🎮 Daily Gaming Digest — April 3, 2026

Pokémon & Nintendo

Pokémon Home Finally Gets Legends Z-A Compatibility — With a Supersized Gift 🎁 Pokémon Home is rolling out its long-awaited update adding full Pokémon Legends: Z-A support, meaning you can finally transfer your favorite 'mons in and out of Kalos. To celebrate, The Pokémon Company is distributing Alpha-sized Pokémon through the service — so log in and grab those absolute units while you can. Support for the upcoming Pokémon Champions is also confirmed.

Pokémon Pokopia Still Reigns Supreme in Japan Despite Sales Slowdown Famitsu's latest Japanese boxed charts show Pokémon Pokopia holding firm at #1, though week-over-week sales are starting to cool off. Mega Man also makes a notable return to the charts — the Blue Bomber isn't done yet.

Pokémon Pokopia Fans Continue to Build Mind-Blowing Creations The Pokopia community keeps delivering jaw-dropping creativity, with one standout creation paying nostalgic homage to two beloved 30-year-old franchises simultaneously. If you're not already diving into Pokopia's building tools, these showcases will absolutely convince you.

A Free Pokémon-Themed Garden Has Sprouted in London 🌿 Pokémon fans in London can now visit a lovely Pokopia-themed immersive space — and it's completely free to attend. It's a gorgeous little real-world escape that pairs perfectly with the game's cozy vibes.

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie Obliterates Opening Day Records Worldwide 🚀 The Super Mario Galaxy Movie has landed, and it's already smashing multiple box office records globally, pulling in numbers that exceed the first film's opening day. Critics and fans are vibing with it — even a self-described cynical gamer in their late 30s walked out with a massive smile. Jack Black is already (jokingly) teasing a third film for 2029.

Super Mario Galaxy Amiibo Are Finally Available Months after Super Mario Galaxy + Super Mario Galaxy 2 hit the Switch back in October 2025, the tie-in amiibo figures are finally on store shelves. If you've been waiting, now's the time to hunt.

Nintendo's 'Summon Character to Fight' Patent Rejected by US Patent Office In a significant development in the ongoing Nintendo vs. Palworld legal saga, the US Patent Office has rejected Nintendo's controversial "summon character to fight" patent. The decision is "non-final," so this battle is far from over, but it's a notable blow to Nintendo's case.

Switch 2 Price Increase Concerns Grow as PS5 Price Hike Takes Effect With the PlayStation 5's price increase going live today, a former Nintendo sales lead says a Switch 2 price bump feels "inevitable" due to outside economic forces. Tariffs and rising costs across the industry are making everyone nervous about the future of console pricing.

Little Nightmares II Enhanced Edition Coming to Switch 2 Following last year's releases of Little Nightmares Enhanced Edition and Little Nightmares III, Bandai Namco is bringing Little Nightmares II Enhanced Edition to Switch 2. The creepy franchise continues its strong relationship with Nintendo hardware.

Donkey Kong Bananza Drops Emerald Rush Event 3 The third Emerald Rush DLC event for Donkey Kong Bananza is live now, featuring classic Kong statues that longtime fans will want to collect. Banana-fueled fun continues into 2026.

Landfall Drops Two Surprise Indies on Switch 2 Content Warning and Haste both shadow-dropped on the Switch 2 eShop — Content Warning being the viral horror darling that took PC by storm. Two solid pickups if you're looking for something fresh on your new hardware.

Street Fighter 6's Ingrid Arrives in Late Spring 2026 Capcom has officially revealed Ingrid as Street Fighter 6's next paid DLC fighter, with a "late Spring" 2026 release window. The returning fighter got her first gameplay glimpse, and the roster just keeps growing.

Nintendo's European 'Find Save Play' Sale Features 100+ Games A massive eShop sale is live in Europe with over 100 Switch 1 & 2 titles discounted, and Nintendo Life has rounded up every game they've scored 9/10 or higher. Your wallet has been warned.

Fortnite

Fortnite Chapter 7, Season 2 — New Story Missions from The Imagined Hope and The Order are sending you on a scavenger hunt across the island in Fortnite Chapter 7, Season 2. One of the latest quests tasks you with decrypting a recording from The Imagined at a holotable — it's a multi-step mission chain, so come prepared.

Call of Duty

Black Ops 7 Season 3 Launches with Major Anti-Cheat Upgrades and 2FA Requirements 🛡️ Season 3 of Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 and Warzone is here, and Activision is flexing hard on the anti-cheat front with fresh Ricochet upgrades and new two-factor authentication requirements. If you've been frustrated by cheaters, this is the update you've been waiting for.

Black Ops 7 Free Trial Weekend Goes Live with 30+ Maps and Double XP Can't commit to a full purchase? Activision is running a free trial weekend for Black Ops 7 right now, featuring access to over 30 maps and Double XP across the board. The timing with Season 3's launch makes this the perfect on-ramp.

Black Ops 7 Introduces Campaign Weapon Camos for the First Time In a franchise first, Black Ops 7's Endgame campaign features a full suite of exclusive weapon camos to earn. It's a welcome incentive to actually play the campaign — and the challenge list is substantial.

Raven Software Co-Founder Brian Raffel Retires After 36 Years Brian Raffel, who co-founded Raven Software and directed its debut title Black Crypt, has retired after an incredible 36-year career. It's a bittersweet reminder of the studio's rich legacy beyond Call of Duty — from Hexen to Heretic and beyond.

Arc Raiders

Nexon Calls Arc Raiders a "Trojan Horse" for AI-Powered Game Development 🤖 In a headline that's sure to spark debate, Nexon has publicly framed Arc Raiders as proof that AI tools can help build triple-A quality games with smaller teams "at a fraction of the cost." Developer Embark Studios recently walked back AI-generated voices, but parent company Nexon is doubling down on the broader AI push.

Flashpoint Update Tackles In-Progress Matchmaking Complaints Arc Raiders' latest Flashpoint update addresses one of the community's biggest gripes: geared players getting thrown into too many games already in progress. The matchmaking changes should mean fewer frustrating late joins when you're hunting for loot.

Indie Games

Raccoin: Coin Pusher Sells 100K+ Copies on Steam in Just 24 Hours 🦝 Living in Balatro's long shadow, the "coin pusher roguelike" Raccoin from developer Doraccoon has absolutely exploded out of the gate with over 100,000 units sold in its first day on Steam. It's got 23 achievements to chase and the kind of addictive loop that'll eat your entire weekend.

Windrose Has Pirates and Hype in Equal Measure After five hours with the highly anticipated pirate survival game Windrose, early impressions explain why it's sitting comfortably among Steam's most wishlisted titles. If you're a sucker for open-sea adventure and survival crafting, keep this one on your radar.

Steam & PC

Steam Store Gets a Visual Refresh in Beta Valve is rolling out a Steam store homepage redesign in beta, featuring wider screenshots, revamped layouts, and infinite scrolling. It's a cleaner, more modern look — opt into the beta if you want to check it out early.

Linux Hits 5% on Steam's Hardware Survey The latest Steam hardware survey shows Linux crossing the 5% usage mark after a notable 3% bump in a single month. It's still a fraction of Windows' dominance, but the steady growth — likely fueled by Steam Deck — is encouraging for the platform.

GTA 5 Leaving Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass in April Grand Theft Auto 5 is departing Xbox Game Pass this month across both console and PC, along with two other well-regarded RPGs. If you've been meaning to revisit Los Santos on Game Pass, the clock is ticking.

Amazon Prime Gaming Drops 20 Free Games for April Amazon Prime members can claim 12 PC games and additional Luna titles throughout April. It's a solid monthly haul — check the full list to see if anything catches your eye.

Gaming Roundup

Shinji Mikami Teams Up with Shift Up for New Projects Resident Evil creator and former Tango Gameworks boss Shinji Mikami has partnered with Stellar Blade developer Shift Up to create both "smaller, experimental titles" and a "large-scale flagship" game. This is a genuinely exciting pairing — one of horror gaming's greatest minds working with a studio known for its technical polish.

Marathon Balance Overhaul Incoming with "Merciful Option" for Solos Bungie's Marathon is getting substantial combat rebalancing in upcoming patches, including nerfs to its strongest gadget and some "secret" changes designed to help solo players. The extraction shooter continues to evolve based on community feedback.

Peak Devs Face Burnout After Surprise Success The developers behind indie hit Peak are navigating the double-edged sword of sudden success, balancing creative vision with player expectations while dealing with burnout. It's an honest look at what happens when lightning strikes for a small studio.

PC Gamer Revisits Modern Warfare 2019 — "The Last Truly Great Call of Duty" In a nostalgic deep dive, PC Gamer makes the case for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019) as the franchise's last genuinely great entry. Whether you agree or not, it's a compelling read for anyone who remembers that campaign's impact.

Former GameStop Digital Store Architect Reflects on Losing to Steam An architect of GameStop's long-forgotten PC storefront explains why Valve won the digital distribution war: "What Steam did better than anybody else was to create a community." A fascinating bit of gaming history from someone who lived it.

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That's your wrap for April 3, 2026! The Galaxy Movie is printing money, Arc Raiders' AI controversy is heating up, and Raccoin is the indie darling of the week. Game on! 🎮