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As a teenager, I watched my grandma fight and defeat breast cancer. For over a decade, my family smiled through every milestone, whether it was a birthday, an anniversary, or something else, happy my grandma could be a part of it. My wife and I welcomed a beautiful baby girl into this world earlier this year and my grandma hasn’t met her. She never will, because in 2023, she died due to returning cancer complications, and I wasn’t there. I was in France for a work trip, and I still so vividly remember the call I got that terrible evening. I remember the once delightful smells of the noodles before me, which quickly turned nauseating; I remember telling my coworker I had to leave, recognizing that he instantly knew what I had learned; I remember seeing a sunset so beautiful that words don’t do it justice, as if grandma was telling me, “I’m better now,” on my way back to the hotel, where I’d spend hours crying, wishing I could see her one more time, wishing I could squeeze cancer like a rotting orange, ridding this earth of its putrid juices. Wesley and his Grandma I have always hated cancer – it takes and it takes and it kills and it infects and it taints and it threatens indiscriminately. I like to believe my grandma is in a better place, wherever or whatever that might be; surely she’s not suffering anymore, right? But she did at one time, and my grandpa, who has since told me countless times he’s ready to depart from this world to see her again, does, and my mom, who slowly watched her mom fight relentlessly a battle she’d eventually lose, does, and I do. Still, I have always hated cancer, but now I really, really hate cancer. The rest of the this piece contains spoilers for Total Chaos Total Chaos is a horror game in all the ways the genre typically entails. There’s blood and gore and monsters and jump scares and terror. But Total Chaos is also a catharsis, letting me take all manner of makeshift weaponry straight to the heart of a rot. Every thwack and swing, every gunshot, brought a smile to my face as I ripped through a mysterious disease rotting Tyler, both the protagonist and antagonist, to the core as he battles cancer, depression, and the recklessness with which those diseases affect not just the diagnosed, but everyone in its blast radius. Fort Oasis was once a vibrant mining town that Tyler and his wife called home. But home became a cage for Tyler and his wife, the former unable to leave this now-decrepit place, the latter desperate to return to the mainland and be closer to family. Critically, she also cannot take the pain of watching Tyler’s cancer and subsequent depression morph him into someone unrecognizable, someone capable of crafting together sticks, rocks, nails, and hammer heads into weapons of destruction that he uses to lay waste to the cancerous hordes stumbling through Fort Oasis. These hordes consist of a few types of enemies that all blend into a lifeless amalgamation of blood, gore, and muscular atrophy. I could criticize this, but cancer is lifeless – void of the humanity which it feasts on – and so their design is apt. Like cancer, they are once recognizable conglomerations of cells that have become something I care not to give the space to breathe, and so I hack away at every. single. one. The game often encourages me to run ahead to safety; instead, I recklessly use each item in my inventory to guarantee every monster stays down and dead forever, bashing lifeless bodies long dead as I imagine each as a cell unable to stop growing, like the ones that attempted to desecrate my grandma’s beautiful soul. This is a horror game for them, but not for me. It is catharsis. Like the enemies my hatred gorges on, maze-like levels shed their mystery and become my stomping grounds for catastrophe. I search every nook and cranny for crafting supplies, medkits, and rotten food to continue my insatiable appetite so that the beatings can continue. Total Chaos is a constant fight between a game with mechanics like health, hunger, and bleed, and my desire to kill just one more monster in her name. Throughout my 12 hours with Total Chaos, Tyler’s voice morphs into a melody encouraging me to go on. I’m reminded of the countless times I squeezed my grandma’s hand, asking – no, begging – her to keep fighting. And she did, for me, so I did, for Tyler. She just wanted to be free. He just wanted to be free. Defeating cancer is to outlast that poison. Cells scream in agony as chemo ends their torment, but so, too, does the rest of the body. Defeating cancer is to outlast those cells, for as the poison kills them, it also kills you. And so I continued surviving in Total Chaos, trudging through hedge mazes filled with exploding corpses, concrete forests, and flesh-ridden buildings, and deeper to the black, rotting, festering core of Tyler’s expanding ache. The finale: I must outlive Tyler. He is Tyler. Tyler is Tyler. One man desperate to fight, to restore… …the other, desperate to rest. There, and only there, did the bloodshed end as I pummeled Every. Single. Bullet at my disposal, straight into the heart of this pain. Then, he was free. The credits rolled. The chaos was over. But both darkness and light remained, hovering over Fort Oasis, watching over what was left. I like to believe Tyler is in a better place, wherever or whatever that might be; surely he’s not suffering anymore, right? If you or someone you know is struggling with cancer, the Cancer Support Community toll-free hotline is open 7 days a week and can be reached at 888-793-9355. View the full article

Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora launched at the end of 2023, after gracing the cover of Game Informer, but developer Massive Entertainment has been hard at work making the game even better. That includes a recent update that added New Game Plus and the long-requested third-person mode to the game, alongside a new expansion called From The Ashes, a story expansion that ties into the events of Avatar: Fire and Ash. Basically, it's never been a better time to play Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, as evidenced by the Avatar subreddit, myriad TikToks highlighting its fun, and general online chatter. Despite all the new and returning excitement around the game, I can't ignore one glaring omission, and it (or rather, she) is named Varang. Varang, the new antagonistic Na'Vi played by Oona Chaplin, is not only a fantastic addition to director James Cameron's unique sci-fi/fantasy world but also the most compelling character in Avatar: Fire and Ash. And she's completely absent from the From The Ashes expansion. I can guess as to why Varang isn't in the expansion – a lot of it likely tied up in financials and legalities and licenses and whatnot – and it's totally understandable; that doesn't mean I can't be upset that my favorite part of Avatar: Fire and Ashes isn't in the new expansion centered around the story of the movie. I could wax on about why I like Varang, but doing so would spoil major plot points of Avatar: Fire and Ashes. However, one thing I can say without spoiling various parts of the movie is that Varang is a very great character to watch on screen, literally. It's the one aspect of Stephen Lang's Colonel Quaritch character I can sympathize with – I'm doing anything and everything Varang asks of me, without questioning any of it. There is a drug-induced hallucination segment of Avatar: Fire and Ashes that feels ripped straight out of a Far Cry game from Ubisoft, and on that merit alone, I'm shocked Varang didn't make it into the From The Ashes expansion. Anyway, this is a meandering article for me to basically admit that my TikTok For You page has been nothing but Varang edits and I'm very happy about it. I want more Varang in my life, and Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora seems like an obvious answer, which is why I'm so shocked she isn't in the game's latest expansion. For a more coherent and critical analysis of Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, read Game Informer's review here. After that, read about the how the game's score is nominated for a Grammy. Are you also in love with Varang? Let us know in the comments below! View the full article

In any other year, I'd have spent hours of our end-of-year debates singing the praises of Monster Train 2, but unfortunately, it's been an astounding year for roguelikes as a whole. Both my first and second favorite games of the year, Hades 2 and Blue Prince, respectively, are probably also my first and second favorite roguelikes of all time. When I have to whittle down a list of hills to die on during our discussions, Monster Train 2 is just barely below the threshold. That said, it's still a fantastic game, and I wish more people (especially game critics) had spent time with it this year. As the year comes to a close, we're highlighting some personal favorite games from our team that we feel you shouldn't miss. If you're still looking for the right game to carry you into 2026, and you've already hit up our Top 10 Best, we're hoping one of these recommendations will hit the mark. Like the first game, Monster Train 2 is a funky fusion of tower defense, deckbuilding, and turn-based combat. Your main cards are units, which are placed on one of three levels of the train car you're tasked with defending. Each round, allied and enemy units take turns attacking each other, and if the enemies survive the fight, they advance to the next level. The objective is to keep them from the top of the car, where they can damage your Pyre Heart and end your run. Decks also have spells, which can help, hinder, or harm units on the field, equipment, which alters units, and room cards, which modify levels of the train car in major ways. The thing that still stands out to me about Monster Train 2 is the sheer volume of variables. On the smallest scale, decks are shuffled, so each hand is fresh. Routes are randomized, so each stop in a run is slightly different than the last. But most significantly, each run uses one of up to ten factions, each of which can be used as a primary or secondary faction. If you don't count the alternate champions for each faction (which alter the game significantly), there are 180 starting combinations alone. Once you unlock all the factions, you can play this game for a very long time without repeating any combos. Of course, a game with options is not automatically good, but a good game with this many options, one I feel I could play for months and months, is something special. Not every roguelike feels that way, and plenty lose me after a successful run or two, but Monster Train 2 is so big that I've fallen in love, and there are still easily dozens of starting combos I haven't even attempted, much less mastered. On top of that, the game features one of my favorite roguelike side modes I've ever seen: dimensional challenges. It's a selection of cleverly crafted scenarios to play through, where the developers have arranged fun combinations of factions and modifiers to make for unique runs you're unlikely (or unable) to encounter through standard play. "Weapons Make the Warrior" reduces all cards' upgrade slots to 1, but makes equipment cards twice as powerful and cost less to play. "Twofer" doubles all money earned, status effects inflicted, and makes it so each time you add a card to your deck, you get a copy of it. If you're overwhelmed or frustrated by the game's random nature, it's a wonderful palette cleanser I hope more games in the genre continue to use. Is Monster Train 2 the best roguelike of the year? No, but that doesn't mean it should be excluded from the conversation, and it certainly doesn't mean it's a bad game. It's one of my highest reviews of 2025, and despite my love of Hades 2 and Blue Prince, I keep coming back to Monster Train 2 as well. If you're interested in picking it up, it's on sale for the Steam winter sale until January 5 (and it runs quite well on Steam Deck). View the full article

Score We Were Here Together for free via Epic Games Store. We Were Here Together is a puzzle solving adventure ... View the full article

We learned during a Nintendo Direct back in September that developer ConcernedApe was working on a Nintendo Switch 2 update for Stardew Valley. Yesterday, on Christmas, ConcernedApe surprise-dropped the update, and it's free to anyone who already owns the game on Switch. If you don't own Stardew Valley on Switch, you can purchase the Switch 2 edition for $14.99; if you do own it already, all you have to do is upgrade to the Switch 2 edition via a free "Upgrade Pack" on the Nintendo eShop. As for what to expect in this edition of the game, it features mouse controls, local split-screen co-op for up to 4 players, and online multiplayer for up to 8 players. Plus, with the Switch 2 Game Share feature, you only need one copy to play four-player co-op with friends. You can read more about the Switch 2 edition of Stardew Valley on the Nintendo eShop here. For more, read Game Informer's Stardew Valley review, and then check out Game Informer's list of the top 10 cozy games to play right now. Are you going to pick up the Nintendo Switch 2 edition of Stardew Valley? Let us know in the comments below! View the full article

Goooooooooood morning! It's the day after Christmas for those who celebrate, and you're probably either back to work or chilling at home, enjoying the gifts you received this year. Or maybe you're still in a food-induced coma. Regardless, the holiday season is coming to a close, and the big man dressed in red is back home at the North Pole. This year, Christmas (which is always my favorite holiday of the year) was extra special – it was the first one with my almost-9-months-old daughter, and though she basically had zero idea what was going on, it still made for some memories I'll forever cherish. I didn't buy her any video game gifts this year – that'll come in due time – but my wife and I did get her some climbing blocks and a large hexagonal activity cube, with which my daughter completely ignores the abundance of fun interactive activities on it to... also climb it. My daughter is at the age where she's pulling herself up to stand and so anything and everything she can climb on, she loves, which is to say my wife and I crushed it this year. But in lieu of my not purchasing any video game-related gifts this Christmas, I want to know: what video game gifts did you give or receive this Christmas? It can be games, consoles, merch, ornaments – anything! I wanna know! Drop a line in the comments below and share the splendors of your Christmas! View the full article

Platform: PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Switch, PC Publisher: Arc System Works Developer: Arc System Works Release: 2026 (PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, PC), TBA (Switch) Damon and Baby became a pleasant surprise when I visited Arc System Works while in Los Angeles for The Game Awards. While the studio is known for fighting games like Guilty Gear, Dragon Ball FighterZ, and the upcoming Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls, Damon and Baby is an isometric twin-stick shooter starring the comedic pairing of a demon and his barely functional infant partner. Like chocolate and peanut butter, this unlikely partnership appears silly enough to work. As you’d expect, Damon does all of the heavy lifting on the gameplay side. Wielding firearms like handguns, assault rifles, shotguns, and more, blasting through hordes of demonic foes is good fun. You can swap between several weapon types instantly, and each gun has several stat variations to add an element of strategic thought to your loadouts. Enemies respond by unleashing bullet hell-style projectile waves Damon can roll away from or leap over; combined with the decent environmental destructability, battles are good, chaotic fun. I spent the bulk of my demo fighting through a multi-story mansion searching for a way to free its captured lord, who was locked away in a room. This became an unexpected but enjoyable exercise of locating keys to access different floors and rooms of the house. I even collected memos I later used to solve a combination lock barring access to a new section. I like this element of puzzle-solving, as I expected a purely action-focused experience. Although Damon can use a double-jump to leap across platforms, traversing larger gaps requires a funny solution; carelessly hurling the baby to the other side, which instantly warps Damon right to her due to their demonic bond. The supernatural threats infesting this mansion largely took the form of possessed objects, such as furniture, so every visit to a new room devolved into a chaotic poltergeist ambush. In all the ruckus, I mainly tried to avoid shattering glass display cases housing little dolls. Breaking these containers brings the toy to life, causing it to sprout daddy long-legs-like limbs in a delightfully creepy touch. I got roughed up pretty good in all the mayhem, but cooking dishes using food and ingredients I gather while exploring heals Damon and can provide other beneficial effects. Awaiting me at the end of this romp was a big boss fight in the form of a giant, horned, masked demon. It summoned floating flytrap-like maws I needed to climb atop to reach the necessary height to unleash hell, and shooting these platforms kept their jaws open long enough for me to do so. The battle offered solid fun and rewarded me with the key I needed to free the trapped lord. Damon and Baby’s colorful presentation and charming humor won me over almost as quickly as the gameplay. The cel-shaded presentation’s light-hearted vibes, combined with the writing, reminded me of how the Disgaea series makes light of demonic lore. It’s been a good while since I sank into a good twin-stick shooter, and Damon and Baby scratched an itch I didn’t know I had. Its entertaining gameplay and satisfying mayhem gel well with its humorous tone and presentation. I also played Damon and Baby on a Steam Deck, which solidified it as an enjoyable and fitting handheld experience. I wasn’t sure what to make of this unlikely pairing of demon and child, but I’m now looking forward to seeing how their full adventure unfolds sometime next year. View the full article

Score Caveman World: Mountains of Unga Boonga for free via Steam! Caveman World: Mountains of Unga Boonga is a indie ... View the full article

Every time I boot up Steam, my eye catches Metal Eden in my library, and I'm reminded of just how slick of an FPS it is. This cyberpunk adventure is Doom Eternal meets Ghostrunner, and I'm still thinking about it five months after I rolled credits. I fear not enough people have played it, and if you haven't, you should change that. As the year comes to a close, we're highlighting some personal favorite games from our team that we feel you shouldn't miss. If you're still looking for the right game to carry you into 2026, and you've already hit up our Top 10 Best, we're hoping one of these recommendations will hit the mark. Moebius is a cyberpunk city on the verge of imminent destruction, courtesy of a time bomb, and only Aska, a special disposable Hyper Unit android, can save it. Fortunately, her computer brain can be implanted over and over again into cybernetic android bodies, which are equipped with grapples, jetpacks, and limbs that allow Aska to dash and wall-run through any environment. Oh, and it lets Aska carry seven guns, ranging from sniper rifles to shotguns and more, that she deftly uses to mow down anything and anyone in her way. Her journey to defeat Moebius's massive Engineers, which hold the Cores she desperately needs to save the city, will take you through derelict factories, deserts, mining facilities, and into myriad arenas for some of the best first-person gunplay of 2025. Metal Eden wears its Doom Eternal inspiration on its sleeve, turning wave-based arenas into coliseums of destruction, lest you stop moving. Using her jetpack, turbo boosts, ammo, armor, and health pickups scattered around the arena, you'll need to hold your breath and shoot everything in the room – it all wants to kill you, after all. Pause for a second, and it could spell certain doom. The resulting combat experience is a fast-paced, kinetic, on-the-go shooting gallery that I promise will send adrenaline surging through your veins. That high-speed gunplay elasticity carries over into the Ghostrunner-like runs in between arenas, which task you with keeping momentum as you sprint on walls, grapple up to platforms, and jetpack double jump to safety, all while shooting down enemies that threaten your existence. The reward at the end of a linear run through Moebius' various locales is one of the aforementioned arenas, the perfect zones to try out your latest weapon upgrades. There's more to Metal Eden, like some Metroid Prime-inspired sections and a voice-in-your-comms that's a bit too present, but ultimately, everything that happens when you aren't pulling the trigger gets in the way. Fortunately, these sections aren't as frequent as the parts of Metal Eden that shine, so rest assured, there's an excellent shootout just minutes away when things feel slow. For more of my thoughts, read my Metal Eden review here. View the full article

Claim the Disco Elysium - The Final Cut for free via Epic Games Store! Disco Elysium - The Final Cut ... View the full article

Score The Immemorial Order and The Immemorial Order II Sisters of Darkness for free via Itch.io. Today only! View the full article

Download Saga of the Moon Priestess for free via Itch.io! Saga of the Moon Priestess is a 2d retro ... View the full article

As time goes on, I am comfortable awarding the first season of the Fallout TV show as my favorite video game adaptation. Well, actually, that honor still belongs to the 2021 Josh Ruben horror comedy Werewolves Within, but that movie is more technically based on a video game than it is an adaptation of beloved interactive media. Fallout has the much more difficult challenge of taking a well-known, well-liked, and dense video game universe that has existed since 1997 and condensing it down so anyone can enjoy it. But it also has to serve longtime fans of the franchise. And it also has to be interesting. And it has to be funny, too. And canon. The fact that season one worked as well as it did is a bit of a miracle. I wanted more when I made it to the end of season one so I have been looking forward to the follow-up. I have watched the first six episodes and the short version of my review is that I (so far) have not enjoyed it as much as season one. But, I still quickly started each consecutive episode and will eagerly tune in when the final two episodes are available to stream. A (so far) weaker season of a good show, is still part of a good show. Season two picks up where season one left off with Lucy (Ella Purnell) and The Ghoul (Walton Goggins) looking for Lucy’s dad (Kyle MachLachlan) who is hanging out in New Vegas where new-to-the-show character, Robert House (Justin Theroux) set up his empire. Maximus (Aaron Moten) is back with his Brotherhood again, but now as a celebrity, and Lucy’s home vault is still struggling and being weird as hell. And all the while my favorite character, Thaddeus (Johnny Pemberton), is off doing something unexpected. Where Fallout season two loses me slightly, in comparison to the first season, is its pacing. In the first six episodes, not much wholly new or exciting happens. The show is already slated for a third season, which means there is room to set the table, potentially for years to come, and I am feeling that here. Lucy and The Ghoul progress and have fun moments, but don’t make much headway. Maximus is grappling with his morals and deciding if he still believes in the teachings of The Brotherhood, but doesn’t make many big moves. And Robert House has a secret plan of some kind that involves Lucy’s dad, but it’s frustratingly opaque rather than being mysterious and compelling. With that said, however, all the aesthetic and tone elements established with the first season are all here. Lucy is charming and motivated, and becoming increasingly less naive. The Ghoul is no stranger to violence and has no problem enacting it in creative ways. The Brotherhood and everything it stands for continues to be a fascinating organization and Moten’s sympathetic and confused portrayal of Maximus is still endearing. And Thaddeus makes me laugh with just about everything he says, which leads me to arguably the reason Fallout is still my favorite video game adaptation: it’s funny. Fallout’s world is dark and scary, but it is also absolutely absurd. Comedians primarily make up the secondary cast, and no one acknowledges how ridiculous their reality is, which makes it enjoyable television. I wish the pacing was stronger for season two, but there is no reason not to recommend it. I suspect that with its patient table setting in the first six episodes, the final two will be exciting conclusions to an otherwise slow start. View the full article

The latest entry in the Konami horror franchise really snuck up on me, and I don’t mean in a jump scare way. In fact, I wouldn’t describe Silent Hill f as overtly scary as much as I would describe it as thoughtfully horrific. Like its predecessors, Silent Hill f is less about making you run away from something terrifying (which it does do that, too) as much as it is about making you face something scary and stare at it, unblinking, while you consider what you did or didn’t do to make it happen. As the year comes to a close, we're highlighting some personal favorite games from our team that we feel you shouldn't miss. If you're still looking for the right game to carry you into 2026, and you've already hit up our Top 10 Best, we're hoping one of these recommendations will hit the mark. It takes some time for Silent Hill f protagonist Shimizu Hinako to enter the more thoughtful side of her journey, because the game starts out with monsters and chase scenes through a 1960s Japanese town as your friends remain just out of reach. The action is all very spooky and pretty, but it’s not until you start exploring deeper into Hinako’s mind with the aid of a mysterious man in a fox mask that its hooks started to really sink into me. Silent Hill f has monsters and fog and it never overtly spells out its larger themes, but the deeper you go, the stronger it gestures toward what Hinako is experiencing internally and how it is affecting her. I admit I never fully understood exactly what was happening (which is what makes it a Silent Hill game, frankly), but understanding her flawed relationship with her parents and how it affects her feelings about the potential of marriage is fascinating. And the abstraction that she willingly puts herself through as a metaphor for marriage is one of the most disturbing sequences I have not only played in a Silent Hill game, but maybe even the wider horror video game genre. And if that wasn’t enough, the ending I received (which I imagine would be everyone’s first ending) so expertly puts the player in a position of regret that I immediately felt terrible for everything not only Hinako has been through, but also what I had put her through. If you don’t have it in you to play the game, which I would understand, the primary health item you use throughout to heal Hinako is an addictive pill that you have been unwillingly forcing her to abuse, and it has made her violent against her peers and family. It’s the kind of storytelling that only a video game can pull you off: your actions directly created the conflict and you didn’t even realize it. It’s for all these reasons that Silent Hill f is one of my favorites of the year and handily my second favorite Silent Hill game after Silent Hill 2. Konami has been in a strange place since it jettisoned Hideo Kojima into independent development, but Silent Hill f is a strong reminder that the storied publisher still knows what it is doing. I hope it is ready to tackle Castlevania again next. View the full article

Don’t miss your shot to grab The Callisto Protocol, the spiritual successor to Dead Space, for free on the ... View the full article

SNK 40th Anniversary Collection is free on Stove until Dec 31. SNK 40th Anniversary Collection is the ultimate collection of classic ... View the full article

A programming note: we are now signing off until 2026. Some new articles will appear on the site over the festive period along with a few repeats, and there will be a couple of newsletters to highlight those – but otherwise the GamesIndustry.biz team has downed tools for 2025. Read more View the full article

Even as we celebrate some of the best traditional board games of 2025, we also want to offer some accolades for some of the most impressive tabletop role-playing releases of the year. This year’s selections continue to show the broadening scope of the role-playing hobby, with a variety of amazing games competing against mainstay systems that have held audience attention for years. Check out our alphabetized selection of the Best Tabletop RPGs of 2025, and share some of your favorite role-playing experiences of the year in the comments below. Cohors Cthulhu: Player’s Guide Published by Modiphius Entertainment Love the vibe of cosmic horror, but ready for a break from the familiar early 20th-century period melodrama? Cohors Cthulhu sends your role-playing group back to the 2nd-century Roman Empire, complete with all the trappings of imperial might and varied cultures colliding that you’d expect during that time period. But unlike in the real world, this is Known World beset by old and unknowable gods and the malign schemes of their followers. Cohors Cthulhu leverages Modiphius’ now well-established 2d20 game system to significant effect. After multiple successful games, the designers have hit their stride in adapting elements to new settings and situations. In brief, players apply both an attribute and any skill test, leading to a combined target number that the character must roll under. Success in your endeavors leads to Momentum, which can be used to add additional dice to a pool when you roll to get additional successes. In short, it’s intuitive, fun, and always helps your characters' unique features stand out in conflicts. The system nails a unique vibe by embracing the many historical cultures and locations at hand, and then asking the characters from those places to deal with the likes of magic and otherworldly terror. Even without the Lovecraftian elements, this is an excellent way to delve into an Imperial Roman story. Add in those elements of nascent horror, and it becomes something really special. Cosmere RPG: Stormlight Handbook Published by Brotherwise Games Brandon Sanderson’s novels have felt overdue for the RPG treatment for some time; I’m confident many home gaming groups have likely house-ruled their own versions of his settings into familiar existing systems. Brotherwise Games has partnered with Sanderson to bring out an official game that embraces the broad scope of worlds in the author’s Cosmere. The first to get the complete treatment is this take on the Stormlight Archive, but we can expect more to follow. After a long wait to see how it all came together, the resulting system does a stellar job of capitalizing on the unique magic systems, lore, and factions that make the Stormlight books so compelling. You can take on the role of a Knight Radiant, partner with your own Spren, and do battle to halt the Desolation. For longtime fans, one of the biggest draws is the way the book offers in-canon exploration of the world of Roshar, fleshing out what you already gleaned from the novels. Mechanically, the Cosmere RPG keeps its core systems relatively close to RPG staples like d20 rolls to determine success, but layers in several additional elements that enrich the experience. The d6 Plot Die comes out to “raise the stakes” in clutch moments. Opportunities and Complications add nuance to the results of rolls. And, of course, your characters gain access to Surges just like the characters in the books, allowing them to complete remarkable feats that play with the fundamental forces of nature around them, which adds a ton of excitement. It's a rich and detailed system that should precisely fit the bill for anyone enamored of Sanderson’s fiction. While it might not be the first RPG stop if you’ve never engaged with those stories, it should be great fun for anyone who has longed to experience this world for themselves. The Crooked Moon Published by Avantris Entertainment Less a game in its own right and instead an expansion of 5th edition Dungeons & Dragons into a unique setting and style of play, the Crooked Moon garnered much well-deserved praise this year for its brilliant twist on expectation. At well over 600 pages in length, the massive book offers everything you might wish to discover to transport your D&D adventures into a world of folk horror. Avantris has taken a comprehensive approach to refreshing D&D, bringing its chilling twist to familiar fantasy archetypes. We get the chance to play monks who spread plague with their touch, jester warlocks, and Frankenstein-esque Barbarians. Instead of elves and dwarves, you can take on the role of scarecrow-like Harvestborn, fierce werewolf Curseborn, or ghoulish Graveborn. The Crooked Moon also layers in an innovative fateweaving system that aims to connect the main campaign narrative back to individual character backstories. While The Crooked Moon is a complete setting in its own right, the book also includes a huge 350-page adventure that takes full advantage of the quirks and oddities of the setting the designers have built. Many play groups are hesitant to abandon the familiarity of D&D rules, but are eager to try something that dramatically changes the surrounding trappings. That’s precisely what you get with The Crooked Moon, offering a thrilling excursion into stories of darkness and folklore. D&D Forgotten Realms: Heroes of Faerûn Published by Wizards of the Coast The Forgotten Realms has long been the default setting for D&D adventures, but it’s been some time since we had a dedicated release that expands and highlights the setting in its own right. Alongside its DM-targeted Adventures in Faerûn release, the new player-centric Heroes of Faerûn is a treasure trove of details to flesh out a character and campaign, notable for its smart organization, clean presentation, and top-tier fantasy art. Players get new subclasses, feats, and equipment. Lore enthusiasts can delve into the many deities of the Realms, learn about ancient, forgotten empires, and investigate wares and equipment unique to specific regions. And if you’re looking to really go down the well of a deep narrative dive, you can join (or do battle against) one of the many complex factions that have risen to prominence over the life of the setting, each detailed with extensive sections on bringing them into gameplay. We also get a slick new approach to group casting under the banner of circle magic, letting players work together to cast empowered spells that go beyond what any spellcaster can do alone, which can lead to some great role-playing moments. All in all, it’s a substantial addition to the game and a robust mix of options to follow up on last year’s revised Player’s Handbook. If you’re looking to tell epic tales with larger-than-life high-fantasy characters, there’s a reason the Forgotten Realms has maintained its primacy for so long. Daggerheart Published by Darrington Press One of the biggest stories in RPG circles this year has been the Critical Role team’s move to expand into an original game system that caters strongly to the narrative play style its streams are best known for modeling. After long anticipation, that system was released to the public this year. By most any measure, Daggerheart hits the mark, with some clever innovations that encourage thoughtful role-playing, fun character interactions, and exciting conflicts to play out at the table. The core of Daggerheart is built around an innovative system of Hope and Fear, manifesting as individual twelve-sided dice rolled during encounters. A higher roll on the Hope die provides future benefits for the player to leverage in upcoming situations, while a higher roll on the Fear die gives the GM tools to complicate the lives of the heroes. In essence, both Hope and Fear are currencies that may be spent to advance the game. This mechanical system also has obvious narrative consequences, helping everyone in the scene describe and advance what’s happening. Players will also sense an especially impactful difference as they progress through levels, as higher-tier play helps your characters really become beastly powerhouses that can mow through low-level foes. Daggerheart encourages many features to be handled in a freeform or more abstract way, from combat initiative to the acquisition of treasure. That seems very purposeful, putting the focus instead on big-picture character moments, memorable villain encounters, and inter-party dialogue. The game demands a high level of trust between the GM and players, and for that reason, I think it’s especially well-suited to experienced friend groups who have played together for a long time. If that’s you, Daggerheart is a really thrilling twist on expectation, and an impressive addition to the expanding world of RPG systems. Draw Steel: Heroes Published by MCDM If your play group is especially interested in the tactical combat side of RPG play, Draw Steel is the new game you should be considering. While narrative depth and storytelling are certainly options, Draw Steel is chiefly a game focused on battles against monsters, and making that experience as rewarding as possible. Base-level characters in Draw Steel already feel like powerful heroes in their own right, ready to take on major challenges. The action is purposefully built around cinematic descriptions of epic throwdowns. The rules support that approach through a tiered understanding of outcomes based on the final value of your roll – each ability you use has flavorful and descriptive outcomes depending on where the numbers fall. In an interesting twist on expectations, players build power and capability over the course of a hard-fought battle (rather than diminish as they take damage), creating opportunities for big, flashy, heroic moments that turn the tide of a conflict. As a game, Draw Steel requires the two-book set of Heroes and Villains. The Heroes book highlights everything players need, but the Director (GM) should also plan to snag a copy of Monsters to complete the set. It’s a game that pretty much demands a grid map, measuring distances, and all the other trappings of classic tactical table play. If those kinds of encounters are the place you see your table group come alive, give it a close look. Dungeons & Kittens: Starter Set Published by Edge Studio Whether you’re bringing someone new or younger into the RPG fold, or you’re just looking for something a bit lighter and more whimsical to bring to the table, Dungeons & Kittens is a stellar choice to consider. Dungeons & Kittens sees the party take on the role of kittens who have been exiled from the kingdom of cats, set in a post-apocalyptic world where nature has reclaimed the world after the disappearance of humans. Players collaborate to solve conflicts, confront challenges, and move through brief stories – full sessions can be as short as an hour. In case you’re still not grasping the tone at play here, the characters have access to spells of Meowgic. Character creation and skill checks are approachable and straightforward, and the overall system is extremely rules-light. In fact, the Starter Set itself is played chiefly through narrative-focused books that let the Storyteller (the GM) carry new players directly into the action with little prep. While there’s not enough meat on the bone here to support a lengthy campaign with your longtime gaming group, it is instead an incredibly inviting option if the players coming to join want a gentle and welcoming gateway into what makes RPGs so fun and funny. Exodus: Traveler’s Handbook Published by Archetype Entertainment With an impressive legacy of RPG developers working hard on its creation, Exodus is one of the most anticipated video game RPGs on the horizon. But many may have missed that there’s already a tantalizing opportunity to dig into that universe through the available tabletop RPG. In most of the ways that matter, the Exodus TTRPG is a sci-fi D&D system, using the same base rules system, but with unique classes, gear, and other systems to introduce a fascinating universe set in humanity’s distant future. Players control a Traveler, hunting down lost remnants of ancient technology that will let you confront the Celestials – titanically powerful beings that are the distant, distant descendants of ancient humans, having evolved into something entirely new. As a core storytelling and gameplay mechanic, Exodus plays with the time-dilation effect inherent to fast travel across the stars, creating fascinating interactions for players to explore at the table. If you want to stick with familiar mechanics, but branch into a futuristic setting, while also getting a glimpse at this upcoming video game’s world, it’s worth tracking down the Traveler’s Handbook. Legend in the Mist Published by Son of Oak Billing itself as a “Rustic Fantasy RPG,” Legend in the Mist casts players as ordinary villagers in a land of untamed wilderness and dangers lurking beyond the safety of your settlement, and the need to set forth and uncover the mysteries of what is happening in the world beyond the reach of local cookfires. The focus of play is narrative descriptors and situational shifts that affect the way any given conflict or situation might resolve. Dice rolls get modified by factors like whether it’s raining heavily, if you’re tired from a long journey, or if your character has an uncanny sense of direction. In play, everything feels like it’s aiming to be like a story told around the fire, with a strong collaborative focus between players and GM, and an in-built goal of layering a broader narrative with discrete character arcs that create dynamic growth over time for everyone. Legend in the Mist was released this year, but only in digital format; the physical book versions are due next year. But even digitally, the art and production values are through the roof, with an evocative and emotional character art style leading the way. If you’re looking for a departure into rich storytelling for your experienced group of role-players, this one is a winner. Starfinder 2E: Player Core Published by Paizo After successfully transitioning to Pathfinder’s new edition in its fantasy game, Paizo has brought many of the same lessons over into its science fiction game. The new 2nd edition retains much of what made the original so compelling, but smooths over rough edges and simply makes the game more fun to sit down and play. The new Player Core book is a massive tome, offering more than 450 pages filled with great art and extensive play rules. Hundreds of pages and forum posts have been written about the distinctions between Paizo and Wizards of the Coast’s approach to rules design. But it’s enough to know that this new edition of Starfinder offers an exceptionally robust and flexible system that encourages experimentation, both in character creation and progression, and also in crafting adventures and campaigns on the GM side. The new Player Core book moves some things over into other releases, including starship combat, and not every class and race from the earlier edition is present in this first release. But if you’ve been waiting to try out this glorious mix of laser rifles and lightning bolt spells, this new edition is an easy recommendation. View the full article

In 2008, Bethesda released Fallout 3, a groundbreaking adaptation of the to-that-point isometric Fallout franchise to a gameplay style close that veered close to its beloved Elder Scrolls series. Within seven years, we not only received a new spin-off entry by Obsidian Entertainment, Fallout: New Vegas, but also an all-new mainline entry from Bethesda, Fallout 4. It's now been more than a decade since Fallout 4, and though fans of the series can enjoy things like the online RPG Fallout 76, which initially launched in 2018, and the successful Prime Video series, which started in 2024, the wait for a new mainline single-player entry has proven arduous. In 2018, Bethesda revealed The Elder Scrolls VI through a short teaser. It has been more than seven years since that reveal, and based on the recent updates the studio provided Game Informer as part of the conversations surrounding our Fallout retrospective, it sounds like the game may still have a ways to go. For years, Bethesda alternated between The Elder Scrolls and Fallout, releasing Oblivion in 2006, Fallout 3 in 2008, Skyrim in 2011, and Fallout 4 in 2015. That trend broke with Fallout 76 in 2018, and deviated further in 2023, when Bethesda released Starfield, an ambitious new IP set in space. "We are better developers for having made a multiplayer game, we are better developers for having developed our own IP now, because it's new muscles," studio director Angela Browder tells Game Informer. "It's tested us in a different way. It's taught us a lot of things that we never could have known otherwise. And I do think even as we go into titles that are IP we've made before that we classically understand, we're still better developers for having done it, because your brain thinks differently once you've done those kinds of things. And I think it's only going to make every title we do better." In 2022, Howard told IGN that Fallout 5 will be the next game Bethesda sets its sights on after it finishes The Elder Scrolls VI. "We're going to do Fallout 5 after that, so our slate's going to be pretty full going forward for a while," he told IGN. " In 2021, he also told IGN that the studio has a basic idea of what Fallout 5 will be, saying the developers "have a one-pager on Fallout 5, what we want to do." Bethesda is currently focused on The Elder Scrolls VI, but according to director and executive producer Todd Howard, Bethesda has other projects in the hopper. "The majority of the studios are on VI, but I’ll say this: We always overlap," Howard tells Game Informer. "So, we’re very used to overlapping development." During my in-depth conversations with Bethesda Game Studios' Todd Howard, Emil Pagliarulo, and Angela Browder, I asked them what they'd most like to accomplish with the Fallout franchise going forward. Here's what they had to say: Todd Howard Director and Executive Producer "I will say, first, looking at 76, we've never stopped developing Fallout. We've had a full team on Fallout for a long time. So, Fallout, as a franchise, is the one we're still doing the most work in above anything. Now, the majority of our internal studio is on Elder Scrolls VI. We are doing other things with Fallout that we haven't announced, and you know, there'll come a time for that. I get the sort of anxiety from fans, like, "Well, what else? What else? Feed me!" But, look, we're working on stuff, and we do like to wait. And so, I think there'll be a moment to talk about that, and we want to make those special moments for our fans." Emil Pagliarulo Studio Design Director "I would be happy with a game that is as successful as the previous Fallout games that continues to give fans what they love, you know, and to give them a story that they can get into and systems that they love and really just an experience that they play not for 20 hours and not for 100 hours, but an experience they can play for 200, 300, you know, 600 hours, because that's the kind of games we make. That would be my hope going forward: Keep doing what we've done, and also to evolve. And evolve in a way that is where the industry has gone and where players have gone, so you're not stuck in the past. Like, in the Oblivion remaster that came out, people forget in the original Oblivion, you couldn't sprint. So, of course we're going to add that in the Oblivion remaster. Things like that. The industry moved on, and so, we want to move on with it." Angela Browder Studio Director "I think every one of [our past games] is a learning experience, right? Let's take Fallout 76 – Yes, we learned how to make multiplayer; we also learned what it means when you ship a product that doesn't necessarily hit really well right away. And we learned about investing and listening to our players and strengthening who we are and what we are, our own ability to resiliency and adversity, all these kinds of things, right? When you talk about Starfield, we made the biggest thing we've ever done in our entire lives: We made space. I'm scared of space, I think space is really scary, but we made space! All of those are, while it may not be, like, "Oh I'm going to put space in Elder Scrolls VI," – do not write that I'm putting space into Elder Scrolls VI; [laughs] we're not going to put space in Elder Scrolls VI! – everything that we learned by putting space into Starfield goes into Elder Scrolls VI. It's all learning. We're very blessed to have a very long-tenured team, as well. And so, all of those learnings from every single one just keep going with us, and I think that one of the things that you can see the natural progression as we've made our titles is we do listen to our players. When we start our big, big list, part of what we write down is everything our players want. We do listen to our players, and we do take that in, so that all wraps into this moment of what it all is going to be like. It's one of those interesting things. You never know if people are seeing the correlation between, like, "Six years ago you said this thing. I listened to you, I swear. Because, look, it's right here!" People don't always follow those very long threads, but the amount of those threads that exist are a lot. Some day, I just wish I could draw like a mind map of, like, "This guy said this thing on Reddit 12 years ago that never left our brains, and here you go! It took us a little while, but it's there! There's sometimes this preconceived notion that we don't read or look at or listen to any of it. We read all of it. I mean, all of it. And, especially Fallout, it's interesting because as it's expanded its scope, the amount of feedback we get on it is more than just gaming now, right? And so, it can be a little overwhelming, but we do read it all." View the full article

2026 is shaping up to be an exciting year in video games, and one of the earliest scheduled releases, 007 First Light, was set to be one of the biggest games of next March. Unfortunately, IO Interactive has announced the game will be taking just a little bit longer, formally delaying it to Wednesday, May 27. You can read the developer's full statement below. Hello everyone, Today, we are sharing an update regarding 007 First Light, as we have decided to move the game's release by two months, to the 27th of May 2026. 007 First Light is our most ambitious project to date, and the team has been fully focused on delivering an unforgettable James Bond experience, bringing together breathtaking action, globe-trotting, spycraft, gadgets, car chases, and more. As an independent developer and publisher, this decision allows us to ensure the experience meets the level of quality you players deserve on day one. The game is progressing well and is fully playable from beginning to end, so these additional two months will allow us to further polish and refine the experience, ensuring we deliver the strongest possible version at launch. We're confident this sets 007 First Light up for long-term success, and we sincerely appreciate the patience and continued support we've received ever since we first revealed the game. We look forward to sharing more updates regarding 007 First Light in early 2026. Thank you again for your support, IO Interactive/ Hakan Abrak 007 First Light will tell the origin story of the iconic British spy James Bond, showing him as a hotheaded recruit in the years before he became the agent we all know and love. It's a particularly exciting project for IO Interactive, because its work on the Hitman series makes it a perfect candidate to adapt Bond's espionage to video games. We got a chance to see the game behind closed doors last September and came away quite impressed, so hopefully this added development time makes the final product as polished as we hope. In other 007 news, we recently learned the game's villain will be played by none other than Lenny Kravitz. For more on next year's biggest releases, check out our 2026 release date calendar. View the full article

Score Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night for free via Epic Games Store! Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is a cool ... View the full article

Reviewed on: PC Platform: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC Publisher: Apogee Entertainment Developer: Trigger Happy Interactive Release: November 20, 2025 Rating: Mature Total Chaos’ headlines over the years as a public-facing project center on it being a total conversion mod for Doom II. After more than a dozen hours with it, that’s the least interesting aspect of this game. Total Chaos is about one man’s escape from an isolated and desolate coastal mining town run amok by a rotting disease that’s infected both his mind and the very town itself. Its story is vague and mysterious, but reveals itself plainly in metaphor as a fight against cancer, leaving a particularly personal mark on me as someone who’s lost family to that terrible blight. Though the voice acting sometimes fails to match the narrative momentum, the combat, with its heavy emphasis on crafting makeshift weaponry, remains an experimental blast through the end, especially for those nostalgic for the joyous gameplay feel of Doom II. Like the blood and guts that fuse to create the unholy monsters that fill its action-heavy moments, that story and combat come together to deliver a catharsis of destruction I was delighted to be part of. Fort Oasis, the aforementioned mining town, was once a vibrant community of industry, with hotel balconies overlooking the sea, shopping malls for spending hard-earned bucks, and all the frills of a place to call home. However, when a rot settles in, what was once home becomes a prison of torment for protagonist Tyler. I enjoyed the mystery surrounding Tyler’s plight from location to location here, and his attempt to come to terms with what’s gone wrong, and though it’s easy to miss, its wall writings and metaphorical developments speak to something dark festering deep within the mines of Fort Oasis. That something – cancer – spoke to me, forcing me to analyze why Total Chaos is so adamant about its exhausting, torturous carnage. Tyler is tearing through an insidious rot on Fort Oasis, yes; but he’s also ripping through the cancerous cells that threaten his existence. The slaughter must not stop. There are shotguns, pistols, a submachine gun, and even a harpoon gun, but ammo is so limited that you’ll never feel too comfortable using them, and this acts as a smart way to emphasize Total Chaos’ crafted melee weapons. As you explore abandoned and decrepit jails, plazas, apartment buildings, cemeteries, and more, you’ll collect nails, hammer heads, pickaxes, wooden poles and handles, lead pipes, wrenches, rebar, bottles, rags, and more, including various types of food and drinks. All of these pickups can be mixed and matched with each other, and the more than 30 recipes offer deadly melee combinations and beneficial chemical compounds to heal, stop bleeding, and more. The meat of the game is this crafting system, and it provides the most gameplay variety of the experience. However, the bones that Total Chaos is built upon sometimes break, leading to moments of frustration. Void of automatic saves like the survival horror games it’s so clearly inspired by, you can only save at vinyl record players that always feel placed just a bit too far from the places your progress is likely to be stopped with an untimely death. I lost a few hours because of this save system, thanks to instant-death segments that feel impossible to nail on the first go. As low as those moments feel, other moments, like a haunted house of hanging bat-like creatures that can only be stopped by the flicker of your lighter’s flame, go far to make you forget those problems exist. Between those highs and lows, there are the typical gameplay trappings of the genre, including bog-standard puzzles and predictable search-action walkbacks, and they round out an otherwise fantastic experience with moments that land as fine, nothing more and nothing less. Regardless, dealing with the various symptoms of Tyler’s health adds tension to Total Chaos’ best and worst moments. Managing health, bleed, hunger, energy, and stamina in the quiet moments served as a reminder that this was not an oasis for Tyler, despite what his home is called; instead, it’s a torture chamber he must survive. And in the louder moments, these symptoms used gameplay to further heighten the cacophony of stress Total Chaos vomits onto Tyler. Another symptom he deals with, called madness, is underused but alters moments drastically, going far to impose on the player the self-doubt and paranoia Tyler constantly feels. Total Chaos is disgusting, bloody, and taxing, but it’s also sympathetic and cathartic. And despite its misgivings and missteps, it is fun, twisting together horrific perversions with tension-filled gameplay in the way every great survival horror game should. Poor voice acting and repetitive gameplay/monster design dampen what makes Total Chaos great. However, its inventive crafting-focused combat and stirring story cement Trigger Happy Interactive’s sophomore release as one that will surely haunt my thoughts long after this playthrough. Score: 8 About Game Informer's review system View the full article

Korean games giant NCsoft has made a majority investment in Singapore mobile publisher Indygo Group. Read more View the full article

Investors in US publishing giant Electronic Arts have backed the company's acquisition by a consortium that includes the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund. Read more View the full article

Vince Zampella, who co-created the Call of Duty series and lead some of the most influential game development studios of the modern console era, has died in a car crash in California, according to a report by NBC Los Angeles. Read more View the full article