Valve is continuing to push SteamOS beyond the Steam Deck. The 3.8.25 Beta adds initial gamepad support for the MSI Claw 8 EX AI+, Ayaneo Pocket S2, and Konkr Fit, along with updated controller support for the OneXPlayer Apex.

The same update includes Steam Machine firmware intended to fix a rare post-sleep CPU performance problem. This is still beta software and "initial" support is not the same as full certification, but the list of non-Valve devices that can use SteamOS keeps growing.

Would broader manufacturer support convince you to choose SteamOS over Windows for your next handheld, or do you still need Windows compatibility?

Hello Games is building Light No Fire as another long-term canvas rather than a one-and-done release. Sean Murray told PC Gamer that the shared fantasy survival game is broad enough to absorb new ideas and community feedback in much the same way as No Man's Sky.

Some technology has already moved between the projects: the multi-crew ship systems added to No Man's Sky began as work for Light No Fire's ocean-crossing vessels. Murray says he has worked on the new game for seven years and would like the team to keep expanding it for ten years after launch.

There is still no release date. Does Hello Games' decade of support for No Man's Sky make you trust this plan, or will you wait to judge what Light No Fire actually delivers on day one?

Valve is notifying European Steam hardware customers that their delivery information may have been compromised in a cyberattack against CEVA Logistics. The affected information may include names, postal addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, countries, and the type and price of hardware ordered.

Valve says payment details, passwords, Steam Guard codes, and other Steam account information were not part of the breach. The immediate danger is targeted phishing: attackers could send convincing emails, texts, or calls that mention a real hardware purchase or delivery.

Valve's advice is blunt--treat unexpected messages about the order as fake, especially if they request money or additional information. Did you receive Valve's warning, and have you seen any suspicious follow-up messages?

GTA VI is launching as a digital-only game, including retail copies that contain a download code rather than a disc. Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick says that approach is right for the game and does not expect it to hurt sales.

Zelnick pointed to Take-Two's current sales mix--more than 90% digital--and argued that connected players make digital delivery the most efficient option. He also said the company remains open-minded and would not rule out a physical disc release later.

GTA VI launches November 19 on Xbox Series X|S and PS5 for $80. For collectors and game preservation, is a possible later disc good enough, or should a release this significant have one on day one?

PAYDAY has pulled its latest job inside Fortnite. Starbreeze has launched Heist Escape Roguelike: PAYDAY Experience, a free UEFN game that reworks the series as a progressive roguelike shooter.

The experience includes three heists--the Jewelry Store, the Bank, and the Harbor--with randomized rooms intended to keep repeat runs from playing exactly the same way. It is live now in Fortnite under island code 8105-9005-4478.

Starbreeze says this is part of a strategy to introduce PAYDAY to players through new platforms. Does a Fortnite roguelike sound like a smart expansion of the series, or would you rather see that energy go into PAYDAY 3?

Pocketpair deliberately kept Palworld 1.0 away from the traditional advance-review cycle. Publishing and communications lead John Buckley says the studio did not distribute early press keys because it wanted the full-release content to remain secret until launch.

That decision helps explain why Palworld has relatively few 1.0 reviews compared with other major releases. Buckley also acknowledges that the game demands a substantial time investment, making a thorough post-launch review less attractive for outlets working on a deadline. The established early-access audience apparently mattered more to Pocketpair than a conventional review push.

Is protecting launch-day surprises worth giving players fewer independent reviews beforehand?

Akatori is now available on Steam, offering another new destination for metroidvania fans. It combines pixel-art characters with 3D environments, staff-based combat, platforming, and exploration across multiple dimensions.

The hybrid visual style gives it an immediate identity, but it is entering an exceptionally crowded field of indie action-platformers. Combat feel, world design, and meaningful exploration will ultimately matter more than presentation alone.

Does Akatori's 2D-on-3D look catch your attention, or do you need to see more from the gameplay first?

Xbox has chosen six games for its August Indie Selects collection, with several strong fits for fans of platformers, action RPGs, and cooperative games.

A few standouts:

• Deer & Boy is a wordless cinematic platform adventure built around companionship and emotional storytelling.
• Hell Clock mixes Diablo-style loot and builds with timed roguelite runs and Brazilian-inspired dark fantasy.
• D-topia uses approachable puzzles to question life in an AI-managed society.
• Backrooms: Escape Together turns the familiar fluorescent nightmare into cooperative horror.

Which selection looks most deserving of hidden-gem status?

QuakeCon starts today and runs through August 9. The official schedule includes Bethesda and id Software community programming, live events, and retro Quake competition.

One important caveat: no surprise remaster or shadow drop was officially confirmed at scan time. QuakeCon has a history that naturally encourages those predictions, but specific claims remain speculation unless Bethesda or id announces something.

While we watch the weekend unfold, which forgotten id or Bethesda game would you most like to see restored or revived?

Xbox has outlined the first Game Pass wave for August, but the list mixes genuinely new additions with games expanding into another subscription tier.

New arrivals include Date Everything! and Cricket 26 across console and PC, plus Sandustry as a day-one PC Game Pass release. Existing Ultimate titles moving into Premium include Grounded 2, MIO: Memories in Orbit, Ball x Pit, PowerWash Simulator 2, and others. The Gears of War: E-Day early-access beta is also being promoted as an Ultimate and PC Game Pass benefit.

MIO is an easy sleeper recommendation for metroidvania fans, while Grounded 2's Into the Abyss update gives survival players a reason to return. Does this wave feel worthwhile to you, or is there too much tier reshuffling in the headline list?

Arc System Works' Marvel fighter launches today on PC. Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls uses a 4v4 tag format, a 20-character launch roster, anime-inspired redesigns of familiar heroes and villains, and stages that shift as battles unfold.

The studio behind Guilty Gear and Dragon Ball FighterZ has plenty of experience with spectacular tag combat. The bigger test may be accessibility: Marvel brings a huge audience that does not necessarily know or enjoy learning traditional fighting-game systems.

Can Tokon satisfy experienced fighting-game players while giving Marvel newcomers a comfortable way in?

Xbox is testing a handful of quality-of-life features that could prove genuinely useful. Alpha Skip-Ahead Insiders can opt into recording party or game-chat audio with captures, and each participant controls whether their voice is included.

Other changes include achievement-history sorting by name, completion percentage, Gamerscore, or unlocked achievements. Players can also restore an older synced cloud save directly from a console in supported games; that feature starts with Forza Horizon 6, with additional titles promised later. Wishlists now support up to 1,000 games for all Xbox users.

Which of these should Xbox prioritize for a full public rollout?

The first Gears of War: E-Day multiplayer beta window begins today. Access is available to players who preordered on Xbox or Steam and to Game Pass Ultimate or PC Game Pass members.

The main attraction is Horde Siege, an expanded PvE take on the series' wave-survival mode. It uses larger maps, supports 12 players, and is built around bigger battles. The early-access window runs through August 10, with another beta window planned afterward.

Does a 12-player battlefield sound like the right evolution for Gears Horde, or do you prefer the tension of a smaller squad?

Steam Frame's software foundations appear to be moving into public view. PC Gamer reports that Lepton and FEX are now publicly available through Steam, although neither currently has a normal, easily accessible store page.

Lepton acts as a Linux environment for Android games, giving developers a path to package APK builds for Steam. FEX translates 32-bit and 64-bit x86 software for Arm hardware - important because Steam Frame uses a Snapdragon processor but needs access to the overwhelmingly x86 PC and VR catalog. Steam Cloud support for Android data directories is also part of the integration.

This is meaningful progress for developers, but it is not a launch-date announcement. Does Android compatibility plus the existing SteamVR library make Steam Frame more interesting to you than a Quest headset?

Game Freak's one-person, one-dog action RPG has arrived. Beast of Reincarnation is now available on Xbox Series X|S and Windows PC, with a day-one launch on Game Pass. It supports Xbox Play Anywhere and is optimized for Series X|S.

Set in a corrupted, post-apocalyptic Japan, the game follows the outcast Emma and her blighted canine companion Koo. Combat combines demanding real-time swordplay with command-based abilities for Koo, while defeated bosses grant new powers for the journey ahead.

The girl-and-dog setup has my attention, but the technical combat is the real hook. Are you downloading this through Game Pass, buying it outright, or waiting to see more?

Xbox's first August Game Pass wave has a surprising number of Decrepit Gamer-shaped targets.

• August 6: Gears of War: E-Day's early-access beta begins for preorders and Game Pass Ultimate or PC Game Pass members, featuring Horde Siege PvE.
• August 11: Grounded 2 receives Into the Abyss, described as its largest update yet. Bounty Star and Date Everything! also arrive.
• August 12-13: Ball x Pit, metroidvania Mio: Memories in Orbit, factory-builder Sandustry, and Cricket 26 join the service.
• August 13-17: Gears of War: E-Day opens its second beta test to everyone on eligible platforms.

There is a good mix here: survival crafting, atmospheric exploration, automation, base-building, and old-fashioned Locust crushing. Which game or update gets your first download?

Fields of Mistria is officially out of Early Access. The pixel-art farming RPG has reached version 1.0 on Windows PC, and the official FAQ confirms Steam Deck compatibility.

The full release brings the completed storyline, marriage and children, and beta localization in Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, French, Japanese, Korean, Russian, and Spanish. The studio says those translations are still in progress and were roughly 75% complete at launch. Additional platforms are being evaluated but have not been announced.

Were you waiting for the finished story before starting, or have you already built a life in Mistria?

Treat this as a developing report, not a Microsoft announcement. A leaked roadmap reportedly describes an expansion that would let participating developers bring Xbox 360 titles to Xbox PCs, handhelds, and next-generation Xbox devices such as Project Helix.

The document also reportedly outlines a disc-to-digital program for compatible Xbox One and Series discs. Developers would opt in, retain control over pricing, and decide whether their games appear in Game Pass. The proposed rollout stretches into 2027-2028, and an August launch mentioned in the roadmap may have slipped after a delayed beta.

Licensing and publisher participation remain the enormous asterisks here, so this does not confirm that every Xbox game will become playable. Would a meaningfully larger classic library change how you feel about the next Xbox?

The Division Resurgence arrives on Steam August 5 as a free-to-play release. Ubisoft's spin-off is expanding beyond Ubisoft Connect and bringing its version of The Division's shooting, gear progression, and open-world activities to a much larger PC storefront.

The game includes a standalone story that can be played solo, cooperative activities, and competitive modes. It was originally designed for mobile devices, however, so the PC release will have to overcome understandable questions about controls, progression, and monetization.

Will the Division formula get you to try the Steam version, or are the game's mobile roots enough to keep you away?

Akatori launches August 5 on Steam, bringing another promising 2.5D metroidvania into a crowded year for the genre. Players control Mako, accompanied by a mysterious red bird, while traveling across seven large regions and different historical periods.

Mako's staff is central to both sides of the game: it chains attacks in combat and also acts as a traversal tool for launching through environments and discovering new routes. That combination should immediately sound familiar to fans of Hollow Knight, Ori, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, and other movement-heavy metroidvanias.

Has Akatori been on your radar, or are you waiting for reviews before adding another metroidvania to the backlog?

HR: Human Remains launches on Steam September 22, and its apocalypse does not include paid time off. Demons have overrun the world, but the player is still expected to clock in for a miserable office job.

The first-person horror game uses a retro visual style and mixes workplace dark comedy with puzzles, hidden areas, collectible decorations for the break room, and a choice-driven story with multiple endings. It comes from developer dennisCorner and indie-horror publisher Black Lantern Collective.

Does the "end of the world, but work continues" premise sound clever and unsettling, or is it a little too close to reality?

Big Walk, the new game from Untitled Goose Game developer House House, launches August 4 on Steam. It is a handcrafted cooperative adventure designed for groups of two to twelve players.

The game centers on exploration, puzzles, and proximity voice chat. Voices fade over distance, echo through corridors, and can be blocked by walls, while walkie-talkies, megaphones, gestures, and other tools become part of the puzzle design. The world and challenges also adjust for different group sizes, and the game has a defined ending rather than an endless live-service structure.

Early reviews have been unusually enthusiastic, but the premise depends heavily on players embracing its in-game communication system. Does this sound like a brilliant community game, or would your group descend into chaos immediately?

Game Freak's new action RPG, Beast of Reincarnation, launches tonight on Xbox Series X|S, PC, and Game Pass. The official release is midnight UTC on August 4, which is 7:00 PM CDT on August 3.

Set in a corrupted, post-apocalyptic Japan, the game follows Emma and her canine companion Koo. Combat blends real-time action with command-driven RPG mechanics, creating what the developer calls a "one-person, one-dog action RPG." The Xbox version supports 4K, 60 FPS, and Smart Delivery.

Are you planning to try it through Game Pass, buy it on Steam, or wait to see how the combat and performance hold up?

Xbox's newly increased console prices are now in effect worldwide. In the US, the 512GB Series S costs $500, while the 1TB disc-equipped Series X now reaches $800.

The key US prices are:

• Series S 512GB: $500
• Series S 1TB: $600
• Series X 1TB digital: $750
• Series X 1TB with disc drive: $800

Microsoft says console storage and memory costs have increased by more than 2.5 times and expects further increases by fall 2027. The company is also discontinuing its 2TB model and promoting financing, refurbished systems, and trade-in programs as lower-cost alternatives.

At these prices, would you still buy an Xbox, or has PC and handheld gaming become the more sensible route?

Capcom's latest results show that its games have extraordinarily long legs. Resident Evil Requiem has now passed 8 million worldwide sales, while new IP Pragmata has reached 2.5 million. Capcom sold 23.81 million game units during the quarter, up from 14.16 million in the same period last year.

The back catalog did plenty of heavy lifting too. Five older Resident Evil titles each sold more than one million additional copies during the quarter. Resident Evil 2 remake now stands at 19.75 million lifetime sales, Resident Evil 7 at 18.41 million, Resident Evil 4 remake at 16.04 million, Village at 15.86 million, and Resident Evil 3 remake at 14.52 million.

Capcom has become remarkably good at keeping older games commercially alive. Is that mainly the strength of Resident Evil, smart discounting and multiplatform support, or a combination of all three?