3 – 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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Andrew Liszewski
Andrew Liszewski
An excellent Japanese GBA puzzle game is now available through Nintendo Switch Online.

The latest additions to the NSO Game Boy Advance collection include Monster Rancher Advance, Metal Slug Advance, and Kururin Paradise which is a sequel to Kuru Kuru Kururin that has players guiding a spinning rotor through complex mazes. The game was only released in Japan but it now available to a larger audience.

Jay Peters
Jay Peters
Steam just got a big patch.

There’s a huge changelog, including the screensaver feature with a bouncing Steam logo and support for an experimental video codec called Pyrowave that “allows high bandwidth, low latency video streaming” for Remote Play. Lots to dig into.

Stevie Bonifield
Stevie Bonifield
A gaming trade group says Anbernic’s handhelds are the “functional equivalent of superfakes.”

The Entertainment Software Association says in a “notorious markets” filing to the US Trade Representative that Anbernic’s emulator handhelds normalize “hardware-based piracy by delivering illicit catalogues through a polished consumer product,” as reported by TorrentFreak. The ESA is nominating Anbernic and other online marketplaces for the USTR’s “2026 Review of Notorious Markets for Counterfeiting and Piracy.”

Sean Hollister
Sean Hollister
Nvidia will give gamers full control over DLSS 5 — in old games.

“For gamers, DLSS 5 is a simple on-or-off toggle,” Nvidia told us in September, claiming DLSS 5 would “preserve artistic intent” behind games instead of just aging characters’ faces. But modders will have access to the same tools as developers, Nvidia now says — on October 23rd, it’s adding DLSS 5 to its RTX Remix tool for modding older DX8 and DX9 games. Used properly, it doesn’t look bad?

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Brad Bourque
The Halo Master Chief Collection is only $10.

PC and Xbox gamers looking for a dose of first-person shooter nostalgia can pick up the six-game bundle for $9.99 from Steam or Xbox until October 19th. All six games have been remastered and optimized for modern hardware (including Steam Deck), with full multiplayer and Forge support. Read our review.

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Jess Weatherbed
Jess Weatherbed
Google Play adds AI features to help you find new games.

A new “Game finder” feature is rolling out to English language users in the US today that explains why a Play Store game is being recommended to you, based on reviews and your gameplay habits. App recommendations are also coming to Gemini Live, and the Ask Play chatbot can now generate side-by-side app comparisons within search results.

An example of the Google Play Game finder recommendations.
Nothing says “personalized by AI” quite like a nonsensical and suspiciously generative-looking image banner.
Image: Google
Emma Roth
Emma Roth
PokéBeats.

A special edition Beats Pill puts Mimikyu and a (visibly worried) Pikachu onto the portable speaker’s grill. It also comes with a lanyard with a Poké Ball charm.

The device launches on Thursday, October 15th for $149.99, and you’ll be able to purchase it from Apple’s website and Target in the US.

Jay Peters
Jay Peters
GTA VI is reportedly launching on PC in Q1 of 2027.

GamesBeat is reporting the timeline, citing “four industry sources familiar with the studio’s plans.” That would be much quicker than the PC launch for GTA V, which came out more than a year and a half after the game’s console release.

Andrew Liszewski
Andrew Liszewski
8BitDo’s new gamepad brings adjustable TMR sticks to PCs and Android for $40.

The Ultimate 3C Plus features a pair of TMR thumbsticks with adjustable tension, switchable Hall effect triggers, an extra pair of shoulder buttons, two lockable back buttons, and a 2.4GHz USB dongle that magnetically sticks to the back for storage. It’s available for preorder starting today for $39.99 in frost white, stealth black, and avocado green colors with shipping starting on October 30th.

1/3Image: 8BitDo
Dominic Preston
Dominic Preston
Nintendo exec confirms “no plans” to ditch physical games.

Bill van Zyll, Nintendo’s VP and general manager in Latin America, told Youtuber Coelho no Japão that the company will “go off what the consumer prefers,” and that it knows “how much the fans like” physical games. It’s no big surprise given the Switch 2’s card slot, with shareable licenses linked to its game cards, but follows Sony killing PS5 discs.

Horror is big business

The genre has become a tentpole across gaming, film, and television.

Andrew Webster
Sean Hollister
Sean Hollister
Some Steam Frame updates:
  • SteamOS 0.4 offers up to 12 percent battery life gain and fixes some streaming issues. And “Fixed an issue where the dashboard would recenter unnecessarily for some users” sounds like me!
  • Valve released the CAD files if you want to design / 3D print accessories.
  • Got a reservation? You can log in to see if it’ll arrive by December… or in 2027.
Jay Peters
Jay Peters
“I need to sweep these mines.”

No notes for this hilarious “Triple-A” interpretation of Minesweeper. The logos at the beginning, the golden diamond telling you exactly where to click, the constant dialogue — it’s excellent.

A screenshot from
Screenshot by Jay Peters / The Verge
Jay Peters
Jay Peters
Go read this report about Double Fine’s failed unionization effort.

Kotaku’s report is a nuanced portrait of a difficult subject to report on. Staffers filed a petition to unionize in early May, but withdrew it on May 20th.

As part of its reporting, Kotaku interviewed Double Fine CEO Tim Schafer, and it published a transcript of that conversation.

Andrew Liszewski
Andrew Liszewski
Razer’s new Basilisk V4 Pro gaming mouse has up to 275 hours of battery life.

The new flagship is available now for $169.99 with improvements that include two additional customizable buttons bringing the total to 14, an upgraded four-way tilting scroll wheel, a 50,000 DPI sensor, and an 8,000Hz polling rate in wireless and wired modes. Battery life is estimated to max out at up to 275 hours on Bluetooth, or up to 200 hours with a wireless HyperSpeed connection.

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

Jay Peters
Jay Peters
45 minutes of indie game news.

Check out the full replay of the October 2026 Triple-i Initiative show, which included news about a Machinarium sequel, a February 17th release date for the Among Us narrative game spinoff, a new Strange Scaffold game, the “final” Dave the Diver DLC, and more.

Andrew Liszewski
Andrew Liszewski
Wordle is coming to a theater near you.

They’re not turning the popular puzzler into a movie just yet, but The New York Times Games has partnered with Screenvision Media to turn games like Wordle and Spelling Bee into a pre-show experience, according to a report by Variety. A nationwide rollout is expected to start by Thanksgiving giving audiences something else to do before the trailers.

Andrew Webster
Andrew Webster
The cutest robot couple is back.

Amanita Design’s cult classic point-and-click adventure Machinarium is getting a sequel, and it looks just as cryptic and charming as the original, which debuted 17 years ago. You can watch the debut trailer, but unfortunately there’s no word on when it will be launching.

Terrence O'Brien
Terrence O'Brien
Real people faced off inside a giant Street Fighter arcade cabinet in Times Square.

As far as publicity stunts go, this is a pretty solid one. Performers dressed as Ryu and Ken battled inside an arcade cabinet, complete with oversized joysticks and buttons. Interestingly, it only has three buttons, rather than the traditional six, with one of them reminiscent of the pressure-sensitive buttons on the original Street Fighter.

Terrence O'Brien
Terrence O'Brien
New Switch Sports Resort trailer shows off archery, boxing, and thumb wrestling?

The new Switch Sports installment is coming to the Switch 2 on October 22nd and is available for preorder now. But this is the clearest look we’ve gotten at gameplay of the new sports like skateboarding, boxing, archery, power cruising, prop plane flying, and — the weirdest one by far — thumb wrestling.

Andrew Liszewski
Andrew Liszewski
The Nintendo 64’s chunky controller doesn’t seem so big next to this custom monstrosity.

Some of the earliest gamepads with analog thumbsticks were beefy devices (I’m looking at you, Duke) with quirky designs. Modder ChaosBench pushes the limits of what can be considered a playable gamepad with a supersized version of the N64 controller that requires heavy-duty springs to get its giant buttons to pop back up after being pressed.