🎮 Daily Gaming Digest — April 25, 2026

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Pokémon & Nintendo

Pokémon Champions Ver. 1.0.3 Update Is Now Live — The Pokémon Company has dropped the highly anticipated bug-squashing patch for Pokémon Champions, addressing a slew of launch issues that had players frustrated. If you've been holding off on diving back in, now's the time — check out the full patch notes for the complete rundown.

Pokémon Pokopia's 'Sableye's Gem Hunt' Event Officially Announced — Time-jumpers already knew, but it's now official: Sableye is making its Pokémon Pokopia debut in a major event kicking off next week and running through most of May. Expect new items, activities, and plenty of gem-hunting goodness as the game's second major in-game event.

Pokémon TCG Pocket's Next Expansion Spotlights Lucario — It's Lucario's time to shine! The next card set coming to Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket finally puts the fan-favourite Fighting/Steel-type front and center. Start saving those packs now.

MLB Stars Try (and Fail) to Name Their Favorite Pokémon — In a delightful crossover for the franchise's 30th anniversary, Major League Baseball polled its top stars on their favorite Pokémon. Let's just say these guys are better with baseballs than Poké Balls.

A New PC Creature Battler Dares to Poke the Pokémon Bear — Nintendo Life is already placing bets on how fast the takedown notice arrives for a new PC creature battler that looks... suspiciously familiar. Cut one head off Hydreigon, and two more take its place, indeed.

Final Fantasy XIV Online Confirmed for Switch 2 — August 2026! — The moment MMO fans have been dreaming about is real: Naoki Yoshida confirmed at Fan Fest that Final Fantasy XIV Online is coming to Switch 2 this August. Players will need a separate subscription from other platforms, but portable Eorzea is finally happening.

FFXIV's Next Expansion 'Evercold' Revealed, Plus an Evangelion Raid Series — Square Enix didn't stop at the Switch 2 announcement — Evercold is the sixth expansion for FFXIV, and it's joined by an absolutely wild Evangelion collaboration featuring a 24-person raid series called Ghosts of Desire. Get in the robot, Warrior of Light.

Mario Galaxy Soundtracks Hit Spotify — In a genuinely surprising move given Nintendo's push for its own Music app, the iconic Super Mario Galaxy soundtracks are now officially streaming on Spotify. Go relive Gusty Garden Galaxy right now. You deserve it.

Sega Universe Initiative Celebrates Classic Franchises — Sega is launching 'Sega Universe' in Japan, celebrating anniversaries for beloved IPs including OutRun, NiGHTS, and Sakura Wars with dedicated anniversary projects. Revival hopefuls, your time may have come.

Dynasty Warriors: Origins Gets Photo Mode — Koei Tecmo's second Switch 2 update of the year for Dynasty Warriors: Origins adds a full Photo Mode, because sometimes you just need to capture that perfect musou moment.

Resident Evil Requiem Hits 7 Million Sales — Capcom's latest survival horror juggernaut, released February 27, 2026, shows absolutely no signs of slowing down. Seven million copies and counting — this franchise simply cannot be stopped.

Mina the Hollower Has Gone Gold — Yacht Club Games' Game Boy-inspired, Zelda-style adventure has officially gone gold, with a new release date announcement coming very soon. Spring 2026 is the window — keep your eyes peeled.

OPUS: Prism Peak Delivers Studio Ghibli-Esque Magic on Switch 2 — This beautiful photography-driven adventure is earning rave reviews for its emotional storytelling and gorgeous art style. If you're looking for something heartfelt this weekend, this is your game.

Belkin Charging Case Pro for Switch 2 Reviewed — The upgraded version of Belkin's charging case addresses the shortcomings of the original and earns a strong recommendation for Switch 2 owners who game on the go.

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Call of Duty

RoboCop Arrives in Black Ops 7 Season 3 Reloaded — Dead or alive, you're playing this update. The iconic 80s action hero has landed in Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 as part of the Season 3 Reloaded midseason update, and honestly, it feels like a crossover that was always meant to happen.

Totenreich: New Zombies Map Brings Undead Norse Horror — Also in Season 3 Reloaded, Black Ops 7 Zombies gets Totenreich, an icy Norse fishing village packed with giant undead enemies, a new Wonder Weapon, and fresh story developments. The Zombies saga continues to deliver.

Battlefield Movie Reportedly in Development — CoD vs. BF Goes Hollywood — The rivalry heads to the silver screen! EA is reportedly producing a Battlefield movie with major names attached, potentially going head-to-head with the already-announced Call of Duty film. This franchise war just got a whole new arena.

Xbox Game Pass Starter Edition Leaked via Discord Nitro — Days after announcing that new Call of Duty titles will no longer launch day-one on Game Pass, a leaked "Starter Edition" tier may bundle a small game library with Discord Nitro memberships. Microsoft is clearly rethinking its subscription strategy.

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Indie Games

Fan-Made 'Titanfall 3' Already Looks Incredible — One indie developer got tired of waiting for EA and is building their own spiritual successor to Titanfall, called ShatterRush. Even in self-described "pre-pre-pre alpha," it's being called one of the most fun shooters in years. The wall-running dream lives on.

Far Far West: Robot Wizard Cowboys Steal Steam Next Fest — The wildly popular demo for Far Far West has players grinning ear to ear with its absurd premise: cowboy robots who are also wizards, because — and I quote — "magic is always cool." Can't argue with that logic.

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Steam & PC

Larian Wants to "Absolutely Demolish" Steam's Servers With Its Next Game — After Baldur's Gate 3's launch nearly broke Steam, Larian's publishing chief says they're aiming even higher next time. Whatever they're cooking, the hype is already building.

Dread Delusion Finally Earns Steam Deck Verified — After over three years of rough performance, this beloved indie RPG has finally been optimized for Steam Deck and earned its Verified badge. Time to revisit this surreal open-world gem on the go.

Valve Improving Steam Deck Verification Tools — Valve is rolling out new tools to help developers identify when their games aren't running well on Steam Deck, and says 95% of players agree with current Verified ratings. They also want to hear from you when you disagree.

Star Wars: Galactic Racer Release Date Leaked — October 6 — The upcoming arcade racer featuring podracers, speeder bikes, and more Star Wars vehicles appears to have an October 6 release date, according to a Steam page slip. Start your engines.

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Gaming Roundup

Crimson Desert Earns Praise from South Korea's Prime Minister — Pearl Abyss' open-world action-adventure hit 5 million copies sold and has been hailed as opening "a new chapter for K-Content" by the Prime Minister of South Korea. That's one heck of an endorsement.

Xbox Unveils Retro-Inspired New Logo — New CEO Asha Sharma continues to reshape Xbox's identity with a refreshed logo that intentionally calls back to the brand's early days. The "we can change" campaign is in full swing.

FFXIV PS4 Support Ending — You Have Two Years — Naoki Yoshida reminded players at Fan Fest that PlayStation 4 support for Final Fantasy XIV will be sunsetting. You've got roughly two years to make the jump to PS5 or another platform.

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That's your daily dose, gamers! Between FFXIV on Switch 2, RoboCop in Black Ops 7, and Sableye hunting gems in Pokopia, this weekend is absolutely stacked. See you on the servers. 🎮