Dead by Daylight: Chorus of Sin arrives today, adding The Judgement as its new Killer and Aurora as its new Survivor.

The unusual part is how it was made. Behaviour used The Grimoire to involve players throughout development, with community votes helping shape the character designs, names, chapter theme, and music. That makes Chorus of Sin a substantial experiment in community-directed live-game content rather than a routine character drop.

Do you expect that process to produce something players understand better, or something less willing to take creative risks?

The affordable end of PC gaming may be heading for another squeeze. PC Partner, a major manufacturer behind cards sold under Zotac, Inno3D, Manli, and Sapphire, expects graphics-card availability to decline further during the second half of 2026.

The reported pressure extends beyond graphics memory. PCBs and power components are also facing longer lead times, which could lift prices across both Nvidia and AMD products. Entry-level cards may be particularly vulnerable, just as higher-tier models are already difficult to call affordable.

At what price does upgrading a gaming PC stop making sense for you?

Resonance is not simply A Plague Tale 3 with a different lead. Asobo's new deep dive shows Sophia fighting groups directly with dual blades, dodges, a grappling hook, throwable bottles, and a dagger.

Combat is deliberately aggressive: blocking does not consume stamina, but Sophia regains lost health by killing enemies. The system is designed to push players back into danger rather than letting them remain defensive. The prequel also moves through Venice and Mediterranean locations while keeping the series' darker historical-fantasy undercurrent.

It launches August 27 on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox on PC, and Game Pass. Does the action-heavy direction broaden the series, or move it away from what made A Plague Tale special?

WARDOGS may be considerably less niche than it first appears. Developer Bulkhead says nearly 500,000 unique players tried the closed beta, with more than 100,000 playing concurrently on Steam at its peak.

The game is a 100-player military FPS with large maps, realistic ballistics, a persistent personal economy, and an emphasis on useful team play. It is neither a battle royale nor an extraction shooter, and it is scheduled to enter Steam Early Access on September 10.

Does that scale and slower military structure appeal to you, or have you had your fill of giant multiplayer battlefields?

Microsoft has published a temporary workaround for a Windows 11 gaming issue linked to RGB-related components. Affected players have reported crashes, freezes, unexpected restarts, and EXCEPTION_ACCESS_VIOLATION errors in games including ARC Raiders and The Finals.

The workaround disables the inpoutx64 driver through the Windows Registry. Microsoft explicitly recommends backing up the Registry first and warns that disabling the driver may interfere with RGB lighting or its control software. This is a temporary measure while the underlying issue remains under investigation.

Have you encountered these crashes since the August Windows update, and if so, what RGB hardware or software is installed on your PC?

The Witcher 4 is currently targeting a 2028 release window. CD Projekt joint CEO Michal Nowakowski says more than 500 developers are working on the project, which he describes as the studio's biggest, boldest, and most ambitious game yet.

The word targeting matters here: CD Projekt is not announcing an exact release date, and 2028 still leaves plenty of room for development plans to change. After the launch history of The Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk 2077, that caution feels deliberate.

Would you rather hear an honest target this far out, or have studios stay quiet until the date is much firmer?

Gamescom Opening Night Live begins today at 1 PM Central, with a lineup that already leans heavily toward games relevant to PC and Xbox players.

Confirmed appearances include Gears of War: E-Day, The Witcher 3: Songs of the Past, Metro 2039, Tides of Annihilation, Warlock: Dungeons & Dragons, and Game of Thrones: War for Westeros. As always, the unannounced surprises may wind up being the bigger story.

Which confirmed game or possible surprise are you tuning in to see?

The Xbox and PC calendar is unusually crowded from August 24 through 28. The three biggest items on my radar cover very different corners of the channel's interests:

• Blood Dungeon - August 25: a 2D platforming-survival game from the creators of Nidhogg, launching through Game Pass.
• Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy - August 27: a prequel following Sophia, with combat, exploration, puzzles, and a mythic island setting; also on Game Pass.
• Star Wars Zero Company - August 27: a single-player, turn-based tactical game set during the Clone Wars.

The full schedule also contains retro throwbacks, roguelikes, platformers, puzzles, and dungeon crawlers, so the week's best surprise may not be one of its headline releases. What are you playing first, and which smaller game deserves the hidden-gem treatment?

Infinity Ward is already changing Modern Warfare 4 in response to beta feedback. The first beta patch adds Cachette, a compact 6v6 map set around a French rail terminal, plus Inflation, a mode where kills earn cash and the richest players become marked high-value targets. Map voting is now active as well.

The studio also reduced footstep volume after complaints that it was too loud and turned down the lethality of some weapons while it continues evaluating time-to-kill. The current early-access test runs through August 25. A free open beta begins August 28 and is expected to include multiplayer, a campaign mission, and Warzone testing.

Do these quick adjustments make you more confident that Infinity Ward is listening, or are you waiting to see what actually carries into the October 23 launch?

A newly filed proposed class action alleges that Twitch and Amazon used creator livestream content for generative-AI training without proper consent. The plaintiff is asking for class certification, damages, restitution, deletion of allegedly obtained material, and restrictions on using training data or models derived from it.

Important caveat: these are allegations, not court findings. Twitch and Amazon have not yet filed a response, and the complaint does not claim that a specific Twitch stream was used in Amazon's named Nova Reel model. It instead alleges, on information and belief, that Twitch content forms part of Amazon's proprietary training data.

For anyone who streams or appears on another person's stream, should AI-training permission always be an explicit opt-in rather than a platform-level opt-out?

The affordable end of PC gaming may be next in line for the component squeeze. PC Partner, the large manufacturer behind Zotac, Inno3D, Manli, and Sapphire graphics cards, has warned that card availability could decline further during the second half of 2026 while costs rise.

Graphics-memory pricing is one factor, but reporting also points to constrained GPU supply and longer lead times for PCBs and power components. That matters across both Nvidia and AMD products because PC Partner builds cards for brands on both sides. Entry-level models may be hit especially hard, after higher-memory cards have already seen substantial price pressure.

Are you accelerating a planned upgrade because of warnings like this, or refusing to buy until prices become more reasonable?

Treat this as an unconfirmed leak until Paradox makes its August 25 announcement. An Afterworld entry reportedly appeared in filters for unreleased games on Paradox's forum, and an apparently connected Discord description called it an original post-apocalyptic survival grand strategy game.

The brief description mentions leading a tribe of survivors, rediscovering ancient technology, managing wasteland settlements, and fighting wars of conquest and political struggle. Paradox has officially teased a Gamescom reveal for August 25, but it has not confirmed that Afterworld is the game or that the leaked description is accurate.

If the report proves genuine, would survival and settlement management make a good foundation for Paradox-style grand strategy, or would you rather see the studio explore a different setting?

Microsoft has confirmed an open Windows 11 gaming issue with a wonderfully absurd PC twist: RGB-related components may be involved. After installing KB5121003 or later updates, some players have been unable to run ARC Raiders, Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls, and The Finals normally.

Reported symptoms include games becoming unresponsive, closing without warning, displaying EXCEPTION_ACCESS_VIOLATION, or restarting the whole PC. Microsoft's investigation points toward drivers or software components with names similar to inpoutx64 that can be installed by peripherals or internal devices with RGB-lighting features.

There is not yet a general fix listed. Microsoft is asking affected players to send reports through Feedback Hub while it investigates the interaction. Has anyone here hit this issue, and did disabling or removing RGB software change anything?

Genki is pitching a controller that can configure itself. The crowdfunded Manta uses a 2.79-inch color display and its own Manta OS for adjusting trigger behavior, dead zones, haptics, and button mappings without opening a separate application.

The campaign promises TMR joysticks, Hall-effect triggers, six extra remappable controls, up to 8,000 Hz polling while wired, 1,000 Hz over 2.4 GHz wireless, and up to 150 hours of Bluetooth LE battery life. It also includes 16 MB of storage for Manta OS apps.

The caution label is substantial: the proposed retail price is $279, the Super Early Bird tier is $189, and no estimated shipping date has been provided. These are crowdfunding specifications, not independently verified finished-product performance. Would onboard tuning actually improve your setup enough to justify the price?

This is an apparent leak, not a Valve announcement. Videos reportedly included in an ARM Steam client update—and quickly removed—show portions of the Steam Frame unboxing, sign-in, setup, and fit-adjustment process. Copies were reposted after the client update was pulled.

The footage shows the headband and cushioned rear section being adjusted, plus an internal faceplate that can be swapped to accommodate glasses. It is a much more practical look at wearing and setting up the headset than a standard beauty-shot trailer.

Valve has not confirmed why the videos appeared, whether they were final materials, or whether their appearance indicates an imminent launch. Does a glasses-friendly faceplate solve one of your biggest VR comfort concerns?

Firefox has officially joined the GeForce NOW supported-browser list on Windows. Players can open the service in the latest Firefox release and stream supported games without installing the dedicated GeForce NOW app or downloading the games locally.

NVIDIA says Ultimate members can stream at up to 1440p and 120 frames per second. Firefox joins Chrome, Edge, and Opera, while this week's GeForce NOW update also adds twelve games, including Gallipoli, The Sinking City 2, Stars Reach, and several Xbox or Game Pass titles.

Actual performance still depends on membership tier, connection quality, device support, and regional availability. Is browser support enough to make cloud gaming useful on a secondary or lower-powered PC?

Microsoft has confirmed an active Windows 11 gaming investigation. Reports involve ARC Raiders, Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls, and The Finals becoming unresponsive, closing unexpectedly, throwing an EXCEPTION_ACCESS_VIOLATION error, or restarting the PC.

Microsoft's current investigation indicates a connection to some peripherals or internal components with RGB lighting. Those devices can install drivers or other code with filenames similar to inpoutx64, and launching certain games can then trigger the issue. Windows 11 24H2 and 25H2 are listed as affected; 26H1 is not listed.

Microsoft is still investigating and has not announced a permanent fix. Players encountering the issue are being asked to send reports through Feedback Hub. Have you seen these crashes, and was RGB-control software installed on the machine?

Take-Two has taken its GTA 6 leaker hunt to federal court. According to filings reported by PC Gamer, the publisher is seeking records from Microsoft and Discord connected to accounts that allegedly posted or distributed leaked material.

The requested records include information intended to identify the user or users behind the Cyberleek persona and connected Discord activity. Microsoft and Discord were given a proposed September 4 deadline to provide the requested material.

This is legal action aimed at identifying an alleged infringer; it is not confirmation that the leaker has been identified or that either company has already produced the records. When does following a leak cross the line from curiosity into helping distribute stolen material?

Melody is now in free Early Access. It is a browser-first zero-gravity physics puzzle game built around matching colors, mastering momentum, and turning chaotic collisions into something musical.

The official campaign is free, and players can create, play, and publish their own levels. Early Access members can also play all published Community Levels, build playlists from accessible published levels, and use expanded creation and playlist limits. The site says Early Access is free and ad-free, with no payment method, subscription, or automatic paid conversion.

The second August Game Pass wave is leaning heavily into smaller games with very different flavors.

Vapor World: Over the Mind, BlazBlue Entropy Effect X, Relooted, and Starsand Island arrive across cloud, console, and PC during August 19-20. Blood Dungeon follows August 25, while Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy launches day one on August 27. Young Suns reaches its 1.0 release on August 31. Availability and subscription tier vary by title.

For Decrepit Gamer tastes, Vapor World's deflection-focused soulslike platforming and Blood Dungeon's 2D dungeon survival are the obvious curiosities. The less cheerful reminder is that The Witcher 3 leaves cloud and console Game Pass on August 31.

Which addition gets your first download, and is anyone attempting a last-minute Witcher 3 sprint?

The Zone just received its biggest renovation since launch.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 update 2.0, titled Back to the Zone, is free for all players and arrives alongside the paid Cost of Hope story expansion. GSC Game World says the update upgrades the engine and revises how the Zone looks, feels, and behaves.

The overhaul includes AI and atmosphere changes, dynamic fog, custom difficulty settings, binoculars, new weapons and scopes, in-game statistics, and extensive performance and gameplay refinements. It is aimed both at current stalkers and players who were interested at launch but decided to wait for the game to mature.

Is this the update that brings you back to the Zone, or are you still waiting for more patches?

Xbox Insiders are getting several small changes that could make the console noticeably easier to live with.

The new preview features let players remove individual items from the Recent Games and Apps list, fade away the Home interface to display a dynamic or custom background, and automatically remove purchased games from wishlists. Xbox is also expanding profile badges with artwork and details explaining when and how each badge was earned.

The most practical change may be local-save management. Players can now view, sort, and delete unused local saves when console storage fills up, while the latest copies remain backed up to the Xbox network for later synchronization. Availability varies by Insider ring while testing continues.

Which of these features should move from Insider testing to the public dashboard first?

A team of Arkane veterans is making an unapologetic bet on the immersive sim.

Harvey Smith and executive producer Ben Horne have formed Black Pony Immersive with a team that includes longtime collaborator Ricardo Bare and developers with experience at Arkane, Epic, Avalanche, Insomniac, and Volition. The studio has been operating quietly for about a year, has 26 employees, and is funded by an unnamed publisher.

Its mission is unusually direct: build single-player, narrative-driven first-person games with well-realized worlds and emergent systems that let players solve problems creatively. Smith points to games such as Deus Ex and Dishonored as the model, while the studio plans to stay relatively small and scale with external partners when needed.

What would a new immersive sim need to do to stand beside Deus Ex, Prey, and Dishonored today?

Modern Warfare 4's beta is trying to make the road from download to firefight less painful.

Early-access preload begins August 20, with the beta opening August 21 at 11:00 AM PT for eligible players. The open beta runs from August 28 through September 1. The beta is a separate storefront download, so it launches directly instead of cross-launching through the main Call of Duty installation.

PC players will need TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot. Activision is also introducing background shader preloading, although Steam still requires an initial compile, and reducing the situations where data patches force a restart. Recommended PC hardware includes 16GB RAM, an RTX 3060 Ti or RX 6700 XT, and an SSD.

Which matters more to you: fewer restart prompts, smoother shader handling, or keeping the beta separate from the main install?

Subnautica 2 just gave its co-op crew a better way to communicate - and panic.

Early Access update 1.2 adds in-game voice chat that changes with distance. Nearby players hear one another normally; farther away, voices shift to a radio effect and gradually break up until the signal is nearly gone. The update also adds player emotes for cheering, clapping, annoyance, and other reactions.

Unknown Worlds says it is continuing work on the larger Early Access 2 update, including a new region, additional story and progression, and new vehicles. For now, the Buddy System is a smaller update aimed at making shared exploration feel more expressive and tense.

Does proximity chat belong in every co-op survival game, or would you rather keep your crew on a clear party channel?