Gaming News Digest — July 18, 2026
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Top news
Neverness to Everness — The open-world city RPG launched April 29 and has earned $200 million in just a couple months, with PC and Android as the biggest earners. Despite global success, the publisher is still in the red due to heavy pre-launch marketing costs.
Grim Trials — This heavy-metal action roguelike launches August 20, 2026 on PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Switch, and Switch 2. You play as Aveline, a Death Reaper hunting corrupted souls in an underworld built from her own memories, with craftable and upgradeable weapons.
Hela: of Mice and Magic — The cozy adventure about a witch and her mouse familiars has hit one million wishlists ahead of its Q4 2026 launch. It features co-op, hand-crafted environments inspired by Northern Sweden, and a dynamic soundtrack.
Path of Exile: Settlers of Kalguur — The new hardcore league arrives July 25 with underwater heists, a revamped Abyss, and a new craft system. Socket colors no longer block gems, caster staves are buffed, and spells get archetype splits.
MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls — An open beta runs from July 24 to 27 on PC and PS5 with 15 characters and 6 arenas. No sign-ups or PS Plus required, just download and play.
Ex-Blue Archive devs — The team behind Astrae Oratio will open closed beta sign-ups in August for this tactical JRPG. The visual style comes from ex-Blue Archive artists, promising a stunning retro-anime look.
Emberville — The voice cast includes Doug Cockle, Abubakar Salim, Jennifer English, and many more from The Witcher, Assassin's Creed, Baldur's Gate III, and Final Fantasy. Early Access launches on PC via Steam.
PoE — The new expansion "Kalguur" league sends players underwater with corsair captain Valarie, featuring a Voyage system, Allflame Embers crafting, and a Scion rework. Socket colour restrictions are removed.
India — Tara Gaming announced The Age of Bhaarat, aiming to make India a new industry driver with national identity and lower AAA production costs. They plan quality content at a fair price using affordable talent and AI.
Mythic items — Diablo 4 devs removed the equip limit on Mythic items, allowing free mixing of legendary gear. Drop rates from the Corrupted Reaper are boosted, and more rewards are coming to caches.
unidentified Bangboo — An unidentified Bangboo appeared on Sixth Street in Zenless Zone Zero, sparking speculation about a collaboration with Honkai: Star Rail. Fans are betting on characters like Sparkle.
God of War — The TV series lead Ryan Hurst tore his bicep on set, causing production delays and reshoots. Filming resumes in October, and a new Kratos actor will be announced.
Warframe — Boss Rebecca Ford says live-service games must be good or die, citing Destiny 2's fall. Digital Extremes runs on trust with veteran management, but investors have the final say.
GTA 6 — The hacker who leaked GTA 6 files was moved from a psych ward to regular prison. He hasn't renounced hacking, and his hearing is in November, around the game's release.
Torchlight: Infinite — The Afterlight season brings ghost hunts, rare rewards, and new bosses. Selena gets a new trait, and a timed Divine Ascent mode is added.
Develop:Star Awards 2026 — Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 won Best Game, Best Narrative, and Best Sound at the awards, beating Ghost of Yotei and Death Stranding 2. The indie RPG proved bold games can compete with blockbusters.
A Game About Chopping Trees — This chill lumberjack sim is out now on Steam with infinite forests, upgradeable axes, and no timers. Solo or co-op play is available.
smell — Capcom partnered with Code Meee to release a perfume line inspired by Street Fighter 6 characters Ingrid, Ed, and Juri. The set costs 6850 yen.
Assassin's Creed Hexe — Leaks reveal a female protagonist named Anika set in witch trials in Nuremberg and Würzburg. The game is a linear adventure with improved parkour and a horror system, expected summer 2027.
WARDOGS — The shooter targets stable 60 FPS with a "Potato Mode" for older hardware and an "Overkill" preset for RTX 40-series cards. Netcode and hit registration are top priority, with a kill cam for learning.
Castlevania: Belmont's Curse — Journalists praised the game after a 3-hour preview, calling combat similar to Dead Cells. It releases October 15 on PC, PS5, Xbox, and Switch with Russian text.
Destiny 2 — After support ended, players found the "Last Wish" raid can be soloed, allowing farming of ultra-rare loot. The publisher won't fix it, so it remains a freebie.
GTA 6 — First-day pre-order hype was debunked, but first-week numbers hit $260 million globally. Analysts predict $3-5 billion by launch.
Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty — The Russian dub from GamesVoice raised 2.5 million RUB, with recording in full swing. Release speed depends on funding.
Crimson Desert — Pearl Abyss' BlackSpace Engine won "Best Technical Innovation" at Develop:Star Awards, beating DOOM and Death Stranding 2. The engine enables a seamless open world.
Final Fantasy Resonance: Deluxe & Collector's Edition bonuses revealed — Square Enix revealed bonuses for the editions, including in-game goodies.
Kratos — The actor playing Kratos in the God of War show was fired after an on-set incident, causing production delays.
1500 V-Bucks — New summer Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy skins in Fortnite cost 1500 V-Bucks each and are available until July 30. The community is buzzing about the bold designs.
Final Fantasy XIV Mobile — The mobile version is shutting down before global release, with servers offline September 30. Poor performance and industry crisis are blamed.
Marathon — Official PvE mode Vault Breaker starts July 21, a roguelite raid with increasing difficulty. Rewards unlock gear for other activities, test runs until August 4.
For PC only — A mod for Final Fantasy VII Rebirth adds screen-space ray tracing, improving lighting and shadows on grass, foliage, and hair.
Mistfall Hunter — The game launches July 30 at $24.99 standard, with a 10% launch discount for two weeks. Deluxe edition costs $39.99.
Star Trek: Voyager, Across the Unknown — Patch 1.8 adds 7 events and an Expansion Pass with 4 DLCs. The first DLC, Delta Chronicles, is out now with new missions and ships.
Todd Howard — Bethesda's roadmap includes remasters of Fallout 3 and New Vegas, Fallout 5, and an Obsidian collab, but priority is The Elder Scrolls VI. Fallout 4 sold 35 million copies.
July 30, 2026 — Dead by Daylight will block outdated drivers and software from launching the game after July 30. Affected software includes RGB utilities and overclocking tools.
Version 3.1 "Long Goodbye" — Zenless Zone Zero's 2nd anniversary update adds new S-rank agents, reruns, and a permanent mode "Enigma Lab". It's packed with content.
Virtua Fighter Crossroads — SEGA released a new trailer focusing on 1v1 Versus mode, with crisp graphics. The game is developed by the Yakuza team and releases in 2027.
Paralives patch 0.1.6 is out: no more wrinkled kids or NPCs proposing to themselves — The patch adds paid leave, bench animations, mirrors, and a personality system. Bugs fixed, but time slowdown after ~70 days is being addressed.
Todd Howard — Bethesda's roadmap after Xbox layoffs includes Fallout 5, TES VI, and two remasters, focusing on reviving Fallout and delivering TES VI.
Fallout 5 — Bethesda confirmed Fallout 5, remasters of Fallout 3 & New Vegas, and more. Skyrim sold 65 million copies, and modders earned over $10M via Creation Club.
Xbox didn't gut id Software — Studio head Hugo Martin insists id Tech is alive, with headcount matching DOOM 2016 levels. He called DOOM: The Dark Ages a commercial success.
Mortal Shell 2 — Physical pre-orders sold out in 8 days, highlighting demand for discs. Publisher Playstack admits they underestimated demand, and no restocks are expected.
Star Wars — PowerWash Simulator 2's Star Wars DLC lets you clean Tatooine and Hoth with water sabers. It includes six levels, a storyline, and 10 achievements.
Assassin's Creed: Black Flag Resynced — The remake sold over 3 million copies in its first week, becoming the most-played AC game on Steam. A New Game+ mode is planned.
Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced — Sales reached 3 million copies, with a Mostly Positive rating on Steam. Devs confirmed New Game+ mode.
RESONANCE: A Plague Tale Legacy — A collector's edition with a figurine and steelbook is revealed. The prequel launches August 27, 2026, exploring Sofia's past.
Marvel's Wolverine — A cinematic trailer shows Lady Deathstrike and Sabretooth, and the game will come on physical discs.
Shadowrun — The Harebrained studio released a story trailer for GRAFT, a space horror-RPG where you graft enemy limbs. It explores the Ship of Theseus paradox.
Game of Thrones: War for Westeros — The RTS is delayed to early 2027 for polish. Four factions with unique heroes, battles at iconic locations, and Russian subtitles confirmed.
July 28 — Roblox's AI tool Build lets you create game worlds from text prompts on mobile. Testing begins July 28 for verified users 9+ in New Zealand.
Moss: The Forgotten Relic — The remaster of the VR puzzle adventure is out on non-VR platforms, with all original content and DLC. Available on PC, PS5, Xbox Series, Switch & Switch 2.
Game of Thrones: War for Westeros — Delayed to early 2027, the RTS features four factions and maps from the Wall to King's Landing. George R.R. Martin would approve.
ZERO PARADES — ZA/UM is cutting staff after ZERO PARADES flopped financially despite positive reviews. PC-only for now, PS5 version promised by year-end.
Crystalfall — Servers are shut down, making the game fully offline. Real-money microtransactions are gone, and the studio hints at future projects in the same universe.
MARVEL Tokon: Fighting Souls — Open beta starts July 24 with 15 characters and 6 arenas. Full launch on PS5 and PC is August 6.
The Life and Suffering of Sir Brante — The text-based RPG is free on Steam until July 23. The giveaway celebrates the sequel launching July 20.
Marathon — Game director Joe Ziegler is leaving Bungie, with new leads taking over. PvE test mode Vault Breaker runs July 21 to August 4.
Clockwork Revolution — Companion Prentice won't spam hints, says Brian Fargo. The RPG launches in 2027 on PC, Xbox Series, and Game Pass.
Epic — free & deals
Echo Generation: Midnight Edition — Free on Epic Games Store. A turn-based adventure with a spooky twist.
Goblin Quest II Sellsword Saga: Journey — 80% off. A humorous RPG adventure.
Backrooms Bodycam 3 — 75% off. A horror game set in the Backrooms.
Safety First! — 67% off. A chaotic co-op game.
Loot Stack - Relics Hunter — 66% off. A puzzle game about stacking loot.
Spotlight
Motorama — Step back into the 1950s and experience street racing inspired by classic films. Compete across eight race modes on five themed areas, customize your car, and become the King of the Road. Details
Naruto: Shippuden Anime Heroes — Nintendo dropped new gameplay footage showing impressive animations and special effects. The fighter looks sick. Details
Invisible HUD (Deus Ex: Invisible War mod) — This mod disables almost the entire interface for pure immersion. Just the game, no distractions. Details
Going Deep — A military team investigates a desolate city after strange disasters. Fight monsters, craft weapons, and uncover the story through found letters and diaries. Details
PARACHUTER — A strategic turn-based shooter with gravity control. Survive as prey in a godly game using limited moves and a gravity manipulator. Details
