Steam hit an all-time concurrent user record of 43,505,724, the third time this year the figure has been broken and the first time it passed 43 million in the service's 23 years. Of those, 14.5 million were actually in-game, also a record. Valve is likely to make $20,000,000,000 this year.
MOUSE: P.I. For Hire now available on GOG (on sale for $22.49) https://buff.ly/Jq5N18b #ad
From Poland To Million Worlds sale on GOG https://buff.ly/kWOz5Yj
Push Square reviewed Valor Mortis, calling the first-person Soulslike from One More Level a standout for its Napoleonic alternate history and strong level design, with satisfying combat and weapon upgrade trees. The reviewer finished most side quests in about 18 hours and expects the Platinum around the 22-hour mark. The review also notes flat visuals and unremarkable music, indistinct boss fights, and a frustrating final stretch with low health and inconsistent checkpoints.
This week's PC games roundup includes Planet Zoo 2, which lets players run a nature reserve and build aquariums and aviaries, and Rolla, which casts players as a malevolent human-eating ball of tentacles rolling through a city like a Katamari. Valor Mortis is a first-person soulslike set in the Napoleonic era with body horror, and Total War: Shogun 2 - Compete is a remaster with fancier graphics and 50 new minor factions.
Rock Paper Shotgun's James Archer reviewed Valor Mortis, calling One More Level's Napoleonic first-person Soulslike a game that strikes out on its own in perspective and combat design. The review says its parry timings are well judged and the first-person view makes one-on-one fights more personal, though it notes falls off cliffs while backstepping, a narrow weapon and talent selection, and repeated minibosses in later stages. The game runs under 20 hours and includes grappling hook and wallrunning parkour, with platforming falls costing neither catalysts nor a trip back to the nearest lantern.
Dwarf Fortress creator Tarn Adams says he has never been tempted to use generative AI in the game, calling AI-written code bloated and saying you can tell a vibe-coded game when your computer fan starts spinning. He notes he has worked with traditional AI for decades but now avoids the term entirely, and says only platform pressure from Microsoft could force him toward generative AI.
Modder Frederik Wessberg is developing a Starfield mod that enables seamless planetary landings, letting players manually enter a planet's atmosphere and fly in low orbit without loading screens. Inspired by the Seamless Grav Jumps and Seamless Planet Takeoff mods, it also offers autopilot, water landings, and volumetric clouds driven by climate data and weather systems. The mod is currently in development for PC only, with no release target yet, and will be free on Nexus Mods when ready.
Eurogamer reviewed Valor Mortis, One More Level's alternate-history Napoleonic Soulslike starring Grande Armée soldier William Dowsett. The review calls its first-person swordplay solid and notes the gradual addition of pistols, shotguns, rifles, parkour and grapple swings across a roughly 20-hour run that is more forgiving than genre peers. It faults the later stages for repeated enemy types, similar environments and a predictable story.
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe: Dragon Pearl of Destruction launches February 4, 2027 https://www.gematsu.com/2026/10/he-man-and-the-masters-of-the-universe-dragon-pearl-of-destruction-launches-february-4-2027
GameSpot's review says Valor Mortis is a first-person soulslike with snappy combat that rewards parries and patience, but it is held back by a weak story and a sluggishly paced opening. You play as William Dowsett, a member of Napoleon's army who returns from the dead to find former allies twisted by corruption.
Game Informer reviewed Valor Mortis, a first-person Soulslike from developer One More Level, with the author finishing it in about 25 hours and dying more than 100 times. Set in Napoleonic France, it follows William, who is reawakened by Napoleon speaking in his mind and wields left-hand powers like fire and stasis alongside swords and guns. The review calls the first half unfairly balanced with frequent one-hit kills, while the second half settles into a rhythm that encourages another attempt, with parrying, blocking, and dashing at the core of combat.
He-Man & The Masters Of The Universe: Dragon Pearl Of Destruction – Release Date Trailer (Feb 4th, 2027) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhBZ6EBH7bQ
Valor Mortis is a first-person Soulslike action RPG from One More Level, the studio behind the Ghostrunner games, set in an alternate version of the Napoleonic Wars. Players take on the role of William Dowsett, a resurrected British soldier in Napoleon's Grande Armée. The game is described as brutal, frightening, and strangely chill.
The Valor Mortis review roundup shows an 80 average and 81% recommended across 43 reviews on OpenCritic. The first-person Soulslike from Ghostrunner developer One More Level is set in an alternate Napoleonic-era Europe, and critics broadly praise its sword-and-gun combat, parkour and level design while faulting repetitive enemy variety, forgettable bosses and technical issues. It launched on PC on September 24, 2026 at $40 and is available Day One on Xbox Game Pass.
Frontier's Planet Zoo 2 launches tomorrow, and Steam keys are already available at up to 29% off the regular price.
Star Citizen's single-player mode Squadron 42 has a new trailer showing its cast, including Mark Hamill, Gary Oldman, and Henry Cavill, along with space dogfighting, life aboard a capital ship, and first-person combat. After 12 years in development, the mode has no firm release date, only a Q2 2027 window, and is now wishlistable on the CIG website and Steam.
Squadron 42, the singleplayer spinoff from Star Citizen developer Cloud Imperium Games, now has a Steam page listing a planned launch in the second quarter of 2027, between early April and the end of June. A new trailer shows the player as a rookie in the UEE Navy and lists cameos including Gary Oldman, Mark Hamill, Gillian Anderson, Andy Serkis and Henry Cavill. The game is now wishlistable.
Dragon Quest creator Yuji Horii has released a fully AI-generated game titled Interrogation Room Komiya, in which players pick text prompts to push a suspect into confessing. Horii said the game was made in "about 30 minutes" with AI, calling the technology "truly astonishing." He has previously said he would be interested in using AI in his future games.
ConcernedApe (Eric Barone) said Haunted Chocolatier is more of an action RPG than Stardew Valley, with its main focus on adventuring, finding equipment and getting more powerful, plus monsters and boss fights. It is set in a more "metaphysical" locale and is aimed at Stardew Valley players who go into the mines. The game still has no release date, as does the Stardew Valley 1.7 update.
Two new games launch on Xbox today, October 12. Alpha Nomos is a rhythm-action adventure for Series X|S, PC, and Cloud in which players control Cello and time attacks to the beat, echoing Hi-Fi RUSH's combat. Colorbound is a cosy puzzle-platformer, also on Series X|S, PC, and Cloud, following Anku as he uses color to reunite his late grandfather's band.
Valve has released the CAD files for the Steam Frame for free, giving modders the material to build their own parts. The release covers the light blocker, head strap, battery housing, facial interface, core module and controllers, and documents how to use the expansion port Valve calls the auxiliary port. Valve has confirmed it is working on an upgraded head strap with interchangeable batteries and off-ear speakers, described as coming soon.
Valve just dropped the Steam Frame's CAD files for free https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/vr-hardware/here-come-the-weird-and-wonderful-mods-for-the-steam-frame-as-valve-drops-the-full-cad-files-for-free/
In a recent GQ interview, Stardew Valley creator Eric Barone said Haunted Chocolatier is "more of an action RPG" focused on adventuring, finding equipment, and getting more powerful, with monsters and boss fights. Announced in October 2021 and in development for more than five years, the game still has no release date, and Barone said he has "returned to isolation" to finish it.
Fanatical is currently running a 2K sale with up to 91% off games including Borderlands and Civilization. Further details on the sale's end date and full lineup were not provided.
Elden Ring's Shadow of the Erdtree expansion has finally received a discount. The DLC is brutally difficult, and even a New Game+ save that has beaten Radahn and Malenia may not be ready for it. New weapons and Scadutree Blessings boost attack power and damage negation, and the expansion holds an 85% positive rating on Steam.
'The algorithm continues to properly prioritise Mister Biddy Blas' https://www.pcgamer.com/games/racing/the-algorithm-continues-to-properly-prioritise-mister-biddy-blas-star-wars-galactic-racer-has-created-the-perfect-creature/
The group behind recent Grand Theft Auto 6 leaks has reportedly threatened to release a full build of the game. That build is said to include the full story mode and end credits, and the claim has not been confirmed by the parties involved.
Star Wars: Galactic Racer is out and scored a firm 76 in PC Gamer's review, packed with funny little guys—none funnier than Biddy Blas. Lucasfilm Games executive producer Craig Derrick noted on X that the algorithm continues to properly prioritize Mister Biddy Blas. Blas is a Crocin, a species that previously appeared in Solo: A Star Wars Story.
A leaked GTA VI clip shows a closeup of the character Lucia, naked, with the camera placed on the ground to make her jump. The leaker Cyberleek also lists future leaks tied to market cap milestones: 5M Mini Tank, 7M Jumbo jet, 9M Tank, 11M Private lap dance, 13M Police Shootout, 17M Beach Massacre, 21M Fighter Jet, 25M Train vs Train, and 30M for a full 200+GB playable build.
The group behind the recent Grand Theft Auto 6 leaks, known as CyberLeek, has reportedly threatened to release an alleged full build of the game, including its full story mode and end credits, if its memecoin's market cap reaches $30 million. The group demanded physical disks and a public apology from Take-Two, and its memecoin market cap rose from $3.8 million to $5.7 million after the warning was reported. Take-Two has filed subpoenas against Microsoft, Discord, and X to identify alleged infringers, while Rockstar said it hopes players will wait until November 19 to experience the game themselves.
Why this: The follow-up to the GTA 6 leaks covers the group's threat and Take-Two's legal moves, showing how the standoff is developing.
For the second time this year, Steam has set a major new concurrent user record
Legacy Games is shutting down, and players need to download their Amazon Luna freebies before the deadline. Missing the download deadline could mean losing access to those games for good.
Steam hit a new concurrent user record of 43,505,724 on Sunday, the highest in its 23-year history, with over 14 million of those users in-game. It marks the second time this year Valve's platform has broken its own record, following over 42 million concurrent users in January. Recent launches including free-to-play MMO Aion 2 and a major Deadlock update helped drive the surge.
For the second time this year, Steam has set a major new concurrent user records
The full Year One DLC line-up for Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls has been confirmed, with four characters and one stage. Phoenix Cyclops arrives on November 2, followed by Jane Foster's Thor in Winter 2027, Venom and the Klyntar stage in Spring 2027, and X-Men member Jubilee in Summer 2027. All four characters and the stage can be bought individually, with a discounted Year One pass also offered. The game launched in August to a Metacritic score of 85, but its Steam release suffered stuttering and inconsistent frame rates; producer Takeshi Yamanaka said two urgent patches have been released and work continues.
Cyberleek has reportedly released another unauthorized GTA 6 gameplay video, this time allegedly showing Lucia fully naked, in a bid to push its crypto scheme. Some fans suspect the leaker used a developer build or cheats to make Jason and Lucia naked, since NPCs in the game world do not react, and an earlier leak showed a tank spawned into the world. Cyberleek had tied the release to its memecoin reaching a $4 million market cap, which was hit over the weekend; the token stood at $2.7 million at publication after spiking to $8.4 million on October 11.
The Coalition has confirmed that Gears of War: E-Day suffered a DDoS attack over the weekend, causing intermittent disconnects and login issues for players on Xbox Series X and S and PC. The studio said its teams are continuing to monitor and mitigate the activity and will provide updates if there are significant changes.
Stardew Valley creator Eric Barone said in a GQ interview that his upcoming game Haunted Chocolatier is "more of an action RPG" than a farming sim, focused on adventuring, finding equipment and getting more powerful, with monsters and boss fights. He described it as a more "metaphysical" experience and said it's for "the people in Stardew Valley that go into the mines." There is still no release date, with Barone saying no one is playing the game until he's ready to show it.
Will de Renzy-Martin, who plays lead character Coen in the English version of The Blood of Dawnwalker, says generative AI can only replicate the way his voice sounds, not his personality or the choices he makes in the room. Developer Rebel Wolves previously used text-to-speech AI tools to plan cinematics before hiring actors, though nothing in the game was created with AI. He added that anyone using AI-generated voices would still need someone to interact with it and get the desired performance, and that person would cost more than an actor.