players Archives

AppWizard

July 22, 2025

Minecraft teases Smurfs crossover with new in-game content

Mojang and Microsoft are collaborating with The Smurfs for a crossover in Minecraft, teased through a social media post featuring a pixelated Smurf and a mushroom emoji. The announcement is linked to the upcoming Smurfs film set for release in 2025. Expected additions to Minecraft include skins and costumes based on Smurfs characters, new mobs or NPCs like Papa Smurf and Smurfette, a themed world or map featuring a Smurf village, and size-shifting mechanics for gameplay. Players hope the update will be available on both Minecraft Java and Bedrock editions and accessible on the Minecraft Marketplace. Previous collaborations with films have included themed content, suggesting a similar approach for this crossover. The Minecraft content is anticipated to release shortly after the Smurfs movie in mid-July 2025.

AppWizard

July 22, 2025

Minecraft – Official Smurfs DLC Launch Trailer

Mojang has released the Smurfs DLC for Minecraft, allowing players to explore Smurf Village and engage in various challenges. Key features include stealth missions with Azrael, potion battles against Gargamel, and opportunities to uncover hidden treasures and interact with Smurfs characters. The DLC is now available for players.

AppWizard

July 22, 2025

CHARTS: Edge of Fate expansion bumps Destiny 2 to No.3 on Steam

Destiny 2 climbed five positions to secure the No. 3 spot on Steam following the launch of its expansion, The Edge of Fate, on July 15th. Counter-Strike 2 is the highest-grossing title on Steam, followed by PUBG: Battlegrounds in second place. Umamusume: Pretty Derby rose 11 spots to No. 4 due to a 60 percent discount. Shadowverse: Worlds Beyond climbed 74 positions to No. 9 after releasing new content. Marvel Rivals rose to No. 5, while Steam Deck dropped to No. 6. Peak remained at No. 7, and Apex Legends climbed to No. 8 after a mid-season patch. RimWorld dropped to No. 10. The Steam Top Ten for the week ending July 22nd includes: Counter-Strike 2, PUBG: Battlegrounds, Destiny 2, Umamusume: Pretty Derby, Marvel Rivals, Steam Deck, Peak, Apex Legends, Shadowverse: Worlds Beyond, and RimWorld.

AppWizard

July 22, 2025

What’s Dropping In August 2025: The Best Games Coming To PS, Xbox, PC & Switch 1/2

As August 2025 approaches, several notable game titles are set to launch across various platforms: - Lost Soul Aside (PS5/PC) will be released on August 29. It is an action-RPG developed by Ultizero Games and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment, featuring a warrior named Kazer on a quest in a fractured world. - Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater (PS5/Xbox Series X|S/PC) is a next-gen remake launching on August 28, enhancing the original game with improved graphics and modernized controls, including new features like 3D audio and a battle damage system. - Dying Light: The Beast (PS5/Xbox Series X|S/PC) will be available on August 22. This standalone sequel offers a horror-centric experience with cooperative gameplay for up to four players, set in expansive rural landscapes with a 20-hour campaign and additional side content. - Gears of War: Reloaded (PS5/Xbox Series X|S/PC) is set for release on August 26. This remaster of the original game features 4K visuals, up to 120 fps, HDR, and Dolby Atmos support, along with full cross-play capabilities. - Kirby and the Forgotten Land – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Star-Crossed World will launch on August 28, introducing a new story campaign, new gameplay modes, and significant graphical upgrades for the Nintendo Switch 2.

AppWizard

July 22, 2025

Psychological Horror Game ‘Luto’ Out Now on PC, Consoles

Selecta Play and Broken Bird Games have launched the psychological horror game Luto, available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, and PC through Steam and the Epic Games Store. A physical Special Edition for PlayStation 5 is also available. In Luto, players experience the journey of an individual dealing with loss and mental turmoil, exploring themes of grief, anxiety, and depression. The game addresses various phobias, including monophobia, claustrophobia, agoraphobia, and nyctophobia. Players navigate chilling environments, making choices that affect their journey through madness and uncovering fragmented memories. The Special Edition includes the physical game, a comic that expands the lore, collectible stickers, and a stylish o-card slipcover.

BetaBeacon

July 22, 2025

Pokemon Friends Mobile Game Launches Unexpectedly on iOS and Android

The Pokemon Company has released a new mobile game called Pokemon Friends, a plush-themed puzzle game with over 1,200 puzzles and the ability to earn yarn to create plush Pokemon companions. The game is set in Think Town and focuses on personalization, allowing players to decorate plush rooms. Pokemon Friends supports up to five save files and is free to start with optional in-game purchases available.

AppWizard

July 22, 2025

RoboCop: Rogue City – Unfinished Business PC Performance Analysis

NACON unveiled RoboCop: Rogue City – Unfinished Business for PC, utilizing Unreal Engine 5. The benchmarking process used an AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D processor, 32GB of DDR5 RAM at 6000MHz, and various graphics cards including AMD Radeon RX 6900XT, RX 7900XTX, RX 9070XT, and NVIDIA RTX 2080Ti, RTX 3080, RTX 4090, RTX 5080, and RTX 5090, on a Windows 10 64-bit environment with specific drivers. The game lacks a built-in benchmark tool, so testing was conducted in the police station area, a demanding segment early in the game. It features a range of graphics settings and supports advanced technologies like DLSS 4, AMD FSR 3.0, and Intel XeSS 2.0. At 1080p with Epic Settings, all tested GPUs exceeded 60FPS, with the RTX 2080Ti achieving over 65FPS. At 1440p with Epic Settings, the NVIDIA RTX 3080 is the minimum requirement for smooth gameplay, while the RX 6900XT did not reach 60FPS. The RTX 4090 and RTX 5090 maintained framerates above 60FPS at Native 4K with Epic Settings. Benchmarks indicate that Unfinished Business performs better than its predecessor, with the RTX 2080Ti in Rogue City dipping below 60FPS, while Unfinished Business consistently exceeds 65FPS. At 4K, the RTX 4090 struggled to maintain 60FPS in Rogue City, whereas Unfinished Business remained above 70FPS. Both games experience occasional stuttering during world traversal, and while Unfinished Business matches Rogue City in visual fidelity, it surpasses it in performance. The game employs Lumen for global illumination but has noticeable artifacts and subpar facial and lip-sync animations. Unfinished Business has a smaller environment compared to Rogue City, contributing to its enhanced performance, and offers support for DLSS, FSR, and XeSS for optimization.

AppWizard

July 22, 2025

Xbox to bring true cross-device gaming: Start on console, finish on PC

Microsoft is introducing a new play history feature for Xbox users, currently available to Xbox Insiders, which allows access to a comprehensive play history across consoles, PCs, and handheld devices. This feature records play sessions and save games in the cloud, enabling players to resume games from any device. The Xbox PC app now includes a “Cloud playable” filter in the library to identify console games available for cloud streaming. Additionally, a unified game progression feature allows players to start a game on one device and continue on another without losing progress. These updates signify a move towards true cross-device continuity for Xbox gamers.

AppWizard

July 22, 2025

Whoa, this Xbox Game Pass hit’s sequel just shadow dropped out of nowhere — the “massive project” is out in Early Access on Xbox and PC

Descenders Next, the sequel to the 2019 downhill racing game, is now available for Xbox and PC through the Xbox PC app and Steam. Developed by RageSquid and published by No More Robots, the game shifts focus from biking to boarding sports, featuring snowboarding and mountainboarding in a procedurally generated open-world environment with four distinct biomes. Future updates will include new biomes, multiplayer modes, and mod support, with potential plans to add skiing. The game is priced at .99 and aims to refine gameplay based on player feedback. Descenders has over 30 million players and saw a surge in popularity after being added to Xbox Game Pass in 2020. Players can access Descenders Next through PC Game Pass or purchase it outright on Xbox and Steam.

AppWizard

July 22, 2025

Xbox cloud games will soon follow you just about everywhere

Microsoft has introduced a new service for Xbox Insiders that integrates all cloud-playable games and their play histories into the Xbox PC app. This feature synchronizes recently-played games across Xbox consoles, PCs, and Windows handhelds, allowing seamless transitions between devices. A dedicated "play history" section in the PC app and Xbox console interface enables players to view their cloud games as part of their recently-played list, ensuring uninterrupted access to game saves. Users can start a game on one platform and continue on another, even if the game isn't natively supported. The Xbox app's library section has been revamped to include a search filter for cloud games and a "jump back in" list on the home screen, facilitating easy access to gaming sessions. This redesign allows gamers to launch titles purchased from various platforms from a single location.