Commander Fury

Email us at PSPodcast@sony.com! Subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or download here Hey, everybody! Sid and Tim are back this week to discuss trying to survive the long nights of Elden Ring Nightreign and celebrate the 30th State of Play while going over their favorite reveals. Stuff We Talked About Next week’s release highlights: Deltarune: Chapter 3 & 4 (out now) | PS5, PS4 Zombie Army VR | PS VR2 Five Nights At Freddy’s: Secret of the Mimic | PS5 The Alters | PS5 Splitgate 2 | PS5 Alien Hominid Invasion | PS5, PS4 The Witcher IV — Unreal Engine 5 tech demo on PS5 showcases Ciri and a new world Destiny 2: The Edge of Fate — Hands-on with new abilities awaiting Guardians on the planet Kepler Gran Turismo World Series — Round one of the competition takes place in London this weekend Rematch — Hands-on impressions from the second open beta and interview with Sloclap devs Helldivers 2 — New Force of Law Warbond launching June 12 State of Play — Check out the full rundown of reveals at PlayStation Blog The Cast View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image Sid Shuman – Senior Director of Content Communications, SIE View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image Tim Turi – Content Communications Manager, SIE Thanks to Dormilón for our rad theme song and show music. [Editor’s note: PSN game release dates are subject to change without notice. Game details are gathered from press releases from their individual publishers and/or ESRB rating descriptions.] View the full article

Last week, we asked you to share moments drenched in a single color using #PSshare #PSBlog. Here are this week’s monochromatic highlights: JangNaru2PM shares Geralt raising a sword to the orange sun in The Witcher III. secondcapture shares Crank glowing purple in Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart. Amianan_NiRaGuB shares a Baldur’s Gate 3 character dressed in blue against a blue backdrop. EmperorHal shares Orcal in Stellar Blade in a shade of orange. snejku23 shares a green-soaked backdrop in Neva. ralston_vp shares Clive standing in front of a slate gray portal in Final Fantasy XVI. Search #PSshare #PSBlog on Twitter or Instagram to see more entries to this week’s theme. Want to be featured in the next Share of the Week? THEME: Stealth SUBMIT BY: 11:59 PM PT on June 11, 2025 Next week, take to the shadows and share sneaking, stealthy moments and characters from the game of your choice using #PSshare #PSBlog for a chance to be featured. View the full article

The Genshin Impact dev team is back with fresh details on Version 5.7, “A Space and Time for You,” dropping June 18. In this update, the Traveler’s sibling will continue to advance their grand plan. As the Traveler unites their allies to confront the Abyss Order in Natlan, more hidden truths about Teyvat will gradually come to light, marking a pivotal turning point in the story. Meanwhile, two familiar faces from the main story — Skirk and Dahlia — will also become playable characters. As a skilled sword master, Skirk fights without relying on Elemental Energy, dominating in extended battles or with sudden bursts of damage! While tensions run high in the Archon Quest, there will also be time to enjoy some lighter moments. Test your tactical thinking in a simulated adventure game, reunite with old friends in the next chapter of Travelers’ Tales, and take on challenges in a new permanent combat mode. You, within reach, yet worlds apart The chasm between the Traveler and their sibling remains — their silence hangs like thin ice, fragile yet unbroken. Though their bond persists, the road to reunion stays shrouded in fate’s mist. With the Loom of Fate complete, their sibling’s grand scheme advances relentlessly. Natlan now faces a full-scale Abyss Order invasion, and its tribes unite and fight under Mavuika’s fiery leadership. Dainsleif reappears, wielding mysterious powers to aid the Traveler. Meanwhile, deep in Natlan’s caverns, an enigmatic girl waits in the shadows… ​​ What secrets drive their sibling’s grand design? What meaning hides behind each reunion and parting? The truth awaits in the new Archon Quest — not as answers to be uncovered, but as a path to be walked. An ode to the aloof warrior and reliable protector As the story turns its page, two familiar faces make their return. Skirk, whose icy demeanor matches her frosty blade, and Dahlia, lively and mischievous as a babbling brook, will officially join the playable roster. Though their personalities differ greatly, both are reliable allies with unique combat styles. Skirk is a 5-star sword wielder who commands Abyssal power disguised as Cryo. Mysterious and aloof, she’s not only Childe’s master, but also once trained under one of the Five Sinners of Khaenri’ah, “The Foul” Surtalogi — said to wield power that could rival the world itself. Her strength is beyond question, yet her past remains buried in silence, like a tale frozen in time, waiting to be broken free from the ice. In her Story Quest, Travelers will encounter Skirk in Liyue, where fragments of her long-lost memories begin to emerge. In combat, Skirk forgoes the conventional Elemental Energy system, instead using a unique resource known as “Serpent’s Subtlety.” Serpent’s Subtlety can be obtained by absorbing Void Rifts, which appear on the field when your party triggers Frozen, Superconduct, Cryo Swirl, or Cryo Crystallize reactions. Up to three Void Rifts can exist at once, and Skirk can absorb them to gain Serpent’s Subtlety. Skirk fights with two distinct combat styles, enabling her to either maintain relentless pressure through continuous attacks or unleash devastating bursts of damage. To boost her on-field damage, Skirk can enter a special mode that enhances her Normal Attack DMG. After tapping her Elemental Skill, she enters this mode and can further boost her Normal Attack DMG by unleashing a special Elemental Burst. While in this mode, using Charged Attacks or her special Elemental Burst to absorb nearby Void Rifts grants additional Normal Attack DMG bonuses. In her burst damage fighting style, Skirk relies on quickly accumulating resources to unleash her powerful Elemental Burst. Holding her Elemental Skill allows her to move swiftly, and even sprint across water, while absorbing nearby Void Rifts to rapidly build up Serpent’s Subtlety. With enough Serpent’s Subtlety accumulated, she can unleash her Elemental Burst, dealing high AoE Cryo DMG in an instant. Skirk shows even greater potential when teamed up with Hydro or Cryo characters. When the team deals Hydro or Cryo DMG, Skirk gains bonus DMG. Additionally, if all party members are either Hydro or Cryo and if there is at least 1 Hydro and 1 Cryo character, all your characters in the team will have their Elemental Skill levels increased by 1. The other new playable character, Dahlia, is the dependable deacon of the Church of Favonius and a 4-star Hydro sword wielder who protects his party members with his Shield of Sacred Favor. This shield is initially created by Dahlia’s Elemental Burst and scales based on his Max HP. After casting his Elemental Burst, the shield can be refreshed either by landing Normal Attacks with the active character or by triggering the Frozen reaction. Dahlia’s Elemental Skill summons a Sacramental Shower, which can bounce allies into the air to help them dodge attacks and gain an aerial advantage. When enemies come into contact with it, the Sacramental Shower instead explodes, dealing AoE Hydro DMG. In Version 5.7 Event Wishes, Skirk and Dahlia both debut along with Shenhe’s rerun in the first half of the version, while the latter half will see the reruns of Mavuika and Emilie. Fun awaits — from chill activities to serious challenges After diving into intense combat, why not wind down with something more relaxing and fun? The Sumeru Akademiya has launched a new simulated adventure that puts both your capabilities and luck to the test. Travelers will pick from different Companion Pieces to form teams, power them up, and take on a variety of enemies in a board game-style battlefield. You can choose between the rainforest or desert route — each with its own story and level of difficulty. Unexpected encounters along the way will make the journey all the more exciting. Beyond the combat stages, there are also “research stages” where you’ll guide Paimon to gather fruit. Doing so boosts your Speculation Level and unlocks extra bonuses for your team. Complete the challenges and you’ll not only earn Primogems and other rewards, but also have the chance to invite Sethos to your party. A familiar breeze brings new stories from old friends. In Travelers’ Tales: Gilded Chapter, you can enjoy cozy moments all across Teyvat. Thoma returns to his hometown in Mondstadt, Neuvillette pays a visit to Merusea Village, and Dori is spotted in Inazuma trying to sell something to Sayu. On your travels, don’t forget to slow down now and then to check in on some old friends! In addition, this update introduces a new permanent gameplay mode, Stygian Onslaught. Participating in the event will reward Travelers with Primogems, Artifacts, and valuable items for targeted Artifact enhancement. Each update will bring a new challenge with three phases and five difficulty levels. Clear Level 5 to unlock an exclusive solo-only Level 6 difficulty, where the battle is sure to be even more challenging. There’s still plenty more to explore in Version 5.7 — but we’ll leave a few surprises for you to discover on your own. We hope Skirk and her story bring you a bold, new experience that’s as fresh as it is thrilling! View the full article

Giant Squid’s upcoming title, Sword of the Sea, is a well-crafted union of all the titles the studio and Game Director Matt Nava have worked on. The aquatic wonder of Abzû, The Pathless’s sense of adventure, and Journey’s beautiful desert world. Sword of the Sea weaves those influences together so skillfully that it feels like this atmospheric surfing adventure was the goal all along. I got a chance to go hands-on with Sword of the Sea and talk with Giant Squid about the new game, coming day one to PlayStation Plus Game Catalog on August 19. Surfing across the sands and sea The game begins as the player awakens as The Wraith, a vessel waiting to be filled, who is given the task of bringing the oceans back to the world. Appearing to be the last being left alive to get the job done, you receive a mystical surfboard and hit the dunes. The starting area is a vast playground where you can get accustomed to the board, perform tricks, and learn how to interact with the world. As you zoom across the desert, you come across different nodes known as Ocean Seeds that allow you to cleanse the land and restore parts of the ocean and marine life. Beyond pleasing aesthetics, water and sea life directly impact gameplay. The Wraith is significantly faster on water, leading to greater speed for bigger jumps and more tricks. Some sea life create new paths, like buoyant jellyfish that make great jump pads and long strands of climbable seaweed. Watching the landscape terraform was a highlight, as was searching for all the land’s secrets. “Sword of the Sea is really all about the spiritual magic of surfing,” Nava explains. “ It’s inspired by my own experiences snowboarding, skateboarding, and surfing throughout my life. When you think of these extreme sports, the first thing that comes to mind is probably the high speed and the danger. But there’s more to it than just an adrenaline rush. When you are surfing on waves in the ocean, you are literally on the boundary between our world and the world beneath the waves, a world beyond our understanding.” Golden triangles known as Tetra populate the world, acting as currency you can trade to mysterious vendors to learn more tricks, acquire skills, and open new paths. Want to see it all? You’ll have to detour off the main path to see and afford it all. Different vendors, triangles, and Trick Attack arenas are hidden throughout the world. Show off your tricks and feel the terrain Pulling off stylish moves in Sword of the Sea is straightforward. When surfing, once you jump you can press X again to perform a variety of double jump tricks. Once you acquire advanced tricks from the vendor, you hold L1 and press Triangle, Square, Circle, or X to do special grabs, flips, and spins. They score more points, and combining grabs and flips in different ways create new tricks. While the timing is a little trickier, you can give yourself a much-needed jump boost and score high-point combos when performed just right. Sword of the Sea constantly keeps score of the tricks you pull and how advanced they are. Hidden Trick Attack arenas let you put those skills to good use. What does racking up a high Trick Score lead to? Yet another mystery we’ll have to wait to uncover. Though the game takes place in the desert, there are plenty of different objects to grind on besides sea and sand. I came across ruins, ceramic tile roofs, and helpful aquatic life. The team at Giant Squid takes full advantage of the DualSense controller haptics to ensure every surface feels and sounds distinct. As I surfed along rooftops, I could hear the melodic tones of tiles underneath and the tingle in my fingers. The sand offers a coarse sensation, and you feel and hear the rushing water as you speed through on the makeshift highways parts of the ocean create. “The haptic feedback of the DualSense controller reacts to each surface differently so you can feel it when you cross from one to the next,” says Nava. “Combined with special sound effects that play from the controller, it gives a very realistic sense of touching the surfaces you see in the game. We are very excited by the extra layer of detail the haptics adds to the experience of surfing in Sword of the Sea.” You’re free to explore in any given direction, and hard-to-reach places usually reward you with something appropriate for the time and skill it takes to reach them. However, as you explore, you will discover murals and other environmental elements that keep the story ever-present. A tale of loss and destruction, and trying to find out how you fit into it all is an intriguing thread to follow. Especially since at the end of my session, it was clear that a mysterious character was following me. It appeared to be another wraith, but whoever the pursuer was didn’t give vibes of good intentions. It’s easy to compare Sword of the Sea to its predecessors, but the game truly feels like an evolution of everything the Giant Squid team has worked on to this point. The game’s sights, sounds, and feel connected me with the land, and I can’t wait to hop on the board again and see what’s really out there. “Our games have a really recognizable and unique art style, and tell atmospheric stories with their bold color and music,” says Nava. “We start with a feeling, an experience, and a message that we want the player to feel. Really, all our games are all about movement, and how it can connect you with nature and the world in different ways. Sword of the Sea builds on the ideas in all our previous games to create something that is both very Giant Squid and an exciting new adventure.” Looking to reel in more Sword of the Sea details? Check out the latest trailer and more details from State of Play. View the full article

When it comes to Super Earth, you are the law–the final word on freedom and Managed Democracy in our streets. You are the keeper of the peace and the deliverer of justice, but you need to step up your gear before you go out on patrol. That’s why the Ministry of Defense has approved the release of the Force of Law Premium Warbond1 on June 12! First, let’s talk gear. The AR-32 Pacifier, a large capacity assault rifle, is the last word in defense against enemies roaming the colonies. Combine it with the new G-109 Urchin stun grenade, which attaches to the perp and dispenses electrical pulses until they’re incapacitated, and you can handle any size squid assembly. But hold on–you’re still going to need some backup, diver. We can’t think of a better companion than the AX/ARC-3 “Guard Dog” K-9. Loyal to its core, the arc-powered K-9 will get between you and any threat to your authority. Just be wary of the occasional (accidental) friendly bite. We’re also including access to the GL-52 De-Escalator support weapon, a grenade launcher that fires high-powered arc grenades. The negotiations will be short and shocking when you call this one in. This isn’t an undercover job, either, so you need to get some gear that lets citizens, SEAF, and squids alike know you’re on the beat. Nothing inspires a sense of safety and obedience quite like the sight of a Helldiver wearing the BP-20 Correct Officer medium armor, with its protective padding and roomy pouches. But maybe you want to be first on the scene, which means you need something lightweight. In that case, try the BP-32 Jackboot, a light armor packing fewer pouches, but more panache with an official-looking tailored jacket and sturdy pauldrons. Both armors come with the Ballistic Padding passive that grants the wearer higher resistance to chest damage, explosive damage, and all damage from bleeding. These armors also pair well with either the Miranda’s Legacy or the Mother Eagle’s Wings capes, and their matching player cards, in coordinating blue and gold color schemes. Force of Law also includes new patterns! Watch them scatter when your paddy wagon, the FRV, rolls down the street with the True Blue pattern, also available for your Exosuits and Hellpods. Speaking of Hellpods, be sure to equip the new booster–Stun Pods–which hotwires your drops to shock nearby suspects into a stupor. We haven’t forgotten the emotes, either. This Warbond comes with three hand signal emotes for Hold, Silence, and Group Up. Even if the mic is off, you can still organize your unit. And lastly, you’ve got the gun, but now you need the badge. You’ll be able to equip the Extra Judicial title, reserved only for those who protect and serve the citizens of Super Earth. Be on the lookout, Helldivers: Force of Law is coming June 12! This Managed Democracy isn’t gonna enforce itself. 1 Requires base game, paid purchase of Super Credits, and game progression to unlock. View the full article

Game reveals, release date confirmations, and new looks at titles coming to PlayStation in the near future: today’s State of Play packed a lot into its runtime. Whether you missed the show, want to rewatch it, or dig down into the individual announcements, this article has you covered. Firstly, you can rewatch the full show below. Underneath that we highlight each of the games featured in the show with recaps of their announcement as well as their full trailers. We also have further details and insight by the game creators in a selection of dedicated PS Blog articles. Play Video View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image Astro Bot New levels are coming to Astro Bot this summer! Get ready for the challenge of five new Vicious Void Galaxy levels. They’ll require every bit of skill together to complete! And of course, these new levels will introduce their own Special Bots! And that’s not all: an updated smiley version of the Astro Bot Limited Edition DualSense wireless controller is set to launch later this year. Preview both the upcoming DualSense controller and the new PS5 levels in a PS Blog post from Team Asobi Studio Head Nicolas Doucet. Play Video Baby Steps The wonderfully weird walking sim has a release date as Baby Steps toddles onto PS5 September 8. Today’s new gameplay trailer further highlights the game’s unique traversal mechanics, as well as challenges its onesie-wearing protagonist Nate faces as he attempts to answer the call of nature. Play Video Bloodstained: The Scarlet Engagement The 2.5D side-scrolling action RPG returns with a new dark chapter. Explore the massive Ethereal Castle as two new heroes – Leo and Alex – join forces to tackle its fearsome inhabitants. You’ll be able to switch between the duo at the press of a button, leveraging each adventurer’s distinct abilities in order to survive. 505 Games dives further into the sequel’s gameplay mechanics and details what you can expect when you enter the castle’s halls when it launches on PS5 next year in a PS Blog post. Play Video Cairn Climb like never before in survival-climber Cairn, which ascends onto PS5 November 5. Consider your path and climb anywhere on the mountain, managing your endurance and resources to survive. You’ll be able to hone your skills and test palm strength early, as a demo launches onto PlayStation Store today. Cairn creator The Game Bakers breaks down its interactive take on alpinism in a tie-in PS Blog post. Play Video Digimon Story: Time Stranger After being announced in the last State of Play this past February, Digimon Story: Time Stranger returns with a new trailer that digs into its story, reveals more of its vibrant characters and highlights the variety of Digimon growth and customization you can expect when the game launches October 3. View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image Everybody’s Golf Hot Shots Teeing off on PS5 this September 5 is the return of the classic golfing series. Everybody’s Golf Hot Shots debuted a new gameplay trailer that revealed a surprise guest star: Pac-Man! The gaming icon will be available as an early unlockable character when you pre-order the game. Play Video Final Fantasy Tactics – The Ivalice Chronicles Originally released in 1997 for PlayStation, Final Fantasy Tactics is known for its rich story and deep, strategic gameplay. This September 30 you can enjoy both when the strategy RPG returns on PS5 and PS4 in the form of Final Fantasy Tactics – The Ivalice Chronicles. This enhanced version adds fully voiced dialogue, optimized and updated UI, graphical improvements, and a number of other quality of life features Square Enix details what to expect, including the more accessible “Squire” difficulty setting, in a PS Blog post. Play Video Ghost of Yōtei Today’s show announced a special State of Play episode dedicated to Ghost of Yōtei, coming your way soon. Sucker Punch will guide you through an extended look at new and evolved gameplay mechanics, including exploration, combat, and much more. Mark your calendar: the episode airs this July. Play Video Hirogami Hirogami is an origami-inspired 3D action platformer coming to PS5 on September 3. Explore a beautiful but fragile origami world as Hiro, a master of the art of ‘folding’, and take on animal forms to traverse the landscape, solve puzzles, overcome enemies, and save the realm from a deadly digital threat. Play Video 007 First Light IO Interactive’s third-person action-adventure game 007 First Light third-person action-adventure game unveils a new James Bond origin story. Discover the events that lead a young maverick to become the best MI6 agent and the world’s most iconic spy when the game launches on PS5 next year. IO Interactive shares first details on the game, including its story and Bond’s background in a new PS Blog post. Play Video Lumines Arise A brand-new, built from the ground up entry into the iconic puzzle series launches later this year on PS5 and features optional PS VR2 compatibility. Lumines Arise includes 30 flow state-inducing stages, including lush jungles, oceans, to more electronic frontiers like the bustling streets of Tokyo and the endless expanse of outer space. A new Burst mechanic amps up the timeless gameplay. Enhance discusses the debut of its new title, talks Avatars and teases an upcoming demo in a new PS Blog post. Play Video MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls PlayStation Studios, Arc System Works (Arc), and Marvel Games have joined forces to realize the latest in tag team fighters, MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls! Experience the Marvel Universe like never before with reimagined characters and stages, a heart-pounding soundtrack, intuitive gameplay mechanics, and jaw-dropping visuals that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Whether this is your first fighting game or you are a veteran of the genre, Arc has incorporated gameplay controls and mechanics that are easy to pick up and play, and yet still offer the depth and versatility for high level competition. Find out more in this PS Blog post. Play Video Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater Today’s trailer offered a closer look at how this remake has approached the fearsome adversaries that Naked Snake will face on his mission: The Cobra Unit. The new footage doesn’t just linger on the high stakes action you’ll face during the story campaign though. Konami also shares gameplay of Snake vs Monkey, which is also making its return when the game launches on PS5 this August 28. Play Video Mortal Kombat Kollection Digital Eclipse partners with NetherRealm Studios to bring Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection to PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 later this year. With multiple playable games from the early days of this groundbreaking fighting game series as well as interactive documentaries, Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection promises to be the most comprehensive, detailed look at the franchise’s history ever assembled. In a supporting PS Blog post, Digital Eclipse outlines the games included in the collection, and shares more information on the documentaries that’ll include Mortal Kombat co-creators Ed Boon and John Tobia, developers, actors and more. Play Video Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound, the new spectacular side-scrolling entry to the acclaimed series, releases on July 31 on PS5 and PS4. Honoring the franchise’s legacy, Ragebound modernises the unforgiving action-platforming formula with the fast-paced and exhilarating action The Game Kitchen (Blasphemous I & II) is known for. Play Video Nioh 3 Koei Tecmo and developer Team Ninja announced Nioh 3 for PS5. In this dark fantasy action RPG, players can fight using two distinct combat styles: Samurai and Ninja. The Samurai style provides a gameplay experience similar to previous Nioh titles, while Ninja style excels in quick movements like dodging and aerial actions. Players will be able to switch between battle styles instantly at any time. Intrigued to know how they’ll work? You can find out today with a limited time demo that’ll be launching on PlayStation Store. Keoi Tecmo shares more story and gameplay details about the game in an accompanying PS Blog post. View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image PlayStation Plus Along with Sword of the Sea coming August 19 as part of the Game Catalog lineup (more on that further down), there were new titles announced coming to PlayStation Plus. The PS2 version of immersive sci-fi sim Deus Ex joins Game Catalog June 17, Twisted Metal 3 and Twisted Metal 4 come to the PlayStation Plus Premium’s Classics range July 15. Later this summer, the original PlayStation versions of Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3: Nemesis also come to PlayStation Plus Premium’s Classics range. Play Video Pragmata Pragmata, Capcom’s new science fiction adventure, received a new gameplay trailer during today’s State of Play. This early peak of the game’s gameplay shows its unique twist of action and strategy, as in Pragmata, players must control its two protagonists, Hugh and Diana, at the same time to overcome the many obstacles you’ll face. Capcom shares more details of its latest IP, out 2026 on PS5, in an accompanying PS Blog post. Play Video Project Defiant Today State of Play saw the reveal of the first wireless fight stick custom designed by PlayStation. Codenamed Project Defiant, this new controller allows wireless play through PlayStation Link, or wired connection on PS5 or PC, and is set to launch next year. Get your first full details on the fight stick in this PS Blog post. Play Video Romeo is a Dead Man Romeo Stargazer is a man stuck between life and death who chases space-time’s most wanted fugitives as FBI special agent Dead Man. This newly revealed action title, created by Grasshopper Manufacture, launches on PS5 next year, and sees you use guns, swords and even enemies’ own powers against them to battle evil hordes. How does a time paradox shattering the space-time continuum turn someone into an FBI special agent? Grasshopper Manufacture explains (kinda) in a new PS Blog post. Play Video Sea of Remnants Meet a world of puppetfolk exploring the open sea and its secrets in oceanic action RPG Sea of Remnants, which sets sail for PS5. Form a specialised crew to answer any challenge that lies beyond the horizon, upgrade your ship to ride out any storm and return home with your spoils to Orbtopia, a pirate city that’ll evolve based on your swashbuckling decisions. Joker Studio expands on the game’s punk aesthetic art style and delves deeper into its gameplay in an accompanying PS Blog post. Play Video Silent Hill f Silent Hill f launches September 25 on PS5, and today’s State of Play trailer shows Shimizu Hinako’s perilous journey as the high schooler’s hometown is engulfed in fog, and the dangers within will have her fighting for her life. As a standalone spinoff, the game serves as an excellent introduction to the series. “Find beauty in terror” – Konami explains the mission statement that shaped the game’s development in this PS Blog post. Play Video Sword of the Sea Giant Squid is bringing its exhilarating, mythic surfing adventure Sword of the Sea to PS5 on August 19, with the game releasing as part of that month’s PlayStation Plus Game Catalog lineup. In an accompanying PS Blog post, the studio outlines the game’s inspirations and merging those with its signature environmental design and atmospheric narrative style has resulted in a mythic surfing adventure unlike anything else. Play Video Thief VR: Legacy of Shadow The legendary Thief franchise is reimagined for PlayStation VR2 in Thief VR: Legacy of Shadow, launching later this year. Play as Magpie, a cunning thief orphaned by Northcrest’s brutality and shaped by the streets and use PS VR2 mechanics to steal, evade, and outsmart the forces controlling The City. Move between shadows, and extinguish light sources with water arrows, hands or even a well-aimed breath to remain undetected. Vertigo Games details how the franchise’s mechanics have been adapted to PS VR2 in this PS Blog post. Play Video Tides of Tomorrow Road 96 creator DigixArt returns with an intriguing asynchronous multiplayer, oceanic adventure, coming to PS5 February 24, 2026. Tides of Tomorrow’s vibrant post-apocalyptic world interweaves your choices and a previous player’s decisions for a truly unique experience. You’ll see echoes of that player’s choices and actions, that will help you avoid traps, solve puzzles, investigate what happened before, or simply adapt based on the other player’s actions. Road 96 creator DigixArt introduces the oceanic nomads the Tidewalkers and breaks down the game’s unique mechanic in a new PS Blog post written by the studio. View the full article

PlayStation Studios, Arc System Works (Arc), and Marvel Games have joined forces to realize the latest in tag team fighters, MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls! Experience the Marvel Universe like never before with reimagined characters and stages, a heart-pounding soundtrack, intuitive gameplay mechanics, and jaw-dropping visuals that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Whether this is your first fighting game or you are a veteran of the genre, Arc has incorporated gameplay controls and mechanics that are easy to pick up and play, and yet still offer the depth and versatility for high level competition. Play Video “From the beginning, we aimed to make MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls a title that could be enjoyed by a wide variety of players,” explains Game Director and Lead Battle Designer, Kazuto Sekine. ”Generally, a team VS fighting game requires the player to learn multiple characters, but for MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls, you only need to master one character in order to play the game. We have designed the mechanics in such a way that you can perform a variety of actions with either traditional fighting game inputs or simple inputs. With the press of a few buttons, multiple characters can appear on screen to provide backup or attack together – creating a new and exciting team VS battle experience.” “Since day one, our long-time and trusted collaborators at PlayStation and the team at Arc System Works have poured incredible amounts of talent and passion into reimagining the Marvel Universe in a way that only they can,” said Michael Francisco, Senior Product Development Manager, Marvel Games. “MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls demonstrates that they are absolute masters of their craft and are true Marvel fans at heart. Players are in for a wild ride.” Characters Enter the fray with iconic Marvel heroes and villains such as Captain America, Iron Man, Spider-Man, Doctor Doom, Storm, Ms. Marvel, Star-Lord, and Ghost Rider (Robbie Reyes) – each with Arc’s unique twist on their character designs and gameplay styles. Arc Producer, Takeshi Yamanaka, states, “There are so many amazing Marvel characters that it was quite a struggle to choose our roster, but we did have some criteria for the selection process. First and foremost, we wanted to include characters who we feel to be the ‘face’ of Marvel. At the same time, we also needed to select characters that would give us a balance of battle types and styles. Lastly, we wanted to sprinkle in a few surprises and leave room for characters who have never been playable in a fighting game before.” Yamanaka-san continues, “Early on in the project, we experimented with a shader to recreate a more western comic-book visual style, but the Marvel team expressed a desire for us to lean into something more Arc-like. It was then that we switched our approach to the game’s visuals and began to lean more into the Japanimation style Arc is known for.” Gameplay mechanics From short-ranged jabs to the cinematic Ultimate Skills, each character features a bespoke set of Normal, Special, and Unique attacks inspired by their abilities and powers in Marvel lore. Arc have gone to great lengths to ensure that gameplay style, movement, and feel of these legendary characters is fresh, new, and wholly unique to MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls. But it’s not just the individual gameplay of the characters that has been enhanced; significant dedication has gone into reimagining and redefining what it means to be a tag team fighter. “Team VS fighting games have a long tradition of 2v2 or 3v3 team formats, so this is something we discussed in-depth within the development team. We went back and forth many times, from thinking we might be better off making a 1v1 game or sticking to the established 3v3 format.” Sekine-san continues, “At its core, we felt that the appeal of team VS fighting games is the intensity of battles with multiple characters on screen at once. Additionally, one of the appeals of Marvel comics is seeing the vast cast of characters coming together to create all kinds of unique team-ups.” “With these two ideas in mind, we concluded that creating a 4v4 team VS system would be the best way to not only create those over-the-top moments, but to further evolve the tag fighting genre.” Stages The stages come to life in MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls, filled with easter eggs for eagle-eyed fans to find. Most stages also feature multiple areas. These transitions between areas are not just action-packed and stunning to witness, but they also play a strategic role. Check out the screenshots from Marvel’s New York City to see what you can find. More to come Today’s announcement is just the beginning of our journey. From characters and stages to gameplay modes and the online experience. There’s so much more we can’t wait to share with you! View the full article

Hi there! I’m Matt Nava, Creative Director at Giant Squid. For the last few years we’ve been hard at work on our latest game, Sword of the Sea. During today’s State of Play, we revealed our August 19 2025 release date. I’m excited to finally share more with you about the world and gameplay of this atmospheric surfing adventure. Play Video An exhilarating, high speed way to explore Like our previous titles Abzu and The Pathless, this game focuses on unique and engaging movement. At its core, Sword of the Sea is all about surfing. You’ll be carving your way across mysterious moving waves of sand on the ancient and powerful hoversword. We built this game with speed and maneuverability in mind–you’ll be catching air off fallen statues, grinding across the chains of archaic machines, and performing tricks in halfpipe-like tombs as you join the Wraith on his quest to bring life back to his barren world. And of course there are plenty of intuitive yet satisfyingly expressive tricks you can do to show off your skills as you go. In Sword of the Sea, movement itself is a joy. Drawing inspiration from classic skating and snowboarding games of the past and merging that with our signature environmental design and atmospheric narrative style has resulted in a mythic surfing adventure unlike anything else. Unveil the sea As the Wraith journeys across the desolate Necropolis, you’ll explore skatepark-like ruins full of ramps, wall rides, and secrets. Uncover the mysteries of this land and you will be able to revive the magical sealife that once inhabited the waves. Transform the sandy dunes into emerald oceans, and forgotten temples will come alive with fish and beautiful kelp forests, allowing you to reach new heights as you glide upwards through the leaves. Schools of fish will flow with the restored waters, allowing you to swiftly sail alongside shoals or watch in wonder as they coalesce into giant swirling baitballs. You might also get a boost from a giant jellyfish and bounce upwards or find larger creatures like orca or dolphins that follow you on your travels or even allow you to hitch a ride! A mysterious and visually stunning world Giant Squid games are known for their unique and instantly recognizable art style that creates memorable, beautiful worlds for players to lose themselves in. Sword of the Sea is no different and we think it is shaping up to be our most gorgeous work yet. You’ll find yourself slowing down from those high top speeds just to take it all in. While the undulating, shifting sands may be what you’ve seen most of so far, the Wraith’s story will take him to many areas beyond the desert. Prepare to surf across windswept snowfields, glacial mountains, and many more exciting and unexpected biomes on this adventure. With the power of the PS5 and PS5 Pro, we can deliver the most stunning vistas and awe-inspiring locales without sacrificing the performance required for the high speed and dextrous gameplay at the heart of Sword of the Sea. A spiritual journey In Sword of the Sea, surfing across the landscape can actually evoke a state of meditative calm and flow. As a surfer and snowboarder myself, I have felt the rush of movement and seen the beauty of nature in a way that only these extreme sports can deliver. But there’s more to it than just that- surfing is a spiritual experience, one that I hope to capture with this game. On a certain level, the Wraith’s story is about chasing that sense of total connection to nature that only surfing can give you. When you finally get to play Sword of the Sea, take in the vibrant color, the living world, and the enchanting score by Austin Wintory–we hope the experience will give you the indescribable, spiritual combination of rush and tranquility that makes surfing so special. Play on PlayStation Plus at launch Sword of the Sea will be available on Playstation Plus right when we launch on August 19 for PS5 and we can’t wait for you to get your hands on it and start your surfing adventure. Thanks for reading–we’ll see you out on the waves this summer! View the full article

Hey everyone! As you may have seen in our latest State of Play, Sucker Punch has a special State of Play episode dedicated to Ghost of Yōtei coming next month. Play Video The show will be focused entirely on Ghost of Yōtei, coming to PS5 on October 2. You’ll get an extended look at new and evolved gameplay mechanics, including exploration, combat, and much more. Stay tuned for more information on where and when to watch. View the full article

Today is a special day for us at IO Interactive. During today’s State of Play, we officially unveiled 007 First Light, our upcoming third-person action-adventure game centered on a standalone re-imagining of James Bond’s origin, coming out in 2026. You can watch the trailer below to get a first taste of what’s to come in 007 First Light: Play Video By the developers of Hitman To have IO Interactive working on a 007 game is an incredible honor. To be able to harness all the experience and craftsmanship we have been honing for the last 25 years to create a James Bond adventure is a unique journey for the studio, and we are thrilled to have this opportunity. Earn the number This is Bond as you’ve never seen him before — the youngest Bond fans have ever met. In 007 First Light, at only 26 years old, he isn’t the fully fledged 007 you know from the tux-and-martini days but a man with sharp instincts, sometimes reckless, who is still learning when to fight, when to bluff, and when to disappear into the shadows. In 007 First Light, Bond starts as a NAVY air crewman, when against all odds, an audacious act of bravery propels him on MI6’s most challenging training program. This training coupled with his natural instinct, wits, and heart will see him grow into a fully-fledged spy. It’s a completely original standalone story, developed in collaboration with Amazon MGM Studios. Play as James Bond The trailer gives you a taste of what’s to come: you’ll be able to travel the world and discover exciting locations, from snow-drenched mountains to sun-soaked beaches. You will, of course, get to meet and interact with some of the characters who have become synonymous with the James Bond franchise, such as M, Q, and Moneypenny. You will also discover new ones, including Greenway, Bond’s mentor in this story, who will teach him the modus operandi advocated for MI6 agents (or at least try to!). With varied gameplay mixing intense combat, full throttle driving, stealth, and cutting-edge gadgets. You’ll be able to fully immerse yourself in a world filled with deception and danger, powered by our proprietary engine, Glacier. Coming 2026 007 First Light begins here, we’ll be sharing details about gameplay, story, and more later this year. The game is set to release on PlayStation 5 in 2026. 007 First Light will be enhanced for PlayStation 5 Pro, using PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR) and having optimized performance, with the game playable at 60 FPS in Quality Mode. You can wishlist 007 First Light today. James Bond has returned. View the full article

Hey everyone! I’m happy to announce that our new game, Tides of Tomorrow, is coming to PlayStation 5 on February 24, 2026! Play Video At DigixArt, we’re all about finding fresh and fun ways to tell stories through games, experimenting with ideas that are both innovative and meaningful. Our game, Road 96, was a procedural road trip where you’d go on multiple runs with different characters, one after the other. After it launched, some team members joked, “We should make Road 96 but with boats! Boat 96!” But then a more serious idea sparked: what if each of those runs in Road 96 were actually played by different people, and their choices impacted each other — and the world? That’s where the core idea for Tides of Tomorrow came from: what if we used multiplayer elements to shape the narrative itself? Usually, games with asynchronous multiplayer are focusing on systems and gameplay interactions. We saw an opportunity to go further: to let players truly influence each other’s stories through their decisions. We’ve also chosen a brand-new setting: a vibrant, post-apocalyptic ocean world. Each of our games tackle a meaningful topic, and we really wanted to say something about the environmental crisis. This theme and the multiplayer mechanics are tightly interwoven… in ways I don’t want to reveal just yet! So how does it all work? When starting a game of Tides of Tomorrow, you must select a player to “follow”. This player has played the game before you and can be a total stranger, someone from your friend list, or even a famous streamer. You begin your journey rescued from deadly waters, with no memory of who you are or how you got there. Somehow, you’ve awakened centuries after a massive flood wiped out most of civilization. Now, scattered communities survive across a harsh ocean world. You are infected with Plastemia, a disease caused by an ancient poison — microplastic pollution.​ If you don’t find a cure soon, you’ll slowly turn into plastic. But you’ll soon discover there are others like you. Always found in the ocean, with no memories of their past. You are all connected. ​The people of this world call you Tidewalkers.​ In Tides of Tomorrow, each player embodies one of these Tidewalkers, a mysterious community of sea nomads. Players will have to question their relationship to each other, challenge their morality and learn more about the bond they all share. You travel the ocean aboard your trusted boat, visiting location after location — each one previously visited by the player you’re following. Thanks to our “asynchronous vision” system, you’ll see echoes of this player’s choices and actions, in the form of “ghosts”. These visions help you avoid traps, solve puzzles, investigate what happened before, or simply adapt based on the other player’s actions. Not only that, but the game’s NPCs will remember what the other player did and they won’t hesitate to talk about it. That other player was not in some kind of parallel universe: their actions on the world are concrete and will have tangible consequences on your experience. For example: if a player stole something valuable from an important NPC, that character might now hate all Tidewalkers, forcing you to sneak around instead of being welcomed. Some levels can change drastically depending on what the last player did. Without spoiling our secret recipe, each level blends handcrafted narrative moments with systemic game elements, resulting in a unique experience for every player. That’s a true challenge to build, because we take the previous player’s choices into account, as well as your own choices, to make sure you still feel in control of your adventure. Each new step of your journey lets you choose where to go next — and who to follow. Will you stick with the same person? Try someone new? Or pick based on your own instincts? There are lots of reasons to follow one player over another. Maybe you like their playstyle, want to discover their choices, or to benefit from the resources they left behind. In typical DigixArt fashion, your friends and you will go through a wild mix of situations, encounter memorable characters and surprising gameplay challenges. You’ll have to make tough decisions, while your survival and the future of this world are at stake… But don’t forget —your actions will also affect the players who choose to follow you. So… what kind of legacy will you leave behind? To find out for yourself, wishlist the game today and join us on the high seas in 2026, to be among the first players to leave your mark on the world of Tides of Tomorrow! View the full article

Hello everyone! Team Asobi here. It’s a great pleasure to be back. How have you all been? We have some exciting news to share in the world of Astro Bot! But first, let me take a few seconds to say thank you to all the fans, newcomers and players of all ages for the lovely support we have received. The last 7 months have been a magical ride for Team Asobi, largely thanks to your positive reactions to the game. So, from the bottom of our hearts, a supercharged thank you! And now, for the fun news! We are delighted to announce yet more additional content landing in Astro Bot this July 10 at 6:00am PT, 2:00pm GMT, 10:00pm JST*. Indeed, 5 brand new levels will make their way into the game as part of the Vicious Void Galaxy, bringing the total number of levels in Astro Bot to a whopping 90+! As with our last update, these 5 levels will require you to pull every bit of skill together to complete so hang on to your DualSense Controller and dive in! The 5 levels available will be:Twin-Frog Trouble, Suck It Up, Handhold Havoc, High Inflation and… well. You’ll have to play and see. And who knows? Maybe completing all Vicious Void might lead to something really cool? And of course, these new levels will come with their own Special Bots. We won’t ruin the surprise, but we’ll just say that a revengeful newcomer might join the crew😊 We hope you’ll enjoy this new update. It has been a real delight to continue offering you, our valued fans, an extended Astro Bot experience at no additional cost. And since good news flies in pairs, we are delighted to also announce that an updated version of the Astro Bot Limited Edition DualSense wireless controller is launching later this year! This controller was crafted by our techno-magician designers at Sony Interactive Entertainment. And since the first controller proved so popular, we have brought it back with a new joyful twist to the touch pad! We’ll have more information to share soon, so be on the lookout for future updates. That’s all from us today. We are truly over the moon to see that Astro Bot has struck a joyful chord in so many homes; your kind comments are the best gift we could ask for, thank you again! Team Asobi out! *Astro Bot game and internet connection required for add-on update. View the full article

Yoho, friends in the PlayStation community! We’re the development team at Joker Studio. At today’s State of Play, we announced Sea of Remnants for PS5, and our gameplay trailer offered you a glimpse into a stunning world shaped by over six years of dedication from our team. Play Video While you might find familiar tags to explain the gameplay within such as “ocean adventure RPG / simulation / survival building / turn-based strategy”, we’d rather introduce it with this single line: “This is an infinite voyage looping between death and rebirth—a journey where we row forward, tirelessly, only to return to where it all began.” The story: One ship, an uncharted sea, and a crew of Puppetfolk In Sea of Remnants, you play as an amnesiac sailor who sets off on a voyage alongside a mysterious girl—two travelers with different goals yet bound to the same path across the sea. The purpose of this journey is to reach the long-rumored, deeply cursed Sea of Remnants—a place said to hold endless riches and renown. But those who fall into its waves… lose the very talents they once held most dear. Memories from long-lost sailors form the very fabric of the Sea of Remnants, creating its glowing magenta currents, islands, sea monster lairs—and the destinies of those who sail through them. To survive the challenges of this voyage, players must forge deep bonds with a wide cast of companions, forming specialized crews whose individual strengths combined can aid you navigate any challenges that lie out there in the open sea. And what is a crew without a ship? You’ll steadily upgrade your ship on your travels, collecting cannons and ship parts to outfit your prized vessel so it’s ready to ride out any storm. The puppetfolk inhabitants of Sea of Remnants Our design concept for all characters in Sea of Remnants – from minor NPCs, to important companions, even yourself – was to evoke the look and feel of puppetfolk. All brought to life with vivid colors, expressive emotions and puppet-like bodily traits. That design ethos even extends to environmental design and cityscapes, a visual look that helps emphasize the strangeness and surreal nature of this world you’ll explore. View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image Gameplay: What would a Pirate do? Upgrade your ship, build your fleet, set sail into the unknown, and return to Orbtopia (more on that later). Yet, we didn’t want heavy-handed quests, rigid main stories, or fixed party builds to limit your experience. So, we asked ourselves: if you were a pirate, how would you think? How would you act? And thus our vision for the game came into focus. Exploration is, of course, the heart of the game. Players can choose to sail solo, where a dynamic weather system ensures no two voyages feel the same—every stretch of ocean hides its own chaos. Or they can go online to raid ships, or team up to defeat vortex-dwelling monsters and colossal beasts that loom in storm-wracked skies… And you’re not just bound to your ship. Drop anchor and venture deep into islands you discover as you explore: volcanic ridges, lush rainforests, white-sand shores. Go further still, and you’ll uncover eerie ruins and the curious camps of ancient tribes. View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image Welcome to Orbtopia For sailors, the real anchor of the heart is returning home—with something to show for it. As the liveliest “pirate city” in the world, Orbtopia welcomes all who fail at sea, swept back by the currents. Find harbor in the city, and you can refit and upgrade your shlp, design outfits for your crew, rope in NPCs to co-run a shop, seek out masters of hidden professions to train your pirate team in new skills, or just enjoy side activities like fishing, cooking, or mahjong. Yet Orbtopia is no static sandbox map. As you return from each unique adventure, the city will evolve, shaped by personal choices and power shifts between competing factions. The high emotion, punk aesthetic of the game’s art style and music Across character design, narrative dialogue, blade-to-blade combat, cinematic finishers, inner monologues, and nautical lore, our art team lets color run wild: you’ll see the inspiration of sharp-edged American comics, the unique visual pairing of bold graffiti layering and nonsensical glitch art. We paint until it feels right. It’s punk as hell. In the coming months, we can’t wait to share more about the world of Sea of Remnants. We hope you’ll help shape a future that defies expectation—for this world and the puppetfolk within it. Happy sailing. View the full article

The shadows are calling. The legendary Thief franchise returns, reimagined for PlayStation VR2, bringing players back to The City, where danger lurks around every corner and secrets are hidden in plain sight. But this time, you uncover something far greater—an artifact that holds a legacy from the past. Ready your tools, trust your instincts, and become the master thief you’ve always dreamed of. Welcome to Thief VR: Legacy of Shadow, arriving later this year on PlayStation VR2. Play Video Step into the dark and dangerous streets of The City The City is a place of shadows, ruled by the tyrant Baron Ulysses Northcrest. You are Magpie, a cunning thief orphaned by Northcrest’s brutality and shaped by the streets, who steals as the only means to survive. That is, until you uncover something greater: a legendary artifact holding a legacy from the past. Use immersive VR mechanics to steal, evade, and outsmart the forces controlling The City. Unravel its darkest secrets and expose a sinister conspiracy that looms over its very foundation. Unleash the thrill of stealth in VR With PlayStation VR2’s cutting-edge technology, Thief VR: Legacy of Shadow delivers a fully immersive stealth experience. Physically crouch, hide, and move between shadows, using every inch of the environment to stay undetected. Whether you’re sneaking through darkened alleys or scaling the rooftops of towering buildings, your every movement feels real. Extinguish light sources with your water arrows, hands, or even a well-aimed breath to deepen the darkness and expand your cover. The VR mechanics allow you to live out the fantasy of stealth in a way that no other medium can replicate. Master the Art of Stealing In Thief VR: Legacy of Shadow, no two heists are alike. Whether it’s lockpicking, breaking into secure chests, or discovering hidden switches behind picture frames, every action in the game feels visceral and tactile. With PlayStation VR2’s Sense controllers and haptic feedback, you can physically interact with your environment in ways that make each mission feel uniquely immersive. Every corner of the city holds treasures and secrets waiting for a skilled thief like you to uncover. Precision and skill in every move The VR experience elevates gameplay to new heights, especially when it comes to combat and precision tasks like archery. The combination of intuitive controls, haptic feedback, and realistic aiming makes ranged combat a thrilling challenge. Whether you’re silently disabling a guard from a distance or hitting a precise target, your skill and focus will be put to the test. Explore a living, breathing world The City is a detailed, living environment that reacts to your every move. Explore its steampunk-inspired streets, scale its buildings, and feel the tension of navigating the rooftops where you’ll need to use every tool at your disposal to uncover hidden paths and unlock new areas. A cult classic returns Brought to you by Vertigo Games, the award-winning creators of Metro Awakening and Arizona Sunshine, in close collaboration with Eidos-Montréal, Thief VR: Legacy of Shadow is currently in development by Maze Theory and marks the long-awaited return of the legendary Thief franchise. Fans of the original series will feel right at home, while newcomers will experience the thrill of stealth and heists in a fresh new light. Are you ready to claim your place in the shadows? Wishlist Thief VR: Legacy of Shadow today, and stay tuned for more updates, including new gameplay footage, missions, and special features in the coming months. View the full article

During today’s State of Play, Koei Tecmo and developer Team Ninja announced Nioh 3, the latest installment of our dark fantasy action RPG series taking place inside Japan’s historically turbulent Sengoku period. To help celebrate the game’s announcement, we’re releasing a free limited-time demo of Nioh 3 exclusively on PlayStation 5, available today! Whether you’re a new warrior to the series or it’s your first time experiencing the deadly and deep combat that help make Team Ninja famous, we hope everyone enjoys the satisfaction of succeeding in the face of constant death. Play Video Stand up against evil as the next Shogun In Nioh 3, the protagonist is a young warrior poised to become the next Shogun. Why is he dedicated to battling against yokai? We’ll save those details for another day, but what we can tell you today is as the battles unfold, players will now be able to fight using two distinct combat styles: Samurai and Ninja. The Samurai style provides a gameplay experience similar to previous Nioh titles. New actions such as Arts Proficiency, which enhances the power of martial arts, and Deflect, which allows players to block enemy attacks at the last moment have been added, helping create a series of intense and deadly face-to-face confrontations. Meanwhile, the Ninja style excels in quick movements like dodging and aerial actions, giving ninjas the advantage of being able to attack from outside of the enemy’s range by utilizing a variety of “Ninjitsu” techniques according to the situation on the battlefield. Players have the ability to use techniques like Mist, which leaves a clone after an attack, and Evade, which allows for narrowly avoiding enemy strikes. Both techniques help players outmaneuver foes while delivering devastating speed attacks from behind. Players will be able to switch between battle styles instantly at any time, playing in their preferred style in a storyline defined by the strong, the swift, and the wicked. Based on the tendencies of the enemies and stages, some players will prefer to switch seamlessly between Samurai and Ninja techniques, while others will choose to fight using only one style continuously based on the challenge ahead. Feel free to play with the style you like best as you battle some of the fiercest enemies we’ve created to date! An open field full of challenges Aside from the new battle styles, Nioh 3 also enables players to enjoy an open field that offers a new freedom of exploration to the unique tension and confrontations that have become a defining characteristic of the Nioh series. Experience unexpected encounters with formidable yokai, explore suspicious villages riddled in violent secrets, and take on the daunting challenges of The Crucible. Enjoy the thrilling, hostile new environments as you fight to survive the cursed kingdom! Experience a tale of two swords today The demo of Nioh 3 is available starting today and will be playable until June 18! This is not only your chance to get an early look at what we’ve been developing for the past few years, but we’d also appreciate your feedback and help as we attempt to fine-tune the game and create the definitive title in the Nioh series! After finishing the demo, please provide feedback through the survey on the official website to let us know your thoughts on the new battle styles, the open field, and any suggestions you have for improvement. Team Ninja takes player feedback extremely seriously, and as we continue development on our biggest and boldest Nioh yet, we look forward to reading what you think about our latest game. Additionally, we’ve included the character creation feature that was well-received in the previous title. Although it is still in development for the demo version, we hope you look forward to its completion, as we can’t wait to see the various types of heroes players will create in the demo and beyond. Time to slay some yokai! View the full article

We’re happy to confirm that survival-climber Cairn will release on PS5 November, 5 2025. You can attempt your first ascent with Aava today, as a demo is available now on PS5! Go and hone your climbing skills on the Tenzen mountain ridge before the ascent of unforgiving Mount Kami. It’s not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves A cairn is a stack of stones piled up to mark a trail or as a memorial. It’s a very good representation of the idea “I made it this far”. In Cairn, our survival climbing game, you will need determination and persistence to “make it this far”. When we decided to make a video game about alpinism, we were fascinated by the dedication and resolve shown by climbers. They are ready to risk everything because of how extraordinary it makes them feel: extremely satisfied and free. And that’s the emotion we wanted to replicate and make you feel, as a player. We spent 3 years of research and development to create our own way to climb. It’s completely unique and new. You’ve climbed already in video games, but most games use climbing as a traversal mechanic, to reach a different location. In Cairn, climbing is the actual challenge, it’s where you fail or succeed. It’s what will make your hands sweat. The pillars of our climbing gameplay are what make it unique: a simple yet deep climbing control, and total freedom to climb anywhere. Easy to learn, hard to ma…ouch! my finger! First, it is simple to climb. We made a deep simulation gameplay while keeping simple inputs. In Cairn you control each hand and feet individually, but with just the left stick and one button to grab the wall. Ninety percent of the inputs you make are just moving the left stick and pressing Square. Feels simple right? So does Gran Turismo when you steer and accelerate with the same two inputs, but yet you’ll be practicing for hours to improve your lap time by 3 seconds. In Cairn the challenge is not about the controls of the limbs, it’s about placing them tactically, and keeping your character in balance. We worked on an advanced movement system that makes your character move like a climber according to what you aim for with your hand or foot. The simulation calculates the body mechanic, but also the efforts, and your character gets tired and out of breath in consequence. The result is a very strong immersion: you only look at your character, listen to their breathing, feel their limbs shaking directly on your hands with the precise Dualsense controller vibrations. There is no UI feedback. You learn to read the exhaustion status of the climber. By practicing, you know what’s an impossible move, a bold one and a safe one. What’s great with climbing is that the goal is pretty clear: reach the next ledge, the next summit. You see your objective, you just have to reach it. And failing is pretty obvious too: you fall. This helps you focus on what’s important: your body, your movements, your stamina. And eventually, when you reach that ledge, relief and joy! Route-finding is speaking the mountain’s language The second revolution in Cairn is the freedom to climb everywhere. It’s not a path or a branching of paths designed by level designers, it’s a whole mountain and you can slip your hand into every crack you see. The mountain was built rock by rock by our design team (whom I thank dearly). And that brings incomparable feelings of freedom. Even our level designers don’t know where you’ll climb, what route you will choose. During our playtests, we noticed something quite interesting: video game players usually walked towards the wall and started climbing. While actual rock climbers looked at the wall before climbing, noticed cracks, holds, hoverhangs, jugs in the rock, and decided on a route. Planning ahead, adapting to the wall, pausing to breathe and rest, decrypting the rock… it’s part of the fun in Cairn. Every second you play, you’re facing a choice. Topping out Cairn is not only a climbing simulation. It’s an immersion into a beautifully stylized nature, it’s hearing a storm rumbling, alone in the mountain, it’s surviving hunger, cold, thirst and pain. It’s about Aava’s journey as she attempts to reach the summit, and the people and places she will find on the way. It’s about her determination and sacrifices, her search for freedom. But we’ll let you know more about all these aspects of the game soon… View the full article

What’s up, everyone? We’re super stoked to finally be able to announce Grasshopper Manufacture’s new title, Romeo is a Dead Man, scheduled to release on PlayStation 5 in 2026. First, check out the announcement trailer we just dropped as part of today’s State of Play. Super bloody action, crazy twists and turns to blow players’ minds, and a whole mess of kinda-stereotypical gimmicks – all rolled into one wild ride. Our hero Romeo Stargazer is a man stuck between life and death. His own was saved mere seconds before the end by way of a time paradox that shattered the space-time continuum, which was created by a genius scientist screwing around. Now, Romeo is FBI Space-Time special agent “Dead Man”, and sporting a rad mask called Dead Gear, must hunt space-time’s most wanted fugitives through multiple universes! GhM’s bloodiest action game yet Romeo swaps between guns and swords, using his enemies’ own power against them to absolutely annihilate the evil hordes in this peak example of full-on bloody action, featuring ridiculously clever level design in which you’ll be jumping back and forth between the real world subspace, and white-hot battles cathartic enough to collapse the universe itself! When the going really gets tough, unleash Bloody Summer – an instant-kill special attack that uses blood accumulated from your enemies – to turn things around and get back on top! An action-packed story of adventure that transcends space-time Romeo’s search for these space-time fugitives ends up intertwining with his search for his suddenly missing girlfriend, the mysterious Juliet… You’ll just have to play the game to see how (and even if) these mysteries unravel, but after all is said and done (and dead), will Romeo be able to see the tears of time?! Stay tuned! Romeo is a Dead Man, slated for release on PS5 in 2026. Be sure to keep your eyeballs out for more information coming soon! View the full article

Hi! I’m Cho Yonghee and I’m the director on Capcom’s newest IP— Pragmata. To everyone who has been waiting so patiently for an update, and to those of you joining us today for the first time, it’s my great pleasure to be here with you. It’s been two years since we last talked about the game back in June 2023 and we are super excited to finally share a bit of what we’ve been working on. But first, if you haven’t seen the trailer yet, please watch that first. I’ll wait. Play Video Pragmata is an all-new science fiction adventure with its own unique twist of action and strategy. The trailer you just saw features our two main characters, as well as a glimpse of our sci-fi inspired visuals and the cold, dark stretch of the moon where the game takes place. There’s even a sneak peak of action gameplay in there for you. Our two protagonists, Hugh and Diana, happen upon one another and must work together to defeat the lunar station AI and return to Earth. Both have their own abilities, and you’ll need to control them both—at the same time—to overcome the many obstacles you’ll face. This two-in-one approach, where Hacking is key to your success, is our own unique take on combat that you’ll only find here—in Pragmata. Stay tuned for more details, as we will delve deeper into the combat experience in the near future! And as for our space-faring friend Hugh, and his new android companion Diana, we can’t wait to talk about them and their adventure as well. Everyone here on the development team is working hard to make Pragmata the PS5 game you’ve all been waiting for in 2026. Thank you for your amazing support! View the full article

Life is rhythmic. It has a pulse. We, as living beings, experience highs and lows. Sometimes together, other times alone. Games have the power to tap directly into that rhythm, stimulating all your senses to put you into a flow state. Everything around you disappears, and you fall into the game’s world. When this happens, it’s a magical feeling that can stir powerful emotions within you. You’re going to feel that in spades with Lumines Arise, a brand-new entry in the critically acclaimed series which began on the PlayStation Portable 20 years ago (available as Lumines Remastered on PS4). Lumines is back, and to everyone who’s been a fan since the original, I hope you’re excited about this new chapter built from the ground up to push the synergy of audio, visuals, and gameplay beyond any previous title in the franchise. Embark on a journey paved with sound and light Lumines Arise on PlayStation 5 with optional PS VR2 compatibility is more than just an ordinary puzzle game—our aim is to hit you right in the feels. You emerge from the darkness in the first stage (a glimpse of which you saw in today’s announcement trailer), and every stop on the over 30-stage journey evokes a different and complex emotional response. From lush jungles, oceans teeming with life, and snakes preparing to strike, to more electronic frontiers like the bustling streets of Tokyo and the endless expanse of outer space. All with visual flourishes to incite synesthesia. Simple mechanic, surprising depth It all starts with a seemingly simple puzzle mechanic. If you’ve never played a Lumines game before, here’s how it works: rotate and place a variety of 2×2 blocks made up of one or two colors, forming squares of a single color/pattern. The Timeline sweeps across the playfield to the beat of the thumping soundtrack, erasing completed squares in its path. That gives you a light time pressure to form squares and build on them, making bigger and bigger squares to clear combos and score even more points. You race to create combos, ever mindful of the constant movement of the Timeline, feeling the vibration of the DualSense controller while the music radiates between your ears and the vibrant, lively background draws you in. That’s when you enter a flow state, and the world around you vanishes. Your pulse quickens as your breath holds still. Introducing Burst Now, to amp things up! We’re introducing a brand-new feature to Lumines’ core gameplay: Burst. As you play, you charge up a gauge, shown at the top of the Timeline. When ready, tap a trigger button to activate Burst and lock a formed square to the playfield. Build it as large as you can before time runs out. Watch screen-clearing combos rack up massive points when Burst is complete and the Timeline starts clearing that color again. Clear enough squares to meet the stage’s quota, and you’ll zoom to the next environment. Avatars are making a comeback, too. Customize your own from the largest catalog of designs in the series ever, and we’re adding more as we go, so stay tuned for updates. It’s the perfect way to express yourself and your personality when setting off on your in-game journey. Music to your ears… And eyes In the announcement trailer, you got a taste of Lumines Arise’s phenomenal new soundtrack. If you like that, check out the single of “Only Human” on Bandcamp (coming to other streaming services soon) for a closer listen. Arise features brand-new music composed by Hydelic, who was also responsible for Tetris Effect: Connected’s award-winning score. And just as with Connected, everything you do in-game impacts the soundscape. More to come in the future Stay tuned for information about a demo coming later this Summer that you might even want to play with friends. Now that you’ve seen and know more about Lumines Arise, I hope you’ll agree that this is not just an ordinary puzzle game. It’s an experience of sound and light that will move you like no other. We’ll have plenty more to share as the launch date of Lumines Arise approaches in the Fall. View the full article

“Football is a relatively simple game. It’s one of the reasons it’s such a beautiful sport. But within that there’s a lot of depth to be found.” With these words, spoken by Pierre Tarno, CEO of Sloclap and Rematch’s creative director, it’s easy to see the ethos behind the studio’s spectacular new football game, even before I boot up the final beta. At first glance Rematch appears to be an arcade styled kickabout, sprinting past the typically super realistic examples of the genre. It’s fast, doesn’t require you to learn particularly complex controls, and pairs down the pitch to 3v3, 4v4 and 5v5 matches. Even the rules are more akin to ‘jumpers for goalposts’ fun, with no fixed positions, fouls, offsides, or breaks except for after goal replays. And yet, nestled within Rematch’s action-packed gloss is a depth that football fans will not only appreciate, but keep coming back to. Rematch’s grass roots “I liked the idea of performing a body kick in third-person,” explains Pierre, when asked about Rematch’s origins. “I think body actions are some of the most beautiful and interesting actions in football, because that’s when the ball circulates the fastest. After that notion, we dug deeper to establish the experience we wanted for the game: to feel like an amazing player, feel part of a team and feel the pressure.” All three of those things were definitely present during my time with the beta. Getting stuck into the tutorial and practice mode, the controls seemed easy enough, with the expected sprint, block and slide tackle buttons, but beyond that I encountered some interesting differences to other football titles. There’s no dedicated cross button, so the unusual R2 shoot config is also used for whipping the ball into the box. Similarly, the square button’s passes aren’t automatically guided, meaning you have to carefully aim using the left analog stick. With a combination of button presses it’s easy to perform skilful moves like a rainbow kick, but many of your more dazzling shots specifically depend on your player’s inertia, position, and ball placement, resulting in amazing volleys and even more impressive goals. With one important nuance to factor in – your shots are aimed via an on-screen crosshair, which is determined by the right analog stick’s camera control. So simply pressing R2 won’t get the job done. Similar to passing, you need to be more discerning with your aim, otherwise you’ll be slamming the ball off the invisible walls that surround the pitch instead of scoring screamers. Play Video Far from simple soccer All of these subtleties and freedoms are what give Rematch its depth. With no player stats, the onus is entirely on you to bring the goods, and that pressure to perform within a team is very, very real. Using the camera to aim shots while also utilising after-touch for curving the ball (Rematch calls it a Magus Shot, suggesting Sloclap are fans of the sports manga Blue Lock) is a skill requiring practice, especially within the manic environment of a match. I found the 4v4 and 5v5 games easier to get to grips with the intensity of Rematch, due to how quickly mistakes can be punished in a 3v3. Given the naturally fun chaos of players not having to stay in any one position, the ever-changing environment was easier to learn with more players, although it required a greater awareness of my positioning and tactics. The on-screen radar was essential to understanding the flow of the match and ensuring I worked with my teammates, as everyone chasing the ball only led to easy goals for the opposition. With no single-player mode, Sloclap intends to add bots later into development to let you learn the ropes in something a bit closer to a match without the human pressure. But for now it’s all about playing live and gaining experience, both in-game and figuratively. Team tips This learning curve is very much an intentional part of Rematch’s design. “Incentivising team play was the biggest objective and challenge,” says Pierre. “So you’re more vulnerable when you’re in possession, and defenders can quickly hone in on you, which creates pressure to pass. Passing quickly to teammates is the best way to put pressure on your opponents. “Checking your radar to know where other players are is also important. You see that with the best players in real life football, like Messi – they’re looking around them all the time before they receive the ball, developing their vision and positioning. That’s vital in Rematch.” It’s this focus on dynamics and tactics which makes Rematch so rewarding. Sure, it’s not as easy as some of the highly skilled players make it look, but at its athletic heart Sloclap hasn’t forgotten that all we want to do is score incredible goals that make us run around our living room with our t-shirts pulled over our faces. Appropriately, Benjamin Pavard’s classic goal for France against Argentina in the 2018 FIFA World Cup was a big touchstone for Rematch. “It was one of the most amazing body kicks ever,” says Pierre. Look it up, it’s hard to disagree – and those are the sorts of goals you’ll be scoring when Rematch laces up its boots for its big June 19 match on PlayStation 5. View the full article

The Gran Turismo World Series racing action starts in earnest this weekend when 24 of the world’s fastest Gran Turismo racers gather at the famous BBC studios at Television Centre in West London for Round 1 of the 2025 season. If you haven’t got a ticket to see all the drama unfold in person, don’t worry. You can watch all the action live in Gran Turismo 7 and on https://www.gran-turismo.com/world/live/ Selected from the Online Qualifiers in April and May, the 12 best Manufacturers Cup competitors from the Asia-Oceania Region fly into the UK capital, with the action set to start at 16:00 British Summer Time (15:00 UTC) on Saturday, 7 June. The Manufacturers Cup is a team competition with the competitors from the EMEA Region taking the wheel for Round 2 in Berlin on 20 September before the Americas drivers in Round 3 in Los Angeles on 8 November. All three drivers compete together at the World Finals in Fukuoka, Japan on 20 and 21 December. Broadcast Schedule – June 7, 2025 Manufacturers Cup / Nations Cup New York (EDT) Manufacturers Cup 11:00 Nations Cup 14:00 Los Angeles (PDT) Manufacturers Cup 08:00 Nations Cup 11:00 Sao Paulo (BRT) Manufactures Cup 12:00 Nations Cup 15:00 London (BST) Manufacturers Cup 16:00 Nations Cup 19:00 Madrid (CEST) Manufacturers Cup 17:00 Nations Cup 20:00 Tokyo (JST) Manufacturers Cup 00:00 Nations Cup 03:00 Beijing (CST) Manufacturers Cup 23:00 Nations Cup 02:00 Sydney (AEST) Manufacturers Cup 01:00 Nations Cup 04:00 In the Nations Cup, the top three drivers from the 2024 season – World Champion Takuma Miyazono (JPN), Kylian Drumont (FRA) and Jose Serrano (ESP) – won automatic qualification for the 2025 edition. They will be joined in London by established stars such as former champions Valerio Gallo (ITA) and Pol Urra (ESP) with 18-year-old Samuel Cardinal from Canada the only rookie in the 12-man field. The Nations Cup action starts at 19:00 local time (18:00 UTC). Manufacturers Cup – Round 1 London Drivers BMW – S. Suzuki (JPN)AMG – K. Sasaki (JPN)Lamborghini – Y.Goto (JPN)Lexus – K. Kawakami (JPN)Porsche – S. Sato (JPN)Toyota – K. Morimoto (JPN)Nissan – H. Okumoto (JPN)Mazda – R. Kokubun (JPN)Ferrari – J. Hashima (JPN)McLaren – T. Kamada (JPN)Honda – R. Tsujimura (JPN)Subaru – T. Miyazono (JPN) Nations Cup – Round 1 London Drivers France – K. Drumont(EMEA)Spain – J. Serrano(EMEA)Italy – V. Gallo (EMEA)Spain – P. Urra(EMEA)France – T. Labouteley(EMEA)Netherlands – K. De Bruin(EMEA)Brazil – A. Carrazza (Central & South America)Chile – A. Inostroza(Central & South America)Canada – S. Cardinal(North Amerca)Japan – T. Miyazono(Asia)Japan – T. Sasaki (Asia)Australia – G Barbara(Oceania) As ever, a round of the Gran Turismo World Series brings several in-game benefits featured on the World Map in GT7. Correctly predicting the winners will win you a lot of in-game Credits. Watch the Nations Cup live stream and you could pick up an Aston Martin Valkyrie with the winning country’s livery, while watching the Manufacturers Cup means you’ll be gifted a car with the winning team’s livery. * Players can also get involved by taking part in a special time trial inspired by the Manufacturers Cup Qualifying Session using a Gr.3 car on the Tokyo Expressway – South Counterclockwise, while a new Daily Race features the same combination. And remember to add all the Gran Turismo World Series 2025 live events to your calendar: Round 1 – London, UK | Saturday, 7 June Round 2 – Berlin, Germany | Saturday, 20 September Round 3 – Los Angeles, USA | Saturday, 8 November World Finals – Fukuoka, Japan | Saturday, 20 and Sunday, 21 December Full details of the Gran Turismo World Series 2025 links to buying tickets can be found on https://www.gran-turismo.com/world/gt7/championships/2025/ *Entry limit to one per account for PlayStation Network. Once an entry has been submitted it cannot be withdrawn or changed. See the links below for more information. Predict the Winners – https://www.gran-turismo.com/gb/news/00_5536865.html Viewers Gift – https://www.gran-turismo.com/gb/news/00_1714233.html Lap Time Challenge – https://www.gran-turismo.com/gb/gt7/news/00_5349185.html View the full article

It’s time to see which PS5, PS4, PS VR2, and free-to-play games topped last month’s download charts. May came and went at lightning speeds as Forza Horizon 5 won the US and EU PS5 charts, and Elden Ring Nightreign had a strong showing, releasing just at the end of the month. The PS4 charts saw a strong rise in the resistance as Star Wars Battlefront II dominated, while Ghosts of Tabor and Alien: Rogue Incursion VR became PS VR2 front runners. Check out the full listings below. What titles are you playing this month? PS5 Games US/CanadaEUForza Horizon 5Forza Horizon 5ELDEN RING NIGHTREIGNClair Obscur: Expedition 33Clair Obscur: Expedition 33EA SPORTS FC 25DOOM: The Dark AgesGrand Theft Auto VGrand Theft Auto VELDEN RING NIGHTREIGNThe Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion RemasteredF1 25MinecraftMinecraftMLB The Show 25The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion RemasteredCall of Duty: Black Ops 6DOOM: The Dark AgesEA SPORTS FC 25RoadCraftNBA 2K25Call of Duty: Black Ops 6EA SPORTS Madden NFL 25The PrecinctHELLDIVERS 2Split FictionSplit FictionIt Takes TwoRoadCraftAge of Empires II: Definitive EditionThe Last of Us Part II RemasteredThe Last of Us Part II RemasteredPhasmophobiaIndiana Jones and the Great CircleThe PrecinctAssassin’s Creed ShadowsMortal Kombat 1Cyberpunk 2077Assassin’s Creed ShadowsThe Crew Motorfest *Naming of products may differ between regions *Upgrades not included PS4 Games US/CanadaEUSTAR WARS Battlefront IISTAR WARS Battlefront IIRed Dead Redemption 2Red Dead Redemption 2MinecraftEA SPORTS FC 25The Last of Us RemasteredThe Last of Us RemasteredGrand Theft Auto VMinecraftMortal Kombat XGrand Theft Auto VCapcom Fighting Collection 2A Way OutNeed for Speed HeatBatman: Arkham KnightBatman: Arkham KnightNeed for Speed HeatA Way OutUnravel TwoGang BeastsThe ForestMiddle-earth: Shadow of WarMortal Kombat XStardew ValleyKingdom Come: DeliveranceBullyGang BeastsCall of Duty: Black Ops IIIMiddle-earth: Shadow of WarThe ForestAssassin’s Creed OdysseyMafia III: Definitive EditionWatch Dogs 2Onimusha 2: Samurai’s DestinyBattlefield VBloodborneMafia III: Definitive EditionCall of Duty: Black Ops 6Tekken 7 *Naming of products may differ between regions PS VR2 Games* US/CanadaEUGhosts of TaborAlien: Rogue Incursion VRAlien: Rogue Incursion VRGhosts of TaborBeat SaberJurassic World Aftermath CollectionJurassic World Aftermath CollectionCreed: Rise to Glory – Championship EditionCreed: Rise to Glory – Championship EditionMetro AwakeningSwordsman VRBeat SaberAmong Us 3D: VRSwordsman VRStar Wars: Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge – Enhanced EditionHorizon Call of the MountainMetro AwakeningFlight Simulator Delivery 2025 VRPavlovAmong Us 3D: VR *PlayStation Store purchases only. Game upgrades or games bundled with hardware not included Free to Play (PS5 + PS4) US/CanadaEUFortniteFortniteFragPunkCall of Duty: WarzoneSplitgate 2RobloxRobloxFragPunkCall of Duty: WarzonePaliaMarvel RivalsRocket LeaguePaliaSplitgate 2Rocket LeagueeFootballApex LegendsAsphalt Legends UniteAsphalt Legends UniteStumble Guys View the full article

We at CD Projekt Red are collaborating with Epic Games to push open-world game design further than ever before, and we wanted to share our progress with the gaming community through The Witcher 4 Unreal Engine 5 Tech Demo — a showcase of how we’re bringing more life, depth, and reactivity to the Continent than ever before. This isn’t gameplay of The Witcher 4, but we still wanted to incorporate CD Projekt Red’s signature storytelling into the tech demo, showing our new protagonist Ciri in the midst of a dangerous monster contract. We also reveal the never-before-seen region of Kovir, a rugged land where cities are built on trade and keep a careful distance from the military conflicts that plague the rest of the north. But the focus of this tech demo is just that — tech — and we were proud to show it live on stage, running at 60 frames per second on a PlayStation 5. The tools highlighted won’t just power The Witcher 4, but will also be shared with the wider video game development community through Unreal Engine 5. The tech we’re creating with Epic will benefit the entire industry, ultimately bringing a better experience to players. Play Video ML Deformer Early in the tech demo we introduce Ciri’s horse Kelpie to the world — and how she’s far more complex than our old friend Roach. Alongside tech that makes controlling Kelpie feel much more grounded and lifelike, we’ve worked hard to develop high-quality, real-time character deformations. ML Deformer allows elements like Kelpie’s muscles to move and flex accurately, thanks to high-fidelity data providing it with the ability to approximate complex deformations efficiently during gameplay. This allows these incredibly realistic movements to take place without the game taking a performance hit. Fast Geometry Streaming We’re paying attention to the large scale too. Fast Geometry Streaming allows everything in the tech demo — from the snowy mountaintops to the deep valleys and vast forests — to seamlessly load without compromising performance. It’s present throughout the tech demo, and the fact it can’t be noticed proves it’s doing its job. Consider when we catch up with Ciri before she reaches the bustling trading hub of Valdrest, for example. We move quickly through the world, in and around different elements of the environment, but there’s no stuttering or object pop-ins. Fast Geometry Streaming is optimized to quickly load static geometry, using a lightweight method to register and unregister assets. The result is what we show throughout the tech demo: smooth and seamless world loading that allows the beauty of Kovir to shine. Nanite Foliage Speaking of Kovir, we take a detour through one of its dense forests while Ciri is riding to Valdrest. Nanite Foliage technology we’re developing with Epic, and how it allows our developers’ artistic vision to be fully realised in Unreal Engine 5. This tech renders incredibly detailed and realistic trees and vegetation in terms of both density and fidelity, without compromising performance. Nanite Foliage is a new technology that efficiently renders vast amounts of foliage at runtime, making it possible to effortlessly populate landscapes with complex assets — such as lush trees with individual branches that sway in the wind. Unreal Animation Framework We always want to make our open worlds feel alive and lived in, and the Unreal Animation Framework shown off in the tech demo lets us add more life than ever to the villages, towns, and cities of the Continent. This tech powers advanced blending, state machines, and procedural animation workflows, letting us have many complex characters interacting with the world at once. When we place a band on the stage in Valdrest, for example, we utilize Unreal Animation Framework to drastically increase the number of NPCs on screen. And these aren’t just simple onlookers standing still or operating on a loop; each one reacts to what’s going on around them. We want the gap between Ciri and the NPCs of The Witcher 4 to be as small as possible. Mass Framework Another tool that adds to the believability and lived-in feeling of the world, Mass Framework simulates large crowds and AI behaviour like the ones seen in the busy market of Valdrest. The data-driven design of Mass manages thousands of agents with minimal performance cost, making it ideal for creating realistic, dynamic populations in games. It also allows smart objects and complex interactions to function. As Ciri approaches the market we see her bump into a man carrying a crate of apples, for example. Notice how he doesn’t just react to her collision; he loses his footing and drops several apples, which roll down the hill and trigger further, unscripted chain reactions like children running to steal one or pigs looking for an early lunch. Implementing interactions like these is one way we’re making The Witcher 4 the most immersive Witcher game to date. View the full article

“Why send a train to invite us to a black hole?” This mystery sets the stage for Destiny 2: The Edge of Fate, Bungie’s upcoming expansion to the FPS looter shooter launching July 19. Guardians receive an invite to new planetoid Kepler via a time-displaced train car, seemingly from modern-day Earth. Kepler is precariously held together by a black hole, which threatens the entire solar system if destabilized. The resulting quest introduces time distortions, new enemies, and novel abilities unique to Kepler. I spent hours with Bungie’s upcoming expansion, which includes a robust single-player campaign and other game-changing updates. I adventured across Kepler testing out a powerful new arsenal, transformed into a nimble ball of energy, teleported through traps, and much more. I also tinkered with Destiny 2’s new Portal system, SoloOps, and Arms Week updates, which will be available to all players (no The Edge of Fate purchase necessary). Let’s dig into some of the highlights. Kepler’s unusual terrain: The new planet’s exterior is rocky and dusty, overgrown with a yellow webbing and bulbous growths evocative of alien fungus. Time distortions affect the environment, features abandoned facilities and technology. Trains seemingly from Earth have mysteriously crashed on Kepler, hosting portals into unknown realms. New friend Lodi: This fresh face greets players on Kepler, who seems mighty interested in the Guardian’s ties to Earth and a possible path back. Consistent with Kepler’s time distortions, Lodi looks and talks more like someone more from our time, dear reader, rather than the world of Destiny. He also serves as a handy narrative device for Bungie to introduce the universe of Destiny 2 to new players. Explore with Matterspark orb: Guardians can tap new energy reservoirs and hold Square button to morph into a crackling Matterspark orb. This new contextual ability lets you zip around the battlefield, blast enemies with electricity, and explore nooks and crannies. During one combat encounter I disabled a miniboss’s shields by overcharging generator pylons hidden in the battlefield. It’s an energizing and novel change of pace. Guardians can eventually summon this power at will for even more combat and exploration options. Teleport with the Relocator: This new piece of tech lets you take aim in third-person on distant nodes and create a temporary portal. This transportation tool lets you squeeze through narrow openings or traps, and cross vast distances to continue the quest. Bungie combines this new device with the Matterspark to create fun, inventive environmental puzzles to change up the pace. Change the environment with Mattermorph: Pluck a chunk of potent fungus to imbue yourself with a curious Dark Matter ability – Mattermorph. Hit R1 (melee) to throw strand projectiles at glowing environmental objects like rocks and wall panels, which morphs them into new pathways through the air and across the environment. Players eventually combine these abilities to assemble craft paths through complex environments. Potent new Exotic weapons: I experimented with three of The Edge of Fate’s intoxicating new exotics: Graviton Spike: A hand cannon with arc and stasis modes – one charging the other as you shoot. New Land Beyond: Stack up precision hits with this sniper rifle to stack up massive damage multipliers. Third Iteration: My favorite. A heat-vete scout rifle that rewards precision by erupting fallen enemies in a blast of energy and making you temporarily invisible. Desperate mission to restore power: The “Charge” mission is the latest campaign mission I played, and it was also my favorite. The quest to restore generators is sprinkled with a mix of environmental puzzles and intense fights. Stitching together Matterspark, Mattermorph, and Relocator abilities to power generators resulted in some tricky-yet-satisfying obstacles. The mission culminates in a battle against two bosses with shields that can only be destroyed by the Matterspark’s powered-up overcharge ability, activated with L1 + R1 buttons. Power Plant siege: The “Transient” campaign mission tasks players to disable the House of Exile’s power plant. This cavernous facility hosts tech drawing energy from the planet’s fungal colonies. At one point in the mission enemies rig explosives that must be defused by defending a radius for a set time period. The ultimate goal is to overload the station’s core to disable an enemy warship with an immense power surge. Portal menu: This new menu offers all players a new option to dive quickly into Destiny 2’s most popular content. Bungie’s goal is to spotlight modes with guaranteed paths to growing Guardians’ power and arsenal. This quick-play shortcut highlights modes like SoloOps, Fireteam, Pinnacles, and Crucible. The World map still provides the traditional interactive galaxy map Guardians are used to. SoloOps: These new single-player challenges let players customize challenge modifiers (e.g. enemy melee attacks slow you, you take more damage in mid-air, enemies drop fire hazards, etc.) to increase chances for valuable rewards. Below are three of the Solo Ops I played: The Salt Mines: Hunt and destroy Splinter targets throughout a cavern and blast through a gauntlet of bosses in the final stretch. The Conflux: Clear entrenched enemies from a cave network, then fight a shielded boss across floating platforms in the final section. Disable its shield by throwing fallen energy orbs at it. K1 Logistics: Venture beneath the Moon’s surface to exterminate old enemies. Deactivate a series of shielded control panels to carve a path to the end boss. Armor set bonuses: New set bonuses entice all players to collect matching gear for extra benefits. For example, the Aion Renewal armor characteristic rewards two matching set pieces with a weapon-based speed boost, and four matching set pieces with a reactive speed boost when afflicted with slow or stasis. Arms Week and the Shooting Range: This event launches shortly after The Edge of Fate, available to all players. The marquee feature is a new Shooting Range on The Tower that lets one to six players test their arsenal, calculating damage numbers as individuals and as a team. Arms Week also features new weapons and mods to chase, events to complete, and more. Set your Fireteam’s course for Kepler when Destiny 2: The Edge of Fate launches on July 19. View the full article

State of Play returns June 4! Watch live for news and updates on must-play games coming to PS5. The show highlights a selection of great games from creators across the globe. The 40+ minute show begins June 4 at 2pm PT / 5pm ET / 11pm CEST | June 5 at 6am JST on YouTube and Twitch, and will be broadcast in English. See you then! Regarding co-streaming and video-on-demand (VOD) Please note that this broadcast may include copyrighted content (e.g. licensed music) that PlayStation does not control. We welcome and celebrate our amazing co-streamers and creators, but licensing agreements outside our control could interfere with co-streams or VOD archives of this broadcast. If you’re planning to save this broadcast as a VOD to create recap videos, or to repost clips or segments from the show, we advise omitting any copyrighted music. View the full article