It's been another strange, difficult, and yet somehow also brilliant year for video games in 2025. Triple-A releases have been sparse again, compared to the boom times of old, with a great big GTA 6-shaped hole left in the final few months of the year. And yet once again, every gap left by the established order has been filled twice over with something brilliantly new.
2025 has gone by in a flash, hasn't it? Well, apart from the days I've spent tabulating all your Game of the Year votes and presenting the results here - that has felt like an eternity and I think has given me permanent neck pain. But, let's not worry about that. I'm sure you'll agree it was worth the sacrifice.
Another day, another “Xbox game is coming to PS5” announcement, as it’s now been confirmed that Obsidian’s fantasy RPG Avowed is coming to PlayStation 5 on 17th February 2026. The PS5 launch will coincide with an anniversary update that will also arrive for the game on PC and Xbox Series X|S at the same time.
The announcement came as part of an interview for New Game Plus:
The anniversary update should make this the best way to play the game – a boon, of course, for PS5 players to get the rounded off version, but also for anyone returning to the game on previous platforms. There are three new races that you can create your Godlike protagonist as, with dwarves, orlan and aumaua to be available, and a brand new weapon type that will be introduced to the game.
A new game plus mode is also being added, with the caveat that weapon levelling will not carry over, and there’s a long overdue photo mode to help capture some of the intense action moments and scenery that you might want to preserve.
Avowed takes us back to the Living Lands, a mysterious islands in the fantasy world of Eora, which it shares with Obsidian’s previous Pillars of Eternity games. However, where those games were both top-down CRPGs and part of the genre’s revival over the past decade, Avowed will shift back to one of Obsidian’s areas of expertise: first person action RPG adventuring. Avowed is not a fully open world game, but has several large open areas that you can explore. In that regard it’s comparable to one of Obsidian’s other acclaimed hits, The Outer Worlds.
This game was one of the highlights for Xbox and PC gamers last year, as Microsoft’s many studios and subsidiaries deliver on long-awaited projects, and as they’ve continually stuffed games into Xbox Game Pass. “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.”
Source: Obsidian
Microsoft made a surprise appearance at the New Game+ Showcase yesterday, with Obsidian delivering two announcements, the biggest of which is undoubtedly that Avowed is launching on PlayStation 5 soon. The action roleplaying game is about to celebrate its first anniversary. It launched for PC and Xbox Series S|X on February 18, 2026, and on February 17, the game will be available on Sony's PS5 console, following the established pattern set by Microsoft with its newfound multiplatform policy. Pre-orders are now live on the PlayStation Store, offering two options: a $49.99 Standard Edition and a $59.99 Premium Edition. If you're […]
Read full article at https://wccftech.com/avowed-lands-ps5-february-17-2026-anniversary-update-drops-on-all-platforms/
In this first episode of 2026, Brad covers:
Traveler’s Refrain (sort of)
Dome Keeper
Avowed
Echoes of the End… And more!
You can also hear the show on iTunes
Please send feedback and mailbag questions to SoVideogamesPODCAST (at) gmail (dot) com, or post them in the comments section below. Thanks!
The post So Videogames Episode 469: Traveler’s Refrain, Dome Keeper, Avowed, Echoes of the End appeared first on Gamecritics.com.
Publisher Xbox Game Studios and developer Obsidian Entertainment have announced that a PlayStation 5 version of Avowed will launch on February 17. The release will coincide with the “Anniversary Update,” which adds several new features, including New Game Plus, a new Photo Mode, additional character presets, a new weapon type, and more. Pre-orders for the game are now available on the PlayStation Store. A new developer interview has also been released.
The game’s details via the publisher:
Welcome to the Living Lands, a mysterious island filled with adventure and danger.
Set in the fictional world of Eora that was first introduced to players in the Pillars of Eternity franchise, Avowed is a first-person fantasy action RPG from the award-winning team at Obsidian Entertainment.
You are the envoy of Aedyr, a distant land, sent to investigate rumors of a spreading plague throughout the Living Lands—an island full of mysteries and secrets, danger and adventure, and choices and consequences, and untamed wilderness. You discover a personal connection to the Living Lands and an ancient secret that threatens to destroy everything. Can you save this unknown frontier and your soul from the forces threatening to tear them asunder?
The Weird and Wonderful Living Lands
The Living Lands is a place that feels foreign yet somewhat intrinsic to you as it feels the island itself is calling out to you for help. Explore an island home to many different environments and landscapes, each with their own unique ecosystem.
Visceral Combat to Play Your Way
Mix and match swords, spells, guns, and shields to fight your way. Dig into your grimoire for spells to trap, freeze or burn enemies, bash them with your shield, or use range bows to attack from a distance.
Companions as Part of Your Journey
Companions from a spread of species will fight alongside you, with their own unique set of abilities. From a former mercenary to an eccentric wizard, they will be part of your journey with your choices shaping them as you help them with their quests.
Stay tuned at Gaming Instincts via Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook for more gaming news.
The post Avowed PlayStation 5 Release Date Announced Alongside A New Update appeared first on Gaming Instincts - Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism.
Microsoft has confirmed that a pair of RPGs will be the next Xbox games to release on the PS5, and both of them will be out on the platform in February 2026. Obsidian Entertainment‘s Avowed will launch on PS5 first, followed by Stoic’s Towerborne.
Action RPG Avowed will be available on PS5 on February 17, along with its Anniversary Update. The update will add New Game Plus, Photo Mode, new character appearance, new weapon, new character options, and more.
“You are the envoy of Aedyr, a distant land, sent to investigate rumors of a spreading plague throughout the Living Lands — an island full of mysteries and secrets, danger and adventure, and choices and consequences, and untamed wilderness,” reads an official overview. “Can you save this unknown frontier and your soul from the forces threatening to tear them asunder?”
Stoic’s Towerborne is a side-scrolling action RPG that’s currently in early access. The full game will launch on PS5 on February 26.
“Rise again as an Ace, an immortal warrior reborn to defend the Belfry against the darkness beyond its walls,” a description reads. “Journey across a crumbling world, uncover the mystery of the fallen City of Numbers, and push back the corruption threatening humanity’s survival.”
Check out a trailer below:
The post PS5 Gets More Xbox Games in February 2026, RPG Fans Rejoice appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.
Another day, another “Xbox game is coming to PS5” announcement, as it’s now been confirmed that Obsidian’s fantasy RPG Avowed is coming to PlayStation 5 on 17th February 2026. The PS5 launch will coincide with an anniversary update that will also arrive for the game on PC and Xbox Series X|S at the same time.
The announcement came as part of an interview for New Game Plus:
The anniversary update should make this the best way to play the game – a boon, of course, for PS5 players to get the rounded off version, but also for anyone returning to the game on previous platforms. There are three new races that you can create your Godlike protagonist as, with dwarves, orlan and aumaua to be available, and a brand new weapon type that will be introduced to the game.
A new game plus mode is also being added, with the caveat that weapon levelling will not carry over, and there’s a long overdue photo mode to help capture some of the intense action moments and scenery that you might want to preserve.
Avowed takes us back to the Living Lands, a mysterious islands in the fantasy world of Eora, which it shares with Obsidian’s previous Pillars of Eternity games. However, where those games were both top-down CRPGs and part of the genre’s revival over the past decade, Avowed will shift back to one of Obsidian’s areas of expertise: first person action RPG adventuring. Avowed is not a fully open world game, but has several large open areas that you can explore. In that regard it’s comparable to one of Obsidian’s other acclaimed hits, The Outer Worlds.
This game was one of the highlights for Xbox and PC gamers last year, as Microsoft’s many studios and subsidiaries deliver on long-awaited projects, and as they’ve continually stuffed games into Xbox Game Pass. “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.”
Source: Obsidian
Avowed won't be getting the final update devs Obsidian had planned for this year. Instead the studio have opted to save putting out the new game plus mode they'd planned for this autumn for a big update to make the RPG's first birthday in February. To make up the extra wait, the anniversary update'll be adding some mystery extra bits alongside the already announced features.
The autumn patch was originally set to be the third update delivered to the nature-rific blunderbuss adventure this year. The last one to arrive was the summer update, which aimed to round out the fighting skills of non-magic users so that wizards weren't having all of the fun.
Obsidian Entertainment, one of gaming's busiest developers, has announced a delay for this year's remaining Avowed update. This was to include a Photo mode and New Game Plus mode, among other things, and it will now be held back - as well as enlarged - for the game's anniversary on 18th February 2026.
Obsidian was on one in 2025, releasing two of the biggest games of the year. While one is science fiction and the other is medieval fantasy, they both have a ton of similarities. Both are first and third-person RPGs with a ton of choices to make that can alter the path of the story as well as the fate of different companions you meet throughout the journey.
