Gaming News — 2026-04-07#

Top Story#

Bethesda just dropped a megaton with the release of Starfield’s “biggest update yet,” overhauling the game with planetary free-flight, alongside the launch of the Terran Armada DLC and a long-awaited PlayStation 5 port. This massive Free Lanes update breathes fresh life into the controversial RPG with new space encounters, the Moon Jumper land vehicle, and cross-universe inventory sharing.

News & Reviews#

Xbox Game Pass April 2026 Wave 1 Lineup Hits Hard · IGN April is an absolute juggernaut of a month for Game Pass subscribers, bringing heavy hitters like Hades II, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019), and DayZ to the service. With excellent day-one drops like Replaced and Vampire Crawlers also making the cut, Microsoft is giving gamers plenty of reasons to stay subscribed.

Cyberpunk 2077 Gets Massive PS5 Pro Makeover · IGN CD Projekt Red is dropping a PS5 Pro update on April 8 that leverages PSSR 2 and a new Ray Tracing Pro mode to finally bring console visuals closer to PC quality. By tracking up to eight rays of light for enhanced reflections and shadows, it looks like a major graphical leap for console players still exploring Night City.

Gothic 1 Remake Modernizes a Dark Fantasy Classic · IGN The upcoming remake of the 2001 cult classic Gothic is updating its notoriously clunky combat while deeply expanding its world and narrative consequences. Developer Alkimia Interactive is notably expanding the Orc faction to allow diplomatic inroads, while respectfully updating female characters to have actual agency rather than remaining non-interactable background slaves.

State of Decay 3 Alpha Imminent, But Scraps Zombie Animals · IGN Developer Undead Labs is prepping a May alpha test for State of Decay 3, but has confirmed that the famous “zombie deer” from the 2020 reveal trailer won’t be in the final game. Studio head Philip Holt admitted the trailer was just a pre-rendered concept created before a real game even existed, meaning we’ll have to survive the apocalypse without undead fauna.

Pokémon Champions Hub Launches Globally · IGN The Pokémon franchise is permanently shifting its competitive scene to Pokémon Champions, a new free-to-play hub launching today on the Switch. Replacing Scarlet and Violet as the de facto tournament platform, the game lets you import creatures via Pokémon Home and supports mechanics like Mega Evolutions, Terastallization, and Gigantamaxing.

Steam Will Now Tell You If Your PC Can Run A Game · IGN Valve’s latest Steam beta client is collecting user frame rate data to generate highly accurate performance estimates tailored specifically to your PC hardware configuration. Unlike the vague warnings on the Xbox app, this system will use real-world metrics from millions of users to let you know exactly how a title will perform on your rig before you buy it.

Free Games & Deals#

If you’re hunting for hardware bargains, Walmart has a staggering deal on a 24" LG UltraGear 1080p 144Hz G-Sync gaming monitor for just $89. PC builders looking for a high-end prebuilt rig can also snag the Skytech O11 Vision PC, packing an RTX 5070 Ti and 32GB of DDR5 RAM, for a highly competitive $1,999.99 on Amazon. On the software side, one of the best extraction shooters of 2025, ARC Raiders, is down to $26.99 (33% off) on Newegg with checkout code SSF5645.

Also Worth Knowing#

• [Ocarina of Time Remake Rumors Swirl] (IGN): Co-developer Monolith Soft is expanding its role within the Zelda franchise, fueling rumors of a holiday 2026 remake of Ocarina of Time.
• [Kerbal Space Program Surges Thanks to Artemis II] (IGN): The real-life Artemis II moon mission has triggered a massive resurgence for the 11-year-old space sim, which recently hit an impressive 11,390 concurrent player peak.
• [Pokémon Go Pro Disqualified Over Fist Pump] (IGN): The Pokémon Go community is outraged after an Orlando Regional Championship winner was disqualified for “unsportsmanlike” conduct after abruptly taking off his headphones to celebrate with a fist pump.
• [Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred Paladin Gameplay Revealed] (IGN): Fans got a 12-minute glimpse of Paladin combat and the first boss fight from the upcoming Lord of Hatred expansion dropping on April 29.
• [Zombuds Brings Drug Tycoon Sim to the Apocalypse] (IGN): A newly announced open-world PC game will let players bootstrap an apocalyptic pharmaceutical empire by hiring survivors and brainwashing zombies to do the dirty work.