Pokémon & Nintendo — new reveals, game updates, Nintendo Direct news, Switch content, Pokémon announcements

Mega Raichu X and Y Make Their TV Debut in Pokémon Horizons The latest episode of the Pokémon Horizons anime features the highly anticipated television debut of Mega Raichu X and Y. If you're not caught up, this is your sign—the new Mega Evolutions look absolutely stunning in motion, and fans are already calling them "perfect children."

The Pokémon TCG LEGO Sets Are Stunning and I Want Them All LEGO asked fans for Pokémon TCG-themed set designs, and the five finalists are genuinely incredible. From card-inspired dioramas to playable trading card displays, every single one deserves to become a real product you can buy.

Catch Scalpers in "You're A Scalper, Aren't You?" Rock Paper Shotgun highlighted this delightfully vindictive card shop management sim where you run a store and punish scalpers who try to buy up hard-to-find Pokémon TCG cards for resale. As someone who's been burned by scalpers, this sounds deeply, deeply satisfying.

11-Year-Old Pokémon Card Collector: "I Just Flip Cards" Kotaku profiles an 11-year-old who doesn't play Pokémon games or watch the anime—he purely sees cards as a profit opportunity. It's a fascinating and slightly sobering look at how the TCG resale economy has trickled down to kids.

Dragon Quest Monsters: The Withered World Rated for Switch 1 & Switch 2 Square Enix's newly announced Dragon Quest Monsters: The Withered World has already been rated for both Switch and Switch 2. Announced during Dragon Quest's 40th anniversary celebrations, this could be huge for monster-collecting fans.

More Switch Games Receive Switch 2 Backwards Compatibility Fixes Another batch of original Switch titles has received updates improving performance on Switch 2. Check the full list to see if your favorites are running better on Nintendo's new hardware.

Bubsy 4D Update Version 1.1.1 Coming Soon to Switch 1 & Switch 2 Bubsy 4D launched just last week and already has a patch on the way—version 1.1.1 is out now on PC and heading to both Switch platforms soon. The full patch notes are available for the curious.

007 First Light Switch 2 Release Date Still MIA While 007 First Light is performing well on other platforms, the delayed Switch 2 version remains without a confirmed date. The port was pushed back in April, and we're still waiting for any update on when Bond will arrive on Nintendo hardware.

Rayman Origins Remaster Leaks on Xbox Store A remastered version of the beloved platformer Rayman Origins has appeared on the Xbox Store with a baffling $2,000 price tag—almost certainly a placeholder error. This strongly suggests Ubisoft is preparing an official Enhanced Edition announcement.

Minecraft Movie Sequel Gets Official Title and New Cast At Minecraft Live during TwitchCon Rotterdam, the Minecraft Movie sequel received its official title along with new casting announcements. Production is back underway and momentum is building.

Best Yoshi Games of All Time — Updated for Switch 2 Nintendo Life has refreshed their definitive Yoshi ranking to include the new Switch 2 title Yoshi and the Mysterious Book. It's a lovely retrospective on the green dino's solo adventures.

Pictonico! Complete Minigame Guide If you're playing the photo-based WarioWare-style game Pictonico!, Nintendo Life has compiled a full minigame list. You start with only three unlocked, but there are plenty more inventive challenges that use your photo library in creative ways.

Call of Duty — Warzone/Black Ops updates, new seasons, weapons, competitive

Everything We Know About Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 Kotaku has compiled a comprehensive breakdown of the heavily anticipated Modern Warfare 4, covering its campaign, multiplayer, and the return of DMZ mode. The franchise is expected to return this fall with what sounds like an ambitious package.

Infinity Ward Promises "Grounded" Cosmetics, Tells Fans to "Keep the Receipts" After years of Nicki Minaj crossovers and neon Gundam operators, Infinity Ward and Activision are committing to realistic, grounded cosmetic skins for Modern Warfare 4. PC Gamer's Andy Chalk notes he's heard this promise before—cautious optimism feels appropriate here.

Overwatch Poster Spotted in Modern Warfare 4 Footage A sharp-eyed fan spotted what appears to be an Overwatch poster in Modern Warfare 4 gameplay footage, sparking speculation about a potential Blizzard x Activision crossover. If this is more than an Easter egg, it would be an unexpected partnership between two shooter giants.

Can You Tell Which Call of Duty Game These Screenshots Are From? Kotaku put together a fun visual quiz challenging readers to identify which CoD titles various screenshots come from. It's surprisingly difficult to distinguish between Modern Warfare, WWII, and futuristic entries.

Infinity Ward Sits Down for Extended Call of Duty Conversation PC Gamer published an in-depth interview with Infinity Ward about the future of the franchise, including discussion of a 90 FOV option for Modern Warfare 4.

Arc Raiders — beta news, updates, community highlights, Embark Studios announcements

Arc Raiders Player Kills a Bastion in 16 Seconds Without a Deadline A viral clip highlighted by PC Gamer shows an Arc Raiders player absolutely demolishing a Bastion boss in just 16 seconds—without using a Deadline weapon. If you've been struggling with these encounters, this display of optimized loadouts and flawless execution is both inspiring and humbling.

Indie Games — notable releases, hidden gems, devlogs, Steam Next Fest picks

Chinese Players Explain the Logic Behind Slay the Spire 2 Review Bombs Kotaku dives deep into why Chinese players have been review-bombing Slay the Spire 2, with the controversy centering on a character called Doormaker and disputes over "save loading" run legitimacy. It's a fascinating look at competitive ethics meeting community frustration.

Deep Rock Galactic: Rogue Core Tips and Best Class Guide GameSpot has an excellent starter guide for Deep Rock Galactic: Rogue Core, the long-awaited follow-up to one of the best co-op shooters of the modern era. Veterans will find familiar mechanics, but class selection is more strategic than ever.

Steam & PC — top charts, big sales, Steam Deck compatibility, major PC releases

Valve Raises Steam Deck OLED Prices, Sparking Industry Debate Valve announced steep price increases for Steam Deck OLED models this week, with UK prices jumping over £200 for the 1TB model. Eurogamer gathered analyst reactions with one noting "this market is not behaving normally"—and raising uncomfortable questions about what the upcoming Steam Machine might cost.

Tim Sweeney Dunks on Gabe Newell, Internet Dunks Right Back Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney criticized Gabe Newell over the Steam Deck price increase while flaunting a $500 million super yacht. The internet quickly reminded everyone about Epic's own layoffs of 1,000 employees. Nobody comes out of this one looking great.

How Balatro's Publisher Discovered the Game: Manual Steam Browsing Playstack revealed they found the breakout hit Balatro because they literally had someone checking every new Steam release daily. The publisher spotted the game the day it went up on the platform—a wonderful testament to human curation in an algorithmic age.

EVE Online x Google DeepMind AI Partnership Wins Over Skeptics Rock Paper Shotgun explores how EVE Online's collaboration with Google DeepMind to integrate generative AI actually landed well with players. Given how hostile gamers have been to AI, it's a remarkable case study—largely because EVE's player base has "the biggest bullshit detectors on the planet."

TBH: Task Bar Hero Lets You Earn Real Steam Wallet Funds Destructoid highlights TBH: Task Bar Hero, an idle RPG where you can earn actual Steam wallet money through legitimate gameplay. No exploits or scams—it's a genuinely novel monetization model that turns monster-slaying into store credit.

Gaming Roundup — other notable news, trailers, industry moves

The Witcher 3: Songs of the Past Expansion Surprise Announced Destructoid rounds up everything we know about The Witcher 3: Songs of the Past, a new expansion for a game that launched over a decade ago. It's extraordinarily rare for developers to revisit older titles like this—CD Projekt Red continues to defy expectations.

CD Projekt Red x Scopely Mobile Game Not Releasing Soon The mysterious mobile collaboration between The Witcher developer CD Projekt Red and Saudi Arabia-owned Scopely is reportedly far from release, according to CDPR's latest earnings briefing. Details remain scarce, so don't hold your breath.

The Wandering Inn Author Says Live-Action Adaptation Would "Surely Fail" IGN interviewed Pirateaba about the LitRPG success of The Wandering Inn, and the author was candid about Hollywood's inability to properly adapt the sprawling series. Given the genre's recent mainstream surge, it's a refreshingly honest take.