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Xbox Game Pass started as an impressive value offering for Xbox console owners, and it still is. But as Microsoft has built up the service, it has made great strides in offering a PC version of the service as well. Xbox Game Pass for PC has its own library of games separate from the console service, with a good deal of overlap. Like the console service, it includes all of Microsoft’s new first-party games on day-of-release.

At this point, the Xbox Game Pass for PC service includes a library of hundreds of games for a monthly subscription rate. A combined Game Pass Ultimate subscription includes the console version of the service as well, along with access to cloud gaming. Given that Xbox cloud gaming recently launched for testers on PC, that expands the offerings even further.

Below you’ll find a current list of everything on-tap through the Xbox Game Pass for PC service. For more, check out all the Xbox Game Pass games and our picks for the best PC games to play right now.

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All Xbox Game Pass For PC Games

• A Plague Tale: Innocence
• A Way Out
• Age of Empires Definitive Edition
• Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition
• Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition
• Alien: Isolation
• Among Us
• Anthem
• Ark: Survival Evolved Explorer’s Edition
• art of rally
• Arx Fatalis
• Astroneer
• Atomicrops
• Backbone
• Battlefield 3 Premium Edition
• Battlefield 4 Premium Edition
• Battlefield 1 Revolution
• Battlefield Hardline Ultimate Edition
• Battlefield V Year 2 Edition
• Battletech
• Battletoads
• Bleeding Edge
• Bloodroots
• Boyfriend Dungeon
• Breathedge
• Bridge Constructor Portal
• Bug Fables: The Everlasting Sapling
• Burnout Paradise Remastered
• Call of the Sea
• Carrion
• Carto
• Celeste
• Children of Morta
• Cities: Skylines – Windows 10 Edition
• Clustertruck
• Code Vein
• Comanche
• Command & Conquer Remastered Collection
• Company of Heroes 2: Complete Collection
• Conan Exiles
• Control Standard Edition
• Crackdown 3
• Craftopia
• Cricket 19 Windows 10
• Cris Tales
• Crown Trick
• Crusader Kings III
• Crysis 3
• Crysis 2 Maximum Edition
• Curse of the Dead Gods
• Cyber Shadow
• Dark Alliance
• Darkest Dungeon
• Day of the Tentacle Remastered
• Dead by Daylight
• Dead Cells
• Dead Space
• Dead Space 2
• Dead Space 3
• Deep Rock Galactic
• Descenders
• Desperados III
• Destroy All Humans!
• DIRT 5
• Disgaea 4 Complete+
• Dishonored 2
• Dishonored Definitive Edition
• Dishonored: Death of the Outsider
• Disneyland Adventures
• Dodgeball Academia
• Donut County
• Doom (1993)
• Doom 3
• Doom 64
• Doom Eternal
• Doom II
• Dragon Age II
• Dragon Age: Inquisition – Game of the Year Edition
• Dragon Age: Origins – Ultimate Edition
• Dragon Quest Builders 2
• Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age
• Drake Hollow
• Dungeon Keeper
• Dungeon Keeper 2
• Eastshade
• Empire of Sin
• Enter The Gungeon
• Europa Universalis IV
• F1 2019
• Fallout
• Fallout 2
• Fallout 3: Game of the Year Edition
• Fallout 4
• Fallout 76
• Fallout Tactics
• Fallout: New Vegas Ultimate Edition
• Farming Simulator 19
• Fe
• FIFA 19
• FIFA 20
• FIFA 21
• Final Fantasy VIII Remastered
• Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster
• Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age
• Final Fantasy XIII
• Five Nights at Freddy’s
• Five Nights at Freddy’s 2
• Five Nights at Freddy’s 3
• Five Nights at Freddy’s 4
• Five Nights at Freddy’s: Original Series
• Flynn: Son of Crimson
• Football Manager 2021
• Forager
• Forza Horizon 4
• Frostpunk
• Full Throttle Remastered
• Gang Beasts
• Gears 5
• Gears 5 Game of the Year Edition
• Gears of War 4
• Gears of War: Ultimate Edition
• Gears Tactics
• Genesis Noir
• Ghost of a Tale
• Goat Simulator
• Going Under
• Golf With Your Friends
• Gonner 2
• GreedFall
• Grim Fandango Remastered
• Grounded – Game Preview
• Guacamelee! 2
• Hades
• Halo 2: Anniversary
• Halo 3
• Halo 3: ODST
• Halo 4
• Halo Wars 2
• Halo Wars: Definitive Edition
• Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary
• Halo: Reach
• Halo: Spartan Assault
• Halo: Spartan Strike
• Halo: The Master Chief Collection
• Haven
• Hearts of Iron IV: Cadet Edition
• Heave Ho
• Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice
• Hello Neighbor
• Hollow Knight
• Human Fall Flat
• Humankind
• Hypnospace Outlaw
• I Am Fish
• Ikenfell
• Immortal Realms: Vampire Wars
• Injustice
• Iron Harvest
• Jade Empire: Special Edition
• Just Cause 4: Reloaded
• Katamari Damacy Reroll
• Katana Zero
• Kathy Rain
• Killer Instinct: Definitive Edition
• Knights and Bikes
• Knockout City
• Last Stop
• Lethal League Blaze
• Library Of Ruina
• Limbo
• Lonely Mountains: Downhill
• Lumines Remastered
• Madden NFL 20
• Madden NFL 21
• Maneater
• Mass Effect
• Mass Effect 2
• Mass Effect 3
• Mass Effect: Andromeda
• MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries
• Medal of Honor Airborne
• Medal of Honor Allied Assault War Chest
• Medieval Dynasty (Game Preview)
• Microsoft Flight Simulator
• Microsoft Solitaire Collection
• Middle-earth: Shadow of War
• Minecraft Dungeons
• Mirror’s Edge
• Mirror’s Edge Catalyst
• Monster Sanctuary
• Monster Train
• Moonlighter
• Morkredd
• Moto GP20
• Mount & Blade: Warband PC
• My Time At Portia
• Myst
• Narita Boy
• Need for Speed Deluxe Edition
• Need for Speed Heat Deluxe Edition
• Need for Speed Hot Pursuit Remastered
• Need for Speed Most Wanted
• Need for Speed Payback – Deluxe Edition
• Need for Speed Rivals: Complete Edition
• Neon Abyss
• Neoverse
• New Super Lucky’s Tale
• Nier: Automata
• Night in the Woods
• No Man’s Sky
• Nowhere Prophet
• Nuclear Throne
• Octopath Traveler
• Omno
• Ori and the Blind Forest: Definitive Edition
• Ori and the Will of the Wisps
• Outlast 2
• Overcooked! 2
• Pandemic: The Board Game
• Pathway
• Peggle
• Phoenix Point
• Phogs!
• Pikuniku
• Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire – Ultimate Edition
• Pillars of Eternity: Hero Edition
• Plants vs. Zombies Garden Warfare
• Plants vs. Zombies: Battle for Neighborville Deluxe Edition
• Plants vs. Zombies: Game of the Year Edition
• Plants vs. Zombies Garden Warfare 2: Deluxe Edition
• Populous
• Populous II: Trials of the Olympian Gods
• Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid
• Prey
• Prison Architect
• Prodeus (Game Preview)
• Project Wingman
• Project Winter
• Psychonauts
• Psychonauts 2
• Quake
• Quake II
• Quake III Arena
• Rage 2
• Rain on Your Parade
• Raji: An Ancient Epiс
• Recompile
• ReCore
• Remnant: From the Ashes
• Resident Evil 7
• Rise of Nations: Extended Edition
• River City Girls
• Rocket Arena
• Rush: A DisneyPixar Adventure
• ScourgeBringer
• Sea of Solitude
• Sea of Thieves
• Second Extinction (Game Preview)
• Secret Neighbor
• Shadow Warrior 2
• Signs of the Sojourner
• Skatebird
• SimCity 2000 Special Edition
• SimCity 4 Deluxe Edition
• SimCity: Complete Edition
• Slay The Spire
• Slime Rancher
• SnowRunner
• Solasta: Crown of the Magister
• SpellForce 3: Soul Harvest
• Spiritfarer
• Spore
• Star Renegades
• Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order
• Star Wars Battlefront II: Celebration Edition
• Star WarS Battlefront Ultimate Edition
• Star Wars: Squadrons
• Starbound
• Starmancer (Game Preview)
• State of Decay 2: Juggernaut Edition
• Stellaris
• Streets of Rage 4
• Streets of Rogue
• Subnautica
• Sunset Overdrive
• Super Lucky’s Tale
• Superhot: Mine Control Delete
• Superliminal
• Supraland
• Surgeon Simulator 2
• Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition
• Tell Me Why: Chapters 1-3
• Tetris Effect: Connected
• The Artful Escape
• The Ascent
• The Bard’s Tale ARPG : Remastered and Resnarkled
• The Bard’s Tale IV: Director’s Cut
• The Bard’s Tale Trilogy
• The Catch: Carp & Coarse Fishing
• The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Tactics
• The Dark Pictures Anthology: Man Of Medan
• The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind Game of the Year Edition
• The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Game of the Year Edition
• The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition
• The Evil Within
• The Evil Within 2
• The Falconeer
• The Gardens Between
• The Long Dark
• The Medium
• The Outer Worlds
• The Saboteur
• The Sims 3 Starter Pack
• The Sims 4 Deluxe Party Edition
• The Surge 2
• The Swords of Ditto: Mormo’s Curse
• The Wild at Heart
• The Yakuza Remastered Collection
• Titanfall
• Titanfall 2: Ultimate Edition
• Torchlight III
• Torment: Tides of Numenera
• Totally Accurate Battle Simulator (Game Preview)
• Touhou Luna Nights
• Trailmakers
• Train Sim World 2
• Tropico 6
• Twelve Minutes
• Two Point Hospital
• Undertale
• Unravel
• Unravel Two
• Unruly Heroes
• Unto The End
• VA-11 Hall-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action
• Wasteland 2: Director’s Cut
• Wasteland 3
• Wasteland Remastered
• We Happy Few
• What Remains of Edith Finch
• Wilmot’s Warehouse
• Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus
• Wolfenstein: The New Order
• Wolfenstein: The Old Blood
• Wolfenstein: Youngblood
• World War Z
• Worms Rumble
• Worms W.M.D
• Wreckfest
• Xeno Crisis
• Yakuza 0
• Yakuza 3 Remastered
• Yakuza 4 Remastered
• Yakuza 5 Remastered
• Yakuza 6: The Song of Life
• Yakuza Kiwami 2
• Yakuza Kiwami
• Yakuza: Like a Dragon
• Yes, Your Grace
• YIIK: A Postmodern RPG
• Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair
• Zombie Army 4: Dead War
• Zoo Tycoon: Ultimate Animal Collection

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Not long ago, your chosen PSN username was locked in and unchangeable. That was bad news for anyone who chose a name that was embarrassing or too complicated to remember or otherwise just unwieldy. Fortunately, Sony has shifted that policy now, allowing you to change your username as many times as you wish–if you’re willing to pay. Here is everything you need to know about changing your PSN ID.

The cost of changing your PSN name

Sony allows you to change your password for free once, allowing you to correct an old username easily as long as you’re certain what you want to change it to. Any further changes beyond that point, though, and you’ll have to pay for the privilege. Subsequent instances will cost cost $10 per change for standard PlayStation Network members, or $5 per change if you’re a PlayStation Plus subscriber.

But there are some costs to changing your PSN ID that go beyond the standard dollars and cents calculations. Sony warns that some PS4 games could experience issues after you’ve changed your ID. PlayStation put together a list of PS4 games that could be impacted by a name change, including problems like losing your Trophies or even loss of paid currency. PS3, Vita, and PS/TV games and apps don’t support the name change as well. Sony also warns that there may be other games that experience issues that didn’t arise during its testing, so it’s a slight gamble either way.

With those caveats in mind, here’s how you go about changing your PSN ID.

How to change your PSN ID

There are three methods to change your PSN ID, based on which platform you’re using to actually commit the change. Keep in mind that after each of these, you’ll be signed out of all devices and will need to re-login anywhere you were previously signed into PSN. Sony will also provide you with several suggestions when changing your ID. Feel free to use “robust-wax9” if you’re so inclined.

How to Change PSN ID on a Web Browser

1. Sign in to your Sony Account Management
2. Select PSN Profile, then Edit
3. Create a new ID and then follow the prompts to finalize the change

How to Change PSN ID on a PS4

1. From your PS4 dashboard, go to Settings > Account Management > Account Information > Profile > Online ID
2. Create a new ID and then follow the prompts to finalize the change

How to Change PSN ID on a PS5

1. From your PS5 dashboard, go to Settings > Users and Accounts > Account > Profile > Online ID
2. Create a new ID and then follow the prompts to finalize the change

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Microsoft’s backwards compatibility team created a system called FPS Boost, and it does just that–it increases the frames per second for Xbox games on Xbox Series X and S. In some cases, frame rates can be doubled, which in turn can make games look and run smoother to provide a better experience overall. Not every game Xbox game uses FPS Boost, but plenty do–close to 100 as of September 2021–and we’re rounding them all up here.

Another important thing to know is that, to unlock higher frame rates, some games make a compromise that brings down the resolution to accommodate this. In these cases, which Microsoft says only make up “select” group of titles, FPS Boost is not automatically toggled on for Xbox Series X specifically. However, if you do what to experience higher frame rates at the tradeoff of lower resolution, you can toggle it on manually. Here’s a video explaining how:

There is also a new guide overlay located in the upper right corner when you tap the Xbox button on your controller that lets you know if FPS Boost is enabled or not. An extensive breakdown of FPS Boost and troubleshooting support can be found on Microsoft’s website.

How To Enable/Disable FPS Boost

Microsoft’s support site mentions that most games that use FPS Boost have it toggled on by default. For those where it must be triggered manually, all you have to do is:

• Go into the “Manage game” page for the title
• Check the box for FPX boost

To disable FPS Boost, uncheck the box. This also applies to the auto HDR settings for a game.

Some games, like Battlefield 1 and Star Wars Battlefront II, support frame rates up to 120fps. But you will need a supported TV or monitor for this. If you’re in the market for a new TV, you can check out GameSpot’s list of the best 4K/120fps TVs for gaming. Also of note is that, because of the increased horsepower of the Series X relative to the Series S, some games on Series S may not have frame rates as high as on Series X.

How To Enable 120fps

Microsoft’s support site has a full rundown of how to enable 120fps for your games, provided they support this increased frame rate and you have a compatible TV. Here are the instructions:

• Make sure that your console is on the latest update:
  1. Press the Xbox button  to open the guide, and then select Profile & system > Settings > System > Updates.
  2. Apply any updates listed as needed.
• Make sure that your TV supports the 120 Hz refresh rate. This varies by TV model. Be sure to consult your owner’s manual for your TV to enable this.
• Change your console display settings to 120 Hz:
  1. Press the Xbox button  to open the guide, and then select Profile & system > Settings > General > TV & display options.
  2. Select Refresh rate > 120 Hz.
• Enable FPS boost in the compatibility settings for the game:
  1. In My games & apps, highlight the game desired, and then press Menu > Manage game & add-ons > Compatibility options.
  2. Enable FPS boost.

You can see the full rundown of Xbox games that support FPS boost below, as compiled by Microsoft’s Major Nelson. We will update this post if and when more games are added.

Xbox Games With FPS Boost

As of September 2021:

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The trailer for Marvel’s Hit-Monkey has been released. The animated series stars Ted Lasso’s Jason Sudeikis, and it premieres on Hulu on November 17.

Hit-Monkey is based on the Marvel comic book by Daniel Way and Dalibor Talajić. The title character is indeed a monkey who becomes an assassin–specifically, a Japanese Macaque out for vengeance against a criminal gang. Sudeikis voices Bryce, a deceased hitman who appears only to Hit-Monkey, and offers him advice from beond the grave. It looks like an unusual, action-packed series that at the very least stand out from other Marvel shows out there. Check the trailer out below:

Hit-Monkey’s voice-cast also includes George Takei (Star Trek) as a politician named Shinji and Olivia Munn (the X-Men movies, The Predator) as his niece Akiko. The showrunners are Josh Gordon and Will Speck, who are best known for directing the hit comedies Blades of Glory and Office Christmas Party.

The show was first announced back in 2019, when it was one of four new animated Marvel shows in development at Hulu. One of these was Patton Oswalt’s MODOK, which premiered back in May. However, the other two shows–Tigra & Dazzler Show and Howard The Duck–were both canceled before they reached production.

The next live-action Marvel show will be Hawkeye, which arrives on Disney+ on November 24. The series stars Jeremy Renner as Clint Booth and Hailee Steinfeld as Kate Bishop–check out the trailer here.

Halo Infinite marks a big change for the sci-fi series in terms of player progression for multiplayer, with the game focusing exclusively on encouraging players to advance through a battle pass-based system. There is no per-match XP and there will not be a separate XP progression system outside of the battle pass at launch.

In the September edition of Inside Infinite, 343 Industries responded to the feedback about this, saying it is “actively exploring” giving players more weapons to progress through multiplayer beyond the battle pass alone.

Now Playing: 5 Things To Know About Halo Infinite’s Multiplayer Preview

“We have heard community feedback around wanting more progression options including things like ‘match XP’ to feed into the Battle Pass and an entirely separate, incremental system along the lines of earning SR152 in Halo 5: Guardians,” 343 said. “Expanding multiplayer progression offerings is something the team is actively exploring, and we look forward to continuing to evolve the experience in future seasons post-launch.”

All About The Battle Pass

The “one primary progression path” in Halo Infinite at launch will be the battle pass exclusively, and many have voiced their discontent for this online.

The Halo Infinite battle pass includes free items and content you can unlock with real money. Some of the cosmetics to be offered include helmets, visors, and armor coatings. Some “consumables” like XP boosts can be unlocked by earning XP by completing challenges. “Every tier of the pass will require the same, consistent amount of XP to unlock from beginning to end. So, regardless of whether you’re working to unlock tier 2 or tier 52, each unlock across the 100-tier Pass will require the same amount of XP,” 343 said.

In a change from other popular free-to-play multiplayer games, Halo Infinite’s battle passes will never expire. When a new multiplayer season comes around, previous battle passes will remain available.

Outside of the battle pass for each new Halo Infinite multiplayer season, there will be “limited-time event passes.” These are free and they will be available during “specified event periods.” The progression track and rewards, too, are separate from the main battle pass. “In general, an event will be available from one to multiple weeks, including weekends, offering players multiple opportunities to unlock available rewards,” 343 said.

Halo Infinite’s Season One main event is called Fractures: Tenrai, and this is how players can unlock the Yoroi armor core. “This event will be available for all players approximately one week per month during Season One, and the event will come and go throughout the season; available for players to make progress. Each time the Fracture returns, your progress will carry over, giving players multiple opportunities to unlock all 20 tiers of rewards on the event pass.”

Weekly And Daily Challenges

Halo Infinite will have weekly and daily challenges. One of the criticisms of Halo Infinite’s battle pass-focused progression system is that people might upset the natural flow of a multiplayer match in the pursuit of challenges. However, 343 said the challenges are–in general–designed to be “straightforward and never directly conflict with the objective of the match.”

For weekly challenges, players will be randomly given about 20 challenges out of a pool of “several hundred” possibilities. “Within this group of 20, some challenges will be pulled from the ‘easier’ tier while others will be pulled from the ‘harder’ tier with the XP reward being commensurate to the difficulty and time investment required,” 343 said.

“The specific Weekly Challenges a player gets are unique per player so while there may be some overlap, in general players won’t all be chasing the same specific challenges at the same time. This means that it is extremely unlikely that everyone in the same match will need the same ‘Get X Kills with the S7 Sniper’ challenge,” the developer added. “However, the total amount of obtainable weekly challenge XP is the same for every player. By default, all players will have 3 active challenges at any given time but players who purchase a Battle Pass will be granted a 4th slot. Again, the total # of achievable challenges and total potential XP available is the same for ALL players but Pass owners will get one extra ‘active’ slot as a perk.”

If a player completes every weekly challenge, they will receive an “Ultimate Challenge” that will pay out a unique reward like an armor coating or an emblem.

Here are some examples of the weekly challenges you could receive:

• Stay Off My Yard – Kill an Enemy Spartan Attacking a Friendly Zone (0/1)
• For the Win – Win a Quick Play Match (0/1)
• Castle Crasher – Complete a Strongholds Match (0/1)
• Spartan Killer – Kill Enemy Spartans in Slayer (0/3)
• Large Squad Scuffle – Complete a Big Team Battle Match (0/1)
• Play Ball – Play an Oddball Match (0/1)
• Back Smack Attack – Kill an Enemy Spartan from behind with a Melee Attack (0/1)
• Wargames Warrior – Kill Enemy Spartans (0/10)
• Banshee Bomber – Kill Enemy Spartans with the Banshee’s Fuel Rod Gun in PvP (0/5)
• Mortar Minimizer – Destroy an Enemy Wraith in PvP (0/1)
• Spread the Love – Kill Enemy Spartans with the Battle Rifle in PvP (0/15)
• Big Wheel Bully – Destroy Enemy Choppers in PvP (0/3)
• Gaptacular – Knock an Enemy Spartan off the map with the Repulsor in PvP (0/1)
• Noisemaker – Kill an Enemy Spartan with a Rocket Launcher in PvP (0/1)
• Wheelin’ Dealin’ Poultry Mealin’ – Win Any PvP Matches (0/3)
• Chef’s Kiss – Kill an Enemy Spartan using a kinetic semi-auto or burst weapon with peak efficiency in PvP (0/1)
• Flag Switching – Capture Enemy Flags in PvP (0/10)
• Separation Anxiety – Kill Enemy Spartans by Sticking them with a Plasma Grenade or Spike Grenade in PvP (0/5)
• Grapple-jack – Grapple to and Hijack Enemy Vehicles in PvP (0/3)
• Autopilot Engaged – Kill an Enemy Driver of a moving vehicle with a Sniper Rifle in PvP (0/1)

And as an example of an Ultimate Challenge:

• Tactical Precision – Kill Enemy Spartans with a Headshot in PVP – (0/15) – “Rewards Abby Lime Sniper Rifle Coating.”

For daily challenges, these are aimed to be the “XP drip” for progression in the battle pass. “Daily challenges come in three varieties starting with the ‘easy tier’ and progressing into challenges that have slightly higher and more specific requirements,” 343 said. “Initially, players will have a large pool of daily challenges along the lines of ‘play any multiplayer match’ which awards XP for playing any MP mode that operates on a trusted server (i.e. Bot Arena, Arena, and BTB playlists). Once a player has completed all of their ‘Stage One’ Daily Challenges, they’ll move into ‘Stage Two’ which includes a slew of dailies that now awards slightly more XP but requires playing PvP matches (i.e. Bot Arena no longer counts). And finally, once a player has exhausted all their ‘Stage Two’ challenges for a given day, they move into ‘Stage Three’ which awards slightly more XP for winning multiplayer matches.”

Daily challenge allotments will reset each day, taking players back to Stage One. 343 said it should take about 16-18 hours to run out of daily challenges, so unless you are playing an extreme amount of Halo Infinite each day, you should always have more to do.

That said, 343 again acknowledged that some players want a per-match XP system–but it’s not happening. It’s all about the battle pass in Halo Infinite multiplayer.

“While we understand the community’s feedback around wanting a steady drip of match XP and more ways to earn XP for the Battle Pass, we are optimistic that the system available at launch will give players adequate means of continually having something to accomplish and a means to progress,” 343 said. “Looking further ahead beyond launch, we expect these systems to evolve in direct partnership with player feedback.”

Another element of Halo Infinite’s free multiplayer are what are called “challenge swaps.” Players are able to change out one of their assigned weekly challenges–but this does not apply to dailies. As mentioned above, challenges are assigned different difficulty tiers, and the game won’t let you swap a harder one for an easier one to avoid players taking advantage of the system to grind through the battle pass faster. Challenge swaps can be unlocked through the battle pass or the limited-time event pass, or they can be purchased with real money. Some challenge swaps will also be available through “partnerships and promotions.”

XP Boosts

Finally, 343 discussed Halo Infinite XP boosts, which will give players double XP for their weekly and daily challenges. XP boosts are timed for 30 minutes, but this is not final; 343 is still evaluating what duration might be best. XP boosts can be unlocked through the battle pass, by purchasing them with real money, or through promotions and partnerships.

The full blog post runs through a ridiculous amount of depth and detail on Halo Infinite’s multiplayer and progression system–go read it here.

Halo Infinite has two more multiplayer betas coming up, the first of which begins this weekend and is focused on 4v4 Arena Slayer. The next will let players try out Big Team Battle.

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In Kena: Bridge of Spirits, everyday items are imbued with new, unseen emotional significance. A wooden mask is a link to the spirit of the person for whom it was made. Objects like a construction hammer or a box filled with food are tied to memories of people who have been lost. Locations that were once the sites of vibrant and happy times are scarred with the pain and trauma suffered within them.

Looking at common things with new eyes is a running theme of Kena, and that theme often applies to its gameplay as well. Though the game is filled with some fairly common action-adventure genre tropes–it has melee combat that feels akin to titles such as Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order or even Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, climbing sections similar to Uncharted or Tomb Raider, platforming that recalls games such as Ratchet and Clank, and puzzles like what you might see in The Legend of Zelda–it manages to combine a familiar approachability with some fresh spins on the ideas. Combined with emotional, character-driven storytelling, some tough-but-excellent fights, and mechanics that make the world feel alive around you, Kena is an exciting, often heartbreaking journey that will make you want to explore every corner and crevice to see all that you can.

The story and world of Kena: Bridge of Spirits center on a village beset by tragedy. Its inhabitants are all gone, wiped out by misfortune, and their pain has physically poisoned the once-vibrant land around it. That pain has drawn Kena, a young spirit guide, to seek out the trauma at its center and heal it. Her link to the spirit realm allows her to help the ghosts of the village find peace, and in so doing, she’s able to push back the corruption that has gripped the land, restoring it to its former glory.

In practical terms, you do that by wandering the large, semi-open space of the village and its surrounding environs, battling the corrupted spirits of both the people who once lived there and the nature their pain has twisted. Most every interaction comes down to a combination of combat and puzzle-solving. Your goal is usually to beat back a host of enemies, freeing up the ability to destroy a nearby corrupted “heart”–a sort of evil flower bulb–with a blast of spirit energy you can pulse from Kena with the touch of a button. Kill the heart, and the corruption recedes, along with the corrupted enemies.

Combat itself is mostly familiar, with Kena fighting off enemies with the use of her spirit staff. You get light and heavy attacks you can combo together, but even in the normal difficulty, enemies hit hard and can knock you off your game if you’re not paying attention. Like similar action games, you have a dodge that can get you out of trouble most of the time, and you can generate a spirit shield with limited power that will stop attacks. Take too many hits, and the shield breaks, sending you flying and dealing you damage, but if you can time your block just right, you’ll parry an enemy and open them up to a counter-attack.

Both Kena’s puzzles and its combat add a twist in the form of the Rot, which are little spirit pals you can find in the environment. The Rot are a bit like Pikmin or the minions seen in games such as Overlord. In combat, you can send them to attack and distract enemies, allowing you to get in a few free hits or attack a weak point, and they’re essential to making hearts vulnerable in the middle of fights, which can allow you to stop enemies from respawning so you can advance.

The Rot are the thing that makes Kena stand apart from similar games, and finding them, powering them up, and utilizing them effectively adds a tactical layer to fights that goes beyond just dodging and parrying. Since the Rot are all pretty small, you need to work up their courage to bring them into the battle. As you deal damage and kill enemies, you fill a meter that gives you a Rot action, and you can deploy them in a fight with a single button or use them to power up one of your attacks for a big hit. The Rot are also crucial for taking advantage of the environment–you have to send them at hearts in order to neutralize them, and the only way to heal Kena is to expend a Rot action.

Working with the Rot in combat forces you to constantly be on the attack and to pay attention to your environment. You need to mentally log the location of hearts that spawn enemies and the items you use to heal, and it’s often essential that you knock out smaller, weaker enemies to build Rot charges so you can distract and take down bigger, tougher ones. Deciding how best to use the Rot in combat keeps you balancing a big-picture view of a fight with the smaller, more intense moments of parrying a big hit or sniping a weak point.

Occasionally, the combination of those elements can be a bit annoying, because it’s easy to blow a single dodge or block and have failure cascade on you, or to accidentally send the Rot to attack the wrong enemy as things get hectic. With some bosses, you’ll probably need to die a few times just to figure out how badly they’re capable of wrecking you. But death isn’t the point, and at least with PlayStation 5’s lickity-split load times, the game is always quick about getting you back into the action with as little punishment as possible. It also offers a story mode difficulty, which seems like a very good addition, given how deceptively difficult some of its fights can be. Kena’s combat is generally tough and exciting, executing well on familiar dodge-and-parry mechanics, but it’s the addition of the Rot and the versatility in how you can use them that really makes battles in Kena feel fun and intelligent.

That also goes for the game’s various puzzles. Outside of combat, Rot follow you around or pop up on ledges and bridges as you move through the environment, and can be sent to do contextual actions in the world, like moving climbable objects to help you reach a high platform. Kena does a good job of combining the need to give the Rot commands with smart uses of Kena’s abilities, creating situations in which solutions need you to think about what you can do with the unlockable bow or platform-levitating bombs, as well as what the Rot can do to alter the environment.

Where Kena nails the balance is in providing you with tons of puzzles that mostly reward your observation skills, without overly taxing your ability to solve them. Most of the time, spotting something the Rot can move or seeing an object you can interact with using spirit energy is enough to illuminate the path forward. You might be climbing along a wall and see a less-obvious spot where you can jump down, and every time, noticing something like this will take you to a reward.

The only drawback is that, with the game hinging so much on observation, it’s very easy to miss the one item that would point you in the right direction. One particular puzzle, which required shooting several torches in a specific order, had me wandering the area trying to figure it out for a good 10 minutes before I realized how simple the solution really was, but that I hadn’t caught on to the single-use clue the game had included to show me what to do. Mostly, though, these puzzles are just difficult enough to make you feel smart for catching on. Kena is also brimming with collectibles, including Rot spirits hidden in the environment and hats to customize them, and while chasing those items is largely inessential, the addition of all those little side paths and tiny rewards encourages you to explore and lose yourself in Kena’s world.

And it is a beautiful world to explore, thanks to phenomenal art direction and an excellent, immersive score, made more so by the stories of the spirits found within it. Developer Ember Labs has its beginnings in animation, and the game takes full advantage of that background with cute characters and gorgeous cutscenes that help to invest you even further in uncovering what has happened in the village and setting it right. You can’t save these people, but you can help them move on and forgive themselves.

In each section of the game, you venture out to find one particular tormented spirit and help them achieve peace, and your journey through the location is all about piecing together the story of who these people are and what became of them. In each, you’re not just helping free a human spirit who has been corrupted and twisted into a powerful and dangerous boss by their trauma–you’re also helping the spirits of the people who loved them but cannot reach them. The interactions with the characters you find in each section of the game helps imbue the areas in and around the village with a character of their own, and despite the fact that the place has been all but destroyed, you can feel the life that once thrived there.

What’s missing from the story, though, is Kena herself. The game hints that some tragedy in Kena’s past has scarred her, much like the spirits she sets out to help. Near the climax of the story, the game digs into some of Kena’s motivations and history but wraps things up so quickly and neatly that it feels like some aspect of her tale might have been cut. Kena is more or less in the same place at the end of the story as at the beginning, and in a game where so much development is given to the stories of the inhabitants of the village, the attention paid to the protagonist feels anemic by comparison.

The act of meeting and understanding all those other characters is powerful, though. Kena: Bridge of Spirits is ultimately a game about making those connections, just like it’s about making a connection with the game world around you through the Rot. It centers on characters who tried valiantly but failed to help one another, and what dealing with that pain did to them. It’s about exploring a world and seeing what it once was, and helping to restore it again. And while Kena: Bridge of Spirits is full of familiar-feeling combat and exploration, its ability to find different ways to look at those ideas makes for a beautiful, emotional, and exciting journey.