Gaming News — 2026-07-22#

Top Story#

The biggest shake-up in the industry right now is Sony’s controversial decision to end the production of physical PlayStation discs for new games starting in January 2028, a move analysts warn could completely destroy the $7.2 billion second-hand video game market. While digital sales dominate modern gaming, the massive online backlash from players and preservationists highlights the growing tension over consumer choice and true game ownership in an all-digital future.

News & Reviews#

Microsoft Announces Xbox Backward Compatibility on PC, With New Features and Achievements · IGN Classic console games like Blinx: The Time Sweeper and Crimson Skies are finally playable natively on PC and handhelds like the ROG Ally X. The early preview launched today with up to 4x resolution upscaling, and achievement support will arrive later this year. It’s a massive win for game preservation and a fantastic value-add for PC Game Pass subscribers.

With Pokémon in Fortnite Seemingly Off the Table, Palworld Looks Likely to Crossover Instead · IGN Epic Games appears to be laying the groundwork for a massive Palworld crossover in Fortnite. While Nintendo famously refuses to play ball with Epic, Pocketpair is enthusiastically teasing the collaboration, appearing in recent in-game surveys just as Fortnite leans heavily into creature-collecting mechanics.

Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game Review · IGN Avatar Legends delivers arguably the most fun, fast-paced fighting mechanics and wild character mobility we’ve seen in years, perfectly nailing the spirit of the beloved show. Unfortunately, its stellar 1v1 gameplay does all the heavy lifting, as the overall package is severely held back by a lackluster story mode, missing training features, and bare-bones 2-player-only online lobbies.

Stalker 2 Turned a Profit Before It Came Out Thanks to Money Microsoft Paid for Xbox Exclusivity · IGN GSC Game World’s founder revealed that Microsoft’s massive check for Stalker 2’s timed Xbox exclusivity and day-one Game Pass launch entirely covered the game’s development costs. It’s a fascinating peek into Microsoft’s aggressive content acquisition strategy, which shielded the Ukrainian developer from immense financial risk during a turbulent development cycle.

Wreckreation 2 Announced Despite Studio Closure, Just Nine Months After the Original Arrived · IGN Despite the lukewarm reception of the first game, Wreckreation 2 is already in the works from a team of Burnout veterans. Promising a more compact, urban environment heavily inspired by Burnout Paradise, early previews suggest the sequel is already fixing its predecessor’s mistakes with weighty handling and classic Road Rage events.

Free Games & Deals#

While there are no notable Epic Games Store freebies dropping today, the hardware and game deals landscape is absolutely stacked. Woot is running a massive “Summer of Gaming” sale offering the upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 console for just $399 with the promo code “GIFT26”—saving you $100 before the official September price hikes hit. Switch games like Tomodachi Life and Sonic x Shadow Generations are also heavily discounted using the code “LEVEL22”. On the PC hardware front, the PNY GeForce RTX 5070 graphics card has hit an all-time low of $519.99 at Woot, and Walmart has essential 512GB MicroSD Express cards for the Switch 2 marked down to $84.77.

Also Worth Knowing#

• Former Tekken Director Katsuhiro Harada Reveals He Totally Misunderstood What Getting Invited To the Cookout Meant · IGN: Harada hilariously confessed he initially thought Western fans wanted to “beat him up and roast him” when they invited him to the cookout after Leroy Smith’s reveal.
• Hasbro’s The Legend of Zelda Figures Have Been Revealed, and They Look Amazing · IGN: Hasbro’s new 6-inch “Heroes of Hyrule” action figure line debuts with highly articulated, accessory-packed versions of Link, Zelda, and Ganondorf.
• Starfield Modder is Trying to Make The Game’s Spaceship Take-Offs as Seamless as Possible · IGN: A new beta mod attempts to completely remove Starfield’s loading screens during planet take-offs, bringing the game closer to a seamless No Man’s Sky experience.
• Black Lake Horror Game Announced for PC · IGN: Dropping in Winter 2027, this terrifying new first-person survival horror game traps players in an abandoned orphanage mysteriously floating at sea.
• Shenmue Fans Get Count Binface to Call on Sega to Make Shenmue 4 · IGN: The UK’s favorite satirical politician wearing a trash can has officially demanded Sega release Shenmue 4 and “reboot SegaWorld”.