Quick Hits

• Valve's Steam Frame has sprung a leak. IGN reports unboxing and setup videos have appeared online, suggesting the Steam Frame — the third and final piece of hardware Valve showed last year alongside the Steam Machine and Steam Controller — could be launching imminently.
• Modern Warfare 4's beta will continue using its divisive new matchmaking system, per IGN, running it alongside the open matchmaking introduced last year. The discourse is about to be inescapable.
• The Duskbloods beta test hits Switch 2 this Friday, giving FromSoftware fans their first-ever hands-on with the studio's mysterious new game.
• Game Science dropped a 15-minute Black Myth: Zhong Kui gameplay trailer, spotlighting the new protagonist, combat, and one genuinely stunning parry.
• The latest Windows 11 update is borking some multiplayer games, but the Arc Raiders team already has a quick workaround.

Pokémon & Nintendo

• The Duskbloods opens its beta on Friday, and Nintendo Life is running a poll on who actually got in. For FromSoftware faithful without an invite, the FOMO is going to be brutal.
• Hellraiser: Revival launches on Switch 2 on 8th October 2026, Saber Interactive confirmed, joining PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Steam. "We have such sights to show you," indeed.
• EA Sports Madden NFL 27 "returns in fine form" on Switch 2, according to Nintendo Life's review, with boosted performance and new features — more evidence the handheld handles current-gen sports titles in often astonishing ways.
• Someone built functioning Wii Remote-style Joy-Cons for the Switch 2, tackling the comfort issues that creep in during lengthy play sessions. 2006 called; it's delighted.
• Nightdive Studios' next remaster joins a jam-packed September, with publishers conspicuously steering clear of November this year.
• Pokémon watch: The Pokémon Pokopia Expansion Pass is getting a packaged "download" release in Korea this September, and Kotaku reports a rumor that the 30th Anniversary set's mysterious new Mew card may carry a brutal 1-in-20,000 pull rate — potentially the rarest card ever.
• Deal alert: Best Buy's 60th Anniversary Sale takes $75 off a Nintendo Switch 2 plus up to $130 in credit for trading in an original Switch, alongside solid TCG deals — IGN also notes hunting Pokémon cards at MSRP in 2026 remains a struggle, with Ascended Heroes especially hot since Destined Rivals.
• Community corner: r/pokemon is delivering — one trainer has made 298 Pokémon in PowerPoint, another completed starter "stacks" for all nine generations, and a lovely hand-drawn Mawile is making the rounds.

Fortnite

• Fortnite Chapter 7, Season 4's gaming-themed island is live, and Destructoid has you covered: a full breakdown of every Sprite and their abilities hidden around the island, an explainer on the brand-new Lobby Hacks mechanic, and — most importantly — which of the three starting Sprites to pick when you first drop in. Choose wisely.

Call of Duty

• The SBMM debate rages on in 2026, and honestly, same: one Destructoid writer confesses "I don't know what to think or feel anymore" about skill-based matchmaking in Modern Warfare 4. It remains, as IGN notes, an extremely hot topic in the community.
• Playing on PC? Activision has published Modern Warfare 4's minimum and recommended specs — and while the game is aiming to be a premium experience, Destructoid suggests you might not need a premium rig.

Arc Raiders

• Heads up, raiders: The latest Windows 11 update is breaking some multiplayer games, but PC Gamer reports the Arc Raiders developer has already shared a quick workaround to get you back topside and scooting out with loot.

Indie Games

• A sobering reality check from Destructoid: 99% of Steam games vanish without a trace. The outlet calls indies "the last saving grace of this industry," but earning attention as a small developer looks genuinely impossible right now. All the more reason to champion the hidden gems you love.

Steam & PC

• More on the Steam Frame: the unboxing and setup videos surfaced earlier today, and with Valve having already revealed the Steam Machine and Steam Controller, this looks like the final piece of the hardware puzzle falling into place. Keep those wallets warm.
• Black Myth: Zhong Kui's 15-minute trailer is a stunner, giving us a closer look at Game Science's follow-up to Black Myth: Wukong — new protagonist, new combat, new world, and a "truly impressive" parry that's already turning heads.
• Subnautica 2's 1.2 update is friend-focused, finally adding the one mechanic every great multiplayer game needs. Bring a buddy to the depths.
• Overwatch's new Emerald rank sits wedged between Platinum and Diamond "like a live grenade," per PC Gamer. Good luck out there, mid-ladder climbers.
• Silent Hill: Townfall's latest gameplay trailer has PC Gamer arguing the series shouldn't have guns at all — and the footage does a pretty persuasive job.
• Deals: Resident Evil Requiem on PS5 just hit a new low of $54 at Amazon and Best Buy, beating its Prime Day price of $56, while Best Buy's anniversary sale slashes 60% off the Razer Chroma Dock for Steam Deck, Xbox Ally X, and other handheld gaming PCs.

Gaming Roundup

• Mass Effect 5 and BioWare's future look uncertain following the recent $55 billion takeover, with a former EA manager telling IGN the long-awaited sequel's fate is now in doubt. Brutal.
• Licensed horror keeps on giving: GameSpot rounds up the new games based on Halloween and Aliens — and notes those two classics aren't the only horror movies getting game adaptations right now.