Category: Gaming

Square Enix and Disney announced Kingdom Hearts 4 at the Kingdom Hearts 20th Anniversary event last year, giving us a fresh new look at Sora and what he’s been up to after he left his friends for a solo adventure at the end of Kingdom Hearts 3. To no one’s surprise, there haven’t been any updates for the new sequel ever since it was announced to be in development. They also announced the mobile game Kingdom Hearts Missing-Link, but there haven’t been any updates for that one either.

While we wait for more updates and a potential release date for Kingdom Hearts 4, we’re giving you a list of Kingdom Hearts games to play in chronological order. As convoluted as the series’ plot may be to a lot of people, it should give you a clear perspective on the history of the Kingdom Hearts world, how Sora was set up to be the Keyblade’s chosen one, and how Master Xehanort keeps trying to plunge the world into darkness, hence the name of the series’ first arc: the Dark Seeker Saga.

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How Many Kingdom Hearts Games Are There?

The Kingdom Hearts series consists of a total of 13 games across multiple platforms including the PSP and Game Boy Advance. There will also be a new game in the mainline series, which was officially announced all the way back in April 2022.

How to Play Kingdom Hearts Games in Chronological Order

1. Kingdom Hearts χ / Unchained χ / Union χ

Apologies for grouping all the titles in one section, but Kingdom Hearts χ [chi], initially a Japan-exclusive title for PC, has been subsequently rebranded into Unchained χ and Union χ [Cross] for mobile users worldwide in the eight years it was running online. The χ refers to the χ-blade, a coveted weapon designed by two Keyblades in an “X” shape capable of unlocking Kingdom Hearts.

Kingdom Hearts Union χ is set hundreds of years before the series’ events, in an era leading up to the Keyblade War. You control a newly minted Keyblade wielder in the 2D world of Daybreak Town who joins one of five factions and works to ensure that faction’s supremacy over the other four as they fight over the finite light available to the world. Union χ occurs shortly after Unchained χ, but in an alternate data world where the player relives the past to forget the Keyblade War. The game shut down in May 2021, but you can still watch cutscenes of it online. If gacha games are not your style, you can watch HD cutscenes of the events in the cinematic Kingdom Hearts χ Back Cover, which is included in Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue.

2. Kingdom Hearts Dark Road

As the title suggests, Kingdom Hearts Dark Road is the villain origin story of Master Xehanort set 70 years before the events of Birth by Sleep. As a young man, Xehanort is taken from Destiny Islands to Scala ad Caelum to train alongside Master Eraqus to become a Keyblade wielder and is tasked by Master Odin to search for the Lost Masters, triggering a chain of events that leads to him becoming the Seeker of Darkness.

Dark Road employed the same 2D gacha-style graphics present in Kingdom Hearts χ and its subsequent rebranded titles, which aren’t very impressive, but the game still contained details integral to the entire series. You may not be able to play the game, but you can still watch cutscenes online to get the full scope.

3. Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep

Set 10 years before the events of Kingdom Hearts, Birth by Sleep is told from the vantage points of Ventus, Terra, and Aqua — all Keyblade Apprentices of Master Eraqus living in the Land of Departure. Shortly after Aqua and Terra finish their Mark of Mastery exam, with the former passing and obtaining the title of Keyblade Master and the latter failing for not keeping his darkness in check, the trio go on separate journeys to find Master Xehanort, who disappeared without a trace, and defeat the Unversed, creatures created by Xehanort’s apprentice Vanitas to attack other worlds.

Birth by Sleep dives into the origin of Sora and Master Xehanort, as Ventus had part of his heart patched up by a piece of Sora’s heart. Xehanort, meanwhile, created Vanitas from the darkness he purged from Ventus’ heart, which Xehanort deemed too frail for him to use as a vessel to forge the χ-blade, forcing him to go after Terra instead. It also explores how Sora and Riku could wield the Keyblade in the first place, as Terra bestowed the power of the Keyblade to Riku, while Aqua sensed strong ties with Sora and Riku to Ventus and Terra, respectively.

Read our review of Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep.

4. Kingdom Hearts 0.2: Birth by Sleep — A Fragmentary Passage

Although it’s safe to place A Fragmentary Passage (included in Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue) before the first Kingdom Hearts game, it acts as an epilogue to Birth by Sleep and a prologue to Kingdom Hearts 3. However, the story for this game begins shortly after the events of Dream Drop Distance because King Mickey tells the story of how he came across Aqua in the Realm of Darkness to Riku, Kairi, and Master Yen Sid.

After sacrificing herself to save Terra from the Realm of Darkness at the end of Birth by Sleep, Aqua has been wandering in darkness for 10 years, trying to find a way back to the Realm of Light. She visits the dark versions of Castle of Dreams, Dwarf Woodlands, and Enchanted Dominion to battle hordes of Heartless that form into Demon Towers, fight apparitions of Ventus and Terra, and save Terra’s heart. Meanwhile, Mickey went to the Realm of Darkness to save Riku. When he meets Aqua after using her lost Wayfinder to find her, he tells her 10 years have passed since they last met and proceed to Destiny Islands after fighting another Demon Tower. There, the door to Kingdom Hearts is spotted, and Mickey goes over there to help Sora and Riku seal it shut, leaving Aqua to dwell in the Realm of Darkness once more.

5. Kingdom Hearts

In the very first entry of the series, Sora sets out on a journey with Donald and Goofy to reunite with Riku and Kairi after the Heartless destroy Destiny Islands and plunge the world into darkness. Along the way, he travels to different worlds aboard the Gummi Ship, meet various Disney and Final Fantasy characters, and help defend their world from the Heartless by sealing Keyholes to prevent the hearts of those worlds from being consumed by darkness. Meanwhile, Maleficent leads a group of her fellow Disney villains to seek out the seven Princesses of Heart to unlock the last keyhole leading to Kingdom Hearts, and employs Riku.

By the time Sora reaches Hollow Bastion, Kairi’s body is found with her heart missing as it was transferred to Sora’s body during the apocalypse at Destiny Islands, Riku becomes possessed by Ansem, who was manipulating Maleficent to open Kingdom Hearts, and Kairi is revealed to be the Princess of Heart, hence the heart transfer from her to Sora, who then frees Kairi’s heart after impaling himself with Ansem’s Keyblade, turning into a Heartless in the process. Kairi manages to turn Sora back to human form by recognizing his Heartless and embracing him, and from there Sora defeats Ansem and seals the door to Kingdom Hearts with help from Riku and Mickey from the other side.

Read our review of Kingdom Hearts.

Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories

While searching for Riku and Mickey after sealing the door to Kingdom Hearts, Sora, Donald and Goofy visit Castle Oblivion, causing them to lose their memories upon entry. They’re told by Marluxia, the lord of the castle who is revealed to be a member of Organization XIII, that the deeper they go into the castle, the more memories they’ll lose, but will uncover new ones in the process. The group is given a deck of cards called “world cards” based on Sora’s memories, and they meet memory versions of the characters they met in the previous game and fight a few members of the Organization aside from Marluxia — Axel, Larxene, and Vexen — as they progress through each floor of the castle. Meanwhile, Riku is going through the basement levels of the castle, wrestling with the darkness inside him and Ansem’s attempts to control him while fighting two other members of Organization XIII: Lexaeus and Zexion.

Aside from the cards being decried as an ineffective battle system, Chain of Memories introduced new characters that become essential players in the Kingdom Hearts series, such as Naminé, whom Sora gradually remembered as being an old friend of hers only to find out later she was manipulating Sora’s memories of Kairi by replacing them with fake ones of herself under Marluxia’s orders, and DiZ. After Sora fights Marluxia for his life and Naminé’s freedom, Naminé places him and his companions to sleep in pod-like machines to help them regain the memories they lost.

Read our review of Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories.

Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days

358/2 Days is set during the events of Chain of Memories, as it explores the birth of Roxas as Sora’s Nobody when Sora turned into a Heartless during Kingdom Hearts, his daily life as the 13th member of Organization XIII, and his friendship with Axel and Xion, who mysteriously arrived as the 14th member.

As time progresses and their bond deepens, it is revealed that Xion is an artificial replica created after Sora’s memories of Kairi as a fail-safe if Sora and Roxas are proven to be useless for the Organization to achieve their goal of summoning Kingdom Hearts and becoming whole, all the while delaying Sora’s memory restoration process by absorbing them. This discovery causes Roxas to defect from Organization XIII and find himself, and later find Xion, who fights to merge with him to become whole, stopping Sora from waking up. Ultimately, Roxas defeats Xion, who disintegrates into light with all the memories she absorbed returning to Sora.

Fun fact, but not precisely fun: 358/2 was dedicated to the memory of Wayne Allwine, the voice actor for Mickey Mouse, who died of complications from diabetes 12 days before the game’s release in Japan in May 2009.

Read our review of Kingdom Hearts 358/2.

Kingdom Hearts 2

The game begins in Twilight Town, where Roxas enjoys his summer vacation with Hayner, Pence, and Olette, having no memories of his time with Organization XIII nor Axel, who remembers him during their encounters, while waking up with dreams of Sora, who had been asleep for a year at that point. Once Sora wakes up along with Donald and Goofy after Roxas merges with him, they set out to once again protect the worlds from the Heartless, while visiting new ones, to stop Organization XIII from creating another Kingdom Hearts that would give the Nobodies their hearts back.

As Sora and the gang explore the concept of the heart even further, they learn that the Ansem they fought was Xehanort’s Heartless; Xemnas, the leader of Organization XIII, is Xehanort’s Nobody; and that Xehanort was an apprentice of the real Ansem, named Ansem the Wise, the sage-king of Radiant Garden (renamed Hollow Bastion and then Radiant Garden again) who studied the heart alongside Braig, Dilan, Even, Aeleus, Ienzo (human versions of Xigbar, Xaldin, Vexen, Lexaeus, and Zexion, respectively) to protect his people from darkness before he was exiled to the Realm of Darkness for corrupting them with the same darkness and taking on the new identity DiZ (Darkness in Zero). Even more shocking, they learn Roxas and Naminé are the Nobodies and Sora and Kairi, respectively.

Read our review of Kingdom Hearts 2.

Kingdom Hearts: Re:coded

Initially released as an episodic mobile game called “Coded” in Japan, Re:coded centers on King Mickey and a digital version of Sora as they work to repair Jiminy Cricket’s journal, which chronicles the real Sora’s adventures fighting the Heartless and Organization XIII, after it got corrupted as it was being digitized to analyze a secret message Jiminy did not write: “Their hurting will be mended when you return to end it” (originally written as “We must return to free them from their torment” in Coded). In the dataspace, Data Sora and Mickey fight the bugs, who take the form of red-and-black blocks and Heartless, and work to decipher the message’s meaning.

Square Enix originally released eight parts of Coded and a preview to Japanese mobile users from June 2009 to January 2010, making it run almost like a full season of a television series. To make the game accessible to fans worldwide, the entire game was repackaged into Re:coded for the Nintendo DS.

Read our review of Kindgom Hearts: Re:coded.

Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance

To prepare for Master Xehanort’s return, Master Yen Sid proctors the Mark of Mastery exam to Sora and Riku in the most unconventional way possible: sending them back in time to unlock the keyholes of seven worlds that were left in a sleeping state after being destroyed by the Heartless, including the worlds of Hunchback of Notre Dame, Pinocchio, Tron: Legacy, and Fantasia, to name a few. Though they go through a different chain of events in the same worlds, they work to defeat the “Nightmare” Dream Eaters with the help of their “Spirit” Dream Eaters and the power of Flowmotion.

Throughout the Mark of Mastery exam, they run into the younger version of Xehanort, who reveals that he, Ansem and Xehanort, who were supposed to have been defeated, lured Sora into a trap at The World That Never Was and put him into a deep sleep (where he was protected by Ventus’ armor), and Riku has been through Sora’s dreams as a Dream Eater the whole time. To save Sora from the darkness, Riku fights the young Xehanort, and the revived, older Master Xehanort arrives with the intent to turn Sora into his 13th vessel for the new Organization XIII, comprised of mostly his past selves from across time, and create the χ-blade by pitting the 13 seekers of darkness and the seven guardians of light against each other. Thankfully, Xehanort’s plans are foiled by King Mickey, Lea (the human version of Axel), and Riku, who ultimately passes the Mark of Mastery exam, with Sora failing for losing the power of waking, which is the ability to restore hearts.

Read our Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance review.

Kingdom Hearts 3

In the final chapter of the Dark Seeker Saga, Sora sets out to reclaim the power of waking and gather the seven guardians of light to prepare for the final showdown with Organization XIII and Master Xehanort, who is hellbent on not only creating the χ-blade, but also keeping darkness and light in proper balance. Meanwhile, Kairi trains to become a Keyblade wielder with Lea, and Riku goes with King Mickey to search for the missing Keyblade wielders.

Kingdom Hearts 3 took 13 years to make, with a few trailers released between 2013 and 2018 before finally being released in 2019. To this day, it remains the best-selling Kingdom Hearts game in the series.

Read our review of Kingdom Hearts 3.

Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory

Melody of Memory is a theatrhythm where Sora and the other Keyblade wielders defeat the Heartless, Nobodies, Unversed, and Dream Eaters to the beat of every song in the series. It’s set against the backdrop of Kairi being in the lab at Radiant Garden, as she gives a summary of the series’ events as the narrator.

Kingdom Hearts Games in Release Order

1. Kingdom Hearts – September 17, 2002 (PS2)
2. Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories – December 7, 2004 (Game Boy Advance)
3. Kingdom Hearts 2 – March 28, 2006 (PS2)
4. Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days – September 29, 2009 (Nintendo DS)
5. Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep – September 7, 2010 (PSP)
6. Kingdom Hearts: Re:coded – January 11, 2011 (Nintendo DS)
7. Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance – July 31, 2012 (Nintendo 3DS)
8. Kingdom Hearts Union χ [Cross] – April 7, 2016 (Android, iOS)
9. Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 ReMix – March 28, 2017 (PS4)
10. Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue – January 24, 2017 (PS4)
11. Kingdom Hearts 3 – January 29, 2019 (PS4, XBO, PC)
12. Kingdom Hearts Dark Road – June 22, 2020 (Android, iOS)
13. Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory – November 13, 2020 (PS4, XBO, Nintendo Switch, PC)

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STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl may have been given a December 1, 2023, according to distributor Plaion’s website.

First spotted by Wccftech, the official German Plaion store is the one that has a listing for STALKER 2: Chornobyl on PC with a December 1 release date, and it describes the game as a unique mix of first-person shooter, horror, and immersive sim. It also mentions it has survival mechanics for hunger, sleep, and bleeding, as well as a dynamic day and night cycle with realistic weather effects.

While this date could obviously be a placeholder, December 1 does land on a Friday (when a lot of games are released!) and other games on the store without firm dates are given a December 31 date. This particular store also has a history of leaking dates this way as Darksiders 2’s Switch version had a similar thing happen.

Developer and publisher GSC World has not yet confirmed a release date, but it did confirm STALKER 2 will be playable at the Gamescom 2023, so it’s possible the game is close to being ready.

STALKER 2 was originally planned to be released in April 2022, but was then pushed back to December 2022. After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, GSC paused development in March and then reportedly resumed in May.

The game was seemingly delayed to the first half of 2023 during the Xbox and Bethesda’s 2022 showcase, and GSC then confirmed that the game wouldn’t be shown in the 2023 Xbox Games Showcase. However, the studio said it would share more information in the upcoming months.

STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl is set to launch for PC and Xbox Series X|S.

George Yang is a freelance writer for IGN. He’s been writing about the industry since 2019 and has worked with other publications such as Insider, Kotaku, NPR, and Variety.

When not writing about video games, George is playing video games. What a surprise! You can follow him on Twitter @Yinyangfooey

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Jonathan Ferguson, a weapons expert and Keeper of Firearms & Artillery at the Royal Armouries, breaks down the fictional Lancer Assault Rifle from the Gears of War franchise, including the Retro Lancer, and Grenade Launcher variant.

By
Dave Jewitt
and
Adam Mason
on August 12, 2023 at 7:00AM PDT

Fortnite’s latest summer season is going out with a bang thanks to the new Jujutsu Kaisen event and mini-pass, and Chapter 4 Season 4 is right around the corner to bring us a new battle pass, new storylines, possibly the end of Chapter 4, and what’s shaping up to be Fortnite’s biggest collaboration ever. Let’s take a look at what we know so far about Fortnite Chatper 4 Season 4.

When does Fortnite Chapter 4 Season 4 begin?

The in-game messaging says that Season 3 will wrap up on August 24 at 11 PM PT / August 25 at 2 AM ET, and if Epic follows the same pattern as other season launches this year, downtime should only be a few hours. Season 4 should begin sometime during the morning of August 25.

Will there be a live event at the end of Fortnite Chapter 4 Season 3?

If the season is really going to end in the middle of the night US time, there probably won’t be a live event. However, this time could be moved as we get closer to launch.

What’s in the Fortnite Chapter 4 Season 4 battle pass?

There haven’t been any Season 4 battle pass leaks thus far, but we’ll be updating this space as they (inevitably) appear online. We do have one potential clue, however.

Are there any official Fortnite Chapter 4 Season 4 teasers yet?

Brazilian influencer Sharshock tweeted on Friday evening that he had received a package from Epic that seems to be some kind of tease for Season 4.

Now, those of you who played Fortnite back in Chapter 3 Season 1 will remember that one of the legendary skins from that season’s battle pass was a guy named Ronin. His set of cosmetics was called The Order of the Waning Moon, and his back bling was literally a glowing red crescent moon symbol. So it seems quite possible that we could get a Ronin reskin or, more likely, a new Order of the Waning Moon character in the Season 4 battle pass.

What do we know for sure about Fortnite Chapter 4 Season 4 so far?

Aside from the start date, nothing official has been revealed at all. No teasers or anything from Epic aside from that moon thing, no cryptic tweets from Donald Mustard, and nothing in the game looking ahead as far as anybody can tell–but there was a hidden cursed Jujutsu Kaisen llama in this season’s key art from months ago, so even if there a secret tease we might not actually understand what it is yet.

Also, a few major Fortnite dataminers, including Gmatrix and YLSDev, were recently banned by Epic permanently–meaning there are two fewer key leak sources at the moment than we usually have.

All that said, there have been two massive rumors about upcoming additions to Fortnite that could happen during Season 4.

Is Fortnite x Lego happening in Chapter 4 Season 4?

Fortnite’s collaboration with Lego is officially confirmed, but the details–and specifically the timing–remain murky. But according to dataminers like Wenso, the Lego collab will arrive at the end of Season 4 like the Most Wanted, Star Wars and Jujutsu Kaisen events brought each of their respective seasons to a close.

But apparently this one is gonna be much bigger than any of these mini-passes we’ve gotten in Chapter 4 so far. When Season 4 launches on August 25, it’ll be Fortnite’s version 26.00. While whole numbers are usually reserved for new seasons, Wenso says the Lego update will arrive in November, and it will be version 27.00 despite not actually being a new full season.

We don’t know much about what will actually go into this collaboration, but one of the central concepts will be a “digital twin” mechanic that will allow you to bring Lego creations from real life into Fortnite somehow–that’s that metaverse we’ve been waiting on, baby!

Beyond that, there’s been discussion of a supposed Lego battle royale island, but there’s nothing concrete here yet, and if the Lego event doesn’t start until November then we aren’t likely to learn much else about it before Season 4 begins.

Is Fortnite getting a racing mode in Chapter 4 Season 4?

There’s been a lot of chatter this year about a new mode codnamed DelMar, which will allegedly be an arcade-style kart-racing mode with full vehicle customization and a separate battle pass. That sounds pretty involved and not at all surprising since Epic owns Rocket League developer Psyonix.

Is this coming during Season 4? No one seems to know about the timing of this one, and so this may not happen until after Season 4.

Starfield is the first new IP from renowned developer Bethesda Game Studios since The Elder Scrolls debuted in 1994. That alone comes with lofty expectations, not to mention that the space-set RPG has become a critical release for Xbox following the disappointment of Redfall and the sparse first-party Xbox Series X|S lineup before it.

From its all-new setting to its familiar Bethesda RPG mechanics, there’s a lot to unpack within Starfield as we approach its September 6 release. So we’ve put together this comprehensive overview of everything we know about Starfield, including the latest information on platforms, price, gameplay, story, map size, game length, DLC, and more.

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Starfield Release Date and Price

Starfield is coming out on September 6 for Xbox Series X|S and PC (via Microsoft Store and Steam). It’ll be available through Game Pass at launch. Those who purchase the Premium Edition, Premium Edition Upgrade, or Constellation Edition can access the game five days early (beginning September 1).

The standard edition of Starfield costs $70 USD, the Digital Premium Edition costs $100, and the Constellation Edition costs $300 (Jump to Starfield Special Editions and Accessories). The most affordable way to play early is by subscribing to Game Pass ($11 USD/month) and purchasing the Premium Edition Upgrade for $35.

Will Starfield be on PS5?

Starfield is being released as an exclusive game for Xbox, so the title will not be released on PS5 at launch. We don’t yet know if Starfield will eventually make its way over to Playstation, but it seems as unlikely as Halo coming to Sony consoles.

Starfield Xbox Performance

Starifled will run at 4K/30 FPS on Xbox Series X and 1440p/30 FPS on Xbox Series X. Bethesda chose to lock both consoles at 30 FPS for consistency. As director Todd Howard told IGN:

“We do lock it at 30 [FPS] because we want that fidelity, we want all that stuff. We don’t want to sacrifice any of it. Fortunately in this one, we’ve got it running great. It’s often running way above that. Sometimes it’s 60. But on the consoles, we do lock it because we prefer the consistency. Right? Where you’re not even thinking about it. And we don’t ever want to sacrifice that experience that makes our games feel really, really special. So it feels great. We’re really happy with how it feels even in the heat of battle. And we need that headroom because in our games, really anything can happen.”

Starfield Trailer

The most-recent substantial Starfield trailer was shown on June 11 during the Xbox Games Showcase. The story-focused trailer opens with narration: “Humanity has always hunted for knowledge in the unknown. The wonder is, not that the field of stars is so vast, but that we have measured it” — an altered quote from 19th-century writer Anatole France’s The Garden of Epicurus.

Watch the three-minute trailer for yourself below:

Starfield Gameplay

Starfield maintains the core of a Bethesda RPG experience: “Who would you want to be and what would you want to do?” Fallout explores those questions in a post-apocalyptic setting, Elder Scrolls in fantasy, and now Starfield in space.

Starfield undoubtedly does a lot new, though Howard said players of past Bethesda RPGs should feel at home. “I think the minute-to-minute, obviously on the ground, it has similarities to Elder Scrolls and Fallout and the things that we’ve made and how it feels in your hands or some certain mechanics,” he said.

Howard likened Starfield to “Skyrim in space,” while Bethesda’s Ashely Chang called it a Han Solo simulator: “Get in a ship, explore the galaxy, do fun stuff.”

Ground Gameplay

As with Elder Scrolls and Fallout games, Starfield can be played from either a first- or third-person perspective, though Howard noted “first-person for us is still our prime way of playing.”

As seen in various gameplay videos, Starfield’s combat is faster-paced than Fallout. On top of refined shooting and movement mechanics, Starfield’s weaponry offers a deep set of customization options that can alter stats, appearance, and/or functionality.

Players will also be able to utilize a jetpack during combat and traversal. Governed by a “boost” meter, the jetpack allows players to attack from above, maneuver across terrain, and drop from heights without taking fall damage.

Bethesda also closed out its Starfield Direct (clip begins at 41:35) by teasing another combat option: something akin to the Force from Star Wars. The playable character is seen holding out their hand and raising enemies off the ground.

Engaging with different gameplay mechanics and completing related challenges will improve a character’s skills. (Security can be increased by picking locks, for example.) Skills are divided into five categories: physical, social, combat, science, and tech.

Space Gameplay

The second half of Starfield’s gameplay occurs in space. Your interstellar traversal will be interrupted by ship battles, which Bethesda designed to feel “exciting and dangerous.” The strategy of ship battles revolves around Starfield’s power allocation system, which allows you to disperse power between your ship’s subsystems, such as its engine, shield, and grav drive. The space combat systems were inspired by FTL and Mechwarrior, according to Todd Howard.

Dogfighting, however, isn’t the only option: Players can dock with other ships, steal them, or disable them. After claiming a ship, it can be made yours and accessed at any spaceport.

The transition from space to ground combat won’t be seamless, according to Howard: “People have asked, ‘Can you fly the ship straight down to the planet?’ No. We decided early in the project that the on-surface is one reality, and then when you’re in space it’s another reality.”

Dialogue System

Branching and consequential dialogue has been a staple of Bethesda RPGs, and that trend continues in Starfield.

“We’ve gone back to kind of a classic Bethesda-style dialogue [system]”, said Todd Howard. “You’re looking at the character and how they emote, you have a series of choices there.”

Starfield includes over 250,000 lines of dialogue — more than twice the total in Fallout 4 and more than quadruple the total in Skyrim. Unlike Fallout 4, the main character will be silent.

Starfield also features an updated version of a dialogue minigame from Oblivion. Details on the new system are sparse, though IGN’s Matt Purslow described the Oblivion system for the unfamiliar:

If you need a memory refresher, Oblivion featured a mini-game during some dialogue sequences that was used to persuade an NPC. It used a wheel cut into pie-like segments that represented actions such as admire, joke, boast, and coerce. Over a series of rounds, you were able to manipulate a character’s disposition, something made easier through high speechcraft stats or by using a bribe. It’s not clear what elements of this system are reflected in Starfield’s version, but it certainly seems there will be a way to engage in conversations beyond just picking dialogue options.

Base Building

Base building returns from Fallout 4, as Starfield players will be able to construct outposts on the planets they visit. Outposts can serve as home bases for your crewmembers and companions, a place to harvest resources, a cargo link between other outposts, and a place to build crafting and research stations. Of course, you can also simply build homes or compounds among the stars for your pleasure.

See more

Set up your home amongst the stars.

🔧 Assign Crew and Companions
🔧 Set up Extractors to harvest resources
🔧 Establish cargo links to move resources between outposts
🔧 Add crafting and research stations#Starfield pic.twitter.com/A67JsnC700

— Bethesda Game Studios (@BethesdaStudios) June 11, 2023

Ship Customization

Ships, too, can be customized. Customization options range from aesthetic (paint color) to practical (engine, grav drive, weapons, etc.). The latter will alter your ship’s stats, such as speed, jump range, and cargo capacity.

It looks to be an extensive customization system, judging by the HMS Liberty Optimus ship shown off by Bethesda:

Character Creation

Starfield features Bethesda’s “most in-depth and diverse character creation system yet.” The character creator includes 40 preset templates and many options for face and body customizations from there.

The character creator will also prompt players to choose a background, which comes with three relevant skills. For example, a Diplomat will start with the Persuasion, Diplomacy, and Bargaining. Other backgrounds include Beast Hunter, Bouncer, Cyber Runner, Explorer, Gangster, and Homesteader.

The final step of creating a character includes choosing (or foregoing) 1-3 optional traits that include a pro and a con. For example, an Introvert will have increased endurance when alone but decreased endurance when with a human companion. Kid Stuff, meanwhile, allows you to visit your parents’ home, though they’ll automatically take 10% of all the money you earn.

Starfield Map Size and Details

Planets

Starfield has over 100 star systems with over 1,000 planets (10% of which host life). While much of what you find across the galaxy is procedurally generated, Starfield also includes more handcrafted content than any previous BGS game, according to Todd Howard.

Cities

Starfield has four main cities. The most notable is New Atlantis, capital city of the United Colonies and the biggest settlement Bethesda has ever built. Other major cities include the pleasure city of Neon and the Freestar Collective capital Akila City. Bethesda has also revealed Cydonia, a United Colonies mining hub on Mars, and The Key, home of the Crimson Fleet.

Starfield Story Details

Main Story

Starfield’s main quest will take 30-40 hours to complete — roughly 20% longer than previous Bethesda Game Studios titles, according to Todd Howard. The game director called the main quest “a small fraction [of] what’s in the game.”

Starfield’s narrative is centered around exploration and discovery. Here’s the official story synopsis from Bethesda:

The year is 2330. Humanity has ventured beyond our solar system, settling new planets, and living as a spacefaring people. From humble beginnings as a space miner, you will join Constellation – the last group of space explorers seeking rare artifacts throughout the galaxy – and navigate the vast expanse of the Settled Systems.

The open-world RPG will include at least one of Bethesda’s signature “step-out moments,” such as exiting Vault 101 in Fallout 3.

Factions

You can join multiple factions in Starfield. In addition to Constellation, which players will join as part of the main quest, four of Starfield’s major factions have been revealed to be joinable. Here are brief descriptions of each from lead quest designer Will Shen:

• United Colonies: “the future of space republic idealized.”
• Freestar Collective: “the space western fantasy.”
• Ryujin Industries: “represents corporate life.”
• Crimson Fleet: space pirates.

Companions

Like in previous Bethesda RPGs, Starfield allows you to recruit companions and crew members to assist you on your adventure. These companions can travel with you or be assigned duties on a ship or outpost.

According to Todd Howard, there are four main companions (all of whom are from the Constellation faction) with individual questlines and romance options. Three of those characters have been confirmed: Constellation leader Sarah Morgan, Constellation pilot Sam Coe, and Constellation engineer Barrett.

Other recruitable crew members include the robot VASCO, the returning Adoring Fan, shotgun specialist Marika Boros, and outpost engineer Heller.

Will Starfield Have DLC?

Yes, like previous BGS games, Starfield will receive premium DLC/expansions. In fact, Bethesda has already announced the first story expansion, Shattered Space. It’s included with the Premium and Constellation Editions.

Todd Howard told IGN Bethesda is “going to be doing a lot of add-on content for Starfield.” He added, “Our plan is to do things of varying sizes, and we’ve done a lot of that in our previous games. So despite the size of the game, there are still things we want to add as far as features in the future or stories and things like that. Hopefully, it’s going to continue for a long time that way.”

Starfield Creation 2 Engine

Starfield is the first Bethesda game built in its upgraded Creation 2 Engine.

“We have more people doing engine work now, by a factor of five, probably than we’ve ever had,” Todd Howard said in 2020. “So the overhaul in our engine is the largest we’ve probably ever had, maybe larger than Morrowind to Oblivion.”

Howard called Creation 2 a “significant, significant overhaul,” noting how the revamped engine will improve rendering, animation, pathing, and procedural generation, among other things.

The new engine has purportedly led to the fewest number of bugs in a Bethesda game, according to Xbox Game Studios boss Matt Booty, though it’s safest to take this statement with a grain of salt until Starfield is released.

“We have an awful lot of people internally playing Starfield, working with Todd and the team,” said Booty. “I see bug counts and just by the numbers if it shipped today, Starfield would already have the fewest bugs of any Bethesda game ever shipped.”

Starfield Mod Support

Starfield will have “full mod support,” according to Todd Howard. “Our modding community has been with us for 20 years,” he said. “We love what they do and hope to see more make a career out of it.”

Howard said he and the development team believe Starfield “is going to be a dream” for the modding community given its breadth of content.

Starfield Special Editions and Preorders

Below is all of the information on Starfield preorders, including special editions.

Standard – $70 USD

Includes:

• Starfield game
• Old Mars Skin Pack DLC (included with Game Pass and preorders/early copies)
  • Laser Cutter, Deep Mining Helmet, and Deep Mining Pack

Premium (Digital) – $100 USD

Includes:

• Starfield game
• Five days early access
• Shattered Space Story Expansion (upon release)
• Starfield Digital Artbook & Original Soundtrack
• Constellation Skin Pack DLC
  • Equinox Laser Rifle, Spacesuit, Helmet, and Boost Pack

Premium Edition Upgrade* – $35 USD

*Adds Premium content to base game purchase

Physical version

Includes:

• Steelbook display case
• Constellation patch
• Five days early access
• Shattered Space Story Expansion (upon release)
• Starfield Digital Artbook & Original Soundtrack
• Constellation Skin Pack DLC

Digital version

Includes:

• Five days early access
• Shattered Space Story Expansion (upon release)
• Starfield Digital Artbook & Original Soundtrack
• Constellation Skin Pack DLC

Constellation Edition – $300 USD

Physical items

Digital Items

• Five days early access
• Shattered Space Story Expansion (upon release)
• Starfield Digital Artbook & Original Soundtrack
• Constellation Skin Pack DLC

Starfield Accessories

Wireless Controller

Wireless Headset

Seagate Hard Drive (2TB, 4TB, 8TB)

Jordan covers games, shows, and movies as a freelance writer for IGN.

Earlier today, there was a flurry of confusion about the upcoming Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, and whether or not it will release on PS4 and Xbox One as well as current-gen platforms. Well, CoD fans who don’t have a PS5 or Xbox Series console yet can calm down, because yes, it’s coming to the previous gen too.

The confusion arose because of a Twitter user and content creator TheGamingRevolution noting that on the official Xbox page for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, only Xbox Series X and S were listed – no Xbox One. The user went on to point out a YouTube video from PlayStation’s official account seemingly confirming both PS5 and PS4 releases, leaving it unclear exactly what was going on. Was one of the two platform holders making an error? Was the game coming to PS4 but not Xbox One?

Fortunately, there’s no cause for alarm. The official Xbox website has since been updated to include both Xbox Series X and S, and Xbox One, and IGN has independently confirmed that neither Xbox nor PlayStation’s listings are erroneous. A Call of Duty: Warzone reveal event is planned for August 17 that should solidify this further, but in the meantime, past-gen console gamers shouldn’t fear being left behind.

The confusion around platforms today was understandable given the news cycle around Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 in general lately. The game has been notoriously leaky in the months leading up to its reveal and release date of November 10, 2023, so much so that Activision finally leaned into the humor of it all. Hopefully that August 17 event will clear the air on enough to sate everyone ahead of November.

Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.

Earlier today, reports started to emerge that the existence of Borderlands 4 had been leaked by an actress adding the game to her resume, but Genvid Entertainment has since clarified the situation.

Fans noticed that the online resume for actress Angie Jho Lee had a listing for “Borderlands 4” under her “voice over” section, along with the role of “Aiyumi.” However, in a statement, Genvid clarified that Jho Lee is actually appearing in Borderlands EchoVision Live, a recently announced interactive streaming series.

“Actor Angie Jho Lee is a voice actor on Genvid Entertainment’s upcoming interactive streaming series, Borderlands EchoVision Live, which was announced at San Diego Comic-Con last month,” reads the statement. “While the series takes place within the Borderlands universe and is made in partnership with Gearbox Entertainment, it is not a Borderlands game. We reached out to Angie and asked her to make this change on her personal account to reflect the accurate role with the interactive series.”

As the statement notes, Jho Lee’s resume has since been updated to specify Borderlands EchoVision Live.

Further fueling the rumors was a LinkedIn page for someone named Nadia Danova, who listed “Borderlands 4” under her “Experience” section. That LinkedIn page, however, has since been scrubbed from the site, and it was a little dubious to begin with. According to GamesRadar, while the LinkedIn page was still live, it said she was working on the game while she was a developer with MoGi Group in 2021, and she listed that she left MoGi in May of 2021.

It’s worth noting, however, that that doesn’t mean Borderlands 4 isn’t eventually coming, nor has it been refuted by either today’s Genvid statement or by Gearbox – it just hasn’t been confirmed yet by today’s rumors. Gearbox co-founder Randy Pitchford tweeted in 2021 that they’re “working on the big one,” implying a fourth entry in the main Borderlands series.

“I am told of rumors that Gearbox is ‘assisting’ or ‘co-developing’ another Borderlands game (or a new spin-off game). These rumors are NOT accurate,” he wrote at the time. “Gearbox is lead dev of any future games in the Borderlands franchise (or any Borderlands adjacent games) with no co-development.”

He continued in a follow-up tweet: “More: We are definitely working on some amazing stuff that, I hope, will surprise and delight you. Plug: if anyone out there has Skills-To-Pay-Bills and wants to get in on some Borderlands action, we’re working on the big one :),” with a link to Gearbox’s careers page.

See more

More: We are definitely working on some amazing stuff that, I hope, will surprise and delight you. Plug: if anyone out there has Skills-To-Pay-Bills and wants to get in on some Borderlands action, we’re working on the big one 🙂 https://t.co/Pp5iTUBwAt https://t.co/ExjXEbU30R

— Randy Pitchford (@DuvalMagic) May 6, 2021

There’s still plenty else that’s happening within Borderlands as well. What seems to be a new all-in-one collection, The Borderlands Compilation: Pandora’s Box, was seemingly leaked by the South Africa ratings board last month, and Eli Roth’s Borderlands film finally got an Aug. 9, 2024, release date.

Alex Stedman is a Senior News Editor with IGN, overseeing entertainment reporting. When she’s not writing or editing, you can find her reading fantasy novels or playing Dungeons & Dragons.

We learned earlier this year that a TMNT game based on the Last Ronin comic was in the works. And today, THQ Nordic has officially revealed Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin video game at its August 2023 digital event showcase.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin was originally a comic book mini-series released in 2020. Set in the future, The Last Ronin is a darker take on the franchise, where all but one of the Turtles has been killed by the Foot Clan, with the lone survivor on a revenge mission to kill the grandson of Shredder.

The Last Ronin is one of the darker entries in the TMNT franchise but was a widely popular comic book series. Last month at San Diego Comic-Con, we learned a sequel for The Last Ronin was currently in the works, with the first issue slated to release on December 13.

The video game adaptation of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin is being developed by Black Forest Games, the developer best known for its remakes of Destroy All Humans! and Destroy All Humans! 2.

No release date has been announced, but Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin will be available on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S.

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