Gaming News — 2026-04-05#

Top Story#

The crew of the historic Artemis II space mission took a break from traveling over 250,000 miles to the Moon to praise Ryan Gosling’s hit sci-fi blockbuster Project Hail Mary. Astronaut Jeremy Hansen called the film “uplifting and inspiring” during a live interview, revealing that the crew got to watch a special link of the movie while in quarantine.

News & Reviews#

[Project Hail Mary Nears $400M Box Office Amid Lunar Praise] · IGN During a Saturday interview, Artemis II astronaut Jeremy Hansen praised Ryan Gosling’s performance in Project Hail Mary, noting that “art imitates science” and calling the character’s mission to save humanity an extraordinary example to follow. The sci-fi film, which earned an 8/10 from IGN for the sheer joy of watching Gosling befriend a rock alien, continues a record-breaking box office run and is approaching $400 million globally. There is already active discussion about a potential sequel, which might take shape by the time the Artemis II crew safely returns to Earth.

[Switch 2 Updates Supercharge Major RPGs] · IGN Nintendo’s latest hardware is making waves with significant performance updates breathing new life into massive role-playing games. ATLUS has updated Persona 3 Reload to resolve previous launch issues, officially adding silky smooth 60FPS support in docked mode. Meanwhile, Xenoblade Chronicles 2 now utilizes a Handheld Mode Boost feature that completely fixes its initially disappointing resolution on the Switch 2, making the game’s expansive world look better than ever before.

[M5 MacBook Air Sees Generous Price Cut] · IGN If you’re hunting for a new daily driver laptop, Apple’s 13-inch M5 MacBook Air is currently available for $949, marking a solid 14% discount off its usual price. This powerful portable configuration includes 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD, making it a stellar machine for multitasking, productivity, and light on-the-go gaming.

Free Games & Deals#

While there are no new Epic Games Store freebies detailed today, this weekend brings incredible discounts on major console releases and hardware. You can score the Super Mario Galaxy + Super Mario Galaxy 2 double pack at Woot! for $54.99, an essential purchase since the games just received a free update adding 4K support on the Nintendo Switch 2. Over on Amazon, the stellar Persona 3 Reload for Switch 2 is slashed to a highly tempting $29.99, and PS5 players can grab the enhanced visual remake Epic Mickey: Rebrushed for a measly $23. If you want premium audio and want to block out the world while you play, Amazon also has the phenomenal, 9/10-rated Sony WH-1000XM5 noise-canceling headphones discounted heavily to $249.99.

Also Worth Knowing#

• [Splatoon 3 on Sale] (IGN): Pick up this action-packed multiplayer shooter for $39.88 at Walmart to experience its newly enhanced performance on Nintendo Switch 2.
• [Dan Da Dan Season 2 Blu-ray] (IGN): Pre-orders are live for the Collector’s Edition launching on July 14, which packs 12 episodes, a booklet, and sticker sheets detailing Momo and Okarun’s wild encounters.
• [LEGO R2-D2 Discount] (IGN): Amazon has knocked $20 off the incredible 1050-piece LEGO Star Wars R2-D2 set, bringing it down to $79.99 with included Darth Malak and R2-D2 minifigures.
• [Xenoblade Chronicles 2 Deal] (IGN): Dive into this gripping narrative and rich combat system for $44.99, solidifying its place as one of the absolute best RPGs available on Nintendo’s platform.