You know what South Park feels like to me? It feels like randomly waking up in the middle of the night, looking around your bedroom as you think “cripes, it’s still not morning yet?” A feeling of waiting for the inevitable, the end, or the beginning. Not so much the contents of the show, none of that needs all that much thought, more so its very existence, which is now apparently transplanting itself into Fortnite.
The Fortnite South Park trailer is (officially) here, revealing an all-new short as Butters, Stan, Kyle, Cartman, and Kenny all drop in for five-player battle royale matches – a.k.a. Quints.
Epic Games published the full trailer for its South Park crossover content following a leak that wormed its way online earlier today. While the low-quality, unofficial version of the footage did show the Fortnite content in its entirety, there were a few key details saved while players wait for the event to launch this Friday, January 9.
Epic’s official trailer comes in at about two-and-a-half minutes longer than the leaked trailer, with the vast majority of that runtime filled with fresh scenes set in that iconic animated South Park style. The short sees the show’s main quartet back at their computers to play some video games while leaving Butters to sit alone in a lobby, all because he “lowkey” sucks at Fortnite.
“Actually, you just suck at Fortnite,” Cartman quips. “It’s not even lowkey.”
Butters, donning his tinfoil Professor Chaos costume, then uses the power of the Stick of Truth to transform the South Park school bus into a proper Battle Bus that whisks the group away into the world of Fortnite (and Cartmanland). It’s here the group is forced to add Butters to their squad, making for a pretty natural segway for Epic to introduce its big new feature: Quints.
As the fourth graders have proper battle royale mech suit skins built around them, Epic has used the trailer’s description to confirm that Quints is a five-player playlist for players to enjoy until the event concludes February 5. It’s an update that finally brings bigger party sizes to Fortnite after years of calls for increases, though additional details currently remain under wraps.
As for other changes the Fortnite x South Park event brings to the table, the studio has confirmed the crossover’s Born in Chaos pass will be free. This departure from previous mini passes, which typically cost players and included new skins, will now not include the new South Park outfits, instead allowing players to purchase them in the Shop.
The Fortnite South Park event comes to Chapter 7 for one month starting this Friday. While we wait to see how Towelie fits in as a Sidekick and what Easter Eggs Cartmanland has in store, you can see where Epic’s long-running battle royale landed in the list of top-played PlayStation and Xbox games in 2025. You can also check out other recent crossovers, including Kill Bill, Kim Kardashian, and Percy Jackson.
Michael Cripe is a freelance writer with IGN. He’s best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).
If there were ever a dead horse that didn’t need so much flogging, it might be the Life is Strange series. Undeniably beloved by many, it has fallen victim to that whole franchising thing, having received an entry only in 2024 via Life is Strange: Double Exposure, a sequel game that was perhaps a little bit too messy. And here we are, in 2026, with PEGI potentially spoiling the reveal of a new entry in the series subtitled Reunion. Spoilers ahead for the game!
Back in September, studio game director Rich Lambert told GamesIndustry.biz that the Elder Scrolls Online team were exploring a move from big expansions to smaller, more frequent updates. Jump ahead four months and, well, that’s exactly what they’re doing.
Wait, stop running away from me, I’m not bringing you old news reheated like the last of the (now decidedly whiffy) Christmas turkey leftovers, I come bearing fresh details like… a freshly cooked turkey that is seasoned with patch notes and battlepass infographics.
Yum.
Kirby has been a steadfast Nintendo mascot for 34 years, ever since the character debuted in 1992’s Kirby’s Dream Land for Game Boy. In addition to being a Smash Bros. staple, Kirby and his ever-evolving powers of inhalation have starred in over two dozen games, culminating in the series’ best-selling game to date, Kirby and the Forgotten Land.
With Kirby Air Riders kicking off a new wave of Switch 2 exclusives, we’ve compiled a list of every Kirby game on the Switch as well as new Kirby games coming to the Switch 2.
Seven Kirby games have been released on Nintendo Switch, while 11 more retro Kirby games are playable with Nintendo Switch Online. The franchise debuted on Switch in 2018 with Kirby Star Allies; its latest release, Kirby Air Riders, arrived in 2025.
Kirby’s Switch debut came in 2018 with Kirby Star Allies. The action-platformer is played with a party of four (multiplayer or local AI) and sees Kirby combine abilities with allies to solve puzzles and enhance combat.
Series developer HAL Laboratories and Nintendo brought the pink puff back the following year for the free-to-play Super Kirby Clash. Like Star Allies, Clash is played with a team of four that can be controlled by other human players or AI. Unlike Star Allies, this is not a platformer but rather a standalone boss rush mode; it features a hub world for changing equipment and selecting quests, though the heart of the game is the series of boss fights that serve as those quests.
A sequel to the 3DS game Kirby Fighters Deluxe (an expanded version of the subgame Kirby Fighters found in Kirby: Triple Deluxe), Kirby Fighters 2 is exactly what it sounds like: a fighting game starring Kirby. It supports up to four players and features Kirby, Meta Knight, King Dedede, Bandana Waddle Dee, Gooey, and Magolor as playable characters.
The series’ standout game on Switch, Kirby and the Forgotten Land is a post-apocalyptic adventure in which Kirby gets sucked into a wormhole that appears above Dream Land. The Forgotten Land is the series’ first fully 3D platformer, complete with puzzles and Kirby’s signature ability-based combat. It’s the series’ best-selling game to date, selling more than 7.5 million copies by the end of March 2024. A Switch 2 version of the game released in late 2025 , introducing the Star Crossed World expansion.
Kirby’s Dream Buffet is a dessert-themed multiplayer game released in 2022. It features three four-player game modes: race, minigame, and battle royale. The modes can be played separately or together as part of Dream Buffet’s Gourmet Grand Prix.
The series’ latest game, Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe is a remake of the 2011 Wii game Kirby’s Return to Dream Land. The action-platformer came to Switch with improved visuals, a new easy mode (Helper Magolor), three new abilities (Sand, Mecha, and Festival), and an all-new two-hour adventure called Magolor Epilogue: The Interdimensional Traveler.
Return to Dream Land Deluxe supports local co-op for up to four players, with each player taking control of either Kirby, Meta Knight, King Dedede, or Bandana Waddle Dee.
Kirby Air Riders was officially announced during the April 2025 Nintendo Direct as a follow-up to the 2003 Kirby Air Ride racing game on GameCube. Masahiro Sakurai, creator of both the Kirby series and Super Smash Bros., returns as director of the new game, and has described it as having a similar feel to Mario Kart. IGN’s own review argues that once you learn some funky controls, “you’re in for a chaotic action racing game that’s a great time with friends and offers a ton to do on your own.”
There are 11 Kirby games available with a Nintendo Switch Online subscription. Those with a regular subscription can play nine Kirby games from NES, SNES, and Game Boy, while those with the more expensive Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscription get access to two additional games: Kirby & The Amazing Mirror (GBA) and Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards (N64).
Here’s the list of Kirby games playable with Nintendo Switch Online, ordered by initial release date:
A new GameCube library will also be available in the NSO + Expansion Pack membership on Switch 2, which may include Kirby Air Ride.
Last year was a solid one for Kirby fans, with the release of both Kirby Air Riders and the Switch 2 edition of Kirby and the Forgotten Land with a new expansion. We don’t have any news about what’s next for the pink puffball, but we’ll be sure to let you know as soon as that changes.
Jordan covers games, shows, and movies as a freelance writer for IGN.
Arc Raiders players hoping for a new game update may not have to wait much longer, as developer Embark Studios says it is “looking into” balance changes for some of its most controversial weapons.
In a public message posted to the official Arc Raiders Discord, an Embark community manager known as Birdie teased the next patch “shouldn’t take too long” to launch “now that the team is back from the holidays.”
There’s no word on when exactly the new Arc Raiders update will be published, but any amount of communication suggesting a short wait is enough to get fans excited. Fans have spent the time since the December 16 launch of update 1.7.0 (a.k.a. Cold Snap) theorizing about what the new year may hold while sharing any new concerns with Embark. Although The Goalie Raider Deck helped tide players over late last month, the lack of a firm 2026 roadmap has left some fans curious about what’s to come.
One player tapped into some of their more pressing issues and shared them with Embark yesterday. They specifically take issue with what they believe is a “lack of urgency” at the studio, calling for communication and tweaks for Stella Montis, cheaters, the skill tree, Trigger Nades, and more. Birdie replied, and while not every point was addressed, it seems Embark has plans to tackle balance changes sooner rather than later – and a Trigger Nade nerf may be on the docket.
“The holidays delayed things a bit, but the dev team want you to know that they are looking into balance, for example, the stitcher, kettle, and trigger nade,” the community manager explained. “Rest assured that we hear you and work on delivering a good gaming experience, things are just not immediate.”
The shape these nerfs will take remains unclear for now, leaving some players concerned that they’ll do more harm than good before actually evening the playing field. It’s also unclear if the next Arc Raiders update will feature some of these teased balance adjustments, but it’s least being looked into as Embark gets back into the swing of things.
Today’s Arc Raiders news is a far cry from the 2026 roadmap fans have been hoping to see. While we wait for something more concrete from the team, you can read about why some fans are expecting to eventually see an Arc Raiders movie and TV show. You can also check out why Embark doesn’t have any plans to add more traditional PvP mechanics.
Michael Cripe is a freelance writer with IGN. He’s best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).
You know what I might have most about games? There’s no universal way to play them. You buy a DVD, you buy a DVD player, and aside from maybe a region lock issue you’re as good as gold. If I buy Snowboard Kids for the N64, and I don’t have one of those, well, I’m up a particular creek. That has meant that many a game over the years has been stuck to particular platforms, one of the most surprising being Jet Set Radio Future, to this day a game that’s still only available on the original Xbox, and the Xbox 360 through backwards compatibility. But! Thanks to some techy wizards, that might change in the near future.
We’ve all been there. You’re at the end of a game, you’ve done all of the side quests, you’re strong as hell, finally read to take on the final boss, confident you can finish this quest you started 30-100 hours ago. Only to find that the fight is a piece of piss because, whoops! You overlevelled yourself by too much. This was seemingly the case for a number of people in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, and now the game’s lead designer Michel Nohra has expressed some regret for those who had that experience.
Opening later this month.
After its announcement back in September 2025, The Pokémon Company has today lifted the lid on the theme for its upcoming Natural History Museum pop-up store, and it’s all about Pokécology.
Don’t worry, we had to Google it too. For those wondering, ‘Pokécology’ is the study of Pokémon based on their assigned habitats. It all stems from Yoshinari Yonehara’s Pokécology: An Illustrated Guide to Pokémon Ecology, the best-selling Japanese Pokémon book, which, conveniently, will be getting an English translation later this year.
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
Every Wednesday, dive into the Indie Select Hub — your gateway to a fresh, curated indie collection plus four themed spotlights that rotate weekly! You can always find this collection hub in the Xbox Store and on Xbox.com/IndieSelects.
Our goal for 2026? Make it the best year yet for Indie Selects! Late November and early December indie releases often fly under the radar, so this month we’re giving them the spotlight they deserve. Our collection is stacked: a stylish tactics RPG, a challenging roguelite creature collector, a retro-inspired metroidvania with modern twists, a gripping text-based political sim, a mind-bending 47-minute time loop adventure, and yes—the psychic-powered baby simulator you never knew you needed. Here’s what we’ve got for you this month (in no particular order):
Demonschool is a joyride of a tactical RPG that follows the charismatic demon hunter Faye, on an apocalypse-preventing quest filled with gangsters, quirky teachers, classmates, and, well… demons. Players are tasked with exploring a mysterious island and college campus through various missions and minigames, managing relationships and school schedules, discovering new skills, and constantly fighting waves of enemies. While all of it was fun, I think the combat captivated me the most! It features a two-phase turn-based structure that leverages action sequencing in a way that feels like solving choreography puzzles. Each character has different abilities, and if moved to the right space and triggered in the right order, you can maximize damage during the action phase. This carries a similar depth and level of player expression to that found in its peers, but its unique presentation enhances the satisfaction when successful. Paired with various enemy types, a mission rank system, and a forgiving rewind feature, the experience felt exciting, challenging, rewarding, and approachable.
Aside from combat, I was delighted by the detail shown through interactivity and easter eggs within each environment. Pet the dog and it might give you something. Throw a coin in a fountain. Talk to an NPC at the docks and learn how their great-grandpappy died as a demon-hunting fisherman. I found myself interacting with everything I could to find another mini-game or read another hilarious one-liner, like the kid who claimed they “marked their seat” during orientation. As a gamer who doesn’t normally play RPGs, I ironically found myself glued to this. The soundtrack is FIRE, the modern-retro aesthetic is beautifully designed, and the storytelling through its varied character personalities and charm kept things fresh and entertaining.
– Deron Mann
Ysbryd Games
My first few runs in Morsels taught me an important lesson: getting too attached is a fast track back to the start screen. Developed by Furcula and published by Annapurna Interactive, Morsels is a roguelike action game that rewards flexibility, experimentation, and the ability to admit when your current plan isn’t working. Rather than committing to a single character, players collect multiple “Morsels,” each with its own abilities and combat style. I quickly realized that success depended less on picking the “best” creature and more on knowing when to switch. Stubbornness, it turns out, is not a viable strategy.
The game follows familiar roguelike conventions, including procedurally generated rooms, escalating difficulty, and persistent progression between runs. What helps Morsels stand out is its intentionally strange visual style. Creature designs are unsettling in the best way, and the gritty environments feel like they were designed to keep you slightly on edge—just in case the enemies weren’t already doing that. Progression is driven by unlocking new Morsels and card-based modifiers. Some of these systems took a few runs to click, but experimenting with different combinations often led to those satisfying moments where things suddenly start going your way—right before they don’t.
Morsels doesn’t reinvent the roguelike genre, but its focus on adaptability gives it a clear personality. For Xbox players who enjoy learning through trial, error, and the occasional laugh at their own expense, it’s an engaging and memorable experience.
– Steven Allen
Annapurna Interactive
From developer Furcula, Morsels is an oddball top-down, creature collector roguelite with a rotating roster of playable characters you switch between at will. Packed with frenetic action and personality, players use magical cards to transform into little monsters, collect and nurture a troop of your own monster friends to battle cat dominance, and persist at all costs to survive.
Let’s be honest: hauling around a giant sword is about as impractical as it gets for an adventurer—especially when vertical traversal is involved. I could write a hundred-page thesis on why that’s absurd, but honestly, GigaSword says it all. This action-puzzle Metroidvania from single-developer-led Studio Hybrid, feels like it leapt straight out of an NES classic collection, challenging your combat and strategy skills while confronting the harsh reality of our childhood dream: “the biggest sword ever.” Spoiler alert: swords are heavy, and you’re nowhere near as agile as Cloud Strife led you to believe.
Once you dive in, you’ll quickly realize the GigaSword’s weight is both a blessing and a curse. Combat feels straightforward yet fair—every swing is deliberate, and that extra wind-up means you’ll need to time attacks carefully or risk eating damage mid-swing. Things escalate when you face massive bosses that demand pattern recognition and precision.
But the sword isn’t just for fighting—it’s central to the game’s clever environmental puzzles. Detaching from it becomes essential as you navigate obstacles, using its heft to trigger pressure plates or even as a makeshift lever to shift platforms. The vibe? Think Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest meets the inventive puzzle mechanics of Legend of Zelda.
The game doesn’t pull its punches when it comes to its stiff combat, but unlike its NES predecessors, you’ve got save points to preserve your sanity. The sword’s weight constantly reminds you that speedrunning isn’t an option—but then come those moments when you tackle an entire dungeon without the blade, introducing a whole new layer of challenge. If you’re a fan of intricate puzzle platformers like Animal Well, this is a distinctive experience worth adding to your collection.
– Raymond Estrada
Akupara Games
Oh baby! What a game! Not enough people are talking about this one. Goodnight Universe is not a baby sim… it’s a supernaturally gifted baby sim. You take on the role and perspective of Isaac who’s a smart, keenly aware, and capable infant, able to tackle surprisingly complex problems. That and the telekinesis ability, of which an evil corporation is very aware and want to use for their own purposes.
Before we even touch gameplay, the voice acting and writing are superb and captivating. The narrator connects with the player as we both witness so many performances between fully fleshed out characters highlighting their family dynamics, their struggles, and their successes. The writing is heartwarming and fun, exploring themes of the messiness of domestic life and what it means to be human. The overall narrative is, for me, the highlight of the game.
Gameplay starts out simple, seen through the baby’s eyes in first person. You click on objects for narration or interaction, but once powers kick in, that’s when things get interesting. You will be able to move objects with your mind or even dive into someone’s thoughts. As the game progresses, you unlock new powers and tackle sequences where you must use your powers at the right time.
The console version lacks the eye-tracking feature Nice Dream introduced in Before Your Eyes. I tested it on Steam, and while the mechanic adds an intimate twist to the first-person experience, albeit with occasional awkwardness, it isn’t essential here. Unlike Before Your Eyes, skipping it doesn’t compromise the core gameplay. The game took me about 4-5 hours to complete and I can’t recommend this enough, especially for anyone that loves unique, narrative-driven games… and babies. Gamer dad approved.
– Raymond Estrada
Skybound Games
Suzerain is a critically acclaimed, narrative-driven government simulator that’s far more addictive than its niche genre suggests. At 11 p.m., I reminded myself that I was only supposed to play for a few hours. Think of it as a choose-your-own-adventure where you’re the newly elected president of a fictional nation, tasked with shaping its future. Will you lead with integrity and build a brighter tomorrow or plunge into corruption, spark wars, and line your own pockets? The choice is yours.
This is a text-based adventure, so expect plenty of reading as events unfold and characters speak, followed by dialogue choices that shape your path. But it’s not all dry policy. Beyond signing bills or reviewing economic reports, you’ll navigate scandals, shady deals, and moral dilemmas. The intro alone lays out 50 years of rich lore for your homeland, and once I got into it, it felt like reading a truly great novel. Thankfully, the writing, presentation, and UI are top-notch. Otherwise, I honestly haven’t read this much since my deep dive into Blue Prince.
Suzerain’s greatest strength is its replayability. The depth of the characters around me and detailed lore make every choice impactful, with each decision reshaping the course of my presidency. My first run focused on economic and social reforms that aligned with my actual ideology, but in this new run I’m currently going full corrupt leader, bribing my way through scandals and taking every unsavory side-deal that comes my way. With a 6-to-7-hour campaign, multiple playthroughs can easily triple your time. If you love strategic decision-making without twitch reflexes, this is for you—board gamers, I’m talking to you!
– Raymond Estrada
Torpor Games
Suzerain
As President Rayne, lead the nation of Sordland in your first term of this text-based RPG. Navigate a political drama driven by conversations with your cabinet members. With looming war, rooted corruption, economic crisis and reform needed, the choices fall on your shoulders. How will you lead?
Suzerain: Kingdom of Rizia
Embrace the crown as King Romus Toras, and lead the Golden Kingdom to a new era. Reclaim lost territories through diplomacy or force. Engage with noble houses and oversee the resources of Rizia. How will you reign?
Rue Valley is a cozy, narrative driven mystery adventure with a dash of life sim flavor—think gentle exploration, quirky character encounters, and environmental puzzles tucked into every corner. It’s a kind of small-town mystery sitting somewhere between Night in the Woods and Oxenfree, but carrying its own soft-spoken charm. You arrive as the town’s newest resident, slowly learning the rhythms, secrets, and oddball personalities that make you feel welcome… and it’s just uncanny enough to keep you leaning in. Oh, and of course you are trapped in a strange time loop that causes you to relive exactly 47 minutes in perpetuity.
I’ve spent countless hours wandering Rue Valley’s winding streets—half exploring, half getting delightfully sidetracked by a neighbor who just had one more story to share. Somewhere between chatting up townsfolk and stitching together the town’s quiet mysteries, the game really pulls you into its world. The characters don’t behave like NPCs waiting to dispense quests; they feel like the familiar faces you always seem to bump into at your favorite café, each with quirks that make the town feel genuinely lived in.
And yes, there’s a learning curve—especially when you’re juggling exploration with dialogue choices—but it’s the kind that feels like easing into a new neighborhood. A little confusing at first, then unexpectedly rewarding once everything clicks into place.
What kept me hooked most was the atmosphere. Rue Valley is the kind of place where you sit down for “just ten minutes” and look up hours later. It’s cozy, a touch mysterious, and always ready with a gentle surprise when you least expect it. If you enjoy narrative adventures, small-town stories, or slow-burn games where the joy comes from noticing the little things—a flickering streetlight, a half-finished sentence, a lingering question—Rue Valley fits beautifully. It’s a world that invites you to slow down and let it reveal itself at its own unhurried pace.
– Jessica Ronnell
Owlcat Games
Each day feels like an uphill battle against the shadows of your own mind. Along the way, you will encounter a captivating ensemble of characters, each wrestling with their own emotional complexities and revealing hidden depths as you get to know them.
Can you muster the courage to unravel the secrets of this temporal anomaly? Can you discover the strength within yourself to rise above adversity and forge a brighter tomorrow?
Craft your own personality in Rue Valley. You can be a cold-hearted loner who overthinks everything or a melodramatic loudmouth who always trusts their gut instinct.
Whether you reflect your true personality or role-play someone entirely different, your character will shape your dialogues and interactions in the game.
Store memories in a graph, unlocking intentions and mindsets as you progress uniquely through the story. Commit to quirky mindsets for unexpected and hilarious dialogues, and experience personality-altering Status Effects: become more outgoing when drunk, or extra sensitive when anxious.
Experiment with different answers and timelines, because the loop will restart from the beginning anyway, won’t it?
Mark your calendars for January 28 and get ready for our big Indie Selects Anniversary Celebration, packed with giveaways, discounts, and plenty of surprises!
The post This Year, We’re Leveling Up with Indie Games: Indie Selects for January appeared first on Xbox Wire.
