News

Microsoft has released Windows 10 update KB5120249, bringing new security fixes, expanded Secure Boot certificate deployment and a fix for File History backup failures. The update applies to Windows 10 versions 22H2 and 21H2, along with Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC 2021 and Windows 10 IoT Enterprise LTSC 2021. Because Windows 10 has moved into its Extended Security Updates period, KB5120249 does not introduce new

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl is getting a substantial free 2.0 update on August 20, 2026, the same day its first DLC expansion arrives. The update is titled Back to the Zone and introduces new weapons, enemies, visual improvements, a customizable difficulty mode and significant changes to the A Life simulation system. The update is designed to refresh the base game for both returning

Microsoft’s future Xbox exclusivity strategy is back under discussion as attention turns to major Bethesda games such as The Elder Scrolls 6 and Fallout 5. The debate comes as Xbox CEO Asha Sharma continues to signal a renewed interest in exclusive games, with titles such as Gears of War: E Day and Clockwork Revolution expected to play a larger role in defining the platform.

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 has received Sim Update 6, bringing a long list of fixes, lighting improvements and returning activities, along with a notable graphics update for NVIDIA players. The update is now rolling out and is relatively small by Flight Simulator standards, coming in at under 4GB on PC in the reported installation. One planned feature did not make the final release, however.

Halo: Campaign Evolved is getting a new update that will finally let players disable film grain and chromatic aberration, while also addressing a mission progression issue involving Sgt. Johnson. The update is scheduled to arrive next week, with full patch notes expected when it goes live. The announced changes are only highlights, so additional fixes and smaller improvements should also be included. One important

The Xbox One S may be nearly a decade old, but its built in 4K UHD Blu Ray drive still gives the console a useful second life as an affordable physical media player. For people trying to reduce their dependence on streaming subscriptions, a used Xbox One S can provide access to 4K Blu Ray discs, standard Blu Rays, DVDs and physical Xbox games

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 is preparing to close out its current Zombies storyline with the launch of Season 05 Reloaded on August 20, 2026. The mid season update introduces Rex Infernus, the final full Zombies map for the current cycle, along with new rewards, weapons, a returning perk and additional content for multiplayer, Warzone and Endgame. The update goes live at 9am

Cooler Master’s V8 ACE 3DHP is a large single tower air cooler aimed at powerful desktop processors, combining a dense heatsink, six heatpipes and two thick 120mm fans in a design inspired by a V8 engine. The cooler is positioned as an alternative to liquid cooling for high end systems, although its size, weight and airflow requirements make it better suited to larger cases.

Microsoft’s Surface Laptop 7 has received a sizable discount, bringing the 13.8 inch Snapdragon X Plus model down to $1,099.99. The configuration includes 16GB of RAM, a 512GB SSD and a 2K touchscreen. Its regular price is listed at $1,499, so the current deal cuts $399.01 from the total. The discount is notable because Surface laptop prices increased earlier this year, making some configurations

The HP OmniBook X Flip 14 is available at a substantial discount, bringing the 2025 model with an Intel Core Ultra 5 226V processor, 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD down to $699.99. The laptop normally sells for $999.99, so the current promotion cuts $300 from the price, or 30%. Its 2 in 1 design, touchscreen display and long battery life make it

PC players have a large selection of discounted games to choose from this weekend, with promotions tied to Steam events, Humble Bundle offers, Epic Games Store freebies and DRM free deals on GOG. Among the biggest discounts are Black Myth: Wukong for $41.99, Helldivers 2 for $29.99, Total War: Warhammer III for $8.99, XCOM 2 for $2.99 and several Quantic Dream games for under

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 will make a major change to the usual beta format by including a single player campaign mission alongside multiplayer. The mission is called Entrenched and will be available during both beta weekends. This marks the first time a Call of Duty beta has included a playable campaign mission, giving you an early look at the story before the

A community maintained catalog tracking differences between GOG releases and versions sold on other PC storefronts now lists 1,140 games with at least one issue. The database, updated on August 11, 2026, records 1,531 individual problems across those games, ranging from missing updates and DLC to absent languages, soundtracks and platform builds. The findings do not suggest that every GOG release is significantly worse

Images of what appears to be an early Xbox Elite Series 3 controller have surfaced online, offering a possible first look at Microsoft’s next premium gamepad. The images were originally posted on Reddit on August 11 before being removed. According to the original claim, the controller had been purchased through the OfferUp resale marketplace. There is still no official confirmation from Microsoft, so the

Atlus has expressed interest in revisiting the earliest Persona games, raising the possibility that Revelation: Persona, Persona 2: Innocent Sin and Persona 2: Eternal Punishment could eventually receive modern remakes. The comments came from Atlus producer Wada Kazuhisa during an interview focused on Persona 4 Revival. Asked whether the studio had plans to remake the older PlayStation era entries, Wada stopped short of confirming

The growing use of AI development tools is changing how small game studios operate, and one of the clearest effects may be a shrinking number of entry level jobs for young developers. The concern is becoming especially visible in Turkey, where the game industry grew rapidly over the past decade and at one point included more than 800 studios. That ecosystem created a traditional

Microsoft has explained the cause of one of Xbox Live’s biggest recent outages, which left some players unable to launch games, access their libraries or use key online services for more than a day. Xbox CTO Scott Van Vliet said the disruption began with an update to an underlying service used for Xbox Home Console sharing, purchased Game Pass content and some PC scenarios.

Xbox players in Australia will soon need to verify their age before accessing games and apps rated for adults, as Microsoft adjusts its services to comply with local requirements. Beginning in late August 2026, adult Xbox accounts in Australia must complete age verification to access content rated 18 plus through the Microsoft Store and Xbox Store. Games and apps already owned will not be

Cooler Master’s Qube 340 is a compact PC case aimed at builders who want a smaller desktop without giving up support for full size components. Priced at $54.99 in the tested configuration, the case supports Mini ITX and Micro ATX motherboards, ATX power supplies and graphics cards up to 365mm long when no front fan is installed. It also includes removable carry handles, extensive

ASUS has issued security updates for Armoury Crate and several related utilities after a high severity vulnerability was identified in software used across gaming laptops, handhelds and desktop PCs. The issue is tracked as CVE-2026-8917 and carries a CVSS severity score of 8.4 out of 10. ASUS says a component used by Armoury Crate is affected, while security updates have also been released for