Gaming News — 2026-05-28#

Top Story#

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 has been officially revealed, ditching last-gen consoles while confirming a Day 1 release for the Nintendo Switch 2 this October. Infinity Ward is bringing massive, much-needed changes to the franchise, including the removal of weapon bloom, offline campaign play, and the return of the fan-favorite DMZ extraction mode.

News & Reviews#

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 Drops the Baggage · IGN Modern Warfare 4 multiplayer is shaping up to be a massive leap forward for the franchise by finally leaving behind the PS4 and Xbox One. This shift allows for smoother movement mechanics, fully reactive environments, and the removal of the dreaded “update requires restart” loop. Furthermore, Warzone support for older consoles will officially shut down to force the transition, and a new “Gunny” loadout system will streamline weapon setups for casual players.

The Witcher 3 Gets a Massive New Expansion in 2027 · IGN CD Projekt Red has announced Songs of the Past, a brand new expansion for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt coming in 2027. Developers have been very clear that this is a “massive” story expansion—not just a minor DLC—putting players back in the shoes of Geralt of Rivia 12 years after the game’s original release. Story clues hint at a Belleteyn Night setting and a mysterious new sword with an ornate curved crossguard.

Subnautica 2’s Success Forces Krafton to Pay Fired Devs $250M · IGN After firing the leadership of Unknown Worlds to allegedly avoid a payout, publisher Krafton has been ordered to pay a $250 million earnout bonus following Subnautica 2’s explosive launch. The survival sequel has sold over 4 million copies since its Early Access debut, and a dramatic legal battle revealed Krafton even used ChatGPT to try and find a loophole to cancel the bonus.

Paralives Early Access Review · IGN The highly anticipated Sims competitor Paralives has launched in Early Access, earning a 7/10 for its striking, comic-book art style and chaotic charm. While the game currently lacks depth in its personality system and day-to-day activities, it shows massive potential with its incredibly detailed build mode and unique hands-off conversation mechanics. Adding to the goodwill, the tiny 15-person dev team has promised the game will strictly feature free updates with zero paid DLC.

Planet Zoo 2 Announced for This October · IGN Frontier Developments is returning to the animal enclosure with Planet Zoo 2, launching October 13 for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S. The highly requested sequel will finally add flying and aquatic animals to the mix, allowing you to build aviaries and aquariums alongside a stronger gameplay focus on wildlife conservation.

Bungie Makes Marathon Free to Try · IGN Amid soft sales and underwhelming player counts, Bungie is hosting a free trial for Marathon across all platforms from June 2nd to June 9th. The launch of Season 2 is also adding more PvE content to lure in casual shooter fans who might be intimidated by the hardcore extraction elements of the game.

Free Games & Deals#

Epic Games Store is currently giving away the cat-cafe management game Calico and the spaceship roguelike LONESTAR for free until June 4.

Over on PlayStation, the massive Days of Play sale is live, slashing prices on 12-month PS Plus subscriptions, knocking the PSVR 2 down to £309.99, and discounting great games like The Witcher 3: Complete Edition and Astro Bot. Deal hunters should also check out the PlayStation 5 DualSense Controllers on sale; standard colors are dropping to $54, and limited editions like the brand new Hyperpop Collection are $20 off. If you’re on PC, B&H Photo is taking a massive $1,000 off the Lenovo Legion Pro 7 RTX 5080 Gaming Laptop, bringing a top-tier OLED rig down to $2,499.

Also Worth Knowing#

Take-Two Boss Throws Shade at MindsEye: Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick pointedly noted that “former Rockstar employees” have tried and failed to match GTA’s success, a clear jab at the critically panned, buggy metaverse flop MindsEye by former Rockstar veteran Leslie Benzies.
Donkey Kong 64 Hits Switch Online: The legendary 1999 N64 collect-a-thon platformer, complete with the iconic DK Rap, is dropping on Nintendo Switch Online’s Expansion Pack on June 4.
UFC 6 Preview Shows Major Upgrades: EA’s UFC 6 introduces distinct fighter blocking stances, a new Flow State momentum mechanic to replicate real-world fighting styles, and an excellent interactive Hall of Legends museum mode.
Book of Life Director Faces AI Backlash: Animator Jorge R. Gutierrez is facing intense fan disappointment for reversing his previously anti-AI stance to create an AI-animated series called Punky Duck for Amazon’s new creator fund.
007 First Light Hides Brilliant Easter Eggs: IO Interactive’s critically acclaimed James Bond game is packed with franchise nods, from Sean Connery’s trilby hat to a GoldenEye key and the classic laser-between-the-legs trap.