Gaming News Digest — July 4, 2026
Published:
Top news
Elden Ring — FromSoftware announced a new DLC for Elden Ring with a friendly price, launching December 3rd, continuing support for the acclaimed game.
ONTOS — Frictional Games delayed the spiritual successor to SOMA, ONTOS, to 2027, citing the project's growing ambition and complexity.
The First Descendant — The game celebrates its 2nd anniversary with huge 2026 plans including Season 4, a new Descendant Crow, and a PvEvP mode, with major updates starting July 15.
Zenless Zone Zero — A new trailer introduced Norma, a limited S-rank agent with fire-type stun and damage abilities, in the "The Big N Theory" trailer.
Company of Heroes 3: Final Stand — A standalone roguelike strategy game announced for July 29 on Steam, featuring 12 waves, 4 factions, and co-op.
Genshin Impact — A leaked map of Snezhnaya reveals a railway travel system, with Update 7.0 bringing third-person shooter mechanics and new characters.
Persona 4 Revival — A new trailer focused on protagonist Yu Narukami, with the remake launching February 18, 2027 on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series.
Marvel Rivals — A beach skin for Captain America with full physics went on sale for 1600 units, causing a stir among players.
Destiny 2 — Epic Games' Tim Sweeney suggested using more AI could have saved Destiny 2, sparking debate after support ended.
Slay the Spire 2 — A beta update added 15 new cards designed for co-op, along with balance tweaks and bug fixes.
Final Fantasy VII Revelation — A leak suggests a story DLC "story pass" is planned for Spring 2027 on multiple platforms.
Phasmophobia — A major update on July 21 speeds up gameplay with faster animations, better lighting, and VR improvements.
Cyberpunk 2077 — The game reached 40 million copies sold, a major comeback after its rocky launch, thanks to patches and the Edgerunners anime.
Cronos: The New Dawn — The Lazarus DLC adds teleportation, decoy, and a gladius, shifting focus from stealth to aggressive combat.
Dune: Awakening — A PS5 physical release on September 22 includes base decor bonuses, with the biggest update yet featuring solo mode and optional PvP.
Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era — The devs released an Early Access roadmap based on community feedback, promising new creatures, heroes, and artifacts.
Honkai: Star Rail — Update 4.4 on July 15 introduces Himeko: Nova and the Fate/stay night collab with Rin Tohsaka and Gilgamesh.
RUST — A new residential complex with rentable apartments, player-run shops, and a clan system was added.
Metacritic — Forza Horizon 6, Schrödinger's Call, and Mina the Hollower top the best games of H1 2026 with 90/100.
Hunt: Showdown 1896 — Patch 2.8.1 adds cargo balloons as a loot extraction mechanic, along with story challenges and a premium track.
Torchlight: Infinite — Season 13: Afterlight starts July 16 with new hero Tide Whisper Selina, and TorchCon 2026 announced.
Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader — The DLC soundtrack themed around Trazyn's museum is now available on YouTube and streaming services.
Escape the Backrooms — The co-op horror became the best-selling PS5 game of June 2026, boosted by the movie release.
Sony — Sony's disc-less announcement caused stock to surge, while gamers reacted negatively.
The Expanse: Osiris Reborn — Owlcat released the main menu music "Out of the Gravity Well" on YouTube.
Halo: Campaign Evolved — A Machinima Mode launches with the game on July 28, allowing free camera and teleportation for clips.
War of the Worlds: Siberia — A record state grant of 1 billion rubles was allocated for development, one of the largest in Russian gaming.
Suicide Squad — A Rocksteady lead nearly quit the industry over the game's focus on marketing metrics and microtransactions.
Rainbow Six Siege — Ubisoft will not bring back the Marketplace due to fraud, and is revamping the in-game economy.
GOG — GOG defended digital ownership after Sony's disc announcement, promising games stay accessible even if removed from the store.
Tempest Rising — A new solo demo on July 9 lets players play as the Veti faction for the first time.
Broken Arrow — The game merged two versions, reducing unit upkeep cost and adding UI tweaks.
Sony disc phase-out — Sony reportedly plans to phase out disc printing by 2028, retooling the Talgau plant for optical microlenses.
No Rest for the Wicked — Moon Studios' Thomas Mahler explained AI is used only for routine tasks, not creative work.
Crymelight — A grim roguelike where crying and poker are core mechanics, releasing November 5 on PC, PS5, and Switch 2.
Witchfire — The Revelations update was the best early access launch, with console ports teased and full 1.0 release in 2026.
Cinder City — The RAM requirement dropped from 64 GB to 32 GB, but GPU requirement increased to RTX 4070.
Marvel's Blade — Insider Jeff Grubb says development is far along, but Microsoft's silence leaves Arkane Lyon's future uncertain.
Wild Life — The adult survival game disappeared from Steam in Russia due to regional restrictions after complaints.
OtherSide — The studio is on the brink with fewer than 10 employees after layoffs, following the lukewarm launch of Thick As Thieves.
The Blood of Dawnwalker — Rebel Wolves revealed that almost all content is side quests, with an infamy system and thirst mechanic.
Steam deals
Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 — 90% off on Steam today.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt — 80% off on Steam today.
EA Sports FC 26 — Discounted on Steam today.
Hearts of Iron IV — 75% off on Steam today.
ARK: Survival Ascended — Discounted on Steam today.
Euro Truck Simulator 2 — Discounted on Steam today.
Epic — free & deals
Fell in love with coser 5 — Free on Epic Games Store today.
Dofamine — 93% off on Epic Games Store today.
Cybernetic Fault — 90% off on Epic Games Store today.
Hypnospace Outlaw — 75% off on Epic Games Store today.
001 Game Creator — Discounted on Epic Games Store today.
Industry Giant 4.0 — Discounted on Epic Games Store today.
Spotlight
Moe Era — A non-linear visual novel with multiple endings, deep story, and charming characters. Details
Assistant for Basic Combat for Ultima Online — A mod that helps target and attack mobs in Ultima Online. Details
Slenderman figurine — A creepy collectible statue for horror fans, now on sale. Details
Dark Messiah of Might & Magic — A brutal action-RPG with realistic physics and first-person melee combat. Details
Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden — An action-RPG where you investigate hauntings and decide the fate of the living and the dead. Details
