Archive - 2025

Halloween Horror Nights 2025 Opens at Universal Studios Hollywood

The highly anticipated opening of Halloween Horror Nights kicked off at Universal Studios Hollywood with a star studded red carpet to usher in the popular seasonal event that unearths eight all-new and returning haunted houses, an array of frightening scare zones, the return of its popular Terror Tram experience and “The Purge: Dangerous Waters” live stunt show, along with the welcome debut of “Chainsaw Man: The Chaos,” a terrifying Japanese anime short film.

Halloween Horror Nights continues September 5-7, 11-14, 18-21, 25-28; October 2-5, 8-12, 15-19, 22-26, 29-31; November 1-2, 2025.

At a glance, Halloween Horror Nights 2025 at Universal Studios Hollywood features the following experiences:

  • “Fallout” takes guests into the post-apocalyptic wasteland of Prime Video’s critically acclaimed series.
  • “Five Nights at Freddy’s,” based on Blumhouse’s hit movie where nothing is as it seems at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria.
  • “Terrifier,” inspired by the slasher film franchise that brings the twisted world of Art the Clown to life.
  • “WWE Presents: The Horrors of The Wyatt Sicks” immerses guests in the world of WWE, going head-to-head with Uncle Howdy in an experience that features The Wyatt Sicks and honors the legacy of Bray Wyatt.
  • “Jason Universe” features horror movie icon Jason from the infamous Friday the 13th films.
  • “Poltergeist, based on Amazon MGM Studios’ supernatural cult horror classic, brings guests “into the light.”
  • “Scarecrow: Music by SLASH” puts retribution at the forefront in which Mother Nature seeks vengeance on the homesteaders for their sins of the past that is carried out by farmland scarecrows. SLASH’s original score delivers an unnerving sense of fear as guests navigate the ominous corridors of the haunted house.
  • “Monstruos 3: The Ghosts of Latin America,” the final chapter where three ghostly legends of Latin America await.
  • “Terror Tram: Enter the Blumhouse” enables visitors to disembark the Studio Tour tram and set off on foot to encounter some of the most iconic villains from Blumhouse’s popular horror franchises over the past 15 years.
  • “The Purge: Dangerous Waters,” a live stunt show that takes visitors on a fiery, rock-fueled adventure while they fight to survive the night.
  • “Chainsaw Man: The Chaos,” based on the hit Japanese manga and anime series, is  an all-original horror anime short of Denji and the Devil Hunters as they battle the Halloween Horror Nights Devil and his army of zombies
  • “Chainsaw Clownz,” a troop of chainsaw killers confront guests in this scare zone as they enter the event.
  • “Carnival of Carnage,” an all-new scare zone featuring a maniacal fun house.
  • “Noche de Brujuas,” a scare zone that extends the terror from “Monstruos 3: The Ghosts of Latin America.”
  • “Murder of Crowz,” the popular scare zone returns with a flock of menacing crows doing anything – and everything – to defend their nest.

A variety of tickets are available for sale. Click here to purchase tickets and for Terms and Conditions. Details for each ticket type are subject to change.

  • General Admission: general admission ticket to Halloween Horror Nights
  • Universal Express: One-time (per day) express access to each participating haunted house, ride and attraction. Does not include early event access.
  • Universal Express Unlimited: Unlimited express access (per day) to each participating haunted house, ride and attraction. Does not include early event access.
  • Frequent Fear Pass: Experience up to 33 nights (based on your selected first visit date during purchase) of General Admission to this year’s event. Valid on select nights only; blackout dates apply. Does not include early event access.
  • Ultimate Fear Pass: Experience the scares over and over for up to all event nights (based on selected first visit date during purchase). No blackout dates on return visits. Does not include early event access.
  • After 2 PM Day/Night: Daytime General Admission to the Theme Park after 2:00 p.m. and same day evening General Admission to Halloween Horror Nights.
  • Early Access Ticket: Early access, beginning at 5:30 p.m.(subject to change) to select haunted houses prior to event opening. A Halloween Horror Nights admission ticket must be purchased separately.
  • R.I.P. Tour: Enjoy V.I.P treatment with an evening of first-class horror, expert shared guided tour of the haunted house, exclusive experiences along the way and a gourmet dinner.
  • Pass Member Special Pricing: Platinum Annual Pass Members can reserve their complimentary Halloween Horror Nights General Admission ticket, select nights apply.

Adding to the scares, guests also can experience select theme park attractions open during the event, including “Jurassic World—The Ride,” “The Wizarding World of Harry Potter™” featuring “Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey™” and “Flight of the Hippogriff™,” “Transformers™: The Ride-3D,” “Revenge of the Mummy—The Ride” and “The Simpsons Ride™.”  The interactive land SUPER NINTENDO WORLD will be accessible to guests purchasing select tickets.

PAX West 2026 Dates and Details Revealed

Show organizers ReedPop and Penny Arcade revealed today at the conclusion of PAX West 2025, the West Coast’s most-attended gaming event, that next year’s edition of the show returns to the Seattle Convention Center over Labor Day 2026 weekend from Friday, Sept. 4, through Monday, Sept. 7.

PAX West 2025 welcomed more than a hundred thousand attendees from all over the world, with even more fans coming together digitally to participate in the festivities hosted across Twitch, Steam, and other online platforms.

Highlights from the weekend included a storytime keynote with Final Fantasy producer Yoshi-P, the latest updates on the Resident Evil and Monster Hunter franchises during the Capcom Presents panel, and the debut playable US demo for Kirby Air Riders and Hollow Knight: Silksong at the Nintendo booth.

The show also featured two massive expo halls with games industry titans, indie developers including many from King county, tabletop freeplay areas, and competitive gaming tournaments in the PAX Arena. Beyond the show floor, attendees enjoyed thoughtful panel discussions, live concerts, elaborate cosplays, and community meetups. Relive the annual celebration of gaming and pop culture with uploads of the recorded content on the official PAX YouTube channel.

“I wanted to do another show next week!” said Jerry Holkins, co-founder of PAX and Penny Arcade. “Everybody said ‘No.’”

For fans who can’t wait until PAX West next year, PAX Unplugged 2025, the East Coast’s most-attended tabletop gaming event, returns to the Pennsylvania Convention Center from Friday, Nov. 21, through Sunday, Nov. 23, 2025, with badges on sale now. Media and content creators can apply for badges here.

PAX East 2026, the East Coast’s most-attended gaming event, returns to the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center from Thursday, March 26, through Sunday, March 29, 2026, with tickets on sale in the coming months.

For travel info on future PAX events, follow PAX on Instagram, Bluesky, YouTube, Facebook, Twitch, and Twitter.

Long Drive North Official Multiplayer Trailer

Long Drive North, the highly anticipated single player and multiplayer survival road trip game, will launch in Early Access on Steam this November!

Players will have to drive and repair their trusty old RV, scavenge for parts, hunt and cook to survive the harsh American wilderness, all alone or in up to four player co-op.

A new trailer has just been released, offering players a glimpse at just some of what they’ll be getting up to on their multiplayer road trip! Friendships will be tested…

About Long Drive North

Explore and survive the harsh American wilderness in the Long Drive North. Drive and repair your trusty old RV, scavenge for parts, hunt and cook to survive; all alone or with up to 4 players in co-op. No zombies or monsters await – just an immersive driving-exploration-survival experience.

Drive, maintain, explore, scavenge and hunt to survive the Long Drive North.

  • Drive and maintain your trusty old RV: get hands on and refuel & repair your vehicle
  • Survive an unforgiving world: manage your sleep, hunger and thirst levels, scavenge for parts, and hunt for food
  • Use recipes and cook to survive
  • Explore the wilderness: discover a post-disaster American wilderness, an open world, sandbox environment.
  • Play alone or in up to 4 player co-op multiplayer
  • Navigate the frontier on-foot and behind the wheel. Can you conquer the wilderness and survive your desperate journey?

Long Drive North is inspired by the likes of The Long DarkThe Long Drive and My Summer Car.

Jotunslayer: Hordes of Hel Out Now

Today is the day! Flagons will be raised, axes hurled, lighting flung and hordes wiped from the map. Jotunslayer: Hordes of Hel, the critically  acclaimed action roguelike from Games Farm and Grindstone Publishing, is out now! Following a divine Early Access, this tale of Norse destruction now enters 1.0 on PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S!

Battling across five realms, players take on the role of the damned and face the trials of the Gods, but they won’t be alone. Lighting blasts from Thor, divine radiance from Freya and even the support of the all-father himself will see players turn hundreds, if not thousands of enemies to dust in their wake.

Alongside divine support, each hero will also unlock perks and sub classes, as well as divine support, as they tear through the Hordes of Hel. They won’t just be playing a hero, they’ll be building a merciless machine of mayhem capable of carving their name into legend.

To do that, they’ll have more tools than ever, including:

  • A Fallen Hero: Step into the shoes of the Kin-Slayer, a disgraced warrior capable of dealing devastating damage to her opponents.
  • Helheim: A brand-new region, the dreaded underworld filled with puzzles and a linear path to be uncovered by only the bravest of heroes
  • Endless Mode: If players survive the perils of Helheim, they’ll unlock the brand-new endless mode that sees them fight against the overwhelming odds as they carve their names into legend.
  • Godly Support: Nidhogg, a merciless massive dragon  who will rip apart enemies joins heroes on their bloody rampage through Norse mythology.

Sins of a Solar Empire II – Reinforcements Launch Date Revealed

The battle for galactic control has evolved as all sides introduce deadly new ships and cunning methods of victory. Stardock has announced the Reinforcements DLC for Sins of a Solar Empire II, will launch on September 25, 2025. This content expansion introduces a brand-new command ship class—one unique vessel for each faction—and all-new Factional Victory Conditions that let players win in ways that match their empire’s lore and playstyle.

New Command Ships
Bridging the gap between capital ships and titans, command ships redefine late-game fleet compositions with devastating firepower, unique abilities, and strategic utility:

  • TEC Enclave – Takadaran Command Fortress: A massive support platform doubling as a mobile cruiser-scale shipyard, capable of producing TEC cruisers in the field.
  • TEC Primacy – Khevarkov Modular Battleship: A high-speed strike vessel with customizable hardpoints for railguns, missiles, or hangar bays.
  • Vasari Alliance – Sularkon Tyrant: A city-ship fortress with integrated Phase Gate, designed to lock down entire sectors.
  • Vasari Exodus – Anarkrul Wanderer: A colossal refugee-carrier turned warship, bristling with defenses and heavy strikecraft support.
  • Advent Wrath – Oblivia Dreadnought: A heavily armored frontline warship wielding a devastating Super Heavy PsiKinetic Lance.
  • Advent Reborn – Justicia Dreadnought: A vertical dreadnought that grows deadlier as allies fall, culminating in catastrophic retaliation.

Factional Victory Conditions
The Reinforcements DLC also introduces faction-specific win conditions, adding new strategic layers and dramatic endgame scenarios:

  • Vasari – The Departure: Build massive Arkships and escape the sector through a star.
  • Advent – Mass Conversion: Deploy planetary conversion structures to transform entire star systems into loyal territory in sweeping waves.
  • Trader Emergency Coalition – Super Novalith Offensive: Construct an ultimate Novalith cannon capable of obliterating planets to force peace through sheer destructive power.

“The Reinforcements DLC isn’t just about adding bigger ships—it’s about giving players entirely new ways to think about victory,” said Brian Clair, Executive Producer at Stardock. “From unleashing faction-defining command ships to achieving lore-driven win conditions, every match can now end in a way that feels true to your chosen empire.”

Dreams of Another Launch Date Trailer

Kyoto-based creative studio Q-Games has announced that a free demo of its upcoming PixelJunk title, Dreams of Another, is now available on Steam for a limited two-week period, until September 16th. The full version of the game will be released on PS5, PS VR2 and Steam on October 10th, 2025.

The demo announcement was made during the Best Indie Games Fall Showcase 2025 (Premiered on Tuesday, September 2nd at 8:00AM PDT/5:00PM CEST), a digital showcase that highlights the biggest upcoming indie games.

The newly released Steam demo allows players to explore a snippet of the game and experience the fantastical dream world brought to life using unique point cloud rendering technology.

In addition, pre-orders are now open on the PlayStation Store for both Dreams of Another and the Dreams of Another + PixelJunk Eden 2 Special Bundle. Both games are directed by Baiyon.

Cronos: The New Dawn Official Launch Trailer

From the acclaimed developers of the SILENT HILL 2 remake, Bloober Team presents Cronos: The New Dawn — a third-person survival horror experience like no other. Set in the haunting ruins of New Dawn, a world inspired by Nowa Huta, a real historical district in Kraków, Poland, the game unfolds across two timelines: a post-apocalyptic future decaying in despair, and the gritty, industrial 1980s reality. This powerful duality blends retro realism, dystopian sci-fi, and a retro-futuristic atmosphere to create a deeply immersive world filled with tension, mystery, and terror.

Early Access Begins — Step into the Ruins

Bloober Team invites players to descend into the unforgiving world of New Dawn with the launch of early access today for PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. Step into the hunting suit of The Traveler — an enigmatic agent of the Collective, sent into zones scarred by the Change, a cataclysmic event that shattered time, memory, and flesh. What remains is a world suspended between past and future — haunted, hostile, and unravelling. Survival is anything but certain.

Cross-Platform Digital Launch Sept. 5 with Physical Editions Coming Soon

The game will officially launch digitally across all platforms, including the Nintendo Switch 2 system, on Sept. 5 at 7 a.m. PT / 10 a.m. ET / 4 p.m. CEST. The Digital Deluxe Edition ($69.99), now available for preorder (Steam, Epic Games Store, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S), provides 48-hour early access. This means that if you preorder the Deluxe Edition today, Sept. 3, you can start playing Cronos right away. It includes everything from the Digital Standard Edition plus additional:

Commandos: Origins Launches on Last Gen Consoles this September

Publisher Kalypso Media and Claymore Game Studios announce that Commandos: Origins will launch digitally on Xbox One and PlayStation®4 on September 17th, 2025. Following the highly anticipated release on PC (Steam and Epic Games), Xbox on PC, Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation®5 in April, the game is now heading to last-gen consoles — inviting even more players to experience the thrilling origins of the legendary Commandos unit.

“We know that many of our fans have been with the Commandos series for decades — and a significant number of them are still playing on Xbox One and PlayStation 4,” said Jürgen Reusswig, Studio Director at Claymore Game Studios. “By bringing Commandos: Origins to last-gen consoles, we’re honoring that legacy and making sure no one gets left behind.”

Commandos: Origins invites players to step back into World War II and command a squad of unique specialists through daring missions behind enemy lines. Designed with meticulous attention to detail, the game brings the series’ iconic real-time tactics gameplay to life with modern enhancements — now optimized for the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 with all features from the current gen version. Whether sneaking past enemy patrols or blowing up strategic targets, last-gen players will be more than ready to show they still have what it takes.

Commandos: Origins is gearing up for digital release on Xbox One and PlayStation 4 on September 17th, 2025, priced at $49.99. The Xbox One version supports Xbox Smart Delivery, ensuring players enjoy the best possible experience on both Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S — because no Commando leaves a comrade behind, not even across console generations. Commandos: Origins is available with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass.

Disney Dreamlight Valley Announces Wishblossom Ranch Expansion

Gameloft, leader in the development and publishing of multiplatform games, announced today that the new expansion for their hit game Disney Dreamlight Valley will release for all platforms this November. Titled Disney Dreamlight Valley: Wishblossom Ranch, this expansion brings to the game, for the very first time, horse mounts that players can care for and ride, a brand-new storyline, the introduction of three new Biomes to explore, and the addition of Snow White from Disney Snow White and Tinker Bell from Disney Peter Pan. More info including additional characters (and mounts!) will be revealed during the 2025 Disney Dreamlight Valley Showcase Stream that will take place on October 15.

In this new expansion, players will discover the beautiful landscapes of the Wishblossom Mountains where horses roamed free, living a life of freedom and delight. But the once-thriving Wishblossom Ranch has fallen into neglect, giving rise to a mysterious blight known as the Decay. With the Ranch now in ruins, players must team up with Snow White and Tinker Bell to find a way to revitalize the Ranch and find its lost equine residents.

Players will explore three all-new Biomes and enlist the help of the brave and kind-hearted Maximus from Disney’s Tangled. New horse friends can be taken care of with daily feeding and brushing, alongside customization features and accessories. Horses can learn new abilities and skills, complete special obstacle courses, and help players speed up their daily activities like gardening, mining, and village cleanup, which will all increase friendship levels and unlock rewards.

Players looking to check out all the new content coming in Disney Dreamlight Valley: Wishblossom Ranch are invited to a special Showcase Stream taking place on October 15, where members of the Disney Dreamlight Valley team will pull back the curtain on this brand-new adventure and reveal additional characters and horses!

The Elder Scrolls Online: Feast of Shadows Out Now

The Elder Scrolls Online: Feast of Shadows dungeon pack and free Update 47 base-game patch are now available on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5 consoles, and included in ESO’s 2025 Content Pass. This release follows the launch on PC and Mac on August 18. Starting today, console players can brave two new four-player dungeons, Black Gem Foundry and Naj-Caldeesh. See the video here:

The Feast of Shadows ties thematically to the Seasons of the Worm Cult saga—a continuation of ESO’s original story—with two new PvE dungeons, Black Gem Foundry and Naj-Caldeesh, located deep in the island of Solstice. Both dungeons introduce new, unique stories, epic bosses, and in-game rewards, giving players a chance to face off against necromancers and shut down soul-stealing manufactories as things continue to lead up to the world-changing server-wide Writhing Wall Event, coming later this year.

The Feast of Shadows dungeon pack is included with the ESO Plus membership, 2025 Content Pass, and 2025 Premium Edition. More information can be found on the ESO official website.

Accompanying Feast of Shadows is Update 47, a free base-game patch, unlocking the highly requested Mount Swimming functionality. Now, players are able to remain on their trusty mounts while in the water.

This base-game patch also brings Stackable Survey Reports, keeping surveys from taking over players’ inventories, along with quality-of-life updates such as the ability to replay quest dialog, compass improvements, and more. Additional details on Update 47 can be found here.

For the full patch notes for both Feast of Shadows and Update 47, visit our official forums. The Feast of Shadows dungeon pack and Update 47 are now live on PC/Mac, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5.