After a few weeks of major showcases, this week brought with it some big industry changes. What will the future hold for Xbox with Phil Spencer departing and a new CEO coming in who has little to no experience of the gaming market? It’s been a downward trend for Xbox through this generation as a platform, and we’ll have to see if Microsoft is intent to accelerate this for their broader gaming approach, or if they’ll turn things around.
With the current landscape of the games media, we’re exploring more direct reader-funding so we can continue to invest in the site, and support our writers, allowing them to continue to pen the news, features, and reviews that you visit us for. To that end, we have launched a Ko-fi page earlier this month.
For upcoming games, I had the chance to checkout Milestone’s anime racer revival, Screamer, as well as the latest tycoon sim, Transport Fever 3, and Dom opined that Battle Vision Network will be the culmination of Capybara’s puzzle game craft, and called Arkheron the battle royale lovechild of Diablo and Hades. Intriguing!
We also had an interview with the developers of Abide, to talk about its new style of horror experience
Rounding out the week, What We Played featured Sons of Sparta, Planet of Lana 2 & Overwatch.
Trailer Park
Slay the Spire 2 is dropping into Early Access in March
Battle Robo-Betty in the latest Mouse PI for Hire trailer
A major shakeup is taking place at the top of Microsoft’s gaming business, as long-time Xbox and Microsoft Gaming boss Phil Spencer is retiring, effective from Monday 23rd February, with current President of Microsoft’s CoreAI, Asha Sharma is set to take over as the new CEO of Microsoft Gaming.
Xbox President Sarah Bond, who was easy to view as Spencer’s eventual successor, has resigned, while Xbox Game Studios head Matt Booty is being promoted to Chief Content Officer.
Messages from all (except Bond) have been published by Microsoft. Spencer said that he had been thinking about retiring for a little while, and that this handover has seen him work with his successor for several months now.
“Last fall, I shared with Satya that I was thinking about stepping back and starting the next chapter of my life. From that moment, we aligned on approaching this transition with intention, ensuring stability, and strengthening the foundation we’ve built. Xbox has always been more than a business. It’s a vibrant community of players, creators, and teams who care deeply about what we build and how we build it. And it deserves a thoughtful, deliberate plan for the road ahead.
“Today marks an exciting new chapter for Microsoft Gaming as Asha Sharma steps into the role of CEO, and I want to be the first to welcome her to this incredible team. Working with her over the past several months has given me tremendous confidence. She brings genuine curiosity, clarity and a deep commitment to understanding players, creators, and the decisions that shape our future. We know this is an important moment for our fans, partners, and team, and we’re committed to getting it right. I’ll remain in an advisory role through the summer to support a smooth handoff.”
Sharma might not have been the most obvious choice from the outside, and coming from an AI background will certainly be a cause for concern to many gamers, where generative AI is viewed very negatively.
“My first job is simple: understand what makes this work and protect it. That starts with three commitments. First, great games. Everything begins here. We must have great games beloved by players before we do anything. Unforgettable characters, stories that make us feel, innovative game play, and creative excellence. We will empower our studios, invest in iconic franchises, and back bold new ideas. We will take risks. We will enter new categories and markets where we can add real value, grounded in what players care about most. I promoted Matt Booty in honor of this commitment. He understands the craft and the challenges of building great games, has led teams that deliver award-winning work, and has earned the trust of game developers across the industry.
“Second, the return of Xbox. We will recommit to our core Xbox fans and players, those who have invested with us for the past 25 years, and to the developers who build the expansive universes and experiences that are embraced by players across the world. We will celebrate our roots with a renewed commitment to Xbox starting with console which has shaped who we are. It connects us to the players and fans who invest in Xbox, and to the developers who build ambitious experiences for it.
“Gaming now lives across devices, not within the limits of any single piece of hardware. As we expand across PC, mobile, and cloud, Xbox should feel seamless, instant, and worthy of the communities we serve. We will break down barriers so developers can build once and reach players everywhere without compromise.
“Third, future of play. We are witnessing the reinvention of play. To meet the moment, we will invent new business models and new ways to play by leaning into what we already have: iconic teams, characters, and worlds that people love. But we will not treat those worlds as static IP to milk and monetize. We will build a shared platform and tools that empower developers and players to create and share their own stories.
“As monetization and AI evolve and influence this future, we will not chase short-term efficiency or flood our ecosystem with soulless AI slop. Games are and always will be art, crafted by humans, and created with the most innovative technology provided by us.”
There’s definitely some reassuring sentiments within that, though I would argue that saying your first job is to understand what’s going on makes this sound more of a hurried appointment. We will have to see how much institutional change follows.
Phil Spencer had been at the helm of Microsoft’s gaming efforts for over a decade, taking over in 2014 and setting about steading the suddenly floundering console gaming business. He moved quickly to cut the price of the Xbox One by removing the Kinect from the bundle, made gamer-positive moves like championing backwards compatibility, and enacted major changes to the Xbox business model by promising day-and-date PC releases for Xbox games (and releasing them on Steam), as well as introducing Xbox Game Pass. He also saw Xbox exclusives start to come to PlayStation, breaking down traditional barriers.
However, he’s also been at the helm more recent difficult times for the brand. The Xbox Series X|S launch did not go as successfully as planned, not least with significant game delays for the likes of Halo Infinite, studio acquisitions took a long time to bear fruit, Xbox Game Pass started to see market saturation, and then successive price increases to both consoles and services.
With an eye to the future, now might be the best time for him to step aside, but Xbox as a brand feels somewhat nebulous right now. There’s a lot of rumours about what their next console might be like, whether it’s more PC-like than console and with rival storefronts, or traditional. Microsoft will inevitably be very keen to see AI used in some fashion, having demoed AI helpers with Minecraft in recent years (and that was before the current madness). But with a new CEO all of that could change. We’ll have to wait and see.
Having suddenly appeared on the Nintendo eShop, Pokémon Fire Red and Leaf Green are coming to the Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 next week on 27th February – that’s Pokémon Day, which will have a traditional stream with new announcements, for which this was no doubt meant to be a surprise.
The games are priced pretty highly, set at £16.99 / $19.99, but also have the quirk of having distinct versions released for every language that they were shipped in.
The reason for this, per the eShop store page, is that “Because this version replicates the way the game was originally released, each language version is separate and there are no in-game options to change the language.” That’s an unnecessary complication for modern gamers, and honestly doesn’t make too much sense, but it hopefully won’t catch too many people out.
These Game Boy Advance remakes of the original game are rare enough to be prized possessions amongst game collectors, if you can find an original cartridge – it will be a great way to mark the Pokémon franchise’s 30th anniversary, that’s for sure.
The remakes updated the originals with the graphics of the GBA era – also making it so that Green was the pairing to Red, instead of Blue as it had been for the original western release – and added the Sevii Islands to visit, while bringing some other improvements like a contextual tutorial, save game recaps, and ties to the other Game Boy Advance and GameCube Pokémon games. Fire Red and Leaf Green also came with a special wireless adapter for local link play, and since wireless is now built into everything you own, this will also be supported on Switch.
Most importantly for the here and now, these games will have support for Pokémon Home added to them, so Pokémon caught in this game can be brought through to the newer titles.
With no build up or fanfare, Nintendo and Monolith Soft have just released Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition…. edition, a paid upgrade to the game that brings technical improvements for the new generation hardware. Check out the trailer:
The Switch 2 Edition upgrade is a fairly straightforward technical boost, now with a 60fps target through the game and 4K docked and 1080p handheld resolutions. We don’t know if Monolith has leant upon upscaling techniques or variable resolutions to get there, but this should make for a sharper looking, more responsive game in general.
Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition can be bought all together on the Nintendo eShop or with a $5 / £4.19 upgrade for existing owners of the Switch release. A physical release will be available from April 16th.
One of the last Wii U cult classics to be ported to the Nintendo Switch, Xenoblade Chronicles X arrived in March of last year. With it still fresh in Monolith’s memory, it’s understandable why they would return to this first, but fans of the series will understandably be pining for a similar Switch 2 Edition treatment to be given to Xenoblade Chronicles 2, 3 and the Definitive Edition of the Wii original. Xenoblade Chronicles 2 would probably receive the greatest benefits, as Monolith’s first effort with the Switch did have its struggles.
In our review of the Switch 1 release, Dom said, “With a smattering of improvements as it jumps to Nintendo Switch, Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition offers up an epic sci-fi tale set in one of the very best open worlds.”
EA and Battlefield Studios have launched the delayedBattlefield 6 Season 2, bringing a new map, reams of new cosmetics and unlocks through the Battle Pass, and promise of limited-time events and match effects.
The new map is a large scale battle set around a German airbase, catering to all combat sizes and the main game modes of Conquest, Breakthrough and Escalation, and featuring both land vehicles and helicopters. It’s another pleasing step towards the kind of large scale maps that were largely missing for Battlefield 6’s launch.
It’s the first of two maps that will be included in Battlefield Season 2, when fans have been clamouring for more variety. Why aren’t they making more, when that’s what people want? DICE’s Producer Alexia Christofi says “In terms of cadence, we would love to create way more maps. But we’re just trying to kind of bring things to players as we can and as quickly as we can build them.”
They’re balancing map making with running limited time events, in other words. This will see a limited time mode added to multiplayer and REDSEC in season 2 with the VL-7 Strike meaning that psychoactive smoke will drop onto the map, forcing you to quickly put on a gas mask and manage your filters to avoid being affected. The battle royale map has been modified with smoke engulfing Fort Lyndon, and the Gauntlet mode has returned, also with this smoke affecting the fights.
Here’s the full patch notes for Battlefield 6 Update 1.2.1.0 and Season 2’s launch:
New Map: Contaminated
A large-scale European mountainside battlefield set around a strategic German airbase.
Supports all combat sizes
Includes land vehicles and helicopters
Available across Conquest, Breakthrough, Escalation, Squad Death Match, and Strikepoint
New Limited-Time Modes
Season 2 introduces a set of limited-time experiences built around VL-7, a new psychoactive smoke weapon spreading across multiple battlefields. As contaminated zones emerge, squads must adapt their tactics, manage masks and filters, and fight for control in increasingly hostile environments across multiplayer, Battle Royale, and Gauntlet.
VL-7 Strike: A limited-time mode where the psychoactive smoke VL-7 spreads across select areas in multiplayer and REDSEC. Players must use masks and manage their filters carefully, as running out will leave them exposed to VL-7’s disorienting effects.
Battle Royale – Synthesis: Smoke engulfs Fort Lyndon, transforming the battleground. Fight and loot within contaminated zones while securing masks and filters to survive the smoke’s effects.
Gauntlet: Altered State: Gauntlet returns with a new twist. Squads compete in a knockout-style elimination format while navigating psychoactive smoke and racing to complete missions under pressure.
New Vehicle
AH-6 Little Bird: The iconic attack helicopter returns for NATO forces, offering high mobility and lethal firepower in skilled hands.
New Weapons
M121 A2: A belt-fed machine gun delivering high damage, especially effective at close range.
GRT-CPS: A semi-automatic designated marksman rifle designed for mid- to long-range engagements, featuring a high-capacity magazine for sustained fire.
VCR-2: A short-range assault rifle with a rapid rate of fire, built for intense close-quarters combat.
New Gadgets
9K38 IGLA: A lock-on, anti-air missile launcher that requires active guidance from engineers to stay on target. Provides superior missile maneuverability to adept users.
HTI-Mk2: A short- to medium-range Recon device that can detect and reveal enemy gadgets, overload recon drones, and neutralise incoming rockets.
Protective Mask: Essential equipment for contaminated zones, protecting players from psychoactive smoke. Additional filters can be acquired and equipped to extend protection time.
Battle Pass & Progression
Season 2 Battle Pass: Instantly unlock 6 rewards and progress through 4 themed paths featuring new hardware, weapon packages, soldier skins, XP boosts, and more. Complete all paths to unlock the Ultimate Path.
BF Pro: In addition to the regular Battle Pass, BF Pro includes 6 instant unlocks, 25 tier skips, BF Radio, Portal Server Hosting, and access to an exclusive bonus path with additional tactical rewards
Game Update 1.2.1.0 delivers over 240 gameplay improvements and quality-of-life fixes across nearly every part of Battlefield 6. These changes are shaped by community feedback and real match data, with a focus on improving weapon handling, movement, vehicles, gadgets, UI, audio, and overall gameplay reliability. This update continues our ongoing commitment to improve consistency and reliability across the core Battlefield experience.
Weapon Balance and Recoil Improvements: Delivered a broad recoil tuning pass across automatic weapons, alongside targeted balance fixes to improve consistency, role clarity, and long-term weapon handling.
Movement and Traversal Fixes: Improved soldier movement predictability with refined acceleration, slide and jump behaviour, smoother vaulting logic, and improved ladder animations in both first- and third-person. Vehicle and Gadget Reliability: Resolved multiple issues affecting vehicles and gadgets, including anti-vehicle interactions, drone behaviour, deployables, and vehicle damage feedback.
Maps and Mode Fixes: Addressed numerous map exploits, traversal issues, capture logic problems, and world reset bugs across Conquest, Breakthrough, Strikepoint, Gauntlet, and other modes.
UI, HUD and Progression Polish: Introducing a new stat screen in the Player Profile, as well as Improved clarity and reliability across the HUD, Battle Pass, challenges, End of Round flow, matchmaking, and party systems.
Portal Stability and Tooling Updates: Fixed a wide range of issues affecting Portal creation tools, scripting, mutators, assets, exploits, and server stability.
Audio, Visual and Stability Improvements: Improved audio reliability, visual consistency, cosmetic presentation, and overall game stability across platforms.
AREAS OF IMPROVEMENT
As part of Update 1.2.1.0, we’ve made improvements to both how recoil behaves at a system level and how recoil is used to balance automatic weapons.
Since launch, recoil compensation could feel inconsistent in certain situations. In some cases, the amount of aim input required to counter recoil did not reliably match the recoil being applied, which could make weapons feel harder to control than expected. While improvements were made during Season 1 to reduce the most extreme cases, some inconsistency could still be noticeable during regular gameplay. With this update, recoil compensation has been made fully consistent, ensuring that the aim input required to counter recoil now correctly matches the recoil applied. This results in more predictable and reliable weapon handling.
Separately from this systemic fix, we’ve also made a broad recoil tuning pass across automatic weapons. Recoil is one of the main ways we balance weapons across different engagement distances: higher-damage weapons are intentionally harder to control, while lighter weapons trade raw power for ease of use and consistency. Over time, we saw this balance starting to drift once we looked at how these weapons were actually being used in live matches across common combat ranges.
This tuning pass brings recoil behaviour back in line with each weapon’s intended role. You should expect automatic weapons to feel more consistent and better differentiated across ranges, with higher-impact weapons demanding more control and positioning, while others remain reliable and forgiving in closer engagements.
CHANGELOG
PLAYER:
Adjusted the acceleration curve of slide and jumps to better account for the player’s speed when entering a slide or a jump.
All squad members now display animated health icons when downed, clearly indicating who is able to revive you.
Fixed a matchmaking error that could occur when a player left the party while the party leader was already in a match.
Fixed a movement extrapolation issue that could cause other soldiers to appear jittery when traversing uneven terrain or changing states.
Fixed a rare issue where melee could become unusable if switched to immediately after being revived.
Fixed an issue where a player’s legs could clip through thin walls or objects when backpedalling into them.
Fixed an issue where a soldier could become invisible and continue moving after dying in a swimming pool.
Fixed an issue where a victim’s facing direction could be briefly incorrect when starting a melee takedown on a prone target.
Fixed an issue where accepting a squad invite on Xbox could unintentionally select a highlighted tile in the main menu.
Fixed an issue where Battle Pickups would sometimes be dropped after being revived.
Fixed an issue where deployable Gadgets could be used while on a zipline.
Fixed an issue where equipping a camo skin on one vehicle could cause vehicle thumbnails or icons to incorrectly appear camouflaged across all vehicles.
Fixed an issue where melee animations could break when initiated immediately after exiting a vehicle in first-person.
Fixed an issue where revived players could occasionally receive an unintended weapon state.
Fixed an issue where soldiers could be launched unexpectedly when entering a ladder positioned above the camera.
Fixed an issue where stickers were not applied correctly on the War Wolf Legendary weapon package for the L85A3.
Fixed an issue where the left hand could be seen floating while doing a takedown with the knife equipped.
Fixed an issue where the selected player patch could appear duplicated and incorrectly placed on the backpack when using the Veritas Epic skin.
Fixed an issue where the Spiteful Mirage skin was missing hair during the End of Round flow.
Fixed an issue where the Thunder Engineer skin did not focus the camera on the correct uniform patch location.
Fixed an issue where the uniform patch appeared twice on the Peregrine Sniper Epic skin.
Fixed an issue where the Wraith Recon skin could become partially transparent in first-person view when starting a match in King of the Hill.
Fixed an issue where unlocking characters via the Battle Pass deeplink would not correctly unlock the character.
Fixed an issue where unlocking the Brodie character via the Battle Pass deeplink would not correctly unlock the character.
Fixed an issue where vaulting onto a vehicle could sometimes destroy it and launch the player unexpectedly.
Fixed an issue where weapon pose could fail to update correctly when firing while sprint-jumping.
Fixed an issue where weapon switching after being revived could leave players without a usable weapon. The game now prioritises equipping a weapon with available ammunition.
Fixed case scenarios where it would sometimes be possible to grab ledges much higher than intended with vault grab
Fixed duplicate naming for some of the weapon charms.
Fixed excessive mud weathering on the Two-Faced Epic skin’s character model.
Improved first-person ladder animations for entering, climbing, and exiting.
Improved foot placement when climbing ladders.
Improved predictability and consistency of player movement with new acceleration curves instead of linear accelerations. Those updated accelerations retain responsive movement while allowing micro-adjustments of movement (i.e. to peek corners) and ensure that other players’ movement looks more correct to improve the quality and predictability of gunfights.
Improved the transition of the soldier’s lower body in first-person view when stopping movement.
Improved third-person ladder animations, including hand and foot placement on ladders.
Improved vault detection near overhangs while airborne.
Made animation and logic improvements to vaulting over medium-sized obstacles, refining momentum and smoothing transitions into movement.
Prevented players from vaulting back onto the same ladder when jumping down backwards from it.
Reduced the intensity of hit reactions while on fire to improve visual clarity during combat.
Reduced the maximum slide impulse length by 25% to improve balance and readability during fast movement.
Updated the Winter Warning cosmetic to better align with Battlefield’s visual identity.
VEHICLES:
Disabled angle-based damage mitigation on the Traverser Mark II to better reflect its lighter armour profile. It now takes consistent damage from all directions.
Fixed an issue where attack helicopter rocket trails could disappear when firing at long distances.
Fixed an issue where helicopter rotary cannon tracers could sometimes originate behind the muzzle.
Fixed an issue where jet throttle input could remain active after ejecting from the aircraft.
Fixed an issue where tank turret aiming speeds differed between first-person and third-person zoom views.
Fixed unreliable bullet collision on Anti-Air vehicle radar dishes.
Reduced muzzle flash intensity on Anti-Air Tanks and stationary Anti-Air weapons when zoomed in.
You can no longer move vehicles forward or backward while the Big Map is open, preventing input conflicts with map zoom controls on controllers.
GADGETS:
Fixed an issue where Anti-Tank Mines could fail to deploy correctly in first-person view.
Fixed an issue where attached M4A1 SLAM AV Mine explosives on the XFGM-6D Recon Drone did not correctly affect battery life or top speed. Attached explosives now behave consistently and detonate when the XFGM-6D Recon Drone is destroyed.
Fixed an issue where the RPG-7 and the MBT-LAW launchers would be inaccurate if fired right after the zoom transition is completed.
Fixed an issue where the Smoke Grenade was missing from the Support class Loadout #2.
Fixed an issue where the XFGM-6D Recon Drone could be destroyed when its operating soldier was downed.
Fixed an issue where the CSB IV EOD Bot could instantly regain an ammo charge when destroyed.
Fixed an issue where the LTLM II Portable Laser Designator could prioritise already-painted targets instead of the vehicle being aimed at.
Fixed an issue where the Repair Tool torch flame video effect was misaligned in third-person view using non-default FOV values.
Fixed an issue where the Repair Tool would not repair vehicles when targeting glass components.
Fixed an issue where the RPG-7 could fire unintentionally when switching weapons after releasing the trigger.
Fixed a bug that prevent the player from returning properly to the previous weapon after throwing a supply pouch and would keep throwing more supply pouches
Improved consistency when destroying Anti-Tank Mines and M4 SLAM AV Mines with explosives. Clearing out minefields should be easier and more consistent using a tank.
Improved consistency of Defibrillator revives detection on stairs and uneven terrain.
WEAPONS:
Adjusted in-world spotting range when firing a weapon without a suppressor or flash hider, reducing it from 75 to 54 metres.
Adjusted minimap spotting range when firing suppressed weapons, increasing it from 15 to 21 metres to better align with intended balance.
Fixed consistency with recoil compensation, making sure that the amount of aim input needed to compensate for recoil matches the amount of recoil.
Fixed a visual issue with the standard fire mode on the SL9 being incorrectly set to safe; it is now set to full auto by default.
Fixed an issue where locked weapon skins could be used in the Firing Range.
Fixed an issue where shooting the first target dummy could generate particle effects at the player’s position.
Fixed an issue where the 5 mW Green Laser was too expensive to equip on the DRS-IAR.
Fixed an issue where the Flashlight could appear slightly misaligned when equipped on the MP5.
Fixed an issue where the LA-23 Laser pad could appear floating when equipped on the RPKM.
Fixed an issue where Scope glints and laser sight lens flares would be visible through the cover of smoke grenades.
Fixed inconsistent knife melee timing to improve reliability during close-quarters combat.
Fixed multiple weapon attachment visual issues, including lasers, flashlights, and optic alignment.
Fixed the LMR27s Fast 15- and 20-round magazines not reducing reload time as intended.
Fixed the SGX RO-M 1.75x sight to function consistently with other weapons.
Fixed visual issues with bolt-action rifle animations, including intrusive ADS motion and incorrect finger placement.
Improved scope glint orientation at long distances so enemy aim direction is more accurately telegraphed.
Knife takedowns against enemies who are prone on their back now correctly connect with the defender.
Reduced the Mini Scout muzzle velocity from 880 to 800 m/s.
Reduced the Mini Scout limb damage to better align with lower-torso damage values.
Updated the M433 Level 50 Mastery Package to use the correct magazine mesh.
Updated the Range Finder custom zeroing to not apply its effect instantly; it now requires a short delay before taking effect.
Updated player-facing descriptions for non-sniper grippod attachments to better reflect their gameplay effects.
Updated player-facing name of the TR-7’s fluted barrel to match the formatting of its other barrels.
Weapon Recoil Tuning: Adjusted recoil behaviour across automatic weapons to better reflect real combat ranges and ease-of-use expectations, improving ranged consistency while preserving intended weapon roles.
AK-205: Adjusted recoil behaviour to better match expectations for a 5.45×39mm weapon, with minimal impact on overall handling.
B36A4, L85A3, M433, SOR-555 MK2: Reduced recoil randomness, improving consistency and effectiveness at longer ranges.
DB-12: Increased rate of fire and faster pump action to improve reliability in close-quarters combat.
L110: Reduced recoil to reinforce the handling differences between belt-fed Machine Guns and Assault Rifles.
LMR27: Increased damage at close to mid ranges to better reward accurate headshots.
M123K: Reduced recoil to improve sustained-fire control and reinforce its role as a belt-fed Machine Gun.
M277: Reduced recoil, improving effectiveness at range.
M417 A2, QBZ-192: Reduced recoil randomness to ensure they remain competitive relative to updated Assault Rifles.
PW5A3, SGX: Increased recoil, making them slightly harder to control and less precise at longer distances.
PW7A2, USG-90: Adjusted recoil behaviour to improve effectiveness at range while slightly increasing handling difficulty up close.
SCW-10: Increased recoil to reduce effectiveness at range and reinforce its close-quarters role.
SG 553R: Increased recoil to limit effectiveness at range and better align with its strong close-range performance.
SOR-300SC: Adjusted recoil to ensure it remains competitive alongside updated Assault Rifles.
MAPS & MODES:
Added Rush as a new mode to Mirak Valley.
Fixed an issue in Escalation on Operation Firestorm where vehicles would not spawn at HQ as intended.
Fixed an issue in Squad Deathmatch where locked squads could cause the scoreboard to appear partially empty.
Fixed an issue in Sabotage where attackers could reach elevated positions and spawn-camp the defending team on Blackwell Fields.
Fixed an issue in Sabotage where attackers could spawn within direct line of sight of defenders when deploying at HQ on Blackwell Fields.
Fixed an issue on Siege of Cairo where players could reach the top of buildings in Sector D3 using the Deployable Cover gadget.
Fixed missing water and visual issues in several swimming pools across Eastwood.
Manhattan Bridge
Fixed an issue where destroying a garage by D objective could trigger a whiteout effect across the map.
Fixed an issue where destroying an office building by F objective could incorrectly trigger a blackout and cause other players to see random colors and bright lights across the map.
Fixed an issue where destroying parts of a plaster ridge at C objective could expose occlusion problems, causing large sections of the map to disappear when viewed from certain positions.
Fixed an issue where players could stand on top of the bridge, creating unintended gameplay advantages.
Fixed an issue where points of interest on the minimap were incorrectly labelled as “Dumbo” instead of Manhattan Bridge.
Empire State
Fixed an issue where players could capture Point B (Sector 2) on Breakthrough from an unintended upper floor.
Fixed an issue where players could place the Assault Ladder on invisible collision near the NATO HQ.
Fixed an issue where players could reach unintended areas above the D flag after being launched into the air.
Strikepoint
Fixed an issue on Liberation Peak, Operation Firestorm, and Iberian Offensive where multiple world and vehicle assets would not restore correctly after the halftime world reset.
Fixed an issue where matches could end prematurely when teams were tied at 5:5.
Fixed an issue where players joining a match late could spawn under the map.
Fixed a rare issue where a wiped team could be incorrectly awarded a point.
Added the Scout Helicopter to the following maps and modes:
Conquest
Manhattan Bridge
Operation Firestorm
New Sobek City
Mirak Valley
Escalation
Manhattan Bridge
Eastwood
Operation Firestorm
New Sobek City
Mirak Valley
PROGRESSION:
Battle Pass Tokens are now earned more quickly through Career XP and Weekly Challenges, allowing for faster progression through regular gameplay.
Fixed an issue where rerolling challenges could become unavailable when switching between the Battle Pass and Daily Challenges.
Fixed an issue where the assignment tracker did not correctly track missions from the Unit page.
Fixed incorrect tracking for multiple weekly and assignment-based challenges.
Fixed multiple issues with challenge criteria displaying or progressing incorrectly across REDSEC Gauntlet and Weekly Challenges.
Fixed incorrect progress display for Week 2 challenges.
Fixed an issue where exploration assignments could complete with fewer actions than intended.
UI & HUD:
Engineer icon changed to improve readability and make role more clear based on community feedback.
Fixed a localisation issue where the Loadout Zeroing and Attachment prompts could overlap in several languages.
Fixed an incorrect icon for the M3A3 Bradley.
Fixed an issue causing Field XP UI animations to trigger too frequently.
Fixed an issue causing low minimap shadow quality and rendering artefacts on some multiplayer maps.
Fixed an issue on PC where the Big Map displayed keyboard and mouse icons even when using a controller.
Fixed an issue where Battle Pass points earned from weekly missions were not reflected correctly on the End of Round screen.
Fixed an issue where Battle Pass progression tokens were not updating correctly on the End of Round screen after completing Bonus Paths.
Fixed an issue where closing the pause menu from the Deploy Screen using a controller could immediately reopen it.
Fixed an issue where completed assignments could appear incorrectly sorted as completed on the End of Round screen.
Fixed an issue where equipping or previewing gadgets and melee weapons could cause them to appear under the vehicle section in the Loadouts screen.
Fixed an issue where locked Battle Pass rewards could appear stuck in the Loadout screen after navigating back from the Battle Pass.
Fixed an issue where mortar hit indicators and damage numbers were not displayed correctly.
Fixed an issue where the Big Map and scoreboard button prompts were missing in Gauntlet End of Round screens.
Fixed an issue where the crosshair could briefly display incorrect spacing when switching weapons.
Fixed an issue where the gunner seat aiming indicators on attack helicopters remained static while the helicopter was moving, leading to incorrect aiming feedback.
Fixed an issue where the “Go to Store” button prompt was not functional for vehicle customization on PlayStation 5.
Fixed an issue where item previews could persist after exiting Store bundles.
Fixed an issue where item rotation and zoom could shift to other items when rapidly switching during inspection.
Fixed an issue where the Free-to-Play tutorial for custom loadout access did not trigger correctly under certain conditions.
Fixed an issue where the map could flip back and forth when rolling an aircraft.
Fixed an issue where the resupply message was not visible even when resource indicators were enabled in settings.
Fixed an issue where the revive in-world icon for squadmates could disappear too early. The icon now remains visible until the player is fully dead and no longer revivable.
Fixed an issue where the “Show Game Mode Events” option did not function correctly when disabled.
Fixed an issue where the “Stay with Squad” option was missing from the End of Round screen.
Fixed an issue where the “Steady Aim” prompt unintentionally appeared on Designated Marksman Rifles; it is now shown only on bolt-action rifles.
Fixed an issue where the tank damage screen effect would not properly cancel when exiting the vehicle.
Fixed an issue where the “Tracked” section could display an incorrect number of tracked missions.
Fixed an issue where UI elements could overlap or misalign during fast menu navigation.
Fixed an issue where weapon package deeplinks did not navigate to the correct challenge tile.
Fixed duplicate ladder indicators appearing on the jet HUD.
Fixed enemy lock-on in-world icons displaying incorrect state colours when targeting vehicles.
Fixed missing deeplinks for Dog Tags unlocked via challenges or through the Store.
Fixed missing or incorrect icon art for several assignment and unit challenge rewards.
Fixed inconsistencies between Battle Pass progression shown on the End of Round screen and the Battle Pass menu.
Fixed incorrect unit descriptions for select NATO and Pax Armata forces.
Fixed missing high-definition feedback when the Phalanx HQ Defence destroyed incoming projectiles in Conquest.
Fixed missing or incorrect game mode tiles appearing on launch or after finishing a match.
Fixed multiple issues causing in-world icons to flicker, including look-at, occlusion, and delayed occlusion updates.
Fixed new reward markers not resetting correctly when switching between Season and Bonus Paths.
Fixed player pickup request icons not displaying correctly.
Improved readability of missile intercepted indicators.
Improved the revive in-world progress bar to more closely match the downed player’s screen, reducing the gap where a revive was no longer possible but still appeared active.
Reduced delay of UI hit indicators showing up when a hit has been confirmed.
Reorganised killer information on the kill card to improve readability.
Season 2 introduces a new stat screen in the Player Profile, featuring Career Total, Career Best, and Accolade stats. Each of these three screens showcases a variety of detailed statistics. The Career Total stats header includes both overall totals and breakdowns by game mode, while Career Best stats are tracked for both “In a Match” and “In a Life” categories.
SETTINGS:
Added an accessibility option for flash and stun grenades that replaces the white flash effect with a black screen effect, reducing sudden brightness while preserving gameplay impact. This option can be enabled in the Accessibility settings.
PORTAL:
Fixed a memory leak that could occur when specific scripting events were triggered repeatedly.
Fixed an exploit that allowed players to farm excessive XP by repeatedly destroying AI-spawned vehicles.
Fixed an issue where Battle Pickups spawned via Loot Spawners were missing minimap and big map icons.
Fixed an issue where certain rules events triggered at incorrect times, including capture point enter/exit events.
Fixed an issue where experiences in the “In Review” state could not be edited or deleted.
Fixed an issue where modifying reinforcement multipliers could cause incorrect ticket counts to be displayed during sector progression.
Fixed an issue where players could be reassigned incorrectly or prevented from deploying when squads reached maximum size.
Fixed an issue where players could create AFK farming experiences that bypassed intended progression limits.
Fixed an issue where players could not report a server while in the redeploy screen.
Fixed an issue where Portal Sandbox displayed an incorrect map size in map rotation.
Fixed an issue where removing all maps from a map rotation could cause the editor panel to disappear.
Fixed an issue where spawning ammo via Loot Spawners had no effect.
Fixed an issue where the Export button displayed a placeholder icon.
Fixed an issue where users could bypass editor limits by importing modified workspaces.
Fixed asset conflicts and errors that could appear when uploading or editing certain maps.
Fixed incorrect Front End indicators related to limited-time events.
Fixed incorrect map availability and categorisation for Custom Portal modes.
Fixed incorrect or lingering UI elements related to respawning, squad reassignment, and mission flow.
Fixed incorrect or missing tooltips, placeholder text, and untranslated labels in the Web Editor.
Fixed issues that could lead to very long loading times for some Portal experiences.
Fixed issues where certain assets could cause players to be returned to the Front End when hosting experiences.
Fixed issues where certain gadgets, weapons, vehicles, and Battle Pickups were missing from restriction settings or did not respect configured restrictions.
Fixed issues where strike package markers, beacon indicators, and objective icons could behave incorrectly across sessions.
Fixed issues where values entered for certain seasonal and environmental mutators were not saved correctly.
Fixed issues with Rules Editor lists being scrambled or inaccurate when selecting weapons, gadgets, or ammo.
Fixed issues with scripting functions and nodes, including incorrect vector calculations, squad lookup limits, and long-running player events stopping unexpectedly.
Fixed missing maps, assets, and set dressing in the Portal SDK, including Season 2 content and winter environment assets.
Fixed missing or incorrect indicators for heat warnings, second chance states, and beacon pulses.
Fixed multiple issues in the Portal Web Editor where weapons, gadgets, vehicles, and maps were missing, incorrectly categorised, or displayed with placeholder names, images, or meshes.
Fixed multiple mutators that had no functionality or incorrect default values, including reinforcement, health regeneration, zoom snap, passenger seat, and verification-related settings.
Fixed multiple placeholder or low-resolution vehicle and object meshes appearing when placed in Portal experiences.
Fixed rare server hangs affecting Linux-based Portal servers.
Fixed server log spam related to loot physics and proximity systems.
Updated and replaced several Battle Royale and Portal-related challenges that were no longer functioning as intended.
AUDIO:
Fixed an issue where pinging a Vehicle Supply Crate did not trigger the correct supply voice-over line.
Fixed audio stuttering when vehicles are sabotaged using the Repair Tool.
Improved audibility of enemy ziplines and parachutes, as well as friendly blowtorches, when many sounds are playing.
Improved audio obstruction for vehicles, weapons, and soldier footsteps by refining sound source positioning.
Improved clarity of distant enemy footsteps by better aligning layered audio content.
Improved panning for close non-player footsteps at very short distances.
Improved reliability of multiple sound effects under heavy load, including defibrillators, blowtorches, ziplines, and parachutes.
NETWORK:
Fixed rare cases where the game could become unresponsive after reconnecting network cables during gameplay or while accepting invitations on Xbox Series consoles.
REDSEC
PLAYER:
Fixed an issue where dying with a Data Drive could prevent the Extraction mission from progressing.
Fixed an issue where in rare cases soldiers could take higher than intended damage when wearing armor.
Fixed an issue where mission completion rewards could fail to drop correctly if the player initiating the mission was killed just before completion.
Fixed an issue where the deploy input during Battle Royale insertion was not triggering consistently.
Fixed an issue where the party leader would be returned to the Front End after selecting Stay with Squad in Battle Royale Duos.
VEHICLES:
Added the Traverser Mark II to select Large, Medium, and Small Gauntlet layouts.
Fixed an issue where the weapon could rotate incorrectly in first-person view when using the Traverser Mark II Remote Weapon Station.
Fixed an issue where incorrect or missing crosshairs could appear for side passengers in the Traverse Mark II.
WEAPONS:
Improved attachment setups for M4A1, M277, SVDM, Mini Scout, UMG-40, and 18.5KS-K, ensuring these weapons use their intended attachments and are better balanced when found as loot.
CALL-INS:
Fixed an issue where the UAV call-in sound effect could continue playing if the action was cancelled by vaulting.
Increased the drop speed of Custom Weapon Drops, Supply Drops, and Mission Rewards after being spawned in the air.
Introducing a new, limited, tactical Strike Package, allowing players to call in a volley of gas discharging artillery shells on a targeted location of the map. This Strike offers a unique way to disrupt and deny key areas to enemies.
MAP:
Fixed an issue where tanker container ramps could clip through large deployables; ramps now correctly damage or destroy objects and vehicles when lowering.
Fixed multiple terrain and object placement issues.
PROGRESSION:
Fixed an issue where Battle Royale “Special Forces Operator“ Challenge rewards were not granted correctly.
UI & HUD:
Fixed an issue where strike package map markers would not disappear when joining a Gauntlet session right after playing a Battle Royale match.
Fixed an issue where the Clear Ping action did not work with default controller bindings.
Battle Royale
Fixed an issue where helicopter insertion flight paths on the Big Map could become misaligned when the helicopter or endpoint icons were off-screen.
Fixed an issue where the Decryption Beacon displayed an incorrect texture.
Fixed an issue where the loot feed could incorrectly increment the number looted when picking up the same item repeatedly.
Fixed an issue where players could toggle flashlight and laser attachments while navigating the inventory.
Fixed an issue where the UAV icon was too small on the minimap and big map.
Fixed multiple issues with the Second Chance UI, including incorrect timers, widgets persisting after squad wipes, and incorrect visibility when players left the match.
Removed outdated soldier voice-over lines referencing “supply drops” when pinging crates or supply vehicles.
Gauntlet
Fixed an issue where the Beacon Pulse icon could appear too far away when first picked up by an enemy.
Fixed an issue where the countdown icon on the Mobile Respawn gadget could disappear too early.
Fixed overlapping UI elements when rapidly exiting the Edit Loadout menu.
Fixed overlapping UI elements where “Random Deploy” could appear behind class selection buttons on the redeploy screen.
AUDIO:
Fixed an issue where dropped items would not correctly play pickup sound effects.
Fixed missing collision sounds for dropped ammunition.
Improved reliability of audio feedback for UAV call-ins and mission-related interactions.
Coming up on a decade since the debut of Transport Fever, Urban Games have figured a few things out about their transport simulation series. Years of post-launch support, added features and working with their community is leading to their most ambitious game yet, when Transport Fever 3 launches this year.
Sticking with their in-house game engine, they’re able to roll a bunch of features and ideals from where Transport Fever 2 has ended up into Transport Fever 3 on day one. That means that this will be a fully synchronous release across PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, when TF2 rolled into the console station a few years after PC, and it also means that cross-platform modding, which was only added to TF2 in 2024, will also be there on day one.
If you’re in it for the economic simulation, then Transport Fever 3 promises even greater depths than before. There’s over a century of transportation history here, starting in 1900 with the city, buildings and cars you see all changing and evolving as you carry on through to 2030. That means there’s over 290 vehicles, ranging from buses and trucks, through ships, planes, trains and even new cargo trams and helicopters. Cargo trams are a particularly interesting one, having been used in Eastern Europe to bring cargo into city centres instead of noisy, smelly trucks – something you’ll need to keep tabs on now, as every citizen in the map is fully simulated with places to work, shop and live, and their happiness will depend on pollution, noise levels and traffic jams.
And you’ll have a fresh appreciation for cargo in this game, as there are now 35 cargo types and it is now no longer handled automatically. If TF2 was all about money, then in TF3 it’s just one of many things to manage.
All of this will add new depths to the transport simulation sandbox, but TF3 will lean further into the tycoon gameplay and story objectives to overcome through a campaign of eight maps. Each one picks a particular period in history and takes inspiration from real events, using these missions as a way to introduce new concepts and keep things varied – there could be competition against an AI, a countdown mission with a timer, and more.
We sampled two of the levels, first heading to Mardi Gras in 1906, but finding that the city has been partially flooded and ruined by a storm. This is purely a narrative conceit here – while this game now has a day/night cycle and weather effects, they are purely cosmetic so as not to add crazy variables to the simulation – but it means that Mayor LaFontaine, the helpful Andrew and Miss Baker are banding together to rescue this year’s festival. LaFontaine wants a new hotel, while Miss Baker pushes him and you to help represent the black community and less wealthy, and Andrew’s just happy to be helpful.
Setting up transport routes, repairing roads and bridges and shuffling the good around that each objective needs gradually gets you used to the user interface, though it’s initially a little unclear how to go about certain tasks. I accidentally clicked through and sold off a couple horse and carts when cancelling an unneeded line, instead of having them sent back to the depot, and when I wanted a ship to go between collecting fish and shrimp, returning to dock between each, it took me a moment to realise I couldn’t drag the stops into a different order and had to set things up a different way.
But with Mardi Gras rescued, I could turn my attention to another festival in need, some sixty years later, with a somewhat legally distinct rendition of Woodstock. Now it’s a local sheriff and an enthusiastic rock organiser who will have to put aside any of the very surface level differences to make this a success, oh and Andrew’s still there to help out, though he’s now a bit of an old-timer.
The objectives have grown in scale by this point, so you need a bunch more wood to construct the stage, and the growing encampment needs plenty of food (and veggie food too, please) which is over on the other end of the map. Do you just get a truck to drive it across, or use the port nearby to ship it to the nearest town for trucks to pick up? It all builds up to a festival that’s as successful as you can make it accommodate people.
I feel that these narrative missions and tycoon gameplay will really help make Transport Fever 3 more accessible. I often find myself at a bit of a loose end when simply presented with a sandbox, so while that absolutely remains, having both a way to ease players into the simulation, and to give objectives in an intelligent way that keeps you more engaged will be great.
Marking the first birthday of Obsidian’s Avowed, the game is out now for PlayStation 5, and a meaty anniversary update has been released for the game on PC and Xbox Series X|S. The game is also now available through the regular Xbox Game Pass tier, having originally been tied to ‘Day One’ elligible tiers.*
On a high level, the anniversary update has added three new races that you can create your character as – dwarves, orlan and aumaua – and there’s a new quarterstaff weapon that you can adopt.
While the game wasn’t designed with it in mind, New Game Plus has also been added for anyone that has a save that’s passed the point of no return and beaten the game. Starting over, the only real caveat is that weapon levelling will not persist, but that’s fine because you’ll be nice and mighty in other ways.
And you can show off how mighty you are with a photo mode to capture specific moments while you’re playing.
Avowed was one of the highlights for Xbox and PC gamers last year, though one a little overlooked for launching in February and perhaps not being as broad as some might have liked, following on from the PIllars of Eternity games. “Avowed is an incredible RPG,” we said in our review. “Its vibrant world and stellar cast make every moment a joy to take part in, enhanced by a script that gives equal measure to drama, action and humour. Coming hot on the heels of Indiana Jones and The Great Circle, Microsoft’s software revival is well underway.”
Features and Improvements
New Game+
New Game Plus is now available after completing the main story. This mode is designed to reward mastery, experimentation, and making the all-powerful build. When starting a New Game Plus save, players will bring along with them:
All unlocked abilities (with the exception of godlike abilities which are gained through story progression/world exploration)
All spent attribute points
All unique weapons and armors—but they are reset to level 1
All unlocked enchantments remain
All unique gloves and boots
All necklaces, all rings, and all trinkets
Any equipped Common Weapons or Armor items are kept, but they are reset to level 1
The following are removed from the player at the start of a New Game Plus:
All common weapons and armor that aren’t equipped
Companions must be picked up via story progression
Companions keep their talent points and start at level 1
All resources that had been collected
Gold
Upgrade materials
Enchanting materials
Food ingredients
All consumables that had been collected
All potions
All food
All quest items
All god totems/trinkets
Fast travel points/fog of war
The aforementioned godlike abilities
To ensure challenge scales alongside player power:
Enemy stats are increased across the board
Enemies now have a chance to have modifiers applied to them
Elemental Modifiers
Fire: Immune to Fire damage and accumulation. Attacks also now deal Fire damage.
Frost: Immune to Frost damage and accumulation. Attacks also now deal Frost damage.
Shock: Immune to Shock damage and accumulation. Attacks also now deal Shock damage.
Poison: Immune to Poison damage and accumulation. Attacks also now deal Poison damage.
Bleed: Immune to Bleed damage and accumulation. Attacks also now deal Bleed damage.
Physical Modifiers
Haste: Increased movement speed, attack speed, and reduced cooldown timers
Glass Cannon: Increased damage dealt and damage received
Colossal: Increased maximum health
Life Steal: Attacks restore the enemy’s health by a percentage of the damage dealt
Crippled: Reduced movement speed and attack speed
Sturdy: Increased stability making it harder for them to be stunned
Natural Immunity: Immune to all status accumulations
Forceful: Increased impact on attacks
Vindictive: Increased damage dealt based on the amount of health lost
Attribute stat cap rises from 15 to 30
An important note for those who have already completed Avowed: Since New Game Plus is being added post release and the game was not initially designed with it in mind, a completion save will be necessary in order to take advantage of the mode. You will need to load a point of no return save or later and beat the game to make a proper New Game Plus save.
New Playable Species
Included in the anniversary update is a major expansion to character creation: three new playable species join the existing Humans and Elves.
Dwarves – The most well-traveled species in Eora, the stout dwarves are known for their great strength and tenacity.
Orlans – Their two-toned skin, prominent ears, and hirsute bodies all in the smallest size of Kith make them stand outs in Eora.
Aumaua – Towering, powerfully built, and physically imposing.
Not only do the different species change how you look, the team has also added in stat bonuses for all species adding another layer to character creation.
Humans
+1 Might
+1 Resolve
Elves
+1 Dexterity
+1 Perception
Aumaua
+2 Might
Dwarves
+1 Might
+1 Constitution
Orlans
+1 Perception
+1 Resolve
Additionally, players will receive stat bonuses depending on their chosen background.
Arcane Scholar – +2 to Intellect
Court Augur – +2 to Resolve
Noble Scion – +2 to Perception
Vanguard Scout – +2 to Dexterity
War Hero – +2 to Constitution
Improved Character Creation
Added new Godlike features, color variants, and presets
Custom Difficulty
For players who want even finer control, Avowed now includes custom difficulty modifiers, allowing you to tune the game’s systems to your preferred experience. These new options are found by scrolling down through the “Game” tab of the settings menu. Adjust player:
Damage dealt
Health, stamina, and essence resources
Elemental status effect threshold
Health and essence regeneration rates
Potion and food restoration rates
Interrupt or knockdown ease
Second Wind cooldown time
Carry capacity
Parry window
Adjust enemy:
Damage output
Health pool
Stun, interrupt, or knockdown ease
Attack speed
Elemental status effect threshold
Aggro threshold
Adjust companion:
Damage dealt
Health max
Elemental status effect threshold
Aggro threshold
As well as general adjustments:
Merchant prices
Equipment upgrade material costs
Fall damage
Trap damage
Item quality damage reduction
Important note: While changing these options will not negate most achievements that you may be hunting down, they will invalidate a Path of the Damned achievement. That achievement must be done without use of the custom game options.
Photo Mode
Capture your envoy, companions, and the Living Lands from any angle and share your journey. Includes a free or fixed camera, filters, character rotation and toggle, post-process effects, and gradients. Photo Mode is accessed from the pause menu.
New Weapon
A brand new weapon type is joining the arsenal with the quarterstaff. Designed with the archmage fantasy in mind, the quarterstaff is a new bludgeoning weapon that comes complete with wand style stun finishers. Unleash brutal physical combos along with a fury of spells that would make even Concelhaut jealous.
New Stun Finishers
New stun finishers added for One-Handed Weapons and Two-Handed Weapons.
Respawning Encounters
Respawning encounters have been added to Dawnshore, Emerald Stair, Shatterscarp, and Galawain’s Tusks.
New Quality of Life Features
Players can now change their Envoy’s appearance after character creation via the mirror in the party camp.
Newly placed workbenches allow players to upgrade gear without returning to party camp.
All player Backgrounds now have an added attribute bonus.
Added option to end dream conversations early.
Powder keg chain reactions now occur with a short delay, instead of all exploding simultaneously.
Increased max Controller Vibration Intensity (in the Controller Settings menu) from 1.0 to 2.0.
Added keyboard-based turning in accessibility options.
Improvements to Lighting
The lighting has been improved across all regions.
Improved the lighting in conversations.
Graphics
Updated XeSS to 2.1. Xe Frame Generation, Xe Super Resolution, and Xe Low-Latency mode are now available to more GPUs.
All Bug Fixes Crashes and stability
The game should now longer crash after Fog of War has been cleared.
Addressed an issue causing Barbaric Smash killing blow VFX to remain on the player indefinitely
Fixed an issue when creating save games that could cause NPCs to be stuck when reloading
Performance and Optimizations
Resolved an issue where NVIDIA Reflex Low Latency was missing “Off” option while upscaling is disabled.
Ray tracing is now off by default on Handheld PCs.
Added Mid Luminance values to HDR settings.
Various performance improvements.
Animation
Fixed an issue with the Two-Handed Axe special attack not being aligned while in third person view.
Companion animations no longer stutter during conversations and exploration.
Audio
All audio should now play properly when cooking.
Quests & Conversations
Decals for puzzle in Sallow Steppe should now render properly.
The camera should behave normally during conversation with Tazaraak.
UI/UX
Ability and Grimoire Cost Discounts are now shown in the Character tab of the Ledger, as well as the maximum (-90%) available.
Fixed Tanglefoot’s icon on Player’s and enemy’s HUD.
New Icon added to help distinguish Flurry of Blows on enemy’s HUD.
Text should no longer overlap tabs in certain languages.
Fixed description for several active abilities that were incorrectly labeled as passive.
Resolved an issue where “confirm override” pop-up was not showing while switching presets in the Extras tab.
Fixed an issue where Marius’ Hunter Sense disappeared from hotbar after leaving Party Camp.
Vital bars are showing proper preview values for some skills when upgraded.
Fixed an issue where “Survivalist” ability did not reflect additional bonuses in UI.
Blunted hits no longer include blood VFX when “Combat Blood” is disabled.
Combat/Systems Fixes
Fixed issue where various Area of Effect sources like Arcane Veil interfered with aiming player spells.
Swinging guillotines in the Garden remain disabled after loading a save.
Fixed an issue where Yatzli’s Explosive Blast did not break destructibles.
Some unique weapon enchantments now work properly while Dual Wield Mastery is active.
Already broken destructibles no longer receive damage numbers.
Loot now directly drops at the feet of a shattered frozen enemy.
* If you need Xbox Game Pass tiers to be explained for being too complicated, then I suggest writing to your MP and Satya Nadella to complain.
Bethesda has released update 1.2 for Skyrim on Nintendo Switch 2, fully addressing the woeful performance that blighted the game’s latest port. It follows on from an update shortly after its December release that quickly removed the frame rate cap to improve latency, but now tackles this with a full 60fps performance mode, fixes to visual glitches, and more.
The game performance is the most significant improvement, a new toggle under the Display settings letting you prioritise visuals or performance. This tweaks visual settings and resolution targets in order to deliver 60fps, which from anecdotal online accounts seems to be pretty solid. Additionally, the 30fps visuals have been locked back to this frame rate and the graphics tweaked to give steadier performance.
It’s a huge shame that the game couldn’t have had this degree of performance and refinement at its original release, as it led to a lot of bad reviews – we ended up having to give it a 5/10 because of the issues. However, it does give a glimmer of optimism for the Fallout 4 port to Switch 2 which is set to drop next week.
The Skyrim Switch 2 Update 1.2 patch notes are as follows
Features:
Added a 60 Hz mode under Display settings that allows players to toggle between “Prioritize Visuals” or “Prioritize Performance”.
In addition, frame rate has been locked at 30 Hz in “Prioritize Visuals” mode for smoother gameplay.
Crashes and Performance Fixes:
Fixed a crash that occurred when reading “The Crimson Dirks Vol. 4” book for the “Tilted Scales” quest in German.
Fixed an audio-related crash.
Fixed a crash, infinite load, and game freeze that sometimes occurred when rapidly selecting “Load” multiple times in the pause menu.
Fixed a crash that occurred when the “Transmute Ore” spell was repeatedly cast outside of the Haltered Stream Camp.
Improved FPS performance drops that occurred in the following locations:
during the Hide and Seek quest in Kynesgrove
during combat at Secunda’s Kiss
when discovering the “Drelas’ Cottage” location
when engaged in combat with a giant at the Talking Stone Camp.
Visuals Issues Fixes:
Viewing water planes from a distance or within menus caused them to shift up and down.
Distant aspen trees appeared with a blue tint.
Transitioning out of caves caused an outline of the entrance to linger during the fade-to-back loading screen.
User Interface Fixes:
Switching between mouse and controller mode while in dialogue or the Help menu, caused different options to be highlighted.
Switching between mouse and controller mode while in help menus or user hints, did not dynamically update callout prompts.
The “Ready/Sheathe” option was missing from the Joy-Con 2 Mouse Controls menu.
The “Delete” prompt remained grayed-out within the Load menu when swapping between mouse and controller mode.
Deleting a save in the Save/Load menus reset the highlighted selection to the top of the menu list.
While in mouse mode, the cursor remained stuck within a smaller section of the screen when changing between docked/undocked modes or interfacing with GameChat.
Controls Fixes:
The “Eagle Eye” Archery perk remained active after switching between mouse and controller mode.
Holding down the Right Joystick while reassigning a button caused that button to disappear from the Controls list.
The Joy-Con 2 controllers provided haptic feedback while in mouse mode.
Buttons became unresponsive when controls were remapped while moving the Joy-Con 2 controllers in mouse mode.
Rotating the map in mouse mode was slower and less smooth than in controller mode.
Audio Issue Fix:
Scrolling SFX continued to play while holding up or down on the Left Joystick or buttons at the top or bottom of the Save/Load menus.
Localization Fixes:
“Amiibo” appeared as plural in Spanish.
Miscellaneous:
Added new translations for the features listed above and UI updates.
There’s a lot of people wishing that the mid-2020s were more like the mid-1990s, but I don’t expect many were doing so for a chance to experience the Virtual Boy’s brief heyday. Yet here we are, with Nintendo releasing both a plastic recreation and a jazzed up cardboard edition of the Virtual Boy to go alongside the console’s addition to Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack. It’s playable with Switch, Switch OLED and Switch 2, so we’ve done just that.
The plastic shell of the Virtual Boy has been recreated in a charmingly accurate fashion from a distance, but you see plenty of fakery when you pay closer attention. All of the physical controls, sockets and sliders of the original Virtual Boy – the IPD slider, the volume wheel, controller port and all the rest – are now just surface details, and like a treasure chest that reveals itself to be a Mimic in a D&D campaign, the red shell at the top of the body now opens up to reveal a cavernous maw, eager to consume your console.
Far more accurate are the backward tilted legs, sturdily holding the headset in place, and stubbornly allowing just a single adjustment. There’s no up or down here, just a tilt back and forward, and it means that you have to really lean in to get your Virtual Boy on. If potential eye strain weren’t enough reason for Nintendo to suggest regular breaks, then bad posture and possible back pain were another. While remaining authentic to the original is admirable in some ways, it means this remains an annoyance for anyone that isn’t my cat. I found that the box the Virtual Boy came in brought the headset up to a sensible viewing height for me.
The Virtual Boy is for ages 7+, but my cat is 3, so it was not turned on at this time.
Another slight disappointing element is the inelegance of Nintendo’s solution to the difference in shape and size of the Switch and Switch 2. Another detail on the underside of the Virtual Boy is that the protuberance that the stand grabs onto is also a basket to catch and support the console, the inside having a funnel and hinged flap to ensure it’s in roughly the right place, with a little bit of wiggle room. The basket is screwed onto the body of the Virtual Boy, and it’s sized for the Switch 2 by default, with a separate plate for the original Switch and Switch OLED included in the box.
I’d argue that’s overkill, and a needless faff for Switch 1 owners, when really a plastic insert would have done the trick. Heck, in a pinch when wanting to swap back and forth and compare screens, I just shoved my little finger in to give a modicum of support, and a plastic wedge could have made this more easily universal, in my opinion.
The Virtual Boy Switch 1 support is a bit of a basket case.
Another problem with the baskets? There’s no space for a USB-C charging cable or any kind of power pass through. Switch 2 could, I suppose, play with the top lid cocked open for the top charging port, letting outside light leak in more easily. In general, now you’re playing with (battery) power.
What really matters is what’s happening inside the headset, and you’ll have to peer into this mysterious box to see it. Back in 1995, Nintendo had to pull some remarkable mirror-waggling tricks to get the single-colour LED strips to trick your eyes into seeing images, but in 2026, it’s the standard VR headset method of viewing a screen through distorting lenses. In both case, however, you look through a thick red filter, cutting out all of the other colours that the screen can display.
So, between Switch, Switch OLED and Switch 2, which console gives the best Virtual Boy experience? With this plastic Virtual Boy? I’d have to say the Switch 2. The simple fact is that it’s a higher resolution screen, allowing it to display the 384×224 of a Virtual Boy screen in a smaller space, so you can take in the full image more easily as it appears further away. Each console displays at 1:1 by default, and I feel that with the Switch and Switch OLED in particular, this makes it too large within the headset so that I’m occasionally moving my viewing angle to see if I’m missing something in the corners – and when this is a 3D effect, messing around like this and shifting focus can give you a real headache.
The Switch OLED renders the Virtual Boy much larger than on Switch 2.
It’s a big difference. The Switch 2 puts Wario Land into a 35mm wide postage stamp per eye, before passing through the lenses, while the Switch comes in at 41.5mm and the Switch OLED at 46.5mm. It’s a huge difference, and it makes the pixel grid much, much more visible. You can adjust the zoom within the emulation, to at least shrink the image size, if not the pixels on the Switch OLED – Switch 2, meanwhile, has a wider zoom range and can go up to 1.3x in size to effectively match the Switch OLED at 45mm. I’ve never used an original Virtual Boy, so cannot say what is most authentic, but I’d personally rather see more of the game view than less.
OLED does have its advantages, though, with the cardboard edition in mind. With an OLED panel, any pixel on the screen that’s not in use is off. It’s pitch black. Meanwhile, the backlights of the Switch 2 and Switch bleed through the black and make it a dark blue, to my eyes. The red lenses cut out all but the red light, helping to even the playing field with the plastic Virtual Boy, but the cardboard one doesn’t have the red filter, which can make the Switch OLED king in this scenario.
And so we come to the games. The game selection menu passes through the filter in an ominous red hue, but this is actually a bit of a lie, as it’s rendered in full colour by the console. The games themselves are all-red all of the time, though. Seven games are featured on day one, from 3D Tetris to Golf, Red Alarm, Teleroboxer, and the most noteworthy by far, Virtual Boy Wario Land.
Coming a year after his debut as a protagonist on the Game Boy, Virtual Boy Wario Land pioneered multi-plane platforming, with Wario able to use jump pads to bounce to parts of the world further away from the camera, and really pushed the number of parallax layers featured to give the environments its 3D depth. There’s smaller details too, like blocks having multiple layers to them, even little grassy fronds on the ground having a couple layers, giving added depth here, and the sprite scaling as things move in and out of the screen is really nicely done. Practically the first thing you encounter are spiked balls swinging towards your view, and it shows the smoothness of this.
Teleroboxer does a similarly good job with the boxing robots you fight having lots of layered sprites to create a canny 3D effect, and The Mansion of Innsmouth has the classic first person 3D dungeon crawling aesthetic as you move through corridors, while blasting monsters with an on-screen cursor. But for true 3D, you’ve really got to look to Red Alarm, a Star Fox style rail shooter with the world rendered in red wireframe – with just a single colour, this was probably the best path to take, but does mean you can see enemies through obstacles.
And then there’s 3D Tetris, which takes the notion of the block-dropping puzzle and makes it feel like Star Trek’s 3D chess. The classic tetromino shapes are put to one side, and you’re instead given other blocky assortments, layering them down on multiple flat layers. It can be tricky to make out how things are being placed with the shifting 3D view of the Tetris lasagna you’re making, and it’s odd to have split blocks to drop as well. Thankfully the right of your view has a simple 2D representation of the layers and where each block will land. It’s a bit of a cheat, but makes this more playable.
The main problem with the Virtual Boy’s game line up is that it never had the chance to mature. 1995 means that we were still getting experiences and ideas from the SNES or Game Boy, in part thanks to the single colour displays, and it was a time when sports games like Golf and Mario’s Tennis were… well, they were just fairly standard golf and tennis games. Neat to see, but not exactly ground-breaking.
All in all, the Virtual Boy for Nintendo Switch feels authentic (even if closer inspection does make it appear more toylike), and does a solid job of rendering the console’s small selection of games. It is a shame that, when this costs £67, Nintendo didn’t push on to remake the Virtual Boy controller, improve the ergonomics of using the headset, or even build in the ability to charge and play at the same time. That high price means that Virtual Boy will remain a retro curio for Switch owners and gaming history enthusiasts.
You probably know Milestone best for their long lineup of motorcycle racing games, from MotoGP through Ride and on to Motocross, but that’s not where the studio started. No, the studio’s big break came in 1995 with the arcade-style racing game Screamer, which went toe-to-toe with Ridge Racer as a PC alternative. Over a trio of games in the 90s, the series drifted towards more rally racing, before petering out at another studio, but now in 2026? Screamer’s back, and it’s a refreshing new take on the arcade street racer.
The immediate and most obvious shift from the 90s is that the graphics are so very different. Obviously, they are massively higher fidelity, there’s none of the early 3D polygon wibble, and the gameplay is built around more nuanced physics and handling models… but the art direction has shifted towards anime cutscenes, and there’s a drama-filled story to sink into alongside.
Michele Caletti Creative and Development Director discussed the game’s blend of visual styles: “We took inspiration from things like Akira, from Ghost in the Shell, from Bubblegum Crisis, from Cyber City Oedo, from Cowboy Bebop, and many more, but one of the things that we had to take a very strong decision was not to make the game cel shaded.
It would have been the easy choice – It’s an anime, so you make the game cel shaded – but if you do so, you have to oversimplify some details, you cannot go into fine details with cel shading. So the art direction was bold enough to try to blend the anime and the realistic or quite realistic rendition of the world. And then take some other moves like that there’s not onlythe city setting, there are many other settings that try to portray a different but familiar world.”
You know it’s anime sci-fi when you have a dog that can drive a car.
The Tournament is a long-running illegal street racing competition, but this latest edition is for a huge $1 billion prize, drawing in teams from all kinds of backgrounds. For the Banshee PMC, Hiroshi, Roisin and Frederick are looking for revenge on Anaconda Corp and their distinctly fascist-coded leader, Gabriel. The best way to get close is to enter the same tournament, with the possibility that Gabriel’s demise could be made to look like an accident… But it’s also a story that won’t take itself too seriously. I mean, there’s a dog that can drive a car, and whose owner has fitted it with the same universal translator that everyone else uses to communicate using their native tongues – “This is another choice that we made early,” Michele said, “because we wanted to have cultural melting pot of different characters, of different ethnicities and this was important to convey the fact that in this near future the culture is something like what we have today, but even more diverse, even more varied.”
They won’t be the only team that you race as, though, with five teams competing and the story hopping back and forth, putting you in control of various racers, cars and their specific abilities. Even in the opening few story chapters, there’s races where you just need to finish, where you’re driving as a team, where you’re regularly jumping via cutscenes between different cars.
“We wanted to go away from the pure racing focus and jargon and dialogue and always thinking, always about [winning].” Michele explained. “So you see the characters are not even dressed like drivers, because they are something else, then they are drivers. So their goal is to win, yes, but everyone has also another goal. So you will see that during the story, they’re focus shifts towards their inner goal. Then you’ll be playing in the role of all the characters of the game. So everyone has the goal to be first, yes, but from different perspectives.”
What’s particularly striking about the racing is how it reimagines the controls. The right and left trigger make you go and stop, of course, and the left stick is for turning, but drifting is on the right stick, you have a timing minigame for upshifts to give you boost charges, and those feed into a bull-rushing attack to destroy other competitor cars.
It’s quite a lot to get a handle on, and the way you can counter-steer while drifting felt a bit like rubbing my head and patting my tummy at the same time, so it makes sense that the story mode adds these concepts one at a time. When you wrap that around the mix of lavishly produced anime cutscenes and the character portrait dialogue scenes, though, that does lead to a pretty slow feeling rollout over the course of the opening hour or two. I was really waiting for it to give me all of the gadgets and toys to play with.
Michele admitted “The story takes you that slowly, yeah. It takes hours to get to all the mechanics in place, and the point is, you’re never thrown multiple things together to you.”
He continued, “We thought and we discussed a lot about how to lay out the default controls, how to favour the most intricate actions, because you might want to do strange stuff and we want to allow you to do so. I think we’ve reached the balance where it’s not overwhelming. Give yourself some time to get into the mechanics and it’s not about much about the fingers, but the strategy in order to understand and being in control of when to do things, not to overuse the systems.”
The macguffin that makes all of this possible is the ECHO, a device fitted to each and every car like a super sci-fi MGU-K from Formula 1. Fitted by Gage on behalf of the tournament’s enigmatic host Mr. A, it gradually accumulates Sync, both passively over time and when tapping the Active Shift to shift up a gear in time with the rev limiter – don’t worry, it’s still an arcade game and you won’t be asked to downshift at all. This builds up to grant you boost charges, which you can then deploy, and even strengthen by holding and releasing with another mini timing challenge.
As you Boost, this takes that energy and transfers it over to the second meter of the ECHO device, building up Entropy. This gives you charges to use defensively, to create a temporary shield for a few moments, or to unleash as a Strike, boosting forward again and destroying any car that you hit from behind. Save up the Entropy to fill out the meter, and you can enter into Overdrive, putting you in a much longer-lasting Strike boost that can blast multiple rivals into smithereens, and eventually leaves you vulnerable to destruction just from hitting a wall. You can technically outlast the Overdrive, but I would explode my car every time…
That’s where the ECHO’s final trick comes in, as destruction just respawns your car and body, and gets you racing again. There’s no moral quandary over whether or not this new car and person is the same as the one that died – Milestone seem to be leaving that philosophical debate to the Ship of Theseus and the Star Trek teleporter – and instead it’s just a canny way of keeping the action rampaging along.
“We didn’t want to have this pattern of side-striking the cars,” Michele said. “We tried different things like because the hot part is that it’s easy to strike on a straight, it’s harder to strike into a corner, so the more the intricate the trucks, the more it’s complicated to strike. But we experimented with many things like a semi-automatic strike that drives you toward your opponent, but it didn’t work. We tried something like a seeking missile, but it didn’t work. So we ended up with this where you’re still in control, so you if you hit, you feel like you’ve done it. If you miss, you understand what you have done wrong.”
It all blends into a rather unique take on the arcade racer. Combat is direct and to the point, with just the Strike as your only option for attack – no side-swiping and no missiles or energy abilities like in Wipeout or Blur – and there’s a technical depth to master with the drifting and boost timing, not to mention juggling energy.
In one race, I was able to break away in the lead, conserving my boosts in a way that meant I couldn’t be caught, but it felt much more likely to be caught in the middle of the pack and really have to scrap and fight. That ties in very well with the team race mode, with duos or trios battling for victory. This isn’t about the first across the line, and it’s not even just the combined finishing positions that determine the winning team, as every KO also awards points, so that the highest-placed racer might have finished eighth and outscore the winner that didn’t have a single KO to their name.
After adapting to its style of racing, Screamer really started to speak to me. I’m definitely curious to see how the game will blend together its anime narrative and single-player racing scenarios, but that combination of racing and combat? Well, it makes perfect sense for anyone who watched the F1 movie.
A major shakeup is taking place at the top of Microsoft’s gaming business, as long-time Xbox and Microsoft Gaming boss Phil Spencer is retiring, effective from Monday 23rd February, with current President of Microsoft’s CoreAI, Asha Sharma is set to take over as the new CEO of Microsoft Gaming.
Xbox President Sarah Bond, who was easy to view as Spencer’s eventual successor, has resigned, while Xbox Game Studios head Matt Booty is being promoted to Chief Content Officer.
Messages from all (except Bond) have been published by Microsoft. Spencer said that he had been thinking about retiring for a little while, and that this handover has seen him work with his successor for several months now.
“Last fall, I shared with Satya that I was thinking about stepping back and starting the next chapter of my life. From that moment, we aligned on approaching this transition with intention, ensuring stability, and strengthening the foundation we’ve built. Xbox has always been more than a business. It’s a vibrant community of players, creators, and teams who care deeply about what we build and how we build it. And it deserves a thoughtful, deliberate plan for the road ahead.
“Today marks an exciting new chapter for Microsoft Gaming as Asha Sharma steps into the role of CEO, and I want to be the first to welcome her to this incredible team. Working with her over the past several months has given me tremendous confidence. She brings genuine curiosity, clarity and a deep commitment to understanding players, creators, and the decisions that shape our future. We know this is an important moment for our fans, partners, and team, and we’re committed to getting it right. I’ll remain in an advisory role through the summer to support a smooth handoff.”
Sharma might not have been the most obvious choice from the outside, and coming from an AI background will certainly be a cause for concern to many gamers, where generative AI is viewed very negatively.
“My first job is simple: understand what makes this work and protect it. That starts with three commitments. First, great games. Everything begins here. We must have great games beloved by players before we do anything. Unforgettable characters, stories that make us feel, innovative game play, and creative excellence. We will empower our studios, invest in iconic franchises, and back bold new ideas. We will take risks. We will enter new categories and markets where we can add real value, grounded in what players care about most. I promoted Matt Booty in honor of this commitment. He understands the craft and the challenges of building great games, has led teams that deliver award-winning work, and has earned the trust of game developers across the industry.
“Second, the return of Xbox. We will recommit to our core Xbox fans and players, those who have invested with us for the past 25 years, and to the developers who build the expansive universes and experiences that are embraced by players across the world. We will celebrate our roots with a renewed commitment to Xbox starting with console which has shaped who we are. It connects us to the players and fans who invest in Xbox, and to the developers who build ambitious experiences for it.
“Gaming now lives across devices, not within the limits of any single piece of hardware. As we expand across PC, mobile, and cloud, Xbox should feel seamless, instant, and worthy of the communities we serve. We will break down barriers so developers can build once and reach players everywhere without compromise.
“Third, future of play. We are witnessing the reinvention of play. To meet the moment, we will invent new business models and new ways to play by leaning into what we already have: iconic teams, characters, and worlds that people love. But we will not treat those worlds as static IP to milk and monetize. We will build a shared platform and tools that empower developers and players to create and share their own stories.
“As monetization and AI evolve and influence this future, we will not chase short-term efficiency or flood our ecosystem with soulless AI slop. Games are and always will be art, crafted by humans, and created with the most innovative technology provided by us.”
There’s definitely some reassuring sentiments within that, though I would argue that saying your first job is to understand what’s going on makes this sound more of a hurried appointment. We will have to see how much institutional change follows.
Phil Spencer had been at the helm of Microsoft’s gaming efforts for over a decade, taking over in 2014 and setting about steading the suddenly floundering console gaming business. He moved quickly to cut the price of the Xbox One by removing the Kinect from the bundle, made gamer-positive moves like championing backwards compatibility, and enacted major changes to the Xbox business model by promising day-and-date PC releases for Xbox games (and releasing them on Steam), as well as introducing Xbox Game Pass. He also saw Xbox exclusives start to come to PlayStation, breaking down traditional barriers.
However, he’s also been at the helm more recent difficult times for the brand. The Xbox Series X|S launch did not go as successfully as planned, not least with significant game delays for the likes of Halo Infinite, studio acquisitions took a long time to bear fruit, Xbox Game Pass started to see market saturation, and then successive price increases to both consoles and services.
With an eye to the future, now might be the best time for him to step aside, but Xbox as a brand feels somewhat nebulous right now. There’s a lot of rumours about what their next console might be like, whether it’s more PC-like than console and with rival storefronts, or traditional. Microsoft will inevitably be very keen to see AI used in some fashion, having demoed AI helpers with Minecraft in recent years (and that was before the current madness). But with a new CEO all of that could change. We’ll have to wait and see.
Having suddenly appeared on the Nintendo eShop, Pokémon Fire Red and Leaf Green are coming to the Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 next week on 27th February – that’s Pokémon Day, which will have a traditional stream with new announcements, for which this was no doubt meant to be a surprise.
The games are priced pretty highly, set at £16.99 / $19.99, but also have the quirk of having distinct versions released for every language that they were shipped in.
The reason for this, per the eShop store page, is that “Because this version replicates the way the game was originally released, each language version is separate and there are no in-game options to change the language.” That’s an unnecessary complication for modern gamers, and honestly doesn’t make too much sense, but it hopefully won’t catch too many people out.
These Game Boy Advance remakes of the original game are rare enough to be prized possessions amongst game collectors, if you can find an original cartridge – it will be a great way to mark the Pokémon franchise’s 30th anniversary, that’s for sure.
The remakes updated the originals with the graphics of the GBA era – also making it so that Green was the pairing to Red, instead of Blue as it had been for the original western release – and added the Sevii Islands to visit, while bringing some other improvements like a contextual tutorial, save game recaps, and ties to the other Game Boy Advance and GameCube Pokémon games. Fire Red and Leaf Green also came with a special wireless adapter for local link play, and since wireless is now built into everything you own, this will also be supported on Switch.
Most importantly for the here and now, these games will have support for Pokémon Home added to them, so Pokémon caught in this game can be brought through to the newer titles.
With no build up or fanfare, Nintendo and Monolith Soft have just released Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition…. edition, a paid upgrade to the game that brings technical improvements for the new generation hardware. Check out the trailer:
The Switch 2 Edition upgrade is a fairly straightforward technical boost, now with a 60fps target through the game and 4K docked and 1080p handheld resolutions. We don’t know if Monolith has leant upon upscaling techniques or variable resolutions to get there, but this should make for a sharper looking, more responsive game in general.
Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition can be bought all together on the Nintendo eShop or with a $5 / £4.19 upgrade for existing owners of the Switch release. A physical release will be available from April 16th.
One of the last Wii U cult classics to be ported to the Nintendo Switch, Xenoblade Chronicles X arrived in March of last year. With it still fresh in Monolith’s memory, it’s understandable why they would return to this first, but fans of the series will understandably be pining for a similar Switch 2 Edition treatment to be given to Xenoblade Chronicles 2, 3 and the Definitive Edition of the Wii original. Xenoblade Chronicles 2 would probably receive the greatest benefits, as Monolith’s first effort with the Switch did have its struggles.
In our review of the Switch 1 release, Dom said, “With a smattering of improvements as it jumps to Nintendo Switch, Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition offers up an epic sci-fi tale set in one of the very best open worlds.”
EA and Battlefield Studios have launched the delayedBattlefield 6 Season 2, bringing a new map, reams of new cosmetics and unlocks through the Battle Pass, and promise of limited-time events and match effects.
The new map is a large scale battle set around a German airbase, catering to all combat sizes and the main game modes of Conquest, Breakthrough and Escalation, and featuring both land vehicles and helicopters. It’s another pleasing step towards the kind of large scale maps that were largely missing for Battlefield 6’s launch.
It’s the first of two maps that will be included in Battlefield Season 2, when fans have been clamouring for more variety. Why aren’t they making more, when that’s what people want? DICE’s Producer Alexia Christofi says “In terms of cadence, we would love to create way more maps. But we’re just trying to kind of bring things to players as we can and as quickly as we can build them.”
They’re balancing map making with running limited time events, in other words. This will see a limited time mode added to multiplayer and REDSEC in season 2 with the VL-7 Strike meaning that psychoactive smoke will drop onto the map, forcing you to quickly put on a gas mask and manage your filters to avoid being affected. The battle royale map has been modified with smoke engulfing Fort Lyndon, and the Gauntlet mode has returned, also with this smoke affecting the fights.
Here’s the full patch notes for Battlefield 6 Update 1.2.1.0 and Season 2’s launch:
New Map: Contaminated
A large-scale European mountainside battlefield set around a strategic German airbase.
Supports all combat sizes
Includes land vehicles and helicopters
Available across Conquest, Breakthrough, Escalation, Squad Death Match, and Strikepoint
New Limited-Time Modes
Season 2 introduces a set of limited-time experiences built around VL-7, a new psychoactive smoke weapon spreading across multiple battlefields. As contaminated zones emerge, squads must adapt their tactics, manage masks and filters, and fight for control in increasingly hostile environments across multiplayer, Battle Royale, and Gauntlet.
VL-7 Strike: A limited-time mode where the psychoactive smoke VL-7 spreads across select areas in multiplayer and REDSEC. Players must use masks and manage their filters carefully, as running out will leave them exposed to VL-7’s disorienting effects.
Battle Royale – Synthesis: Smoke engulfs Fort Lyndon, transforming the battleground. Fight and loot within contaminated zones while securing masks and filters to survive the smoke’s effects.
Gauntlet: Altered State: Gauntlet returns with a new twist. Squads compete in a knockout-style elimination format while navigating psychoactive smoke and racing to complete missions under pressure.
New Vehicle
AH-6 Little Bird: The iconic attack helicopter returns for NATO forces, offering high mobility and lethal firepower in skilled hands.
New Weapons
M121 A2: A belt-fed machine gun delivering high damage, especially effective at close range.
GRT-CPS: A semi-automatic designated marksman rifle designed for mid- to long-range engagements, featuring a high-capacity magazine for sustained fire.
VCR-2: A short-range assault rifle with a rapid rate of fire, built for intense close-quarters combat.
New Gadgets
9K38 IGLA: A lock-on, anti-air missile launcher that requires active guidance from engineers to stay on target. Provides superior missile maneuverability to adept users.
HTI-Mk2: A short- to medium-range Recon device that can detect and reveal enemy gadgets, overload recon drones, and neutralise incoming rockets.
Protective Mask: Essential equipment for contaminated zones, protecting players from psychoactive smoke. Additional filters can be acquired and equipped to extend protection time.
Battle Pass & Progression
Season 2 Battle Pass: Instantly unlock 6 rewards and progress through 4 themed paths featuring new hardware, weapon packages, soldier skins, XP boosts, and more. Complete all paths to unlock the Ultimate Path.
BF Pro: In addition to the regular Battle Pass, BF Pro includes 6 instant unlocks, 25 tier skips, BF Radio, Portal Server Hosting, and access to an exclusive bonus path with additional tactical rewards
Game Update 1.2.1.0 delivers over 240 gameplay improvements and quality-of-life fixes across nearly every part of Battlefield 6. These changes are shaped by community feedback and real match data, with a focus on improving weapon handling, movement, vehicles, gadgets, UI, audio, and overall gameplay reliability. This update continues our ongoing commitment to improve consistency and reliability across the core Battlefield experience.
Weapon Balance and Recoil Improvements: Delivered a broad recoil tuning pass across automatic weapons, alongside targeted balance fixes to improve consistency, role clarity, and long-term weapon handling.
Movement and Traversal Fixes: Improved soldier movement predictability with refined acceleration, slide and jump behaviour, smoother vaulting logic, and improved ladder animations in both first- and third-person. Vehicle and Gadget Reliability: Resolved multiple issues affecting vehicles and gadgets, including anti-vehicle interactions, drone behaviour, deployables, and vehicle damage feedback.
Maps and Mode Fixes: Addressed numerous map exploits, traversal issues, capture logic problems, and world reset bugs across Conquest, Breakthrough, Strikepoint, Gauntlet, and other modes.
UI, HUD and Progression Polish: Introducing a new stat screen in the Player Profile, as well as Improved clarity and reliability across the HUD, Battle Pass, challenges, End of Round flow, matchmaking, and party systems.
Portal Stability and Tooling Updates: Fixed a wide range of issues affecting Portal creation tools, scripting, mutators, assets, exploits, and server stability.
Audio, Visual and Stability Improvements: Improved audio reliability, visual consistency, cosmetic presentation, and overall game stability across platforms.
AREAS OF IMPROVEMENT
As part of Update 1.2.1.0, we’ve made improvements to both how recoil behaves at a system level and how recoil is used to balance automatic weapons.
Since launch, recoil compensation could feel inconsistent in certain situations. In some cases, the amount of aim input required to counter recoil did not reliably match the recoil being applied, which could make weapons feel harder to control than expected. While improvements were made during Season 1 to reduce the most extreme cases, some inconsistency could still be noticeable during regular gameplay. With this update, recoil compensation has been made fully consistent, ensuring that the aim input required to counter recoil now correctly matches the recoil applied. This results in more predictable and reliable weapon handling.
Separately from this systemic fix, we’ve also made a broad recoil tuning pass across automatic weapons. Recoil is one of the main ways we balance weapons across different engagement distances: higher-damage weapons are intentionally harder to control, while lighter weapons trade raw power for ease of use and consistency. Over time, we saw this balance starting to drift once we looked at how these weapons were actually being used in live matches across common combat ranges.
This tuning pass brings recoil behaviour back in line with each weapon’s intended role. You should expect automatic weapons to feel more consistent and better differentiated across ranges, with higher-impact weapons demanding more control and positioning, while others remain reliable and forgiving in closer engagements.
CHANGELOG
PLAYER:
Adjusted the acceleration curve of slide and jumps to better account for the player’s speed when entering a slide or a jump.
All squad members now display animated health icons when downed, clearly indicating who is able to revive you.
Fixed a matchmaking error that could occur when a player left the party while the party leader was already in a match.
Fixed a movement extrapolation issue that could cause other soldiers to appear jittery when traversing uneven terrain or changing states.
Fixed a rare issue where melee could become unusable if switched to immediately after being revived.
Fixed an issue where a player’s legs could clip through thin walls or objects when backpedalling into them.
Fixed an issue where a soldier could become invisible and continue moving after dying in a swimming pool.
Fixed an issue where a victim’s facing direction could be briefly incorrect when starting a melee takedown on a prone target.
Fixed an issue where accepting a squad invite on Xbox could unintentionally select a highlighted tile in the main menu.
Fixed an issue where Battle Pickups would sometimes be dropped after being revived.
Fixed an issue where deployable Gadgets could be used while on a zipline.
Fixed an issue where equipping a camo skin on one vehicle could cause vehicle thumbnails or icons to incorrectly appear camouflaged across all vehicles.
Fixed an issue where melee animations could break when initiated immediately after exiting a vehicle in first-person.
Fixed an issue where revived players could occasionally receive an unintended weapon state.
Fixed an issue where soldiers could be launched unexpectedly when entering a ladder positioned above the camera.
Fixed an issue where stickers were not applied correctly on the War Wolf Legendary weapon package for the L85A3.
Fixed an issue where the left hand could be seen floating while doing a takedown with the knife equipped.
Fixed an issue where the selected player patch could appear duplicated and incorrectly placed on the backpack when using the Veritas Epic skin.
Fixed an issue where the Spiteful Mirage skin was missing hair during the End of Round flow.
Fixed an issue where the Thunder Engineer skin did not focus the camera on the correct uniform patch location.
Fixed an issue where the uniform patch appeared twice on the Peregrine Sniper Epic skin.
Fixed an issue where the Wraith Recon skin could become partially transparent in first-person view when starting a match in King of the Hill.
Fixed an issue where unlocking characters via the Battle Pass deeplink would not correctly unlock the character.
Fixed an issue where unlocking the Brodie character via the Battle Pass deeplink would not correctly unlock the character.
Fixed an issue where vaulting onto a vehicle could sometimes destroy it and launch the player unexpectedly.
Fixed an issue where weapon pose could fail to update correctly when firing while sprint-jumping.
Fixed an issue where weapon switching after being revived could leave players without a usable weapon. The game now prioritises equipping a weapon with available ammunition.
Fixed case scenarios where it would sometimes be possible to grab ledges much higher than intended with vault grab
Fixed duplicate naming for some of the weapon charms.
Fixed excessive mud weathering on the Two-Faced Epic skin’s character model.
Improved first-person ladder animations for entering, climbing, and exiting.
Improved foot placement when climbing ladders.
Improved predictability and consistency of player movement with new acceleration curves instead of linear accelerations. Those updated accelerations retain responsive movement while allowing micro-adjustments of movement (i.e. to peek corners) and ensure that other players’ movement looks more correct to improve the quality and predictability of gunfights.
Improved the transition of the soldier’s lower body in first-person view when stopping movement.
Improved third-person ladder animations, including hand and foot placement on ladders.
Improved vault detection near overhangs while airborne.
Made animation and logic improvements to vaulting over medium-sized obstacles, refining momentum and smoothing transitions into movement.
Prevented players from vaulting back onto the same ladder when jumping down backwards from it.
Reduced the intensity of hit reactions while on fire to improve visual clarity during combat.
Reduced the maximum slide impulse length by 25% to improve balance and readability during fast movement.
Updated the Winter Warning cosmetic to better align with Battlefield’s visual identity.
VEHICLES:
Disabled angle-based damage mitigation on the Traverser Mark II to better reflect its lighter armour profile. It now takes consistent damage from all directions.
Fixed an issue where attack helicopter rocket trails could disappear when firing at long distances.
Fixed an issue where helicopter rotary cannon tracers could sometimes originate behind the muzzle.
Fixed an issue where jet throttle input could remain active after ejecting from the aircraft.
Fixed an issue where tank turret aiming speeds differed between first-person and third-person zoom views.
Fixed unreliable bullet collision on Anti-Air vehicle radar dishes.
Reduced muzzle flash intensity on Anti-Air Tanks and stationary Anti-Air weapons when zoomed in.
You can no longer move vehicles forward or backward while the Big Map is open, preventing input conflicts with map zoom controls on controllers.
GADGETS:
Fixed an issue where Anti-Tank Mines could fail to deploy correctly in first-person view.
Fixed an issue where attached M4A1 SLAM AV Mine explosives on the XFGM-6D Recon Drone did not correctly affect battery life or top speed. Attached explosives now behave consistently and detonate when the XFGM-6D Recon Drone is destroyed.
Fixed an issue where the RPG-7 and the MBT-LAW launchers would be inaccurate if fired right after the zoom transition is completed.
Fixed an issue where the Smoke Grenade was missing from the Support class Loadout #2.
Fixed an issue where the XFGM-6D Recon Drone could be destroyed when its operating soldier was downed.
Fixed an issue where the CSB IV EOD Bot could instantly regain an ammo charge when destroyed.
Fixed an issue where the LTLM II Portable Laser Designator could prioritise already-painted targets instead of the vehicle being aimed at.
Fixed an issue where the Repair Tool torch flame video effect was misaligned in third-person view using non-default FOV values.
Fixed an issue where the Repair Tool would not repair vehicles when targeting glass components.
Fixed an issue where the RPG-7 could fire unintentionally when switching weapons after releasing the trigger.
Fixed a bug that prevent the player from returning properly to the previous weapon after throwing a supply pouch and would keep throwing more supply pouches
Improved consistency when destroying Anti-Tank Mines and M4 SLAM AV Mines with explosives. Clearing out minefields should be easier and more consistent using a tank.
Improved consistency of Defibrillator revives detection on stairs and uneven terrain.
WEAPONS:
Adjusted in-world spotting range when firing a weapon without a suppressor or flash hider, reducing it from 75 to 54 metres.
Adjusted minimap spotting range when firing suppressed weapons, increasing it from 15 to 21 metres to better align with intended balance.
Fixed consistency with recoil compensation, making sure that the amount of aim input needed to compensate for recoil matches the amount of recoil.
Fixed a visual issue with the standard fire mode on the SL9 being incorrectly set to safe; it is now set to full auto by default.
Fixed an issue where locked weapon skins could be used in the Firing Range.
Fixed an issue where shooting the first target dummy could generate particle effects at the player’s position.
Fixed an issue where the 5 mW Green Laser was too expensive to equip on the DRS-IAR.
Fixed an issue where the Flashlight could appear slightly misaligned when equipped on the MP5.
Fixed an issue where the LA-23 Laser pad could appear floating when equipped on the RPKM.
Fixed an issue where Scope glints and laser sight lens flares would be visible through the cover of smoke grenades.
Fixed inconsistent knife melee timing to improve reliability during close-quarters combat.
Fixed multiple weapon attachment visual issues, including lasers, flashlights, and optic alignment.
Fixed the LMR27s Fast 15- and 20-round magazines not reducing reload time as intended.
Fixed the SGX RO-M 1.75x sight to function consistently with other weapons.
Fixed visual issues with bolt-action rifle animations, including intrusive ADS motion and incorrect finger placement.
Improved scope glint orientation at long distances so enemy aim direction is more accurately telegraphed.
Knife takedowns against enemies who are prone on their back now correctly connect with the defender.
Reduced the Mini Scout muzzle velocity from 880 to 800 m/s.
Reduced the Mini Scout limb damage to better align with lower-torso damage values.
Updated the M433 Level 50 Mastery Package to use the correct magazine mesh.
Updated the Range Finder custom zeroing to not apply its effect instantly; it now requires a short delay before taking effect.
Updated player-facing descriptions for non-sniper grippod attachments to better reflect their gameplay effects.
Updated player-facing name of the TR-7’s fluted barrel to match the formatting of its other barrels.
Weapon Recoil Tuning: Adjusted recoil behaviour across automatic weapons to better reflect real combat ranges and ease-of-use expectations, improving ranged consistency while preserving intended weapon roles.
AK-205: Adjusted recoil behaviour to better match expectations for a 5.45×39mm weapon, with minimal impact on overall handling.
B36A4, L85A3, M433, SOR-555 MK2: Reduced recoil randomness, improving consistency and effectiveness at longer ranges.
DB-12: Increased rate of fire and faster pump action to improve reliability in close-quarters combat.
L110: Reduced recoil to reinforce the handling differences between belt-fed Machine Guns and Assault Rifles.
LMR27: Increased damage at close to mid ranges to better reward accurate headshots.
M123K: Reduced recoil to improve sustained-fire control and reinforce its role as a belt-fed Machine Gun.
M277: Reduced recoil, improving effectiveness at range.
M417 A2, QBZ-192: Reduced recoil randomness to ensure they remain competitive relative to updated Assault Rifles.
PW5A3, SGX: Increased recoil, making them slightly harder to control and less precise at longer distances.
PW7A2, USG-90: Adjusted recoil behaviour to improve effectiveness at range while slightly increasing handling difficulty up close.
SCW-10: Increased recoil to reduce effectiveness at range and reinforce its close-quarters role.
SG 553R: Increased recoil to limit effectiveness at range and better align with its strong close-range performance.
SOR-300SC: Adjusted recoil to ensure it remains competitive alongside updated Assault Rifles.
MAPS & MODES:
Added Rush as a new mode to Mirak Valley.
Fixed an issue in Escalation on Operation Firestorm where vehicles would not spawn at HQ as intended.
Fixed an issue in Squad Deathmatch where locked squads could cause the scoreboard to appear partially empty.
Fixed an issue in Sabotage where attackers could reach elevated positions and spawn-camp the defending team on Blackwell Fields.
Fixed an issue in Sabotage where attackers could spawn within direct line of sight of defenders when deploying at HQ on Blackwell Fields.
Fixed an issue on Siege of Cairo where players could reach the top of buildings in Sector D3 using the Deployable Cover gadget.
Fixed missing water and visual issues in several swimming pools across Eastwood.
Manhattan Bridge
Fixed an issue where destroying a garage by D objective could trigger a whiteout effect across the map.
Fixed an issue where destroying an office building by F objective could incorrectly trigger a blackout and cause other players to see random colors and bright lights across the map.
Fixed an issue where destroying parts of a plaster ridge at C objective could expose occlusion problems, causing large sections of the map to disappear when viewed from certain positions.
Fixed an issue where players could stand on top of the bridge, creating unintended gameplay advantages.
Fixed an issue where points of interest on the minimap were incorrectly labelled as “Dumbo” instead of Manhattan Bridge.
Empire State
Fixed an issue where players could capture Point B (Sector 2) on Breakthrough from an unintended upper floor.
Fixed an issue where players could place the Assault Ladder on invisible collision near the NATO HQ.
Fixed an issue where players could reach unintended areas above the D flag after being launched into the air.
Strikepoint
Fixed an issue on Liberation Peak, Operation Firestorm, and Iberian Offensive where multiple world and vehicle assets would not restore correctly after the halftime world reset.
Fixed an issue where matches could end prematurely when teams were tied at 5:5.
Fixed an issue where players joining a match late could spawn under the map.
Fixed a rare issue where a wiped team could be incorrectly awarded a point.
Added the Scout Helicopter to the following maps and modes:
Conquest
Manhattan Bridge
Operation Firestorm
New Sobek City
Mirak Valley
Escalation
Manhattan Bridge
Eastwood
Operation Firestorm
New Sobek City
Mirak Valley
PROGRESSION:
Battle Pass Tokens are now earned more quickly through Career XP and Weekly Challenges, allowing for faster progression through regular gameplay.
Fixed an issue where rerolling challenges could become unavailable when switching between the Battle Pass and Daily Challenges.
Fixed an issue where the assignment tracker did not correctly track missions from the Unit page.
Fixed incorrect tracking for multiple weekly and assignment-based challenges.
Fixed multiple issues with challenge criteria displaying or progressing incorrectly across REDSEC Gauntlet and Weekly Challenges.
Fixed incorrect progress display for Week 2 challenges.
Fixed an issue where exploration assignments could complete with fewer actions than intended.
UI & HUD:
Engineer icon changed to improve readability and make role more clear based on community feedback.
Fixed a localisation issue where the Loadout Zeroing and Attachment prompts could overlap in several languages.
Fixed an incorrect icon for the M3A3 Bradley.
Fixed an issue causing Field XP UI animations to trigger too frequently.
Fixed an issue causing low minimap shadow quality and rendering artefacts on some multiplayer maps.
Fixed an issue on PC where the Big Map displayed keyboard and mouse icons even when using a controller.
Fixed an issue where Battle Pass points earned from weekly missions were not reflected correctly on the End of Round screen.
Fixed an issue where Battle Pass progression tokens were not updating correctly on the End of Round screen after completing Bonus Paths.
Fixed an issue where closing the pause menu from the Deploy Screen using a controller could immediately reopen it.
Fixed an issue where completed assignments could appear incorrectly sorted as completed on the End of Round screen.
Fixed an issue where equipping or previewing gadgets and melee weapons could cause them to appear under the vehicle section in the Loadouts screen.
Fixed an issue where locked Battle Pass rewards could appear stuck in the Loadout screen after navigating back from the Battle Pass.
Fixed an issue where mortar hit indicators and damage numbers were not displayed correctly.
Fixed an issue where the Big Map and scoreboard button prompts were missing in Gauntlet End of Round screens.
Fixed an issue where the crosshair could briefly display incorrect spacing when switching weapons.
Fixed an issue where the gunner seat aiming indicators on attack helicopters remained static while the helicopter was moving, leading to incorrect aiming feedback.
Fixed an issue where the “Go to Store” button prompt was not functional for vehicle customization on PlayStation 5.
Fixed an issue where item previews could persist after exiting Store bundles.
Fixed an issue where item rotation and zoom could shift to other items when rapidly switching during inspection.
Fixed an issue where the Free-to-Play tutorial for custom loadout access did not trigger correctly under certain conditions.
Fixed an issue where the map could flip back and forth when rolling an aircraft.
Fixed an issue where the resupply message was not visible even when resource indicators were enabled in settings.
Fixed an issue where the revive in-world icon for squadmates could disappear too early. The icon now remains visible until the player is fully dead and no longer revivable.
Fixed an issue where the “Show Game Mode Events” option did not function correctly when disabled.
Fixed an issue where the “Stay with Squad” option was missing from the End of Round screen.
Fixed an issue where the “Steady Aim” prompt unintentionally appeared on Designated Marksman Rifles; it is now shown only on bolt-action rifles.
Fixed an issue where the tank damage screen effect would not properly cancel when exiting the vehicle.
Fixed an issue where the “Tracked” section could display an incorrect number of tracked missions.
Fixed an issue where UI elements could overlap or misalign during fast menu navigation.
Fixed an issue where weapon package deeplinks did not navigate to the correct challenge tile.
Fixed duplicate ladder indicators appearing on the jet HUD.
Fixed enemy lock-on in-world icons displaying incorrect state colours when targeting vehicles.
Fixed missing deeplinks for Dog Tags unlocked via challenges or through the Store.
Fixed missing or incorrect icon art for several assignment and unit challenge rewards.
Fixed inconsistencies between Battle Pass progression shown on the End of Round screen and the Battle Pass menu.
Fixed incorrect unit descriptions for select NATO and Pax Armata forces.
Fixed missing high-definition feedback when the Phalanx HQ Defence destroyed incoming projectiles in Conquest.
Fixed missing or incorrect game mode tiles appearing on launch or after finishing a match.
Fixed multiple issues causing in-world icons to flicker, including look-at, occlusion, and delayed occlusion updates.
Fixed new reward markers not resetting correctly when switching between Season and Bonus Paths.
Fixed player pickup request icons not displaying correctly.
Improved readability of missile intercepted indicators.
Improved the revive in-world progress bar to more closely match the downed player’s screen, reducing the gap where a revive was no longer possible but still appeared active.
Reduced delay of UI hit indicators showing up when a hit has been confirmed.
Reorganised killer information on the kill card to improve readability.
Season 2 introduces a new stat screen in the Player Profile, featuring Career Total, Career Best, and Accolade stats. Each of these three screens showcases a variety of detailed statistics. The Career Total stats header includes both overall totals and breakdowns by game mode, while Career Best stats are tracked for both “In a Match” and “In a Life” categories.
SETTINGS:
Added an accessibility option for flash and stun grenades that replaces the white flash effect with a black screen effect, reducing sudden brightness while preserving gameplay impact. This option can be enabled in the Accessibility settings.
PORTAL:
Fixed a memory leak that could occur when specific scripting events were triggered repeatedly.
Fixed an exploit that allowed players to farm excessive XP by repeatedly destroying AI-spawned vehicles.
Fixed an issue where Battle Pickups spawned via Loot Spawners were missing minimap and big map icons.
Fixed an issue where certain rules events triggered at incorrect times, including capture point enter/exit events.
Fixed an issue where experiences in the “In Review” state could not be edited or deleted.
Fixed an issue where modifying reinforcement multipliers could cause incorrect ticket counts to be displayed during sector progression.
Fixed an issue where players could be reassigned incorrectly or prevented from deploying when squads reached maximum size.
Fixed an issue where players could create AFK farming experiences that bypassed intended progression limits.
Fixed an issue where players could not report a server while in the redeploy screen.
Fixed an issue where Portal Sandbox displayed an incorrect map size in map rotation.
Fixed an issue where removing all maps from a map rotation could cause the editor panel to disappear.
Fixed an issue where spawning ammo via Loot Spawners had no effect.
Fixed an issue where the Export button displayed a placeholder icon.
Fixed an issue where users could bypass editor limits by importing modified workspaces.
Fixed asset conflicts and errors that could appear when uploading or editing certain maps.
Fixed incorrect Front End indicators related to limited-time events.
Fixed incorrect map availability and categorisation for Custom Portal modes.
Fixed incorrect or lingering UI elements related to respawning, squad reassignment, and mission flow.
Fixed incorrect or missing tooltips, placeholder text, and untranslated labels in the Web Editor.
Fixed issues that could lead to very long loading times for some Portal experiences.
Fixed issues where certain assets could cause players to be returned to the Front End when hosting experiences.
Fixed issues where certain gadgets, weapons, vehicles, and Battle Pickups were missing from restriction settings or did not respect configured restrictions.
Fixed issues where strike package markers, beacon indicators, and objective icons could behave incorrectly across sessions.
Fixed issues where values entered for certain seasonal and environmental mutators were not saved correctly.
Fixed issues with Rules Editor lists being scrambled or inaccurate when selecting weapons, gadgets, or ammo.
Fixed issues with scripting functions and nodes, including incorrect vector calculations, squad lookup limits, and long-running player events stopping unexpectedly.
Fixed missing maps, assets, and set dressing in the Portal SDK, including Season 2 content and winter environment assets.
Fixed missing or incorrect indicators for heat warnings, second chance states, and beacon pulses.
Fixed multiple issues in the Portal Web Editor where weapons, gadgets, vehicles, and maps were missing, incorrectly categorised, or displayed with placeholder names, images, or meshes.
Fixed multiple mutators that had no functionality or incorrect default values, including reinforcement, health regeneration, zoom snap, passenger seat, and verification-related settings.
Fixed multiple placeholder or low-resolution vehicle and object meshes appearing when placed in Portal experiences.
Fixed rare server hangs affecting Linux-based Portal servers.
Fixed server log spam related to loot physics and proximity systems.
Updated and replaced several Battle Royale and Portal-related challenges that were no longer functioning as intended.
AUDIO:
Fixed an issue where pinging a Vehicle Supply Crate did not trigger the correct supply voice-over line.
Fixed audio stuttering when vehicles are sabotaged using the Repair Tool.
Improved audibility of enemy ziplines and parachutes, as well as friendly blowtorches, when many sounds are playing.
Improved audio obstruction for vehicles, weapons, and soldier footsteps by refining sound source positioning.
Improved clarity of distant enemy footsteps by better aligning layered audio content.
Improved panning for close non-player footsteps at very short distances.
Improved reliability of multiple sound effects under heavy load, including defibrillators, blowtorches, ziplines, and parachutes.
NETWORK:
Fixed rare cases where the game could become unresponsive after reconnecting network cables during gameplay or while accepting invitations on Xbox Series consoles.
REDSEC
PLAYER:
Fixed an issue where dying with a Data Drive could prevent the Extraction mission from progressing.
Fixed an issue where in rare cases soldiers could take higher than intended damage when wearing armor.
Fixed an issue where mission completion rewards could fail to drop correctly if the player initiating the mission was killed just before completion.
Fixed an issue where the deploy input during Battle Royale insertion was not triggering consistently.
Fixed an issue where the party leader would be returned to the Front End after selecting Stay with Squad in Battle Royale Duos.
VEHICLES:
Added the Traverser Mark II to select Large, Medium, and Small Gauntlet layouts.
Fixed an issue where the weapon could rotate incorrectly in first-person view when using the Traverser Mark II Remote Weapon Station.
Fixed an issue where incorrect or missing crosshairs could appear for side passengers in the Traverse Mark II.
WEAPONS:
Improved attachment setups for M4A1, M277, SVDM, Mini Scout, UMG-40, and 18.5KS-K, ensuring these weapons use their intended attachments and are better balanced when found as loot.
CALL-INS:
Fixed an issue where the UAV call-in sound effect could continue playing if the action was cancelled by vaulting.
Increased the drop speed of Custom Weapon Drops, Supply Drops, and Mission Rewards after being spawned in the air.
Introducing a new, limited, tactical Strike Package, allowing players to call in a volley of gas discharging artillery shells on a targeted location of the map. This Strike offers a unique way to disrupt and deny key areas to enemies.
MAP:
Fixed an issue where tanker container ramps could clip through large deployables; ramps now correctly damage or destroy objects and vehicles when lowering.
Fixed multiple terrain and object placement issues.
PROGRESSION:
Fixed an issue where Battle Royale “Special Forces Operator“ Challenge rewards were not granted correctly.
UI & HUD:
Fixed an issue where strike package map markers would not disappear when joining a Gauntlet session right after playing a Battle Royale match.
Fixed an issue where the Clear Ping action did not work with default controller bindings.
Battle Royale
Fixed an issue where helicopter insertion flight paths on the Big Map could become misaligned when the helicopter or endpoint icons were off-screen.
Fixed an issue where the Decryption Beacon displayed an incorrect texture.
Fixed an issue where the loot feed could incorrectly increment the number looted when picking up the same item repeatedly.
Fixed an issue where players could toggle flashlight and laser attachments while navigating the inventory.
Fixed an issue where the UAV icon was too small on the minimap and big map.
Fixed multiple issues with the Second Chance UI, including incorrect timers, widgets persisting after squad wipes, and incorrect visibility when players left the match.
Removed outdated soldier voice-over lines referencing “supply drops” when pinging crates or supply vehicles.
Gauntlet
Fixed an issue where the Beacon Pulse icon could appear too far away when first picked up by an enemy.
Fixed an issue where the countdown icon on the Mobile Respawn gadget could disappear too early.
Fixed overlapping UI elements when rapidly exiting the Edit Loadout menu.
Fixed overlapping UI elements where “Random Deploy” could appear behind class selection buttons on the redeploy screen.
AUDIO:
Fixed an issue where dropped items would not correctly play pickup sound effects.
Fixed missing collision sounds for dropped ammunition.
Improved reliability of audio feedback for UAV call-ins and mission-related interactions.
Marking the first birthday of Obsidian’s Avowed, the game is out now for PlayStation 5, and a meaty anniversary update has been released for the game on PC and Xbox Series X|S. The game is also now available through the regular Xbox Game Pass tier, having originally been tied to ‘Day One’ elligible tiers.*
On a high level, the anniversary update has added three new races that you can create your character as – dwarves, orlan and aumaua – and there’s a new quarterstaff weapon that you can adopt.
While the game wasn’t designed with it in mind, New Game Plus has also been added for anyone that has a save that’s passed the point of no return and beaten the game. Starting over, the only real caveat is that weapon levelling will not persist, but that’s fine because you’ll be nice and mighty in other ways.
And you can show off how mighty you are with a photo mode to capture specific moments while you’re playing.
Avowed was one of the highlights for Xbox and PC gamers last year, though one a little overlooked for launching in February and perhaps not being as broad as some might have liked, following on from the PIllars of Eternity games. “Avowed is an incredible RPG,” we said in our review. “Its vibrant world and stellar cast make every moment a joy to take part in, enhanced by a script that gives equal measure to drama, action and humour. Coming hot on the heels of Indiana Jones and The Great Circle, Microsoft’s software revival is well underway.”
Features and Improvements
New Game+
New Game Plus is now available after completing the main story. This mode is designed to reward mastery, experimentation, and making the all-powerful build. When starting a New Game Plus save, players will bring along with them:
All unlocked abilities (with the exception of godlike abilities which are gained through story progression/world exploration)
All spent attribute points
All unique weapons and armors—but they are reset to level 1
All unlocked enchantments remain
All unique gloves and boots
All necklaces, all rings, and all trinkets
Any equipped Common Weapons or Armor items are kept, but they are reset to level 1
The following are removed from the player at the start of a New Game Plus:
All common weapons and armor that aren’t equipped
Companions must be picked up via story progression
Companions keep their talent points and start at level 1
All resources that had been collected
Gold
Upgrade materials
Enchanting materials
Food ingredients
All consumables that had been collected
All potions
All food
All quest items
All god totems/trinkets
Fast travel points/fog of war
The aforementioned godlike abilities
To ensure challenge scales alongside player power:
Enemy stats are increased across the board
Enemies now have a chance to have modifiers applied to them
Elemental Modifiers
Fire: Immune to Fire damage and accumulation. Attacks also now deal Fire damage.
Frost: Immune to Frost damage and accumulation. Attacks also now deal Frost damage.
Shock: Immune to Shock damage and accumulation. Attacks also now deal Shock damage.
Poison: Immune to Poison damage and accumulation. Attacks also now deal Poison damage.
Bleed: Immune to Bleed damage and accumulation. Attacks also now deal Bleed damage.
Physical Modifiers
Haste: Increased movement speed, attack speed, and reduced cooldown timers
Glass Cannon: Increased damage dealt and damage received
Colossal: Increased maximum health
Life Steal: Attacks restore the enemy’s health by a percentage of the damage dealt
Crippled: Reduced movement speed and attack speed
Sturdy: Increased stability making it harder for them to be stunned
Natural Immunity: Immune to all status accumulations
Forceful: Increased impact on attacks
Vindictive: Increased damage dealt based on the amount of health lost
Attribute stat cap rises from 15 to 30
An important note for those who have already completed Avowed: Since New Game Plus is being added post release and the game was not initially designed with it in mind, a completion save will be necessary in order to take advantage of the mode. You will need to load a point of no return save or later and beat the game to make a proper New Game Plus save.
New Playable Species
Included in the anniversary update is a major expansion to character creation: three new playable species join the existing Humans and Elves.
Dwarves – The most well-traveled species in Eora, the stout dwarves are known for their great strength and tenacity.
Orlans – Their two-toned skin, prominent ears, and hirsute bodies all in the smallest size of Kith make them stand outs in Eora.
Aumaua – Towering, powerfully built, and physically imposing.
Not only do the different species change how you look, the team has also added in stat bonuses for all species adding another layer to character creation.
Humans
+1 Might
+1 Resolve
Elves
+1 Dexterity
+1 Perception
Aumaua
+2 Might
Dwarves
+1 Might
+1 Constitution
Orlans
+1 Perception
+1 Resolve
Additionally, players will receive stat bonuses depending on their chosen background.
Arcane Scholar – +2 to Intellect
Court Augur – +2 to Resolve
Noble Scion – +2 to Perception
Vanguard Scout – +2 to Dexterity
War Hero – +2 to Constitution
Improved Character Creation
Added new Godlike features, color variants, and presets
Custom Difficulty
For players who want even finer control, Avowed now includes custom difficulty modifiers, allowing you to tune the game’s systems to your preferred experience. These new options are found by scrolling down through the “Game” tab of the settings menu. Adjust player:
Damage dealt
Health, stamina, and essence resources
Elemental status effect threshold
Health and essence regeneration rates
Potion and food restoration rates
Interrupt or knockdown ease
Second Wind cooldown time
Carry capacity
Parry window
Adjust enemy:
Damage output
Health pool
Stun, interrupt, or knockdown ease
Attack speed
Elemental status effect threshold
Aggro threshold
Adjust companion:
Damage dealt
Health max
Elemental status effect threshold
Aggro threshold
As well as general adjustments:
Merchant prices
Equipment upgrade material costs
Fall damage
Trap damage
Item quality damage reduction
Important note: While changing these options will not negate most achievements that you may be hunting down, they will invalidate a Path of the Damned achievement. That achievement must be done without use of the custom game options.
Photo Mode
Capture your envoy, companions, and the Living Lands from any angle and share your journey. Includes a free or fixed camera, filters, character rotation and toggle, post-process effects, and gradients. Photo Mode is accessed from the pause menu.
New Weapon
A brand new weapon type is joining the arsenal with the quarterstaff. Designed with the archmage fantasy in mind, the quarterstaff is a new bludgeoning weapon that comes complete with wand style stun finishers. Unleash brutal physical combos along with a fury of spells that would make even Concelhaut jealous.
New Stun Finishers
New stun finishers added for One-Handed Weapons and Two-Handed Weapons.
Respawning Encounters
Respawning encounters have been added to Dawnshore, Emerald Stair, Shatterscarp, and Galawain’s Tusks.
New Quality of Life Features
Players can now change their Envoy’s appearance after character creation via the mirror in the party camp.
Newly placed workbenches allow players to upgrade gear without returning to party camp.
All player Backgrounds now have an added attribute bonus.
Added option to end dream conversations early.
Powder keg chain reactions now occur with a short delay, instead of all exploding simultaneously.
Increased max Controller Vibration Intensity (in the Controller Settings menu) from 1.0 to 2.0.
Added keyboard-based turning in accessibility options.
Improvements to Lighting
The lighting has been improved across all regions.
Improved the lighting in conversations.
Graphics
Updated XeSS to 2.1. Xe Frame Generation, Xe Super Resolution, and Xe Low-Latency mode are now available to more GPUs.
All Bug Fixes Crashes and stability
The game should now longer crash after Fog of War has been cleared.
Addressed an issue causing Barbaric Smash killing blow VFX to remain on the player indefinitely
Fixed an issue when creating save games that could cause NPCs to be stuck when reloading
Performance and Optimizations
Resolved an issue where NVIDIA Reflex Low Latency was missing “Off” option while upscaling is disabled.
Ray tracing is now off by default on Handheld PCs.
Added Mid Luminance values to HDR settings.
Various performance improvements.
Animation
Fixed an issue with the Two-Handed Axe special attack not being aligned while in third person view.
Companion animations no longer stutter during conversations and exploration.
Audio
All audio should now play properly when cooking.
Quests & Conversations
Decals for puzzle in Sallow Steppe should now render properly.
The camera should behave normally during conversation with Tazaraak.
UI/UX
Ability and Grimoire Cost Discounts are now shown in the Character tab of the Ledger, as well as the maximum (-90%) available.
Fixed Tanglefoot’s icon on Player’s and enemy’s HUD.
New Icon added to help distinguish Flurry of Blows on enemy’s HUD.
Text should no longer overlap tabs in certain languages.
Fixed description for several active abilities that were incorrectly labeled as passive.
Resolved an issue where “confirm override” pop-up was not showing while switching presets in the Extras tab.
Fixed an issue where Marius’ Hunter Sense disappeared from hotbar after leaving Party Camp.
Vital bars are showing proper preview values for some skills when upgraded.
Fixed an issue where “Survivalist” ability did not reflect additional bonuses in UI.
Blunted hits no longer include blood VFX when “Combat Blood” is disabled.
Combat/Systems Fixes
Fixed issue where various Area of Effect sources like Arcane Veil interfered with aiming player spells.
Swinging guillotines in the Garden remain disabled after loading a save.
Fixed an issue where Yatzli’s Explosive Blast did not break destructibles.
Some unique weapon enchantments now work properly while Dual Wield Mastery is active.
Already broken destructibles no longer receive damage numbers.
Loot now directly drops at the feet of a shattered frozen enemy.
* If you need Xbox Game Pass tiers to be explained for being too complicated, then I suggest writing to your MP and Satya Nadella to complain.
Bethesda has released update 1.2 for Skyrim on Nintendo Switch 2, fully addressing the woeful performance that blighted the game’s latest port. It follows on from an update shortly after its December release that quickly removed the frame rate cap to improve latency, but now tackles this with a full 60fps performance mode, fixes to visual glitches, and more.
The game performance is the most significant improvement, a new toggle under the Display settings letting you prioritise visuals or performance. This tweaks visual settings and resolution targets in order to deliver 60fps, which from anecdotal online accounts seems to be pretty solid. Additionally, the 30fps visuals have been locked back to this frame rate and the graphics tweaked to give steadier performance.
It’s a huge shame that the game couldn’t have had this degree of performance and refinement at its original release, as it led to a lot of bad reviews – we ended up having to give it a 5/10 because of the issues. However, it does give a glimmer of optimism for the Fallout 4 port to Switch 2 which is set to drop next week.
The Skyrim Switch 2 Update 1.2 patch notes are as follows
Features:
Added a 60 Hz mode under Display settings that allows players to toggle between “Prioritize Visuals” or “Prioritize Performance”.
In addition, frame rate has been locked at 30 Hz in “Prioritize Visuals” mode for smoother gameplay.
Crashes and Performance Fixes:
Fixed a crash that occurred when reading “The Crimson Dirks Vol. 4” book for the “Tilted Scales” quest in German.
Fixed an audio-related crash.
Fixed a crash, infinite load, and game freeze that sometimes occurred when rapidly selecting “Load” multiple times in the pause menu.
Fixed a crash that occurred when the “Transmute Ore” spell was repeatedly cast outside of the Haltered Stream Camp.
Improved FPS performance drops that occurred in the following locations:
during the Hide and Seek quest in Kynesgrove
during combat at Secunda’s Kiss
when discovering the “Drelas’ Cottage” location
when engaged in combat with a giant at the Talking Stone Camp.
Visuals Issues Fixes:
Viewing water planes from a distance or within menus caused them to shift up and down.
Distant aspen trees appeared with a blue tint.
Transitioning out of caves caused an outline of the entrance to linger during the fade-to-back loading screen.
User Interface Fixes:
Switching between mouse and controller mode while in dialogue or the Help menu, caused different options to be highlighted.
Switching between mouse and controller mode while in help menus or user hints, did not dynamically update callout prompts.
The “Ready/Sheathe” option was missing from the Joy-Con 2 Mouse Controls menu.
The “Delete” prompt remained grayed-out within the Load menu when swapping between mouse and controller mode.
Deleting a save in the Save/Load menus reset the highlighted selection to the top of the menu list.
While in mouse mode, the cursor remained stuck within a smaller section of the screen when changing between docked/undocked modes or interfacing with GameChat.
Controls Fixes:
The “Eagle Eye” Archery perk remained active after switching between mouse and controller mode.
Holding down the Right Joystick while reassigning a button caused that button to disappear from the Controls list.
The Joy-Con 2 controllers provided haptic feedback while in mouse mode.
Buttons became unresponsive when controls were remapped while moving the Joy-Con 2 controllers in mouse mode.
Rotating the map in mouse mode was slower and less smooth than in controller mode.
Audio Issue Fix:
Scrolling SFX continued to play while holding up or down on the Left Joystick or buttons at the top or bottom of the Save/Load menus.
Localization Fixes:
“Amiibo” appeared as plural in Spanish.
Miscellaneous:
Added new translations for the features listed above and UI updates.
Warhorse Studios has announced that Kingdom Come: Deliverance is getting an upgrade for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, free for existing PS4 and Xbox One owners, and that it’s out today.
The current gen upgrade for the original game comes as an anniversary treat for its sequel, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, which is celebrating having sold 5 million copies in the past year.
This could be a great way to draw more players into the game because, while Warhorse were keen to make sure that you didn’t need to have played the first to enjoy the story told in the second, there is always that compulsion amongst gamers to start at the very beginning, isn’t there?
Playing Kingdom Come: Deliverance on PS5 and Xbox Series will now mean enjoying the title at 60fps, helping to make the game more responsive on console than before. Additionally, visual fidelity has been enhanced with improved graphical features. This update has been made with assistance from Saber Interactive.
Warhorse CEO, Martin Frývaldský, said, “I’m incredibly proud to see Kingdom Come: Deliverance II reach this monumental milestone. I want to thank everyone at Warhorse Studios, our publishing partners at PLAION and of course, it wouldn’t be possible without our amazing and ever growing community. Thank you for being part of this journey and making this a reality!”
Konami, Evil Empire and Motion Twin have announced Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse, an all-new 2D side-scrolling metroidvania that will release this year for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Switch and PC.
Set more than two decades after Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse, Belmont’s Curse is set in 15th century Paris. The whip has been passed on to Trevor Belmont’s successor, who must head out into the city and battle monstrous creatures, heading into a mystical castle and threatens to doom Paris to eternal darkness.
It’s the 40th anniversary of the Castlevania series, and so it’s a massively fan-pleasing announcement to see a new 2D game announced, and then to have such highly regarded developers behind it. Original Dead Cells studio Motion Twin is here in an advisory role, while their successor studio at Evil Empire are the main developers alongside Konami on Belmont’s Curse. Evil Empire was founded in 2019 to continue to support Dead Cells, but since wrapping up that game’s DLC in 2023, moved on to adapt The Rogue Prince of Persia as a roguelite, which hit its full release last year.
Evil Empire are no strangers to Castlevania, though. The fourth and final expansion for Dead Cells was Return to Castlevania, arriving in 2023 with characters, weapons and enemies licensed from the Castlevania series. With a working relationship already established, and that DLC well-received, they’re getting a second crack of the whip at the franchise. What’s interesting is that, where Dead Cells and TRPOP were both rougelites, this is described as a “2D Action-Exploration”, implying a more traditional metroidvania. One to keep an eye on, that’s for sure.
Sony and Arc System Works have announced that the release date for their upcoming fighting game. Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls will launch on 6th August 2026 for PS5 and PC.
Oh, they also revealed some more characters, too…
That’s right, the Unbreakable X-Men will feature in Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls. This team of mutant heroes has been assembled with Storm as their leader, and the endlessly popular Wolverine. Joining them is the young mutant Magik, who can use both magic and her Soulsword, and the now autonomous AI of the Danger Room, Danger.
The X-Men’s appearance will tie into a new narrative mode that Arc System Works is creating in collaboration with Marvel Games. They’ve adapted the narrative, world and characters specifically for this game, blending together the comics and manga, and collaborating with an as-yet-unnamed writer to do so.
The story will be presented as motion comics, featuring full voice acting across English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, Latin American Spanish, Japanese, Korean, and Mandarin.
