Gaming News — 2026-05-14#

Top Story#

GTA 6 fans are losing their minds over an allegedly leaked Best Buy email indicating physical pre-orders will go live from May 18 to May 21. With Take-Two reportedly spending an eye-watering $1 to $1.5 billion on development so far, this launch is gearing up to be the biggest in entertainment history, and the pre-order leak has gamers frantically anticipating Trailer 3.

News & Reviews#

[Forza Horizon 6 Maps a Gorgeous Japanese Playground] · IGN Playground Games finally takes its flagship racing series to Japan, and the results are stunning. Forza Horizon 6 offers a deeply credible map featuring dense Tokyo cityscapes, rural touge circuits, and parking lots built organically for car meets. With global release unlocking on Steam on May 18 (May 14 for Premium early access), this is shaping up to be a masterful evolution of the formula with incredible performance scaling on PC.

[Subnautica 2 Makes Massive Early Access Splash] · IGN Unknown Worlds’ highly anticipated sequel launched into Early Access, drawing in an unbelievable 467,000 concurrent Steam players and selling 1 million copies in its first hour. While early reviews award it a solid 7/10 for its gripping sci-fi narrative and seamless co-op, the current map limits mean you might burn through the mystery a bit fast. It’s a fantastic foundation, but patience will be key as the developers expand the murky depths.

[Bungie Pivots Marathon with New PVE Modes] · IGN In a bid to broaden its audience after a reportedly rough reception internally, Bungie is introducing a dedicated PVE mode to Marathon in Season 2. The extraction shooter will also see massive progression resets, guaranteed map events to make runs more lucrative, and quality-of-life adjustments to ease in new players. It’s a smart move to attract gamers who love Bungie’s gunplay but hate high-stakes PVP sweat fests.

[Fortnite Axes Lethal Fall Damage, Welcomes Overwatch] · IGN Epic Games has drastically shaken up Fortnite’s core battle royale by replacing lethal fall damage with a 1HP “splat” mechanic. Alongside a massive Overwatch crossover bringing Tracer’s time-bending pistols and maps like Hanamura to the island, Zero Build players also gain unlimited-use “Pocket Items” like Medmist and Shield Bubbles.

[Assassin’s Creed Hexe Leaks Point to Ezio’s Return] · IGN A new leak suggests 2027’s witchcraft-centric Assassin’s Creed Hexe will feature a female protagonist named Anika navigating creepy European forests alongside her mentor, Wolfgang. Surprisingly, iconic series hero Ezio Auditore is also rumored to return, reportedly manifesting through an ancient Isu memory recording to guide the narrative.

[Party Animals Review-Bombed Over AI Contest] · IGN Co-op hit Party Animals has been slammed with over 800 negative Steam reviews after developers announced a $15,000 video contest requiring the use of generative AI. Fans are heavily criticizing the studio’s choice to mandate AI tools for creative submissions, dragging the game’s recent review rating down to “mostly negative”.

Free Games & Deals#

The Epic Games Store is absolutely treating us this week with two free titles to claim before May 21: grab the strategy game Sunderfolk - Standard Edition and the dark, narrative-driven The Telltale Batman Shadows Edition. If you’re looking for cheap PC grabs, Humble’s $10 Indie Icons Showcase Bundle is an insane steal featuring eight verified bangers like Celeste and Risk of Rain Returns. You can also snatch a $100 Xbox eGift Card for just $83.50 at Newegg with code “SSF6837” to fund your next big digital purchase.

Also Worth Knowing#

Categories: Tech
Tags: Industry News, Game Reviews, Leaks, Free Games
Backward 2026-05-15 2026-05-13 Forward