Gaming News — Week of 2026-06-20 to 2026-06-26#

Story of the Week#

The gaming hardware market is currently in a state of absolute chaos, defined by skyrocketing component costs and a dramatic shift in console dominance. Microsoft is jacking up the Xbox Series X to an eye-watering $799.99 in August, which has contributed to catastrophic sales lows for both Xbox and PlayStation. Meanwhile, the Nintendo Switch 2 is completely obliterating the competition, capping off a historic first year with 5.9 million US units sold as gamers flock to more affordable hardware.

Top Stories#

Bungie Suffers Massive Layoffs as Destiny 2 Support Ends · IGN In a devastating blow to the industry, Sony has pulled the plug on Destiny 2 support, prompting Bungie to lay off nearly 300 staff members at its Bellevue headquarters. This marks the historic studio’s third major round of cuts in three years, driven by financial underperformance and a struggling shift to their upcoming extraction shooter, Marathon. It is a heartbreaking, unceremonious end for a towering live-service franchise.

Grand Theft Auto 6 Preorders Launch with a Catch · IGN Rockstar has officially opened preorders for the standard edition of Grand Theft Auto 6 at a hefty $80 base price. In a massively controversial move that has sparked retailer boycotts, the physical boxed editions will not include a game disc, shipping only with a digital download code to kill the second-hand market. Despite fan outrage over this decision and the lack of a new trailer, over 70% of players still plan to drop money on the $100 Ultimate Edition.

Valve’s $1,049 Steam Machine Refuses to Subsidize Hardware · IGN Valve’s highly anticipated Steam Machine is finally here, but its staggering $1,049 starting price has left PC gamers with serious sticker shock. Driven by a global RAM shortage fueled by the AI boom, Valve is flat-out refusing to sell the console at a loss like traditional manufacturers. While it is an incredible living-room powerhouse, don’t expect a price drop anytime soon, as component shortages are expected to last through 2027.

Xbox Faces Massive Studio Restructuring · IGN Microsoft’s gaming division is reportedly facing another brutal restructuring that threatens beloved studios like Ninja Theory, Double Fine, and Compulsion. As Microsoft resets its core strategy to protect massive, mainline giants like Halo and Gears of War, major projects like Forza Motorsport and The Outer Worlds have unfortunately been cancelled entirely.

Stranger Than Heaven Completely Overhauls Like a Dragon · IGN RGG Studio is violently shaking up its aging brawler formula with the upcoming 2027 prequel, Stranger Than Heaven. The game replaces traditional combos with a fiercely challenging combat system where players must independently puppeteer the protagonist’s fists using the controller’s shoulder buttons. Bafflingly, this gritty, time-hopping entry will also feature resurrected digital versions of Tupac alongside Snoop Dogg.

Free Games & Deals#

This week is a deal hunter’s absolute dream, starting with two phenomenal freebies on the Epic Games Store: the cosmic horror platformer Voidwrought and the management classic RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 Complete Edition, available to claim until July 2, 2026. Over on PC, the massive Steam Summer Sale is live, slashing Red Dead Redemption 2 to an absolute steal at $15 and Baldur’s Gate 3 to $45. If you want to dodge the upcoming industry hardware price hikes, use the promo code “CHEAPSWITCH2” at Woot to score a Nintendo Switch 2 for just $399, or grab an Xbox Series X at Walmart for $573.99 before its MSRP jumps to $800 in August. Finally, fighting game fans should snag the $20 Arc System Works Evo Collection Humble Bundle on PC for top-tier titles like Guilty Gear -Strive- while supporting rare disease research.

Also Worth Knowing#

Ubisoft co-founder Claude Guillemot tragically passed away at age 69 in a twin-engine plane crash in western France.
In a baffling move, playing local split-screen co-op in Halo: Campaign Evolved on the PS5 will require two active PlayStation Plus subscriptions.
Fallout Season 3 is officially heading to snowy, post-apocalyptic Colorado, exploring a region entirely new to the mainline video game canon.
Games Workshop is aggressively issuing takedown requests against popular digital Warhammer 40,000 fan mods on Tabletop Simulator.
Epic Games unveiled a 12-month roadmap for the Epic Games Store, promising much-needed features like a 5x faster boot time, user reviews, and third-party patch notes.