Xbox's handing out free games all weekend, GOG's turned 18 with a swag of restorations and new releases, and the trailer feed out of PlayStation, Xbox and GameTrailers kept rolling. Here's the lot, each one linked back to where it came from.
Free games
Free Play Days brings PAYDAY 3, Anno 117 and more to Xbox
PAYDAY 3, Nowhere Prophet, BALL x PIT, Deceive Inc and Age of Wonders 4 are playable free this weekend for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, Premium and Essential members, with IXION getting a two-hour trial. Anno 117: Pax Romana and Crime Boss: Rockay City are free for all Xbox members, no Game Pass needed. The window runs Thursday 5 November to Sunday 8 November on Microsoft's own, US-based dates, so check it against your local clock before it closes.
Source: Xbox Wire
Knightica is free to keep on the Epic Games Store
Knightica is a roguelike autobattler: recruit units, place them on the board and find the synergies as a warband works to free the Kingdoms, discovering combinations and weaving enchants along the way. It's free to keep on the Epic Games Store from Friday 13 November until Friday 20 November, Sydney time.
Source: Epic Games Store
Deals and sales
EA Play adds Plants vs. Zombies: Replanted and a MySims bundle
Plants vs. Zombies: Replanted and the MySims: Cozy Bundle have landed on EA Play for Xbox. Replanted is a remaster with upscaled HD visuals, new levels, local co-op and PvP alongside the classic minigames. The MySims bundle covers two games of building, decorating, puzzle solving and growing a town. Both are included with an EA Play membership, which also carries a 10% discount on other EA digital purchases.
Source: Xbox Wire
On sale on Steam
Road Rash™: 30th Anniversary Edition: 50% off, A$7.47 (was A$14.95), until Friday 20 November. It's the first-ever digital release of Road Rash, the franchise that defined combat racing.
Rust: 50% off, A$29.97 (was A$59.95), until Tuesday 10 November. It's the multiplayer survival game where players scavenge, build bases and fight to stay alive on its island.
Source: Steam
PC Gamer's new issue is on sale, with Metro 2039 on the cover
PC Gamer's latest magazine issue is on sale now, built around Metro 2039. The issue also covers StarCraft, Diablo 5, Masters of Albion, Warhammer Blood Bowl, Valor Mortis, Endless Legend 2, Guns of Eschaton and Nighthawks.
Source: PC Gamer
News
GOG marks 18 years with its first Showcase and a restored Wing Commander: Prophecy
GOG held its first Showcase to mark 18 years in business, running through platform updates and classic restorations alongside developers and the community. GOG engineers worked with EA to fix the technical issues blocking a modern release of Wing Commander: Prophecy, now out as a 30th Anniversary Edition through GOG's Preservation Program; existing owners of any Wing Commander title get the anniversary pack at no extra cost. GOG Galaxy is coming to Linux, and the Windows and Mac client has been overhauled for simplicity and performance, though downloading games as offline installers to keep permanently is still on the table. GOG also announced a closed beta for a new discussion platform, GOG Social, and its first publishing arm, Retrovibe, backing indie developers making DRM-free games.
Source: GOG
A faster Xbox experience is coming to PC, web and cloud
Xbox Insiders can now try an updated Xbox PC app that launches up to 60% faster, with the Home, Store and Game Pass pages loading up to 50% faster and in-app windows opening up to 65% faster. It also brings simplified library navigation, friends and social tools built into the main navigation, and cross-platform search for games and people. A refreshed Xbox web experience is rolling out more widely at play.xbox.com, with a new Library tab, a desktop mode for bigger screens and extra accessibility options including high-contrast modes. Updates are also starting to roll out to Xbox cloud gaming apps on supported TVs and VR headsets.
Source: Xbox Wire
Underkeep brings old-school dungeon crawling to GOG
Underkeep is now available on GOG. It's a tribute to 90s-era role-playing games, built around grid-based movement and turn-based combat in the old dungeon-crawler style.
Source: GOG
Cash is King! Business Simulator lands on GOG
Cash is King! Business Simulator is now available on GOG. It's a relaxed first-person management game set in Miami Beach, where players start with nothing and build a business empire by selling lemonade, running vending machines and automating their companies.
Source: GOG
Hope in the City swaps the detective's badge for a sketchbook
Hope in the City launches Wednesday 11 November on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox on PC and Steam, available day one on Game Pass. It's a narrative mystery adventure where 17-year-old Hope Song investigates her parents' disappearance across the city of Shenyang, China, using a sketchbook instead of a badge: combining any two thoughts forms new insights that unlock dialogue, locations and leads. The game features more than 100 hand-drawn illustrations by artist Calista Antonio.
Source: Xbox Wire
Nintendo's eShop highlights the week's new releases
This week's Nintendo eShop highlights include The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time on Switch 2, Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy: Encore Edition optimised for Switch 2, Stellar Blade Complete Edition on Switch 2, and the Hasbro Games Junior Collection (Monopoly Jr., Cluedo Jr. and The Game of Life Jr.) with local multiplayer for up to four players on Switch 2 and Switch. A free demo is also up for Pikmin 4 – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Dandori Academy, with voice command functionality.
Source: Nintendo UK
Stamperor! The Jester's Decree is out now on GOG
Stamperor! The Jester's Decree is now available on GOG. It's a simulation roguelike where players rule as a jester, stamping approvals or denials on citizens' requests to try to stop the empire falling apart.
Source: GOG
Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake reportedly already running at 60fps on PC
PC Gamer reports the Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake is already running at 60fps on PC, just hours after its official release on Nintendo Switch 2. The outlet notes visual and performance issues haven't all been ironed out yet.
Source: PC Gamer
Ablahshikar rips the organs out of warships in its new early access launch
Ablahshikar is out now in early access. It's a turn-based salvage-survival CRPG set adrift on the Candle Sea, where players rip the organs out of enemy warships to rebuild their own vessel into what Rock Paper Shotgun calls "a doomed chimera".
Source: Rock Paper Shotgun
EA brings a batch of classic games to Steam, seven of them remasters
PC Gamer reports EA is bringing a run of classic games to Steam, with seven of them remasters. The remasters are also heading to GOG, which already had the original re-releases.
Source: PC Gamer
Faraway launches after a 16-year solo dev effort
Faraway is out now. It's an arcade game about a shooting star that creates constellations to stay alive, made single-handedly by Steph Thirion, creator of the cult mobile game Eliss, over a 16-year development.
Source: Rock Paper Shotgun
Rockstar drops a new batch of GTA 6 screenshots
Rockstar has released 39 new GTA 6 screenshots, showing off dancers, combat dogs and plenty of detailed character work, as PC Gamer puts it.
Source: PC Gamer
Goddess of Victory: Nikke's PC launcher hit by a malware scare
Goddess of Victory: Nikke, the gacha shooter/RPG from Stellar Blade developer Shift Up, had a security incident that left its PC launcher potentially carrying third-party malware. A patch to fix the launcher has already gone out, but publisher Level Infinite is still advising anyone who's booted the game since late September to run a security check.
Source: Rock Paper Shotgun
Trailers
Gateworlds shows off its floating-island colony sim
Gateworlds is a colony sim about exploring and surviving a fantasy wilderness of floating islands, strange creatures and fickle gods. It's heading to PC in 2027.
Source: GameTrailers (YouTube)
Truck World: Australia launches its trucking sim
Truck World: Australia is out now on Xbox Series X/S, Xbox PC and the Epic Games Store. It has players hauling cargo on highways and off-road, stepping out of the cab to hitch trailers, connect hoses, refuel and service the truck by hand.
Source: GameTrailers (YouTube), also reported by Xbox (YouTube)
Diecast rolls the dice on a new roguelite
Diecast is out now on Steam. It's a dice roguelite where players stuff their bag with dice and pins, chain scoring combos and build a point engine to beat escalating targets.
Source: GameTrailers (YouTube)
Acornia: Mirror Worlds gets a seasonal trailer
Acornia: Mirror Worlds is coming to PlayStation 5 in spring 2027. It's a bake-and-brawl shop management game where players grow crops, raise animals, discover recipes and decorate through the seasons.
Source: PlayStation (YouTube), also reported by Xbox (YouTube)
Escape Academy 2: Back 2 School is out now
Escape Academy 2: Back 2 School is now available on PlayStation 5. It's the sequel to Escape Academy, expanding into an open, explorable campus full of traps, secrets and puzzles, playable solo or with others.
Source: PlayStation (YouTube), also reported by Xbox (YouTube), Xbox Wire
The Yomawari horror trilogy lands on PS5
Yomawari: The Long Night Collection and Yomawari: Lost in the Dark are now available on PlayStation 5, bringing together three fan-favourite horror titles from the series.
Source: PlayStation (YouTube), also reported by GameTrailers (YouTube)
007 First Light gets a free starter pack
007 First Light's Free Starter Pack is available now, letting players try the opening mission of the third-person action game from IO Interactive at no cost. The full game is out now on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2 and PC.
Source: GameTrailers (YouTube), also reported by PlayStation (YouTube)
Lightyear Frontier reaches its 1.0 launch
Lightyear Frontier 1.0 is out now. It's a relaxing open-world farming game where a mech does the heavy lifting.
Source: Xbox (YouTube), also reported by GameTrailers (YouTube)
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