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How to Set Up a Dedicated Palworld Server in 2024

Palworld has been a standout entry in the gaming world for 2024, rocking the Steam charts and creating a little bit of controversy with its supposedly recognizable designs from another pocket monster-themed franchise. Drama aside, it’s a big game and continues to track well on the PC charts, despite it still being in early access, boasting an impressive 15 million copies sold.

There’s still more to check out besides the resource gathering and survival dynamics as well, with co-op opportunities, and even large servers accommodating up to 32 people. Should you desire to create a community-driven world-space similar in vein to Minecraft; setting up a server for Palworld has never been more straightforward. Allow us to guide you through the process.

TL;DR: Hostinger is the best gaming server provider for Palworld right now (see here), with their plans starting from $14.99 per month. Use discount code IGN10 to get 10% off as well.

Best Hosting Provider in 2024

Before we kick things off, it’s worth noting that only the Steam version of Palworld can have dedicated servers. So, if you’ve been playing via Game Pass or on Xbox, you unfortunately aren’t able to create your own server at this time. If you are playing on Steam, read on!

For starters, you’ll need a decent hosting provider that can offer game servers, and one of our most recommended options at the moment is Hostinger. Known for its cost-effective and user-friendly virtual private servers tailored for gamers, their 16GB plans start at just $14.99/month (£10.99 for those in the UK). For Palworld, we’re recommending you opt for a VPS equipped with the following specifications:

  • Operating System: Linux or Windows
  • Processor: Quad-core minimum
  • RAM: 16GB (8GB minimum required, but for 32 players, 16GB is necessary)
  • Storage: Minimum 50GB

What Are the Benefits of a Dedicated Palworld Server?

Have you been considering cracking open your own Palworld server? There are plenty of reasons to try it out, for one it’s your own dedicated space with no queue times for entry, and an entirely curated multiplayer experience. Plus, if you’re setting it up with a group of friends, the cost of hosting can be split evenly and can even end up being incredibly cost effective for what you’re creating. If Palworld is your friend group’s jam, then it’s a good time to be had by all — a dedicated server could just be the icing on the cake for your experience going forward.

Setting Up a Palworld Server in 2024

Upon acquiring your plan, there are two primary methods for server setup. One requires some networking knowledge, while the other offers a more user-friendly approach through its Game Panel interface. Regardless of the method chosen, the initial VPS setup involves assigning a username, location, and password, followed by ensuring the server is operational via your server dashboard.

For those utilizing the Game Panel:

  • Navigate to VPS Overview > Panel Access
  • Click on your Login URL
  • Enter the username and password chosen during VPS setup
  • Click “Create Instance”
  • Select “Palworld” from the drop-down menu
  • Upon completion, you’ll receive a notification.

For the technically inclined, here’s the process using Linux commands:

– Connect to your VPS using a client such as PuTTY, your computer’s Terminal app, or Hostinger’s browser terminal

– Create a secondary user, grant superuser privileges, and switch to that account

– Adjust the server firewall settings to permit Palworld communication using the following commands:

  • sudo ufw allow 8211/tcp
  • sudo ufw allow 8211/udp
  • Install the necessary software for Steam-server communication by executing the commands:
  • sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade
  • sudo apt install -y lib32gcc-s1
  • sudo apt install software-properties-common
  • sudo add-apt-repository multiverse
  • sudo dpkg –add-architecture i386
  • sudo apt update
  • sudo apt install steamcmd -y
  • sudo apt install screen

– Subsequently, install the Palworld server files using the commands:

  • steamcmd +login anonymous +app_update 2394010 validate +quit
  • cd ~/Steam/steamapps/common/PalServer

– Initiate the Palworld server with the command:

  • ./PalServer.sh

– Regardless of the chosen method, your private Palworld server is now accessible.

– Launch Palworld and opt for “Join Multiplayer Game.”

  • Enter your VPS’s IP address alongside the default port: 185.185.185.185:8211

Otherwise, for more great offers on gaming and tech right now, consider following @IGNDeals on Twitter/X or Instagram, or checking out our best VPN roundup, and the best gaming PC for 2024.

Robert Anderson is a deals expert and Commerce Editor for IGN. You can follow him @robertliam21 on Twitter.

Turtle Beach Is Buying Fortnite Festival Guitar Creator PDP for $118 Million

Turtle Beach is acquiring Performance Designed Products [PDP] in a $118 million deal that brings together two major third-party gaming accessory manufactuers.

In a release announcing the merger, Turtle Beach said that it expects the acquisition to “provide additional scale and create future development opportunities.” Turtle Beach says it expects the deal to drive 2024 net revenue in the range of $370 million to $380 million.

“Acquiring PDP at an attractive valuation multiple relative to the trading multiples of peers implies potential significant upside in market value for the combined company,” Turtle Beach said.

As part of the deal, Los Angeles-based private equity firm Diversis Capital, currently PDP’s major owner, will become Turtle Beach’s largest shareholder at 16 percent. Turtle Beach also announced that it is appointing Cris Keirn, who has served as interim CEO since July 2023, as the company’s CEO going forward.

Turtle Beach acquires the creators of the Fortnite Festival guitar controller

Turtle Beach was established back in 1975 and over the years has made a name for itself in gaming with its headsets, controllers, and other accessories. In our recent list of the best PC controllers for gaming, we listed the Turtle Beach Recon and the Turtle Beach Stealth Ultra as two of the best options available in 2024.

As for PDP, it is set to release the Riffmaster wireless guitar controller later this year, which will be compatible with Rock Band 4 and eventually Fortnite Festival. We were able to go hands-on with the Riffmaster in our first look at the new controller.

Turtle Beach’s merger with PDP continues the overall trend of consolidation within the games industry, the most notable recent example being Xbox’s blockbuster acquisition of Activision Blizzard.

Kat Bailey is IGN’s News Director as well as co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.

Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown Roadmap Will Add Speedrun Mode, Boss Attack, and New Story DLC

In the wake of a successful launch that saw it win acclaim from fans of the Metroidvania genre, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is set to get even more content as part of a roadmap extending through 2024

Prince of Persia’s new post-launch roadmap kicks off on March 20 with free Warrior’s Path DLC, including a Speedrun Mode, Permadeath Mode, and new outfits for Sargon. From there Ubisoft will be adding the following content throughout the year.

  • Boss Attack – DLC featuring a Boss Rush mode and more Sargon outfits. It’ll be out Spring 2024.
  • Divine Trials – New combat, platform, and puzzle challenges along with items.
  • A brand new story DLC – There’s no additional info on this content, but it looks to expand on the main story and is expected to release later in 2024.

Prince of Persia: The Lost Crow was released in January and won praise for its excellent platforming and combat. We awarded it an 8 in our review, writing, “Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown captures not only what made games such as The Sands of Time so good, but it irons out a lot of the little issues that plagued the 3D games in this series by opting for a 2D perspective – and owning it.”

Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is available now on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S. For more check out all the biggest games coming out in 2024 and beyond.

Kat Bailey is IGN’s News Director as well as co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.

Tribes 3: Rivals Early Access Review In Progress

After spending six hours with Tribes 3: Rivals at its early access release, I could really get used to skiing around at 200 miles per hour while firing a grenade launcher at weaklings with no mind for speed. Channeling all of the silliness and style the series is known for, this lethal game of capture the flag is packed with moments of satisfying exhilaration and devastating defeat, and it largely nails everything I’ve loved about the Tribes games of yore. The trouble is that it only takes a matter of minutes to see all the maps and try out all the classes and weapons currently available, with no alternate game modes or other distractions beyond an extremely long and demanding ranked skill grind for those truly dedicated to their deadly craft. I fear Tribes 3 may be fated to fizzle out as quickly as some of its predecessors due to that lack of longevity, but the potential here is at least clear from moment one – I’m still excited to play more before I put a final score on this review, even if there’s already little left for me to see.

Tribes 3 pits two teams of up to 32 players against one another in a stupidly fun game of capture the flag to the death, giving you and your friends a pair of skis and a jetpack to help you move across its large maps lightning fast, and an arsenal of futuristic weapons to maim those who get in your way. Maintaining momentum is key to your success, as you’re rewarded for timing your landings at the edge of a slope or boosting up hills to gather speed every bit as much as you are for having good aim. Learning to shred on skis and soar through the air makes all the difference between becoming an unkillable blur and watching someone glide overhead as they take you out with heavy weaponry like the sorry mook that you are – and spending my time somewhere in between those two extremes has been a blast so far.

Classes feel pretty unique, and each has some game-changing options.

Capturing the enemy flag while protecting your own requires attackers and defenders of varying expertise, and with six playable classes (three offensive and three defensive), you’re given a solid number of options for how to approach each side of things. I have a natural affinity for throwing myself at the enemy flag and doing everything I can to break the sound barrier, so I have tended to select the lightly armored and minimally armed Pathfinder class, which allows for deviously delightful teleportation and faster movement at the cost of being both short on explosive weaponry and very easy to explode. If you’re feeling lethargic, there’s also lots to do while remaining slightly more stationary as the Juggernaut, a heavily armored defender that is armed to the gills and can withstand quite a bit of punishment – they have also pretty much been the bane of my existence, all too happy to turn my squishy face into blood broth as I rush toward the flag. All six classes feel pretty unique, and each has some game-changing options, like the technician class, which can throw down defensive turrets and keep the base well-guarded alongside its pre-built protective structures.

The magic of Tribes 3 is in moments where you hit a slope just right, take out an enemy right before scooping up the enemy flag, then go flying across the map to score a point for your team. I can’t claim to be anything more than middling in this incredibly demanding shooter, and even I found myself overcome with feelings of godlike might – screaming into my monitor, absolutely shocked by what I was able to pull off. There were also plenty of times where I was brought low and reminded of my mortal limitations, like when a real expert blasted me to pieces and tore through my base like a lightning bolt, making off with my treasured flag. But those humbling encounters have only pushed me to hone my skill, and are easily drowned out by the satisfaction of victory. There just aren’t many better feelings than those moments of pure PvP triumph, which are made uniquely epic by Tribes’ blazingly fast, ridiculously over-the-top style.

There are interesting strategies to consider outside of the flag itself.

Aside from the usual tug-of-war involved in a game of capture the flag, there are also some interesting strategies to consider, like how you can fight over smaller bases located strategically throughout levels, which give a minor edge to the controlling team by turning turrets in those areas into your allies. Each team also has a generator located in their base that, if damaged, can shut down every defensive asset on your side of the map, leaving you extremely vulnerable to getting steamrolled by the enemy’s offensive players, which gives you another thing to defend or attack if the flag proves too well-guarded. Unfortunately, my experience so far is that neither of these elements matter all that much in the larger fight, since bum-rushing the enemy flag almost always proves the best path to victory.

The main issue I’m already encountering with Tribes 3 is that, despite providing a very entertaining handful of hours, there just doesn’t seem to be much to it right now. As an Early Access game, that’s hardly surprising, and developer Prophecy Games has already announced an ambitious roadmap that aims to inject some much-needed variety into the 10 maps and single game mode currently available – but in its current form at least, I foresee all but the most dedicated jetpackers running out of things to do in short order. We’ll see how much longer it takes me to come down from the initial high of this fast-paced sweatfest, but for the moment I’m excited to play more.

V Rising Full Release Date Set for May, PlayStation 5 Later in 2024

Steam Early Access hit V Rising launches fully on PC on May 8 and on PlayStation 5 later in 2024. IGN revealed the release date in a cinematic trailer from developer Stunlock Studios, which shows off the gothic action role-playing game’s vampire leads as they take on a new evil.

V Rising begins with the player as a fully-customizable vampire waking up after a century-spanning sleep, very weak and in need of blood. But what begins as a survival action game in the vein of Diablo soon turns into a fully open world adventure with base-building, co-op, and versus multiplayer.

It immediately got off to a hot start with more than 150,000 concurrent players within its first week, and only being available in Early Access didn’t slow its popularity in the long run either. V Rising managed to sell upwards of 1.5 million copies just a year after launch.

V Rising’s PS5 port was announced during the January 2024 PlayStation State of Play but, beyond the Steam version, no other platforms or storefronts have been announced.

In our 7/10 Early Access review, IGN said: “While its time-consuming crafting aspects can take the bite out of the vampire fantasy, V Rising really does rise to the occasion with its excellent boss design and respectable ARPG combat.”

For more, check out our full V Rising Guide as well as all of the biggest video game releases for March 2024 and beyond.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.

Conquer, Build, Recruit, and Rebel in the Open-World Survival Game, Bellwright

Bellwright, an open-world survival game set in a medieval realm ruled by a brutal ruler, will hit

Steam Early Access in the beginning months of 2024, challenging players to claim the throne

and forge a better kingdom for all. Bellwright offers co-op support and features town building,

intense combat, an extensive villager recruiting system, a wrongfully accused murder and so

much more.

Unravel the Truth and Clear Your Name

Many open-world survival games are built around you and your friends discovering their secrets.

With Bellwright, the developers aim to give the story much more of a spotlight as you soon find

yourself framed for the accidental death of the prince and punished with the death sentence.

Forced to live undercover, you must protect yourself from hidden attacks from unexpected places.

Was it bad luck that you became a suspect or is there more to the story? To clear your name

and uncover the truth, you have to become the Bellwright and lead a rebellion against your

homeland’s oppressive Sovereign, delving into your family’s true history and unraveling the dark

mystery surrounding the prince’s murder.

Survive, Build, and Prepare for War

Leading a rebellion isn’t easy, but it certainly can be fun if you prove yourself a worthy leader.

The world of Bellwright in the low Medieval times, is a harsh, but not impossible world to live in.

Learn to survive, and build a home for yourself and those who are deeply loyal to you.

To do so, you’ll need to gather resources, hunt, build, and craft to foster a bustling settlement

that can withstand not only the Crown and its Royal Army, but bandits, nature, and more. Don’t

worry though, as you won’t have to do this alone. Bellwright is all about liberating and freeing

oppressed people and recruiting them to your cause. However, people won’t just come running

to your side. You’ll have to build enough Renown by constructing buildings, completing quests,

and taking down enemies to prove yourself to others.

Once you recruit a villager, they will come with their own individual abilities, strengths, and

weaknesses and can be given tasks like constructing a building or gathering food and other

resources. They can also be placed into a squad in your army. Want to create a cadre of

archers to keep you safe from a distance? Go right ahead. Want a group of shield bearers that

can clear you a path to take down the heart of an enemy encampment? You can do that too.

Lastly, each villager can have a profession like Worker, Soldier, or Guard. Familiarize yourself

with the villagers and identify any professions that may be lacking to best utilize their skills in

your town. Build up the perfect team to protect your home and then go out and take down the

Crown.

Recruit or Conquer those Around You to Become More Powerful

Don’t get too content with just your settlement, however, as that won’t be enough to clear your

name and help the kingdom. Along your journey, you’ll need to handle threats both large and

small in different regions to claim them for your own. These victories will earn you “Insurgency

Points” and new resources that will allow you to learn advanced technologies to grow your

home and strengthen your forces.

Some of these outposts and towns will remain functional after you conquer and liberate them

from the Crown, however their responsibility will now fall under you. You’ll need to build,

manage, and upgrade these outposts and towns with recruits, ensuring their resources are

plentiful so they’ll be ready when called upon for battle.

There are Bandit encampments littered around the map that will also pose a huge threat if

ignored. These camps can either be easy, medium, or hard, and each has a Radius of Threat

that you can see on the map. This red area is one where bandits can attack your villagers

gathering resources, attack your settlements, or guard valuable resource nodes. So, if you want

to build something in one of these areas or have an outpost nearby, make sure to clear out the

camp first!

Take caution though, as the bandits will get increasingly more angry as you take out their

camps, causing the Raid Threat meter to rise. Once the meter is full, the bandits will launch an

onslaught on your settlements, killing villagers, stealing resources, and damaging buildings if

your defenses aren’t up to par.

Lead Your Armies to Victory Alone or With Friends

Once you are confident in your forces or ready to risk it all for the ultimate glory, you can leave

the comforts of your home and take to the battlefield to secure a victory for the ages. Combat in

Bellwright is described as directional combat, meaning you can choose where your attacks will

land on an enemy. With a sword and shield in hand (or other weapons like axes and bows!), you can charge head-first into battle, feeling the weight of every swing and defending yourself against every strike.

You won’t have battle alone as you can bring squads of your villagers with you. While you are

taking down foes left and right, as the powerful leader you are, you can also direct your squads

to follow you into the fray, charge and lead a path, move to a specific spot, or attack a group of

enemies while you focus on another.

While Bellwright can be played entirely solo, it also allows you to bring in a few friends! Build

and fight together because, as it’s always said, it’s more fun with friends!

Bellwright is coming soon to Steam Early Access and will contionusly update as it approaches its launch. For more, wishlist Bellwright on Steam or check out Bellwright’s Discord. Creators interested in covering the game prior to its Early Access release can contact bellwright@noiz.gg

Best Xbox Deals Today (March 2024): Save On Console Bundles, Games, and More

When it comes to picking up new games, hardware, or accessories for your Xbox, it feels good when you can find those items at a discounted price. Here, we’ll keep you updated on all of the latest deals for Xbox, from games to controllers and so much more. Below, you can find a wide range of items on sale, including some console bundles that are still available and controllers.

TL;DR – Our Favorite Xbox Deals

Navigate to:

Get $11 Off 12-months of Xbox Game Pass Core

Newegg is offering a nice little deal at the moment on Xbox Game Pass Core. By using the code SSDQAA48 at checkout, you can save $11 on a 12-month membership, bringing the price down from $59.99 to $48.99. You’ll want to act fast, though, as this deal ends tonight!

Enjoy Discounts On Select Xbox Controllers

In need of another Xbox controller? Well, you’re in luck, as there are a few discounted right now. The new Dream Vapor controller (which released in February this year) even has a slight discount of 17% at the moment. In my opinion, you can never have too many controllers. You never know when someone will pop on by and want to play Overcooked or It Takes Two, or any local multiplayer game.

More Xbox Controller Deals:

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Star Wars Jedi: Survivor Standard Edition is 50% Off and More Xbox Game Deals

There are several Xbox games on sale right now that are worth adding to your collection. One of our favorite deals at the moment is on Star Wars Jedi: Survivor Standard Edition, which you can get for 50% off at Best Buy with a price of $34.99! If you haven’t played this one yet, it’s absolutely worth getting at this price. To see even more Xbox game deals, check out the links below. And if you’re curious to see what digital games are on sale, head to the Xbox store’s deal page.

More Xbox Video Game Deals:

Amazon:

Best Buy:

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Xbox Console & Bundle Deals

There are a few console bundles on sale at the moment that are worth taking advantage of. One of our favorite deals leftover from the Black Friday/Cyber Monday season is on the Diablo IV Xbox Series X bundle, which you can get for $458.82 at Walmart. You can also get a Series X discounted at Target for $449.99.

Xbox: Budget to Best

Buying new items for your Xbox doesn’t have to make a massive dent in your wallet, either. Here, we’ll feature a variety of excellent games, accessories, and hardware that are available at more affordable prices regularly or are the just option available when gaming on Xbox.

More Xbox Budget to Best Picks

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Get 10% Off the Official Xbox Wireless Headset & More Headset Deals

Does your family complain when you stay up playing loud shooters late into the night? They’ll stop complaining if you pick up an Xbox headset that lets no one but you hear the delightful explosions you cause on the screen. Right now, you can get 10% off the Official Xbox Wireless Headset, bringing the price down to $89.99 from $99.99. You can also save 20% on the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless Gaming Headset by using the promo code ‘GET20’ at checkout. To see even more gaming headsets on sale, visit our roundup of the best gaming headset deals.

More Xbox Headset Deals:

How to Avoid Xbox Game Pass Price Hike ($44.99 for 3-Months of Ultimate)

By securing 3-months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for $44.99, you can actually avoid the Game Pass price hike. We recommend securing your current subscription for as long as possible. You can stack up to a maximum of 36 months of Game Pass, meaning you have the option to accumulate 3-month subscriptions up to 12 times.

Admittedly, this approach might put a strain on your wallet, totaling $539.88 if you purchase the 3-month package from the link above. However, when you compare it to the new cost of Game Pass Ultimate for 36 months at $16.99 per month, amounting to $611.64, you’ll realize you’re saving $71.76 on your subscription for the next three years. Otherwise, secure your membership for at least a year to lock in at least some savings overall.

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When Should I Buy an Xbox?

In general, it is advisable to keep an eye out for sales and restocks throughout the year, as availability has improved since the initial launch of the console. Unlike the Nintendo Switch, there is no specific recommendation to wait for a sale regardless of the time of year. Instead, it’s a good idea to monitor various retailers and online platforms for restock announcements and promotional offers.

However, certain events like Black Friday or other holiday seasons may bring about unique bundles, discounts, or promotional deals specifically for the Xbox Series X. These bundles may include additional games, accessories, or exclusive limited editions. While quantities for such promotions might be limited, they can provide an opportunity to get more value for your purchase. See our guide to Xbox Series X prices for more info.

Xbox Series X or Xbox Series S?

Choosing between the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S ultimately depends on your gaming preferences, budget, and specific requirements. Let’s compare the two consoles to help you make an informed decision:

1. Performance: The Xbox Series X is the more powerful option, offering native 4K gaming, higher graphical fidelity, and faster loading times. It has more advanced hardware, including a larger storage capacity. On the other hand, the Xbox Series S targets a lower price point and offers a less powerful performance, targeting 1440p resolution gaming and upscaling to 4K.

2. Price: The Xbox Series S is more affordable compared to the Xbox Series X. If budget is a significant factor for you, the Xbox Series S provides a cost-effective option while still delivering a next-generation gaming experience. For example, the Series S can play Starfield at 1440p 30fps (vs 4K 30fps on Series X).

3. Storage: The Xbox Series X comes with a larger internal storage capacity, allowing you to store more games directly on the console. The Xbox Series S, however, has a smaller storage capacity, which means you may need to manage your game library more actively or rely on external storage solutions.

4. Disc Drive: The Xbox Series X includes a disc drive, enabling you to play physical game discs and enjoy a wider range of media options, including Blu-ray and DVD playback. The Xbox Series S, in contrast, is a digital-only console, meaning you can only play games downloaded from the digital store.

5. Graphics and Performance: While both consoles support ray tracing, the Xbox Series X provides a more immersive and visually impressive experience due to its superior hardware capabilities. If you prioritize cutting-edge graphics and want the best performance available, the Xbox Series X is the preferable choice.

Consider your gaming preferences, budget, and whether you prioritize top-of-the-line performance or cost-effectiveness. If you have a 4K TV, want the most powerful console, and are willing to invest more, the Xbox Series X is the recommended option. If you have a lower budget, a 1080p or 1440p TV, and don’t mind sacrificing some performance, the Xbox Series S offers excellent value for money.

With how expensive gaming is getting in 2024, we’re trying to save you as much money as possible on the games and other tech you actually want to buy. We’ve got great deal roundups available for all major platforms such as Switch and Xbox, and keep these updated daily with brand new offers. If you’re trying to keep costs down while maintaining your favorite hobby, stay tuned for more incredible discounts.

Robert Anderson is a deals expert and Commerce Editor for IGN. You can follow him @robertliam21 on Twitter.

Resident Evil 2 Remake Mod Lets Players Shift the Perspective to Fixed Camera

If you want to add more replay value to the Resident Evil 2 remake then a mod that shifts the perspective from third-person to the traditional fixed camera might do the trick.

Roughly five years after the Resident Evil 2 Remake was released, a modder has finally added fixed camera angles to the PC version.

NexusMods user alphaZomega’s RE2R Classic mod allows players to shift to fixed camera angles, bringing back the original perspective from the 1998 survival horror classic. The mod’s listing page notes that “over 1,700 fixed cameras are all fully placed” and users who install it can complete the game from start to finish in this perspective.

As you can see from the screenshots above, the mod greatly changes the mood of the Resident Evil 2 remake, with the restriction making it more tense by adding blind spots for enemies.

Fans have debated the use of fixed camera angles since Capcom moved away from them in the original Resident Evil 4 released in 2005, instead favoring third and then first person cameras. While official support for the perspective is gone, mods like the RE2R Classic offer players the best of both worlds.

Resident Evil 2’s remake was a huge success, as while it was not the first Resident Evil game remade, it kickstarted a crusade for Capcom. Resident Evil 3 and Resident Evil 4 remakes followed, all running on the same game engine.

In the case of Resident Evil 4 Remake, Capcom announced it has sold seven million copies since its launch in 2024 on PC, PlayStation, Xbox Series X/S, and Apple devices.

Image Credit: alphaZomega/NexusMods

Taylor is a Reporter at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.

The Resident Evil Game That Can’t Be Remade

With Resident Evil 4’s release last year, Capcom’s project to remake the glory years of its survival horror series is complete. But, as the game’s post-credits scene suggests, the remakes aren’t over. And so the big question is: where next? The obvious answer is a remake of Resident Evil 5. But on the game’s 15th anniversary, it’s clear that moving forward chronologically will take Capcom’s remakes into the series’ weakest era – an era of gameplay and narrative decisions best left in the past. Resident Evil 5 simply can’t be remade, at least not to the standards of Capcom’s best work. And so the answer is not to remake, but to rewrite.

Resident Evil is a survival horror series, not that you’d know that playing Resident Evil 5. Sure, it features a constant flow of horrific imagery, but RE 5 is an action game through-and-through. That’s evident in its cover-shooter mechanics, vehicle chases with on-rails turret sequences, and the constant rattle of assault rifles. Even its visual design evokes the sandy shades of modern military games that experienced mass popularity in the late 2000s. It all speaks to a series that had lost its way. Rather than reflect on the tenets that were the foundation of its existence, Resident Evil 5 looked to the contemporary gaming zeitgeist in an attempt to find a new lease of life. The result is an unholy hybrid of Resident Evil, Gears of War, and Call of Duty. It’s as ugly and unwieldy as it sounds.

This design appears to be not just a misguided attempt to follow Western successes, but also a misreading of its predecessor. With Resident Evil 4, director Shinji Mikami deftly reinvented the series through the use of a new over-the-shoulder camera angle. The perspective allowed for a more kinetic, action-heavy game. Despite this, Mikami never lost sight of the terror at the core of Resident Evil. Through use of enemies that were strategically placed to provide undulating waves of tension and fear, and the inclusion of Ashley as your vulnerable charge, combat encounters were focussed on surviving overwhelming horrors rather than dominating foes.

Resident Evil 5, meanwhile, presents its enemies as waves to be gunned down with increasingly powerful weaponry. Their purpose is cannon fodder; a wall of meat to slow your progress through levels. And those levels are not locations to be explored; instead they are largely funnels that push you from entrance to exit. Resident Evil 4 may have replaced the series’ traditional continuous structure with discrete levels in an attempt to move away from the backtracking-heavy design of previous games, but it preserved the spirit of locations like the Raccoon City Police Station. The village, Salazar’s castle, and the island feature interlocking, explorable pathways that solidify these locations as authentic spaces rather than obstacle courses. Resident Evil 5 has no interest in this, with the majority of its stages being little more than corridors peppered with dead-ends to hide treasures in. Their lack of authenticity means no one will ever mention the Kijuju Autonomous Zone in the same breath as the Spencer Mansion.

A faithful remake of Resident Evil 5 would break Capcom’s seven-year streak of brilliant survival horror.

All this is to say that a faithful remake of Resident Evil 5 would break Capcom’s seven-year streak of brilliant survival horror games. It’s telling that the series’ reset point, Resident Evil 7, was a reinvention of the very first game; a ‘haunted house’ that grew ever larger as you unlocked new rooms by solving its puzzles. Clever reinventions of this base conceit is the key to Resident Evil’s success – be that dropping an unstoppable force into the house’s corridors (Resident Evil 2’s Mr. X) or expanding the scope of the house (Resident Evil: Village’s titular location is effectively a giant manor – its corridors are streets and its rooms are houses). Resident Evil 5’s stage-driven structure is simply inferior to this design. A modern recreation of it would only further highlight its flaws, especially coming in such close proximity to masterclasses like the remake of Resident Evil 2.

Remakes can, of course, completely redefine the structure of their source material. Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, for example, is recognisably an updated version of the classic RPG, but its world design and gameplay mechanics are a world apart from the 1997 original. And so you could argue that Resident Evil 5 is actually the Resident Evil most in need of a remake. A whole new environmental structure and scenario design that reigns in the action and dials up the horror would bring it in-line with Capcom’s other remakes. But all of this doesn’t account for Resident Evil 5’s most notorious problem: racism.

Set in a fictional West African country, Resident Evil 5’s primary antagonists are Black people. Yes, technically it’s the Uroboros virus that protagonist Chris Redfield is fighting, but the parasite’s host is depicted as a nation of mobs and primitives who are violent even before their infection. Intentionally or not, Resident Evil 5 positions Africa as the ‘Dark Continent’, an uncivilised world harbouring a diseased population that needs gunning down via Western intervention in the name of global security.

This insensitive treatment of people of colour was hotly debated even as early as Resident Evil 5’s debut trailer, with writers such as N’Gai Croal and Stephen Totilo pointing out the game’s uncomfortable, post-colonial imagery. The arguments and think-pieces continued well into the game’s release window, with IGN’s own former editor-in-chief Hilary Goldstein having also wrestled with the subject. But that was 2009 – a time when race was apparently a debate rather than a reality. In the 2020s, in a post-Black Lives Matter world, there is only one acceptable response to a white man shooting hordes of Africans for an entire video game: no.

Remakes may be able to redefine their source material, but there’s only so many changes you can make until it’s not a remake at all, but an entirely new game. And if you take Africa out of Resident Evil 5, is it Resident Evil 5 anymore? Even with a vastly improved, more sensitive take on the continent – perhaps one with a Black protagonist and more empathetic look at the outbreak – the experience would simply be too divorced from the original to hold the name ‘Resident Evil 5’.

Capcom now has the opportunity to ignore the past and completely reinvent this chunk of the timeline. 

So where does Capcom go now? Personally, I’d look backwards – Code: Veronica is an ideal candidate, as is the original Resident Evil. But if the only way is chronologically forward, then a total rewrite of what comes next is the logical path. Because what followed Resident Evil 4 was not one terrible game, but two. Resident Evil 6 doubled down – no, tripled down – on the action-packed, set piece-heavy shooter design, to the extent that much of it could be mistaken for a third-person Call of Duty spin-off were it not for the monsters. Its restrictive level design practically puts you in a chokehold, forcing you to endure a barrage of bombastic moments that have no interest evoking any sense of fear. Resident Evil 6 is a survival horror only in that it’s a horrible game that you have to survive playing. But this time around, it doesn’t have to be like that. Capcom now has the opportunity to ignore the past and completely reinvent this chunk of the timeline.

In Resident Evil 4 remake’s post-credits scene, evil mastermind Albert Wesker details his plans for world domination to Ada Wong. Reflected in his glasses is an image of Excella Gionne and the Stairway of the Sun – two significant plot elements from Resident Evil 5 – which indicates Capcom’s intentions. But there’s more to consider. This scene is largely a replication of a sequence from Assignment: Ada, a non-canon chapter from the original Resident Evil 4. Its shift from unofficial to canon points to a willingness to change. Furthermore, the end of this scene is entirely re-written: when learning of Wesker’s plans, rather than dutifully deliver the stolen Las Plagas sample to him, Ada betrays her shadowy boss and forces her helicopter pilot to turn around. In this moment the future of Resident Evil becomes unclear. Capcom has given itself the freedom to do whatever it wants – I just hope it’s not a remake of Resident Evil 5.

Matt Purslow is IGN’s UK News and Features Editor.

Cyberpunk 2077 Player Discovers Easter Egg Hidden in the Main Menu

A Cyberpunk 2077 player has discovered an Easter egg hidden by CD Projekt Red in the main menu.

While the role-playing game features layers upon layers of open-world exploration with all manner of references hidden throughout, fans were perhaps overlooking this one, which was available from the moment they booted up the game.

Shared by @crushovitz_b on X/Twitter, below, players can discover the Easter egg for themselves by clicking on the version number, which is currently 2.12, in the top right corner. The number flicks between several different symbols and numbers before unfolding into 2.0.77.

“Good find, I started to doubt you chooms will ever find it!” game director Paweł Sasko tweeted in response. “Was hidden way too well.”

It’s unclear when CD Projekt Red added this reference to Cyberpunk 2077, but it wouldn’t be too surprising if it had sneaked in alongside the latest patch. Update 2.11 added an unexplained “munch munch” sound when consuming food in the menus, for example, which turned out to be the result of one developer’s hard fought mission.

This isn’t the only hidden reference to be found in March 2024 either, as one player recently discovered a wild Easter egg that involved finding a random diner, climbing to its roof, and looking through a pair of binoculars at a red bird (akin to CD Projekt Red’s logo) to see a photo of the development team flash across the screen.

Cyberpunk 2077 also had myriad Easter eggs added alongside the Phantom Liberty expansion, including a clever nod to the original The Witcher game, a very on-brand secret message, and even a studio history lesson from CD Projekt Red founders Marcin Iwiński and Michał Kiciński.

Phantom Liberty arrived alongside the game-changing Update 2.0, which completely revamped Cyberpunk 2077 with features such as a new perk system and improved AI. It also brought closure to an Elon Musk fan theory, a reference to the late racing legend Ken Block, and bizarre additions to the game’s biggest mystery. Update 2.1 later added a full metro system, romantic partner hangouts, new vehicles, and more.

In our 9/10 review of the game, IGN said: “Cyberpunk 2077 throws you into a beautiful, dense cityscape and offers a staggering amount of flexibility in how you choose to take it from there.”

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.