Gaming News — 2026-07-21#

Top Story#

Former Forza Horizon director Mike Brown has traced Microsoft’s devastating wave of Xbox layoffs directly to the failure of Game Pass to hit the massive subscriber targets required to justify the company’s aggressive spending. As Xbox undergoes what CEO Asha Sharma calls its most significant restructure, the reality of a changing subscription landscape is hitting the industry hard.

News & Reviews#

Splatoon Raiders Review · IGN Nintendo’s first Splatoon spinoff completely sticks the landing as an incredibly well-designed action RPG, earning a stellar 9/10. The single-player campaign forces you to expertly manage new gadgets and scrappy weaponry against challenging Salmonid hordes, making it one of the absolute best games on the Switch 2 so far.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt — Songs of the Past Reveal Date Confirmed · IGN CD Projekt Red confirmed that the highly anticipated third expansion for The Witcher 3, titled Songs of the Past, will be officially revealed on August 25 at gamescom 2026. Co-developed with Fool’s Theory, the 2027 DLC will act as a prequel of sorts to The Witcher 4 and will arm Geralt with a mysterious new sword.

Just 7 PlayStation Games Have Sold More Than 100,000 Physical Copies in the U.S. So Far This Year · IGN Amid massive backlash over Sony’s plan to kill physical game discs starting in 2028, sobering new U.S. sales data underscores exactly why the publisher isn’t changing its mind. Physical copies have essentially flatlined in the U.S. market, with digital margins proving far too lucrative for Sony to ignore in the current economy.

Lara Croft’s Acrobatics Were So Important to Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis That Actress Alix Wilton Regan Started Rock-Climbing to Get Into Character · IGN Crystal Dynamics is making Lara Croft’s iconic mobility a major focus of the upcoming Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis, bringing back her classic cartwheels, handstands, and swan dives. Actress Alix Wilton Regan even took up rock climbing to physically embody the confident, highly capable movement of 1996-era Lara.

2026 Is Great For PC Gaming If You Already Have Hardware · IGN The AI-driven RAM crisis has caused PC hardware prices to skyrocket, with even the entry-level Steam Machine now costing over a thousand dollars. Fortunately, developers seem to be reacting to the shortage by releasing remarkably well-optimized games, making this a great year for PC gamers who are willing to ride out the crisis on their current rigs rather than trying to upgrade.

Free Games & Deals#

If you want a Switch 2 before the dreaded $500 price hike hits in September, new Woot customers can use promo code “GIFT26” to snag the console for an absolute steal at just $399. Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol.1 is currently a massive 50% off ($19.99) at Best Buy for PS5 and Switch, offering a fantastic way to replay the classic stealth titles. Over on Amazon, the stellar RPG Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 for PS5 has dropped below its Prime Day price to $37.49 with a clipped coupon. Additionally, Xbox Game Pass is finishing July strong with the day-one arrival of Halo: Campaign Evolved on July 28, followed by Game Freak’s Beast of Reincarnation on August 4. Finally, if you need a fun, free browser distraction, check out the Dungeon Crawler Carl flash game Mama’s Night Off.

Also Worth Knowing#

• Leon Kennedy Voice Actor Says Metallica, Nirvana Helped Shape His Performance (IGN): Nick Apostolides revealed he listened to Nirvana for RE2, Alice in Chains for RE4, and classic Metallica for his older portrayal in Resident Evil Requiem.
• Hideo Kojima Quips That He Wants to Die in a Movie Theater (IGN): The cinematic Metal Gear Solid creator joked at a film festival in Rome that his ideal death would occur right after the trailers end and just before a movie begins.
• Switch 2 Customers Have No Right to U.S. Tariff Refunds, Nintendo Argues (IGN): As the U.S. issues collective tariff refunds to businesses, Nintendo is actively fighting a class action lawsuit demanding those refunds be passed down to customers who paid higher console prices.
• Dbrand’s Steam Machine Wraps Are Here (IGN): Following a failed Portal Companion Cube attempt, Dbrand has launched nine new skins to customize Valve’s cube-shaped gaming PC.