Two days after Roblox introduced a new age verification process across all platforms, the results are creating problems for many users.

On Jan. 7, Roblox made "facial age checks" a requirement to chat on the game, requiring you to use a camera and scan your face to use any chat feature. It will then give you an age estimate based on what it sees, shaping your chat experience and defining who you can and cannot interact with.

One of the problems with the feature, at least at the outset, is that it seems to come to incorrect conclusions. In many cases, it's overestimating the age of children and then placing them into a bracket where they can chat with users deemed older than them.

"As the first large online gaming platform to require facial age checks for users of all ages to access chat, this implementation is our next step toward what we believe will be the gold standard for communication safety," Roblox said on Jan. 7. "It enables age-based chat, which promotes a positive, age-appropriate experience for all users globally, and limits communication between adults and children younger than 16."

Roblox said that "tens of millions of daily active users" completed an age check as the feature was rolled out in Australia, New Zealand, and the Netherlands in early December before being widely implemented this week. But the results since then are quite spotty.

One mother from the US told me that the game estimated her 10-year-old daughter was 16 years old. The new facial age check will overwrite whatever actual age the parent entered in the first place, and the information can only be corrected by then scanning some form of identification.

"Even if [my child] had an ID, I wouldn’t scan hers into their system to correct it," she told me. "The age verification process often resulting in young kids being placed in older age groups defeats the purpose of trying to keep them safe online."

And if you encounter similar errors or misidentification and want to try to correct the error via Roblox support, it then requires appealing through layers of AI agents before ever reaching a human who can fix it.

"I (37) like to play Roblox with my son (10) pretty frequently," another Reddit post said. "I just age-verified both our accounts and now I can't even chat to my own child in-game? Why the frick are Trusted Connections only available for 13-plus? We spend so much on this game over the years and now it takes away my ability to talk to my own child?"

Roblox has come under heavy scrutiny over the past few years for being a "breeding ground for predators," according to the Florida attorney general, among several similar probes. Last month, the game was completely blocked in Russia for "LGBT propaganda."

These new security measures look to be trying to keep children safe from nefarious users, but their implementation so far is leaving a lot to be desired for many, causing frustration for kids and parents alike.

I tried out the facial scan on a new account myself, and it correctly identified me as "21 or older." But the RobloxHelp Reddit page is overflowing with complaints from many who are reporting issues with the tech, which looks to be largely AI-powered.

Destructoid has reached out to Roblox for comment on this story.

Update on Jan. 9 at 1:35pm CT: Roblox has responded to the article stating that "users can appeal their age check not only with ID verification but also parental controls, which allow parents to update their child’s age."

More stories and complaints of facial age check issues have been steadily appearing on Reddit throughout the day.

The post Roblox is now scanning kids’ faces with AI to protect them from predators, and to no one’s surprise, it isn’t working properly appeared first on Destructoid.

Two days after Roblox introduced a new age verification process across all platforms, the results are creating problems for many users.

On Jan. 7, Roblox made "facial age checks" a requirement to chat on the game, requiring you to use a camera and scan your face to use any chat feature. It will then give you an age estimate based on what it sees, shaping your chat experience and defining who you can and cannot interact with.

One of the problems with the feature, at least at the outset, is that it seems to come to incorrect conclusions. In many cases, it's overestimating the age of children and then placing them into a bracket where they can chat with users deemed older than them.

"As the first large online gaming platform to require facial age checks for users of all ages to access chat, this implementation is our next step toward what we believe will be the gold standard for communication safety," Roblox said on Jan. 7. "It enables age-based chat, which promotes a positive, age-appropriate experience for all users globally, and limits communication between adults and children younger than 16."

Roblox said that "tens of millions of daily active users" completed an age check as the feature was rolled out in Australia, New Zealand, and the Netherlands in early December before being widely implemented this week. But the results since then are quite spotty.

One mother from the US told me that the game estimated her 10-year-old daughter was 16 years old. The new facial age check will overwrite whatever actual age the parent entered in the first place, and the information can only be corrected by then scanning some form of identification.

"Even if [my child] had an ID, I wouldn’t scan hers into their system to correct it," she told me. "The age verification process often resulting in young kids being placed in older age groups defeats the purpose of trying to keep them safe online."

And if you encounter similar errors or misidentification and want to try to correct the error via Roblox support, it then requires appealing through layers of AI agents before ever reaching a human who can fix it.

"I (37) like to play Roblox with my son (10) pretty frequently," another Reddit post said. "I just age-verified both our accounts and now I can't even chat to my own child in-game? Why the frick are Trusted Connections only available for 13-plus? We spend so much on this game over the years and now it takes away my ability to talk to my own child?"

Roblox has come under heavy scrutiny over the past few years for being a "breeding ground for predators," according to the Florida attorney general, among several similar probes. Last month, the game was completely blocked in Russia for "LGBT propaganda."

These new security measures look to be trying to keep children safe from nefarious users, but their implementation so far is leaving a lot to be desired for many, causing frustration for kids and parents alike.

I tried out the facial scan on a new account myself, and it correctly identified me as "21 or older." But the RobloxHelp Reddit page is overflowing with complaints from many who are reporting issues with the tech, which looks to be largely AI-powered.

Destructoid has reached out to Roblox for comment on this story.

Update on Jan. 9 at 1:35pm CT: Roblox has responded to the article stating that "users can appeal their age check not only with ID verification but also parental controls, which allow parents to update their child’s age."

More stories and complaints of facial age check issues have been steadily appearing on Reddit throughout the day.

The post Roblox is now scanning kids’ faces with AI to protect them from predators, and to no one’s surprise, it isn’t working properly appeared first on Destructoid.

ARC Raiders' apparent cheater problem has warranted a response from the devs, and it appears that action is coming.

Not one multiplayer game is immune to hackers and cheaters. And in a game like ARC Raiders, where it's all about winning your fights to take home your loot, it's becoming prevalent with numerous hack providers popping up with cheats for things like aimbot, wallhack, and speed hacks.

"We’ve seen the discussion around the topic of cheaters in ARC Raiders," Embark Studios community manager Ossen said on the game's Discord. "Please know that we are taking this issue very seriously and are listening to, and acting on your feedback."

The topic of cheaters and hackers ramped up over the holiday season and into the beginning of the year, with streamers complaining about the subject a lot over the past few weeks. Shroud, Ninja, and Nadeshot are just a few who brought attention to the problem.

"Over the next few weeks, we are implementing significant changes to our rulesets and deploying new detection mechanisms to identify and remove cheaters," the studio said. "This includes updating our Anti-Cheat systems for improved detection and bans, as well as applying client-side fixes specifically addressing the 'out of map' glitch."

Embark's CEO Patrick Söderlund mentioned recently that the game will attempt to match you with those who play similarly, meaning if you engage in PvP more often, you will likely find others who do the same. This likely exacerbates the situation, and streamers like Nadeshot have been vocal about their experience of late.

“My experience on ARC Raiders over the last week has been hell,” Nadeshot said in a post on X/Twitter. “Just to be clear, I love this game and think it’s already moved in to my personal top 10 all time. But the egregious amount of cheating genuinely might be worse than peak Call of Duty. I’m not trying to bring negativity to the game because I know this type of dialogue can spread on socials like a disease but I genuinely cannot get through an entire raid without a Steam profile that is level 0 or an account that has multiple game bans and VAC bans on record.”

Embark also mentioned it will be "introducing tools for streamers to help mitigate stream sniping" soon as well, so hopefully, problems like all of the above will come to a head soon.

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Call of Duty: Black Ops 7's first event pass is set to hit this afternoon to coincide with the Season One Reloaded update, and its Fallout TV show theme has players quite excited and impressed with what it offers.

Yes, the premium track of the pass costs 1,100 CoD Points (about $10), but even the free rewards are pretty awesome. Players can unlock a total of 10 items simply by playing the game without putting in any investment.

The free track of the event pass includes two Vault Dweller operator skins, a Vault Boy weapon charm, Vault-Tec weapon camo, and the new Sturmwolf 45 SMG. So, if you're even remotely interested in BO7 at this point, it'll definitely be worth playing to unlock everything.

But the premium track is also quite nice, especially for the price compared to other store bundles that clock in at around $20 or more. It has operators and skins for both The Ghoul and Maximus, three weapon blueprints and other cosmetics. And CoD fans are genuinely digging what they see so far.

"That one is ACTUALLY worth spending the money on the premium track... nice!" said one player on X/Twitter, while another remarked that it's "100 times better than any of the garbage BO6 event passes we had." A lot of the same sentiment can be seen across multiple social media channels.

CoD Points are given as part of the battle pass each season on top of being able to purchase them with real money, so if you play BO7, this seems like about as good a value as you'll find. While many others and I rightfully scoff at the pricing of some bundles (the Lucy MacLean Fallout bundle is not included in any of the freebies or event pass), this event seems like it's worthwhile if you're a CoD player in 2026.

The Fallout collab is also introducing multiple limited-time modes and even a reskin of Nuketown called Vault Town, where the iconic location is decked out in Vault-Tec scenery. But personally, I'm most looking forward to the Zombies mode, where you can fight the Bethesda franchise's terrifying Deathclaws.

I have some CoD Points accrued in my account that I'll probably be using for this event pass, but even if I end up deciding against that, the free rewards will have me in the game for the first time in weeks. Oh, and Fallout season two is currently airing on Prime Video and is quite good, too, so the vibes around everything in this update (at least so far) are positive.

The post CoD players have a lot of praise for Black Ops 7’s Fallout event: ‘Actually worth spending the money on’ appeared first on Destructoid.

The gaming year of 2026 begins in earnest in just a few weeks, Xbox announced today, confirming the date for its first Developer Direct showcase.

While today's New Game+ Showcase will show off many games coming in 2026, Microsoft is bringing out its big guns for the first Developer Direct of 2026, including two of its "big four" for the year: Fable and Forza Horizon 6.

Fable has seemingly been in development for ages, and Forza will always bring in a lot of hype. But for me, the third game of the showcase is the one I'm most interested in learning more about. Beast of Reincarnation, the action RPG first revealed last year, will finally get some more of the spotlight.

Beast of Reincarnation is a new title from Game Freak, a studio synonymous with the Pokémon franchise. But this looks to be something entirely new and different, and I have high hopes for whatever there is to show in a couple of weeks.

"In post-apocalyptic Japan, humanity’s last hope may rest with Emma and her loyal canine companion, Koo," the game's description says. "Explore what it means to be human in Beast of Reincarnation, an expansive one-person, one-dog action RPG built around demanding, technical combat. What awaits at journey’s end?"

Xbox teased that Game Freak will "reveal details of our protagonist Emma’s innovative plant manipulation actions and gameplay with her canine companion," so we should have a more concrete idea of what the game truly is like and about ahead of its launch sometime later this year.

A small peek at the game's gameplay from last year showed a glimpse of action combat and some of the aforementioned flora changes, and it certainly looks gorgeous and potentially full of promise. Add it to the list of 2026 games we can look forward to.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-qZiMPsNz0

The January 2026 Developer Direct takes place on Thursday, Jan. 22 at 12pm CT on all of Xbox's channels.

The post Xbox’s first 2026 showcase will finally show more Fable, plus Forza and one very interesting-looking RPG from former Pokémon devs appeared first on Destructoid.

Welcome back from the CODMAS holiday. Did you get your rest? Good, because it's time to sweat again.

Black Ops 7's newest update, Season One Reloaded, is ready to re-load the game with content across all modes, including multiplayer, Zombies, Endgame, and even Warzone, as Treyarch's live-service season kicks back into gear after the holiday break.

Here's what CoD players can look forward to in January 2026 as part of BO7's Season One Reloaded update's patch notes.

BO7 Season 1 Reloaded patch notes

New weapons

Two new weapons, the Hawker HX sniper rifle (BO2 Ballista) and Sturmwolf 45 SMG (reminiscent of the UMP 45) will be added as event rewards for all players to unlock for free.

The Hawker HX is unlocked in the Quantum Exchange limited time event, while the Sturmwolf 45 is available as part of the Call of Duty x Fallout event pass as a free reward.

New multiplayer content

New weapons need new locations to play in, including some remasters of classic maps.

• Maps
  • Meltdown (BO2 remake)
  • Fringe (BO3 remake)
  • Yakei (new)
  • Vault Town (Fallout-themed Nuketown variant)
• Modes
  • Takeover
    • "Take what’s yours in this highly playable, dynamic objective mode. Two teams of six fight over three neutral territories, earning a point for each zone they control. Highest score at the end wins the game. When all three of the zones are captured, there’s a slight cooldown before all three territories move to a new set of locations within the map."

New Zombies content

Along with the guns, there's new content to play with in Zombies mode.

• Directed Mode: Astra Malorum
• Survival map: Zarya Cosmodrome
• New LTM: Project RADS
  • "Feral Ghouls and Deathclaws invade Ashes of the Damned and Astra Malorum in this Fallout-themed LTM exposing the crew to increased levels of radiation with each passing round. In this mode, the usual means of healing and earning Essence are replaced with a system of drops given by fallen enemies that assist the crew in staying fit, keeping rad levels at bay, and gaining vital resources."

New Endgame content

Additions to the PvE Endgame mode include new world events and a new skill track based on melee attacks.

• World event: Wraith Wing
  • "This advanced Guild aircraft appears to have cloning capabilities with very lethal consequences as this squadron seems hellbent on eliminating as many JSOC Operators as it can. Disable it, fire at the exposed aircraft, and down that bird."
• World event: Deathclaw Hunt
  • "In this Limited Time World Event, a bomb blast reduces a portion of Avalon into a Fallout-inspired wasteland. Head inside the blast zone, if you dare, to brave the toxic air and take on ferocious Deathclaws defended by hordes of Feral Ghouls."
• Skill Track: Phantom
  • Ambush: Critical hits from behind on unaware enemies deal more damage.
  • Fast Melee: Faster Melee speed.
  • Trap Avoidance: Traps and Mines take longer to detect you. Undetectable when fully upgraded.
  • Silent Movement: Quiets movement and reduces enemy detection distance.
  • Elusive Target: Reduces accuracy of enemies shooting at you.
  • Decoy: Taking significant damage deploys an Echo Unit that distracts enemies.

Returning BO6 equipment

A bunch of loadout equipment from Black Ops 6 is making its way into BO7 via this update, including:

• Shock Charge (tactical)
• Impact Grenade (lethal)
• Thermo Grenade (lethal)
• War Machine (scorestreak)
• Archangel Launcher (scorestreak)
• Grim Reaper (scorestreak)
• Death Machine (scorestreak)
• Combat Bow (scorestreak)
• Dreadnought (scorestreak)
• Strategic Bomber (scorestreak)
• Morphine Injector (Field Upgrade)
• Tactical Insertion (Field Upgrade)

Fallout (TV series) collab

The collaboration with the Fallout TV show on Prime Video will include operator skins, an event pass, store bundles, a Nuketown map variant, and more. Operator skins include Lucy MacLean, Maximus, and The Ghoul, but there are also limited time modes in Warzone, Zombies, and multiplayer, too.

New challenges and events

Additional weekly challenges will come every Thursday throughout the end of season one, along with limited-time events where players can unlock much of the free content, like weapons and more.

Warzone updates

Additional updates are coming for Warzone, including weapon balancing and more. But there are also two limited time modes:

• LTM: High Octane
  • "All players deploy into the map with their chosen custom Loadout, so you’re ready to engage the enemy will a full kit of gear right from the start. Scavenge juiced up loot across Verdansk including Gas Masks, Grappling Hooks, and Legendary Weapons. Cash payouts have been greatly increased as well, pairing perfectly with the ability to call up and purchase from the Buy Station interface at any time in the match. Don’t spend it all in one place, as you’ll need some money on hand to activate the automatic self-buyback should you go down."
• LTM: Power Armor Royale
  • "Ready to dominate your foes with the help of some Power Armor? Hold on there, Vault Dweller, you’re gonna have to charge up that Fusion Core first. Every Operator deploys with a Fusion Core, but it’ll take some work to power it up enough to step into the suit. Operators can fill their Fusion Core by looting Fusion Core canisters, earned by completing Contracts, eliminating enemies, opening Supply Boxes, and dealing damage to enemy Power Armor users."

Meanwhile, there's been a slew of weapon balancing changes, including a big buff for the Mid-Range Barrel for BO7 assault rifles. The full list of changes for Warzone in the update can be found here.

---

For all of the BO7-specific bug fixes and changes in multiplayer, Zombies, and Endgame, see here.

The post Black Ops 7 Season 1 Reloaded patch notes – Fallout collab, new guns, new maps, and more appeared first on Destructoid.

Have you ever run into a hacker in ARC Raiders? The biggest multiplayer game of the moment has an issue with cheating, apparently.

I personally haven't found any cheating players. At least, I've never suspected anyone of being a hacker. But my social media timelines lately have been filled with players complaining about facing hackers in the extraction shooter, and the complaints have been getting more frequent of late.

An explanation for this may be that ARC Raiders uses a sort of "aggression-based matchmaking," according to a recent GamesBeat interview with Embark CEO Patrick Söderlund, so the game will match you up with players based on how likely you are to engage with others.

I'm generally a pretty peaceful Raider (unless I am feeling quite devious), moving about the map trying to do my quests or pick up loot for whatever the current goal may be, so I doubt I'd be the kind of player who'd end up running into a cheater. But for those who sweat it up in trios and chase down "goop" with their friends, or other sweaty streamers, it appears that you're more likely to run into others who are hacking or cheating.

Thankfully, ARC Raiders has a mechanic where you will sometimes be given back loot that you lost if you lost to someone who is found to be cheating in some way. Still, though, according to players like Ninja or Nadeshot, the hacking is out of control.

"My experience on ARC Raiders over the last week has been hell," Nadeshot said in a recent lengthy post on X/Twitter. "Just to be clear, I love this game and think it’s already moved in to my personal top 10 all time. But the egregious amount of cheating genuinely might be worse than peak Call of Duty. I’m not trying to bring negativity to the game because I know this type of dialogue can spread on socials like a disease but I genuinely cannot get through an entire raid without a Steam profile that is level 0 or an account that has multiple game bans and VAC bans on record."

Is this just streamers whining to whine, or is there a legit hacker problem in ARC Raiders? According to one commenter on the YouTube video below from Ninja, the content creators are not alone in these specific struggles.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6Klrpu7xmI

"Thank god you're making a video on this," they said. "The game is literally unplayable if you're half decent cause you get queued with hackers at least 1/3 games."

Have you seen any cheaters in your ARC Raiders games? Let me know in the comments below, because I'm curious to see if any issue is as widespread as some are making it out to be, or if it's just a loud minority on socials.

Update on Jan. 7 at 12:45pm CT: Shroud has echoed the sentiments of other streamers, saying the hacking situation is "really really bad" and opining he may take a break until something is fixed.

https://twitter.com/JakeSucky/status/2008969384073810136

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I generally don't like discussions surrounding daily active player counts, but the dev of one struggling title has responded to "recent Steam charts conversations," so here we are.

Remember Splitgate 2? It was released last year and made 2025 one to forget for those involved after making headlines for several unfortunate reasons. First, the game's studio's CEO appeared on stage at Summer Game Fest in June with a "Make FPS Great Again" hat and later apologized for it, attempting to also drum up hype for its 1.0 launch.

https://twitter.com/Splitgate/status/2008619575978479982

Not long after, on July 22, the studio announced that it was rolling Splitgate 2 back into its beta phase after a round of layoffs, and brought the game offline as the remaining team went "heads down" on rebuilding it.

And now, after re-launching on Dec. 17 as Splitgate: Arena Reloaded, things are looking bleak. According to Steam Charts, the game peaked at just over 2,200 players on the platform and has dropped to just under 1,000 concurrents at any given time since.

And so, today, 1047 Games put out a new statement, remarking that "Steam Charts don't measure fun." And sure, I agree, but given the game's track record, it's just not looking all that positive at the minute. Still, the studio persists.

"[Steam Charts] show one number, on one platform, at one given moment," the statement on Twitter/X said. "They don't show the full picture or what it feels like to actually play, and they definitely don't capture the community that's actively helping shape what Arena Reloaded is becoming (including upcoming content like Arena Royale). Over the past six months, we rebuilt Splitgate from the ground up because we believe in the game, our team, and our community. The 1047 team remains committed to delivering the best version of Splitgate possible."

I personally hadn't seen any discussion surrounding the game's Steam charts, but then again, I didn't really see any discussion about the game at all since last month, so I suppose the statement is doing its job in garnering some attention.

Splitgate 2 topped out at over 25,000 players on Steam during its launch last June, and while I do agree that player count stuff is overblown, and the discussion around it is annoying, it's hard to feel positive about its future.

I wish the team luck in bringing in the players and revenue it needs to keep the game going.

The post Splitgate devs say ‘Steam charts don’t measure fun’ as less than 1,000 daily players log on for its re-launch effort appeared first on Destructoid.

Is a new remaster of an all-time classic Fallout game just a few weeks away? Probably not, but that's not stopping some from clinging to a dream.

I'm all for baseless speculation, hopium, and copium (Bloodborne 2 is real), but there's actually at least some reason to believe a big announcement for Fallout is coming within the next few weeks. And it's all thanks to season two of the Fallout show on Prime Video.

I'm actually a few episodes behind on this season, so I've been avoiding discussing it, but gamers online have been quick to point out that the website for the show currently has a countdown running, and it's a mystery what lies at its end.

The countdown, shown above in the top right of the image, ends right about when the season two finale arrives on Feb. 4. But we know that it's coming, as all episodes for the season along with their titles and air dates have been announced. Why would it need a countdown? This must mean that something else is coming, surely, and people like me and some others are starting to convince ourselves it's a long-awaited and rumored Fallout 3 remaster.

And you know what? I'm in. Screw it. It's early January, the game releases are slow to start out the year (as always), and I am once again choosing the hype. I blame Bethesda, too, because the company literally just shadow-dropped a long-awaited remaster last year with The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, so why not? Let's do it.

Fallout season two is currently taking place in New Vegas, so it's also entirely possible that that game could be the one getting the treatment. Personally, I'm partial to Fallout 3 as it was my first title in the series and my favorite thus far. But imagine if it's somehow both 3 and New Vegas at the same time? Okay, let's not get ahead of ourselves, but it is fun to dream.

Based back in reality now for a second, I realize this is probably not what's going to happen. At least not yet. I don't know what the countdown will end with, but I want to get absolutely merked by Super Mutants with the Washington Monument in view again, so I'm huffing the hopium, and I hope you all join me.

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Rainbow Six Siege X has apparently been breached again (see what I did there?) following a previous hack that took place over the holidays, with players reporting unwarranted and lengthy bans from it.

On Dec. 27, the free-to-play FPS was taken over in a massive server breach that saw the hackers reward players with billions of paid currency for free, along with spamming the in-game messaging system. The game had to be taken down to fix the issue, but now, it appears to be suffering some similar issues from hackers who are memeing once more.

This time, the hackers are issuing 67-day bans to players. Yeah, it's the annoying six-seven meme again, following us into 2026 because nothing is sacred anymore. Players began to post about the bans yesterday, and the issue has continued into the new week, causing some serious concern.

Ubisoft's server status page for the game shows "some issues" that are "being investigated," including Connectivity listed as "Degraded" while Authentication, In-Game Store, and Matchmaking are listed with an "Outage" across all of the game's platforms. Yikes.

So far, there has been no update from Ubisoft's support account nor the official accounts for the game, but the issues with the servers appear to be related to whatever is happening now with the hack. And judging by how the company addressed the last issue from December, which included bringing the game offline to fix the problems, it appears to be another breach.

December's hack was allegedly a diversion to steal info from the publisher, so if this is yet another breach that's affecting the game and its players so quickly after, there may be some big repercussions behind the scenes.

For now, I'd say maybe take a break from the title for a while until its security is improved, because two substantial breaches in the course of a couple weeks is pretty scary.

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It's no secret to any gamer in the know these days how fun and popular ARC Raiders has become, but some new numbers to back up that fact today surprised even me.

Before I could finish wiping the crust from my eyes after my winter break (it was restful other than a pesky head cold, but I thankfully avoided the game's frostbite mechanic), Alinea Analytics posted a new report on just how big ARC Raiders has become, and how it doesn't seem to be slowing down.

Alinea's head of market analysis, Rhys Elliot, posted the image above to showcase that the company estimates that ARC Raiders has sold over 12 million copies across Steam, Xbox, and PS5 in just over two months since it launched. Not only that, but the game reached a new record for daily active users just yesterday, Jan. 4, with over 3.2 million players across all platforms.

The company estimates that ARC Raiders has generated over $350 million in revenue, but it's unclear if that includes in-game microtransactions or not. Either way, the extraction shooter has been a huge success for Embark Studios, and what feels like one of the biggest new IP in quite some time.

Elliott remarked that "daily copies sold started to stabilize by early December, but a well-timed 20 percent discount across all platforms – and the holiday boost – reversed that." And so now, heading into 2026, gamers everywhere are waiting to see what's next to pop up on the roadmap for the live-service title.

After last month's Cold Snap update, the team at Embark likely headed home for some well-deserved rest, but players thirsty for more missions, weapons, ARC enemies, and potentially new maps are holding on to see when and what to expect from the title that's been captivating multiplayer gamers since it dropped in October.

Are you still enjoying your time in ARC Raiders? I took a hiatus from gaming over the vacation (something much-needed in this lucky profession of mine), but I've heard calls to join topside expeditions from my casual gaming friends, and that's how I really know how big this title has become.

The post Newest ARC Raiders sales numbers illustrate its staggering popularity, and it somehow only got bigger throughout the holidays appeared first on Destructoid.

There are simply too many good games coming out all the time these days to play everything, but dang it, I will try.

The calendar year of 2026 has plenty of big titles to look forward to, including Grand Theft Auto 6 in November (please, please, please, no more delays) and many others. The year starts strongly with titles like Resident Evil Requiem and 007 First Light, so it's sure to be another good campaign for gamers.

Lock in for another great year of gaming and check the list below to see what is coming out and when.

2026 upcoming video game release dates

This is looking to be a very big year for games. Many upcoming titles have release windows but no concrete date yet (such as Marvel's Wolverine due in fall 2026), and so once those days are locked down, our list will be updated.

January 2026 game releases

• Jan. 5 - DuneCrawl (PC)
• Jan. 7 - Fairy Tail: Dungeons (Switch)
• Jan. 8 - I Am Future (Switch, PS5, XSX)
• Jan. 9 - Pathologic 3 (PC)
• Jan. 10 - Code Violet (PS5)
• Jan. 12 - Quarantine Zone: The Last Check (PC)
• Jan. 13 - Hytale (PC)
• Jan. 13 - Temirana: The Lucky Princess and the Tragic Knights (Switch)
• Jan. 15 - Animal Crossing: New Horizons - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition (Switch 2)
• Jan. 15 - Cassette Boy (PC, Switch, PS5, PS5, XB1, XSX)
• Jan. 15 - The Legend of Heroes: Trails Beyond the Horizon (PC, Switch, Switch 2, PS4, PS5)
• Jan. 16 - BrokenLore: Unfollow (PC, PS5, XSX)
• Jan. 20 - Mio: Memories in Orbit (PC, Switch 2, PS5, XSX)
• Jan. 20 - 2XKO (PS5, XSX)
• Jan. 22 - Cult of the Lamb: Woolhaven (PC, Switch, PS4, PS5, XB1, XSX)
• Jan. 22 - Dynasty Warriors: Origins (Switch 2)
• Jan. 22 - Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade (Switch 2, XSX)
• Jan. 22 - Hermit and Pig (PC)
• Jan. 22 - SEGA Football Club Champions 2026 (PC, PS4, PS5, iOS, Android)
• Jan. 26 - Highguard (PC, PS5, XSX)
• Jan. 23 - Escape from Ever After (PC, Switch, PS5, PS5, XB1, XSX)
• Jan. 28 - Core Keeper: Nintendo Switch 2 Edition (Switch 2)
• Jan. 28 - The Seven Deadly Sins: Origin (PC, PS5, iOS, Android)
• Jan. 28 - Steel Century Groove (PC)
• Jan. 29 - Cairn (PC, PS5)
• Jan. 29 - Card-en-Ciel: Nintendo Switch 2 Edition (Switch 2)
• Jan. 29 - Chrono Ark Deluxe Edition (Switch)
• Jan. 29 - City Tales: Medieval Era (PC)
• Jan. 29 - Dark Auction (PC, Switch, PS5)
• Jan. 29 - Don't Stop, Girlypop! (PC)
• Jan. 29 - Dusk Index: Gion (PC, Switch, PS5, XSX)
• Jan. 29 - I Hate This Place (PC, Switch, PS5, XSX)

February 2026 game releases

• Feb. 1 - Starsand Island (PC, Switch 2, PS5, XSX)
• Feb. 5 - Deus Ex Remastered (PC, Switch, PS, XSX)
• Feb. 5 - Dragon Quest VII Reimagined (PC, Switch, PS5, XSX)
• Feb. 6 - My Hero Academia: All's Justice (PC, PS5, XSX)
• Feb. 6 - Nioh 3 (PC, PS5)
• Feb. 6 - PGA Tour 2K25 (Switch 2)
• Feb. 10 - Mewgenics (PC)
• Feb. 11 - Lost & Found Co. (PC)
• Feb. 11 - Romeo is a Dead Man (PC, PS5, XSX)
• Feb. 12 - Mario Tennis Fever (Switch 2)
• Feb. 12 - BlazBlue Entropy Effect X (Switch, PS5, XSX)
• Feb. 12 - Cash Cleaner Simulator (PS5, XSX)
• Feb. 12 - ChromaGun 2: Dye Hard (PC, Switch 2, PS5, XSX)
• Feb. 12 - Ride 6 (PC, PS5, XSX)
• Feb. 12 - Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties (PC, Switch 2, PS4, PS5, XSX)
• Feb. 13 - REANIMAL (PC, Switch 2, PS5, XSX)
• Feb. 13 - High On Life 2 (PC, PS5, XSX)
• Feb. 13 - Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma (PS5, XSX)
• Feb. 17 - Calamity Angels: Special Delivery (Switch, PS4, PS5)
• Feb. 19 - Death Howl (Switch, PS5, XSX)
• Feb. 19 - Death Match Love Comedy (PC, Switch, PS5, PS5, XB1, XSX)
• Feb. 19 - Gear Club Unlimited 3 (Switch 2)
• Feb. 19 - Showgunners (PS4, PS5, XB1, XSX)
• Feb. 19 - Styx: Blades of Greed (PC, PS5, XSX)
• Feb. 19 - WiZmans World Re;Try (PC, Switch, PS4, PS5)
• Feb. 20 - Ys X: Proud Nordics (PC, Switch 2, PS5)
• Feb. 24 - Tides of Tomorrow (PC, PS5, XSX)
• Feb. 26 - City Hunter (PS, Switch, Switch 2, PS5, XSX)
• Feb. 26 - Maid Cafe on Electric Street (Switch)
• Feb. 26 - No Sleep for Kaname Date – From AI: The Somnium Files (PS4, PS5, XSX)
• Feb. 26 - Path of Mystery: A Brush with Death (Switch)
• Feb. 26 - Raiden Fighters Remix Collection (Switch, PS4, PS5)
• Feb. 26 - Tokyo Xtreme Racer (PS5)
• Feb. 27 - Resident Evil Requiem (PC, Switch 2, PS5, XSX)
• Feb. 27 - Resident Evil 7: Biohazard Gold Edition (Switch 2)
• Feb. 27 - Resident Evil Village Gold Edition (Switch 2)
• Feb. 27 - Tales of Berseria Remastered (PC, Switch, PS5, XSX)

March 2026 game releases

• March 5 - Pokémon Pokopia (Switch 2)
• March 5 - Never Grave: The Witch and The Curse (PC, Switch, PS4, PS5, XSX)
• March 5 - Coffee Talk Tokyo (PC, Switch, PS5, XSX)
• March 12 - John Carpenter's Toxic Commando (PC, PS5, XSX)
• March 12 - Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly Remake (PC, Switch 2, PS5, XSX)
• March 12 - Solasta II (PC)
• March 12 - Replaced (PC, XSX)
• March 12 - RoadOut (PC, Switch, PS5, XSX)
• March 12 - R-Type Tactics I-II Cosmos (PC, Switch, Switch 2, PS4, PS5, XSX)
• March 13 - Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection (PC, Switch 2, PS5, XSX)
• March 19 - Crimson Desert (PC, Mac, PS5, XSX)
• March 19 - Mouse: P.I. For Hire (PC, Switch, PS4, PS5, XB1, XSX)
• March 19 - Dynasty Warriors 3: Complete Edition Remastered (PC, Switch, Switch 2, PS5, XSX)
• March 19 - Psyvariar 3 (PC, Switch, Switch 2, PS5, XSX)
• March 19 - Rushing Beat X: Return of Brawl Brothers (PC, Switch, PS5, XSX)
• March 19 - Virtual Ties: Isekaijoucho Musoukyoku (PC, Switch, PS4)
• March 20 - Ghost Master: Resurrection (PC, Switch, PS5, XSX)
• March 24 - Ariana and the Elder Codex (Switch, PS4, PS5)
• March 26 - Screamer (PC, PS5, XSX)
• March 26 - Copa City (PC, PS5, XSX)
• March 26 - Etrange Overlord (PC, Switch, PS4, PS5)
• March 26 - Neopets: Mega Mini Games Collection (PC, Switch, PS5)
• March 26 - Nutmeg! (PC)
• March 26 - Taito Milestones 4 (Switch)
• March ?? - Marathon (PC, PS5, XSX)

April 2026 game releases

• April 16 - Cthulhu: The Cosmic Abyss (PC, PS5, XSX)
• April 22 - Clockwork Ambrosia (PC)
• April 23 - Kingdom's Return: Time-Eating Fruit and the Ancient Monster (PC, Switch, Switch 2, PS5, XSX)
• April 24 - Pragmata (PC, Switch 2, PS5, XSX)
• April 28 - Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred (PC, PS5 XSX)
• April 30 - SAROS (PS5)
• April 30 - Invincible VS (PC, PS5, XSX)
• April 30 - Perennial Dusk: Kinsenka (Switch)

May 2026 game releases

• May 26 - The Relic: First Guardian (PC, Switch 2, PS5, XSX)
• May 27 - 007 First Light (PC, Switch 2, PS5, XSX)
• May 28 - Wandering Sword (PS5)
• May 29 - Lego Batman: Legacy of The Dark Knight (PC, Switch 2, PS5, XSX)

June 2026 game releases

Nothing here just yet.

July 2026 game releases

Nothing here just yet.

August 2026 game releases

Nothing here just yet.

September 2026 game releases

• Sept. 8 - Halloween (PC, PS5, XSX)
• Sept. 9 - Phantom Blade Zero (PC, PS5)

October 2026 game releases

Nothing here just yet.

November 2026 game releases

• Nov. 19 - Grand Theft Auto 6 (PS5, XSX)

December 2026 game releases

Nothing here just yet.

Notable 2026 TBD titles

Many games are scheduled for 2026 with no confirmed date yet. Here are just a few notable ones:

• Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis (PC, PS5, XSX)
• The Duskbloods (Switch 2)
• Lords of the Fallen 2 (PC, PS5, XSX)
• The Blood of Dawnwalker (PC, PS5, XSX)
• Fable (PC, XSX)
• Beast of Reincarnation (PC, XSX)
• Gears of War: E-Day (PC, XSX)
• Marvel's Wolverine (PS5)
• Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra (TBA)
• Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls (PC, PS5)
• Control: Resonant (PC, PS5, XSX)
• Star Wars: Zero Company (PC, PS5, XSX)
• Star Wars: Galactic Racer (PC, PS5, XSX)
• Phantom Blade Zero (PC, PS5)
• MUDANG: Two Hearts (PC, PS5, XSX)
• Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy (PC, PS5, XSX)
• Atomic Heart 2 (TBA)
• Halo: Campaign Evolved (PC, PS, XSX)
• Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 (PC, PS5, XSX)
• Chrono Odyssey (PC, PS5, XSX)
• Forza Horizon 6 (PC, XSX)
• Total War: Warhammer 40,000 (TBA)
• Ace Combat: Wings of Theve (TBA)
• Deltarune: Chapter 5 (PC, Mac, Switch, Switch 2, PS4, PS5)
• Scott Pilgrim EX (PC, Linux, Switch, PS4, PS5, XSX)
• Valor Mortis (PC, PS5, XSX)
• Crisol: Theater of Idols (PC, PS5, XSX)
• Warhammer Survivors (PC)
• Phasmophobia (Switch 2)
• Tankrat (PC, PS5)
• Bradley the Badger (PC)
• Stupid Never Dies (PC, PS5)
• South of Midnight (PS5)
• 4:LOOP (PC, PS5)
• ONTOS (PC, PS5, XSX)
• Order of the Sinking Star (PC)
• Out of Words (PC, Switch 2, PS5, XSX)

---

This article will be updated periodically over time as more and more release dates are revealed. If we are missing some dates, let us know and we'll update the article to reflect new announcements. Make sure to bookmark it and check back every now and then to see what's in the pipeline.

The post 2026 video game release date calendar appeared first on Destructoid.

After several incredible releases, big-name titles, and surprise hits, 2025 in gaming is rapidly coming to an end. It's time to look forward.

Below, we've gathered just some of the games we're looking forward to playing in 2026. Make sure to let us know what you want to play, which games you're curious about, and which ones you'll pre-order the moment it's possible.

And you know what the best part is? These are just scratching the surface. There's a whole calendar of 2026 titles to look forward to, plus plenty more surprises that will drop and take the gaming world by storm.

Most anticipated 2026 video games

Grand Theft Auto 6

It starts and ends with GTA 6 in 2026. It's currently slated to finally launch on Nov. 19, and is not just the most anticipated game of 2026, but probably of all time. It's got impossible expectations, and its pricetag will be a point of discussion up until it's finally out (will they actually charge $100 for it?), but everyone in the industry and world is waiting for this one to drop.

Resident Evil Requiem

First-person? Check. Survival horror? Check. Third-person? That too. Action gameplay? You got it!

Leon S. Kennedy and newcomer Grace Ashcroft take the stage in what's being described as the end of an era in the Resident Evil franchise for its 30th anniversary. Whatever comes next will be different, but for now, RE9 is looking and sounding like the best of both distinct identities the series has had.

Marvel’s Wolverine

Get ready, bub, because Insomniac Games' follow-up to its Spider-Man games is finally coming in the fall of 2026. The action-adventure game promises lots of rage, even more blood, and a whole lot of mutants and X-Men cameos.

Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight

Imagine a LEGO Batman game that's based on several different movies and appearances of the character (like The Dark Knight and more), but with the open-world, action combat gameplay of the Batman Arkham games. We can't wait to visit LEGO Gotham in this one.

The Duskbloods

From Software's next title is a Switch 2 exclusive that features both PvP and PvE in multiplayer fashion. It's still unknown what this game truly is all about, but Elden Ring: Nightreign has shown that the Dark Souls maker is venturing into full-fledged multiplayer a bit more.

Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis

Lara Croft is officially back in 2026, with a "reimagining" of her original 1996 PS1 classic. Crystal Dynamics promises some surprises in this remake-that's-not-a-remake, so franchise fans everywhere will be booting this one up with excitement and curiosity.

Marathon

This one may turn some heads, but I'm looking forward to seeing what Marathon accomplishes as a new extraction shooter when it drops in March. Will the game be good? Will it matter, after months of bad PR? Will ARC Raiders' popularity have a negative or positive effect?

After months of feedback and testing, once the game was delayed, it's looking and sounding like a better title than what players experienced in last year's closed alpha. It remains to be seen just how the game will feel on day one.

The post Destructoid’s most anticipated games for 2026 appeared first on Destructoid.

I like a good isolated gaming experience as much as anybody, but sometimes, the real joy is the friends you make along the way.

That's where multiplayer games come in, and in 2025, there were plenty of awesome ones across the gamut of genres available. Whether you like co-op or competitive, FPS or third-person shooters, or maybe climbing a mountain with friends, there was a lot to choose from.

Here's what we think were some of the best multiplayer games in 2025.

Best multiplayer games from 2025

ARC Raiders

We may look back on this as the game that really ignited the extraction shooter genre. There have been plenty of similar titles before it, but ARC Raiders' ability to capture a wide berth of players, both hardcore and casual, is an achievement by Embark Studios. Now, the game begins its live-service schedule with updates coming to add more content and keep players engaged.

Each match is an adventure. Do I go solo? Do I group up with others? Do I betray them? Do I try to fight the massive spider robot? Do I leave once I completed a task? Do I stay and try to get more loot? It's all part of the excitement that is ARC Raiders.

Monster Hunter Wilds

Monster Hunter is simply one of the best co-op experiences out there. Grouping up with buddies to hack, hammer, and slash away at giant creatures so you can chunk away their body parts to build new gear sounds morbid, but it's always a blast.

Battlefield 6

The Battlefield series' triumphant return offers some incredible multiplayer gaming experiences, and the free-to-play REDSEC battle royale component only extended that just a few weeks after launch. Tons of vehicles, big maps, and large squad counts create a hectic experience that is the series' expertise in the FPS genre.

Split Fiction

Josef Fares' Hazelight Studios has perfected the two-player co-op experience in Split Fiction with wild setpieces and varied gameplay sequences, and the Friends Pass that allows you to enjoy it with someone who doesn't have to buy the game themselves. The concept is amazing, and the execution was even better.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7

Whether it's the campaign, new Endgame mode, Nuketown pub-stomping, or new Zombies maps, the entirety of Black Ops 7 is multiplayer-enabled and chock full of content for players to enjoy.

Elden Ring: Nightreign

What do you get when you combine From Software's iconic Soulslike gameplay, friends, and a battle royale-like experience? A good amount of fun. Nightreign is far from perfect, but still a very enjoyable game and a likely indication of where the studio's direction is heading. And it already got its first of presumably multiple expansions to continue the journey.

PEAK

One of 2025's biggest surprise successes, PEAK is the peak of the "friendslop" genre that's popped up over the past few years. Whether you want to work together or just troll your pals, it's always a good time. And it's just $8 on Steam, which is wild.

The post The best multiplayer games in 2025 appeared first on Destructoid.

Russian gamers are now without Roblox, according to reports coming out of the country where access to the popular kids gaming platform has now been blocked.

According to Reuters, Russian media regulation outlet Roskomnadzor released a statement through Russian news agencies, saying that Roblox is full "inappropriate content that can negatively impact the spiritual and moral development of children."

"Children in the game are subjected to sexual harassment, intimate photos are tricked out of them, and they are coerced into committing depraved acts and violence," the statement continued, also claiming the game promotes "LGBT propaganda." In Russia, LGBTQ people are often disapproved of and support for their rights is sometimes deemed "extremist" in nature.

Roskomnadzor's main function is the monitoring and controlling of mass media in Russia, and has been responsible for censoring several other forms of online content throughout the years, such as Twitter/X, Meta, Google, TikTok, and even Chess.com after the website published articles critical of the country's invasion of Ukraine.

Roblox has come under fire in recent years for becoming a game that, the Florida attorney general says, "has become a breeding ground for predators." In October, Roblox put out a statement in response to the AG, saying his "claims about Roblox are false, and the suggestion that illicit image sharing is happening on Roblox demonstrates a lack of understanding of our platform’s functionality."

More of a social platform than a game, Roblox allows creators to make and monetize their own mini games and modes within it. It has become immensely popular with children, making it a natural target for predators. Earlier this year, the state of Louisiana also filed a lawsuit against Roblox, saying it has allowed such predators to "thrive," so the company and game continue to remain under heavy scrutiny of late.

Destructoid has reached out to Roblox for comment on today's news out of Russia.

Update on Dec. 3 at 8:07pm CT: A Roblox spokesperson has supplied the following statement to Destructoid:

“We respect the local laws and regulations in the countries where we operate and believe Roblox provides a positive space for learning, creation and meaningful connection for everyone. We have a deep commitment to safety and we have a robust set of proactive and preventative safety measures designed to catch and prevent harmful content on our platform.”

The post Roblox is reportedly now blocked in Russia, citing ‘LGBT propaganda’ and protecting children from predators appeared first on Destructoid.

Ever since Destiny 2's Star Wars "homage" DLC, Renegades, was announced, I was unsure what to think about it. But after a few hours, it became abundantly clear that it was all very wink-wink, nudge-nudge stuff.

Just about everything within the story of Renegades is Star Wars-flavored, as you would expect from the partnership between Bungie and Lucasfilm. There's a lawless frontier, good vs. evil, a weapon of mass destruction, and lightsabers. It's all been told before in different ways, but now through the lens of the Destiny franchise.

And you know what? For the most part, I really dig it.

Death Star? Check. Jedi and Sith? Yep. Lightsabers? Of course! A dingy marketplace and cantina that's Destiny's version of a wretched hive of scum and villainy? You got it. Walking tanks similar to the AT-AT? Bingo. And wouldn't you know it, someone even loses a hand.

It's even got a villain who's more Kylo Ren than Adam Driver, but to my pleasant surprise, it's all still very Destiny and fits well within the parameters of the franchise. New areas are inspired by the sci-fi stuff of legend. Mars looks like Tattooine with its own Taken-flavored "sarlacc pit," Venus is very Return of the Jedi Dagobah, and Europa stands in for the icy planet of Hoth.

The Cabal "Imperion" in their white armor are meant to evoke Stormtroopers, their "Death Star" (which seemingly came out of nowhere, but that's explained via the campaign), and the blaster weaponry are all examples of a DLC that's Star Wars, but at the same time, not.

In the end, it's a pretty cool product. Using the Destiny version of a lightsaber (Praxic Blade) by way of the franchise's version of the Jedi (Praxic Order) to deal with what can be described as Destiny's Sith (Dredgens) just kind of fits. And that's probably because, like a lot of sci-fi stories, Destiny was already taking several cues from Star Wars originally.

But it's not all good news, and I've got a bad feeling about this! Almost every mission of the campaign takes place in the format of the Lawless Frontier activity, where you deploy into an area, complete some objectives, and then exfil. Only a couple of the missions have Destiny 2's trademark setpieces and action sequences, with a handful of cutscenes along the way. The rest of the exposition is through radio dialogue and several annoying trips back to social spaces for your next objective.

There are Easter Eggs everywhere if you look for them, like this wreckage that's meant to evoke memories of pod racing in the image below. It's a fun egg hunt for Star Wars fans who enjoy Destiny, and vice versa. And it's all told within the confines of a Destiny 2 story that advances the plot forward after the events of The Edge of Fate's big revelations.

Will Renegades save Destiny 2? I don't know, but probably not. It's still got many of the same issues as far as keeping players coming back, but for now, this DLC is something that I can look to and say I had some good fun with.

It remains to be seen if I or others will be back for next weekly reset, but I'm taking this campaign as a minor victory for now.

The post Destiny 2: Renegades is a mixed bag that’s unmistakably Star Wars, but it’s all pretty tongue-in-cheek appeared first on Destructoid.

Just over a month since ARC Raiders launched on PC and console, some players are claiming that they have run out of things to do.

The extraction shooter took over Steam, Twitch, and other platforms as one of the first in the genre since Escape From Tarkov to really resonate with people, and the first to become so popular with casual players.

But now, players with dozens of in-game hours behind them are feeling exhausted with what's available so far, which is over 60 quests, endless opportunities for PvP, and randomly dropped blueprints that allow you to craft endgame weapons and gear.

"I was convinced this would be one of those games I could pour 100-plus hours into without even thinking about it," one upset Redditor said. "But after clearing everything that is currently available, I am stuck. There is no meaningful endgame loop, nothing to chase, no evolving difficulty, and no long term system that keeps you invested once you reach the mid to late game stretch. I want to keep going and I am absolutely the type of player who can grind a game for hundreds of hours, but right now I am running into a wall with nothing waiting on the other side."

This particular gamer said that they have over 75 hours logged in ARC Raiders, which works out to be around two and a half hours of game time per day since it launched at the end of October. I'm not sure where that lies in the average play time for those who enjoy the game, but plenty of others feel like they're still getting their money's worth, especially for a $40 game.

"I’m around 180 hours and still having a great time," another raider replied. "Solo runs are mostly chill looking for loot or fighting some ARC with occasional PvP moments. Playing duos and squads is PvP chaos for the entire run pretty much and I absolutely love it."

In a few weeks, the first Expedition Project window opens up, meaning players can reset their progress to start anew in exchange for new rewards and XP opportunities. But for now, those who've already sunk several dozen hours into the game may have to make due with what they have.

For most players, though, I feel like there's still plenty to do if they haven't played as many hours or are simply taking their time through quests and PvP adventures. The most dedicated players with hours played approaching triple digits are likely outliers in all of this.

ARC Raiders will continue to get new content for the foreseeable future, with the 2025 roadmap teasing new updates like more quests and a new Raider Deck in December, with a full calendar of potential just around the corner.

The post ARC Raiders honeymoon period is winding down as some players lament that there’s ‘nothing to chase’ appeared first on Destructoid.

I've never been shy about my love of Vampire Survivors and the myriad of games like it, and the developer of one such game is thankfully spearheading an effort to officially title the new genre that has been born.

While most are dubbed as an "action roguelike" when it comes to tags on Steam, which helps identify games and categorize them so players can find others like it, Yet Another Zombie Survivors dev Awesome Games Studio is one of 450 devs pushing to create an official name for the genre that Steam would recognize.

While Vampire Survivors may have started the trend, which some call Bullet Heaven, Survivors-like, or Auto-Shooter, countless games have since released with their own spin on the formula. Megabonk, Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor, Brotato, and Death Must Die are just some examples. But they do not have a specific genre to call home.

"Steam has a huge influence on how game genres are defined — and this fast-growing genre still doesn’t have a proper tag," Awesome Games Studio said in a press release about the effort. "A Steam tag isn’t just for looks; it’s one of the most powerful tools for discoverability and helping players find exactly what they love."

I love games in this genre, and I have wished for this centralized tag to become a thing before. Thankfully, Awesome Games Studio is making the push with a survey to help choose and define the genre so those who love Megabonk, for example, could find more games similar to it.

The studio has a Google form where you can vote for a number of options to help submit a final decision to Steam, and the choices include Bullet Heaven, Survivors-like, Reverse Bullet Hell, Wave Fighter, Horde Survival, Auto-Shooter, and Multi-Directional Shooter. Yeah, some are a mouthful.

https://twitter.com/AwesomeGamesStd/status/1994064079573369212

Personally, I like Bullet Heaven. It flips the script on Bullet Hell, which are games where you're constantly dodging a barrage of enemy fire. Bullet Heaven explains it well, since you're the one firing the barrage over time instead.

Make sure to vote on the Google form and help spread the word so indie devs like Awesome Games Studio and many others can help get their games seen. Steam's Bullet Heaven 3.0 Festival kicks off on Dec. 4, so now's as good a time as any to help out.

The post ‘Bullet Heaven’ devs want Steam to officially recognize the Vampire Survivors, Megabonk genre as its own new category appeared first on Destructoid.

Tribute Games' latest side-scrolling beat-em-up game Marvel Cosmic Invasion takes the Marvel Comics IP and turns it into a classic, retro-inspired title with a fun roster full of heroes and villains.

As is the case with any Marvel game or show, familiar faces will show up, but so too will familiar voices. Many actors have become synonymous with certain characters, and the roster of heroes in Marvel Cosmic Invasion is no different.

Be forewarned, many actors play multiple characters in Marvel Cosmic Invasion, and some of the names and appearances may be considered spoilers. Without further ado, here are all of the credited actors in the game.

Marvel Cosmic Invasion voice actors

Voice actor	Character/s	You may know them from:
Steve Blum	- Beta Ray Bill - Venom	Cowboy Bebop (TV series) - Spike Spiegel Wolverine and the X-Men (TV series) - Wolverine Star Wars: Rebels (TV series) - Zeb Orrelios
Brian Bloom	- Captain America - Cosmic Ghost Rider - Silver Surfer	Marvel Rivals - Captain America Dragon Age: The Veilguard - Varric
James Mathis III	- Black Panther - Galactus - Master Mold	Marvel Rivals - Black Panther Avengers Assemble (TV series) - Black Panther Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater - SIGINT
Josh Keaton	- Iron Man - Spider-Man - Beatle	The Spectacular Spider-Man (TV series) - Spider-Man Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater - Ocelot Hercules (1997 film) - Young Hercules
Matthew Mercer	- Nova - Annihilus	Overwatch 2 - Cassidy Resident Evil 6 - Leon S. Kennedy Critical Role
Jennifer Hale	- Phoenix - Dark Phoenix - Hela	Mass Effect - Commander Jane Shepard Metal Gear Solid - Dr. Naomi Hunter X-Men '97 (TV series) - Jean Grey
Aileen Mythen	- Phyla-Vell - Queen of Annihilation - Boomer - Worldmind	The Ugly Duckling and Me! (2006 film) - Jessie Genshin Impact - Dahlia The Talos Principle 2 - Niamh
Trevor Devall	- Rocket Raccoon - M.O.D.O.K. - Sauron	Guardians of the Galaxy (TV series) - Rocket Raccoon Gears 5 - Leslie 'Mac' Macallister Borderlands 4 - Defiant Calder
Elysia Rotaru	- She-Hulk - Lady Hellbender - Sif	Arrow (TV series) - Taiana Venediktov Avowed - Warden Lerea Death Stranding 2: On the Beach - The Hydrologist
Allison Sealy-Smith	- Storm - Shuri	X-Men '97 (TV series) - Storm X-Men (TV series) - Storm
Cal Dodd	- Wolverine	X-Men (TV series) - Wolverine
Isaac C. Singleton Jr.	- Knull - Thanos - The Watcher	Transformers One (2024 film) - Darkwing Double Dragon Revive - Abobo
Kerry Shale	- Forge - Kree Supreme Intelligence - Professor Xavier - Taskmaster - Worldmind	Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine II - Leuze Black Myth: Wukong - Shen Monkey Hitman III - Carl Ingram
Jacob Dudman	- Ka-Zar - Klaw - Worldmind	Doctor Who: The 12th Doctor Chronicles (podcast) - The Doctor Forza Horizon 5 - Tristian Westfield-Bourne
Remi Lavoie	- Announcer	Producer at Tribute Games

The post Marvel Cosmic Invasion – All voice actors and cast list appeared first on Destructoid.

Call of Duty's free-to-play Warzone is getting its first big update in a while next week for season one of Black Ops 7, and one of the new CoD's best features is making the jump.

Unfortunately, I'm not talking about wall-jumping. Curiously, that mechanic won't be coming to Warzone. That's a bummer, but the news that Open Matchmaking (where skill is minimally considered) is coming to the BR mode as well.

Open Matchmaking has been a game-changer in BO7's multiplayer, where matches feel random with who you are matched with and against rather than feeling like you get punished for performing well and rewarded for doing poorly, as has been the formula over the past few years.

The hope now is that Warzone's lobbies will feel a bit less sweaty too, albeit with the occasional all-star squad that randomly ends up in your lobby to chokeslam you into the Gulag. Warzone dev Raven Softwae confirmed the news in a new Dev Talk video today, which can be seen below.

Elswhere in the new update, Warzone will get all of BO7's weapons including the new ones in season one, a new Resurgence map called Haven's Hollow, and some map changes to the BR location of Verdansk, along with limited time modes and a re-balancing of Perks and equipment.

I have to say, the lack of wall-jumping in Warzone doesn't make much sense to me. Last year, Warzone got BO6's omnimovement capabilities that added a skill gap in combat, so not adding BO7's new movement mechanic is a head-scratcher.

https://twitter.com/RavenSoftware/status/1993772624728740059

Most of the hype from Verdansk's reintroduction to Warzone earlier this year has died down, so I will be watching closely to see if this new update brings gamers back into the fold. Raven promises more frequent weapon tuning updates this year, so hopefully that will help keep things fresh as content is added every month or so.

The new Warzone content and BO7's first season arrive next week on Dec. 4.

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