Avowed is set to launch on PS5 on February 17th, bringing updates like improved skill trees and a new 3rd person view, along with additional features for all versions.
Xbox's Developer Direct on January 22 will showcase Playground games' Forza Horizon 6 and Fable, both set for a 2026 release, along with the third-party title Beast of Reincarnation.
MachineGames is reportedly developing Wolfenstein 3, coinciding with a rumored Amazon TV show. The studio aims to return to the series, expressing commitment to telling more of its story.
We love a biome in video games. Even the word is one I inherently associate with video games, in spite of its origins as a piece of proper grown-up geographical terminology. Within that gloriously over-the-top thematic pantheon… is there anything better than a good old fashioned Christmas level?
Today the overwhelming majority of workers at Doom studio id Software – 165 of around 185 total employees – announced that they’re forming a wall-to-wall union in conjunction with Communications Workers of America (CWA), the union that’s aided thousands of game workers across Microsoft in organizing.
"id Software is historically important – one of the more famous American studios that survived a length of time that few others have,” id Software producer Andrew Willis, who was part of the organizing effort from the jump and filed the initial paperwork to CWA, told Aftermath. “So it feels really awesome to get this done for something with such historical and cultural importance."
"With Bethesda unionizing, it was a push for people [at id] to start talking, and that's when it started,” id Software lead services programmer Chris Hays told Aftermath. “But then the big push that got it rolling was the closure of Tango [Gameworks] and layoffs within Microsoft at Arkane Austin. It was a wakeup call for a lot of people. People decided that it was time that we took our future into our own hands."
"The big push that got it rolling was the closure of Tango [Gameworks] and layoffs within Microsoft at Arkane Austin. It was a wakeup call for a lot of people."
id itself, Hays said, has suffered “a few” layoffs “here and there” in recent years, but nothing comparable to the scale of Zenimax Online Studios, which lost hundreds of employees earlier this year amid Microsoft’s latest round of mass layoffs and project cancellations. Now, he believes, is the time to secure workers’ rights – before the scythe swings, as opposed to after.
"Not that we're not scared that [layoffs] will one day come," said Hays. "In fact, avoiding each of the previous rounds has made us more anxious about if the next round will be us. And the most recent round of layoffs happened after several [studios] had already organized. People [at id] can see what it was that they got. We got to see them negotiating where they didn't actually lose their jobs [for a couple months]. They were still on payroll. They still had their health insurance. ... They had the extra time to make sure they could get their lives [in order], and many have actually gotten their jobs back through negotiations on where they could place people in the company."
CWA has been able to successfully unionize so many studios within Microsoft and Activision Blizzard in large part due to a legally binding neutrality agreement it struck with the company in 2022 when it was facing regulatory scrutiny over its $68.7 billion purchase of Activision Blizzard. That deal lapsed earlier this year, but according to Hays, only on the Activision Blizzard side of things.
"For us under Zenimax, there's actually a separate neutrality agreement, and that one is still valid until May [2026]," said Hays. "But that was definitely on our minds when we were looking at when we wanted to think that we had enough support [to unionize]. … We knew that it was really special for us to have the neutrality agreement, to have the freedom to be able to talk to each other more openly and not face the kind of pushback you would have in other unionization campaigns. We wanted to make sure that we took advantage of the benefit while we had it."
While the union plans to conduct a bargaining survey before members go to the table with Microsoft to hammer out a contract, preliminary discussions have focused on a few pillars: benefits, remote work, and AI.
"There's a lot of blind spots in our benefits, and a lot of us don't know what we have and what we don't and where things are lacking,” said Hays. “When talking with a lot of people, some would say 'Oh, I think we're lacking this particular kind of benefit, or something around child care.' Personally, I'm really motivated to get protections around remote work and responsible use of AI."
"There's definitely a directive from Microsoft to use [AI] more.”
Remote work has been a sticking pointat multiple Microsoft studios, with many issuing return-to-office mandates despite teams’ demonstrable success collaborating from across the country – and even the globe – in 2020 and 2021.
"We actually launched Doom Eternal during covid,” said Hays. “The month of [the launch], we started our work from home. ... We did a launch event, the whole internet fell apart, and we had to learn how to do all of that remote. And then starting a project [Doom: The Dark Ages] from the beginning, all remote, we learned a lot of lessons. On my team, we learned to change how we work, to be more remote friendly. We ended up becoming more productive as a result. So we've done this before. We've learned lessons, and I think we can continue to use that. We shouldn't just throw away all the great wins we got with remote work."
As for AI, Willis was cagey about precisely how it’s being used within id, noting that going into specifics would involve divulging secrets about proprietary tech. But he said that in his view, some of the current applications are “good,” while others are… less so.
"There's definitely a directive from Microsoft to use [AI] more,” Willis said. “In what ways and how careful they're being about implementing it within the studio to actually benefit the creation of a better game or a more efficient process, I personally don't think that's being done in a careful enough way to have it be beneficial.”
Last year, the Zenimax QA union secured AI protections that commit the company to uses of AI that "augment human ingenuity and capacities ... without causing workers harm" and require that Zenimax provides notice to the union in cases where "AI implementation may impact the work of union members and to bargain those impacts upon request." Willis and Hays hope the new union can make something similar happen under id’s roof.
"We are going to be in a fortunate position in that we have a lot of other people who've gone through this,” said Hays, “so we can look at what they have bargained for, especially around AI, and take that as a starting place, which hopefully means that it's going to be easier for us than anyone before."
"It would be difficult to say [if we’ll make Israel a core bargaining issue] without seeing what the bargaining surveys comment on, but I can say for myself personally that, yeah, I want no part in [Israel's] usage of Microsoft tools and the deals between Israel and Microsoft," said Willis.
"The folks that are in charge of a lot of these decision-making processes, it's a lot of Ivy League MBAs, a lot of folks with zero game experience."
More broadly, Willis believes the union will allow for more input from developers, as opposed to execs who have never shipped a game and, indeed, might not play them at all.
"We see the direction the industry is headed,” said Willis. “The folks that are in charge of a lot of these decision-making processes, it's a lot of Ivy League MBAs, a lot of folks with zero game experience – not just from the management standpoint, but zero experience in actually making games. ... I find little evidence of them really enjoying games or playing games personally."
“I think the more video game studios that unionize, and the greater percentage of video game employees that are in a union, it's not just better for them as individuals or folks that are raising families or have mortgages; it keeps talent from shedding,” he added. “You get to keep people in the industry who have experience and the amount of game credits that allow them to do things and create games that a contract-only or much more volatile workforce simply couldn't.”
Is this… bliss? | Screenshot: Nathan Edwards / The Verge
Greetings from the year of Linux on my desktop.
In November, I got fed up and said screw it, I'm installing Linux. Since that article was published, I have dealt with one minor catastrophe after another. None of that has anything to do with Linux, mind you. It just meant I didn't install it on my desktop until Sunday evening.
My goal here is to see how far I can get using Linux as my main OS without spending a ton of time futzing with it - or even much time researching beforehand. I am not looking for more high-maintenance hobbies at this stage. I want to see if Linux is a wingable alternative to Microsoft's increasingly annoying OS.
The first major games showcase of the year comes from Xbox and as well as Fable and Forza Horizon 6 it’s said to feature a secret new game reveal.
It should come as no surprise that Xbox is airing a new Developer Direct showcase this month. It’s been an annual occasion since 2023 and Microsoft confirmed one was coming last month – even if they never said exactly when.
However, they did promise that that Fable and Forza Horizon 6 developer Playground Games would be featured and that, because Xbox has so many games planned for 2026, it can’t fit them all into one show.
Despite that claim, this year’s showcase is looking awfully thin. But while only three games have been officially announced, rumours suggest there is actually a secret fourth game as well.
When is the January 2026 Xbox Developer Direct?
As confirmed by an Xbox Wire blog post, the Developer Direct is scheduled for Thursday, January 22 at 6pm GMT.
Most of it will be spent on updates from British developer Playground Games, which means in-depth looks at both Fable (which was meant to launch last year but was delayed to 2026) and Forza Horizon 6.
While this will be the first proper gameplay debut for Forza Horizon 6, Fable’s past trailers did offer glimpses of its combat, but there’s never been any extended gameplay demonstrations.
Detailed information about Fable in general has been incredibly vague ever since its 2020 announcement. There have been rumours of it drawing influence from CD Projekt’s The Witcher series of action role-players for its combat, but that’s never been substantiated.
The only other game that will be shown is Beast Of Reincarnation, another action role-player that was announced at last year’s Xbox summer showcase and comes from Pokémon developer Game Freak.
Forza Horizon 6 and Beast Of Reincarnation are both slated for PlayStation 5 releases, although the former may come out on Xbox first. Fable has never been confirmed as a multiformat title, but given Microsoft’s current policies it seems impossible that it won’t be.
Perhaps Microsoft has a secret announcement planned for the showcase, but nothing in the blog post hints at there being more than just these three games – and Xbox has rarely been able to keep a secret.
It’s possible Microsoft is saving the bigger reveals for a summer showcase. Not only is there a Halo 1 remake out this year (one that will also launch for PlayStation 5), but we’re also supposed to be getting Gears Of War prequel E-Day as welll.
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2026 also marks not only the 25th anniversary of the Xbox brand, but the 40th anniversary of Bethesda as well.
Recently, it was suggested that a new Wolfenstein could be announced as part of the celebrations, as well as possibly a new Quake, but it seems neither will feature in the Developer Direct.
Update: Two separate sources have claimed that there is actually a secret fourth game due to be shown, described by VGC as a ‘smaller scale original game from one of Xbox Game Studios’ first party developers.’
The first to mention a fourth game was respected insider shinobi602 on ResetEra, although he admitted it was not a title he was excited about and refused to provide any more information.
That’s not much to go on but The Outer Worlds 2 developer Obsidian is said to be working on at least two unannounced titles, some of which are believed to be more indie like projects, similar to Pentiment.
We’ll take a new Wolfenstein now, please (Bethesda)
It’s been more than eight years since Wolfenstein 2 (Bethesda)
MachineGames is rumoured to be working on two new games, including a Rainbow Six Siege style multiplayer title.
Way back in 2018, Bethesda’s then vice president of PR and marketing, Pete Hines, all but confirmed that a Wolfenstein 3 would happen, despite 2017’s Wolfenstein 2 not performing as well as hoped – in large part because of an unwisely chosen Christmas release date.
However, it seems Wolfenstein 3 could finally see a formal announcement later this year, with new rumours alleging that the game is in development; something that was previously hinted at by various job listings.
In a recent report about Xbox’s plans for 2026, Windows Central claimed that MachineGames is currently working on both Wolfenstein 3 and a separate multiplayer project, something in the vein of Rainbow Six Siege.
The existence of Wolfenstein 3 was later verified by Kotaku, although there were no further details. Apparently, the plan is for it to coincide with the Wolfenstein TV show that’s in the works at Amazon, which makes sense since the Fallout games saw a massive boost in popularity thanks to the success of Amazon’s Fallout show.
What is Wolfenstein?
The original Wolfenstein 3D, from 1992, was the first widely successful first person shooter and paved the way for Doom, also from id Software. It received various sequels and reboots over the years but the last two games, from MachineGames, were set in an alternate history where the Nazis won the Second World War.
Although they’re technically reboots you still control protagonist B. J. Blazkowicz, as you join a resistance movement in the US. While purposefully absurd at times, the series’ refreshingly blunt social commentary has only become more relevant over time.
Frankly, it’s hard to imagine a TV show that would be anywhere near as forthright (or purposefully weird) and even a new game is likely to cause considerable controversy – which is perhaps what Bethesda, and ultimately Microsoft, is banking on.
MachineGames has kept up its tradition of fighting Nazis with Indiana Jones And The Great Circle, but Wolfenstein makes a point of dissecting how monstrous their ideology is and has you deal with them far more violently than Indy does. So, it will be interesting to see how such an aggressively anti-Nazi game fares in the current political climate.
Curiously, the rumours make no mention of anything Quake related. After contributing new expansions to the remasters, there have been clear signs MachineGames is working on a new entry in the series.
Old job listings from 2021 specifically mentioned multiplayer and a teaser for Indiana Jones had a clear reference to Quake. So it certainly seems that, up until quite recently, the plan was to make a Quake reboot. Perhaps those plans have been cancelled though or the Rainbow Six-esque game is secretly Quake related.
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Alternatively, the same Windows Central report suggests that id Software could return to make a new Quake game. After last year’s Doom: The Dark Ages it’s not clear what they’re working on now but whatever it is, it’s likely to be a way off.
Whatever the case, there’s a very good chance MachineGames’ next project will be announced this year, since 2026 marks Bethesda’s 40th anniversary. No doubt the company will want to have at least one big reveal for that occasion.
As for when such a reveal could be made, there is an Xbox showcase taking place this month, though an exact date hasn’t been specified. There’s also QuakeCon, Bethesda’s own annual event, in August.
Wolfenstein 2’s excellent gunplay only makes fighting Nazis more enjoyable (Bethesda)
The original Halo games that were crafted by Bungie are widely regarded as not only the high points in the series, but rank among some of the best video game experiences of their generation… unfortunately, the campaigns developed by Microsoft’s 343 studios after Bungie’s departure haven’t achieved the same level of success. While the recent titles in the series continue the original story, feature the same characters, and even possess many new and impressive technical enhancements, the original “creator’s touch” is clearly absent from these releases… no matter how hard they try, we can all tell that these games were not made by the original team. Nobody knows Halo better than the hands that lovingly designed this franchise in the first place.
No matter how well intentioned our efforts are in the activities we take on in life, the Lord simply can not bless what He didn’t originate. As our Creator, He designed us with a specific destiny in mind, and only what we build on His foundation will last, both on this planet and in eternity. Rather than waste our time and efforts on pursuits that only advance self-serving goals, let’s prayerfully align our intentions, words, and actions with His divine purposes in all that we do. The Lord will always bless and protect the work of our hands when we build on His unbreakable foundation.
Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it; unless the Lord guards the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. Psalm 127:1
Commit your works to the Lord, and your thoughts will be established. Proverbs 16:3
Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall. Matthew 7:24-26
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Fallout: New Vegas is up there among the greatest games of all time, and it's difficult not to compare anything Obsidian does to its 2010 masterpiece. I already went through it at the beginning of last year with the middling Avowed and half-baked The Outer Worlds 1 before that. But this time, The Outer Worlds 2 actually delivers, finally living up to the high bar that New Vegas set all those years ago.
If you forget about the New Game+ Showcase, then the Xbox Developer_Direct looks to be the first major “Direct” style presentation for the year, as is tradition. Microsoft has already confirmed the presence of Fable, Forza Horizon 6 and Beast of Reincarnation, but there are rumors of a “secret” fourth title. Which is par for the course, honestly – remember when Hi-Fi Rush exploded into the world?
Insider Shinobi602 initially reported this, noting that he was “not very excited” based on his personal tastes, without mentioning any further details. VGC’s Andy Robinson followed up by alleging that it would be a third-party title. However, the site has since posted a correction. “This is a smaller original game from a first-party studio, and not a third-party game.”
Let the speculation run wild, especially considering rumors of Obsidian Entertainment working on four new games. Perhaps a sequel to Pentiment is on the cards? Of course, there’s also Double Fine Productions, which released Keeper last year but could have another project, this one directed by Tim Schafer, to showcase.
Could we perhaps see something from Ninja Theory? Hellblade 3 doesn’t seem all that likely, especially given how long ago the studio’s next project was allegedly greenlit. However, there is Project: Mara, which the studio has been quietly working on in the background since 2020.
With the Developer_Direct set for January 22nd, the wait is excruciating. Interestingly, we may get some other bombshell announcements, including Fableallegedly launching day and date on PS5 alongside Xbox Series X/S and PC.
CORRECTION: VGC has since been told this is a smaller original game from a first-party studio, and not a third-party game, as first reported. Apologies for the mix-up. https://t.co/VO3Zt03ipE
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, Gears of War: Reloaded – last year saw several once-exclusive Xbox titles making the jump to PS5. However, the undisputed most popular port is Playground Games’ Forza Horizon 5. Initially launched in 2021, the open-world racer reportedly passed five million sales on Sony’s console last week, according to Alinea Analytics’ Rhys Elliott.
“That’s over $300 million in revenue from a port of a four-year-old game,” he said. “Xbox’s move to third-party is no mystery, especially given Microsoft’s lofty profitability mandates.”
Forza Horizon 6 is the first title in the franchise to be available on a rival console. There’s also the fact that Forza Horizon 5 has been consistently popular since its release (which had more than ten million players in the first week). Combined with the fact that Playground Games continues to offer new content and features, the PS5 version’s success makes sense.
It’s thus more than a little odd that Microsoft wouldn’t prioritize launching Forza Horizon 6 on the PS5 alongside other platforms. Instead, it’s arriving sometime after the Xbox Series X/S and PC versions, which allegedly launch in the first half of this year. Lest you think this is a tactic to push more players to pick up the Xbox version or even purchase Game Pass, the staggered release is apparently due to the PS5 version not being ready.
Yesterday, an article from investor website TipRanks circulated throughout the games industry: The rumor was that Microsoft is planning to cut somewhere between 11,000 and 22,000 jobs in January, roughly 10% of its current workforce, to allay the increased cost of data center expansion as part of the company’s hard push toward AI development. If […]
Microsoft Wordis getting a new update that changes how you add hyperlinks to your documents. This may seem like a small change, but it saves a lot of time if you write reports, draft documents, or share resources with your team.
Before this update, linking a phrase required multiple steps. You had to highlight the text, right-click, select the Link option, copy your URL, paste it into a dialog box, and click OK. That’s at least four separate actions just to add one link. You could also use the shortcuts Ctrl+K or Cmd+K.
But even the shortcut felt slow compared to apps like Slack or Discord. According to How-To Geek, the update is already live in Word for the web and lets you turn selected text into a link by pasting the URL directly over it.
The new method makes linking text much faster and easier
Now the process is much simpler. First, copy the URL you want to use from your browser or clipboard. Then select the text you want to hyperlink in your Word document. With the text highlighted, just paste the URL. Word automatically recognizes it as a link and applies it to your selected words.
Jenny Ye, a Product Manager on the Word team, said the team believes “everyday tasks like hyperlinking text should feel effortless.” This new method helps you stay focused while writing. When working on a long document, stopping to navigate menus and dialog boxes breaks your concentration and slows you down.
Adding links in Word just got a lot faster. Now you can highlight text and paste a URL right onto it and Word will automatically turn it into a hyperlink.
This change removes unnecessary clicks and lets you focus on your writing instead of formatting tools. The time saved on each hyperlink adds up quickly, especially if you’re writing a technical document or bibliography with many citations. Microsoft has been improving its software in various ways, including what the company quietly added to smart TVs. You don’t have to worry about pasting the URL in the wrong place or accidentally deleting your text.
This feature is rolling out now, but it might not appear in your desktop version right away unless you’re running the correct build. If you use Word for the web, you should have access to it now. The company is also working on other projects, such as AI tools designed for healthcare professionals.
For the desktop app, you need specific versions. Windows users need Version 2511 or Build 19530.20006 or later. Mac users need Version 16.104 or Build 25120915 or later. If you’re part of the Microsoft 365 Insider program, you should already see these updates.
Microsoft has announced the next set of titles coming to Xbox Game Pass in the first half of December. The games include Mortal Kombat 1, Monster Train 2, 33 Immortals, and more. The full list of games, DLC, and Perks coming to Xbox Game Pass via Microsoft can be seen below as well as games leaving the service this month.
The full details:
Available Today
Lost Records: Bloom & Rage (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S)
Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, PC Game Pass
Embark on a new narrative journey by the creators of Life is Strange. Film your summer of 1995 and create memories of a lifetime with your new friends. 27 years later, confront the dark secrets that made you all promise to never speak again after that fateful summer.
Coming Soon
Monster Train 2 (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S) – December 3
Now with Game Pass Premium
Powerful beings known as Titans have seized control of Heaven. A makeshift alliance is formed between former angels and demons, who must learn to work together against their common foe. Now, you must command these clans aboard newly forged trains, and embark on your journey through Hell, Heaven, and the Abyss, to defeat the Titans before they destroy this world.
Spray Paint Simulator (Cloud, Console, and PC) – December 3
Now with Game Pass Premium
A relaxing, satisfying game that invites you to build your own painting business from the ground up! Meet with quirky clients in Story Mode and take on each job right from the start. Paint everything: rooms, homes, cars, bridges, even giant robots! Unlock Free Spray mode and play alone or with a friend to make the entire town your canvas!
33 Immortals (Game Preview) (Cloud, Console, and PC) – December 4
Now with Game Pass Premium
A co-op action-roguelike for 33 players. Play as a damned soul and rebel against God’s final judgment. Dive straight into epic, 33-player co-op battles with instant “pick-up and raid” matchmaking. Cooperate with your allies to survive against hordes of monsters and massive, challenging bosses. Expand your arsenal and equip powerful new relics to permanently upgrade your soul.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S) – December 4
Now with Game Pass Premium
Uncover one of history’s greatest mysteries in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, a first-person, single-player adventure set between the events of “Raiders of the Lost Ark” and “The Last Crusade”. The year is 1937, sinister forces are scouring the globe for the secret to an ancient power connected to the Great Circle, and only one person can stop them – Indiana Jones.
Routine (Cloud, Console, Handheld, and PC) – December 4
Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass
Available on day one with Xbox Game pass! A first-person sci-fi horror set on an abandoned lunar base designed around an 80s vision of the future. Explore and investigate your surroundings as you survive against unknown threats.
A Game About Digging A Hole (Cloud, Handheld, PC, and Xbox Series X|S) – December 9
Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, PC Game Pass
A minimalist game about digging a hole in the garden of a newly purchased house. Collect resources, sell them, upgrade your equipment, and discover a mysterious secret.
Death Howl (Handheld & PC) – December 9
Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass
Available on day one with Game Pass! Journey through the sorrowful spirit world in a soulslike deck builder. Craft cards and claim powerful totems to defeat the woeful spirits lurking in the mystical lands. Unravel the tale of a grieving mother in her desperate attempt to defy death and bring back her son.
Dome Keeper (Cloud, Console, Handheld, and PC) – December 9
Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, PC Game Pass
Defend against waves of alien monsters in this unique roguelike action miner. Dig for resources, collect useful gadgets, and upgrade equipment to increase odds of survival – just hurry back before your dome is destroyed!
Mortal Kombat 1 (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S) – December 10
Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, PC Game Pass
Discover a reborn Mortal Kombat universe created by the Fire God Liu Kang. Mortal Kombat 1 ushers in a new era of the iconic franchise with a new fighting system, game modes, and fatalities!
Bratz: Rhythm & Style (Cloud, Console, and PC) – December 11
Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, PC Game Pass
Rule the runway and take the stage with the Bratz Pack! Customize fierce fashions, groove to songs from the Bratz Universe like ‘So Good’, and jet off to iconic cities. Outshine mean Burdine and the Tweevil Twins in epic fashion battles – solo or with friends.
In Case You Missed It
CloverPit (Cloud, Console, Handheld, and PC)
Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Standard, PC Game Pass
A gripping rogue-lite that traps players in a hell of their own creation. Locked in a rusty cell with a slot machine and an ATM, you must pay off your debt or fall to ruin – literally! Turn the odds with various prizes and charms that trigger big combos. Bend the rules, break the game, and pay off your captor to earn a shot at freedom
Marvel Cosmic Invasion (Cloud, Console, Handheld, and PC) – December 1
Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass
Available on day one with Game Pass! A cosmic battle awaits! Choose between 15 Marvel heroes in this frenetic action beat ‘em up to fight against the deadly Annihilation Wave threatening the galaxy. From New York City to the depths of the Negative Zone, the future of the Marvel Universe will be fought for across the stars!
Total Chaos (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S)
Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass
Available on day one with Game Pass! Descend into terror with Total Chaos, a brutal survival horror experience from Apogee Entertainment. Accompanied by a terrifying soundtrack featuring new music by Silent Hill’s Akira Yamaoka, this nightmare unfolds in a decaying isle haunted by deranged prisoners, shifting reality, and unspeakable horrors. Fight for your life with whatever you can find… or rip from your enemies.
Young Suns (Game Preview) (Cloud, Console, and PC)
Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass
Available on day one with Xbox Game Pass! Nobody fends for themselves in this multiplayer narrative life-sim set around Jupiter. In an optimistic alternate future, fly your ship through the Jovian System and help the friendly citizens rebuild after a revolution. Liberation takes work! Join the developers and their community as the game evolves in Game Preview.
More Games Coming with Game Pass Essential on December 3
Game Pass Essential subscribers can look forward to three more games coming to the library on December 3! Experience a grand inter-galactic strategy in Stellaris, fight against hordes of ravenous zombies in World War Z: Aftermath, and survive the harsh Middle Ages in Medieval Dynasty.
DLC / Game Updates
Sea of Thieves: Season 18 – December 11
Return to The Devil’s Roar in Sea of Thieves: Season 18 to face devious new enemies and plunder their hidden hoards. Then take a well-earned break as the Festival of Giving returns, bringing seasonal streams, Holiday Hauls, the Legends of Giving Community Event and more!
Dead by Daylight: Bone Chill Event – Starting December 9
Dead by Daylight’s Bone Chill Event is back, offering another seasonal dose of ice-cold terror to experience. From December 9th 11 AM to January 6th to 11 AM ET, embrace the ice in your veins and fling those Snowskulls like your life depends on it. For all you know… it does.
Palworld: Home Sweet Home Update – December 17
Palworld’s “Home Sweet Home” update arrives on December 17! Dive into the Ultrakill collab and race through the Palpagos Islands as the blood-fueled V1 and V2! Unleash your inner artist! Recolor your building materials and take base customization to the next level!
In-Game Benefits
PUBG Battlegrounds: Exclusive Survivor Pack (Console) – Available Today
Prepare for battle with the PUBG – XBOX Game Pass Exclusive Survivor Pack! Expand your item collection with the Hunter’s Chests, Keys, and Contraband Coupons, provided free for Game Pass Ultimate members.
Delta Force: Craft Your Precision (Xbox Series X|S) – Available Today
Perks for the new season now arrives! Define the combat in style and craft the precision with multiple firearm appearances and more!
The Crew Motorfest: Toyota Supra LBWK Edition Pack (Cloud, Console, and PC) – Available Today
Master every driving challenge at Motorfest with this pack! Contains the Toyota GR Supra Special Edition, an avatar outfit pack (body and hat) and two customization vanities (underglow and tire).
Leaving Soon
The following games are leaving the Game Pass library in December. Check the dates below and be sure to check them out before they go. As always, you can save up to 20% off your purchase to keep them in your library and keep the fun going!
For console players, Microsoft Flight Simulator was something to be admired instead of deciphered, a technical curio for hardcore simmers. Then, after 2021’s arrival on Xbox, the series’ first voyage beyond PC – its broader, more casual potential emerged. Now, 12-months after 2024 took flight, MSFS is diverting to Sony’s airspace, introducing its meticulous demands to a new school of aspiring aviators on PS5.
But look, despite Xbox establishing the shift to couch aeronautics, Microsoft Flight Simulator on PlayStation still feels unusual. It’s a living, breathing simulation built for flightsticks and multi-monitor rigs, not sofas and TVs. So, as I taxied toward my first take-off, DualSense in hand, questions hung in the air: can the feel of flight genuinely translate through a television? Will a controller give any real sense of being airborne? Might my living room, even briefly, pass as a cockpit?
"Starting your career, you’ll choose which of the game’s regional airports to use as headquarters."
I admit, at first it felt too novel. Then, lifting off with the ground shrinking beneath me, MSFS’s methodical simulation became unexpectedly transformative. I realised that its casual appeal is not in reading navigation charts or understanding what each switch and gizmo does, it’s in staring at the world beneath you.
Starting your career, you’ll choose which of the game’s regional airports to use as headquarters. I chose an airfield near Gotemba, Japan, in the shadow of Mt. Fuji, figuring the iconic mountain will make an impressive backdrop. Once missions became available, I was directed to Tokyo to shuttle flightseeing passengers over the surrounding scenery. An optional flight plan crossed over Koganei, and I chose it immediately. See, my friend lives there, I don’t know which house, nor have I visited, but it was a sense of wondering which drew me in.
Soaring overhead, I hoped this transcendence would encourage me to study the cockpit, the function of its switches still a mystery. Back at base, awaiting were copious certifications which, as a casual pilot, I initially found overwhelming.
Yet, you don’t make it to Top Gun by flying as a maverick, so I hunker down for more training. MSFS 2024 had already done a decent job of orienteering around the Cessna 172 Skyhawk, walking me through the starter plane’s pre-flight checks, and teaching me the fundamentals – airspeed management, executing pitch, rolling, following traffic patterns, and more. Even before my trip over Koganai, I could already take-off and land with conviction.
"Once I became proficient enough to keep the aircraft consistently stable and on-route, the sky opened up."
Passing the next certification ensures I now get paid for ferrying passengers, with lessons covering trim adjustment, a system enabling stable altitude without constant thumbstick pressure – engine RPM monitoring, and landmark navigation.
By this point I’d already noticed a handful of gameplay imperfections, which I’ll leave in holding pattern for now, but during these lessons I found engaging the engine RPM unintuitive. I pinpointed missing HUD info as the origin of my stagnation. See, beyond the cockpit’s diegetic display, the default on-screen HUD’s icons – detailing airspeed, fuel load, altitude, et cetera – don’t include RPM. To correctly follow my instructor’s command of maintaining 1,700 RPM, I zeroed-in on the top-left corner of my cockpit’s display. The number is too small to read from the sofa without switching camera view, steepening my learning curve while highlighting an accessibility oversight.
I abandoned my gaze on the horizon to check the throttle lever, instantly faltering my altitude. So, as a workaround, I started listening to the engine, developing intuition, perhaps; but almost-certainly against the game’s intention. And, a deeper problem: I could only hear the engine at top revs – an issue I’ll get to later.
Yet, despite this, I reached a critical turning point. Once I became proficient enough to keep the aircraft consistently stable and on-route, the sky opened up. Cruising over the Arizonian expanse became meditative; I was now able to absorb the game’s gorgeous scenery and lighting. Rolling my Cessna toward Sedona, sunset cascaded through the cockpit with canyons below decorated by sparkling lens flares.
Later activities saw me passing over German forests as needlesharp rain beat the Cessna’s wind-shield. I streamed over the Great Barrier Reef’s azure blue, hovered beside the Pyramids during golden hour, and searched for wolves at daybreak over Northern Spain – each excursion visually engrossing. Now the shaky flying of my early career is behind me, the game’s promise of flying anywhere became a tangible, transportive reality.
To answer the first of those earlier questions, can the feel of flight genuinely translate through a TV? – I’d say it can. Visually, the game looks remarkably accomplished given it is drawing detail from the cloud, though frequent texture pop-in and distant low-resolution curtail its implementation. It can take a while to get to the point where you’re navigating calmly, long loading times on the base PS5 notwithstanding. But once you’re cruising, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 captivates beyond the code of its simulation.
Now, to answer the next question. Can the DualSense give tangible airborne feeling? I’ll need to go over those imperfections alluded to earlier.
"3D audio exists but isn’t deeply implemented. Worse, headphones expose an uneven sound mix that’s not as perceptible through TV speakers."
I’ve never flown a plane in real-life, but I imagine the nuance required to maintain smooth transit replicates well in MSFS 2024. It’s all thumbstick micro-adjustments and tentative trigger presses; being cautious not to over-correct a wayward trajectory, rolling at 20 degree precision, gently adapting RPM, carefully adjusting trim percentage – as a player now chasing piloting perfection, managing these systems became as crucial to my engagement as scanning the scenery. Yet, the game’s failure to fully embrace the DualSense’s sensory potential leaves my pursuit of flawless flying feeling oddly disjointed
Haptic feedback does give runway tarmac a tactile feel, which is more noticeable if you accidentally veer off the strip onto gravel or grass. Yet, its complete non-existence in-flight, save for subtle flap or landing gear clunks, is jarring. Rudder resistance is felt through the triggers, but its application is limited in scope. You don’t use them much unless your plane naturally sways left or right. Helicopters use the triggers to steer, but their resistance is lighter.
Better implemented are ATC instructions which cut through the DualSense’s on-board speakers, while cockpit warnings flash through the light-ribbon. 3D audio exists but isn’t deeply implemented. Worse, headphones expose an uneven sound mix that’s not as perceptible through TV speakers.
During cruising speed, the engine’s hum becomes a whisper, while robotic passengers perforate my eardrums with their non-plussed musings. Sound levels can be tweaked, of course, but there’re no adjustments which encourage more audible engine noise. Combined with inert haptics, the sensory rush of flight never truly materialises. Whether gliding through clement airstreams or wrestling with turbulence, tactile reactions don’t emerge. MSFS 24 is a simulation which nails the visuals, but forgets the visceral.
You could argue that a controller isn’t the “correct” way to fly. Perhaps the tactility missing in the DualSense will be felt through a peripheral flightstick. Now, the only peripheral currently supported on PlayStation is the Thrustmaster T.Flight HOTAS 4, and despite its modest pricepoint, I’m going to guess that most PS5 players don’t own one. So, MSFS 2024 on PS5 must do more to embrace DualSense’s immersive potential. The experience isn’t killed outright, but its underutilisation undersells the overall experience.
I’ve noticed a handful of other bugs too: my aircraft spawned 3ft above ground, crashing before the instructor finished her briefing; dark shadows surrounded my avatar during a snowy photoshoot; ATC operatives talked over each other, delivering a vocal mashup impossible to decode; a game-ending crash halted my first-ever mission. The most confidence shattering was a black screen appearing mid-way through my first flight, pitch dark for a minute before resuming. I’m unsure if this was by design, but it lingered on my mind.
"During cruising speed, the engine’s hum becomes a whisper, while robotic passengers perforate my eardrums with their non-plussed musings."
Yet, as broad as these irritations are, they’re infrequent enough not to be deal-breakers. On PS5, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is imperfect, occasionally obtuse, and sometimes rough around the edges. It’s also the closest PlayStation players have ever come to the real sensation of flight. Did my living room transform into a metaphorical cockpit? Partially, DualSense’s underwhelming implementation can’t replicate a HOTAS setup, with some readability issues genuinely holding back the experience. Yet, the world, the weather system, and the slowly blossoming sense of mastery make MSFS 2024 utterly absorbing.
It’s more than a technical curio now. Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 on PS5 is a journey, one that nudges you persistently, whether you’re casual or veteran, toward your own piloting zenith.
AftermathNathan Grayson
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