Tune up your boltgun and prepare for the hoard, Warhammer 40,000: Darktide is swarming onto Xbox Series X|S today. A spiritual successor to Warhammer: Vermintide, Darktide takes developer Fatshark's ferocious, co-op-focused combat and drops you right into the blistered heart of the Warhammer 40,000 universe.

Alongside its Game Pass launch, Darktide is also set to drop its biggest and most game-changing update yet. Patch 13 will introduce new class systems for each playable archetype and a ton of other game-play refining updates. This is the ultimate version of Darktide, so ahead of its console release, we had the opportunity to chat with three developers from Fatshark about why now is the perfect time to get stuck in.

If you're looking for some spooky games, some fast ways to drive away from anything spooky, or just some great games to load up and dive into the story… have I got some recommendations for you! We've got some games available today for you to check out, some more coming soon, and even a reminder on some you might have missed that we snuck in last month. Let's get to the games!

Available Today:
Gotham Knights (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S)—Batman is dead. A new expansive, criminal underworld has swept the streets of Gotham City. It is now up to the Batman Family - Batgirl, Nightwing, Red Hood, and Robin - to protect Gotham, bring hope to its citizens, discipline to its cops, and fear to its criminals.

The Lamplighter's League (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S)—Available on day one with Game Pass: Sneak, steal, and shoot your way through a world of pulp adventure in The Lamplighters League! Globetrot across a variety of exciting locales around the world and outwit your enemies in strategic turn-based combat and, if you play your cards right, you might just save the world.

The scheduled maintenance carried out last week has fixed the initial matchmaking issues that occurred during Payday 3's first few days after launch. Matchmaking has been stable and has had good performance after the completed maintenance. In the past five days, PAYDAY 3 had a peak concurrent players (CCU) of 124,254. In September 2023, the game had 3,167,938 unique players (MAU). Starbreeze Nebula has a total of 4,538,702 registered users across all titles.

Starbreeze will now intensify the commercial activities around Payday 3, after partially pausing these during the previous week. In early October, the first update to Payday 3 will launch, focusing on improving the game experience. The coming months include planned updates for PAYDAY 3 that address both content, Quality of Life-improvements, bug fixes and new functionality.

Greetings Lampbearers. We're a little over two weeks away from the launch of Lords of the Fallen. Soon, the great adventure across the brutal realm of Axiom and its nightmarish counterpart Umbral will be upon us all. We know anticipation continues to rise, so as we await the impending return of Adyr, here's an epic and in-depth overview of what you can expect on 13th October (see below). In it, we cover the game's unique dual realms mechanic, its extensive character customization, seamless co-op multiplayer, and a whole lot more. We can't wait to see you in Mournstead in a couple of weeks.

Hexworks, a CI Games studio, invites players to embark on an epic journey across a vast and treacherous world when the highly anticipated, dark-fantasy action-RPG, Lords of the Fallen, releases worldwide on Friday 13th October, 2023. A spiritual successor to the original 2014 title, the upcoming game acts as a full reboot for the franchise, and is available to pre-order on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.

Hey Hunters! We are excited to announce that Early Access is now live! New and returning players can look forward to joining Pinkyy and her crew through additional adventures, finding new Relics, gear, and weapons beyond what has previously been seen in Stress Tests and Closed Betas. To celebrate the launch, the Relic Hunters Legend is available for a SPECIAL discounted price (33% off) as part of Steam's SHMUP Fest from now until October 2.

How To Join
Players have various ways to get into Early Access such as getting the Rebel Edition, upgrading with the Heroic Content Upgrade Pack, or picking up everything at once with the Legendary Edition which includes a digital comic book, character skins, and more. Additional details about the Relic Hunters Legend Early Access Editions and Content Pack can be found below.

As we're about to enter the last week of September, we have another somewhat slow week of new releases, that is unless you're a football fan, the kind with a round ball, not the oblong pig bladder kind. That said, if you're into trains, house building, hunting relics or ever wanted to know what it's like to jump between worlds, there might be something for you this week as well.

EA Sports FC 24 / This week's AAA title / Thursday 28 September
EA Sports FC 24 welcomes you to The World's Game: the most true-to-football experience ever with HyperMotionV, PlayStyles optimised by Opta, and an enhanced Frostbite. Join us in building the future of football on a foundation of innovation and authenticity with more than 19,000 fully licensed players, 700 teams, and 30 leagues.

The launch of Payday 3 is finally upon us! Police and criminals alike quake at the rumors of the Payday Gang arriving in New York City. And today, they arrived. A brand new chapter in the Payday universe is revealed to the world and we're thrilled to have you join us on the journey. We've already shared the roadmap for the first year of Payday 3, check it out here.

The Medic Bag
Should you have any issues with the game, don't hesitate to contact our support team, if you'd like to leave us any feedback we do have a feature upvote page where you can either write your own suggestion or vote on the suggestions of others.

Hello heisters, we want to inform you that Denuvo is no longer in Payday 3. We look forward to seeing you in New York City! Payday 3's release is coming very close, and it's been a long time since we announced that Payday 3's release date is on the 21st of September, with Silver/Gold owners being able to Play Early starting on the 18th. However, one popular reoccurring question has been; At what time?

To best answer this question, our creative team has made us this fantastic asset with a world map, and the release times listed in several popular time zones all over the world. Check it out, for a fast glance at when you need can get in-game.

To call this coming week jam packed with new game releases would be an understatement, as pretty much every day next week will see a big release or two. They may not all be AAA releases, but they're at least AA releases. As such, get ready for a crazy busy week with everything from driving games and parties, to lies and kombat.

The Crew: Motorfest / This week's AAA title / Monday 18 September
The Crew Motorfest features more vehicles than ever before in the franchise, including new brands, new car categories, and dozens of new models. Drive the most exclusive hypercars, such as the Lamborghini Revuelto, discover two generations of Toyota Supra, go electric with the Lotus Evija... and much more!

Ready to start your adventure? Saturday mornings are back with MythForce! Complete with 1980s rogue-lite cartoon chaos, co-op dungeon crawling action and an epic eighties-throwback soundtrack. Inspired by beloved Saturday morning cartoons, MythForce unites swords & sorcery with gripping first person combat in a new rogue-like adventure. Brave the dungeon alone or join forces with friends to take on an ever-changing Castle of Evil!

Scratch that nostalgic itch with wholesome fun that's easy to pick up and play (but tough to master). In true rogue-like fashion, each time you're defeated, you'll have to start over at the beginning—but every playthrough makes you a little stronger. Level up as you explore the dungeon, uncovering magical artifacts and upgrades to make you say "I HAVE THE POWER!"

As we enter the second week of September the release of new games is taking a bit of an autumn break. As such, we have no huge releases to look forward to this coming week, but it doesn't mean there aren't any new game releases. Expect a rather eclectic mix of games this week, ranging from co-op tavern defence to mythical forces and umbrellas to deceit, bombs and swords.

Tavernacle! / Monday 11 September
Grab your hammers and start to craft in this co-op Tavern Defense for one to four players. As a team of Dwarves, you must gather supplies and build towers to protect your beloved brewery. Learn to cooperate to achieve victory in this chaotic multiplayer game!

A few new releases from last week flew under the radar with the meteoric response to Starfield's early access, especially since the Xbox Wire crew was all-hands on deck to support the launch. But there was one new title I knew I wanted to bump to the top of my playlist, as I've adored all the previous games in the series. Trine 5: A Clockwork Conspiracy will take Amadeus the Wizard, Zoya the Thief, and Pontius the Knight on their most action-packed journey yet! With their reputations tarnished, loved ones in danger, and their own magical powers at stake, the Heroes of Trine must reunite to push back a fearsome Clockwork army and bring peace and justice to the land! I've always been bewildered by the Trine series. It's not fair to call a game with five releases - each one a bit bigger and better than its predecessor - a hidden gem. Perhaps, "rare gem" is more befitting. But it is a true treasure indeed - a fun, feature-filled series with a rich story, vibrant characters, and epic adventure.

Once Upon a Time…
The Trine series is a collection of fantasy action-adventure games with equal shares of platforming and puzzle elements sprinkled in about three heroes: a knight, a thief, and a wizard. The heroes are bound together by a magical artifact called the Trine and must work together using their unique skills to solve puzzles, fight enemies, and explore breathtaking environments.

Developed by NExT Studios and published by Level Infinite, SYNCED transports players to the Meridian, a devastated zone populated with deadly Nanos - former humans transformed by nanotechnology gone tragically awry. Players will take on the role of Runners - brave fortune-hunters searching the Meridian for Nerva, a valuable nano-energy substance.

SYNCED features three player co-operative gameplay, with Runners able to increase their squad size by syncing with Prime Nanos and turning them into deployable Companion Nanos. Runners will be able to strategically utilise their Companion Nano's skills to compliment their play style and turn the tide of the battle.

The new cosmic adventure game, Void Crew, is now available on Steam Early Access. Publisher Focus Entertainment and Danish indie studio Hutlihut Games are delighted to invite you on a journey into deep space. Gather your crew, set your course for uncharted galaxies, and prepare for epic journeys beyond the stars. With a 20% Early Birds limited time discount and a groundbreaking Early Access Launch Trailer, Void Crew gives you a taste of what "co-operation" truly means.

In space, no one can hear you scream…
…except your friends! In Void Crew, humanity unites against a mysterious aggressor - the Hollow. As the chosen ones, you and your crew of up to 4 mavericks must brave the void and bring order to the galaxy! Embark on a cooperative journey that will test your strategic prowess and communication skills. In Void Crew, teamwork isn't just an option; it's the key to reclaiming humanity's lost territory.

Michael Douse, the director of publishing at Larian Studios, has confirmed to Eurogamer that cross-play functionality is being worked on, although the team was not able to get it ready in time for release day code on PC (August 5) and PlayStation 5 (out today!): "It was always in the planning, but we knew it wouldn't be for launch. It's in the roadmap, and though we have an idea of when we'd like to get it ready for, we don't want to put a date on it until we're sure." Larian and the BG3 fan base are hoping to see players united in online multiplayer across PC and console platforms in the near future, with the Xbox version due to arrive at some point before the end of the year.

Technical and performance issues are present in the PlayStation 5 version—reviewers have noted that split-screen performance on Sony's console is choppy, with local multiplayer sessions forcing a 30 frames per second "Quality" visual mode. This perhaps provides a small insight into the problems encountered when developing split-screen mode for Xbox Series X and S platforms, with the latter proving to be the largest headache. Eurogamer's journalists were also privy to Larian highlighting: "in a pre-launch note to PS5 reviewers, problems with performance in the game's climactic final act in the city of Baldur's Gate. It said it was working hard to fix it. Remember, the studio has had issues with this area on PC too."

The Xbox Series version of Baldur's Gate 3 was at risk of being delayed into 2024, thanks to Microsoft enforcing a policy of feature parity across S and X consoles. Larian Studios is reportedly still struggling to get split-screen co-operative mode running on Xbox Series S hardware, even with deployment of first party assistance. Swen Vincke, founder and CEO of Larian Studios, discussed these technical issues with Microsoft Gaming's head honcho at Gamescom last week—their tête-à-tête resulted in a positive outcome: "Super happy to confirm that after meeting Phil Spencer yesterday, we've found a solution that allows us to bring Baldur's Gate 3 to Xbox players this year still, something we've been working towards for quite some time." The game is due to launch—feature complete—on PlayStation 5 in early September, so Team Xbox appears keen to play catch up with its arch rival.

Vincke elaborated on the compromise: "All improvements will be there, with split-screen coop on Series X. Series S will not feature split-screen co-op, but will also include cross-save progression between Steam and Xbox Series." A firm release date has not been confirmed yet, but the official Xbox Twitter account later revealed that Microsoft engineers are committed to collaborating with the game's development team and resolve technical hurdles: "To answer some questions we're getting, we'll continue to work with Larian to explore the addition of split-screen on Series S post launch."

Focus Entertainment, in partnership with Hutlihut Games, an indie studio based in Copenhagen, is thrilled to announce the Early Access Launch of their groundbreaking space odyssey: Void Crew. Brace yourselves for an unparalleled co-op gaming experience that will redefine your journey through the cosmos on September 7.

Get a sneak peek of the game during an engaging gameplay session this Saturday on the Jesse Cox Twitch Channel! Join the dedicated streamer as he dive into the heart-pounding action of Void Crew alongside seasoned developers. As the stars align, prepare to unravel the mysteries of the universe and forge a formidable crew of 2-4 players. Team up with your closest companions for a journey as exhilarating as a wild space ride!

At Gamescom 2023 in Cologne we had a booth for fans to play Path of Exile 2 and try out the new Druid class - a spellcaster who channels the fury of nature on the battlefield to become a walking natural disaster. Check out our Gamescom Druid gameplay walkthrough below! Thanks to everyone who has come to play Path of Exile 2 at Gamescom so far! It was great meeting you in person, and the fan meetup beforehand was fantastic. We'll be at PAX West next week. See you there! For more information about Path of Exile 2 and to see the other trailers, visit pathofexile2.com.

Path of Exile 2 is a next generation Action RPG created by Grinding Gear Games. Set years after the original Path of Exile, you will return to the dark world of Wraeclast and seek to end the corruption that is spreading. Path of Exile 2 is a free-to-play online multiplayer game with co-op for up to six players.

Washed ashore on the northern isle of Midrath, a new adventure begins...the Soulframe team debuted their latest gameplay demo during TennoLive, giving fans a brand-new look at gameplay and systems coming in the upcoming fantasy co-op action game from Digital Extremes. Discover what it means to be Alca's chosen hero, an Envoy, and draw the strength of your Ancestors long past to fight back against the oppressive Ode'n.

It began as song, pitched sweet and solemn…And they that heard, 'came, hollow, fallen…Gather round, Envoys. A new adventure begins. Soulframe is an upcoming game from Digital Extremes and the creative minds behind Warframe, with a heavy focus on themes of nature, restoration, and history in a brand-new world.

Roguelike inspiration meets Real-Time Strategy in Homeworld 3's new co-op mode, War Games. Commanders will need to manage fleet strength across waves of enemies and claim powerful artifacts that augment ships with each completed objective. Based on the results, players will unlock additional artifacts and starting fleets that keep the challenge fresh. Launching February 2024.

War Games, the all-new three player co-op mode extends your game beyond the campaign. Fusing Homeworld's RTS gameplay with roguelike inspiration, commanders take on a randomized series of fleet combat challenges. Claim powerful Artifacts that augment your ships with more power, speed, and, of course, weapons. Based on your results, you'll unlock new fleets to shake up your strategy.

All of a sudden, it's the end of August, but the month keeps delivering when it comes to games. This coming week is admittedly a bit slower than the past few weeks and we get to make do with a AA title as far as headline games goes. That said, the rest of this week's releases involve seas of all kinds, crossfires, great houses, corporations and a reimagined game from back in the day.

Trine 5: A Clockwork Conspiracy / This week's AA title / Thursday 31 August
Trine 5: A Clockwork Conspiracy will take Amadeus the Wizard, Zoya the Thief, and Pontius the Knight on their most action-packed journey yet! With their reputations tarnished, loved ones in danger, and their own magical powers at stake, the Heroes of Trine must reunite to push back a fearsome Clockwork army and bring peace and justice to the land! Traverse breathtaking 2.5D landscapes in Trine's deepest and visually richest chapter to date, with an all new cast of characters - some friends, some foes, but all unforgettable.

Happy launch week, folks! We hope you've printed out your lawyer-approved special dispensation form to explain your mysterious absence from work on August 3rd to your boss, because there are only two days to go before release. After six years in the making, Baldur's Gate 3's PC launch is right around the corner and we couldn't have gotten here without you. So let's have one last Community Update before then to wrap things up, answer some of your biggest questions, and reveal a few final surprises before you finally get stuck in.

Launch Day
So just how big is this game, anyhow? What time should you expect the game to release? And where did I put my keys? The answers to most of these questions can be found below.

Heisters! We are thrilled to announce that PAYDAY 3 is hosting a technical Closed Beta from August 2nd to August 7th. Players can sign-up for a chance to play the game on Steam and Xbox Series S|X. We have prepared a FAQ regarding the Closed BETA (see below).

PAYDAY 3 is the much anticipated sequel to one of the most popular co-op shooters ever. Since its release, PAYDAY-players have been reveling in the thrill of a perfectly planned and executed heist. That's what makes PAYDAY a high-octane, co-op FPS experience without equal.

Developer Angry Cat Studios and Publisher Firesquid have officially launched their turn-based squad tactics title USC: Counterforce into Early Access on Steam. With hours of gameplay already available, players that dive into the game will be able to join a deep strategical experience with multiple missions, customizable commando forces and a powerful alien threat to destroy.

Taking inspiration from the likes of UFO/XCOM, Space Hulk and the Aliens series, USC: Counterforce has players controlling a group of geared-up commandos tasked with investigating an alien threat on the planetary body M-8322. Utilizing USC: Counterforce's advanced squad management interface with a class-free skill system and passive abilities, players must master combat and find the perfect combination of skills in order to keep back this alien threat. Bring along a friend to bring home glory using local co-op mode (hot seat or remote play together).

We're excited to announce Remnant 2 is now available! The sequel to the best-selling game Remnant: From the Ashes, Remnant 2 is a third-person action-survival shooter that pits the last remnants of humanity against the harrowing forces of evil. The title evolves the co-op survival shooter with new unseen worlds filled with deadly surprises and encounters. Join the battle to save humanity in a dynamically generated world filled with branching quest lines, unique loot, and overwhelming odds that encourage exploration and replayability either alone or in three-person co-op. Players will define their own playstyle with an expanded Archetype class system and a wide assortment of guns, armor, and special augmentations as they overcome hard-fought challenges to stave off humanity's extinction.

A mix of methodical and frenetic ranged/melee combat returns with cunning enemies and large scale boss battles. Choose specific gear and weapons to optimize for the different biomes and battles ahead. Bosses will bring high-level players to team up to overcome the challenge and try to obtain the biggest rewards. Players can travel alone or with friends as a team through strange new worlds and beyond, overrun by mythical creatures and deadly foes while trying to stay alive. There are multiple worlds to explore with different types of creatures, weapons, and items. Utilize and upgrade discovered items to take on tougher challenges.

Update 21:05 UTC: TPU's W1zzard has published his "Remnant II Benchmark Test & Performance Analysis" article. Do check it out.