Quick Hits

• The Steam Autumn Sale is live, and it's enormous — PC Gamer counts more than 44,000 games available for $5 or less, including nine 2026 releases already discounted. Combine that with a record-breaking September, and PC Gamer says it's safe to say Steam's yearly revenue will blow past $20 billion for the first time.
• Arc Raiders is going nuclear on cheaters. Embark's stance, as covered by PC Gamer and Kotaku: permanent bans are the new normal — "No warnings. No second chances" — with new anti-cheat tech and measures against queue teaming on the way.
• Fortnitemares 2026 is in full swing in Fortnite, bringing a Five Nights at Freddy's crossover, a free Jimothy Sidekick to unlock, and Pumpkin Chests hiding Sprites for event quests.
• Castlevania: Belmont's Curse has a free demo on Switch right now ahead of its full release on 15th October 2026 — a perfect spooky-season appetizer.
• You can "download more battery": Valve's latest Steam Frame update adds up to 12% more battery life, per PC Gamer.

Pokémon & Nintendo

Halloween is creeping onto the Switch. Nintendo Life's Talking Point asks how everyone's enjoying the Castlevania: Belmont's Curse demo, which lets you play the opening section free before the 15th October 2026 launch. The site's upcoming Switch 2 guide for October and November is appropriately 'vania-heavy as publishers race their spooky games to market, and this week's Nintendo Download (1st October, North America) delivers "Mickey! Mordor! Muchi Muchi Pork!" plus three discounted eShop picks worth a look. In other news, ININ has effectively "relaunched" R-Type Dimensions III with a third major patch primarily addressing boss fight issues — and a free digital artbook to sweeten the deal.

On the Pokémon side, the collab with the European Space Agency has officially landed: IGN reports the new merch collection includes two Pikachu plushies at $29.99, featuring the astronaut Pikachu that actually went to space. Meanwhile, VGC sat down with Lego Pokémon's design leads six months in to talk the divisive Smart Brick, sets aimed at adult fans, and what's coming next.

And the community is cooking: highlights from r/pokemon include a Basculegion "Last Respects" fanart, a hand-painted Minccino card, a delightfully creepy Litwick candle holder (WIP), and Morpeko-and-Marnie art — the fandom's creative engine never sleeps.

Fortnite

Fortnitemares 2026 has arrived, and Destructoid has your event homework covered. The Five Nights at Freddy's crew has landed on the island for a limited time, with guides mapping out every character location. You can also snag the free Jimothy Sidekick — the event's adorable new unlock — and tackle seasonal tasks like smashing a Pumpkin Chest to find a Sprite for event rewards. Get in there before it all vanishes.

Arc Raiders

The big story: Embark is cracking down hard. PC Gamer reports permanent bans are becoming the new normal for cheaters — "No warnings. No second chances" — and Kotaku adds that the studio plans to introduce new tech and take on the misery of queue teaming. If you've been tempted to bend the rules in the exclusion zone, consider this your official warning that there won't be one.

Steam & PC

The Steam Autumn Sale is the headline event: PC Gamer tallies more than 44,000 games going for $5 or less, with a separate piece spotlighting nine 2026 releases already slashed. GameSpot flags a particularly juicy bundle — Monster Hunter Stories 3 plus two other Steam games for just $5. Beyond the sale, PC Gamer reports that after a record-breaking September, Steam's yearly revenue is on pace to blow past $20 billion for the first time ever. Hardware fans, take note: the Steam Frame's latest update adds up to 12% more battery life — free performance is the best performance. And don't forget to claim this week's free Epic Games Store game, which PC Gamer says is genuinely worth logging in for.

Gaming Roundup

• The Xbox Cloud Gaming Controller appears to be dead, per GameSpot — a quiet end for a device born from the commitments Microsoft made to regulators to get its $75.4 billion Activision Blizzard deal approved.
• Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve's early access launch stumbled out of the gate amid confusion over a Belkan War pre-order bonus; Eurogamer reports the developer has apologized, explained what went wrong, and vowed to explore solutions.
• Aion 2's worldwide release is just days away, and Eurogamer says it could be huge — early access founders' packs are outselling major games while player counts soar up Steam's most-played chart.
• The Witcher 3: Songs of the Past continues to fascinate: Rock Paper Shotgun interviewed CD Projekt Red's story director, who says the decade-on expansion's setting "felt like a really natural way to go" — while expertly parrying spoiler attempts.
• Resident Evil executive producers explained the deeper meaning behind Requiem's title — though PC Gamer's writer freely admits they "just can't get on board" with the interpretation.