Gaming

A new open-source project called Xodus is attempting to break down one of the heretofore impenetrable barriers between Linux gamers and Microsoft’s PC gaming ecosystem. It has already cleared some important technical hurdles, although actually getting games to run remains the considerably bigger challenge.

Take-Two claims the massive user base of Netflix is why it chose the platform to air the extended look for GTA 6 on August 27. However, a leaker has added more information about the deal and whether one paid the other.

A modder in the PcBuild Reddit community has successfully watercooled a Steam Machine. It was only a matter of time till someone attempted this, and the creation resembles Bane from the comics with all the tubes sticking out.

Square Enix is the latest publisher to experience a decline in physical sales. Despite many Final Fantasy games shipping on discs and cartridges, tangible media accounted for a 9.9% share. Final Fantasy 7 Revelation may rely on the code-in-box format, disappointing some players.

Gamigo's Trove update adds the idle Tiny Quests system for Allies, restores the Marketplace, and kicks off the Elysian Initiation event through August 18.

The surprise hit Ball x Pit combines arcade action with roguelike elements and city building. With 95% positive reviews, the indie game has now dropped below $10 on Steam for the first time, reaching a new all-time low.

Courtesy of the Qualcomm Dragonwing Q8 SoC, the AYN Odin 3 is among the most powerful ARM-based handheld gaming consoles on the market. This makes the AYN Odin 3 a prime candidate for PS3 emulation using RPCS3, especially now that recent tweaks have improved RPCS3 performance on ARM64 platforms.

Priced at $50, the open-back headset features 50mm dynamic drivers, virtual 7.1 surround sound, and a dual microphone system equipped with environmental noise cancellation. It offers versatile tri-mode connectivity, including a low-latency 2.4GHz wireless option, and provides up to 70 hours of battery life on a single charge.

Big Walk is a new co-op game with an unusual focus on communication. That approach has currently earned it the No. 2 spot among the highest-rated games of 2026.

The GMKtec EVO-X3 Mini PC with the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 APU is a super powerful Mini PC meant primarily for local AI use. However, the Radeon 8060S iGPU of the Strix Halo makes the Mini PC a legit gaming contender, especially when combined with SteamOS.

The big Netflix presentation on August 27 is apparently just the beginning of the major promotional push for GTA 6. Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick promises that after this “appetizer,” there will still be “starters, the main course and dessert.”

MagicX has shared renders of the latest design of its upcoming Mini Dream handheld. The new design, which is smaller and lighter, is believed to be the final form of the horizontal handheld.

Hopes for a Final Fantasy 9 remake release date in the near future look grim. A veteran journalist shared that the Square Enix game has been indefinitely suspended. Unlike the Final Fantasy 7 trilogy, it would have been a more condensed modernization of the classic RPG.

Released on January 15, 2025, Age of Darkness: Final Stand is a strategy game that lets you expand your bases while exploring dangerous areas. But danger lurks everywhere, and you’ll need to be prepared to face hordes of enemies.

Former Dragon Age executive producer Mark Darrah argues that developers should treat player feedback as valuable diagnostic data rather than a design blueprint, since gamers are better at identifying problems than solving them.

Palworld studio Pocketpair Publishing is co-publishing Karrot Games' incremental city-builder Clicky Islands, leading its rollout across Asia ahead of a 2026 Steam release.

The Legion C700 gaming handheld is set to launch later in August 2026 in China, and with a new teaser, Lenovo has revealed that it will feature an 8,000mAh battery. This large capacity is said to offer up to 9 hours of runtime after a full charge.

In addition to Moonlighter, another game is currently available for free on Steam for a very limited time. Breathedge is a space survival game that can be permanently added to your library for free until August 9, 2026.

A physical Switch 2 game has again leaked before its scheduled debut. A video of Bethesda’s The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered surfaced, exposing uneven performance. Frame rates fall below 30 fps, and the traversal stutter experienced on competing platforms returns.

The Asus ROG Flow Z13 is an impressively powerful 13-inch gaming laptop with a Surface Pro-style form factor that is now on sale. Courtesy of the Ryzen AI Max+ 395 APU with the powerful Radeon 8060S iGPU, the gaming laptop can handle almost any CPU or GPU-intensive workload thrown its way.

Humble has introduced a new bundle called the Awesome Indie Adventures. It offers 10 Steam Deck-compatible games, and the lineup includes The Pathless, Moonlighter, and more.

Knights of Honor II: Sovereign is a medieval strategy game published by THQ Nordic in which you must expand your kingdom and defeat all your enemies. And it is currently available for less than $12 on Steam.

Lenovo has released a new 34-inch curved gaming monitor with a 3440 x 1440 resolution and a 240 Hz refresh rate. The Legion 34W-2c also features a 1500R VA panel, 400 nits brightness, DisplayHDR 400 support and 95% DCI-P3 coverage.

Until now, Steam Deck users have been unable to simulate several PS Portal capabilities. The new Linux Asobi: Remote Play app brings cloud streaming to Valve’s handheld and the Steam Machine. It also streams supported PS5 games in digital libraries without a PlayStation console.

The Short Games Showcase is a new game collection on Humble Bundle. It features a total of 14 titles that come with proper Steam Deck compatibility ratings. The combined retail value is $166, but all of them can be scored for $12, and there's a $6 tier.

Anyone building a gaming PC themselves should not blindly trust the specifications provided by case manufacturers. Noctua has conducted its own measurements and found over 50 instances in which a fan does not fit into a case, even though the manufacturer’s specifications list it as compatible.

The fantasy Western RPG Arco combines a dark revenge story with an unusual combat system. The indie title is now 60% off on Steam for the first time, bringing the price down to $7.99.

The US government has been using Mario, Pokémon and other Japanese brands in political social media posts. Japan is now reportedly asking the Trump administration to stop.

Rockstar Games has suddenly started following several well-known streamers and other prominent accounts on Instagram, some of them with ties to GTA. Fans suspect this could point to a new promotional campaign for GTA 6, although NoPixel V may also be involved.

Cruelty Squad, one of the strangest immersive sims on Steam, has received a massive discount during Cyberpunk Fest. Beneath its deliberately grotesque visuals sits a remarkably well-reviewed tactical FPS with an Overwhelmingly Positive Steam rating.

Chuwi has launched the GTBook X Laptop GamingBook with an Intel Core 7 230H and a dated GeForce RTX 3050 Laptop GPU. The laptop also features a 144 Hz display, upgradeable DDR5 memory and two M.2 SSD slots.

Rockstar Games will likely prioritize the single-player aspect of its crime adventure. A Bloomberg insider does not expect a GTA 6 Online announcement soon. With updates, the multiplayer GTA Online may sustain its blistering sales pace fueled by microtransactions.

Following multiple complaints from users about their devices getting bricked, Lenovo has now removed the BIOS version N3CN42WW from its website. However, the company still hasn't provided a solution for affected users.

On August 27, Netflix will showcase an extended look at GTA 6 exclusively. Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick spoke with Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier and shared some more information about the event.

The GPD Win Max 3 has reared its head again. Launching in August, the new handheld will start at $1,699 with 32 GB of RAM, a 165 Hz OLED display and an AMD Strix Halo processor. GPD plans to sell its Win Max 2 successor with up to 128 GB of RAM and 4 TB of storage, too.

Some buyers are anxious for a GTA 6 pre-order option that features memorabilia. A leaker still expects another version to emerge, potentially during the Netflix extended look. The Take-Two CEO thinks the era of physical games has passed, but explained that Collector’s Editions may yet appear.

Lies of P is an action RPG that takes place in a fictional universe where you'll have to solve puzzles and face enemies in soulslike battles. But to succeed, you'll need to master your skills and weapons and make various decisions.

Just a few days after launching the Konkr Pocket Advance, Ayaneo has released the handheld in a new color. Called Peach Color, it has the same price as the other colors and is available to pre-order now with a $20 discount.

TOEM: A Photo Adventure is currently available at an 90% discount on Steam. The award-winning indie swaps combat for photography, puzzle solving and exploration, making it one of the more relaxing games that you can enjoy over a weekend.

Valve has received a brand new shipment of the Steam Frame, which is listed as containing VR controller + HMD + VR controller accessory.

Take-Two has defended GTA 6's $80 price tag and digital-only launch, arguing that modern game pricing has not kept pace with inflation and that more than 90% of its sales are already digital. CEO Strauss Zelnick nevertheless declined to rule out a physical disc release at a later date.

Luke Dale, the actor behind Hans Capon in Kingdom Come: Deliverance, is transforming a Prague basement into Nobleman, a candlelit, medieval-inspired tavern. Scheduled to open on October 1, 2026, the venue will serve British comfort food, Czech dishes, Sunday roasts, and beer.

Zotac customer service is receiving a lot of praise, at least in the comments section of the Reddit post describing a free upgrade to the RTX 5090. However, the user had to go through a year of RMA’s before that happened.

Former Fallout 3 artist Nate Purkeypile says technical and memory limitations prevented Bethesda from fully realizing its vision for the 2008 RPG. He hopes the confirmed remaster will meaningfully rebuild the Capital Wasteland rather than merely upgrade textures and apply superficial visual enhancements.

A primary assembler of Nintendo consoles has reported a sharp rise in revenue. As Foxconn’s highest monthly total since 2017, the spike follows rumors of an Ocarina of Time remake edition Switch 2. A new Pro Controller is also anticipated ahead of the arrival of the Zelda game.

Quake fans are getting new content for free, as a celebration of 30 years since the launch of the original in 1996. The free update is for the 2021 remaster of the game and is available across all platforms.

A Hong Kong-based eBay seller is offering modified Nvidia RTX 2080 Ti graphics cards with 22GB of GDDR6 memory for about $500, targeting AI users seeking high VRAM capacity at a lower price.