GameRant

GameRant went hands-on with Nodusfall at gamescom 2026, HoYoverse's new co-op mythological action game, and the most notable detail isn't the gameplay, it's the business model. HoYoverse, the studio behind Genshin Impact and the Honkai series, has confirmed Nodusfall will be free-to-play with characters obtained without random draws, a real departure from the gacha mechanics that built the company. On the gameplay side, four-player teams take on large-scale bosses in a structure drawing clear comparisons to Elden Ring Nightreign and Monster Hunter. Worth watching for anyone tracking how live-service studios are adjusting their monetization strategies. Read our full preview: https://lnkd.in/ggMhFW7c

GameRant sat down with Metro 2039 co-creative director Pawel Ulmer and executive producer Jon Bloch ahead of the game's February 2027 launch. The throughline: patience. 4A Games built the franchise on what it internally calls "frozen stories," handcrafted environmental details that reward slowing down instead of sprinting to the next objective. As Bloch put it: "You need to slow down, absorb the atmosphere, think, look, listen. That's the type of experience that Metro is." It's a design philosophy that runs counter to most modern shooters, and it may explain why Metro has long been one of gaming's most misunderstood franchises. A good read for anyone interested in how narrative design and pacing shape player behavior. Read our full interview: https://lnkd.in/gFNpmiSd

GameRant is here at gamescom 2026! We will be bringing you all of the breaking news, trailers, announcements, and more. Get all the latest news at https://www.gamerant.com/

Star Wars Zero Company is a strong example of what happens when a genre specialist takes on a major license with a clear point of view. Bit Reactor, LLC, a studio founded by veterans of the XCOM series, built a turn-based tactics game that leans into accessible, flexible squad design while pairing it with a surprisingly well-written story and cast, a combination that's harder to land than it sounds. The result is one of the most cinematic and well-received Star Wars games of this console generation. Star Wars Zero Company releases August 27 for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S. Electronic Arts (EA) Full review: https://lnkd.in/e7EVTpu3

Rockstar Games has issued its first official response to the ongoing GTA 6 leaks, addressing the situation directly in a statement posted to socials. The studio described the leaks, which have continued daily since August 18, as "heartbreaking for our team" and not how it intended for players to first see the game after years of development. Rockstar also expressed anticipation for GTA 6's upcoming Extended Look, set to premiere tomorrow on Netflix and YouTube, and reaffirmed its commitment to delivering the game at the level fans expect when it launches November 19.

We went hands-on with Gears of War: E-Day's from Xbox Game Studios Publishing and The Coalition Studio campaign ahead of its October 6 launch, playing through the first two chapters of Act 2. New movement mechanics, jumping, climbing, and sliding, meaningfully expand combat and traversal options while preserving the series' signature cover-shooter identity. The preview also covered the debut of the Boomers, one of the franchise's most iconic enemy types, and an open zone in Chapter 2 built around optional side content that rewards players with weapon mods. The main open question heading into launch is how a prequel structure will affect narrative tension, but from a pure gameplay standpoint, developer The Coalition appears to have modernized the formula without losing what made it work. Gears of War: E-Day launches October 6 for PC and Xbox Series X/S. Full preview: https://lnkd.in/ggTe3cet

The digital ownership debate is back in the spotlight for PlayStation. As a week-long fan-organized blackout protest begins over Sony's plan to end physical disc production by 2028, PlayStation users have started receiving terms of service reminders confirming that digital games are licensed, not owned, and can be revoked if an account is closed. Sony hasn't said whether the timing is related to the protest. It's a familiar tension for the industry: as platforms shift further toward digital-only distribution, consumer expectations around ownership and access haven't caught up. A petition opposing the change has drawn over 370,000 signatures so far. What are you thoughts on it? https://lnkd.in/gccK59Ex

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FromSoftware, Inc. has sold more than 86 million games by perfecting the Soulsborne formula. With #TheDuskbloods, it's deliberately breaking from it. Anthony Taormina went hands-on with the studio's PvPvE Switch 2 exclusive, a gothic-fantasy competitive game where eight players (or four teams of two) fight to be the last standing and claim "First Blood." It fuses the deliberate combat of Bloodborne and Dark Souls with the escalating tension of a battle royale, and adds movement the studio has never leaned into before, double jumps and air dashes that change how the whole game feels. Read our full hands-on preview: https://lnkd.in/dhFHZBwk