Pokémon & Nintendo

It’s a massive week for Nintendo fans as the Japanese charts reveal the Switch 2 has officially surpassed 6 million consoles sold, with the highly addictive Rhythm Heaven Groove continuing to dominate software sales. If you missed the July 16th North American Nintendo Download, you'll want to grab your towel because Nintendo's latest fitness-focused Switch 2 Edition is here to make you sweat!

In remake news, Nintendo is going all-in on nostalgia with 2026 revivals of Star Fox and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, though some fans are starting to wonder if the publisher is playing it a bit too safe. Over on the tactical RPG front, Disgaea Mayhem brings explosive action to the Switch 2, even if our review noted it's a bit rough around the edges, dood. Finally, Sega has officially confirmed its Gamescom 2026 line-up (running August 26-30 in Cologne), bringing playable builds of the terrifying Alien: Isolation 2 and the high-octane Crazy Taxi: World Tour!

In Pokémon news, Niantic is trying to make amends for the Pokémon GO Fest 2026 technical woes by offering a free event in select regions. However, the wild Pokémon economy is making headlines—missed the Pokémon GO Times Square event? That elusive Mewtwo distribution code is currently fetching the price of a used Honda on eBay! Don't forget to redeem the new July 2026 codes for the creature-catching Roblox hit Evomon to grab free EXP Fruit and Advanced Balls.

Fortnite

Fortnite is stepping into the future, as Epic Games has started integrating Gemini-powered AI voices into NPCs for an upcoming "conversations" feature on user-created islands. The crossover madness also continues this week, with The Odyssey film skins bringing Matt Damon's Odysseus into the Item Shop. Rounding out the celebrity guest list, football legend David Beckham is the latest athlete to get a Fortnite skin, joining the ultimate pitch squad alongside Messi, Vini Jr, and Harry Kane.

Call of Duty

Infinity Ward is making waves by aiming to make Modern Warfare 4 "more immersive," sparking a massively divisive debate across the community with bold claims that "mouse and keyboard is officially dead." Despite the control scheme controversy, the Modern Warfare 4 team isn't sweating the impending release of Grand Theft Auto 6, boldly stating they are ready for the head-to-head battle.

Arc Raiders

Embark Studios is busy polishing up the apocalyptic extraction shooter Arc Raiders, currently fixing a hilarious yet terrifying bug that was accidentally signing players up to be shipped off to the wasteland without their consent. While we wait for the next major patch, the community remains incredibly hungry for more high-stakes extraction gameplay!

Indie Games

The indie space is fighting some bizarre battles this week, as film studio A24 is reportedly issuing copyright strikes against Backrooms indie games and fan artwork. Thankfully, Backrooms film director Kane Parsons is actively looking into the strikes and promises to advocate for the community's creative work. In other bizarre indie news, an unrelated developer's PS5 game trailer for Teeto is being heavily downvoted and flooded with anti-Sony comments due to community backlash over PlayStation's disc-drive policies.

Steam & PC

PC preservation is thriving, as Thief Gold just received updated graphics and modern controller support via GOG’s preservation program ahead of Nightdive's full remaster. If you're looking for a new mystery to solve, the follow-up to one of last year's best detective games is off to an "Overwhelmingly Positive" start on Steam after just two days! Finally, the director behind Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced revealed exactly why Ubisoft decided to ditch Edward Kenway's iconic hidden blade combat in the recent remaster.

Gaming Roundup

Marvel Rivals is implementing some major visual changes to cut down on battlefield chaos, a massive win for anyone whose brain gets overstimulated by intense hero shooters. Skate is pulling out all the stops for its fourth season midway point, adding the legendary X Games as its biggest in-game event yet! Fighting game fans should mark their calendars, as the MARVEL Tokon: Fighting Souls open beta runs from July 24–26 on PS5 and PC, featuring 15 playable characters like Blade across 6 stages. In hardware deals, you can grab the Sabrent 8-Port 252W Charging Station for $60 to ensure your entire controller setup never runs out of juice. Finally, in the weirdest merch news of the day, Street Fighter 6 is dropping new fragrances that will literally let your room smell like Juri’s feet. Oh, and Forza Horizon 6 players are currently tearing up the asphalt trying to find the hidden Shikisai-no-Oka location and the Nangan region Treasure Hunt!