Gaming
TechnologyThe latest on Gaming from our Technology desk.
Modern Warfare 4 Leads Call of Duty Steam Ratings in a Decade
Modern Warfare 4 has an 81.15% positive Steam rating from 900 user reviews, according to Insider Gaming. The early score puts the game ahead of other Call of Duty titles on Steam over the past decade, but it reflects a small group of campaign early-access players and may shift as more reviews arrive.
VALORANT Patch 13.08 Adds Map Ratings, Changes Corrode
Riot Games’ VALORANT Patch 13.08 adds Map Rating, a 0-to-500 score that shows players how they perform on each map, and changes Corrode’s layout. The update also rotates maps in Competitive and Deathmatch, though Riot’s announcement, as cited in the source, does not specify which maps enter or leave the rotation. Players can compare attacking and defending results as they adjust to the updated arena.
Sony Adds Mafia, Horizon and Mycopunk to October PlayStation Plus Games
Sony has announced the October PlayStation Plus Game Catalog lineup, led by Mafia: The Old Country, Horizon Forbidden West and day-one addition Mycopunk. The games will be available from October 20 unless otherwise noted. Premium members will also get Dino Crisis 2 and RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 Complete Edition, while Poppy Playtime: Chapter 2 arrives October 27 in the US, UK and Japan.
Apple Spotlights Seven Indie Games for App Store Debut During Indie Games Week
Apple says Indie Games Week began October 12, featuring seven acclaimed independent games for iPhone and iPad. The lineup includes Sifu and Vampire Crawlers, while No Man’s Sky is set to arrive on October 28 with major content expansions, including the Cosmos update.
CyberLeek Ties Threatened GTA 6 Leak to $30 Million Token Target
An anonymous leaker known as CyberLeek says a full build of GTA 6 will be released if the CYBERLEEK meme coin reaches a $30 million market cap. The token climbed sharply, but remains at about a fifth of that threshold. Its contract also carries risks flagged by an on-chain scanner, while the coin is not linked to Rockstar Games or Take-Two Interactive.
Easy Fox Says Its Steam Demo Costs More Than $1,000 a Day
Easy Fox says its free Steam game demo has grown far beyond expectations, with a peak of 431 players on Oct. 1. The voice-controlled driving game now costs more than $1,000 a day to run, prompting its developers to take out a bank loan. The studio is exploring local AI models and says the paid release will include expected AI costs in its price.
GTA 6 leaks: 25-minute video shows Jason and Lucia
A newly reported 25-minute Grand Theft Auto VI leak appears to show Jason and Lucia in uncensored gameplay, alongside footage of a scripted mission and races. The video also contains story spoilers and promotions for a cryptocurrency coin. Rockstar Games has previously called leaks “heartbreaking,” while Take-Two has sought legal action over footage shared online.
Cyberleek Posts Nearly 25 Minutes of Alleged GTA VI Footage
An anonymous account known as Cyberleek has posted a new, nearly 25-minute video containing alleged Grand Theft Auto VI footage. It shows gameplay and scenes involving protagonists Jason and Lucia, including nudity, as well as first-person play and a tank spawned through what appears to be a developer-style menu. Rockstar has not confirmed the footage shows features planned for the released game.
Xbox’s GTA 6 Streaming Deal Appears Limited to Consoles
Xbox has secured streaming rights for Grand Theft Auto VI, giving the service a way to offer the game at launch — but not necessarily
Rockstar Calls GTA VI Leaks “Heartbreaking” After Gameplay Videos Surface
Rockstar Games called the leaked Grand Theft Auto VI footage “heartbreaking for our team” after days of clips from an apparently playable build circulated online. A new video showed Jason attempting a carjacking and evading police, with Lucia briefly appearing at the end. The studio apologized to fans and said it was preparing an extended look at the game.
Wild Symbols in Slot Games: What Players Can Actually Observe
Wild symbols can shift across columns as reel-based games unfold, changing the visual arrangement around them. Observing their positions and nearby icons can help describe what appeared on screen, but it cannot predict the next result. Available reports stress the distinction between recorded visual patterns and assumptions about future outcomes, while noting that Wild rules vary by game and are not detailed in the material.
America.gov’s Minecraft answer turns into a strange monologue, by design
The U.S. government’s new public chatbot is behaving oddly when users ask about Minecraft. It is not a bug, according to reports — it is
Rockstar Games Sues Over Leaked GTA 6 Footage, Calls Leak ‘Heartbreaking
Rockstar Games has apologized after leaked clips of Grand Theft Auto 6 spread online, calling the breach heartbreaking for the team. The company said the footage was not how it intended fans to see the game and is now facing legal action from parent firm Take-Two Interactive.
Jai Arrow to make symbolic Souths return as NRL grants special dispensation for 100th club game
Jai Arrow will get a rare final run in South Sydney colours this week, with the NRL approving a one-off rule change that allows the
Prince Louis makes first big stadium outing as Wales family watch Commonwealth Games netball
Prince Louis has stepped into a new kind of royal outing. The eight-year-old joined Prince and Princess of Wales, along with Prince George and Princess
Sony Discontinues PlayStation Game Disc as Digital Sales Dominate
Sony's decision to discontinue physical PlayStation game discs wasn't a shock to the market. Years of declining physical game sales and the rise of digital storefronts made the move inevitable—though it upends a $7 billion resale ecosystem.
Elder Scrolls 6 Becomes Bethesda’s Primary Focus; Fallout 5 in Preproduction
Bethesda has put Fallout 5 into preproduction and made The Elder Scrolls 6 its primary development focus after an Xbox reset, according to a Bloomberg report tied to Todd Howard.
Xbox shifts obsidian entertainment to new Fallout game, Bloomberg reports
Microsoft’s Xbox is moving obsidian entertainment onto a new Fallout game, according to Bloomberg, a sign the studio’s priorities may be changing after recent layoffs hit the wider gaming business.
Black Ops and Black Ops II Launch on PS4 and PS5 as Straight Ports
Call of Duty: Black Ops and Black Ops II reached PS4 and PS5 on 9 July 2026 with campaign, multiplayer and Zombies included. JEV’s launch-day video provides personal gameplay impressions rather than official technical findings.
Steam Machine Skin Companion Cube Opens for Preorder
dbrand has opened preorders for a Companion Cube-themed Steam Machine skin. The 3D enclosure starts at US$99.95, while the full package costs US$129.95 and ships later this year.