, and Frenzy, all giving you bigger numbers through different avenues. Desperate Measures stacks on any weapon or ability final blow, Kill Clip requires you to get a kill with this weapon, and Frenzy triggers just by being in combat for 12 seconds.
Swashbuckler rears its head as an honorable mention in our god roll because melee builds can benefit from it, especially with Proximity Power. Desperate Measures works similarly and for any ability, however.
Compact Defender PvP god rolls in Destiny 2
Compact Defender also gets a couple of solid options for PvP, leaning into the fact that it's a powerful weapon up close. Rangefinder squeezes a little bit of extra range to make it more comfortable in its element, while Delicate Tuning gives you some range, handling, and accuracy on the top half of your magazine. It's up to personal preference here.
The second perk column has two good options for the Crucible. Kill Clip is a classic, bumping up your damage after a kill. Precision Instrument gives you more crit damage when landing headshots, so in the hands of a skilled player, that one is also deadly.
How to get Compact Defender in Destiny 2
Compact Defender drops from Renegades activities in Destiny 2, though you can also guarantee copies of this weapon in the Tharsis Outpost. One of the vendors sells tier four rolls of this weapon for Credits, with odds of it being tier five with some luck.
To farm Compact Defender, get to max rank with any Syndicate to unlock Spider's tier upgrade, potentially giving you tier five drops on every Lawless Frontier completion in Grandmaster difficulty. Using keycards and completing bonus objectives can also drop extractables, which may contain weapons.
The post Compact Defender god rolls and how to get them in Destiny 2 appeared first on Destructoid. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Destructoid Thursday, January 29, 2026 1:18 PM
There's no doubting that Highguard got off to a rough start in its release into the free-to-play shooter world, but Wildlight Entertainment is already hard at work on bringing the game up to snuff.
Highguard's first post-launch update is now live, including some fixes for some top complaints that players have had in the three days since the game released into the wild. With the discussion around it being mostly negative, Highguard has an uphill battle to try and win over some players, and this patch looks to be a first step.
Here's everything that's changed in Highguard with the Jan. 28 update.
Highguard patch notes - Jan. 29, 2026
The first post-launch update for Highguard focuses on some important quality of life changes, such as control scheme options on PC, an FOV option for console, and more.
Game Input Settings
Toggling into ADS then tapping Sprint (shift on PC, left stick on controller) will swap your scope. This is disorienting on controller. PC players are recommended to rebind scope swap if using Toggle ADS. We will continue to look into adding this for console players who can't rebind buttons yet, but we will need more time.
Video Settings
Players now have the ability to toggle the following features on or off, irrespective of other quality options:
Motion Blur and Depth of Field need more testing to disable safely. Look for these options very soon.
Crash and Bug Fixes
This patch resolves crashes that could occur in the following scenarios
A number of other bugs related to online user presence and matchmaking were also resolved.
In addition to today's patch, Wildlight creative director Jason McCord said that the devs have "already started on the optimization patch that should be out by the end of the week...along with other fun things."
If you're looking for more info on Highguard, check out more of Destructoid's coverage below:
The post Highguard just dropped its first post-launch update, and the patch notes include some heavily-requested changes appeared first on Destructoid. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Destructoid Thursday, January 29, 2026 1:17 PM
The Tiki Tactician Evolution is now live in FC 26, and it comes with a host of playstyles and roles for your selected item.
This evolution is suitable for a lower-rated item that might be lacking in playstyles and roles. Let's look at the best choices for the evolution based on the offered upgrades and requirements.
Table of contents
FC 26 The Tiki Tactician Evolution requirements
Here are the requirements for The Tiki Tactician Evolution in FC 26.
FC 26 The Tiki Tactician Evolution upgrades
The Tiki Tactician Evolution has only 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 The Tiki Tactician Evolution in FC 26
You can include a wide variety of items in this evolution. Cards that benefit the most from the evolution have been included.
This evolution not only suits defensive players, but it should be used to create a chain. While the offered upgrades could have been more, you can still get a lot of value by using them strategically. It will be interesting when the next evolution drops that will allow us to create a chain with this one.
The post Best players for FC 26 The Tiki Tactician Evolution appeared first on Destructoid. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Destructoid Thursday, January 29, 2026 1:13 PM
Dispatch is finally branching out into other platforms and has landed on the Switch 2. However, Nintendo seems not to have liked some of its more... mature parts, leading AdHoc Studio to censor the game instead of offering players the option to do it themselves.
Confirmed by the devs to Eurogamer, Dispatch will indeed launch on the Switch 2 with slightly modified content that'll censor its adult side, as a few scenes in the game are sexual in nature and quite directly so. Previously, Dispatch gave players the option to censor the game themselves, a useful setting for those streaming the game or unwilling to be exposed to such themes.
Nintendo doesn't seem to love options, though, and Dispatch on the Switch 2 will be censored by default.
Fans reacted to this about as well as you'd expect, with awe and shock and wonder and borderline anger with Nintendo for enforcing such policies on a game that was never marketed to a younger audience in the first place. In fact, you've got Cyberpunk 2077 on there with no censorship whatsoever, and it could easily be argued that it warranted such an enforcement much, much more than Dispatch and its few sexually explicit scenes.
"If a game like Cyberpunk or even Witcher 3 can make it on the platform uncensored. What is the reason for singling this game out?" asked one bewildered player in a Reddit thread. "Censoring the game for absolutely zero logical reason is making this a hard pass for me," commented another.
And it's truly amazing to censor a singleplayer, story-oriented game, potentially alienating a good chunk of your adult player base for no real reason, especially where there's no precedent and far worse offenders had been allowed onto the platform in their original forms.
The option to turn off nudity was right there, and it still is in every other version of the game. It seems a petty move targeting this one title when players could have self-censored if they so desired.
Censorship in video games, particularly that tied to sexual themes and depictions, has been on the rise, with moral police deciding what is and isn't "decent." From Horses to Visa and Mastercard threatening platforms into submission, it's a really bad time to be a developer with a mature target audience.
Hopefully, this is just a fad that fades out as quickly as it has risen.
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Destructoid Thursday, January 29, 2026 1:02 PM
Call of Duty's Warzone battle royale mode is set to be injected with some life in a big way.
Black Ops 7's loaded season two also includes some big updates for Warzone, including Ranked Play Resurgence, a limited-time mode inspired by Blackout, and more. Check out all the details in the patch notes below ahead of the season's launch on Feb. 5.
Table of contents
Warzone BO7 season 2 patch notes
Blackout mode coming mid-season
The return of Black Ops 4'sBlackout mode, CoD's first battle royale foray, is teased within the patch notes and set to arrive in mid-season, sometime in March.
"Mid-Season introduces a brand-new Battle Royale experience with the arrival of the Avalon map in Call of Duty: Warzone," Activision said. "Built from the ground up, this is a new Mode that draws inspiration from Call of Duty's Battle Royale origins, Black Ops 4 Blackout."
More details are coming at a later date.
7 new guns
Warzone is all about the guns, and there's plenty of new Black Ops 7 weapons on offer in season two for everyone to unlock for free:
Rebirth Island updates
Snow has overtaken the Resurgence map Rebirth Island in season two, and other changes include new points of interest to discover, along with tweaks to existing ones.
With the changes, there are also some new features, including players leaving behind their footprints in the snow, better sight lines, and snow ramps for players to navigate the island uniquely with vehicles.
Ranked Play: Resurgence
While Rebirth Island is getting some changes, Ranked Play on Resurgence is coming to the Haven's Hollow map. The familiar ranking system of Skill Rating, skill divisions, and a bunch of rewards to be earned is back in Warzone for BO7's new Resurgence map.
For more info on how Skill Rating and other Ranked Play facets work, check out the CoD blog.
New Killstreaks
New Killstreaks can soon be found on the map or at Buy Stations:
Changes to Perks
Perk slot 1 is getting a slew of changes, including multiple perks being replaced with new ones.
Weapon buffs and nerfs
The meta will be shifting thanks to new weapons, but also changes to existing ones. More info on weapon balancing in Warzone's season two will come closer to the season's launch on Feb. 5.
Limited-time modes
Along with the teased Avalon Blackout mode, Warzone's season two will include limited-time modes like Loaded Resurgence, Rush Resurgence, Extreme Resurgence, and the return of Iron Gauntlet, where players have higher health and loot is more scarce.
This article will be updated with more info once it's available. Visit the CoD blog for all known info.
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Destructoid Thursday, January 29, 2026 1:02 PM
The undead just never give up, do they? And that's fine, because there's XP to grind.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7's Zombies mode is set to be invigorated with new content as part of season two, including a new map, mode, Scorestreak, seven weapons, and multiple events for the co-op PvE CoD fans to sink their rotting teeth into.
While there's no new round-based map in season two, there's still plenty for Zombies fans to look forward to. Here's everything we know that's coming to BO7 Zombies this season.
Table of contents
BO7 Zombies season 2 patch notes
New Survival map
The Mars location from Astra Malorum is the latest Survival map in BO7 Zombies, confining players to just a few areas, including the boss fight arena from the round-based map. Uber Klaus will appear periodically as the map's mini-boss.
New mode
Cursed Survival ratchets up the challenge in BO7 Zombies, which uses a Black Ops 3-inspired points system. Players must unlock Relics to use in the mode, increasing the difficulty to make it harder for players to reach high rounds. Equipped with only a pistol and a limited HUD, it's for the most dedicated Zombies grinders.
New Scorestreak
The Lockshot Scorestreak allows you to lock on to multiple targets at once before dispatching them, sounding reminiscent of the Smart Pistol from Titanfall.
Starting Room returns
The BO6 limited-time mode Starting Room is here for good in BO7 with season two. Players will be locked to the starting area on a number of maps, and there ae unique rewards to earn on both Ashes of the Damned and Astra Malorum, with more maps coming.
"Survive against the horde in Starting Room, where the crew is trapped in the starting area of a Round-Based Zombies map, armed only with the resources and machines available in the area," Activision explained. "All doors are sealed, and there are no avenues of escape."
New weapons
All seven new weapons in season two will be available to level up in Zombies, either at launch or mid-season:
New GobbleGum
Coming at mid-season, the new Turncoat GobbleGum will make Zombies fall in love with you:
Limited time events
Several limited-time events, including the dreaded leaderboard events, are available in season two:
Further events will be added in the mid-season update.
This article will be updated with more info once it's available.
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Destructoid Thursday, January 29, 2026 1:02 PM
Call of Duty's live service season is kicking things into high gear for season two of Black Ops 7 with a massive load of content.
Whether you want new weapons, maps, modes, or to sweat it out in the Ranked ladder, season two has a little bit of everything across multiplayer, Endgame, Zombies, and even Warzone for the curious CoD player to check out.
Here's everything we know so far about season two, launching in BO7 on Feb. 5.
Table of contents
BO7 season 2 patch notes
8 multiplayer maps
Four maps at launch and four maps at midseason with a mixture of both new and classic remasters makes this one of the more compelling seasons in CoD multiplayer in some time.
On launch day for season two, new maps Sake, Nexus, and Torque will be joined by Black Ops 2 classic Slums. Then, in Season Two Reloaded some time in March, new map Mission: Peak will be accompanied by some favs: Cliff Town (remake of BO2's Yemen), Grind (BO2 DLC map), and Firing Range (originally seen in Black Ops 1).
7 weapons
Need more tools to dominate public matches with? This season's got plenty, and they're all free. At launch, there's the REV-46 SMG, EGRT-17 assault rifle, and HS11-SAW melee weapon as part of the battle pass. The GDL Havoc grenade launcher will also be ready to roll from the get-go as part of weekly challenges.
In-season, the SG-12 shotgun, Voyak KT-3 assault rifle, and Swordfish A1 marksman rifle will be unlockable for free as part of seasonal events.
Ranked Play
The competitive ladder mode for BO7 arrives alongside season two, bringing with it a slew of rewards to earn while climbing the ranks. The mode is similar to the Ranked Play that's been seen in the last few CoD titles, where placement matches, Skill Rating, and rank divisions are all familiar.
BO7 Ranked Play will use the same maps and ruleset as the Call of Duty League, so only the sweatiest of sweats will be lining up to rank up and earn rewards like operator skins, blueprints, calling cards, camos, and more.
For more details about Ranked Play, check out the full list of info on the CoD blog.
New Scorestreak
A new Scoresteak for multiplayer gamers is coming in the mid-season update as a weekly challenge unlock, and it's called the Lockshot:
"A sleek smart pistol with 3 rounds that can lock onto multiple targets," Activision described. "A single trigger pull eliminates every locked target in quick succession."
Weapon nerfs and buffs
Offending guns and weaker ones are expected to get changes as part of season two. Check back here closer to Feb. 5 launch for official details on what's being tweaked.
New and returning game modes
Safeguard and Overdrive return to join the rotation of game modes in season two, alongside themed limited-time modes and playlists like Solo Hearts Moshpit and Third Wheel Gunfight for Valentine's Day, and Luck Confirmed for St. Patrick's Day.
At mid-season, a new mode called Gauntlet will join the fray, combining multiple modes into one:
"Similar to the Pentathlon mode in Black Ops 6, two teams of six compete through a series of modes. The first team to reach the Score Limit wins," Activision said. "The modes in question are Team Deathmatch, Domination, Kill Confirmed, Hardpoint, and an additional [CLASSIFIED] mode. The mode changes every two minutes, and modes are chosen at random."
Endgame updates
The PvE Endgame mode continues with a good amount of post-launch support in season two. This includes a new Skill Track, a new public event called Guild Strike that will spawn nightmare zones "featuring extreme challenges more difficult and dangerous than a current Tier IV area."
Here's what's been revealed about the new Skill Track, Eagle Eye, which is based around buffing critical hits and headshots:
There's two new abilities to use, too:
There's even more Endgame content coming at midseason.
Limited-time events
Several limited-time events have already been announced for season two, in which players can unlock rewards for free, like several of the aforementioned weapons.
The events are called Escalation Directive (eight new weapon camos to unlock) and Hunt or Be Hunted. There are also a number of Zombies events, including several leaderboard events that most players are not big fans of. For more on Zombies, check out the BO7 season 2 Zombies patch notes.
This article will be updated with more info once it's available.
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Destructoid Thursday, January 29, 2026 1:00 PM
In a world full of live service games with seasonal updates, Call of Duty is showing once again how it's done when it comes to including a ton of free and varied content.
Season two of Black Ops 7 launches next week, and when it does, there will be something for players who are fans of just about every type of the game's myriad of modes to look forward to. Make no mistake, this is the product of several large studios working on the game at once, but it's still impressive.
New weapons, weekly challenges, maps, and events just scratch the surface of the large amount of free stuff available to players at no extra charge. It's no secret that BO7 was not received well by players (the campaign was a low-point for most), but the franchise's ability to drop such a large amount of playable and free stuff has to be commended.
To outline it succinctly, here's what players can expect when it comes to free content in season two:
Season two begins on Feb. 5, but the mid-season Season Two Reloaded update will include a lot of additional content in March, including the long-awaited "Blackout-inspired" mode in Warzone, calling back to CoD's battle royale beginnings from Black Ops 4.
Of course, the game is supplemented with pricey store bundles, but none of it is needed to progress and unlock all of the new playable items. When CoD first began dropping map packs way back in 2007 or so, those required payment, and so comparing that to what comes free now is wild to think about.
I'm not a daily or habitual CoD player like I used to be, but it's hard not to at least come back and try out new guns and maps when they drop like this. CoD players are used to this after years of the GaaS model, but honestly, I don't think it should be overlooked just how much content comes to the game on a regular basis.
Either way, I'll be booting up again on Feb. 5 to see how it all feels. Check out the CoD blog for all the detailed info.
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Destructoid Thursday, January 29, 2026 12:45 PM
Destiny 2's Arms Week is back with new weapons to chase. Combat Telemetry, the event's usual resource, made another appearance—this time, as both the most common and rarest item in the game due to a technical issue.
This Arms Week focuses on bows—namely the Arc-aligned King Orfeo—though players can also grab The Heron, a Void glaive. These items were meant to be available in Ada-1's event vendor menu in the Firing Range, but the event ran into some issues. This includes problems with gear acquisition and, particularly, how to obtain Combat Telemetry in Destiny 2. Here's what you need to know.
How to get Combat Telemetry in Destiny 2's Arms Week
You gain Combat Telemetry by completing Portal activities during the event. We were getting 25 Combat Telemetry every Portal completion, both in selected Ultimate activities and in the Quickplay Solo Ops playlist. The latter is usually easier if the modifiers align.
If you're just looking to grab as much Combat Telemetry as you can, shorter activities like Solo Ops or faster Fireteam Ops with well-equipped squadmates are the way to go. The currency drops at the end of the activity, and it appears both in your loot feed and your inventory.
Combat Telemetry from the beginning of the event has a different property: namely, it's the wrong one. Your leftover stock from the early days of Arms Week can't be used to buy anything, so you have to pay Ada-1 a visit to rectify that.
Why do I have zero Combat Telemetry in Destiny 2?
Don't be confused if Ada's inventory in the Firing Range has Combat Telemetry for sale, especially not if you're using Combat Telemetry to buy it. The currency was bugged for the first couple of dozen hours in the event, so the vendor may show you have zero Combat Telemetry to spend.
One possible explanation for the days-long glitch is that Bungie might have been a victim of its own currency bloat. The API lists multiple versions of Combat Telemetry for different iterations of Arms Week. Players seem to be receiving an outdated version of this resource from before Renegades, as suspected by a Reddit user, and Bungie's solution surely leans that way.
In that case, if you already own Combat Telemetry, all you have to do is convert your currency with Ada, swapping out the wrong version for the right one. This should let you get the King Orfeo bow as a direct purchase for 65 Combat Telemetry or try your luck at The Heron through the event Engrams, which cost 40 each.
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Destructoid Thursday, January 29, 2026 12:42 PM
Upcoming indie title Half Sword could be one of the most peculiar releases in 2026, and not much time is left for it to go live.
Developed by Half Sword Games, the game was initially delayed at the end of last year. However, it goes live on early access, and you can access it via Steam. This guide will help you keep track of the upcoming launch if you're interested in trying out the battle simulator.
Half Sword release countdown
Half Sword goes live in early access on Friday, Jan. 30. The date was confirmed earlier this month, and the following countdown will expire once the game goes live.
The countdown is based on the following timings.
The timings have been obtained from the information available on SteamDB. As of writing, you can wishlist the game on Steam.
Half Sword is an extremely bloody combat simulator that tries to replicate medieval battles. You can participate in various tournaments and use historically accurate weapons. There are plenty of arsenal choices to aid you in your battle against your opponents.
There's a vast collection of arms that you can craft to use in battle. Defeat all your opponents to become the champion, or die trying. Your control over your gear is based on how it worked in real life.
Survive the battle to gain wealth and buy new equipment. There's an intricate crafting system as well that allows you to create your own weapons and armor from scratch. You can also choose to bet your earnings if you're confident enough.
If you're interested in trying out Half Sword before you buy, a free demo is currently available on Steam.
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Destructoid Thursday, January 29, 2026 12:14 PM
I haven't played Rainbow Six Siege in quite some time, but I may have to, considering an all-time gaming icon is set to join the roster.
An official collab between Ubisoft and Konami will bring Metal Gear Solid's Solid Snake into the fold as a playable operator in Rainbow Six Siege for season one of year 11. And I'm very happy about this, because it's Solid Snake and not Big Boss, for once.
In the teaser trailer for the new operator, Splinter Cell's Sam Fisher (already in the game as a character named Zero) contacts Snake on his Codec, iconic sound effects and all. So yeah, this is legit, even if I'm not a player of the game.
My personal experience with R6 Siege is minimal. I played it for a very short time on PS4 many years ago. I also had no idea that Sam Fisher was in the game, or that there were "guest" characters like this a tall, but it's hard not to get excited, especially for Snake.
This mark's just one of several recent MGS collabs in recent years, including Solid Snake and Raiden appearing in Fortnite back in 2024, and Delta Force featuring the iconic David Hayter as the voice for Naked Snake as an appearance option for an existing character.
Solid Snake being back in the spotlight in this way also does make me feel like Konami may be cooking something up for MGS1. The game's 30th anniversary is coming in two years, and I'd say it's highly probable that we could see a remake in the same vein as last year's Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater.
Ubisoft says the full reveal of Solid Snake is coming in a few weeks on Feb. 15, so I will be tuned in to see what it's all about. If Snake's character kit doesn't include some kind of cardboard box, I will be none too pleased.
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Gaming Instincts – Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism Thursday, January 29, 2026 3:21 PM A new trailer was also released. The post FATAL FRAME II: Crimson Butterfly REMAKE Gets New Collab And Demo appeared first on Gaming Instincts - Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism. |
Gaming Instincts – Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism Thursday, January 29, 2026 2:54 PM According to a recent report. The post Ubisoft Paris Employees Asked To "Stop Working" When The CEO Appears appeared first on Gaming Instincts - Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism. |
MonsterVine Thursday, January 29, 2026 5:59 PM Moon Beast Productions, an independent studio founded by Diablo veterans Philip Shenk, Peter Hu, and Erich Schaefer, has officially unveiled Darkhaven, a dark fantasy action RPG built around a fully dynamic and persistent world. Alongside the announcement, the studio launched the game's Steam page and confirmed plans for an upcoming Kickstarter campaign to bring the […] |
MonsterVine Thursday, January 29, 2026 3:00 PM Game of the Year is about confidence, craft, and joy, and Donkey Kong Bananza fires on all three. Nintendo takes a character long associated with side-scrolling and spins him into a bold 3D platformer built around destruction, movement, and playful experimentation. Every system feeds into the next, turning exploration into constant motion and discovery. The […] |
MonsterVine Thursday, January 29, 2026 12:00 PM And so passes another year of a very exhausting time period in which to be alive! Though everything seems sort of awful almost all the time, many exceptional video games were released to help keep me and many others sane as we push through this wacky little blip in human history. As I often say, […] |