Mafia maker Hangar 13 is returning to the iconic franchise with Mafia: The Old Country, the developer announced during Gamescom on Tuesday.

Check out Polygon’s Gamescom 2024 hub page for all our coverage of the world’s biggest games event.

The short teaser trailer is just over a minute long, and begins with dramatic, still-life shots of paintings and weapons. That’s before the camera pans over to what’s presumably the Italian countryside. There is a chapter in Mafia 2 called The Old Country; it takes place in Sicily, Italy in 1943. However, the majority of the Mafia games are set in fictional versions of American cities.

2K Games said in a news release that Mafia: The Old Country is a story about “the origins of organized crime” in the 1900s. “Fight to survive in this dangerous and unforgiving era, with action brought to life by the authentic realism and rich storytelling that the critically acclaimed Mafia series is known for,” 2K wrote.

The first game of the franchise, Mafia, was released in 2002 by Illusion Softworks, followed by Mafia 2 in 2010 from 2K Czech, and Mafia 3 in 2016 from Hangar 13. There have also been several expansion packs, mobile spinoffs, and remastered editions. Most recently, Hangar 13 released Mafia: Definitive Edition, which is a remake of the original game set in Lost Heaven, Illinois, in the 1930s. 2K Games said in a news release that the Mafia franchise has sold more than 34 million copies on console and PC.

Mafia: The Old Country is coming in 2025 for PlayStation 5, Windows PC via Steam, and Xbox Series X. More information will be revealed in December 2024.

Dungeon Keeper and Fable creator Peter Molyneux appeared on stage at Gamescom Tuesday to announce Masters of Albion — “an open-world god game full of combat, choices, mystery, and story,” he said.

Molyneux said he’s getting the old team back together to create Masters of Albion, including folks who helped create Dungeon Keeper, Black & White, and the Fable series. The team is just 20 people. “After messing around on mobile — what the hell was I doing? — I thought to myself, ‘I need to come home to PC and console,’” Molyneux said ahead of the debut.

Masters of Albion is set in Albion, which is a setting in the Fable series, but also another word for Great Britain — so that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s set in the Fable universe. The trailer shows a small village that’s alive with people, controlled and designed by a big floating hand. You can play in the game’s build mode, but you’re also able to take control of world’s characters to play in a third-person mode to defend from monsters.

Though this is the first look at Masters of Albion, Molyneux actually teased the game in October 2023: “This may be a decision I live to regret, but I am starting regular blog about the crazy way I design games; namely a new game set in the land of Albion called MOAT.”

Molyneux is notorious for talking up his games, promising things that don’t live up to expectations. He spoke to writer Simon Parkin on the My Perfect Console podcast and said he had “enormous regret for it.”

“And when I used to go back after interviews, a lot of the team members would say ‘Peter, we didn’t know that we’re going to have this feature in the game’ until they read it in the press,” Molyneux told Parkin. Molyneux did not promise much within the Masters of Albion preview, just that the team is dedicated to building something “new, unique, and different.”

Don’t Nod, creators of Life is Strange, announced Tuesday at Gamescom Opening Night Live that Lost Records: Bloom & Rage will be released in two parts — called tapes — on Feb. 18, 2025 and March 18, 2025, respectively, on PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X.

Check out Polygon’s Gamescom 2024 hub page for all our coverage of the world’s biggest games event.

The independent developer shared the first gameplay trailer during the event, following the announcement back in 2023. Bloom & Rage is about four teenage girls in a punk band, set in both 1995 and 2022. Like Life is Strange, the game appears to be focused on relationships and narratives between characters, and how those relationships play into the larger, magical realist narrative. Visually, it looks a lot like Life is Strange, too.

“Navigate between dual timelines and shape both narratives – in 1995 and 2022 – with each offering a piece of the larger puzzle: the life-changing secrets they uncovered back then and why they’re reuniting now, after all these years,” Don’t Nod wrote on its website. “Together, in this place, they’re forced to try and remember clearly the fateful memories that have eluded them for the past 27 years.”

The trailer shown Tuesday includes a bit of the gameplay, including a camcorder to film what your friends are up to. There’s a lot of classic coming-of-age shots in the trailer, including the naming of the girls’ band, Bloom & Rage. But that’s where things get weird: Purple lights flicker in 1995, signaling something’s amiss, before cutting to 2022, where something (in a mysterious box) about their past has come back to haunt them.

Bloom & Rage was first announced at The Game Awards in 2023 with an expected release date in late 2024. Don’t Nod narrative director Luc Baghadoust wrote on the Xbox Wire in 2023 that Bloom & Rage is the first game in what will be the Lost Records universe.

Gearbox Software and 2K Games announced that Borderlands 4 will be released in 2025. It’s Geoff Keighley’s first big ol’ world premiere at Gamescom’s Opening Night Live on Tuesday.

Check out Polygon’s Gamescom 2024 hub page for all our coverage of the world’s biggest games event.

The one-minute, 29-second teaser trailer is quite vague, first showing a planet seemingly bursting at its seams with a purple glow, then crashing into a crystallized atmospheric shield. As carnage happens on the ground, the camera zooms into a fiery pile — with a robotic hand reaching out to grab an iconic Borderlands mask.

“In this next installment of the definitive looter shooter, players will assume the role of a legendary Vault Hunter as they blast their way through hordes of enemies in search of new treasures to loot on an all-new planet,” Gearbox wrote in the YouTube trailer’s description.

When it’s released in 2025, Borderlands 4 will come to PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X.

Borderlands 4 will be the latest mainline game since Borderlands 3 in 2019 — but two spinoffs, Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands and New Tales from the Borderlands were released in 2022. Notably, the Borderlands movie — called Borderlands — was released in August and landed on “the border between good and bad,” according to Polygon’s review.

Mafia maker Hangar 13 is returning to the iconic franchise with Mafia: The Old Country, the developer announced during Gamescom on Tuesday.

Check out Polygon’s Gamescom 2024 hub page for all our coverage of the world’s biggest games event.

The short teaser trailer is just over a minute long, and begins with dramatic, still-life shots of paintings and weapons. That’s before the camera pans over to what’s presumably the Italian countryside. There is a chapter in Mafia 2 called The Old Country; it takes place in Sicily, Italy in 1943. However, the majority of the Mafia games are set in fictional versions of American cities.

2K Games said in a news release that Mafia: The Old Country is a story about “the origins of organized crime” in the 1900s. “Fight to survive in this dangerous and unforgiving era, with action brought to life by the authentic realism and rich storytelling that the critically acclaimed Mafia series is known for,” 2K wrote.

The first game of the franchise, Mafia, was released in 2002 by Illusion Softworks, followed by Mafia 2 in 2010 from 2K Czech, and Mafia 3 in 2016 from Hangar 13. There have also been several expansion packs, mobile spinoffs, and remastered editions. Most recently, Hangar 13 released Mafia: Definitive Edition, which is a remake of the original game set in Lost Heaven, Illinois, in the 1930s. 2K Games said in a news release that the Mafia franchise has sold more than 34 million copies on console and PC.

Mafia: The Old Country is coming in 2025 for PlayStation 5, Windows PC via Steam, and Xbox Series X. More information will be revealed in December 2024.

Try at your own peril

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Nintendo debuted a new trailer on Monday

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Fast, challenging Metroidvania-style gameplay paired with a heartfelt story

Loss is inevitable, and yet, knowing that makes it no less difficult. Grief is all but guaranteed to touch your life — to touch my life. And, most certainly, it already has. That assuredness — that we’ll all be touched by death — is part of the reason so much art is dedicated to interrogating those feelings. For so long, video games have been one medium that, for all its death, dying, and multiple lives, had not quite unpacked the emotion of grief. There was little reason to: When you die in a video game, you always come back to life. The danger of death amounts to nothing but a few hearts on a screen, a number. Oftentimes, it’s encouraged. The more kills you get, the better. Death is not something to mourn there, but a celebration. But this isn’t a universal truth across all games. More and more video games are exploring what it means to lose — no longer just a level, but the more tangible, life-altering loss. It’s games like Spiritfarer, a “cozy management game about dying,” which is about life after death; What Remains of Edith Finch, about the stories that are left behind; or A Mortician’s Tale, which has you going hands-on with death. You’ll find grief in games, too, that are not explicitly about loss; like I said, it’s inevitable.

Surgent Studios’ Tales of Kenzera: Zau is the latest game about processing grief; in fact, that’s at the very core of the game. Led by House of the Dragon actor Abubakar Salim, the development team at Surgent Studios has not shied away from the topic. When he announced the game at The Game Awards in 2023, Salim said Tales of Kenzera: Zau was a way for him to process his grief in a manner that felt familiar to him, as someone who grew up playing and loving video games. The game is a tribute to his father, who died of cancer in 2013.

Set in a colorful, Afrofuturist world, Tales of Kenzera: Zau begins with a boy grieving the recent death of his father. His father had been sick for a long time, his death anticipated but no less devastating. The boy is not ready to say goodbye, so instead he picks up a book that his father was writing. Inside this book is where the majority of Tales of Kenzera: Zau is set, in a world that mirrors the boy’s own. Grieving the death of his father, a young shaman named Zau makes a deal with Kalunga, the god of death, to bring his father back. Zau must head deep into Kenzera, overrun with lost spirits, to confront three powerful spirits in order to fulfill Kalunga’s request.

Image: Surgent Studios/Electronic Arts

Tales of Kenzera: Zau is a Metroidvania-style game that uses its gameplay to reflect back Zau’s story and grief. Zau enters Kenzera overcome with sadness, singularly focused on bringing back his Baba — he’s resistant to Kalunga’s assistance, even if he struggles without it. His grief is overwhelming, complicated; he processes his feelings, sometimes out loud, as he’s zipping through several different — but interconnected — lands in search of the spirits.

To take on the upset spirits, Zau uses the powers of two of his father’s masks: one that represents the sun, the other the moon. At the outset, the blue moon mask gives Zau a ranged attack, while the yellow sun mask is a melee attack for fighting enemies up close. Like any Metroidvania, Tales of Kenzera: Zau upgrades these abilities as you progress through its platforming. Eventually, Zau will gain the ability to freeze water or enemies, shoot electric spears, swing from hook flowers, and smash through reinforced gates. Beyond platforming, Tales of Kenzera: Zau offers plenty of environmental puzzles — reflections on timing, movement, and placement.

The game’s main path is a linear one that follows its story, but there’s always room for further exploration, as is traditional in a Metroidvania-style game. This is where the genre feels particularly apt for a game about grief; it is not linear, as you’ll often find yourself on what seems to be the wrong path, or lost in cycles and loops. But walking these meandering trails is often important in processing grief, even for Zau: Dead ends are often spaces for him to reflect or rest, which gives him extra health or uncovers little story bits. Not to mention, the world of Tales of Kenzera: Zau is absolutely gorgeous, despite that destruction and treachery abound. Each of the areas is distinct: lush greens in treetop jungles; browns and yellows for bone-crushing deserts; blues and purples for the underground depths. There’s emotion and life teeming in each environment, with music that matches its soul — and enhances its danger. It’s a beautiful visual re-creation of the Bantu myths and legends that are central in the game’s storytelling.

With each new ability, Tales of Kenzera: Zau becomes increasingly difficult. The platforming puzzles build on themselves within each of the game’s four chapters, and enemies grow more powerful, too. There’s also an upgrade tree to make Zau’s skills more powerful, as well as unlockable challenge runes that go even further. (The runes are nice to have, but not essential; for example, one will recharge your abilities the more you juggle enemies.) It all becomes a bit chaotic, but in the best way. Tales of Kenzera: Zau’s platforming and enemy battles are challenging in ways that feel rewarding, never punishing. The game’s story makes everything feel hard for a reason, and every win comes with some sort of new realization for Zau or the people he’s met on his way. These realizations don’t always stick with Zau; he might have a revelation about another’s grief, only to proceed headfirst into his own. Grief is messy, and Tales of Kenzera: Zau doesn’t shy away from that.

Image: Surgent Studios/Electronic Arts

Toward the very end of Tales of Kenzera: Zau, there’s a precision- and time-based platforming section that’s painfully difficult. It requires the use of nearly all of Zau’s upgrades and abilities, meaning there’s a lot of juggling buttons and timing. (I also encountered a few bugs that froze Zau in a certain ability, meaning auto-failure as he was consumed by raging fire — a detail that made the hard level even more painful.) During this section, Zau is escaping an erupting volcano after fighting the malevolent GaGorib. As the smoke and lava chase him, Zau must bash through walls, scale walls, dodge obstacles, and perform precise and well-timed platforming moves to survive. The sticking point, for me, was this one wall-breaking thrust timed just right after a hooked swing — I ended up caught by the lava more times than I could count. I never got exactly comfortable with doing it, and every time I broke through felt like a miracle. The section continued on, without a save point, for quite a bit, and after an hour or so, I finally made it through. By that time, I was frustrated and tired, and had a sore thumb. I was mad at the game and also myself. I almost stopped playing. But the feeling of Zau breaking through that last barrier was such a relief, one that felt like a real feat. A relief that made the struggle worth it. Unbeknownst to me, this level is quite close to the end of the game — one of the last major challenges I’d face in Tales of Kenzera: Zau. It’s the perfect time for such a challenge, the culmination of so many messy, complicated feelings both for me and for Zau.

I ended the game in tears as Zau’s story concluded, for I, too, am experiencing grief in my own life — the anticipatory kind, but grief nonetheless. I’m not ready yet to accept that, and I’m not sure that I ever will. But I leave Tales of Kenzera: Zau knowing that relief is possible, however far off it may be.

Tales of Kenzera: Zau will be released April 23 on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X. The game was reviewed on PS5 using a pre-release download code provided by Electronic Arts. Vox Media has affiliate partnerships. These do not influence editorial content, though Vox Media may earn commissions for products purchased via affiliate links. You can find additional information about Polygon’s ethics policy here.

‘Due to ongoing technical issues,’ the 10-year-old game will no longer have online servers

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Fast, challenging Metroidvania-style gameplay paired with a heartfelt story

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The battle over LeBron James’ tattoos has been ongoing since 2017 — and longer with other tattoo artists

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Helloooo, Hephaestus

With the Hades 2 technical test underway, we’re asking this question: How are the Greek gods of the game even hotter than in the original, Hades? Regardless of the answer, there are lots of new characters being added to the franchise’s lore, like Hephaestus, the god of the forge. Hephaestus is special because he plays a role in most other gods’ stories — he’s the one who crafted their powerful weapons, like Athena’s spear or Zeus’ lightning bolt. He’s also one of the few Greek gods who isn’t “perfect;” it’s said he was thrown from Mt. Olympus because of his appearance, and he was injured on the fall. He’s often depicted with a disability impacting his legs.

His design in Hades 2 takes this backstory into account: In Hades 2, Hephaestus is hot, fat, and disabled — something the community is celebrating. Hades, while praised for its character design, wasn’t especially known for its body diversity. Most, if not all, of the characters are depicted with thin bodies. The only fat bodies in Hades were of enemies, like the Wretched Louts, described in the Hades Codex as entities that have been “reduced to merely their most base of negative impulses.”

Hephaestus made a brief appearance in the Hades 2 technical test livestream on Wednesday, where he offers up his boons. He’s portrayed with lucious, long hair tied into a half-bun, holding a mallet or axe of some sort. Hephaestus has a prosthetic leg that’s decorated with similar iconography as his arm tattoos, and he’s using a wheelchair. Though he looks tough and sounds a little grumpy, his eyes show a different side: The expression on his face is sweet, soft — like he cares. Simply put, he’s hot.

Supergiant Games creative director Greg Kasavin told Polygon that the portrayal of Hephaestus and other characters is intended to “stay true to the spirit” of Greek mythology. “With each of our character designs, we’re always looking to stay true to the spirit of the classical mythology that inspired this game, as well as thinking about each character’s specific role in the story,” Kasavin told Polygon via email. “We’re excited for everyone to get to know all the new and returning characters soon enough!”

It’ll be interesting to see how his Greek backstory plays into how he interacts with other gods; because of his disability, he was often mistreated by the other gods. The Hades 2 technical test is limited to a small portion of the game, but players will likely see more of Hephaestus and the Hades 2 story when the game comes to early access soon.

This will be the largest video game union in the country yet

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There are three correct answers

During a recent Polygon meeting, I realized something: I have no idea how to pronounce Balatro, the name of developer LocalThunk’s incredible roguelite poker game that’s occupied every one of my evenings since it was released. None of my colleagues knew the answer, either, so I did what any reporter would do. I sent an email to ask.

Balatro is not only the name of the game, but it’s also the Latin word for a professional jester or buffoon. (If you don’t know about Balatro, which has grossed more than $1 million within mere hours of its release, here’s a quick explanation: You’re looking to make increasingly high scores by playing poker hands, improving your deck between each round by buying and upgrading cards. Joker cards can be purchased or unlocked to bend the rules of poker even further.)

The easy answer for how to pronounce Balatro is by looking to the pronunciation of the Latin word, which is (/ˈbɑːlɑːtroʊ/ BAH-lah-troh), according to Wikipedia. For reference, I have been pronouncing it ball-troh, because I didn’t realize the Ace of Spades card in the logo stood in for an actual A. But when I did see the word spelled in regular text, I started calling it ball-uh-troh. There were a couple minor variations on the Latin pronunciation during the Polygon meeting where this question arose, including the correct Latin way.

But it turns out, we’re all right. A representative from PlayStack, the publisher of Balatro, said that there are three ways to look at this.

The first is from the developer, LocalThunk, who said he doesn’t actually know either — “whatever makes people happy.” The second answer is the Latin pronunciation, which we already know is BAH-lah-troh. The third way, the representative said, comes from Latin teachers: “As long as you pronounce it with confidence, it is correct!”

There you have it! We’re all free to say Balatro in any way we’d like.

Craft a fishing rod and get catchin’

Lego Fortnite is getting a fishing minigame. With the Gone Fishin’ update, v28.30, Lego Fortnite players will be able to craft a fishing rod and get to catching fishies. Lego Fortnite, for those who don’t know, isn’t really Fortnite at all — it’s a survival crafting game à la Minecraft, but using Lego bricks and minifigs.

The Gone Fishin’ update is expected to go live on Feb. 22, alongside Fortnite’s Lady Gaga event. Here’s how fishing will work: Players will craft one of four fishing rods and cast off into bodies of water. Depending on the biome’s water, the weather, and the time of day, you’ll find different fish, some of which have Legendary, rare versions. Eventually, Lego Fortnite will have a way to display the Legendary fish, so hang onto those, Epic Games said in its patch notes.

Here’s the full list of fish:

• Orange Flopper
• Blue Flopper
• Green Flopper
• Vendetta Flopper
• Black and Blue Shield Fish
• Purple Thermal Fish
• Raven Thermal Fish
• Silver Thermal Fish
• Blue Slurp Fish
• Purple Slurp Fish
• Yellow Slurp Fish
• Blue Small Fry
• Cuddle Jelly Fish
• Slurp Jelly Fish
• Molten Spicy Fish

Image: Epic Games

Made out of Lego bricks, the fish are actually very cute. In the patch notes, Epic Games shared four Lego fish: a pink jellyfish, an Orange Flopper, the Black and Blue Shield Fish, and (maybe) the Blue Slurp Fish.

You can make a fishing pole at crafting benches, while you’ll need a food processor and juicer to make a bait bucket. (Don’t use the same juicer on your own juice recipes, please. Ew.) Both items are available in four rarity tiers: common, uncommon, rare, and epic. The recipes unlock when you add certain items to your inventory. Polygon will have a full rundown on the recipes and processes shortly after the Gone Fishin’ update rolls out, as part of our Lego Fortnite guides.

With Gone Fishin’, Lego Fortnite is getting another potential villager in Turk, a skin that’s been available in Fortnite, as well as Outcast and Bob. (You can fish in Fortnite, too.)

Beyond fishing, Epic Games is adding a couple other resources to Lego Fortnite, like a shovel to dig up sand, which can then be used to craft glass. Using glass, you’ll be able to craft a Spyglass to see long distances, or a Compass to add navigation markers to your map. Crafting an Advanced Compass adds navigation markers and map markers.

You can read the full patch notes, which include a bunch of improvements and fixes, on the Epic Games website.

People have been ‘squatting’ servers to avoid long wait times

Helldivers 2’s launch has been so successful that players are reporting long queue times to even get into the game; it peaked at 457,649 players on Steam alone. But while developer Arrowhead Game Studios has been working on upgrading the Helldivers 2 servers, players have been “squatting” in-game to avoid the lines — i.e., players are keeping their game running while they’re not playing. It’s a move that’s caused frustration with other players who are booting up normally and waiting for their turn.

Arrowhead is looking to address this, however. CEO Johan Pilestedt posted to X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday to say the team is working on a patch that would include a way to kick AFK squatters. “Team is working on it,” he said. “Will probably be in next patch.”

No word on when the next patch is expected to be released. Helldivers 2 did get a patch on Tuesday, though, which addressed matchmaking issues and fixed some bugs, all while prepping the game for updated servers. Arrowhead release manager Max Calberg said in the patch notes published to Steam that the team is working on several known issues, like “login rate limiting,” server disconnections, and delayed rewards.

Pilestedt and the Arrowhead team have been unusually forthcoming about the Helldivers 2 launch as they work to upgrade the game’s servers — a feat that requires much more work than just tacking on some more. Pilestedt thanked the Arrowhead backend engineers on Helldivers 2 — a group of four people — for “5x-ing the max of what they designed for in one week,” and now looking to push that further. “I don’t think you understand what a massive feat this is,” Pilestedt said on X. “It’s like tuning a vespa to compete in F1.”

It was found in a Pennsylvania Goodwill

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Craft a fishing rod and get catchin’

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Here’s how

Helldivers 2 has had one heck of a time since it was released on Feb. 8, and it’s easy to see why: The third-person shooter is both hilarious and explosively fun. It’s also filled with little moments that add up to one special experience. One example of Helldivers 2’s attention to detail is in its emotes. There are plenty of two-person emotes that emphasize the cooperative experience, including one that lets you play Rock, Paper, Scissors.

The Rock, Paper, Scissors emote is available as part of the Warbonds acquisitions menu, which is basically a battle pass. This particular emote is on page eight, and you’ve got to unlock a ton of stuff to reach it. It costs 50 medals once you get there, but you’ve got to spend hundreds to get that far. Helldivers 2 lets you earn medals by completing missions, so get to it.

Once you’ve acquired the emote, just use it while another player is around — otherwise you’ll be playing alone. On Windows PC, the default emote button is B; on a PlayStation 5 controller, it’s the left button on the D-pad. (You can change which emotes are selected in the Armory.) Just one player needs to have the Rock, Paper, Scissors emote to play. The second player will just have to interact with the original player using the emote. Both players can choose which move to make (rock, paper, or scissors) using the D-pad or arrow keys.

Helldivers 2 has a couple more joint emotes beyond the Rock, Paper, Scissors one. Most importantly, you can hug your pals.

But it’s more than just smooching

Larian Studios has its priorities straight. It’s newly published patch improves a fan-favorite activity in Baldur’s Gate 3: kissing. Baldur’s Gate 3 already had a bevy of potential lovers — like everyone’s favorite, Shadowheart — and offered plenty of opportunities for kissing. It’s important! But the studio’s been hyping up improved smooches for days now, and on Friday, players got a look at what that actually means.

The short of it: No more generic kisses! All characters have their own unique kissing animations, Larian said in its published patch notes. “These kisses are randomised and vary from the incredibly romantic to… uh, a little more intense,” Larian wrote. “Kisses have also been improved for shorter and taller body types, so embrace without delay.”

Larian published two examples of the kisses — one passionate, and one tender and sweet.

Image: Larian Studios

Image: Larian Studios

Beyond kissing, Larian said its improved endgame cinematics “to better reflect the connection between players and their partners.”

But look, there’s more to the patch than just love. Baldur’s Gate 3’s patch 6 is absolutely massive. (You might even have to remove the game and reinstall to save space — it comes it at around 20GB and requires roughly 150GB of free space.) Even the patch notes come in at novel-length. Running down the highlights, Larian has improved and added camp animations for companions, so folks won’t just stand around. (The notes also warn against interrupting Shadowheart’s spear-polishing sessions.) Elsewhere in camp, the studio’s added the ability more quickly replace companions: “You’ll now be able to dismiss a party member while speaking to the party member you want to replace them with - so no more going back and forth like a Machiavellian party planner!”

The list of improvements and fixes is where things get dense. There’s a lot to get through! Larian said it fixed a “deluge” of issues reported by players. That’s stuff like fixing Shield Bash, new Legendary boss actions in Honour Mode, and ensuring your avatar is the main character when speaking to party members.

You’ll want to head over to the Baldur’s Gate 3 website for the full patch notes, but here are the highlights from Larian (who also warned about spoilers, if you’re sensitive to that).

• You can now dismiss a recruited companion from your party while speaking to the companion you want to replace them with.
• When a dialogue triggers automatically, the game will now try to prioritise your avatar character as the main speaker.
• Your partner now has a few different kisses! They’re brand new, unique, and randomised - and we’ve also made improvements to how kisses look across the board, particularly for taller and shorter body types.
• Improved the cinematic scenes in the Elfsong Tavern to feel more intimate when you and your romance partner decide your future together after defeating the Netherbrain.
• Reworked the reflection scenes that take place after wrapping up the defeat of the Netherbrain for characters without romantic partners to better match the scenes for those who do have romantic partners, and to bridge the gap into the epilogue.
• Added a new cinematic scene to support the combat encounter that occurs after you choose whether to side with Nightsong at Sorcerous Sundries or not.
• If you sit on the stool in Shadowheart’s camp corner, she will now react to you with a line based on your relation with her.
• Added new idle animations for some companions at camp, including:

Lae’zel: Studying a githyanki disc.

Minthara: Contemplating a skull, tending to mushrooms, expressing violence, adjusting her armour, plotting her future, and being bothered by the sun.

Jaheira: Sitting, kneeling and whispering to a rat messenger, and whittling.

Minsc: Cooking and shaving his head. (These are two separate animations. Although we wouldn’t put it past him, he’s not, in fact, cooking his head.)

Shadowheart: Polishing the Spear of Night.

Halsin: Whittling.

• If you started your game on a set difficulty, you can now switch to Custom Mode (except when already playing Honour Mode).
• Fixed an issue that would prevent travel between acts.
• Fixed an issue causing quicksaves to fail to upload to cross-saves.
• Characters in the epilogue camp party will now have fitting titles below their names.
• Fixed the Shield Bash and Rebuke of the Mighty passives not triggering Saving Throws.
• Added light bar colours for the DualSense controller on PC.
• If you romanced Lae’zel, grab a red dragon and saddle up - you can now join her in the rebellion against Vlaakith, even if you are not gith yourself.
• Fixed graphic settings not being applied for some 4k monitors.
• Fixed a crash on Xbox that would sometimes occur when starting or ending a game.

The Baldur’s Gate 3 patch is available Friday on PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X. Mac players have to wait a little bit longer — but there’s no timeline available.