Daily Gaming Digest — March 20, 2026

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Pokémon & Nintendo

Nintendo Switch 2 Hands-On Coming to PAX East 2026 with Mario and Pokémon Nintendo has confirmed that playable Nintendo Switch 2 demos featuring both Mario and Pokémon titles will be available at PAX East 2026. This is a huge opportunity for fans to get their hands on the next-gen hardware and see how these flagship franchises look and feel on the new system. If you're attending, expect lines — this is going to be the hottest booth on the floor.

Pokémon Pokopia Continues to Dominate Japanese Sales Charts According to the latest Famitsu sales data (3/9/26 – 3/15/26), Pokémon Pokopia from The Pokémon Company has sold another 117,029 copies, bringing its lifetime total to an impressive 658,400 since its March 5th launch. The Switch 2 exclusive is proving to be a strong early system seller alongside Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection, which debuted at 37,718 copies.

Nintendo Switch Brand Ranks Higher Than Pokémon and Disney Among Japanese Teens A large-scale survey in Japan has revealed that "Nintendo Switch" is the second most popular brand name among Japanese teenagers, ranking above Pokémon, Disney, and even Nintendo itself. That's a staggering testament to just how deeply the Switch has embedded itself in gaming culture over the past decade.

Final Fantasy VII Remake on Switch 2 Impresses Even PS5 Pro Owners One player who recently experienced Final Fantasy VII Remake with the PS5 Pro's PSSR 2.0 update says they were genuinely blown away by the Switch 2 version. The fact that a portable hybrid console is drawing favorable comparisons to Sony's top-tier hardware speaks volumes about what Nintendo's new system is capable of.

Kena: Bridge of Spirits Arrives on Switch 2 March 26th Ember Lab's gorgeous action-adventure Kena: Bridge of Spirits launches on Nintendo Switch 2 next week on March 26th. If you missed this gem on PlayStation or PC, the Switch 2 version looks like a fantastic way to experience one of the most visually stunning indie-adjacent titles of recent years.

Square Enix Publisher Sale 2026 Comes to Switch 2 Matt Mercer and what appears to be Ben Starr have shown up to promote the Square Enix Publisher Sale 2026 on Nintendo Switch 2. If you've been waiting to grab some Final Fantasy or Dragon Quest titles at a discount, now's your chance.

Human Fall Flat NS2 Edition Out Now The beloved physics-based puzzler Human Fall Flat has launched its dedicated Nintendo Switch 2 Edition today. Expect enhanced visuals and smoother performance on the new hardware.

More Coming to Switch: ROGOLF (April 2), STARBITES (May 21), Easy Delivery Co., and Neptunia Unlimited The Switch lineup continues to fill out — ROGOLF tees off on April 2nd, STARBITES launches May 21st on both Switch 1 and Switch 2, Easy Delivery Co. got a release date trailer, and Neptunia Unlimited was announced for PS5, Switch 2, PS4, and original Switch. Plenty to look forward to across every genre.

Virtual Boy Returns... and It's Still Not Great Nintendo's Virtual Boy headset is back, combining with your Switch console for stereoscopic 3D gaming via what's being called the VirtualReturn. The verdict? It wasn't great in the '90s and apparently hasn't done much to redeem itself in 2026. Points for nostalgia, though.

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Fortnite

Fortnite Chapter 7 Season 2 "Showdown" Launches on Nintendo Switch 2 The launch trailer for Fortnite: Showdown — Chapter 7 Season 2 — has dropped, and it's confirmed running on Nintendo Switch 2. A new season always means fresh map changes, a new Battle Pass, and plenty of reasons to drop back in.

Battle Pass Debate: The Rock vs. Ice King The community is buzzing about this season's Battle Pass picks, with many players feeling that The Rock's inclusion "ruined a potentially cool skin" and declaring Team Ice King the obvious choice. The celebrity crossover fatigue is real for some players, while others are just happy to have options.

Chaos Cube Locations Mapped Out Need to find all the current Chaos Cube locations? The community has you covered with a full map guide. These are likely tied to new season challenges, so get hunting before they rotate.

V-Bucks Pricing Controversy Heats Up Players are calling out what they see as malicious compliance with exact purchase regulations — Epic has apparently doubled the cost of buying exact V-Bucks amounts, making the option essentially useless and pressuring buyers into purchasing more than they need through bundles. The community is not happy, and posts about the V-Bucks changes are flooding the subreddit.

Missing Elf Ears and the Bugs Bunny Style Debate Two cosmetic controversies are trending: players are frustrated that a skin's elf ears visible in spray art are missing from the actual character model, and others are calling Epic out for not including Bugs Bunny's iconic opera drag style (Brünnhilde) as a selectable option. Cosmetic accuracy continues to be a hot-button issue.

Still No Glider Previews for Characters Despite adding preview functionality for contrails, pickaxes, kicks, and the new sidekick feature, Fortnite still doesn't let you see how your character interacts with gliders before purchasing. It's 2026, Epic — the community is begging for this one.

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Call of Duty

Call of Duty on Steam at 90% Off — Yes, Really In what might be one of the most shocking deals in CoD history, a Call of Duty title has hit a 90% discount on Steam during the Spring Sale. Even the classic entries rarely dipped below 50% off. The community is collectively rubbing their eyes in disbelief, and Activision might actually be okay for once.

Modern Warfare 2019 Player Count Surges After Steam Discount If you've been thinking about jumping back into Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019), now is the time. Player counts have spiked significantly following the Steam discount, meaning full lobbies and fast matchmaking are back on the menu.

Black Ops 3 Still Keeping Players Up at Night Some things never change — players are still losing sleep over Call of Duty: Black Ops III, with one fan admitting they need to sleep for work but simply can't put the game down. BO3's zombies and multiplayer remain some of the best in the franchise.

MW3 (2011) Beta Screenshot Surfaces with Placeholder Assets A fascinating behind-the-scenes look at Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3's development has appeared, featuring a beta screenshot of the "Return to Sender" mission with placeholder assets. Credits go to Jason Hazelroth's portfolio — a neat piece of gaming history for CoD enthusiasts.

One Player's Mission: Every CoD on Veteran One dedicated fan is on a quest to complete every single Call of Duty campaign on Veteran or Realism difficulty, having already conquered CoD 4 through Ghosts and WWII. They're now tackling the Modern Warfare reboot trilogy. Godspeed, soldier.

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Arc Raiders

Cheating Problem Threatens Arc Raiders' Reputation Arc Raiders is facing a growing cheating crisis, particularly on EU servers, with cheat software being openly marketed on TikTok and developers being taunted to issue bans. Players are drawing uncomfortable parallels to The Finals, which saw its popularity decline partly due to similar issues. Embark Studios needs to address this fast before it erodes the playerbase.

Arc Raiders Steam Rating Drops to "Mostly Positive" In a related and concerning development, Arc Raiders has slipped from "Very Positive" to "Mostly Positive" on Steam for the first time. The timing alongside the cheating complaints is likely not coincidental, and the community is watching closely to see how the developers respond.

Community Spotlight: Fan Art, Cake, and Shield Concepts On the brighter side, the Arc Raiders community continues to show its creative passion. One player's wife surprised them with an incredible Arc Raiders-themed cake, another fan recreated a Mad Max movie poster set in the Arc Raiders universe, and a detailed fan concept album imagines expanded shield types beyond the current three basic options. The love for this game runs deep.

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Indie Games

Maseylia 3D Metroidvania Demo Gets Major Overhaul The demo for Maseylia, a 3D Metroidvania, just received a massive update featuring a fully rebuilt hero model, reworked animations, and significantly improved game feel. If you tried an earlier version and bounced off, this sounds like it's worth a second look.

PowerCorp: Hard Sci-Fi Survival Where Space Itself Wants You Dead Solo developer project PowerCorp is making its debut on the indie scene as a hardcore space sim survival game where the vacuum of space is your primary antagonist. The developer promises original mechanics and has been working on it for years — one to watch for fans of realistic space survival.

The Omins Fantasy RTS Adds Tutorials and Player Stats The Omins, an in-development fantasy RTS, has added tutorials and player statistics tracking. A playable demo is available on itch.io and a Steam page is live — if you're hungry for a new strategy experience, this is a great time to jump in and provide feedback.

Indie Dev Responds to "Too Flat" Criticism with Stunning Results One indie developer took feedback about their world feeling "too flat" to heart and went to work adding shadows, color variants across trees and mushrooms, and flowers throughout the world. The before-and-after comparison is a testament to how constructive criticism, even when it stings, can dramatically elevate a game.

Weekly Indie Playtesting Sessions Offering Free Demos and Steam Keys A community-organized weekly indie game showcase runs every Saturday at 2:30 PM UTC on Discord, featuring playable demos and free Steam keys. If you love discovering hidden gems before they blow up, this is exactly the kind of grassroots event worth joining.

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Steam & PC

Steam Spring Sale 2026 Is Live — But Where Are the Animated Birds? Steam's Spring Sale 2026 is in full swing, but some players have noticed that the Animated Birds profile cosmetic shown in previews is mysteriously absent from the Points Shop. If you were looking forward to decorating your profile with feathered friends, you might have to wait for Valve to sort this one out.

SteamOS 3.8.0 Preview "Second Clutch" Released A new SteamOS preview build — version 3.8.0 dubbed "Second Clutch" — has dropped. Steam Deck enthusiasts will want to keep an eye on the patch notes for performance improvements and new features heading to Valve's handheld.

Steam's Recommendation Algorithm Has No Chill One player noticed that Steam's personalized sale recommendations are almost entirely free-to-play games, with the priciest suggestion costing about as much as a multipack of KitKats. Steam's algorithm is apparently very aware of your spending habits — and it's not afraid to let you know.

PSA: Watch Out for Fake Game Giveaway Scams There's been a surge of fake "free game key" giveaway posts appearing on Steam game forums, particularly for newer titles, with scammers offering suspiciously large quantities of keys to bait people. Don't fall for it — if someone's giving away dozens of game copies on a random forum post, it's almost certainly a scam.

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Gaming Roundup

TMNT: Splintered Fate Developers Host Reddit AMA The team at Super Evil Megacorp behind Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate held an AMA on Reddit, diving into gameplay mechanics, co-op strategies, and behind-the-scenes development stories. Cowabunga indeed.

Master of Piece Updates Combat Visuals The indie title Master of Piece showed off updated combat visuals this week, with the development team continuing to polish the game's look and feel. Progress is looking sharp.

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That's your daily dose of gaming news! Pokémon Pokopia is selling like hotcakes, Fortnite Season 2 is here, CoD is actually affordable on Steam for once, and the indie scene keeps delivering. See you tomorrow, gamers.