The excitement for Starfield is very, very real, with Bethesda’s space opera set to launch on September 1 for those Xbox and PC players who’ve secured early access. Otherwise, it’s September 6. However, if you’re on Steam, one player has shared an important PSA.

Shared to Reddit by user ComManDerBG on August 30, it’s based on how Steam activates pre-loaded titles once they’re unlocked and are available to play. The platform does not unlock games and make them instantly playable. Instead, it has to decrypt the compressed game files it has downloaded. This means that when Starfield goes live, players will have to wait for their Steam to decrypt the game. The speed at which this occurs is based on the drive it’s been installed on.

If you’re anything like us, starting a new character in a Bethesda Game Studios title can be simultaneously the most exciting thing in the world and the most overwhelming thing, too. While there are plenty of aesthetic elements that are under the player’s control, there’s also a dizzying cavalcade of skills, stats, and backgrounds to choose from as well. As you can imagine, Starfield is no exception.

As a result of this, some clever folks over at Nukes & Dragons (H/T, Reddit) have created a bespoke Starfield build planner to help you plan for your intergalactic journey ahead. All you need to do is pick a background for your character, input the skills you’d like, and choose up to three traits, and… Bob’s your uncle!

The release of Bethesda’s Starfield is set to be one of the biggest dates in gamers’ calendars, promising all the immersion, intergalactic exploration and space battles that fans want. It might not have released yet, but fans are flocking to pre-orders with such speed that it’s outselling Larian Studios’ epic Baldur’s Gate 3 on Steam – before it’s even out.

The Dungeons and Dragons-esque title has proved a resounding success for Larian, surpassing expectations in a remarkable and sustained manner. The developers apparently expected to sit around 100,000 concurrent players but, within days of its PC release, were regularly encountering player counts seven or eight times higher.

Every RPG adventurer has gone through the struggles of going out into the distance for that one chance of finding something rare, only to discover that the destination brings them a big heaping gift of nothingness. Whether it be a randomly placed room or a chest of betrayal, we’ve all experienced the turmoil of wasting our time simply for the sake of exploration.

So, as the launch of Starfield approaches, it can be worrisome for players to encounter these pointless locations, let alone a whole planet with zero signs of life. Fortunately, you won’t have to run into this issue due to the area’s clear indication of its type, allowing you to determine if it is ‘Barren.’ All players need to do is select the planet they desire and see if it’s worth the trip, thanks to this attribute.

Starfield is shaping up to becoming a modder’s paradise, thanks to its massive customization system that allows you to generate whole planets and immersive storylines. Modders are already having a field day with this innovative mechanic, establishing ideas of their own home worlds and the recreation of famous universes.

Given that Bethesda is behind the game, it’s no surprise to see plans for Skyrim-inspired planets, with a possibility of remaking the entire installment in the modern space age. Some fans have even come up with a few names for this dream project, including Skyfield, Starsky (and Hutch), and Starrim. Though, they may want to add The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion into the mix since Phil Spencer has claimed that Starfield leans more toward this game.

Fans of Bend Studio’s 2019 game Days Gone have been wishing for a sequel for a few years now, and while a sequel seems not to be on the horizon; it’s possible that a film could be. Let’s take a look at what hints seem to have been dropped.

Days Gone Appears in New PlayStation Productions Montage

PlayStation Productions is the company that deals with turning Sony’s video game IPs into full-fledged movies and shows. A new video was recently added which features many beloved PlayStation characters, including the Freaker fighting hero from Farewell, Deacon St. John.

As the massively anticipated release of Starfield finally nears, Xbox head Phil Spencer has swooped in to offer some perspective on what players can expect from the game. Comparing it to Bethesda Game Studios’ other works, he notes that the game is closer to The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion than its follow-up entry, The Elder Scrolls IV: Skyrim.

“So I think I’m on my 15th playthrough,” Spencer started. “I start, we change save game formats, blah blah blah, all that stuff. So I started in November, but I’m playing — I think — my final character playthrough. Total space pirate. I’m a total space pirate. I think it’s more Oblivion than Skyrim — for people who’ve played, maybe they’ll get that. It is an epic, epic game.”

Starfield is nearly upon us after a wait filled with much anticipation. PC and Xbox users will get to experience the immersive space oriented title on September 6, and seemingly this will go for Samsung TV owners as well? Let’s take a look at why this is.

Starfield Will Be on Samsung TVs Before PS5

The short and sweet version of the answer is that Samsung and Bethesda have made a deal to make Starfield available on a service called the Samsung Gaming Hub. This is Samsung’s game streaming service, and with a Game Pass subscription you will be able to gain access to, and play Starfield.

In preparation for the highly-anticipated release of Starfield, the game’s director, Todd Howard, geared up for its launch during the 2023 Gamescom event, featuring new and updated gameplay footage. Fans quickly noticed a significant change in the graphics, specifically with an older elevator scene that has been completely revamped.

Reddit user MartinTheTrue was able to show the differences between the official gameplay reveal in 2022 and the newest version at the convention. While the previous snippet depicts a slightly darker ambiance, the Gamescom footage brings more life into the scene through its illuminated lighting and realistic facial expressions.

The Starfield is hype is real. With the game’s launch rapidly approaching, we’re seeing future players gearing up for the release in insane and creative and insanely creative ways.

We’ve already seen mock up Starfield Crocs that — full disclosure — we really want. Now, amid the ongoing bonanza that is Gamescom, a Starfield themed gaming setup has emerged that’s the perfect setting for any soon to be Constellation explorer.

The Amazon Prime Fallout TV series has received yet another teaser to keep the hype train going, depicting the famous Vault Boy in the picturesque scenery of Los Angeles. But if we know anything about the games, not everything is as it seems, where even the most breathtaking places could all crumble down.

Based on the franchise’s history, it’s no surprise to see southern California as the show’s primary location. The TV series will likely follow the old-timey style the series is known for, mixed with the modernistic side of the dystopian future.

Earlier this year in May, Sony Interactive Entertainment teased its upcoming remote play device, the PlayStation Portal, but now the company is sharing more information on the product. It’s set to launch later this year for $199.99 USD, but no information has been given as to when pre-orders will begin.

The remote play device features an 8-inch LCD display capable of 1080p at 60 FPS, along with the haptic feedback and adaptive triggers of the DualSense controller. These features should allow for the same smooth, fluid gameplay that you can expect from the PS5, now over your Wi-Fi connection.

At long last, The Final Shape DLC showcase has been revealed for Destiny 2. Needless to say, but an abundance of announcements were made throughout the livestream, so we’re going to break down all of it. This is everything announced during Destiny 2’s Final Shape Showcase.

New Location: The Pale Heart

The first major announcement was the reveal of the new location, The Pale Heart, the inside of the Traveler. This will be the final major destination of the Light and Darkness Saga, where we will make our last stand against The Witness. The Raid will also take place here. Bungie has also confirmed the destination will change and evolve when the Raid is completed. On top of that, the location will feature memorable places like the original Destiny 1 Tower, and more.

Marvel Snap variants can get pretty pricey, so whenever the opportunity to get one for free presents itself, you just gotta take it. Second Dinner has just announced that by tuning into Gamescom Opening Night Live 2023 this week, you’ll be able to get the Spider-Man Max Grecke variant for free.

All you have to do is link your Twitch and Marvel Snap accounts, then watch the main stream on the Game Awards Twitch channel or any of the supported co-stream events on Aug. 22, 11 a.m. PT for 30 minutes to unlock the following rewards:

The last time we had a seriously botched card launch in Marvel Snap, it was with High Evolutionary. The card shop didn’t rotate correctly, and players ended up having to wait a couple days before they could buy him. The time before that, we had Kitty Pryde, who basically broke the entire game with how her bounce back mechanic worked. She was taken out of the game, reworked, then redistributed to all players for free.

This week, it’s no secret that X-23 is easily the most highly anticipated new card release of the Big in Japan season. She’s a 1-cost card that gives you one extra Energy the next turn when destroyed, and seriously opens up a lot of combos and possibilities for the destroy archetype that were much harder to pull off previously. And, of course, as if on cue, the Marvel Snap servers have gone down just as X-23 has rotated into this week’s Spotlight Cache selection.

There are plenty of powerful cards in Marvel Snap. Zabu, Silver Surfer, Darkhawk, the list goes on. There are also a whole ton of truly awful and borderline unplayable cards in the game. Lady Deathstrike may very well be the newest addition to this list, which already includes the likes of Shanna and Crystal, both of which have gotten slight buffs in this week’s OTA update alongside Forge.

Here are the balance changes:

Splatoon 3’s one year anniversary is coming up in the beginning of September, and it comes with a pretty substantial free update to the game. In the coming weeks, you will notice some changes in the game as a new season, Drizzle Season 2023, starts. Since the update is so big, you might not have heard or seen everything that it includes. Here is everything new in the Splatoon 3 one-year anniversary update for you to enjoy.

New Stages

The new season of Splatoon 3 adds two new stages that will appear in rotation for Turf War and Anarchy Battle modes. Both are brand new stages that have never appeared in previous Splatoon games.

Baldur’s Gate 3 has been a massive hit since the RPG finally left Early Access a couple weeks ago. It hasn’t been without its flaws though, as players have reported quite a few bugs and errors that have plagued the game, including sporadic crashes and clipping. Most of these small issues have been address through various hotfixes released in the past couple weeks, but Larian Studios has a huge first patch planned for the game, which will address many more issues that have popped up since launch.

According to Larian Studios’ founder and CEO Swen Vincke, their current roadmap includes a fourth hotfix, followed by the game’s first patch, which will include 1,000 fixes and tweaks. Following that, we’ll get a second patch, which will incorporate features that players have been asking for.

The long-awaited Remnant 2 patch for Xbox Series X|S and PS5 users has finally arrived, bringing in a ton of new updates that improve the overall experience substantially.

The frame rate has seemingly been revamped after many fans noted its low quality during its launch. Any crashes you may have encountered have also been looked over, as Gunfire Games resolves problems with reported bugs.

Baldur’s Gate 3 is finally out of Early Access, and yeah, it’s been a total hit so far. It’s been lauded as one of the best and most immersive role-playing experiences since the release of Divinity: Original Sin 2, and for good reason. The DND-like RPG allows you to create a truly unique character, complete with fascinating background stories, traits, and side quests that are genuinely compelling.

There’s just one tiny little problem though: once you create your character, you can’t change their appearance after that. This is pretty much the bane of every gamer’s existence. Spend hours on character creation only to realize you may have messed up a little detail, and that’s just too bad. You’re stuck with it forever.