2 – Breaking News & Latest Updates 2026
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Gaming

The Verge’s gaming section brings the latest video game news, reviews of the most exciting releases, and interviews with the industry’s biggest names. We cover everything from PlayStation and Xbox blockbusters, to quirky Nintendo games, to the cool indie gems on PC and Android that you might otherwise miss.

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Jay Peters
Jay Peters
Roblox will soon let you play games in your browser.

By the end of 2026, you’ll be able to hop into a Roblox game right from Chrome with support other browsers coming in the future, Roblox announced as part of its developer conference news on Friday. The company also revealed plans to let developers launch their games as apps on other platforms and offer offline modes.

Sean Hollister
Sean Hollister
Did… he forget that Final Fantasy VII originally came on three discs?

FFVII Revelation director Naoki Hamaguchi has revealed to IGN his “only choice” was to ship the new game on a single disc that forces you to download the rest of the game, because the team “didn’t want to make any compromises” in fidelity.

But the original game shipped on three discs. FF8 shipped on four! So did FF9.

Here, I whipped out a copy to show you. Forgot about the awesome booklet art!
Here, I whipped out a copy to show you. Forgot about the awesome booklet art!
Photo by Sean Hollister / The Verge
Jay Peters
Jay Peters
Valve just launched a big update for SteamVR.

SteamVR 2.17 adds a bunch of new features, including a quick access menu for handy settings on the VR dashboard bar, letting you access Steam achievements and notes in-game in VR, and improvements to Steam Link streaming. Check out Valve’s full patch notes to see everything new.

A screenshot from Valve showing off SteamVR 2.17.
A screenshot from Valve showing SteamVR 2.17.
Image: Valve
Jay Peters
Jay Peters
Amazon’s Luna is making multiplayer easier.

With Remote Play, which will be available “starting this month,” you can invite people to play multiplayer games with you “from wherever they are” instead of requiring everyone to be huddled around the same TV.

People who host games will need an Amazon Prime or Luna Premium subscription, but multiplayer participants will just need an Amazon account.

Luna September Content Update

[Amazon Game Studios]

Jay Peters
Jay Peters
Saudi Arabia might merge EA and Savvy Games.

The potential move was reported on by Bloomberg. Savvy, Saudi Arabia’s gaming arm of the Public Investment Fund (PIF), owns Scopely (behind mobile games like Monopoly Go and Pokémon Go), and the PIF led the recent take-private deal for EA.

Wolverine on the PS5 goes back to a simpler (and bloodier) style of action game

The next few months are packed with new games, and PlayStation goes old-school to cut through the noise.

Andrew Webster
Cameron Faulkner
Cameron Faulkner
Nintendo won’t issue tariff-related refunds to customers, but it will discount some games.

The company is hosting a “Customer Appreciation Sale” from September 13th through the 26th, calling it one of its largest promotions ever, because of the $300 million US tariff refund it received. It’ll knock 30 percent off “dozens” of Nintendo Switch games (digital and physical), DLC, accessories, amiibo, and more. Is this sufficient appreciation for you?

My colleague Antonio Di Benedetto told me “knock 30 percent off a preorder of Ocarina remake and I’ll consider myself appreciated.”

Cameron Faulkner
Cameron Faulkner
The Switch 2’s VRR update doesn’t extend to third-party docks, it seems.

After installing the recent version 23.0.0 update on my Nintendo Switch 2, I can’t access the VRR settings option while it’s plugged into the Jsaux OmniCentro dock (I haven’t tried Genki’s Covert Dock 3 yet). The good news is that this dock still works post-update, but the ball is in third-party makers’ court to deliver a patch that enables VRR.

Stevie Bonifield
Stevie Bonifield
Ubisoft’s letting some Steam users skip its Connect app.

In an update on Steam, Ubisoft said it’s testing a new tool that keeps game features like cross-play “without requiring the Ubisoft Connect PC launcher to be installed or launched.” It’s coming to Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown first, and will “roll out to more Ubisoft games on Steam in the future.”

If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement.

Ubisoft Connect Services: a simpler launch experience on Steam

[Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown - Steam News Hub]

Tom Warren
Tom Warren
Phanteks’ new EX5 case uses chambers to hide your GPU.

I’m a sucker for Phanteks cases, and the company’s new EX5 has got me thinking about a new PC build. It organizes all the key components of a PC into dedicated chambers, which not only looks neat but is also great for airflow. It means ugly GPUs get hidden away, and there’s a dedicated area for all-in-one liquid coolers instead of everything packed into a glass case. The EX5 starts at $109.99 and comes in three options, with a $159.99 Plus variant bundling an all-in-one cooler and the $229.99 EX5 Max adding a 6-inch display for the cooler.

<em>The EX5 comes in three different options.</em>
<em>No more ugly GPU spoiling your showcase PC.</em>
<em>The EX5 can fit GPUs up to 358mm in length.</em>
1/3
The EX5 comes in three different options.
Image: Phanteks
Jay Peters
Jay Peters
Valve is testing a Steam screensaver feature.

The default one shows art from games you’ve played recently, but there’s also a “retro inspired” screensaver that features a bouncing Steam logo, lol.

Valve is also testing a “Big Art Mode” for your home screen that more prominently features art from your games. There are a bunch of other new features, too: read about them all in the new Steam beta update notes.

If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement.

When will it get in the corner??
When will it get in the corner??
Andrew Webster
Andrew Webster
A new season of Playdate games.

You may have missed it, sandwiched in between a Nintendo Direct and Apple event, but Panic just showed off the third season of games coming to its handheld, which kicks off on October 8th. There’s some promising stuff, too, including a Soulslike action RPG and a Mac-style point-and-click adventure.

Andrew Webster
Andrew Webster
A whole new world.

The Direct ended with the reveal of an all-new Kirby game that launches in 2027, in which the adorable pink ball seems to discover that the world is much larger than he realizes. He also gets a pretty big sword this time around.

Kallie Plagge
Kallie Plagge
Time for some Slayhem.

Danganronpa 2x2 comes to Switch and Switch 2 on January 14th, 2027. It includes the original story from Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair as well as a new story in what’s called “Slayhem” mode. I cannot wait to find out what Slayhem entails.

Andrew Webster
Andrew Webster
Persona 6 is coming to the Switch 2.

We still know basically nothing about the game, but we do know it’ll be on Nintendo’s handheld console at some point.

Kallie Plagge
Kallie Plagge
Mario Kart World gets a new update later today.

The free update adds 10 courses based on ones from the original Super Mario Kart, including Choco Island 1, Vanilla Lake 1, and Ghost Valley 1. There are also two new routes coming to Knockout Tour.

Andrew Webster
Andrew Webster
The spirit of Wii Sports lives on.

Nintendo’s next sports title hits the Switch 2 in October, and it continues to look like a blast. The new trailer also details some surprisingly deep Mii customization.

Jay Peters
Jay Peters
Return to Resident Evil remakes.

Resident Evil 2: Deluxe Edition, Resident Evil 3, and Resident Evil 4: Gold Edition are all coming to Switch 2 on October 16th. And don’t forget that the new Resident Evil movie is out next week.

Jay Peters
Jay Peters
Pikmin 4 is getting a Nintendo Switch 2 Edition.

The upgraded version of the game lets you talk to the dog-like Oatchi character with voice commands and has a new a Dandori Academy mode to play extra challenges (72 will be released over time). It launches on November 12th.

Andrew Webster
Andrew Webster
A true gentleman leaves no puzzle unsolved.

The latest Professor Layton brings a steampunk vibe, and it boasts “the biggest collection of puzzles in series history.” It launches on the Switch 2 on December 10th.

Kallie Plagge
Kallie Plagge
New pokémon are coming to Pokopia.

We knew that Part 2 of the Pokopia DLC would feature wearable accessories and add Snubbull, but now we’ve seen more of the new pokémon that will be added, including Skitty, Braixen, and Doduo. Skitty in particular is the perfect candidate for playing dress-up.

Andrew Webster
Andrew Webster
Star Fox’s adventures.

If you ever wondered what Fox McCloud gets up to outside of his ship, well, that’s what the GameCube classic Star Fox Adventures is for. The game is coming to the Switch 2 for NSO subscribers later today, while a free update is also coming to the new Star Fox remake later this month.

Jay Peters
Jay Peters
More Hyrule Warriors.

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity — Definitive Edition is launching on Nintendo Switch 2 on February 25th, 2027. It includes improved frame rates and more enemies onscreen at a time as well as a new harder difficulty mode.

Jay Peters
Jay Peters
Monster Hunter Wilds launches on Switch 2 in December.

December 4th, 2026, to be specific. The upcoming Monster Hunter Wilds: Ascendance expansion will also come to Switch 2 sometime in 2027.

Emma Roth
Emma Roth
Blizzard workers secure major union contract.

The terms of the contract apply to nearly 1,900 workers across Blizzard, including teams that work on World of Warcraft, Overwatch, Diablo, quality assurance, and more. The contract comes after two years of bargaining and includes new protections that give workers the opportunity to be “recalled” into open positions within 14 months after a layoff.

Jay Peters
Jay Peters
It’s almost Nintendo time.

The September 2026 Nintendo Direct kicks off at 10AM ET, and you can watch it on YouTube. The show is set to last about 45 minutes, and after, Nintendo is also hosting a Treehouse Live stream to show off some games from the Direct in more detail.

Stevie Bonifield
Stevie Bonifield
Steam achievements leaked for dozens of unreleased and unannounced games.

Some of the achievement lists include spoilers and new details for games like Persona 6 and Kingdom Hearts IV, Gematsu reports. The owner of achievement-tracking site Exophase said in a post that the leak “Seems like a possible screw up on Valve’s end, a bunch of games with achievements that should be private are accessible through the API right now and that’s why they got scanned into the site.”

Andrew Liszewski
Andrew Liszewski
Dungeon Crawler Carl is getting a pinball machine before its TV series.

If you’re a fan of Matt Dinniman’s book series and happen to have $12,350 burning a hole in your pocket, Multimorphic worked with artist Luciano Fleitas and the audiobooks’ narrator, Jeff Hays, to create this detailed Carl-themed pinball machine packed full of references including Princess Donut the Queen Anne Chonk.

Correction, September 11th: An earlier version of this article misstated the company that created this machine. It is Multimorphic, not Flip N Out Pinball.

1/3Image: Multimorphic
Tom Warren
Tom Warren
Nvidia’s new driver is ready for 007’s big visual update.

007 First Light is getting a major visual overhaul next week, thanks to path tracing and DLSS 4.5 Ray Reconstruction. Nvidia is releasing a new Game Ready driver (616.92) today that’s fully optimized for the First Light update, as well as adding support for PUBG’s DLSS Super Resolution update. The driver is also Game Ready for Active Matter, Aniimo, and Wardogs.

Image: Nvidia
Jay Peters
Jay Peters
Geoff Keighley and Mark Cerny are launching a fellowship program for young game developers.

Keighley (who hosts The Game Awards and other events) and Cerny (the lead system architect for the PS4 and PS5) have made “multi-million-dollar donations” to establish the Nova Games Foundation, Keighley tells Game File. Applications will open in December 2026.

A screenshot of the Nova Games Foundation website.
Image: Nova Games Foundation
Andrew Liszewski
Andrew Liszewski
Hori’s electronic Ocarina of Time requires no musical talent.

It was briefly shown during Nintendo’s The Legend of Zelda 40th Anniversary Direct today, but Hori’s website now has a listing for its $49.99 electronic ocarina. You can play your own songs by pushing buttons, play one of 12 pre-programmed songs from the games, use it with the Ocarina of Time remake’s sound recognition feature, or connect headphones for a private jam session.

1/3Image: Hori
Jay Peters
Jay Peters
Panic is hosting a Playdate showcase tomorrow.

Panic’s latest Playdate Update Showcase will take place at 12PM ET on Wednesday — meaning it will be wedged between the 10AM ET Nintendo Direct and the 1PM Apple September event. The show will focus on the handheld’s upcoming third season of games and “some other fun news.”

Update: Added Bluesky post.