Is it likely? Probably not, but as a Killer Instinct fan, one can hope.

Despite backlash to some aspects of the console, the Xbox One had arguably one of the strongest launch line-ups in the platform's history, with titles like RYSE and Titanfall from first-party, and games like Battlefield 4 and Assassin's Creed: Black Flag from third. For me, the best launch title was Killer Instinct, however, which revived Rare's classic fighting game for a new era.

Killer Instinct is a combo-heavy fighting game that is easy to play, and difficult to master. Breaking enemy combos with a satisying "C-C-C-C-COMBO BREAKER" announcer effect elevated the game to its legendary status, atop its violence and creative character line-up.

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PlayStation cornered the fighting game audience pretty hard in the years to follow, landing exclusivity for Street Fighter for a time, alongside other major fighting games.

Killer Instinct struggled to maintain pace, and ultimately fell into maintenance mode not long after, although it had strong post-launch support bringing in fan-favorite fighters alongside various new ones. It even picked up combatants from other Xbox franchises, such as RAAM from Gears of War and the Arbiter from Halo.

Aside from the occasional update and balance change, Killer Instinct has remained largely dormant over the last few years. There is a small team at Xbox who works on maintaining the game, but the player base is miniscule, likely in the dozens rather than hundreds going from Steam stats.

Could it be revived, though? Mortal Kombat creator Ed Boon has once again polled users on the state of the fighting game industry, and it's not the first time Boon has spoken about interest in picking up Killer Instinct.

He asked users to vote on which recent fighting game should grab a second chance, including Riot's ill-fated 2XKO, Rumbleverse, Warner Bros' cancelled Smash-clone MultiVersus, and Xbox's dormant Killer Instinct.

As of writing, Killer Instinct leads by a sizeable margin with over 50% of the vote.

Microsoft's gaming portfolio is currently undergoing a lot of upheaval, with Obsidian moved to Bethesda to work on Fallout, and Halo Studios practically shuttered, with the franchise handed off to Call of Duty producers at Activision.

There's probably not a ton of bandwidth at Microsoft right now to explore what a new Killer Instinct might look like ... but what if Warner Bros' studio NetherRealm and Ed Boon's Mortal Kombat team picked up the flag?

Killer Instinct always had huge potential in my view, it was always my personal preferred fighting game. There are major influencers who often advocate for its revival, like Maximilian_Dood.

As a Spinal enjoyer, I still had a ton of fun playing it despite how invariably poor I was at PvP. It would be intriguing to see a Mortal Kombat-style cinematic take on Killer Instinct's lore and universe — which is undeniably intriguing. It's unclear whether or not Warner Bros. would have appetite for involvement here too, given its attempts to turn Mortal Kombat into a viable movie franchise.

There's probably a universe where Killer Instinct could be revived as a high-quality fighting game, with a cinematic single player experience, with franchising potential into TV and movies. You could draft characters from Blizzard games, or Fallout, and beyond too ... alas, it's probably unlikely.

Still, it's fun to dream, no? What IF?

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Rumors about Xbox's deal with Hideo Kojima's upcoming "Action Espionage" title have been swirling recently.

Xbox is undergoing "restructuring" over the past few weeks, leading to thousands of layoffs and staff reductions in the form of divestitures. Microsoft's new gaming CEO Asha Sharma has made no secret of the intent to focus on big-name franchises like Fallout and The Elder Scrolls, and less time on smaller projects like those produced by Double Fine or Compulsion — both of whom are now fully independent teams. Existing studios like Obsidian have been moved to be closer to the Fallout franchise for example, and Halo Studios itself was recently shuttered (in essence) with the franchise handed off to Call of Duty publisher Activision.

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There have been some questions about the timing of Xbox's announcement in partnership with Hideo Kojima's "PHYSINT," as a result. With some (erroneously) speculating that the closures have been designed to fund Kojima's long-awaited return to the espionage genre. Metal Gear Solid is arguably among the top 5 (or maybe even top 3) most legendary franchises of all time. To get the spiritual successor to that on Xbox is a pretty huge coup, considering it was originally announced by PlayStation.

But uh, is this project going to cost almost half a billion dollars? And did it lay off thousands in order to do it? The answer is "no," trusted and verified sources tell me.

Speaking on his podcast, Chris Dring of The Game Business reported that Xbox's budget for PHYSINT is at $400 million. He has since walked back the claim after Bloomberg's Jason Schreier poured cold water on the figure.

I was told similarly by first-hand sources with direct knowledge of the contracts that the figure for PHYSINT is far lower than what is being reported here. It has been suggested to me that the "$400 million" figure is potentially what Sony and PlayStation might've been on the hook for until they cancelled the deal. Xbox and Kojima are building towards their Xbox projects on a "fraction" of this reported figure.

I'm told Xbox negotiated a deal with Kojima Productions that includes both movie and TV licenses for PHYSINT, and it also included enhanced terms for OD — Kojima's anticipated atmospheric horror game for Xbox.

We're seeing a more thrifty Xbox, and a more thrifty AAA industry in general

There has been a lot of discussion about budgets in recent years. Some estimates suggest Grand Theft Auto 6 has had a budget upwards of a billion dollars, for example. Developers from the likes of Saber Interactive, Remedy, and Bloober Team have all commented on building AAA-grade experiences on budgets in the tens of millions, rather than hundreds of millions.

Game development in the United States has become incredibly expensive. I'm told part of this revolves around salary competition for AI-adjacent software engineering disciplines, that often share cross-over hiring processes and salary scales with gaming companies. The closer you are to an AI development hub (like Microsoft HQ in Redmond, WA), the greater the competition for salaries becomes ... making game development potentially unviable from a purely fiscal perspective in some regions.

Microsoft has been exploring outsourcing in Eastern Europe, the United Kingdom, and other regions where game development is more "affordable" to that end. PHYSINT might have spendy Hollywood actors tied to the project, but Xbox CEO Asha Sharma has quite loudly stated goals around cost-saving and cost-cutting.

Movies and TV shows are also becoming an increasingly crucial tool for both marketing and offsetting costs for gaming projects. Selling the rights to streaming platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime can feed back into game development budgets, and creates a symbiotic marketing beat (if indeed, the content is actually good). Given Kojima's penchant for cinematic games, PHYSINT should be at least one project that pays dividends if everything is executed well.

... I suspect Xbox will have to give Kojima more flexibility than they may want to if they do want the game to hit that coveted quality bar.

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Microsoft just revealed another round of "restructures" for Xbox and its game studios, with Ninja Theory, Obsidian, Turn 10, Halo Studios, and others impacted in various ways.

Last July, Microsoft announced it would be looking to reduce its gaming workforce by around 3,200 staffers. Sources suggest that the total figure will fall short of that previous estimate, as Microsoft opts for restructuring and moving employees around to other departments as much as possible.

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One way Microsoft has sought to achieve some of this is via divestitures. Double Fine and Compulsion have both returned to being independent game studios, for example, with the former starting a Kickstarter to fund its next title. Undead Labs of State of Decay fame is also moving to another publisher, although it has not been revealed exactly who this is just yet. Discussions around the future of Arkane are still ongoing.

Unfortunately, Microsoft revealed today that two previous attempts to divest Ninja Theory of Hellblade fame have fallen through. Microsoft has entered into redundancy consultations with the UK government as a result, per local law. Sources say Microsoft is still trying to find a buyer for Ninja Theory and the Hellblade franchise, but it's still looking a bit bleak.

Furthermore, Halo Studios is also looking at major layoffs in the 100s, as Microsoft seeks a major restructure to the way Halo is run.

In its heyday, Halo was a cultural phenomenon. It turbo-charged the Xbox platform, giving Microsoft's incumbent console a strong basis for growth in a market dominated by Nintendo and PlayStation. Halo 2 and 3 sent the platform even higher, and defined a new era of console-oriented first-person shooters. Those times are well and truly behind it, though.

Through years of mismanagement, Halo is now a shadow of its former self. A disastrous TV show, and two previous games that arguably missed the mark in different ways, Halo Studios' most recent outing (yet another remaster of Halo Combat Evolved) also received mixed reviews from fans and critics for various reasons.

Microsoft announced that it is effectively downsizing Halo Studios into the franchise's production and administration arm, and will place stewardship of the franchise under Activision — confirming some vague industry rumors I'd heard over the summer. Microsoft says around 230 roles will be lost as a result.

Exactly which Activision studio will handle Halo going forward remains to be seen, but it's certainly true that Activision's Call of Duty teams have had far more success than Halo Studios has at building broadly appealing live service shooters.

Furthermore, Microsoft is also placing Rare and Sea of Thieves under Activision too, with Obsidian and Grounded moving under ZeniMax to work more closely with Bethesda Softworks on Fallout. World's Edge and the Age of Empires franchise will also move under Activision. Xbox Game Studios will remain as Playground (which is absorbing Turn 10), The Coalition, InXile, and Xbox's publishing arm, handling games like Hideo Kojima's PHYSINT.

A new dawn for Halo?

The job losses at Xbox have been regrettable over the summer, but it's hard to overlook the fact that in order to have a sustainable business ... games need to actually sell. Whether it's small and quirky projects like Keeper or mismanaged live service ops like Halo Infinite, Microsoft hasn't exactly handled its portfolio effectively in recent years. There's less free time and money for gaming among consumers, and more competition than ever, making the stakes higher than they likely were previously.

Microsoft has seen some big success stories. Minecraft is bigger than ever, as is Forza Horizon, Flight Simulator, Age of Empires, and Blizzard has well and truly thrived in its post-Activision era. Microsoft wants to double down on the bigger opportunities like Fallout and The Elder Scrolls, building TV and movie adaptations for its bigger properties like Diablo and Overwatch.

There's also a corporate structural issue here that Microsoft is looking to address. Moving some of its game teams out from the Microsoft umbrella also moves employees out from under Microsoft's bureaucracy and corporate structure, potentially reducing overheads and costs.

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Halo Studios' proximity to Microsoft HQ, I've heard, has long been a source of corporate inertia and cost bloating — which is absolutely no fault of the employees working there. Those employees and projects also have to deal with A.I. money inflating wages of software engineering-adjacent professions, making some game projects unsustainable purely on the basis of the A.I. bubble. It's a weird economy right now.

As for Halo and other games, it remains to be seen if the restructure will actually lead to higher quality products. Halo fans have been long-suffering, waiting years upon years for a truly consistent delivery schedule for the franchise. I've often wondered myself what an Infinity Ward-led Halo might look like ... perhaps we'll find out exactly what that'll be like in the coming years.

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When I learned that it wouldn't be StarCraft, but instead World of Warcraft: Forever to close out BlizzCon 2026, I was admittedly a bit puzzled. After seeing how World of Warcraft: Forever's beta has been going, though, now I get it.

I've been playing WoW since vanilla, and I've seen every permutation of the game since its inception. All the bugs, content droughts, story highs and lows ... World of Warcraft has been an absolutely wild ride since my teens, and it's showing no signs of slowing down.

At BlizzCon 2026, Blizzard revealed the latest incarnation of its legendary MMORPG with thousands of WoW fans and Xbox execs in attendance. World of Warcraft: Forever was received to huge fanfare and promises to deliver on a "Classic+" experience many fans have been asking for for years.

In essence, WoW: Forever is a take on the game's classic era, remixing the original game with new content in a slightly divergent timeline. It adds new characters, thousands of new quests, a variety of new features, new dungeons and raids, and aims to double down on what made classic WoW such a legend. The world itself will be the main character, with leveling, immersion, and social systems as the core driver of play.

World of Warcraft's retail version has shortened its gameplay loop to the game's detriment in my view, hyper-optimizing for maximum convenience and minimal friction. The leveling experience has become trivial, immersion is practically non-existent given that you can just fly over all the content, and the rewards revolve around a weekly chest which feels a bit like picking up a salary from a job.

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It's still fun tackling high-end challenges in Mythic difficulty in modern WoW — but many players yearn for a time when WoW felt more like an RPG, and less like an arcade game. That's what WoW: Forever aims to deliver, and thousands have poured into the beta to catch a glimpse.

To learn more, I spoke to World of Warcraft Forever's lead game designer, Tim Jones, and lead software engineer Nora Valleta all about what the plans are.

World of Warcraft Forever vs. World of Warcraft retail

"I think [World of Warcraft] Classic and Retail just serve different types of audience at this point," Nora Valleta explains. "Like Retail has evolved over the many years, and I was part of that evolution, part of making those decisions along the way."

"For Classic players, it's much more about a social experience. They don't want to queue, they want to be out in the world exploring and have to physically make their way to the dungeon. They like being immersed in the world, meeting people in the wilds. The world is the main character. It's not about Thrall or Jaina, it's about your friends, these places. Your story of, 'oh, we went into this cave, Bob did something dumb, then we had to rescue Tim, and then Tim died.' That story is more important than stories about the NPCs ... and we're providing the immersive world for it to happen."

The team talked about overlap between the two audiences here, and I mentioned that there are things about Classic that I miss in Retail, such as the immersive open world — something I would argue is universally better and more appealing than simply flying over all the content completely free of any sort of danger per Retail.

"I think we [the Classic team] often inspire them to try new things. Retail now has World Bosses inside of a Lair for example now, we borrow ideas from each other," Tim Jones explains. "I could see them borrowing the camping system from us very easily, and perhaps connect it to Player Housing? I would love some day to maybe take Player Housing and bring it into the Classic world."

Lore building and horizontal progression in World of Warcraft: Forever

I asked the team to explain their approach to lore and world-building in WoW: Forever, given that it seems to sit in a slightly different timeline than WoW's modern era. I already wrote a piece about why WoW: Forever's developers decided to include Skyborne elves as the new playable race, despite the fact that there's no mention of them in the modern lore. The team said they want to explore some of the grey areas from Classic, Skyborne will tell the story of Eldre'Thalas and Dire Maul, for example, which was previously never fully fleshed out.

"This is a new continuity," Nora Valleta explains. "We're starting from the same place. Think of adjacent timelines. Some things might be a bit different ... we're not going to do something that is super divergent, like, stopping Arthas from becoming the Lich King for example. Or that Jaina is secretly a Dreadlord ... but who knows?"

"The same philosophy applies to how we'll expand continents. The new zone River Glades for example, the landmass existed in the classic map ... but there was nothing there. It was an opportunity to fill in those spaces and complete those stories too."

"Honestly, every memory you have, every memory that our Classic fans have, we're trying to capitalize on and make something cool out of it. What was that weird gate in Azshara all that time, for example? That's now Timbermaw Hold, right? What's inside Old Ironforge?"

Blizzard is also building a new Legacy system into WoW: Forever to incentivize building alts and experiencing the game in new ways. Indeed, WoW: Forever will be locked at level 60 cap in perpetuity and designed for horizontal progression rather than vertical progression.

"We're really hoping the legacy system will incentivize people to make alternate characters and level up their account through perks, giving them reasons to experience new paths through the world."

Different gameplay milestones will award legacy points in this new system, granting perks in a small talent tree that can boost trade skills, offer extra convenience, and so on. Blizzard says that there are achievements tied to the Legacy system too, which will reward hardcore grinders with exclusive cosmetics. Blizzard wants to add new content at all levels to serve this system, not just the end-game.

"We might add an update where we put in a new zone designed not for level 60, but for level 27 to 32 for example, with a new dungeon. The best way to experience that would be to make a new character. It's not all about level 60, we're going to serve across all levels, as well as awesome level 60 endgame content too."

Approach to difficulty, and Class balance in Classic+

One of the interesting talking points around Classic vs. Retail pertains to difficulty. If you're pushing Mythic+ keys or doing Heroic or Mythic difficulty raiding in Retail, I think there's no real question about which version requires more active involvement. However, Classic's open world is far more punishing than Retail's is. Even if the dungeons and raids are easier, actually acquiring gear is also far more difficult and therefore more rewarding, in my view.

I had a full set of heroic items within a week in the current Retail patch. I remember grinding BWL raids for months before my Nemesis shoulders dropped back in the day. It felt so, sooooo good when I finally got them. In Retail, gear is basically throwaway and forgettable.

There are things about Classic I definitely do not miss, though, and it's how classes were actually balanced. Some specs were just unviable. Prot Paladins couldn't tank serious content owing to not having a taunt, for example. Blizzard is changing its philosophy a bit for WoW: Forever.

"Every single one of our 27 talent trees is now viable for all content in WoW: Forever," says Tim Jones. "That's one big class design goal. That doesn't mean they're all the same ... or all equal. They have strengths and weaknesses. But they're all worthy to bring. None are so powerful that you'll stack your raid with them either."

"You can be a Ret Paladin in raids, you can Seal twist," says Nora Valetta, in reference to how Retribution spec Paladins weren't really raid-viable back in the day. "On the flip side, our attitude towards tuning and dungeon difficulty and raids is that the world should be scary ... raids should be difficult. You'll need to prepare, craft potions, make sure you have class diversity and buffs. Get all the gear you can, do reputation grinds. You should need a good amount of research on what bosses do. But ... we're not going to stomp your face into the ground."

The team explained to me that while they want raids to be tough, they're not gunning for WoW Retail's 100+ wipes Mythic raid difficulty.

"We're going to consistently deliver new 10 and 20 player content every patch. Onyxia will be our 40 man raid. Classic players enjoy a casual experience, we don't want people to do 100 attempts on a boss. If you've formed the group and done your homework, you should be on the road to success. Over-prepare and crush the content, that's what Classic players want to do."

Am I too old for WoW: Forever?

I've been playing through WoW: Forever beta over the past week, and it's equal parts nostalgic and intriguing. The new lighting and fog effects make a big difference to the mood of zones like Tirisfal Glades, and new lore and quests make the world feel fresh in a way that reminisces of the Cataclysm revamp of yore.

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I'm curious how rewarding and active WoW: Forever's endgame might end up being for me personally, though. WoW: Forever made me feel old, and maybe a bit broken. Will I have the attention span to spend weeks upon weeks hunting for specific drops in WoW: Forever? Have WoW Retail's Creation Catalyst "insta-gearing" system and infinite epic drops spoiled me? Do I have the free time to build up in-game relationships necessary to find decent raid teams and groups in WoW: Forever?

I'm going to try my best ... at least.

World of Warcraft: Forever launches on November 4, 2026, for Windows PC.

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BlizzCon 2026 was epic, but as a World of Warcraft retail enjoyer, I was a tad disappointed at the lack of information.

World of Warcraft: Forever more than stole the show. The announcements of Diablo V and StarCraft were huge, but the fact they're both around half a decade away at least definitely put a dampner on things. WoW: Forever is much closer, set to launch in mid-November (going up against GTA 6 no less).

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WoW: Forever is a remix of the original World of Warcraft experience, complete with OG visuals, old-school simplicity, but deep and immersive open-world gameplay. The game is in beta now, and has already blown up on Twitch and other streaming platforms, as aging gamers (like myself) pile in for a healthy dose of nostalgia.

World of Warcraft retail (also known as 'modern' internally) is ticking over in its own right, with the current expansion "Midnight" holding ground as a solid entry in the game's storied expac pantheon. The next expansion is dubbed "The Last Titan," although Blizzard hasn't really shared much of ... well, anything, about what we can expect from it beyond its Northrend setting.

In my recent interview with Game Director Ion Hazzikostas, I asked how Blizzard would handle the dichotomy between World of Warcraft: Forever and World of Warcraft's modern timeline. There are things about the "classic" game that were objectively better in the old days, one being world-building atop the general levelling experience.

I mentioned how WoW Classic and WoW: Forever's lower stakes and racial starting zones provide a more engaging and immersive experience than anything offered in WoW retail. As such, I asked Hazzikostas if it's reasonable to expect that World of Warcraft's open world in the "modern" game would effectively be forgotten now developers can point to WoW: Forever as an alternative. Ion Hazzikostas said that isn't the goal.

"We do not think along those lines. Those are problems that I acknowledge are real problems in Modern, and things we want to fix," Hazzikostas explained.

Indeed, WoW: Forever even in beta offers a far more cohesive and immersive levelling experience, where players can more slowly and methodically learn their class alongside the RPG setting and racial fantasy. WoW's modern gameplay is designed to speed you as quickly as possible into its choring endgame loop, which while fun ... is definitely less "RPG"-like than the old school game.

Hazzikostas thinks that offering two experiences to players in WoW retail might be the answer, in the form of a new "Heroic World Tier," similar to Diablo. Blizzard already experimented with this in both Legion Remix and a recent mid-season patch in WoW, where some new instanced zones came with a more difficult "Heroic" mode, removing flying mounts and making monsters more challenging to deal with.

"We've done experiments like the Heroic World Tier in Remix ... I think they're promising," Hazzikostas said. "I think we would like to offer something like that in The Last Titan, for people who want a more challenging, rewarding outdoor experience ... as well as more friction, and more purpose. A world where the outer world is devoid of threats or excitement is missing something. We would never say 'Go play Classic if you want that.' All versions of WoW should have that."

Hazzikostas also said that Blizzard is aware that WoW's modern "new player" experience is lacking, and plans to address it again in the future. At present, retail players are dropped into a random island with patronizingly easy and anachronistic gameplay that not only isn't relevant to current in-game timelines, but is miserably easy and unengaging for most players.

WoW: Forever and WoW: Classic offer a far more sensical levelling experience, moving players through slower-paced and more meaningful progression layers on the road to endgame.

RELATED: Full interview with WoW director Ion Hazzikostas

The disparity in quality between aspects of WoW: Forever and WoW's modern era will likely become a broader talking point as both platforms diverge over time. I'm already planning to riot if WoW: Forever gets playable ogres before retail does ...

WoW: Forever already has better lighting, water, and fog effects than retail. Can Blizzard keep both versions of the game well-catered for, or are they going to end up spreading themselves thin? Time will surely tell.

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"Never say never" is the common refrain, but BlizzCon revealed a bit more about the future of Blizzard's games on console than perhaps you might expect.

BlizzCon 2026 was pretty amazing. We got new trailers for Diablo V and the revival of StarCraft, as well as a revival for Warcraft 3, Heroes of the Storm, and WoW Classic in the form of World of Warcraft: Forever.

Blizzard also revealed Diablo 4 for Nintendo Switch 2 for the first time, and World of Warcraft also includes native Xbox controller support on PC as well — eliminating the need to use addons like Console Port.

When I asked Xbox customers on my Patreon and on X (Twitter) for questions to serve up at BlizzCon 2026, the top ask was always about potential Xbox ports.

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So to honor your requests, I put the questions to the teams across Heroes of the Storm, Warcraft 3, and World of Warcraft about the potential for the games to hit Xbox or other traditional gaming consoles.

All of them offered variations on the same response ... Here's what they said.

"Never say never."

Warcraft 3 had a big moment at BlizzCon when it revealed Forsaken Kingdom, the first expansion pack in over two decades. I asked Warcraft 3 Project Lead Brad Chan if we could eventually see the RTS emerge on Xbox and other consoles, given that games like Halo Wars and Age of Empires have been successfully adapted for controller.

"You know, we're going to talk about it," Chan said, "Maybe, maybe not, I don't know. Many things are possible, but right now we're focused [on PC]."

Echoing that sentiment was World of Warcraft Game Director Ion Hazzikostas, when I asked if we could eventually see World of Warcraft itself emerge on Xbox and other consoles. World of Warcraft: Forever is launching in November, and will be the first version of WoW with native Xbox controller support on PC. Is that a hint at a console version down the line?

RELATED: Speaking with WoW's Ion Hazzikostas on the future of Retail vs. Forever

"Our focus remains PC," Hazzikostas said, referring to World of Warcraft Forever's new Xbox gamepad controllers. "It's not just Xbox, it's just gamepad in general. Right? I think we've seen tons of people in the community use addons like Console Port over the years, and jump through a lot of hoops to get WoW playable on gamepad — we want to make that easier."

Hazzikostas said the Classic and Forever eras of WoW are potentially better suited to Xbox, given the slower, more methodical pace of combat before the Haste stat was added, for example. "Our focus remains [on PC], but many possibilities exist in the future, and we'll see where that leads us."

Well then, what about Heroes of the Storm? Heroes of the Storm also had a big BlizzCon moment when they revealed the game is well and truly back, starting with new hero Xal'atath. I have a bigger review with the team there coming shortly as well.

Speaking to Heroes lead developer James Yen, I asked if the game might find new audiences and growth were it ported to Xbox, consoles, or even mobile, given the popularity of things like Pokémon Unite. Yen quite rightly noted that their focus today is mostly about getting Heroes of the Storm back on its feet.

"We think about all avenues for where [Heroes of the Storm] could go, but that kind of distracts us right now ... from 'we just came back, let's make sure that the players that have been here for so long — let's take care of them, let's keep building content for them.'

We do have long-term goals, but you know those are more like stars, as you know. Our stars were like, 'Hey, let's come back. BlizzCon, that was just perfect timing,' but we are driving towards thinking about other things. But right now, the focus is, ' Let's give something to the players."

I think it's inevitable, at least for World of Warcraft

World of Warcraft: Forever is already poised to be a huge hit, taking the top spot on Twitch despite being weeks out from launch and rocking in closed beta. The fact that it has native Xbox controller support will open up the game to new audiences across PCs, potentially among users who prefer playing MMORPGs in that format. Naturally, bringing it to consoles across Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo Switch would also vastly open it up to new players, particularly among aging millennials who moved to console from PC through the past two generations. The fact that WoW: Forever is based on classic graphics also means it'll run on practically any modern device at 60 FPS, including the Nintendo Switch 2 and the Steam Deck.

It gets a bit trickier for Heroes of the Storm and Warcraft 3, potentially, though. Warcraft 3 is very much a PC game all up, and RTS has never really found a big audience on Xbox consoles. The Age of Empires 2 Xbox controls are very well realized, but there's probably not an audience big enough to justify the work.

Heroes of the Storm is a bit different in my view. I feel as though Heroes and other MOBAs would control great with a gamepad; Pokémon Unite and Smite proved that it's possible. Heroes of the Storm would be virtually without competition on Xbox and PlayStation, and including heroes and characters from franchises beyond Blizzard would also potentially help it find new audiences Fortnite-style. But it's like James Yen said ... it's still early days for the Heroes' revival.

What do you think? Would you like to see any of these games hit Xbox, PlayStation, or Nintendo Switch? Hit the comments, let us know.

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At BlizzCon 2026, Blizzard Entertainment unveiled World of Warcraft: Forever, offering a glimpse into the future of the world's most iconic MMORPG.

The future ironically lies in the past, as WoW players finally get their wish: a version of the game inspired by the Classic era, albeit with new dungeons and raids, refreshed visuals, new storylines, and new class balancing.

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World of Warcraft: Forever launches in November, but I got an opportunity to speak with World of Warcraft Game Director Ion Hazzikostas to learn all about what the future holds for the franchise in general, and answer some burning philosophical questions about the game's direction.

On the popularity of WoW "Classic+", and its future

I remarked to Ion Hazzikostas that I was a tad surprised Blizzard ended on World of Warcraft: Forever rather than StarCraft, which I would've expected to have broader appeal. Hazzikostas remarked upon Blizzard's commitment to the BlizzCon audience and the company's core, who have been very patiently waiting for their answer to "Classic+."

"It's going to be a huge part of the future, and will shape World of Warcraft going forward," Hazzikostas told me, "A big part of it is, that this isn't 'Classic,' right? Classic remains, with Vanilla, Burning Crusade ... that ecosystem will continue. Forever is designed to be a third pillar alongside Retail and Classic."

He explained that WoW: Forever will maintain roots in Classic, drawing on philosophical design ideas pioneered by the old-school version of the game. That means a more grounded storyline, more "crunchy" systems, and a bigger emphasis on community building over auto-matchmaking systems. Although he did acknowledge that WoW Forever will streamline many things beyond Classic. Talent trees and specs will be rebalanced, trying to make every class viable (which was not the case in Vanilla), and things like tedious World Buff farming for raiding will also be removed from WoW Forever.

"There's a large pre-existing audience that has been asking for something like this, who are closely connected to Classic. We are trying to position this as a truly new experience, right? This is a new game. There are new adventures here. Everyone can start at the beginning, and will be updated for years to come. That's not something that comes along very often in World of Warcraft. We've got expansions people have come to expect and re-releases of prior expansions ... but this is something truly new and open-ended. That's quite exciting."

Talking WoW Forever vs. WoW Retail, and community fragmentation

On the topic of something new, as a World of Warcraft retail enjoyer, I couldn't help but wonder if Blizzard is going to end up stretching themselves too thin here. There are already things in WoW Forever that retail players are hoping to see emerge in the modern era of the game.

I asked Ion Hazzikostas pretty broadly, will WoW Forever lead to further degradation of WoW Retail's "social" fabric as players seeking social experiences drain out even more from Retail? I made the point that chat channels on my server on WoW Retail are already dead, and WoW Forever will likely make it even worse.

"Anytime we think about any new WoW experience, even if it's something simple or as like a Plunderstorm or a Remix, we think about fragmentation, the risk of splintering communities — because of how important that is to World of Warcraft. So we do it very carefully."

"In no way, shape, or form, do we see any perceived withdrawal from social systems in WoW retail as desirable, or as a good thing. I think there's a lot more we can and should do there. There are still strong communities in retail, but a lot of that organization now happens outside of the game in Discord. It's inevitable that when you offer more solo convenience and reduce friction, many take the path of least resistance, and you end up with a more solitary experience.

"The presence of friction, the lack of automatic matchmaking ... that lends itself to establishing social connections. It's part of the thing that makes Classic inherently more social. On the other hand, it can be alienating for a number of players. It's inconvenient. It means if you log in and want to run a dungeon on your lunch break, you likely can't. There are inherent trade offs here. There remains very large differences between Classic and Modern, in terms of pace, difficulty, right? People who enjoy gameplay at a cutting edge level, Heroic or Mythic raiding, pushing keys ... that is not what Forever is going to be about."

Hazzikostas emphasized that Blizzard wants to make WoW Retail a place where you can make new friends too, even in an era where it's designed for maximum convenience. I really wanted to drill down into this point of divergence, though, as the Classic and Modern games develop away from each other.

Does this mean that we should no longer expect the Modern WoW games to get things that are objectively more interesting in Classic, like a more consistent world for leveling alts? A more polished and immersive new-player experience? A more engaging open world?

"No," says Ion Hazzikostas. "We do not think along those lines. Those are problems that I acknowledge are real problems in Modern, and things we want to fix. We've done experiments like the Heroic World Tier in Remix ... I think they're promising. I think we would like to offer something like that in The Last Titan, for people who want a more challenging, rewarding outdoor experience ... as well as more friction, and more purpose. A world where the outer world is devoid of threats or excitement is missing something. We would never say 'Go play Classic if you want that.' All versions of WoW should have that."

Hazzikostas also commented on the difficulty of performing another "revamp" on WoW's modern leveling system for new players, Cataclysm style, noting that it's a "challenging pitch" to ask players to stick through dozens of hours of leveling to catch up to friends. However, he emphasized that Blizzard knows it has "a lot more" work to do to make the new player experience up to par in WoW's modern version, to help players get immersed in their class fantasy, and learn the story.

On the Horde vs. Alliance, and the future of faction identity

On the topic of class fantasy, I wanted to ask how Ion and the WoW team are thinking about reactions to World of Warcraft's modern story direction, with Horde and Alliance de-emphasized in favor of a single neutral storyline every player experiences. I asked if the choices therein represent budget constraints ... or something more philosophical.

"It's a bit of both, right? Resources are finite, and while the WoW dev team is bigger than ever, we still have to choose where we place our time and efforts. Building two versions of the levelling storyline inherently means giving players half as much of an experience, times two. But it's also a function of the story, and feedback we do get from our players. If a majority of players were saying they wanted faction conflict, then we'd lean into faction conflict. That isn't what we're hearing ... they want more cross-faction gameplay ... it's also story credibility to some extent. The Horde and Alliance being at each other's throats in the face of world-ending threats ..."

I noted here that I wasn't necessarily talking about Horde vs. Alliance conflict open war, but more about faction identity and world-building consistency.

"Horde and Alliance identity is something we definitely want to preserve," says Hazzikostas. "We want to make it clear that there's a deep history of enmity and conflict here that shouldn't be forgotten or brushed over ... but there is a need to co-operate in the face of ... just as was the case back in Warcraft 3 at Mount Hyjal. Nothing else mattered except saving Azeroth. Given the current storyline, faction enmity gets pushed aside a bit, but they're still there. I think it's something we intend to return to in a more central way further down the line ..."

I'm still not getting my playable ogres ... though ...

World of Warcraft remains near and dear to my heart despite having played it for decades. I'm not always a fan of the game's direction (where are my playable ogres, Blizzard?!), but it remains a valuable source of rest and relaxation for me. I have an awesome guild, made lifelong friends therein, and still find myself as intrigued by its potential today as I was over 20 years ago, which is not something you can say about most games.

RELATED: Blizzard explains why World of Warcraft is getting more elves

BlizzCon offered a glimpse at World of Warcraft's near future, and the franchise's potential more broadly. We're still left wondering what's on the horizon for World of Warcraft: The Last Titan, and what might lie beyond the Worldsoul saga in general.

I'm concerned that Blizzard might split itself too thinly attempting to develop three separate pillars of the game in tandem ... I'm also concerned that community fragmentation may become an issue as players drain out of regular Classic and Retail looking for the "newness" of Forever. But it's also exciting too. I've always hoped Blizzard would look to Classic for inspiration when shaping Retail, because I do think Retail could use a little more danger and immersion. Whether or not we ever get it remains to be seen.

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BlizzCon 2026 was an absolute banger this year, with Diablo V, STARCRAFT, Heroes of the Storm revival, and more revealed.

The show ended with World of Warcraft Forever, which is Blizzard's take on the popular "Classic+" request. WoW Classic players prefer the old-school, social-first experience the game delivered in its early years, before retail added matchmaking systems and other "modern" features that arguably decimated the game's sense of community building.

WoW Forever builds on the original classic experience, adding new "old school" zones, raids, dungeons, quests, and new race/class combinations previously unavailable. The game will take place in a separate but adjacent timeline to the current WoW lore, offering alternative "what if" scenarios that won't impact the official timeline.

One example of this is the new race coming to World of Warcraft Forever: the Skyborne elves, available to both Horde and Alliance players when the game goes live in just under two months.

The first bit of controversy is the fact that Skyborne elves aren't simply included as part of WoW Forever. They come as part of a $29.99 pack, which marks the first time Blizzard has ever "sold" a race. If this race has particularly powerful racial abilities, i.e., so powerful that they become "meta," many are wondering if this doesn't effectively constitute a pay-to-win scenario.

I didn't know that aspect of the Skyborne when I went into my interview with Blizzard earlier today at BlizzCon, but I did want to know exactly why they decided to add yet "another" elf race to the game. People on social media have already been mocking the inclusion a bit, given the fact that WoW's narrative and race additions have been effectively dominated by elves for years at this point. Void elves, Nightborne elves, Dracthyr human-form elves — the main storyline is all about elves — and now WoW Forever is adding yet another new elf. I wanted to know why Blizzard leaned further into this, knowing the memes already circling about "World of Elfcraft."

The answer might be exactly what you expect it to be.

"We know that being an elf is extremely popular," Lead Classic Designer Tim Jones tells me, "We know from our own experiences we went through going into Burning Crusade, the ability to have a so-called 'pretty character' on the Horde was a big deal. If you go back to 2004, 2005, the balance of the factions was 60% Alliance, 40% Horde, and we discovered once we added Blood Elves to the Horde, it actually flipped to 60% Horde. Being able to make a very 'attractive' character is important to our players. We knew players were going to enjoy it. We have a really cool story to tell about it ... so why not? They're not the same as the elves we know."

"There are stories that we want to tell here," explains Kris Zierhut, Principal Designer. "One of the places we talked about was Shen'dralas, that space in between Mulgore and Desolace ... where you'll get more of the story about the history of Eldre'thalas, which is what became Dire Maul. Who opposed Prince Tortheldrin when he decided to sap his own people for power to summon demons? We thought it would be a cool opportunity when we're exploring that storyline among many untold stories that we want to finish and expand upon in the Classic space ... we tied that to the Skyborne."

So, there you have it. And its core ... the reason both Horde and the Alliance are getting access to the blood elf model is for faction balance, in essence. It's absolutely true that "elves" are WoW's most popular race according to the data ... although as a long-suffering Ogre enjoyer, I can't deny that I am immensely disappointed in the tastes of my fellow Azerothian brethren. I'm never getting playable Ogres, am I?

It's perhaps "not ideal" that they're admitting here that the reason they're adding elves is due to their popularity, only for the powers that be to paywall them behind a $29.99 package ... at that point, wouldn't it just be better to sell WoW Forever as a boxed product? I'll let the community debate that aspect of it ... clearly a lot of work has gone into WoW Forever. But monetizing races is potentially a slippery slope in my view.

In any case, how are you feeling about WoW Forever and BlizzCon 2026 in general? Hit the comments and let me know.

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Blizzard's worst-kept secret of recent times has been revealed. This is World of Warcraft's take on "Classic+".

World of Warcraft's current retail incarnation is fun, but it's an oddly lonely experience. The game's matchmaking systems introduced some years ago, at this point, really damaged the social fabric of the game, reducing player interactions to the bare-bones functional basics for maximum efficiency.

World of Warcraft Classic, complete with retro graphics, was an attempt by Blizzard to recapture the old-style WoW used to provide, in response to pirated servers from players craving the old-school WoW. WoW arguably had far more RPG depth back in the day, even if it was mechanically more simplistic overall (I do not miss one-button damage rotations and effectively useless talent specs).

At BlizzCon 2026, Blizzard revealed "World of Warcraft Forever," which is their take on the community's "Classic+" request. Here's how it works.

Players have long asked Blizzard to offer something that retains the experience of World of Warcraft classic, while also providing new content. Blizzard's "Season of Discovery" was their first attempt at this, but WoW Forever seems far more ambitious.

WoW Forever revamps three classic zones and adds three additional ones on top. It also adds three new raids, a new battleground, and a new race in the Skyborne elves (yes ... more elves). WoW Forever also adds "Thousands" of new quests and new content in existing classic zones.

WoW Forever exists in something of a time bubble. The idea is that Blizzard will continue expanding the level 60 experience in WoW Forever, adding new raids, quests, and content in a horizontal way rather than a vertical way.

It's unclear as of writing if this exists in a separate timeline from the current WoW, giving Blizzard narrative license to diverge from the Retail pipeline.

Skyborne elves aren't mentioned anywhere in the current lore to my knowledge, for example, unless Blizzard is going to figure out some clever way to incorporate them retroactively.

Blizzard also teased the next WoW retail content patch in the form of "Eclipse," where players will take the fight to Xal'atath for one final showdown. Given that we already know the next expansion is called "The Last Titan," it doesn't sound as though we'll be victorious in our battle with Xal'atath here ... Blizzard also offered a small teaser for said expansion, although it sounds as though it'll be further out into 2027.

World of Warcraft Forever launches in just six weeks from now, so you won't have to wait long to try it out for yourself.

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Finally, after over a decade of waiting, Blizzard is returning to StarCraft.

Revealed at BlizzCon 2026, Blizzard lifted the lid on one of gaming's biggest rumor mills of recent memory. STARCRAFT is coming in 2030, and here's the first cinematic trailer.

StarCraft has historically been a real-time strategy franchise, often credited with kickstarting the mainstreaming of live esports. The franchise focuses on three main factions: humans of the United Earth Directorate, advanced aliens known as the Protoss, and the Xenomorph-like Zerg swarm.

The classic RTS and its follow-up, StarCraft II, have effectively been on ice since StarCraft II shipped its final expansion, Legacy of the Void, some years ago.

StarCraft has previously attempted a foray into shooters too, with the famously canceled "StarCraft: Ghost." The new STARCRAFT seems like something of a soft reignition of the franchise, particularly given the fact it shares its namesake with the original StarCraft (which is always a tad annoying when discussing games which literally share a name ...). But to me, it feels indicative of a Blizzard intent on reintroducing the franchise to a new, potentially more mainstream audience.

What remains to be seen is whether or not we get a tried-and-true StarCraft 3 RTS, as I'm sure many StarCraft fans will be slighted by the decision to step away from the franchise's traditional roots.

There are rumors that Nexon and other companies have pitched Blizzard to work in the StarCraft franchise, so we'll have to wait and see.

I'm curious why Blizzard decided to announce it so early too, considering we're literally four years away from its stated landing strip. I guess this helps Blizzard ramp up hiring for the game's development; it could also be indicative of the game's potential scope.

From what I've heard and seen, the game has been in development for quite a while already. Blizzard may also have its work cut out differentiating StarCraft from a surging Warhammer 40K, which has truly found mainstream success in recent years. It'll be interesting to see how Blizzard navigates some of that.

In any case, what do you think of StarCraft's pending return? Hit the comments, let us know.

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Long-suffering Heroes of the Storm fans got a small reprieve at BlizzCon 2026 with the reveal of a new hero.

Heroes of the Storm is a MOBA in the vein of League of Legends, inspired by the classic Warcraft 3 DOTA mod. It's perhaps ironic that it was a Warcraft 3 mod in the first place, but Blizzard was unfortunately a bit slow to capitalize on the trend. Riot took full advantage, and effectively cornered almost the entire market.

Blizzard's answer was Heroes of the Storm, which is generally seen as more approachable than League of Legends, which ended up being a double-edged sword in some ways. Without an item economy and slower gameplay, Heroes of the Storm failed to draw in interest from League of Legends and other similar games, but remained popular with a dedicated Blizzard audience niche.

Heroes of the Storm is comprised of characters from across the Blizzard mythos, including Overwatch, Warcraft, StarCraft, Diablo, and more. There are still dozens of characters from across the Blizzard metaverse that fans have hoped to see emerge in the game, but unfortunately Blizzard put the game in "maintenance mode" after the launch of Hogger back in December 2020, promising bug fixes and occasional balance patches only. That changed at BlizzCon 2026 this week.

Blizzard revealed that Xal'atath is now coming to Heroes of the Storm, hitting Heroes' public test realm on Monday, with a launch penned in for towards the end of September.

Xal'atath is the current big evil in World of Warcraft, threatening to take over the cosmos itself by taking control of Azeroth's planetary world soul.

She's a bit of an enigma, with her origins shrouded in mystery, but what's less of an enigma is how powerful she is. She has the capability to level entire cities with her void powers, responsible for the destruction of Dalaran itself.

Blizzard has cautioned players not to expect Heroes of the Storm to be fully revived yet, though ... noting to me that future updates will depend on how well-received Xal'atath is.

It's something of an industry trend to revive classic games at the moment, with games like Age of Empires 3, Witcher 3, Diablo 2, and other old-school titles getting updates after decades of dormancy in some cases. Heroes of the Storm has huge potential to be Xbox's answer to Super Smash Bros. in my view, if Blizzard was willing to add heroes from other franchises. I could see characters like Geralt of Rivia given Blizzard's new collab with CD Projekt RED, and other Xbox characters like DOOM Slayer or Master Chief jumping into the Nexus.

Blizzard faithful might find it annoying ... but a dead game is potentially more annoying in my view. Expanding to other franchises (and even putting the game on console) could give Heroes of the Storm the unique hook it needs to exist in a niche dominated by League of Legends.

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In a major coup for Xbox game publishing, Microsoft has landed the contract to publish Physint, Hideo Kojima's long-awaited follow up to Death Stranding.

Despite being announced by PlayStation, somehow, Xbox has managed to acquire the rights to publish Hideo Kojima's return to the "action-espionage" genre. It was all announced just now via Xbox Wire.

Physint in essence sounds like a spiritual successor to Kojima's classic Metal Gear Solid franchise. Metal Gear owner Konami and Hideo Kojima had a high-profile bust-up a few years ago, following the launch of MGSV: The Phantom Pain — which arguably remains unfinished to this day.

Since then, Kojima went independent, developed the award-winning Death Stranding franchise, and later landed a publishing deal with Xbox for horror title OD. Death Stranding 2 is presently a PlayStation exclusive, but the first Death Stranding since launched on Xbox with Xbox Play Anywhere. Later, Kojima re-acquired the rights to Death Stranding from PlayStation itself. It stands to reason Death Stranding 2 will eventually hit Xbox in the future as well.

During the previous announcement two years ago, PlayStation Studios' lead Herman Hulst said that Physint was "part of the PlayStation and Kojima Productions partnership," although that no longer seems to be the path Kojima chose.

“Creators have choices about where and how they bring their ideas to life," Xbox CEO Asha Sharma said in today's blog post. "We’re honored that Kojima-san has chosen XBOX to work with KOJIMA PRODUCTIONS on PHYSINT. His ambition to challenge conventions reflects the kind of creativity we want to support at XBOX."

"This expands our relationship with XBOX beyond OD," said Hideo Kojima. "As we move forward with the development of PHYSINT, we remain committed to redefining the action-espionage genre for players around the world."

Microsoft and Hideo Kojima also said that the two are collaborating across film and television as well, beyond horror title OD. It sounds as though Microsoft is investing a ton into Kojima Productions to bring this partnership to life, although it sounds as though there's some drama that has taken place behind the scenes between Kojima Productions and PlayStation. Physint was announced on the PlayStation stage, so for it to swap hands in such a stark way suggests there's a bigger story at play here.

In response, Sony has released a statement confirming that it has "made the difficult decision to step away from collaborating with KOJIMA PRODUCTIONS on its project PHYSINT."

Either way, it's a fantastic win for Xbox, potentially. Working with such high-profile developers like Hideo Kojima boosts Xbox's visibility with audiences that Microsoft has typically struggled to access. It also feeds into Asha Sharma's strategy of targeting more ambitious AAA projects with trans-media opportunities for TV and movie treatments.

Whether it all lands remains to be seen, but man oh man, this is NOT one I saw coming.

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Microsoft's long-rumored disc-to-digital program for Xbox went live in testing last week, and it has grown to supporting hundreds upon hundreds of games since.

So far, there are well over 1,000 games available as part of Xbox's disc-to-digital testing program, which gives you digital rights for disc-based games.

Simply inserting a compatible disc into an Xbox One or Xbox Series X console gives you the ability to attach it digitally to your account, giving you the ability to play, download, stream from the cloud, and access Xbox Play Anywhere support without the disc. You can also console share the license as well to another player.

The disc doesn't become inert after licensing the digital version either. If you sell the disc or give it away, the next user can grab the digital license from your account. You won't lose your cloud save either, so if you re-acquire the disc or buy it outright digitally later on, you'll be able to continue on as normal.

Some users have been disappointed with the initial roll out, however, as some major publishers have so far not opted in.

Some outlets went with headlines today decrying Ubisoft and others for their apparent decision to boycott the system. Ubisoft has long been the target of game preservationists, given that Ubisoft's shuttering of The Crew and other games led to stronger calls for digital rights. Ubisoft denying access to digital versions from disc-based games already sold would seem a bit like their M.O. in that universe. It seems the anger was premature, though.

Microsoft has always stated that this initial testing phase doesn't represent the full scope of content coming to the disc-to-digital program. Indeed, many publishers are still likely going over the contracts and ensuring that the legalese all matches up before going ahead with it. SEGA, Square Enix, Bandai Namco, and Ubisoft were among those apparently not honoring the program.

Today, it seemed that Ubisoft games have now gone live in the system for Xbox Insider testers in the Alpha and Alpha Skip-Ahead, however.

As you can see in the X (Twitter) thread above, Ubisoft games are now fully available on the disc-to-digital program, with titles like Far Cry Primal, Far Cry 4, Trials Fusion, Assassin's Creed titles, and many more going live.

I received a DM about an hour ago informing me of the change, and it seems other titles are now following suit.

It remains to be seen when (or if) other publishers come on board. Given how aggressively Square Enix has supported forward-facing Xbox initiatives like Xbox Play Anywhere and Xbox Cloud Gaming, it's fairly obvious to me that Square Enix will jump on board pretty soon. I'm told other publishers are just going over the detailing before committing, which is standard practice for any big corporation.

Xbox's disc-to-digital program is one of the most impressive innovations we've seen from Microsoft's gaming efforts in recent years, although it was originally pitched in 2013 as part of the Xbox One. It was pretty poorly presented back then, though, and users in 2026 are far more knowledgeable about the potential benefits of digital gaming. Still, there's more Xbox could potentially do here to sweeten the deal. With PlayStation committing to the phase out of discs entirely by 2028, many are wondering (and hoping) on whether Xbox will continue the disc-based torch with the next-gen Xbox Helix.

What publishers are you hoping to see jump on board? Hit the comments, let us know.

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BlizzCon 2026 kicks off in full next weekend, and for the Blizzard faithful, hype is reaching fever pitch already.

Last month, Blizzard President Johanna Faries declared internally that the Warcraft division is now the "top-performing" within Xbox, beating out Bethesda, Call of Duty, and other franchises. It follows a massive year for Blizzard, where Diablo IV's Lord of Hatred expansion landed incredibly well, and a resurgent Overwatch reconnected with its audience and found new players in the process.

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There still exists enormous untapped potential within Blizzard franchises, in my view. World of Warcraft has yet to reclaim the heights of the Wrath of the Lich King days, although I would argue the potential still exists therein. Dormant franchises like StarCraft are waiting in the wings for a big-budget revival, and even classic games like Heroes of the Storm would likely have a new audience with the right business model and investment.

We haven't seen BlizzCon since 2023, as the firm now typically waits for a wider variety of announcements to coalesce before spinning up the event. As such, I'm expecting this year's BlizzCon to be perhaps its biggest and most important yet — in an age where competition for Blizzard's staples is also more aggressive than ever.

RELATED: How to watch BlizzCon 2026

Here are some spoiler-free hopes, dreams, speculations, and information about what to expect from Blizzard Entertainment's big show.

The big one: StarCraft at Blizzcon 2026

StarCraft is coming back this year, after a long period in cryostasis.

StarCraft is Blizzard's flagship sci-fi franchise, although it has been dormant since the conclusion of StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void back in 2015. If we're talking about major tentpole releases, the wait has been even longer.

StarCraft is set in a bleak future where humanity is besieged by futuristic Protoss and Alien-like infesting Zerg. StarCraft and Battle.net were both instrumental in legitimizing esports in general, particularly in Korea, where the game's demanding real-time strategic gameplay won over millions.

In the Activision era, former CEO Bobby Kotick preferred franchises that could reach mass mainstream audiences, and eschewed "niche" genres even if their fans were incredibly engaged. Now under Xbox, which arguably specializes in "niche," there's every chance we could see StarCraft see a bombastic revival.

The big reveal is most likely going to be the StarCraft shooter, first reported on by Bloomberg's Jason Schreier.

Blizzard has been hiring for an "open world shooter" for many years, seeking disciplinary expertise for vehicular gameplay and first- and third-person combat. I've personally seen some early test footage of the project Schreier first reported on, featuring playable Terran marines battling Zerg threats in what appears to be an open-world setting, complete with high-end visuals and cinematic campaign treatment.

It's unclear exactly what the finished product will be like, but I'm expecting and hoping for a full-blown co-op campaign with multiplayer PvE content, akin to Gears of War's new Siege mode, for example, or perhaps something broader like Helldivers 2. Schreier recently said on his podcast not to expect it to be an MMO-lite akin to Destiny, but StarCraft would surely be a ripe option for multiplayer PvE content on the side, or maybe even PvP content, pitting Protoss, human, and Zerg players against each other somehow.

Led by Far Cry alumni Dan Hay, I'm fully expecting StarCraft to lead the biggest announcements at the show, particularly since the StarCraft website mysteriously began "glitching out" recently.

I'm also curious if Blizzard plans to revive some of the StarCraft RTS games as well. Nexon has reportedly pitched to Blizzard to build a game within the StarCraft IP. I've heard rumors that Blackbird Interactive, which was a co-dev on Warcraft Remastered, might also be once again involved in Blizzard's classic RTS efforts — although perhaps that is for Warcraft itself again. Speaking of ...

Warcraft at BlizzCon 2026

Warcraft remains Blizzard's most visible franchise, more than likely, as the industry-leading subscription-based MMORPG enters its third decade.

I'm fully expecting that Blizzard will reveal not only the next major content patch for the current expansion, Midnight, but also give us the full rundown of The Last Titan.

World of Warcraft is in a bit of an odd place in my view, with something of an identity crisis. Warcraft's writing team seems intent on making it more "cozy" and appealing to broader audiences, at the cost of the franchise's historical bite and edge. Horde and Alliance faction war has been edited out of the story, and the game's writing in general has been a lot more "gentle" in recent times.

I've long thought World of Warcraft still has a ton of untapped potential to reach its old-school audience; whether that comes in the form of gameplay or story direction (or a combination of both) remains to be seen, but I'm expecting Blizzard to over-deliver for World of Warcraft in the near future. Why? Blizzard potentially has some serious competition looming on the horizon in the form of the League of Legends MMO, long in development at Riot Games. Final Fantasy 14 has also proven itself to be a viable alternative. Blizzard tends to do best when it has competitors biting at its heels.

Beyond World of Warcraft retail, there are strong rumors of a so-called "Classic+" reveal on the horizon.

Blizzard has been trying to deliver two separate experiences of WoW for some time, with the more RPG-leaning classic rendition of the game re-emerging as a separate experience. Fans of that gameplay style want something more, leading many to think that codename "Camelot" might represent a World of Warcraft Classic "prequel" of sorts, taking place in Azeroth's ancient history.

On top of that, there are also rumors that Blizzard might be exploring Warcraft's RTS roots again. A title, "Warcraft Chronicles," emerged alongside the Camelot codename, and given rumors I've heard about RTS aficionados Blackbird Interactive being on board with Blizzard again, perhaps we could see new expansions for Warcraft 3, or remakes of Warcraft 1 or 2 even.

It does seem like a general industry trend right now to bring new content to older games. Witcher 3 is getting a new expansion, for example, and Microsoft un-canceled expansions for Age of Empires II and III both, as the franchise finds a small but very passionate audience. I think new content for Blizzard's classic RTS games is something I personally highly expect, given what we've heard.

Overwatch, Diablo, and ... Heroes of the Storm?!

Finally, we have Overwatch and Diablo. Overwatch is arguably Blizzard's biggest franchise now, enjoyed by millions across the world. Blizzard's strategy of over-delivering a huge tranche of heroes all at once really helped Overwatch regain popularity, and remains one of the few big service games capable of tapping both Gen-Z and Millennial audiences in equal measure.

I'm expecting Overwatch to continue its upward trajectory with new hero announcements, and perhaps, finally, we'll see some form of transmedia announcement for the franchise. Overwatch's lore and characterization have received a ton of investment in recent months. What better way to top that off than a big-budget Netflix Anime or perhaps even an animated movie?

Speaking of, I'm also expecting Diablo to get the same transmedia treatment. I've been hearing for months that Diablo has a TV show in development. It's unclear whether it's at Netflix or Amazon or whoever else. Perhaps we'll see that revealed in full here at BlizzCon 2026, if it's indeed true.

I expect we'll also hear what's next for Diablo. One thing I've heard is that Blizzard wants the waiting time between tentpole Diablo launches to be shorter, although it's probably still too early for a reveal of Diablo 5 if I had to guess. It's more likely we'll see a big season reveal for Diablo 4, and if we're lucky, maybe more classic content for Diablo 2 like the recent Warlock DLC. This is one area where Blizzard could surprise me, though.

I'm not expecting a new Diablo 4 expansion right now, instead with resources flowing towards Diablo 5. But I could be wrong; I'm excited to find out what they're cooking here.

Beyond that, we'll likely get new content for Hearthstone (perhaps the long-awaited Monk class inclusion?), and I wouldn't be surprised if Blizzard also announces other new mobile game spin-offs from third parties, such as Overwatch Rush.

But what about ... Heroes of the Storm? Blizzard's long-dormant MOBA has been getting an uptick in love recently, with updates filtering through, and it even has some esports tournaments at BlizzCon this year as well. A little birdie has been teasing me that this upcoming weekend could be exciting for Heroes of the Storm fans ... what would it look like if Heroes of the Storm got a similar Overwatch-style multi-hero announcement?! Let me have my hopium ...

What do YOU want to see from BlizzCon 2026?

Blizzard is one of the game industry's most legendary outlets, on par with the likes of Nintendo. Few studios have managed to deliver so consistently for so long, creating so many millions of fans across such a wide variety of genres.

I have my issues with Blizzard's direction at times, particularly with World of Warcraft's writing, and the lack of love for games like StarCraft and Heroes of the Storm. BlizzCon is always an opportunity to see Blizzard addressing feedback, however. And we know that they can do it: Overwatch is proof that awesome games can be revived with the right amount of love and investment. Diablo 4 is proof that Blizzard can still deliver top-shelf story writing, too.

I'd love to see Heroes of the Storm get a console port to Xbox, PlayStation, and even Nintendo Switch. MOBAs absolutely can work on console, and with an eclectic cast of known characters, I think Heroes of the Storm could find a huge new audience, especially if they opened it up to third-party characters. Microsoft-owned characters like The Doom Slayer, Master Chief, and even weirder stuff like Banjo would be a perfect fit for the game in my view, even if some Heroes fans might consider it sacrilegious ... it hardly makes a ton of sense for Tracer to be fighting Deathwing in the first place, no?

Adding new content to Warcraft 3 or remaking classic RTS titles like StarCraft 1 or Warcraft 1 and 2 would also help the genre's resurgence. I'd love to see something surprising and new for Overwatch too, beyond new heroes, and I'm intrigued to see where Blizzard takes Diablo from here.

Either way, there's still so so much potential within Blizzard in my view, despite how big it already is. BlizzCon is becoming an industry event in its own right, now featuring content from third parties like CD Projekt RED for the first time. Could we eventually see it evolve to include even more games and franchises? It's exciting to think about.

Let me know what you want to see from BlizzCon 2026 in the comments. I'll be out there, so say hi if you see me!

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

It was probably inevitable eventually, but Xbox Cloud Gaming is joining NVIDIA and other platforms in putting hourly limits on its streaming service.

Xbox Cloud Gaming is a platform tied to Xbox Game Pass right now, giving you unlimited access to stream games from Game Pass as well as hundreds upon hundreds of digital games you own. In fact, thanks to Xbox's disc-to-digital program, you can now even play disc-based Xbox games you own if they're included in Xbox Cloud Gaming.

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Many users use Xbox Cloud Gaming on Xbox One to play current-gen Xbox Series X|S games that aren't available natively on older systems. It's also great for running games on laptops, tablets, and other devices that aren't powerful enough to run said titles natively.

Up until now, Xbox Cloud Gaming was unlimited, but Microsoft just announced that it will begin introducing limits.

The new hourly cloud gaming limits via Xbox Game Pass

"We recognize that introducing limits is a meaningful change, particularly for players who regularly spend more time gaming through the cloud," Microsoft said on Xbox Wire. "We expect this upcoming change to impact 4% of Game Pass subscribers. Once subscribers use their included hours, they will be able to purchase additional cloud playtime through the XBOX Store."

I'm told that the "additional cloud playtime" bundles will not have a "use by" expiry window once purchased, although Microsoft hasn't listed exactly how much these passes will cost as of yet.

Indeed, you will not need an Xbox Game Pass subscription to use these cloud playtime hours, which will grant you access to your own library of compatible Xbox Play Anywhere cloud games even if you don't fancy owning the Game Pass subscription.

"We’re introducing this model because the cost of providing cloud gaming grows as more people use it and play for longer," Microsoft explained. "Moving to monthly limits allows us to keep offering the service while continuing to invest in its reliability and performance."

"We understand that for some players the practical result is a higher cost. In November, we’ll provide more information about pricing, purchasing additional hours, eligible games, market availability, and how players can check their remaining time. We’ll listen closely to player feedback before and after the change takes effect and share any adjustments we make."

The RAMpocalypse is coming for cloud gaming, too

Microsoft has been long-rumored to be exploring an ad-based tier for Xbox Cloud Gaming and Xbox Game Pass in general. It's also true that the video ads business is incredibly tough, making me wonder if Microsoft decided to opt for this approach instead of trying to compete with Google / YouTube for video ad slots.

Indeed, many recent reports suggest that Twitch, despite being absolutely rammed with ads, is nowhere near profitable. What prayer would an ad-based Xbox Cloud Gaming tier have, given the monstrous amount of bandwidth required for Xbox Cloud Gaming video encoding?

The RAMpocalypse is impacting consumer electronics prices, but also cloud server prices too. Microsoft has reportedly joined NVIDIA and Google in earmarking 70% of Samsung's total DRAM output through to 2031. Unfortunately, I don't think a significant chunk of that memory is going towards gaming.

One advantage Xbox Cloud Gaming probably does have (at least in terms of Microsoft corporate politics) is that it does help keep cloud inference up — which in turn helps Microsoft justify infrastructure capital expenditure to shareholders. Xbox Cloud Gaming servers, while idle (at night, for example), can be used for training AI models potentially, which helps anchor Xbox's future in a corporation dominated by AI hype.

I suspect that introducing these limits now revolves around a plan to begin marketing Xbox Cloud Gaming more aggressively. If Microsoft ever did manage to find some form of mainstream breakthrough with Xbox Cloud Gaming, creating huge server queues (which we've seen in the past) wouldn't exactly represent a positive first-time experience for new players.

If Microsoft's goal is to form habits around Xbox Cloud Gaming in regions where console availability and affordability are low, ensuring a stable experience is obviously within their interests.

It remains to be seen if Xbox Cloud Gaming will ever be anything more than a niche kind of thing. It's useful for testing out games without installing them, but in most scenarios where you might want to use it, i.e., on a plane, on hotel Wi-Fi, or on a long-distance commute ... you're probably not going to have good enough internet speeds.

The laws of physics and the speed of light preclude Xbox Cloud Gaming from seeing any significant improvements from here, probably, but the upcoming direct-to-Wi-Fi Xbox controllers should offer a meaningful latency boost — if they ever actually come out.

It's a hot topic right now. With Xbox Helix and the PS6 threatening to be the most expensive consoles ever, perhaps even cloud gaming will end up too expensive to be worth it.

I'm tired of this AI stuff, mannnnnnnn.

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

Xbox's disc-to-digital program was revealed in full last week, and at first, it seemed too good to be true.

Codenamed Positron, Xbox's disc-to-digital program lets Xbox gamers unlock digital rights to physical games, including things like Xbox Cloud Gaming for streaming on the go, and Xbox Play Anywhere for entitlements on Windows PCs and gaming handhelds like the Xbox Ally.

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There's somewhat insanely no downsides whatsoever: simply insert the disc, claim the entitlement from the disc tile's menu, and boom. The game is now digitally attached to your account. If you sell the disc or pass it on, the digital license will transfer from your account to the new owner. You could claim it back too if they return it.

I'm told this was ultimately how the original Xbox DRM was supposed to work back in 2013, before bad messaging confused the situation and triggered a massive ill-informed backlash (which was ultimately Microsoft's own fault.)

Fast forward to 2026, and people are far more accepting of digital convenience, even as debates over digital rights continue to swirl. PlayStation announced that it will sunset physical discs entirely by 2028, and collectors are not happy. At least Xbox's 2013 DRM has served this system in 2026, Microsoft's manufacturing process for its game discs means that it's able to track rights from physical discs. It's unclear if PlayStation can match it at this time.

Either way, you might be wondering exactly how many games are available. XCT.Live (via IdleSloth) is compiling a database of every disc that is currently compatible with the program, and the list is already quit exhausted. Over 200 completely de-listed games work too, which is phenomenal news for game preservation purposes.

The full list of Xbox Disc-to-Digital games (so far)

1. 007 First Light
2. 7 Days to Die
3. 8 To Glory - The Official Game of the PBR
4. 8-Bit RTS Series
5. [PROTOTYPE]
6. A Plague Tale: Innocence (X1)
7. A Plague Tale: Requiem (Win)
8. A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead
9. Ad Infinitum
10. Adventure Time: Finn and Jake Investigations
11. Adventure Time: Pirates of the Enchiridion
12. AEW: Fight Forever
13. Agatha Christie - Death on the Nile
14. Agatha Christie - Hercule Poirot: The First Cases
15. Agatha Christie - The ABC Murders (X1)
16. Agents of Mayhem
17. Agony
18. AI: THE SOMNIUM FILES Nirvana Initiative
19. Airoheart
20. Alan Wake 2
21. Alan Wake: Remastered
22. Alex Kidd in Miracle World DX
23. Aliens: Fireteam Elite
24. Alone in the Dark (2024)
25. Amerzone - The Explorer's Legacy
26. Among Us
27. Anthem
28. Apex Legends
29. Arcadegeddon
30. ARK: Survival Evolved
31. Armello
32. ARSLAN: THE WARRIORS OF LEGEND
33. Arzette: The Jewel of Faramore
34. Ashes Cricket
35. Assetto Corsa
36. Asterix & Obelix Slap Them All! 2
37. Asterix & Obelix XXL3: The Crystal Menhir
38. ASTRONEER
39. Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration
40. Atari Flashback Classics Vol. 1
41. Atari Flashback Classics Vol. 2
42. Atari Flashback Classics Vol. 3
43. Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories & the Envisioned Land (SX)
44. Atlas Fallen: Reign of Sand (Win)
45. Atomic Heart
46. Attack on Titan
47. Attack on Titan 2
48. Aven Colony
49. AVICII Invector
50. Back 4 Blood
51. Back to the Future: The Game - 30th Anniversary Ed. (X1)
52. Baja: Edge of Control HD
53. Balatro
54. Baldur's Gate 3
55. Baldur's Gate and Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Ed.
56. Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden
57. Banner Saga 3
58. Barbie: Project Friendship
59. Batman: Arkham Knight
60. Batman: Return to Arkham - Arkham Asylum
61. Batman: Return to Arkham - Arkham City
62. Batman: The Telltale Series (X1)
63. Battle Chasers: Nightwar
64. Battleborn
65. Battlefield 1
66. Battlefield 2042 (SX)
67. Battlefield 2042 (X1)
68. Battlefield 6
69. Battlefield V
70. Battlefield: Hardline (X1)
71. Beast Quest
72. Ben 10
73. Beyond a Steel Sky
74. Biomutant
75. BioShock 2: Remastered
76. BioShock: Infinite - The Complete Ed.
77. BioShock: Remastered
78. Black Desert
79. Black Mirror
80. Blackguards 2
81. BLADESTORM: Nightmare
82. Blair Witch
83. Blasphemous 2
84. BlazBlue: Chronophantasma Extend
85. Bleeding Edge
86. Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night (X1)
87. Bomb Rush Cyberfunk
88. Borderlands 2 (X1)
89. Borderlands 3
90. Borderlands 4
91. Borderlands: Game of the Year Ed.
92. Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel (X1)
93. Bramble: The Mountain King
94. Bridge Constructor: Portal
95. Brothers: a Tale of Two Sons (X1)
96. Bulletstorm: Full Clip Ed.
97. Burnout Paradise: Remastered
98. Bus Simulator 21 Next Stop
99. Cabela’s African Adventures
100. Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare (X1)
101. Call of Duty: Black Ops 4
102. Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
103. Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War (X1)
104. Call of Duty: Black Ops III (X1)
105. Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare (X1)
106. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (X1)
107. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered (X1)
108. Call of Duty: Vanguard (X1)
109. Call of Duty: WWII (X1)
110. Capcom Arcade 2nd Stadium
111. Carmageddon: Max Damage
112. Carnival Games
113. Cars 3: Driven to Win (X1)
114. Cartoon Network: Battle Crashers
115. Castlevania Advance Collection
116. Castlevania Dominus Collection
117. CHAOS;CHILD
118. Charon's Staircase
119. Chicken Run: Eggstraction
120. Chronos: Before the Ashes
121. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
122. Clash: Artifacts of Chaos
123. Classified: France '44
124. Clock Tower: Rewind
125. Company of Heroes 3
126. Conan Exiles
127. Construction Simulator
128. Constructor
129. Contra: Operation Galuga
130. CONTRA: ROGUE CORPS
131. Control (X1)
132. Control Ultimate Edition (SX)
133. Crackdown 3: Campaign
134. Crash Bandicoot: N. Sane Trilogy
135. Crayola Scoot
136. Cricket 24: The Official Game of the Ashes (X1)
137. Crimson Desert
138. Cris Tales
139. Crysis 2 Remastered
140. Crysis 3 Remastered
141. Crysis Remastered
142. Cuisineer
143. Cuphead
144. Cyberpunk 2077
145. CYGNI: All Guns Blazing
146. Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion
147. Danger Zone 2
148. Dangerous Driving
149. Darksiders Genesis (X1)
150. Darksiders II Deathinitive Ed.
151. Darksiders III (X1)
152. Darksiders Warmastered Ed.
153. DARQ Ultimate Ed.
154. Day of the Tentacle: Remastered
155. DC League of Super-Pets: The Adventures of Krypto and Ace
156. DC's Justice League: Cosmic Chaos
157. DCL-The Game
158. de Blob
159. de Blob 2
160. Dead Alliance: Multiplayer Ed.
161. Dead Island 2 (X1)
162. Dead Island: Definitive Ed.
163. DEAD OR ALIVE 5 Last Round: Core Fighters
164. DEAD OR ALIVE 6: Core Fighters
165. Dead Rising (X1)
166. Dead Rising 2 (X1)
167. Dead Rising 4 (X1)
168. Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster
169. Dead Space
170. Deadlight: Director's Cut
171. Deadpool (X1)
172. DEATHLOOP
173. Deformers
174. Deliver Us The Moon
175. Demon Turf
176. Desperados III
177. Destroy All Humans!
178. Destroy All Humans! 2 - Reprobed
179. Devil May Cry 5
180. Devil May Cry 5 Special Ed.
181. Devil May Cry HD Collection
182. Diablo III: Reaper of Souls – Ultimate Evil Ed.
183. Diablo IV
184. DiRT 4
185. DIRT 5
186. DiRT Rally
187. Disciples: Liberation
188. Disco Elysium - The Final Cut
189. Dishonored 2 (X1)
190. Dishonored: Death of the Outsider (X1)
191. Dishonored: Definitive Ed. (X1)
192. Disney Classic Games: Aladdin and The Lion King
193. Disney Dreamlight Valley
194. Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed
195. Disney Illusion Island
196. Disney Infinity 3.0 (X1)
197. Disneyland Adventures (X1)
198. Divinity: Original Sin - Enhanced Ed.
199. Divinity: Original Sin 2 - Definitive Ed.
200. DmC Devil May Cry: Definitive Ed.
201. Doctor Who: The Edge of Reality
202. Doctor Who: The Lonely Assassins
203. Dolmen
204. Don Bradman Cricket
205. DOOM
206. DOOM + DOOM II
207. DOOM 64
208. DOOM Eternal (X1)
209. DOOM: The Dark Ages
210. Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons
211. Dragon Age: Inquisition (X1)
212. Dragon Age: The Veilguard
213. Dragon's Dogma 2
214. Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen
215. DreamWorks Dragons Dawn of New Riders
216. DREDGE
217. Dungeons 3
218. Dying Light
219. Dying Light 2: Stay Human - Reloaded Ed.
220. DYNASTY WARRIORS 8 Empires
221. DYNASTY WARRIORS 9
222. DYNASTY WARRIORS 9 Empires
223. DYNASTY WARRIORS: ORIGINS
224. EA SPORTS College Football 25
225. EA SPORTS College Football 26
226. EA SPORTS FC 25 (X1)
227. EA SPORTS FIFA 17
228. EA SPORTS FIFA 20
229. EA SPORTS NHL 16
230. EA SPORTS Rory McIlroy PGA TOUR
231. Earthfall
232. Earthlock: Festival of Magic
233. eFootball PES 2020
234. eFootball PES 2021 SEASON UPDATE
235. Elex
236. ELEX II
237. Endling - Extinction is Forever
238. Enotria: The Last Song
239. EVERSPACE 2
240. Evil Dead: The Game
241. Evil Genius 2: World Domination
242. Evil West
243. Evolve
244. Exoprimal
245. Extinction
246. F1 2015
247. F1 2016
248. F1 2017
249. F1 2018 (X1)
250. F1 2019 (X1)
251. F1 2020
252. F1 2021
253. F1 22
254. F1 23
255. Fallen Legion Revenants
256. Fallen Legion: Rise to Glory
257. Farming Simulator 15 (X1)
258. FATAL FRAME II: Crimson Butterfly REMAKE
259. FATAL FURY: City of the Wolves
260. FIFA 15 (X1)
261. FIFA 16 (X1)
262. FIFA 21 (X1)
263. FIFA 22 (SX)
264. FIFA 22 (X1)
265. FIFA 23 (X1)
266. Firefighters: Airport Fire Department
267. Fishing Sim World: Pro Tour (X1)
268. Five Nights at Freddy's
269. Five Nights at Freddy's 2
270. Five Nights at Freddy's 3
271. Five Nights at Freddy's 4
272. Five Nights at Freddy's Into the Pit
273. Five Nights at Freddy's: Security Breach
274. Five Nights at Freddy's: Sister Location
275. Flashback 2
276. FlatOut 4: Total Insanity
277. Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn
278. Fortnite
279. Forza Horizon 4
280. Friday the 13th: The Game
281. FRONT MISSION 1st: Remake
282. FRONT MISSION 2: Remake
283. Frostpunk (X1)
284. Funko Fusion
285. G.I. Joe: Operation Blackout
286. Game of Thrones - The Telltale Series (X1)
287. Gears 5
288. Gears of War 4
289. Gears of War: Ultimate Ed.
290. Gears Tactics
291. Generation Zero
292. Gex Trilogy
293. Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed Ecto Ed.
294. Ghostbusters: The Video Game Remastered
295. Ghostbusters
296. Ghostrunner
297. Ghostrunner 2
298. Goat Simulator (X1)
299. Goat Simulator 3
300. God of Rock
301. Gotham Knights
302. Gothic Classic
303. GRADIUS ORIGINS
304. Grand Theft Auto III – The Definitive Ed.
305. Grand Theft Auto V (X1)
306. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas – The Definitive Ed.
307. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City – The Definitive Ed.
308. Grandia HD Collection
309. Gravel
310. GreedFall
311. GRID
312. Grim Fandango Remastered
313. Grounded
314. Hades
315. Halo 5: Guardians
316. Halo Infinite
317. Halo Wars 2
318. Halo: The Master Chief Collection
319. Halo: The Master Chief Collection (China)
320. Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions
321. Harvest Moon: One World
322. Harvest Moon: The Winds of Anthos
323. Has-Been Heroes
324. Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice (X1)
325. Hello Neighbor
326. Hello Neighbor 2
327. Hello Neighbor: Hide and Seek
328. Hi-Fi RUSH
329. High On Life
330. High On Life 2
331. HITMAN 3
332. HITMAN 2
333. Hogwarts Legacy (X1)
334. Hogwarts Legacy (SX)
335. Homefront: The Revolution
336. Hot Wheels Let's Race: Ultimate Speed
337. HOT WHEELS UNLEASHED
338. HOT WHEELS UNLEASHED 2 - Turbocharged
339. HOTEL BARCELONA
340. Hotel Transylvania 3: Monsters Overboard
341. House Flipper 2
342. Human Fall Flat
343. Immortal: Unchained
344. Immortals of Aveum
345. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
346. Indivisible (X1)
347. Industry Giant 2
348. Infinite Air with Mark McMorris
349. Injustice 2 (X1)
350. INSIDE
351. Iron Harvest: Complete Ed.
352. John Carpenter's Toxic Commando
353. John Wick Hex
354. JoJo Siwa: Worldwide Party
355. Journey to the Savage Planet (X1)
356. Jumanji: The Video Game
357. Jumanji: Wild Adventures
358. Jurassic World Evolution
359. Jurassic World Evolution 2
360. Jurassic World Evolution 3
361. Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth
362. Kena: Bridge of Spirits
363. KeyWe
364. Killer Frequency
365. Killer Instinct
366. Killing Floor 2
367. Kingdom Come: Deliverance (X1)
368. Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
369. Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning
370. Kung Fu Panda Showdown of Legendary Legends
371. L.A. Noire (X1)
372. Legacy of Kain Soul Reaver 1&2 Remastered
373. LEGO 2K Drive
374. LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham (X1)
375. LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight
376. LEGO CITY Undercover
377. LEGO DC Super-Villains
378. LEGO Dimensions (X1)
379. LEGO Harry Potter Collection (SX)
380. LEGO Harry Potter Collection (X1)
381. LEGO Jurassic World (X1)
382. LEGO Marvel Super Heroes
383. LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2
384. LEGO Marvel's Avengers (X1)
385. LEGO Party!
386. LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens (X1)
387. LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga
388. LEGO The Incredibles
389. LEGO Worlds
390. LEGO Brawls
391. Let's Build a Zoo
392. Let's Sing 2022
393. Let's Sing 2024
394. Let's Sing 2026
395. Let's Sing Country
396. Lichdom: Battlemage
397. Lies of P
398. LOLLIPOP CHAINSAW RePOP
399. Looney Tunes: Wacky World of Sports
400. Lords of the Fallen (2014)
401. Lords of the Fallen (2024)
402. LUNAR Remastered Collection
403. Mad Max
404. Madden NFL 16 (X1)
405. Madden NFL 17 (X1)
406. Madden NFL 18
407. Madden NFL 19
408. Madden NFL 21 (X1)
409. Madden NFL 23 All Madden Ed. (X1) (SX)
410. Mafia II: Definitive Ed.
411. Mafia III
412. Mafia: Definitive Ed. (X1)
413. Mafia: The Old Country
414. Maneater
415. MARVEL Cosmic Invasion
416. Marvel Pinball Epic Collection Vol. 1
417. Marvel's Midnight Suns (SX)
418. Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy: The Telltale Series (X1)
419. Mass Effect: Andromeda
420. Mass Effect: Legendary Ed.
421. Matchbox Driving Adventures
422. Mato Anomalies
423. Mega Man 11
424. Mega Man Legacy Collection 2
425. Mega Man X Legacy Collection
426. Mega Man X Legacy Collection 2
427. Mega Man Zero/ZX Legacy Collection
428. Mega Man Legacy Collection
429. METAL GEAR & METAL GEAR 2: Solid Snake
430. Metal Gear Solid - Master Collection Version
431. Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty - Master Collection Version
432. Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater - Master Collection Version
433. METAL GEAR SOLID 4: Guns of the Patriots - Master Collection Version
434. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain (X1)
435. Metal Gear Solid Δ: Snake Eater
436. METAL GEAR SOLID: Peace Walker - Master Collection Version
437. Metal Gear Survive
438. Metal Slug Tactics
439. Metro Redux
440. Micro Machines World Series
441. Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor - Game of the Year Ed.
442. Middle-earth: Shadow of War
443. Mighty No. 9
444. MindsEye
445. Minecraft (X1)
446. Minecraft Dungeons
447. Minecraft Legends
448. Minecraft: Story Mode (X1)
449. Minecraft: Story Mode - Season 2 (X1)
450. Minecraft: (X1) Ed.
451. Mirror's Edge: Catalyst
452. MLB The Show 21
453. MLB The Show 22
454. MLB The Show 24
455. MLB The Show 25
456. Monster Crown
457. Monster Energy Supercross - The Official Videogame 4
458. Monster High Skulltimate Secrets
459. Monster Hunter Wilds
460. MONSTER HUNTER: WORLD
461. Monster Jam Steel Titans
462. Monster Jam: Crush It!
463. Mortal Kombat 11
464. Mortal Kombat X
465. Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection
466. Mortal Kombat 1
467. Mortal Shell: Enhanced Ed.
468. MOTHERGUNSHIP
469. Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord
470. MOUSE: P.I. For Hire
471. Moving Out
472. Moving Out 2
473. Mutant Football League
474. Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden
475. MX vs ATV All Out
476. MX vs ATV Legends
477. MX vs. ATV Supercross Encore
478. MXGP2
479. MXX
480. MY LITTLE PONY: A Maretime Bay Adventure
481. My Time At Portia
482. My Time at Sandrock
483. MySims
484. MySims Kingdom
485. NASCAR Heat 2
486. NASCAR Heat 4
487. NASCAR Heat 5
488. NASCAR Heat Evolution
489. NBA 2K15 (X1)
490. NBA 2K16 (X1)
491. NBA 2K17 (X1)
492. NBA 2K19
493. NBA 2K20
494. NBA 2K21 (X1)
495. NBA 2K22 (X1)
496. NBA 2K23 (X1)
497. NBA 2K24 (X1)
498. NBA 2K25 (X1)
499. NBA 2K26 (SX)
500. NBA BOUNCE
501. Necromunda: Hired Gun
502. Need for Speed
503. Need for Speed: Heat
504. Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit Remastered
505. Need for Speed: Payback
506. Need for Speed: Unbound
507. Neptunia Game Maker R:Evolution
508. Neptunia: Sisters VS Sisters
509. NERF Legends
510. Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Ed.
511. New Tales from the Borderlands
512. NHL 19
513. NHL 20
514. NHL 15 Full Game
515. NHL 21 Great Eight Ed.
516. Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl
517. Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2
518. Nickelodeon Kart Racers
519. Nickelodeon Kart Racers 2: Grand Prix
520. Nickelodeon Kart Racers 3: Slime Speedway
521. Nicktoons & The Dice of Destiny
522. NINJA GAIDEN 4
523. No Man's Sky
524. No More Heroes 3 (X1)
525. No Place Like Home
526. No Straight Roads
527. Northgard
528. Now That's What I Call Sing 2
529. Now That’s What I Call Sing
530. Observer: System Redux
531. OCCULTIC;NINE
532. Oddworld: Soulstorm Enhanced Ed.
533. OK K.O.! Let's Play Heroes
534. ONRUSH
535. Ori and the Blind Forest: Definitive Ed.
536. Ori and the Will of the Wisps
537. Outcast - A New Beginning
538. Outlast
539. Outlast 2
540. Overcooked! All You Can Eat
541. Overwatch
542. Painkiller
543. Paleo Pines
544. Past Cure
545. Pathfinder: Kingmaker - Definitive Ed.
546. PAW Patrol The Movie: Adventure City Calls
547. Paw Patrol: On a Roll
548. PAYDAY 2: CRIMEWAVE ED.
549. PAYDAY 3
550. Pentiment
551. Peppa Pig: World Adventures
552. PGA TOUR 2K25
553. Phantom Breaker: Battle Grounds Ultimate
554. Phar Lap - Horse Racing Challenge
555. Pharaonic
556. Phoenix Point
557. Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire (X1)
558. Pillars of Eternity: Complete Ed.
559. PJ Masks: Heroes of the Night
560. Planet Coaster: Console Ed.
561. Plants vs. Zombies: Battle for Neighborville
562. Plants vs. Zombies Garden Warfare 2
563. Plumbers Don't Wear Ties: Definitive Ed.
564. Police Simulator: Patrol Officers
565. Port Royale 4
566. Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid
567. PRAGMATA
568. Prey (X1)
569. Pro Evolution Soccer 2015
570. Pro Evolution Soccer 2016
571. Pro Evolution Soccer 2017
572. PRO EVOLUTION SOCCER 2018
573. PRO EVOLUTION SOCCER 2019
574. Professional Farmer 2017
575. Project Cars
576. Project Highrise: Architect's Ed.
577. Project Spark
578. Promenade
579. Prototype 2
580. PSYCHO-PASS MANDATORY HAPPINESS
581. Psychonauts 2
582. Quake
583. Quake 2 (2023)
584. R-Type Final 2
585. R.B.I. Baseball 16
586. Race with Ryan
587. RAGE 2 (X1)
588. RAID: World War II
589. Raiden III x MIKADO MANIAX
590. Raiden IV x MIKADO remix
591. Rare Replay
592. REANIMAL
593. ReCore
594. Red Dead Redemption 2
595. Red Faction Guerrilla Re-Mars-tered
596. Redfall
597. Redout 2
598. Redout: Lightspeed Ed.
599. Remothered: Broken Porcelain
600. Remothered: Tormented Fathers
601. Resident Evil (X1)
602. Resident Evil 0 (X1)
603. Resident Evil 2
604. Resident Evil 4 (2023)
605. Resident Evil 4 (X1)
606. Resident Evil 5 (X1)
607. Resident Evil 6 (X1)
608. Resident Evil 7: Biohazard
609. Resident Evil 7: Biohazard (Japan)
610. Resident Evil: Requiem
611. Resident Evil: Revelations (X1)
612. Resident Evil: Revelations 2 (X1)
613. Resident Evil: Village
614. Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy
615. RetroRealms Arcade
616. Return to Monkey Island
617. RICO London
618. RIDE
619. Ride 2
620. RiME
621. Risk of Rain
622. Risk of Rain 2
623. RoboCop: Rogue City
624. RoboCop: Rogue City - Unfinished Business
625. Rock Band 4
626. Rocket Arena
627. Rocket League
628. Rogue Trooper Redux
629. Roman Rumble in Las Vegum - Asterix & Obelix XXL 2
630. Rugby 15
631. Rugby League Live 4
632. Rugby World Cup 2015
633. Rush: A Disney/Pixar Adventure (X1)
634. Rustler
635. RWBY: Arrowfell
636. S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl
637. Saints Row
638. Saints Row IV: Re-Elected (X1)
639. Saints Row: Gat out of Hell (X1)
640. Saints Row: The Third - Remastered
641. SAMURAI SHODOWN (Standard Ver.)
642. SAMURAI WARRIORS 5
643. Scar-Lead Salvation
644. Scars Above
645. Scott Pilgrim EX
646. Screamer
647. ScreamRide (X1)
648. Scribblenauts Showdown
649. Sea of Stars: Sunset Ed.
650. Sea of Thieves
651. Session: Skate Sim
652. Severed Steel
653. Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun
654. Shadow Warrior
655. Shadows of Doubt
656. Shadows: Awakening
657. Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution
658. Shaq Fu: A Legend Reborn
659. Shenmue
660. Shenmue II
661. Sherlock Holmes: The Devil's Daughter
662. Shi In
663. Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove (X1)
664. Sid Meier's Civilization VI
665. Sid Meier's Civilization VII (SX)
666. Sifu
667. SILENT HILL f
668. Sine Mora EX
669. Skull Island: Rise of Kong
670. Skylanders Imaginators
671. Skylanders SuperChargers Portal Owner's Pack
672. Slay The Spire
673. Slime Rancher
674. Slime Rancher 2
675. Sniper Elite 4
676. Sniper Elite 5
677. Sniper Elite V2 Remastered
678. Sniper Elite: Resistance
679. SNIPER Ghost Warrior 3
680. Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts
681. Snooker 19
682. Song of the Deep
683. Sophstar
684. Soulstice
685. SOUTH PARK: SNOW DAY!
686. SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom - Rehydrated (X1)
687. SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake
688. SpongeBob SquarePants: The Patrick Star Game
689. SpongeBob SquarePants: Titans of the Tide
690. Spyro: Reignited Trilogy
691. Squirrel with a Gun
692. Star Trek Prodigy: Supernova
693. Star Trek: Resurgence
694. Star Wars - Episode I: Jedi Power Battles
695. Star Wars - Jedi: Fallen Order
696. Star Wars - Jedi: Survivor
697. STAR WARS Zero Company
698. Star Wars: Squadrons
699. STAR WARS Battlefront
700. STAR WARS Battlefront II
701. STAR WARS: Bounty Hunter
702. Stardew Valley (X1)
703. Starfield
704. Starship Troopers: Extermination
705. State of Decay 2: Juggernaut Ed.
706. State of Mind
707. Steelrising - Standard Ed.
708. Stern Pinball Arcade
709. Steven Universe: Save the Light
710. STORY OF SEASONS: A Wonderful Life
711. Strange Brigade
712. Stray
713. Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection
714. Street Fighter 6
715. Street Outlaws: The List
716. Street Power Soccer
717. Streets of Rage 4
718. Stubbs the Zombie in Rebel Without a Pulse
719. Styx: Shards of Darkness
720. Subnautica
721. Subnautica: Below Zero
722. Sudden Strike 4 - European Battlefields Ed.
723. Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League
724. Suikoden I&II HD Remaster Gate Rune and Dunan Unification Wars
725. Sunset Overdrive (X1)
726. SUPER BOMBERMAN R
727. SUPER BOMBERMAN R 2
728. Super Lucky's Tale
729. Surviving Mars (X1)
730. Syberia - The World Before
731. Syberia 3
732. System Shock
733. Sébastien Loeb Rally EVO
734. Tales from the Borderlands - A Telltale Games Series (X1)
735. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Arcade: Wrath of the Mutants
736. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge
737. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection
738. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutants in Manhattan
739. Tempest 4000
740. Temtem
741. Tennis World Tour
742. Terminator 2D: NO FATE
743. TERMINATOR: RESISTANCE
744. Terraria
745. Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown
746. The Addams Family: Mansion Mayhem
747. The Banner Saga
748. The Banner Saga 2
749. The Book of Unwritten Tales 2
750. The Callisto Protocol
751. The Chant
752. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered
753. The Elder Scrolls Online
754. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Ed. (X1)
755. The Elf on the Shelf: Christmas Heroes
756. The Escapists
757. The Eternal Cylinder
758. The Evil Within (X1)
759. The Evil Within 2 (X1)
760. The Falconeer
761. The First Berserker: Khazan
762. The Grinch: Christmas Adventures
763. The Inner World - The Last Wind Monk
764. The Invisible Hours
765. The Jackbox Party Pack 7
766. The Karate Kid: Street Rumble
767. THE KING OF FIGHTERS XV (SX)
768. The Knight Witch
769. The Last Kids on Earth and the Staff of Doom
770. The Last Stand: Aftermath
771. The LEGO Movie Videogame (X1)
772. The LEGO NINJAGO Movie Video Game
773. The Medium
774. The Occupation
775. The Precinct
776. The Quarry (SX)
777. The Riftbreaker
778. The Sims 4
779. The Smurfs - Mission Vileaf
780. The Surge (X1)
781. The Survivalists
782. The Technomancer
783. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (X1)
784. The Town of Light
785. The Unicorn Princess
786. The Voice
787. The Voice, la plus belle voix
788. The Walking Dead Collection - The Telltale Series
789. The Walking Dead: Season 2 (X1)
790. The Walking Dead: The Final Season (X1)
791. The Walking Dead: The Telltale Definitive Series
792. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
793. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Complete Ed.
794. The Wolf Among Us
795. theHunter: Call of the Wild (X1)
796. Them's Fightin' Herds
797. This Is the Police
798. This War of Mine: The Little Ones
799. Thymesia
800. Tiny Tina's Wonderlands (SX)
801. Titan Quest
802. Titanfall 2
803. Tomb Raider I-III Remastered Starring Lara Croft
804. Tony Stewart's All-American Racing
805. Tony Stewart's Sprint Car Racing
806. TopSpin 2K25 (SX)
807. Torment: Tides of Numenera
808. Tour de France 2016
809. Tower of Guns: Special Ed.
810. TRANSFORMERS: BATTLEGROUNDS
811. TRANSFORMERS: Galactic Trials
812. TRANSFORMERS: Devastation
813. Trepang2
814. Trine 2: Complete Story
815. Trine 3: The Artifacts of Power
816. Trine 4: The Nightmare Prince
817. Trine 5: A Clockwork Conspiracy
818. Trine Enchanted Ed.
819. Troll & I
820. Tropico 5 - Penultimate Ed.
821. Tropico 6 - Next Gen Ed.
822. TUNIC
823. Turok
824. Turok 2: Seeds of Evil
825. Turok 3: Shadow of Oblivion Remastered
826. TY the Tasmanian Tiger HD
827. UFO ROBOT GRENDIZER – The Feast of the Wolves
828. Ufouria: The Saga 2
829. UglyDolls: An Imperfect Adventure
830. Undertale
831. Unravel
832. Unravel 2
833. Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2
834. Vampyr (X1)
835. Victor Vran
836. Vikings - Wolves of Midgard
837. Wanted: Dead
838. Warhammer 40,000: Inquisitor - Martyr
839. Warhammer: Chaosbane (X1)
840. Warhammer: End Times - Vermintide
841. Warhammer: Vermintide 2
842. WARHAMMER 40,000: Darktide
843. WARHAMMER 40,000: Mechanicus
844. WARHAMMER 40,000: Space Marine 2
845. WARRIORS OROCHI 4
846. Wasteland 2: Director's Cut
847. We Happy Few
848. Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? (2020)
849. Wild Hearts
850. Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty
851. Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus (X1)
852. Wolfenstein: The Old Blood (X1)
853. Wolfenstein: Youngblood (X1)
854. World War Z (X1)
855. Worms W.M.D
856. Wreckfest (X1)
857. Wreckreation
858. WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers
859. WWE 2K Battlegrounds
860. WWE 2K15 (X1)
861. WWE 2K16 (X1)
862. WWE 2K17 (X1)
863. WWE 2K18
864. WWE 2K19
865. WWE 2K20
866. WWE 2K22 (SX)
867. WWE 2K22 (X1)
868. WWE 2K23 (X1)
869. WWE 2K24
870. XCOM 2
871. Xenon Racer
872. XIII
873. Xuan Yuan Sword 7
874. Yooka-Laylee (X1)
875. Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair (X1)
876. Yooka-Replaylee
877. You Suck at Parking Complete Ed.
878. Ziggurat
879. Zombie Army 4: Dead War
880. Zombie Army Trilogy
881. Zoo Tycoon: Ultimate Animal Collection
882. Zorro The Chronicles (SX)
883. ŌKAMI HD

A huge win for game preservation

The disc-to-digital program is currently available to Xbox Insiders in the Alpha and Alpha-Skip Ahead rings, and it already seems to be fully functional without any issues generally. I expect it'll roll out more broadly in the coming weeks, and then go live publicly probably by October 2026.

Some major publishers are currently not involved in the program, including Sega, Square Enix, Bandai Namco, and Ubisoft. Microsoft is likely working through the legalese with these publishers before some of them come online, but it's also possible that some of these publishers would rather you buy the game twice than enjoy benefits on content you already own.

Ubisoft in particularly has been painfully resistant to supporting things like Xbox Play Anywhere, opting instead to push its own Ubisoft Connect PC platform. It has given some Ubisoft games free licenses for Xbox owners on PC, but they don't come with Xbox Achievements and the like, which is irritating.

It's fantastic to see that Xbox is standardizing how physical discs should operate in the digital-first era ... it just came too little too late. Perhaps if this had been the default from 2013 onwards, disc-based gaming wouldn't be heading the scrapheap as quickly as it is now.

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Many will probably remember 2026 as the year Grand Theft Auto 6 launched, but for me, I'll remember it as The Year of Capcom.

Huge updates to Monster Hunter Wilds, bangers like Resident Evil 9 and Pragmata, a huge expansion for Dragon's Dogma 2, and now the revival of the classic Onimusha franchise make for one of Capcom's most productive years, maybe ever.

I've been playing Onimusha: Way of the Sword (Xbox, starting at $69.99) for the past couple of weeks on Xbox Series X for this review, and I'd already previewed the game a couple of times leading up to this. I admit I don't have much experience with the franchise in general, but I'd say that's probably true for a lot of people trying it out in 2026.

There are tons of high-quality samurai games out there in this day and age. Can Capcom compete with the best of them and stand out in what is arguably a pretty busy crowd? Can Onimusha revitalize the franchise for a modern audience and stay true to what veterans are expecting? Here are my thoughts.

Onimusha: Way of the Sword launches on September 4, 2026, for Xbox Series X|S, PS5, Steam, and Xbox PC (with Play Anywhere). This review was conducted mainly on Xbox Series X

Onimusha: Way of the Sword review — Story, setting, and art

Set in the twilight of the Sengoku period in Japan, Onimusha has generally revolved around historical swordsmen dropped into a fantastical, horror-tinged setting.

Onimusha was originally envisioned as a "ninja" version of Resident Evil, complete with tank controls and fixed camera angles. The original game was re-released in HD for Xbox recently, and it's actually pretty good if you have some old-school Resident Evil nostalgia. Onimusha: Way of the Sword is quite a different beast, though.

In Way of the Sword, you play as historical legendary swordsman Miyamoto Musashi, who is believed to have never lost a duel. Musashi's presentation in Onimusha is perhaps the game's biggest triumph: powered by RE Engine, Musashi is incredibly expressive, making his characterization particularly infectious. His cocky, almost comedically arrogant attitude leads the game's story delivery with similar confidence and also gives him a lot of room for character development throughout.

Set in Kyoto, Musashi is humbled early on as demonic Genma forces manifest and launch attacks on the surrounding villages and town center. Revived from the dead as an Onimusha, Musashi reluctantly takes charge of his new role as demon slayer, with the goal of preventing the permanent sundering of the veil between reality and the underworld.

Musashi is supported by an eclectic cast of interesting characters with great designs and similarly expressive delivery. But what really shone for me above all was the antagonistic characters. The demonic Dokyo does some absolutely heinous experiments on innocent townsfolk, and the hilariously creepy Genryu stalked Musashi, desperate to prove himself. One-off boss battles also enjoy top-tier characterization in ways many other similar games often neglect, giving those duel-style boss battles high stakes and memorable conclusions.

I'm not sure the overarching plot of Onimusha: Way of the Sword will be remembered as a true classic, but the visual treatment, characters, and setting are designed primarily to feed its infectious hack-and-slash gameplay — which is every bit as thoughtful and high-quality as modern Capcom is now known for.

Onimusha: Way of the Sword review — Gameplay

This is a weird and complicated segment to write in some ways, and it reminds me of my Monster Hunter Wilds review from last year. There are things in Onimusha: Way of the Sword that Capcom nails spectacularly well, but there are also areas where they've really dropped the ball — and weirdly, it's similar pitfalls that I saw in Monster Hunter Wilds.

First, the good stuff. Onimusha's swordplay combat is absolutely spectacular and incredibly nuanced. It's often about playing defensively, where parries and dodges deliver the best form of offense over simply hack-and-slash. A well-timed parry will devastate an enemy's stamina meter, leaving them open for a spectacular dismembering attack, which can slice enemies cleanly in half. This extends even further to boss battles.

Oftentimes there are multiple different ways to interact with enemies. Some might have armor that needs to be broken; some attacks aren't blockable with regular parries and need to be deflected. Some attacks can't be blocked and need to be dodged. Learning when and how to react forms the basis of finding victory over more dangerous opponents, and the volume of unique and memorable bosses in Onimusha is generally impressive. This isn't a soulslike, but you will find yourself dying a couple of times (or more) on some of the harder bosses to learn their patterns.

The big bads can often be found at the end of well-designed linear segments that function similarly to how dungeons might in other games. These areas are well-paced, sprinkled with story beats, unique music, and set pieces. It's the connective tissue between these areas that really let Onimusha down for me.

The "overworld" is an open-world map based on ancient Kyoto. It's an urban area with dense streets and pathways, with a needlessly frustrating, sometimes headache-inducing approach to map design.

There's a huge amount of needless gating throughout the open world, making exploration painful. An area might be blocked off by a wall that might be climbable in one area, but inexplicably un-climbable in another. "This door doesn't open from this side" is scattered throughout, even as the mini-map pings you for treasure on the other side, leading you on a wild goose chase to find the arbitrarily "correct" entrance to a walled-off area that, visually, should be easily passable.

Sadly, you can't really ignore the "open world" gameplay, since upgrades require all manner of random bits and bobs like pieces of cloth and leather. Finding these around the open world is an absolute chore owing to all the random blocks, gates, and arbitrary barriers that simply frustrate and harm the pacing.

Onimusha might've been better had it had no open world whatsoever and stuck to being simply linear, or using a more Resident Evil-style maze-like layout. The game plays far better every time you escape the pain of the open world and its chore-like upgrade system, which is a shame.

It's not enough to prevent Onimusha's best aspects from shining through. Those boss battles are incredibly fun and rewarding, the story delivery is interesting and engaging, and the overall treatment makes for a game well worth your time. But man, Capcom in general needs to rethink its approach to "open world" gameplay, or perhaps better yet, not even try.

Onimusha: Way of the Sword review — Conclusion

Onimusha is let down by its open-world design, but the high points are so high that it isn't held back by its less favorable connective tissue.

Musashi is a great character who I hope we see more of, even if Onimusha games generally swap to new protagonists across each new game. Capcom's RE Engine absolutely shines here, with top-tier visuals, presentation, digital character acting, and nuanced and detailed combat.

Onimusha is launching in an incredibly busy window as developers of all sizes flee to avoid GTA 6's launch, but it is without a doubt one of the top-flight titles of the season. If you love Onimusha or action-oriented samurai games in general, and want something that avoids the stress of a soulslike while still being suitably challenging — this is absolutely

Onimusha: Way of the Sword launches on September 4, 2026 for Xbox Series X|S, PS5, and PC. It comes with Xbox Play Anywhere for Windows PCs and handhelds, too.

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Xbox's long awaited disc-to-digital program is here, and I just went hands on.

Available now to Xbox Insiders in the Alpha Skip-Ahead and Alpha rings, users can immediately receive digital entitlement on hundreds upon hundreds of Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S titles without any additional effort or work.

The program formerly codenamed "Positron" leaked as part of code snippets from the Xbox Cloud Gaming web interface. It was later confirmed by Tom Warren at The Verge, and at the time, many thought it was too good to be true.

The way it works is incredibly simple.

1. Insert a compatible Xbox One or Xbox Series X disc into your Xbox Series X.
2. Select the disc tile with the menu button on your dashboard, and select "Claim Digital License." Alternatively, running the game from the disc will also automatically claim the license too.

3. If compatible, a toast message will inform you that digital entitlements have been unlocked, along with an explanation of how it works.
4. You can now remove the disc and put it back on your shelf!
5. You can now install the game from your library without the disc too, and it'll have a symbol on it denoting that it was claimed from a disc.
6. With the digital entitlement unlocked, you can now play compatible Xbox Play Anywhere games on devices like the Xbox Ally, or stream them from Xbox Cloud Gaming.
7. If you sell the disc or lend it to a friend, they will receive the digital entitlement after installing it for the first time. Then, your digital rights will be removed until you get the disc back or re-purchase it.

The process as you can see is incredibly seamless and intuitive. Simply inserting and installing the game immediately unlocks the rights, and the disc remains fully capable of transferring the license onwards if you ever decide to sell the game.

It creates a ton of added value specifically for Xbox discs, and so far, it doesn't seem like PlayStation is planning to replicate the feature.

It's a huge preservation win, too, because it seems that even many fully de-listed games are capable of providing a digital license as long as you own the disc. Users have noted the classic Deadpool game for Xbox One comes with a digital entitlement despite being no longer available for purchase.

Unfortunately, many publishers aren't participating in the program at the moment, including companies like Ubisoft, Sega, Bandai, and others. It could be that Microsoft is working with them to sort out the contractual minutiae, but it could also be that these companies are hostile to the idea of people being able to ... I dunno, actually own the content they paid for, which wouldn't be a shock.

Indeed, digital rights are very squarely in the consumer consciousness right now.

It's a nice bridge to the inevitable digital future, and a huge preservation win

PlayStation caused a ton of controversy when it announced that it will begin gradually phasing out discs completely by 2028, indicating that the next-gen PlayStation 6 will not have a disc drive at all.

Xbox hasn't offered an official alternative narrative yet, although there are some hopes among the disc-using faithful that Microsoft could seek to get a massive PR win over PlayStation by backing disc-based games. Xbox CEO Asha Sharma's tweet announcing the disc-to-digital program has a truly absurd 27 million views, with over 200,000 likes — giving you a sense of how passionate the user base is over this issue.

Speaking with Microsoft sources suggests that the future is bleak for disc-based games in general, and that, while no official decision has been made, the expectation is that the next-gen Xbox Helix will also follow in PlayStation's all-digital footsteps.

It's less about the discs themselves, but I've been told that the supply chain that produces optical disc drives like those found in the PS5 and Xbox Series X is effectively collapsing. Factories and assembly lines that produce lasers and lenses required for Blu-Ray drives are pivoting their floor space to industries that are growing and scaling. Practically the only use case for discs these days at any scale is PlayStation 5, with Xbox Series X offering a miniscule opportunity by itself.

The likelihood of Xbox maintaining the disc-based supply chain by itself is vanishingly small in my view. If PlayStation's own ecosystem wasn't enough, I'm not quite sure how Xbox's would be able to go it alone in any way, shape, or form.

Regardless, the whole "digitization" saga is once again shining a huge spotlight on the lack of digital rights we seem to have as consumers. Microsoft has at least been quite fair on this topic in the past, refunding Groove Music (formerly Zune Music) MP3 purchasers no questions asked. It's also maintaining licensing for users who purchased digital content in its defunct Xbox Movies & TV platform, too. But, we shouldn't have to rely on companies "doing the right thing," as many evidently simply won't if given the chance.

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Perhaps the big three will opt-in to another format to maintain the physicality many of us in the hobby enjoy. Perhaps Xbox and PlayStation will opt for key cartridges similar to what Nintendo Switch 2 offers. Perhaps Microsoft will revive Activision's Skylanders and slap the games on cute and collectible toy figurines via NFC chips. Who knows.

What I do know at least is that Xbox's disc-to-digital program is real. It works, and it's fantastic.

Once the testing period is over, it should roll out more broadly to all Xbox Series X owners in the coming weeks ahead.

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

Hey Copilot, what's the definition of ironic?

I'm not sure Microsoft Copilot would feed me this post from LinkedIn and Office EVP Ryan Roslansky, but maybe it should.

Earlier in the year, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella bemoaned the term "AI slop" and hoped 2026 would be the year everyone started lying down and accepting AI as inevitable. So far, that hasn't happened. And what's worse, Microsoft's own senior employees seem increasingly annoyed by the tech.

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We've seen Xbox CEO Asha Sharma repeatedly use the phrase "AI slop" to describe subpar experiences like Microsoft's ill-fated "gaming Copilot," and LinkedIn itself deleted its "enhance with AI" post button, and replaced it with an "AI slop" report feature to try to boost the "quality" of its miserable, self-aggrandizing content algorithm.

Speaking of the hellscape that is LinkedIn, former CEO now Microsoft EVP Ryan Roslansky recently dropped this musing that I found to be particularly comical given what Microsoft has unleashed on the world.

Roslansky lamented, "AI slop isn't happening just on social networks ... it's happening in the day to day of work. Someone sent me what was clearly an AI generated doc. I read it, realized it was AI, had my AI summarize it, and ended up with nothing that brought new thinking to the idea ... This is a doom loop."

The phrase "no shit" comes to mind. Roslansky is speaking to a workplace irritation, but unwittingly touched on one of the AI industry's most self-destructive problems. One of the hilarious consequences of Microsoft Copilot, ChatGPT, Gemini, and other content-theft platforms is that they're trained entirely stolen human-made content. AI data sets post 2023 are doomed to rely on cannibalizing AI-generated content, creating an incestuous data "doom loop" Roslansky spoke of here. Researchers have described this as "model collapse" previously, as human content creators get put out of business by Google's AI summary box. Reddit is reportedly thinking of cancelling its AI training contracts with Google, after realizing that Google's content theft engines are killing Reddit's entire business. Reddit recently blocked ChatGPT from accessing its content, as the platform seeks to insulate its business from theft.

"If we're not careful, we'll end up with a very expensive way to avoid writing and reading in an ocean of sameness, genericness ... Let's not do that." Roslansky pleads, "Let's go another way where AI helps us to do things, to learn things, to create things, but in ways that we enhance and advance with our distinct perspectives and unique experiences!"

Lol. Lmao even.

The post was liked by Microsoft President Brad Smith, who I've noticed has been desperately trying to whitewash Microsoft's data center expansionism across his own LinkedIn recently. Microsoft, unlike other big tech firms, seems far more concerned with how badly AI is battering its public image. Microsoft's data centers are increasingly dealing with protests across the world. The destruction of local communities is uniting regular folk across the political spectrum in ways we haven't seen in years.

Microsoft unleashed this mess. Perhaps take some responsibility?

Xbox CEO Asha Sharma has been instrumental in turning around Microsoft's gaming brand in recent months, boosting perception of the platform with a flurry of consumer-friendly features and promises. It doesn't seem like other Microsoft departments got the memo, yet.

Linux adoption among consumers is gradually increasing, as gamers, tech enthusiasts, and even nation states seek to escape Microsoft's poor handling of Windows. AI buttons everywhere, unwanted bloatware, poor performance, and a collapse in trust has made Windows look more vulnerable than ever — and competitors are lining up to take advantage.

Microsoft is the undisputed monarch of AI slop. Watching its execs cry about the technology they themselves foisted on the world is a master class in obliviousness and responsibility avoidance. Microsoft isn't fooling anyone, except perhaps themselves, and it's miserably sad.

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I got into this business inspired by the innovations Microsoft was exploring a decade ago. Microsoft led cloud convenience and digital platform synergy, its hardware innovations across Surface even gave Apple pause. But it has become consumed by AI psychosis in recent years, and while shareholders are undoubtedly happy, consumers in Microsoft's "legacy" business are looking for the exit.

Whether it's data centers destroying local communities, AI bull cluttering up Windows, or Microsoft's harvesting of tech components blowing up consumer prices ... perhaps Microsoft's senior execs need to read the room, sit down, and take some responsibility for the chaos they've unleashed on the world.

A crazy idea — that didn't require any input from AI, by the way.

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The debate over whether or not Xbox should make Elder Scrolls VI exclusive or not isn't letting up, and the UK's BBC News recently turned up the heat.

Ahead of the next-gen Xbox Helix, many are wondering how Microsoft can maneuver here. Xbox's hardware fortunes have been strained to say the least, as Microsoft grapples with strategic mis-steps and an AI-induced memory shortage of epic proportions. The Xbox Series X|S is more expensive than ever, and Xbox Helix threatens to be even more so.

This year, Xbox will return to exclusive content to try and shore up interest in its hardware platform. As sales into its ecosystem collapsed, Microsoft hasn't been able to grow Xbox Game Pass or third-party sales as much as competitors. This year, Microsoft will ship Gears of War: E-Day exclusively on Xbox, after a few years of ditching exclusivity entirely to sell more content via PlayStation. The move dismembered the brand's identity arguably, and the lack of confidence planted a question mark over Microsoft's commitment to remain in the business all up.

On the topic of exclusivity, Xbox CEO Asha Sharma spoke to Laura Cress at the BBC about Elder Scrolls VI. Sharma noted, "every platform needs some form of exclusive experiences and content. We shared Gears [of War: E-Day] and Clockwork [Revolution]. We're going to do the best we can to continue to do that, all in the context of the business being healthy. We have to balance that."

Laura pressed Asha to discuss Elder Scrolls VI exclusivity, Asha smiled and replied "it's a beautiful game ..."

Indeed, Sharma has repeatedly cautioned the state of Xbox's expenditure. Microsoft has blown hundreds of millions on failed projects, such as Avalanche's open-world vehicular service game Contraband, which I'm told was a particularly expensive write-off for its publishing arm. Microsoft has also spun off a variety of studios like Undead Labs, Ninja Theory, and Double Fine, which also weren't able to ship quickly enough to even come close to meeting costs.

Some of Microsoft's pillar gaming franchises like Call of Duty have also seen a downturn in recent years, many of which have been subsidizing parts of the Xbox business that haven't performed as well. Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 failed to resonate with fans at the same clip as earlier games. Minecraft has also faced stiff competition from Roblox, and Candy Crush Saga has seen its user base chipped away by other casual games like Block Blast and Monopoly Go.

Elder Scrolls VI skipping PlayStation would be potentially putting hundreds of millions of dollars on the shelf in the short term — but keeping it multiplatform could also be just as risky in the long term.

Will Xbox blink?

For Elder Scrolls VI to be exclusive, Microsoft would have to view it as some form of "loss leader" specifically with boosting Xbox's own platforms in mind. It could be that there simply isn't enough opportunity to justify the risk in Microsoft's view.

In my view, Xbox Series X|S and Steam should be enough. For PlayStation and Nintendo, having a smaller addressable audience is worth it to ensure they don't hollow out their core platform. Asha Sharma has repeatedly emphasized the need to strengthen Xbox's core, as users who own multiple consoles increasingly defaulted away from Xbox due to a collapse in confidence in Microsoft's strategy.

Despite mass layoffs earlier in the summer, Xbox is enjoying some positive momentum with consumers right now. Huge marketing deals with Ikea and McDonalds just dropped, for example, and Microsoft's X20 anniversary celebrations are in full swing. Xbox also just announced a disc-to-digital game preservation program which is a direct shot at PlayStation, who is enduring widespread anger from its vocal decision to end support for physical media. If there was ever a time for Microsoft to double down on Xbox, it's probably right now.

I feel like people will show up on other platforms to buy Elder Scrolls VI if it's good enough, whether that's PCs people already own, Xbox Cloud Gaming, or perhaps even buying an Xbox Helix or Series X|S as a companion console. The goal should be getting users into Xbox's ecosystem, creating a flywheel for third-party developers, and Xbox Game Pass subscriptions — the latter of which will never be allowed on Nintendo or PlayStation.

Whether or not Xbox is willing to give Elder Scrolls VI some form of exclusivity will be a sign post for how much faith Microsoft has in its gaming brand in my view. I think Sharma's refusal to commit either way suggests Xbox is still in deep debates and analysis about which way to go ...

The Xbox platform would benefit immeasurably from a longer term commitment to highly visible exclusives, but Microsoft of 2026 revolves around short-term thinking and quarterly returns for shareholders. What might be best for Xbox third-party developers and customers is probably in direct opposition to what is best for shareholders, unfortunately.

Time will tell.

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