The Steam Winter Sale is underway, offering discounts on thousands of games between now and January 5th, and the chance to earn some free (virtual) stickers. Also, voting is now open for The 2025 Steam Awards. More: www.bluesnews.com/s/292686/

Jotunnslayer: Hordes of Hel is now free to keep on the Epic Games Store, beginning the store's annual holiday giveaway spree. So you must snag it before 11:00 am EST tomorrow when a new gift arrives, a process that will repeat daily for the rest of the year. More: www.bluesnews.com/s/292668/

Wild Terra 2: New Lands is currently free on Steam, offering an MMORPG for Windows in a medieval setting. It's yours to keep as long as you snag a copy by midday tomorrow. More: www.bluesnews.com/s/292620/

The promised free trial is underway in Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 on all platforms. It allows full access to the multiplayer and zombies modes in the FPS sequel. This arrives just in time for CODMAS, the in-game celebration of the holidays. More: www.bluesnews.com/s/292590/

A new video for Marathon confirms a March release for Bungie's extraction shooter. Word is the game will have a 39.99/€39.99/£34.99 price tag, which comes with assurances it will not be pay-to-win. More: www.bluesnews.com/s/292535/

Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic game director Casey Hudson responds to peculation about the release date for the upcoming action/RPG. Saying he's "not getting any younger," he promises the game will arrive before 2030. More: www.bluesnews.com/s/292477/

Path of Exile 2 is free to play on all platforms this weekend, celebrating the release of the new The Last of the Druids expansion for the action/RPG sequel. There's also the chance to earn rewards through Twitch drops. More: www.bluesnews.com/s/292465/

Aspyr announces a delay to Deus Ex: Remastered, which was unveiled less than three months ago for release in February. The updated action/RPG no longer has a set release window, and preorders are being automatically refunded. More: www.bluesnews.com/s/292407/

The Winter Sale is now underway on GOG.com, offering up to 95% off on over 8000 games and bundles. It also features the re-release of Warhammer: Dark Omen, a real-time tactics game from 1998 that's long been unavailable. More: www.bluesnews.com/s/292375/

The Call of Duty Blog announces that future installments in the Call of Duty series will not duplicate themes like this year's Black Ops 7 did in following last year's Black Ops 6. There's also word to expect a new multiplayer and zombies free trial next week. More: www.bluesnews.com/s/292295/

Paramount is launching a hostile takeover bid for Warner Bros. following news that Netflix was set to buy the company. It is offering around $18 billion USD more than Netflix in an attempt to court shareholders. More: www.bluesnews.com/s/292209/

Renowned game designer Tim Cain announces he has ended his semi-retirement, and has rejoined Obsidian Entertainment as a full-time, on-site employee. He says you can try to figure out what he's working on, but "you're not going to guess right." More: www.bluesnews.com/s/292134/

A free weekend is underway on Steam for Warhammer 40,000: Darktide. Everyone can play the co-op action/adventure between now and Monday with no obligation. If you decide to pick it up, you'll get a 75% discount and keep your progress from the weekend. More: www.bluesnews.com/s/292107/

The Darkside Detective and Jackbox Party Pack 4 are now free on the Epic Games Store as its latest freebies. These are for keeps if you snag them before next Thursday's giveaway, which will launch at 11:00 pm EST due to The Game Awards. More: www.bluesnews.com/s/292074/

Guild Wars Reforged is now available, offering an updated return to ArenaNet's MMORPG. This is a premium game with no subscription fee, and those who already own a Guild Wars campaign are entitled to a copy for free. More: www.bluesnews.com/s/292044/

The new Renegades expansion is now available for Destiny 2, Bungie's free-to-play shooter. This adds new Star Wars-inspired content created in collaboration with Lucasfilm Games. More: www.bluesnews.com/s/291987/

A free weekend is underway on Steam for Ara History Untold: Anniversary Edition. You have until Monday to sample the grand strategy game, and it's on sale if you decide to continue to build your empire. More: www.bluesnews.com/s/291852/

Universe for Sale is now free on the Epic Games Store as its latest weekly giveaway. It's yours to keep if you snag it before next Thursday. At that point the new freebies will be The Darkside Detective and The Jackbox Party Pack 4. More: www.bluesnews.com/s/291834/

CD PROJECT's latest financial reporting has details on sales of Cyberpunk 2077. Word is the action/RPG has sold 35 million copies in less time than it took The Witcher 3 to hit that milestone. More: www.bluesnews.com/s/291811/

The Embracer Group announces it is selling Arc Games and Cryptic Studios to Project Golden Arc, a group led by the Arc Games management team. Embracer is retaining rights to the Remnant franchise. More: www.bluesnews.com/s/291792/

A free trial is underway until December 2nd for Battlefield 6 on PC and consoles. The sample of EA's military shooter is available through the free-to-play Battlefield REDSEC, and your progress will carry over if you end up buying the game. More: www.bluesnews.com/s/291748/

The Steam Black Friday Sale is now underway, offering discounts between now and December 1st. Also, voting is now underway for The Steam Awards, allowing gamers to put games up for the vote that will come next month during the Steam Winter Sale. More: www.bluesnews.com/s/291721/

Fatshark is offering the chance to own a copy of Warhammer: Vermintide 2 for Windows. The melee combat sequel is currently free on Steam, and it's yours to keep as long as you snag a copy by midday Sunday. More: www.bluesnews.com/s/291646/

Zoeti and Godzilla Voxel Wars are this week's freebies on the Epic Games Store. These are for keeps if you snag them by next Thursday when the next giveaway arrives, revealed as Universe for Sale. More: www.bluesnews.com/s/291576/

Epic and Unity announce a new deal to distribute Unity-engine games directly from within Fortnite. This involves giving Unity access to the Fortnite Creator Economy and giving Epic access to Unity's cross-platform commerce program. More details will come next year. More: www.bluesnews.com/s/291525/

Escape from Tarkov is now officially available after an Early Access run for this extraction shooter. The launch hasn't gone completely smoothly, and a first patch is here as Battlestate games works to address issues players are encountering. More: www.bluesnews.com/s/291416/

Steam is offering the chance to play Age of Wonders 4 for free all weekend, in case you are wondering what this fantasy strategy sequel is all about. The game is also on sale if you decide you want to keep playing after the promotion ends on Monday. More: www.bluesnews.com/s/291396/

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 is now out for PC and consoles. The newest installment in Activision's military shooter series is available as a Standard or Vault Edition, and optional Call of Duty Points are also now on sale. More: www.bluesnews.com/s/291354/

ScourgeBringer, Songs of Silence, and Zero Hour are all now available for free on the Epic Games Store as its weekly gifts. These are for keeps if you snag them by next week, when the new giveaway will be Zoeti. More: www.bluesnews.com/s/291311/

Valve announces three new/updated hardware products coming next year. These are a revival of Steam Machine PCs, an updated Steam Controller, and a new virtual reality head-mounted display called Steam Frame. More: www.bluesnews.com/s/291262/

Embark Studios announces Duo prioritized matchmaking was "silently" enabled this week in ARC Raiders. It also says that in response to player feedback, an update will arrive tomorrow cutting the price of cosmetics in the extraction shooter "as applicable." More: www.bluesnews.com/s/291261/

12 is Better Than 6 is now free on Steam, offering the chance to own this top-down shooter set in the wild west for free. It's yours to keep if you snag your copy by midday Thursday. More: www.bluesnews.com/s/291217/

Surviving Mars: Relaunched is out for PC and consoles, offering a return visit to the red planet. This updated remastered version includes all the DLC, and owners of the original can pick this up with a 50% discount. More: www.bluesnews.com/s/291192/

Take-Two Interactive announces another delay for Grand Theft Auto VI, which is now due for consoles November 19, 2026. The open-world crime sequel was originally announced for this year, and was last expected on May 26, 2026 before this setback. More: www.bluesnews.com/s/291061/

Felix The Reaper and Nixie's Renown Pack for Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms are now free on the Epic Games Store as weekly giveaways. They're yours to keep if you snag them by next Thursday when the new freebie will be Scourgebringer. More: www.bluesnews.com/s/291039/

Football Manager 26 available for PC, Game Pass, and consoles, kicking off the latest installment in this soccer/association football series. There's a playable demo to kick around and the in-game editor is available as an additional purchase. More: www.bluesnews.com/s/290965/

Europa Universalis V is now available for Windows, launching the latest iteration of Paradox Interactive's grand strategy series. There's a Premium Edition, which is also available separately as an upgrade. More: www.bluesnews.com/s/290941/

Auroch Digital announces Warhammer Survivors, promising "charming pixel-vomit gameplay" when it arrives on Steam next year. This is using the Vampire Survivors engine and will feature Warhammer's fantasy and sci-fi settings. More: www.bluesnews.com/s/290940/

Battlestate Games announces that Escape from Tarkov is gold, meaning development is now complete on the extraction shooter. This puts it on track for its official launch out of Early Access on November 15th. More: www.bluesnews.com/s/290891/

Rockstar Games fired between 30 and 40 staff in the U.K. and Canada yesterday. Parent company Take-Two says this was for "gross misconduct," while a British trade union calls it blatant union-busting and "flagrant contempt for the law." More: www.bluesnews.com/s/290832/

STASIS is now available for free on GOG.com, offering a horror adventure for Windows and macOS in time for Halloween as part of the store's Autumn Sale. It's for keeps if you snag it within the next three days. More: www.bluesnews.com/s/290809/

The 12-year esports deal between the International Olympic Committee and Saudi Arabia is cancelled. A tournament scheduled for this year before being postponed to 2027 will not take place. Word is both parties are taking "separate paths" on their esports ambitions. More: www.bluesnews.com/s/290781/

Bendy and the Ink Machine and Five Nights at Freddy's: Into the Pit are free on the Epic Games Store until next Thursday. At that point Felix The Reaper and a content pack for Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms will arrive as the store's new giveaways. More: www.bluesnews.com/s/290756/

The Outer Worlds 2 has launched for PC and consoles, and the Windows edition of Obsidian Entertainment's out of this world action/RPG sequel is available for Windows on Steam as a Standard or Premium Edition. More: www.bluesnews.com/s/290725/

Amid its bloodbath of layoffs, Amazon announces that its MMORPG New World will cease operation by the end of next year. While it will remain available in the meantime, the game will receive no additional content updates. More: www.bluesnews.com/s/290677/

A Kickstarter is underway for a tabletop game based on DOOM, id Software's FPS series. This will come in two flavors, one centered on the original game from 1993, and the other on this year's DOOM: The Dark Ages. More: www.bluesnews.com/s/290649/

911 Operator is currently free on Steam, and this Windows and macOS management simulation is yours to keep if you snag a copy by midday Wednesday. More: www.bluesnews.com/s/290623/

A free weekend is underway on Steam for Gunfire Reborn, giving the chance to sample this roguelite RPG/FPS from Duoyi Games until midday Monday. If this convinces you the game is fire, you can pick it up with a 45% discount, and its DLC is on sale as well. More: www.bluesnews.com/s/290563/

Halo Studios announces Halo: Campaign Evolved, a new Unreal Engine 5 remake of the original Halo coming next year to PC, Xbox, and for the first time, PlayStation. This promises updated graphics and new prequel missions. More: www.bluesnews.com/s/290535/

Electronic Arts announces a new partnership with Stability AI to assist in game development. This news comes days after a report detailing the frustration of EA developers forced to use the company's in-house AI chatbot, ReefGPT. More: www.bluesnews.com/s/290516/