Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

The Silksong Sweep: Redemption for Team Cherry

The biggest story of the #GOTY night is the absolute dominance of Hollow Knight: Silksong. After years of development that many feared would never end, the game launched as a massive critical and commercial success in late 2025. It managed to snag both Game of the Year and Best Game You Suck At, beating out heavy hitters like Kingdom Come: Deliverance II and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.

While Expedition 33 was a critical darling at other shows, Steam users clearly preferred the tight, punishing platforming of Hornet’s journey. The “Best Game You Suck At” category was particularly competitive this year, with Silksong edging out Elden Ring: Nightreign and Marvel Rivals. It’s a rare feat to take the top prize while also being recognized as the most frustratingly difficult experience of the year, but for the Hollow Knight faithful, that challenge is exactly why they waited so long.

The “Labor of Love” Controversy

One of the most debated wins is Baldur’s Gate 3 taking home the Labor of Love award. Larian Studios has been remarkably consistent with free updates and massive patches, even rebuilding the Linux client from the ground up for native Steam Deck support in 2025. However, the win sparked a predictable amount of salt from fans of No Man’s Sky and Helldivers 2, who felt those titles—which have been supported for years (or in the case of Helldivers, fought through a rocky launch)—were more deserving. Still, the Steam community tends to vote for their current favorites, and BG3 remains the platform’s golden child.

Handhelds and Innovation

Best Game on Steam Deck: Hades II won this handily, proving that Supergiant’s rogue-like loop is the gold standard for portable play. It beat out Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor and the sleeper hit BALL x PIT. The developers worked specifically to ensure the sequel was “verified” and battery-efficient from day one, and that effort paid off with the community.

Most Innovative Gameplay: This went to ARC Raiders (affiliate link). It was a controversial pick for some, as many felt the mind-bending puzzles of Blue Prince or the genre-blending of Mage Arena pushed the medium further. However, ARC Raiders’ unpredictable community-driven “story generator” in an extraction shooter setting won over the masses, proving that even a crowded genre can feel fresh with the right execution.

Story & Style: The Rise of the New Classics

In a major upset, Dispatch from AdHoc Studio took home Outstanding Story-Rich Game. This superhero workplace comedy managed to beat out cinematic giants like The Last of Us Part II Remastered and Kingdom Come: Deliverance II. Players were enamored with its episodic structure and meaningful choices, showing a pivot toward tight, focused writing rather than sprawling open-world bloat.

On the visual front, Silent Hill f secured Outstanding Visual Style. It faced stiff competition from Final Fantasy VII Rebirth and DOOM: The Dark Ages, but its unique, unsettling Japanese folk-horror aesthetic resonated more than raw graphical power. This win signals that Steam players are increasingly looking for a cohesive art direction that defines the game’s identity.

Rounding Out the Winners

Category	Winner	Notable Runners-Up
VR Game of the Year	The Midnight Walk	Pavlov, Le Mans Ultimate
Better With Friends	PEAK	Battlefield 6, Split Fiction
Best Soundtrack	Clair Obscur: Expedition 33	Spider-Man 2, DELTARUNE
Sit Back and Relax	RV There Yet?	Slime Rancher 2, PowerWash Sim 2

The 2025 results highlight a community that is increasingly independent from mainstream trends. Whether it’s the claymation beauty of The Midnight Walk or the chaotic cooperation in PEAK, the winners reflect a year where creativity and community engagement mattered more than budget. How do you like Steam GOTY 2025 results yourself? Please leave a comment.

The post The Silksong Sweep and the Salt of Love – 2025 GOTY Steam Awards Breakdown appeared first on Game Reviews, News, Videos & More for Every Gamer – PC, PlayStation, Xbox in 2026.

Estimated reading time: 2 minutes

The Algorithm of Intent

Embark Studios finally stopped playing coy about how their machines sort the digital wheat from the tactical chaff. Patrick Söderlund basically handed the Reddit theorists a victory lap by confirming Arc Raiders employs aggression-based matchmaking. This system attempts to bucket the bloodthirsty PvP enthusiasts away from the folks who actually want to scavenge in peace. If you spend your time hunting players, you get a lobby of hunters. If you’re there for the loot and the atmosphere, the algorithm tries to find you a kindred spirit who won’t shoot you in the back the second a rare component drops. It is a bold move for an extraction shooter, a genre that usually thrives on the total lack of safety, but Embark is clearly trying to manage the salt levels of its growing player base.

Extraction Etiquette and the Predator Problem

The CEO admitted the system is hardly a perfected science. It functions as a secondary layer beneath the standard skill-based parameters and party-size filters. The logic is simple: the game tracks your propensity for violence. A week ago, this invisible hand started nudging the “kill on sight” crowd toward their own private hells. It aims to address the viral chaos of retired pros dunking on casuals, but it raises questions about how the game defines intent. If you only fire in self-defense, the system might still struggle to differentiate you from the aggressor. The tension of the extraction genre relies on that unpredictability. Sanitizing the experience too much could strip the game of its actual edge, turning a tense standoff into a predictable chore.

The post Arc Raiders Aggression Matchmaking: How Embark Studios Is Sorting Looters From Killers appeared first on Game Reviews, News, Videos & More for Every Gamer – PC, PlayStation, Xbox in 2026.

The fact that ARC Raiders’ use of generative AI development tools for its creation, particularly for its voice work, is a sticky wicket for many shouldn’t come as a surprise in the age of rising slop tides. Still, Embark Studios CEO Patrick Soderlund is not backing down and continues to defend the decision in an […]

The problems with using in-game voice chat are manifold, but one of those is that someone hearing you nearby might accidentally mistake your pleas for in-game help with pleas for help in meatspace. That appears to have been the case for one ARC Raiders fan, who had the police called on him because he was […]

Bungie's upcoming extraction shooter, Marathon, feels like an enigma.

I was not all that impressed with the game's beta test earlier this year in April, and I was not alone. After a tepid reception and a lot of negative feedback, Bungie was forced to delay it from its initial September release date so it could run more tests and iterate on numerous changes.

But since then, a new juggernaut has entered the space: ARC Raiders launched last month and became an instant hit in the extraction shooter genre, bringing in a whole new swath of players who hadn't really experienced the game type before. It's consistently been a top-played game on Steam since its release, and it's even gotten a hold on console players, too. And I can't help but wonder what kind of effect it may have on Marathon's potential success, or failure.

With players like myself now enjoying the thrill of deploying, looting, surviving, and extracting, Marathon could bring us into the fold if it can nail the gameplay loop similarly to how ARC Raiders has. Similarly, the success of ARC Raiders could keep potential Marathon buyers from taking the plunge if they're still enjoying the new Embark Studios hit.

I do think there's room for both, as one is in third-person and one is a first-person shooter from a company that has excelled in the gameplay feel of that perspective. They are both stylistically quite different, too, with Marathon sporting a futuristic and colorful aesthetic versus ARC Raiders' grimy, post-apocalyptic setting.

Will ARC Raiders' friendliness factor carry over into Marathon? That depends. Leaks from recent tests claim that Bungie is adding proximity chat to Marathon after all, which is a big reason why ARC Raiders has been so fun for so many who normally don't enjoy the competitive nature of the genre.

I would not be surprised to see some ARC Raiders players now willing to try out Marathon if they weren't before. I'm certainly more excited for it after now truly grasping the extraction concept, thanks in large part to how good ARC Raiders is. The rest is up to Bungie to deliver a product that engages players and hits on multiple cylinders as ARC Raiders has, so the hope is that these past few months of extra testing on the game will have made a tremendously positive impact.

It certainly feels like extraction games are quickly becoming the next "big thing" in gaming, and I wouldn't be surprised to see some established IPs continue to explore it. Before Marathon launches, we have PUBG: Black Budget running a playtest next month, which is the battle royale game's spin on extraction.

Escape From Tarkov paved the way, but we've since had titles like Delta Force, Hunt: Showdown, and Dark and Darker twisting their own iterations, and I expect more companies to follow the trend, with rumors circulating that Call of Duty will bring back its extraction mode DMZ in next year's game.

There may come a point when extraction games become saturated, but for now, I think the industry is rife with potential, and Marathon could end up benefiting from the influx of new genre enjoyers after all.

What do you think about Marathon's potential? Will ARC Raiders help or hurt it? Let us know your own thoughts in the comments.

The post ARC Raiders is such a big success that it could end up helping Marathon—or hurt it just the same appeared first on Destructoid.

In early access since 2017, the tactical multiplayer extraction shooter Escape from Tarkov finally takes the spotlight with its version 1.0 release and debut on Steam. Unapologetically hardcore and ultra-gritty, the game is shaping up to be a standout in the extraction-shooter genre.

Bookmark this guide: below you’ll find everything you need to know about Escape from Tarkov on Steam, including the release date, gameplay details, editions, the 1.0 update changes, latest trailer, and PC specs.

Escape from Tarkov Steam Release Date

Escape from Tarkov’s full release on Steam is officially scheduled for 15 November 2025. At this time, no release has been announced for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S/X, or Nintendo Switch 2 – but reaching version 1.0 typically precedes a console launch, so a port may be on the horizon.

Escape from Tarkov Steam Editions

When you purchase Escape from Tarkov via Steam, you’ll select from multiple edition tiers — each offering progressively more starting gear, stash space and bonuses. Here are the details:

Standard Edition

• Base game of Escape From Tarkov

Left Behind Edition

• Base game of Escape From Tarkov
• Secure container (2×2 cells);
• Expanded stash (10×40 cells);
• Left Behind Edition gear and skills set.

Prepare for Escape Edition

• Base game of Escape From Tarkov
• Secure container (3×2 cells);
• Expanded stash (10×50 cells);
• Prepare for Escape Edition gear and skills set;
• Increased standing.

Important for existing players: If you already own the game via the official launcher and want to use the Steam version, you will still have to purchase any edition on Steam to play via Steam. Your account and progress can be linked, but you cannot bypass buying the game on Steam. In some positive news, however, if you have a higher-tier edition already on the original launcher and buy a lower tier on Steam, the system will grant you the higher edition automatically when launching via Steam.

Escape from Tarkov Gameplay

While extraction shooters have been around for some time, few execute the formula quite like Escape from Tarkov. Set in the fictional Russian city of Tarkov, locked in endless conflict and lawlessness, you join one of the warring PMCs (private military companies) and find yourself cut off behind a blockade, surrounded by enemy PMCs and hostile locals.

Your goal isn’t just to survive, it’s to escape with valuable loot. What sets Tarkov apart is the risk: any gear you bring into a raid can be lost if you don’t make it out. That high-stakes tension is harder to find in many of its peers.

Beyond that, you’ll also encounter a variety of quests that diversify the gameplay, offering rewards and progression. One of your key hubs is the hideout—a base you can upgrade to craft gear, boost stats, and generate passive income.

The gunplay is intense and detailed. The injury system is highly realistic: a shot to your leg will hamper your movement, serious bleeding requires a tourniquet, broken bones need a splint – just popping a standard medkit won’t always cut it.

Overall, Tarkov favours careful, methodical play. With a minimalist UI, strong 3D audio and environmental cues, every footstep, gunshot and ambient sound matters. Charge in blindly and you’re likely to be eliminated quickly.

On the weapons side, customisation is incredibly deep. Every component of a gun—from optics and stocks to muzzle brakes and grips—affects handling, recoil and accuracy. Ballistics are sophisticated too: different rounds penetrate differently, and physics matter. The creative scope for firearm tuning is one of Tarkov’s biggest draws.

Escape from Tarkov 1.0 Update Changes

With version 1.0 arriving, the developers have confirmed several significant changes and milestones to mark this full release. Some of the key features and updates include:

• A major wipe of player levels and stashes for PvP mode as part of version 1.0’s launch.
• Major updates to PvE mode, including a refreshed PvE experience and new content designed to broaden the game beyond just hardcore multiplayer raids.
• Performance and anti-cheat improvements: The devs have emphasised fixes for long-standing performance issues, cheating mitigation, and better stability underlying version 1.0.
• Integration with Steam’s features for the first time (achievements, friends list etc) while retaining server-wide compatibility (Steam and non-Steam players share servers).

These changes mean the game is not only getting a marketing push via Steam, but also a structural maturation: better defined release status, improved systems, and broader accessibility for new players — even if the hardcore loop remains the same.

PC Specifications

Powered by the versatile Unity engine, Escape from Tarkov scales well across hardware (from mid-range rigs to high-end setups) with the specs below giving a good guideline.

MINIMUM:

• Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
• OS: Windows® 10
• Processor: AMD Ryzen 5 3600 or similar
• Memory: 16 GB RAM
• Graphics: GTX 1660 or similar
• DirectX: Version 11
• Storage: 80 GB available space

RECOMMENDED:

• Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
• OS: Windows® 11
• Processor: Intel Core i7-14700F or better
• Memory: 64 GB RAM
• Graphics: RTX 4070 or better
• DirectX: Version 11
• Storage: 80 GB available space

Where Can I Watch The Latest Trailer?

The latest trailer for Escape from Tarkov is available to watch right now, and you can catch it above. Celebrating the highly anticipated version 1.0 release of Escape from Tarkov, this new trailer is packed with gameplay footage designed to excite existing players and introduce the world of Tarkov to newcomers alike. 

The post Everything You Need To Know About Escape From Tarkov on Steam appeared first on Green Man Gaming Blog.

Last weekend we reported on the sorry state of the 1.0 release for PvPvE extraction FPS Escape from Tarkov, which has struggled under the weight of server problems, matchmaking issues, and heaps of bugs, among other things. As one might expect, this has put Battlestate Games on the back foot as the studio continues to […]