game Archives

AppWizard

July 8, 2026

5 Best Free-To-Play Games Of 2026 (So Far)

The gaming landscape of 2026 features a variety of free-to-play titles catering to diverse tastes. Notable games include: - Escape Up: A side-scrolling platformer where players eliminate enemies to ascend a tower, refining the platforming experience for modern audiences. - 2XKO: A 2v2 fighting game from the "League of Legends" universe, released in January 2026, featuring fast-paced brawls and a revenue model based on in-game cosmetics and battle passes. - Neverness to Everness: A third-person action RPG developed by Hotta Studio, available on mobile, PC, and PlayStation 5, allowing players to switch between heroes with unique abilities in a fantasy open world. - Skillwood: A lo-fi life simulator where players act as a lumberjack, chopping trees and mining resources, developed by sshulin and available on Steam and itch.io. - Forward Assault: An indie first-person shooter inspired by "Counter-Strike," featuring tactical gameplay and accessible mechanics for mobile and PC players.

AppWizard

July 8, 2026

Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced review

Ubisoft is releasing a comprehensive remake of Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, titled "Resynced," on July 9, 2026, priced at in the U.S. and £50 in the U.K. Developed by Ubisoft Singapore, the remake features enhanced graphics using the latest Anvil engine, dynamic weather, a realistic day-night cycle, and improved combat mechanics. The game has been verified for Steam Deck, though performance may be an issue. While it retains core elements from the original, some features, like customizable homes and additional ship ammunition types, were already present in the original game.

AppWizard

July 8, 2026

Arc Raiders reveals it’s been successfully targeting item duplication exploits as the percentage of players with ‘unusually high profit per minute’ drops below 1% for the first time in months

Duplication exploits in Arc Raiders have caused players to accumulate large amounts of in-game resources and create complex structures. Embark, the game's developer, is actively working to combat these exploits, as stated in their patch notes, and is monitoring the game economy to address issues. They have identified a spike in players with unusually high profit rates, particularly around the time of the 1.33.0 update, which banned free loadouts. This situation has become a top priority for the development team to maintain a balanced gaming environment.

AppWizard

July 8, 2026

I played 4 hours of The Blood of Dawnwalker and it borrows a heck of a lot from The Witcher 3, for good and bad

Polish studio Rebel Wolves is developing an open-world vampire RPG titled The Blood of Dawnwalker, which draws inspiration from The Witcher 3. The game features a three-hour prologue where players control Coen, a villager under the rule of Brencis, who imposes a bloodletting ritual on the citizens. The gameplay includes a time system that divides each day into eight segments, influencing quest completion and player choices. Coen interacts with various characters, including a local bully and a herbalist, while navigating moral dilemmas in a society dominated by vampiric rule. The combat mechanics allow for varied styles based on Coen's human and vampire abilities, though they may not appeal to all players. The game is noted for its visually stunning environment and rich narrative potential.

AppWizard

July 8, 2026

Former Elder Scrolls Online designer laments the destruction of layoffs: ‘There’s really no one left and no changing it now’

Yesterday, layoffs at Xbox affected ZeniMax Online Studios, with reports indicating that half of its workforce was impacted. This has raised concerns about the studio's future and morale among remaining employees. Game director Matt Firor left the studio following the layoffs, which also resulted in the cancellation of a new MMO project called Project Blackbird. The situation has drawn comparisons to Amazon's New World, which was shelved due to a reassessment of its gaming strategy. A former developer expressed deep sadness over the loss of team camaraderie and creativity.

AppWizard

July 8, 2026

Task Bar Hero class tier list and the best team compositions for idling your way through the endgame

The author has spent over 300 hours playing Task Bar Hero and created a tier list based on their experience. The tier list is as follows: - S-Tier: Ranger - A-Tier: Priest - B-Tier: Hunter, Sorcerer - C-Tier: Slayer - D-Tier: Knight Key insights include that Ranger is the best class, Priest is versatile as both tank and healer, and Slayer is preferred over Knight. For team composition, a three-man team is recommended for early to mid-game, transitioning to a solo Ranger strategy for higher difficulty. The best team configurations include: 1. DPS Heavy Team: Priest (Tank/Healer), Ranger (DPS), Sorcerer (AoE-heavy DPS) 2. Holy Trinity Team: Slayer (Tank), Priest (Healer/Off-Tank), Ranger (DPS) Additional tips include acquiring Runes of Command for leveling heroes, securing the Rune of Awakening for skill access, focusing on attack damage runes, and using the Rune of Brevity for efficient grinding.

AppWizard

July 7, 2026

Minecraft Preview 26.40.30

Players can find abandoned camps in the Pale Garden and Flower Forest biomes, which include a one-time use Straw Bed crafted from three hay bales. Cushions, available in 16 colors and crafted from three wool slabs, allow players to sit comfortably but are not currently spawning in abandoned camps. Various gameplay and graphical improvements have been made, including fixes for crafting recipes, ambient sounds, and rendering issues. Additionally, there are updates to the user interface, technical features, and stability enhancements, such as improved server self-repair capabilities and bug fixes related to commands and entity behavior.

AppWizard

July 7, 2026

Minecraft 26.3 Snapshot 3

In version 26.3, two new features have been introduced: the Cushion and the Straw Bed. The Cushion allows players to sit around a campfire and is available in 16 colors, crafted from three wool slabs of the same color. It can be placed on any flat surface, aligns horizontally to the grid, and overlaps with most objects. The Straw Bed enables players to sleep without setting a spawn point, can be used only once, and is destroyed after a single night's sleep. It is crafted from three hay bales, yielding four beds, and a new statistic tracks how many times players have slept in a Straw Bed. Additionally, the Data Pack version is now 110.0, and the Resource Pack version is 91.0. New commands for post effects have been added, and various gameplay mechanics have been updated, including changes to bed rules and loot tables. New block textures and sound events for the Straw Bed and Cushion have also been introduced, along with numerous bug fixes.

AppWizard

July 7, 2026

Minecraft – Official Dappled Forest Biome Overview

The Dappled Forest biome is a new addition in Minecraft, featuring unique elements such as a Straw Bed, Shelf Mushroom, and an Abandoned Camp. These additions are available in both Java Snapshot and Bedrock Preview & Beta versions of the game.

AppWizard

July 7, 2026

Discord Banned 8,000 Users for Posting Chessboards and Minecraft Screenshots

In May 2026, Discord's content moderation system mistakenly banned over 8,200 users due to a hash-matching system that identified harmless grid patterns as harmful content. This incident was worsened by two bugs: one that bypassed the intended upload-pause for human review and another that prevented the lifting of bans even after staff cleared the accounts. The images that triggered these bans included chessboard screenshots, Minecraft inventory grids, game texture patterns, Google Drive and spreadsheet tables, and standard UI grid layouts. Following the incident, all affected accounts were reinstated, and the problematic hash was neutralized. The situation occurred alongside Discord's efforts for age verification, which faced scrutiny due to a breach exposing ID documents of approximately 70,000 users.