Pokémon & Nintendo

Nintendo has all but confirmed that Splatoon 4 is officially on the way, getting fans incredibly hyped for the future of the ink-splatting franchise. This news drops just as review embargoes have lifted for Splatoon Raiders, with critics calling the new single-player Switch 2 spin-off "ink-redibly compelling" thanks to its fantastic blend of campaign and multiplayer. If you've been waiting to grab Nintendo's newest console, Amazon-owned Woot is currently offering some absolutely incredible discounts on the Switch 2 today. In merchandise news, Hasbro has shared a sneak peek of its highly anticipated official Legend of Zelda toy line, which will feature multiple scale figures. Meanwhile, The Pokémon Company has officially revealed a new line of exclusive plushies arriving at the pop-up Pokémon Center for the August 2026 Pokémon World Championships. Looking ahead, Pokémon Go developers are teasing the next 10 years of the AR mega-hit, promising better gyms, new mechanics, and "multi-generational play." Finally, the Pokémon subreddit is buzzing with creativity, featuring amazing fan art of Galvantula and a community poll asking which Dark-type Pokémon should hatch from a custom Warlock Egg.

Fortnite

It looks like a Palworld crossover is officially heading to Fortnite, seemingly confirming that a proper Pokémon collaboration is still off the table for the battle royale. This massive news comes at a time when some journalists are starting to push back on the IP crossovers, arguing that maybe not absolutely everything needs to be a Fortnite collab.

Call of Duty

Get your wallets ready, because the Call of Duty Season 5 battle pass has been fully revealed and it's packing over a hundred items, new guns, and a familiar operator. The new season officially drops on July 23 for both Black Ops 7 and Warzone, bringing fresh competitive maps and weapons to master. In somewhat sillier news, fans are currently begging Activision to ditch the upcoming Call of Duty movie and instead bring back their absurd live-action celeb fest where celebrities went on wild, meme-worthy quests.

Arc Raiders

Embark Studios has officially pushed live a major matchmaking optimization for Arc Raiders, though they warn players might experience longer queues than usual since the system is working harder. It's a small price to pay for a much smoother extraction shooter experience as the game continues to evolve.

Indie Games

If you love unique art styles, you need to check out Scarlet Deer Inn, a newly released Slavic folk tale platformer where every single sprite is physically embroidered. For horror fans, the July 21 Phasmophobia update completely reworked 13 Willow Street and added the new "Artist’s Retreat" trial that grants an exclusive reward. Over in the satirical corner, the hilarious demo for Future? No Thanks! is a must-play open-world comedy about a bitter boomer trapped in an ecosocialist utopia. The internet's favorite round raccoon, Jimothy, has also officially broken into the video game space, proving that viral sensations can make fantastic indie mascots.

Steam & PC

Valve is winning major goodwill after replacing a UK redditor's stolen Steam Machine for free, saving the lucky gamer roughly £1,000 out of pocket. In grimmer PC news, the FBI has arrested a 21-year-old who allegedly stole $220,000 in cryptocurrency by distributing malware-ridden games on Steam. Over in the survival horror space, the gloomy and iconic RPG Darkest Dungeon is celebrating its 10th birthday by finally revealing its first piece of DLC in several years, titled The Fire's Edge. Lastly, the co-op scene is booming, as a brand-new "friendslop" game has already skyrocketed to Steam's 12th-most wishlisted game just a week after being announced.

Gaming Roundup

The industry is mourning the slow death of physical media, as latest sales data shows the format is rapidly dying—further compounded by Sony's recent announcement to end PS5 disc production by 2028, a move analysts say threatens a $7.2 billion second-hand market. In executive moves, Xbox VP of Engineering Asha Sharma has surprisingly left Microsoft after only three months on the job. Pocketpair's massive hit Palworld continues to expand its empire, having sold over 3.5 million collectible card packs, leading fans to seriously speculate if an anime adaptation is next for the franchise. On the racing front, the developers behind the Burnout spiritual successor Wreckreation have formed a brand-new studio and are already hard at work on a sequel. Lastly, if you need a break from gaming, Sony's new PS5 Pro enhancement list is growing, or you can check out GameSpot's nostalgic ranking of the best Nintendo 3DS games of all time!