winners Archives

AppWizard

January 7, 2026

Valve announced the 2025 Steam Awards winners (and shockingly Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 didn’t win everything)

Valve announced the winners of the 2025 Steam Awards, highlighting user preferences on the gaming platform. Hollow Knight: Silksong was the only title to win multiple awards, while Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 won the Best Soundtrack Award. The Steam Awards, held annually since 2016, are determined by user votes, with this year's selections showcasing a diverse range of titles, including smaller games like The Midnight Walk and RV There Yet?.

AppWizard

January 4, 2026

PC players hand Silksong their Game of the Year gong over Expedition 33 as the 2025 Steam Awards winners are announced

Hollow Knight Silksong won the Game of the Year title at the 2025 Steam Awards, determined by user votes. It also received the 'Best Game You Suck At' award, making it the only title to secure two wins that year. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 won Best Soundtrack. Baldur's Gate 3 received the 'Labor of Love' award, while Hades 2 was named 'Best Game on Steam Deck.' Dispatch won 'Outstanding Story-Rich Game,' Silent Hill f received 'Outstanding Visual Style,' The Midnight Walk was named 'VR Game of the Year,' and RV There Yet won the 'Sit Back and Relax' award. Arc Raiders was recognized for 'Most Innovative Gameplay.' Hollow Knight Silksong reached the 'platinum' tier of bestsellers during the Steam Winter Sale.

AppWizard

December 31, 2025

2025 box-office winners and losers: ‘Minecraft’ levels up, ‘Sinners’ strikes gold — and ‘Snow White’ bites the apple

In 2025, traditional box office expectations were challenged as pixelated films outperformed superhero movies and a Chinese animated epic surpassed Hollywood productions. Asian cinema, exemplified by films like Ne Zha 2, achieved global success, while Disney's nostalgia-driven strategies failed to guarantee success, indicating a shift in audience preferences towards fresh narratives. Anime gained mainstream traction, horror films remained popular with inventive plots, and visionary directors took creative risks that occasionally paid off. The year's events highlighted the evolving tastes of moviegoers and the importance of innovation in storytelling.

BetaBeacon

December 22, 2025

I tested the Pixel 10 Pro XL’s driver upgrade — here are the real winners and losers

- The text discusses testing Android games, including Genshin Impact, Asphalt Legends, and COD Mobile's Battle Royale, at different graphics settings and frame rates. - Emulator tests were also conducted, showing improvements in average and worst-case frames for games like Mario Kart Wii and Need for Speed: Most Wanted. - The transition to Android 16 QPR3 Beta 1 resulted in an average frame rate increase of around 9% for games and emulators, with some scenarios showing up to a 15-25% performance uplift. - The update offers a significant gaming performance boost for Pixel 10 users essentially for free.

AppWizard

December 21, 2025

Clair Obscur Expedition 33 stripped of IGA’s Game of the Year gong as its generative AI use comes under inspection

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has had its two awards revoked by the Indie Game Awards (IGA) due to the studio's use of generative AI tools during development, which violated the IGA's eligibility criteria that prohibit such practices. Mike Towndrow from Six One Indie confirmed the decision, stating that Sandfall Interactive acknowledged the use of generative AI on the day of the award show. As a result, the Game of the Year award has been awarded to Blue Prince, and the Debut Game award to Sorry We're Closed. Sandfall had previously faced scrutiny for its substantial budget, which some argued contradicted the indie spirit.

AppWizard

December 19, 2025

The best deals in the 2025 Steam Winter Sale

The Steam Winter Sale features a selection of games at all-time low prices, including newly released titles from 2025 and recommended favorites. The sale includes discounts on various genres, with guides available for RPGs, FPS games, strategy games, and survival games. Notable games and their prices during the sale include: - Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 - .99 (-50%) - Balatro - .74 (-15%) - Baldur's Gate 3 - .99 (-25%) - Elden Ring - .99 (-35%) - Valheim - .99 (-50%) - Death Stranding: Director's Cut - .99 (-60%) - Disco Elysium - .99 (-90%) - Into the Breach - .49 (-70%) - Divinity: Original Sin 2 - .99 (-75%) - Dishonored 2 - .99 (-80%) - Metal Gear Solid 5: Definitive Experience - .99 A Steam sale calendar is available for tracking upcoming sales.

AppWizard

December 18, 2025

The Steam Winter Sale kicks off with deals on some of 2025’s biggest games

The Steam Winter Sale has officially started, offering significant discounts on popular titles of 2025, including Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, which is now half its original price. The Steam Awards nominees have been announced, and voting is open until the sale ends, with winners revealed on January 3, 2026. The year-end Replay feature shows that only 14% of playtime was on new releases. Other platforms, such as the Epic Games Store and GOG, are also running sales, with Epic offering a holiday game giveaway of 17 free games. The Steam Winter Sale will run until January 2 at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET.

Winsage

December 18, 2025

2025 in review: How we elevated the Microsoft Store experience

In 2025, the Microsoft Store on Windows attracted over 250 million monthly users and introduced new offerings, including productivity tools like Raycast, Noteastic, and Cephable, as well as popular games such as Fortnite and Hollow Knight: Silksong. Accessibility apps like DotVista and applications like RunCat 365 and Adobe Premier Elements 2026 were also launched. In collaboration with Tencent, the catalog in China expanded to include mini apps and games like Rednote and Fire to the Zombies. The 2025 App Awards winners were announced, recognizing exceptional value for Windows users. The Microsoft Store introduced Special Events to help users discover timely content within their favorite apps. A dedicated Themes department was launched to simplify the process of personalizing computing environments. Enhancements made since June focused on providing a tailored experience, with personalized content available on home and app pages. The app installation process was streamlined with multi-app install features and improved methods for finding and launching apps through the Windows Search Bar. The AI Hub was refreshed to help users discover AI-powered apps, with new app badges indicating AI capabilities. Copilot now assists with Store browsing in the U.S., and finding Agents in Microsoft 365 Copilot has been made easier. Key improvements included quicker navigation, improved error handling, the ability to uninstall apps directly from the Library, better update orchestration, and enhanced search functionality.

AppWizard

December 12, 2025

The 5 biggest announcements and trailers from The Game Awards 2025

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 won the Game of the Year trophy at The Game Awards. Larian Studios is developing a new game titled Divinity, which is not a sequel or remake but a fresh chapter in the franchise. A new installment in the Knights of the Old Republic series, titled Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic, is being developed by Arcanaut Studios, focusing on player choices in a single-player narrative-driven action RPG. Frictional Games is creating Ontos, a sci-fi thriller set to release in 2026, featuring actor Stellan Skarsgård and exploring themes of reality and identity. The Total War franchise is expanding with Total War: Warhammer 40,000, introducing four factions and showcasing large-scale warfare, although a release date has not been announced.

AppWizard

December 12, 2025

4Loop Revealed as PlayStation’s New Sci-Fi Co-Op Shooter from Bad Robot and Left 4 Dead Designer | The Game Awards 2025

J.J. Abrams and Mike Booth are the creators of the co-op video game 4:Loop, a sci-fi third-person shooter set in a reimagined Earth. The game is designed for four players, emphasizing teamwork and communication as players navigate a dynamic environment filled with unique threats. Players must learn from their failures to improve their chances of survival. The game was unveiled at The Game Awards 2025 with a trailer from Bad Robot Games.