It turns out you won’t actually be spicing up your life next month, as Funcom have announced that Dune: Awakening is getting a delay. The survival MMO was originally supposed to be launching this coming May 20th, but a Steam post was shared today sharing that its release date has been pushed to June 10th. Those that have the deluxe or ultimate edition on order will still be able to play it a few days earlier, now June 5th.
Dune: Awakening, the upcoming open world survival MMO inspired by Frank Herbert’s beloved sci-fi novels and Denis Villeneuve’s films, has been delayed to June 10, 2025.
Funcom shared the news while also confirming that those who wish to get a head start will be able to jump into the game on June 5 if they purchase either the Deluxe Edition or Ultimate Edition.
An important update regarding Dune: Awakening: pic.twitter.com/09Ftw4hstj
— Dune: Awakening (@DuneAwakening) April 15, 2025
As for why the game was delayed, Funcom said, following feedback from its ongoing Persistent Closed Beta, the decision was made so the team has “a bit more time to cook.” This will also let them implement some of the changes they’ve discovered and that have been requested during this beta phase.
Furthermore, Funcom said the delay will allow for a “large-scale beta weekend next month where even more of you will get the opportunity to play the game and share your feedback.”
While this may be disappointing for some who want to jump into Dune: Awakening as soon as possible, Funcom is hosting a combat livestream later today at 12pm ET/9am PT, which will reveal more about PvP and PvE mechanics, archetypes, and skills.
We here at IGN are excited about Dune: Awakening, as we said in our hands-on preview that, “It’s easy to be sceptical about an MMO survival game set in the Duniverse, but after a few bouts of dehydration and sunstroke, the day I spent in Arrakis convinced me that Dune: Awakening is one to watch.”
For more, check out details on the MMO’s business model and post-launch plans and the in-depth gameplay trailer that was revealed at Gamescom ONL last year.
Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.
Adam Bankhurst is a writer for IGN. You can follow him on X/Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on TikTok.
Welp, it’s finally happened. After many months of mainly murder related updates, Larian’s stonker of an RPG has at last received its final major content update. Patch 8 – which you can read in full here – brings Photo Mode, full cross play, and 12 new subclasses to Baldur’s Gate 3. That’s one for each playable class, and likely at least six more than I’ll ever reasonably experience. Still, a swarmkeeper ranger sounds very tempting. Yes the bees, is what I always say.
With so many Spring Sales popping up, now is a great time to stock up on games at a much lower price than usual. If you’ve been looking to sink your teeth into a massive medieval action RPG, this is one deal you definitely don’t want to miss: Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 (for both PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X) has received its first discount at Amazon and Walmart. It’s down to $59.99, $10 off its list price of $69.99. Head to the links below to pick it up for your collection while the deal is still live.
If you’re still on the fence about this one, it’s worth having a read through our glowing 9/10 Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 review. Reviewer Leana Hafer said, “Armed with excellent melee combat and an exceptional story, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is one part sequel and one part coronation, bringing a lot of the original’s ideas to fruition.”
This isn’t the only game deal that’s crossed our path recently. At the moment Best Buy has a Spring Sale going on that’s filled with some excellent discounts on games, including offers on Silent Hill 2, Alan Wake 2 Deluxe Edition, Star Wars Outlaws, and more. If you’re building out your library of games, this is a sale worth checking out to save big on some popular options.
For a more in-depth look at the best game deals available right now, it’s worth checking our roundups of PS5, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch deals. In each of these we’ve gathered up the best discounts on games, hardware, and accessories so you can save on a variety of items for your preferred platform. Our overall roundup of the best video game deals includes some great PC gaming deals alongside the console-specific offers, too.
Hannah Hoolihan is a freelancer who writes with the guides and commerce teams here at IGN.
It was always going to end badly for Thillmann The Braggart. 30 gold, he told the brigands. He’d pay them 30 gold each if they could knock up a stew so disgusting that even he – Kobmanhaven’s most famous glutton – couldn’t keep it down. Whether Thillmann actually had the coin on him, they never found out. Seconds after he raised the first reeking spoon of what he suspected was mostly reindeer shit to his lips, he projectile vomited straight in the face of their leader, and they jumped him.
Death comes quickly in the turn-based tactics and open-world merc work of Battle Brothers, and victory comes hard. Really, it’s the stories of the mercs you hire, and their emergent traits and peccadilloes, that make the game what it is. Still, Thillman was possessed of the sort of cocksure spirit that makes a man far less cognisant of sharp objects than he should be, although you couldn’t fault his reasoning: he was still alive, so as far as fate had proven to him up until now, nothing could kill him. I can only apologise for adding to the bastard’s delusions. The boys and I happened to be passing by at just the right time to save him from those brigands, and he’s been with us ever since.
Cat bells ringing…
Hallmark has released its 2025 Dream Book catalogue, showcasing all of its new Keepsake Ornaments for the upcoming holiday season. And plenty of Nintendo franchises show up among the newcomers.
Look, we know the headline here is outrageous — it’s only April — but indulge us. (Thanks to VGArtAndTidbits for highlighting this on Bluesky!)
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
I’m thrilled to introduce Lushfoil Photography Sim, a tranquil, open-ended photography exploration experience available today on Xbox Series X|S.
While real-life photography can be accessible, it can be harder to commit the time and money to travel. Inspired by some real-world locations that had a huge impact on me, I wanted to virtually recreate some of the highlights of my travels so others can experience them too. I committed to learning Unreal Engine over the last few years in order to do each location justice, and make the game I’ve always wanted to make.
Having grown up with photography, I believe it’s an important medium not only for self-expression, but as a way to remember our lives and all the details we would otherwise forget. With Lushfoil, photo taking isn’t a side objective or optional feature, but it’s at the core of the experience, allowing you to fully absorb the game’s atmosphere and appreciate details in your surroundings.
I spent a lot of time traveling with my Canon 1100, which inspired the main DSLR camera you find in Lushfoil. I’ve incorporated a full set of controls and settings that will be familiar to photographers, while also making these settings unobtrusive for beginners who just want to shoot. Lushfoil includes some cutting-edge capture techniques, such as properly simulated shutter speedandlong exposure.
There are 10 unlockable locations in the game, chosen to create as much variety as possible between maps, set in France, Italy, Japan, China, Australia, Nepal and Iceland. Each environment is filled to the brim with details, photo objectives that require you to traverse all corners of the map and has plenty of secrets and unlockable surprises.
The main appeal of recreating these locations digitally is that you no longer have to wait for the perfect morning light or for the fog to settle, all of that is just already there.Unlockable weather presets, as well as the ability to fine tune all aspects of the scene – including sun angle, wind, rain, snow and more – gives you an even greater sense of immersion.
While the core of Lushfoil is all about photography, I’ve also woven in objectives and exploration incentives that give the game a progressive structure. You can still play at your own pace, but progression is dependent on how much you’re able to notice and how willing you are to explore.
I hope everyone finds something that satisfies them specifically, whether that’s playing like a completionist or taking it slow, working on your technique, and absorbing the atmosphere. For those of you who are looking to learn a bit more about camera settings and how to make the most of your real-world camera, there’s a bunch of educational material in the game too.
I’ve worked hard to ensure the game runs smoothly and looks great on both Xbox Series X and S with minimal loading times and smooth framerates. The high-end hardware and graphics on Xbox Series X|S really allows me to push the quality of models, shadows and post processing, so the environments feel extra rich and detailed. Hopefully this will elevate the shots you take.
I’m excited for everyone to experience Lushfoil Photography Sim today on Xbox Series X|S. Even after long years in development, it’s possible to show perspectives of the game that I’ve never seen before, which I can’t wait to see. Good luck shooting!
Annapurna Interactive
The rich atmosphere of Lushfoil Photography Sim is enhanced by an ambient, ethereal soundtrack featuring licensed music from artists around the world.
Capture the Perfect Shot
The in-game camera includes an abundance of settings that you’d expect from a real-world professional DSLR camera. The camera simulates settings such as Auto/Manual Focus, Flash, Exposure, Contrast, White Balance, Aperture, Burst Shot and other effects for full creative control over your photography. The game further provides tools that allow for manipulation of the environmental conditions for your photos, such as manual adjustment of light angles, fog, snow, wind, and rain.
Off the Beaten Path
Dive deeper into the game’s many locations to find unlockable cameras and experience the world from unique perspectives. Find a first-person drone that allows you to soar above the landscape and capture the world from above, or find a hidden rowboat that allows you to traverse still waters in pursuit of the perfect shot.
Very Efficiently Optimised
Each environment has been created in Unreal Engine 5 and is built from the ground up to be both efficiently optimized and showcase the game’s locations in stunning visual fidelity. There are extensive custom settings that will help the game run on a wide range of PCs, while taking full advantage of high-end graphics cards.
About Me
My name is Matt, I’m from Perth in West Australia and I’ve been working on this project solo for about 4 years (as of April 2023). As an avid hiker and photographer I hope you’re able to appreciate the atmosphere and details I have tried to encapsulate in these environments. I sincerely hope you have a great experience :’)
The post Lushfoil Photography Sim: Capturing The World’s Beauty Through A New Lens appeared first on Xbox Wire.
Welcome home, PlayStation 5 players! I’m excited to share some news about our cozy fantasy life-sim adventure, Palia. First and foremost, we’re bringing Palia’s enchanting world to the PS5 on May 13 – complete with all the bells and whistles that only Sony’s hardware can deliver. I have a lot to share with you, so let’s get right into it!
Palia has more than 6 million players, which means that some of you are already familiar with our game. For those who aren’t, Palia is a stress-free refuge where you and your friends can unwind together and explore a gorgeous fantasy world at your own pace. It’s filled with crafting opportunities, customization options, and plenty of exploration to keep you busy for years to come. We know that self-expression is one of the cool things that makes us human, and we’ve extended that into our little corner of the virtual world.
Every Palia resident can design and decorate their own home to perfectly suit their individual tastes. Want to live in a cozy cabin and bask in the glow of a crackling fireplace? Go for it! Or maybe you’re looking for something a little more stately. How about an upscale Tudor Revival-inspired mansion (la di dah!)? Or maybe all you need is a place to store your loot and you couldn’t give a rip about aesthetics. I’m not here to judge, you absolute monster (jk, hehe! We’re all about letting you put your unique stamp on the world – and in the lives of our cast of charming (and romanceable!) Villagers.
The PlayStation 5 launch is timed around Palia’s most ambitious updates to date, the long-awaited Elderwood expansion. This drop provides all players a massive new location to explore, Elderwood. What a coincidence! This ancient overgrown forest is brimming with magical essence, some of which has been spreading in the shadows beneath its leafy canopy. You’ll be able to investigate the mysteries behind this stunning new Adventure Zone through an engaging line of story quests that will have you exploring the deepest cave to the tallest tree. During your adventures, you’ll face a variety of fierce(ish) new magical creatures… this is a cozy game after all! Don’t worry, though: You’ll be able to harness the power of the all-new Relic system, which grants buffs for your entire party.
At Singularity 6, we’ve been fans of the PlayStation 5’s DualSense controller from the moment we first held one. Our team has worked hard to fully integrate the DualSense’s one-of-a-kind suite of cool features in Palia, and we think you’ll love what we’ve been able to do with it.
The Light Bar changes color based on what skill is currently in use, such as fishing, hunting, mining, and more. It also flashes gold when you make a Guild Store purchase or sale with in-game gold – ka-ching! Adaptive Triggers are tied to in-game skills, providing real-time feedback while hunting, choppin’ down trees, and performing other in-game skills. When you hook a shark on your fishing line (yes, we have sharks), you’ll definitely know! These features are all incorporated on PlayStation Portal, too, in case you want to tuck in and get really cozy.
Palia was designed with online multiplayer and community in mind, and we fully support cross-play multiplayer across PlayStation 5, PC, and additional consoles. The Elderwood Expansion is a particularly exciting moment for our community because everyone will be experiencing it together for the first time on May 13. While this is the first time all you people have the chance to kick back and relax with Palia on PlayStation 5, we’ve been busy delivering monthly game updates and seasonal content to keep the game fresh since we first released it in late 2023. It truly is a great time to join our friendly and helpful community and carve out your own little cozy space in Palia’s charming world.
The GeForce RTX 50 series – Nvidia’s hated, adored, but never ignored family of gaming GPUs – could soon be complete, as the RTX 5060 and RTX 5060 Ti have been specced out ahead of their imminent releases. These are mostly as-expected replacements for the RTX 4060 and RTX 4060 Ti, with moderate performance bumps augmented by DLSS 4 and Multi Frame Generation, though the RTX 5060 Ti is getting a lowered MSRP on both its 8GB and 16GB variants.
