Mafia 2: Definitive Edition, the remaster that launched in 2020, and Bandai Namco’s multiplayer survival title Dragon Ball: The Breakers will be the PS4 titles in this month’s lineup, while the PS5 and PS4 versions of Cold Iron Studios’ 2021 co-op third person shooter Aliens: Fireteam Elite is also included.

All three games will be available starting November 7, and will be free to redeem until December 4, for subscribers of PlayStation Plus Essential, Extra, and Premium. That, of course, means that October’s PS Plus titles – The Callisto Protocol, Weird West, and Farming Simulator 22 – will remain available to claim for just a few more days, until November 6.

It was driven by Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, which secured the top spot for the month. Hardly surprising, given that it crossed $1 billion in revenue within ten days of launching. Despite a mixed critical reception, Gotham Knights ranked in second place and debuted as the 14th best-selling game of the year-to-date. Interestingly, October’s top 20 best-sellers were new titles, including NHL 23 in fifth place, Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope in the sixth, Bayonetta 3 in ninth, and Star Ocean: The Divine Force in 14th.

Even Dragon Ball: The Breakers secured a spot in 16th place, with Take Two’s PGA Tour 2K23 in 17th. For more details, check out the top 20 best-selling video games for October 2022, based on dollar sales, below.

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With all of the adaptations that the manga/anime has seen over the years, Dragon Ball: The Breakers takes a different approach. You control one of seven ordinary Survivors transported to a bizarre dimension along with a Raider (namely Frieza, Buu, or Cell). They must find various keys and activate the Super Time Machine to escape.

The Raider is player-controlled and will do everything possible to stop the Survivors. As they level up, they’ll unlock new abilities and can destroy parts of the map. Survivors can use Dragon Change to temporarily assume the form of Goku, Piccolo and other heroes, but it’s a temporary measure. Stealth, items, and teamwork will be your best bet for success.

Interestingly, the trailer teases the addition of Oozaru Vegeta in Season 2, potentially as a new Raider. Stay tuned for more details in the coming months.

LEGO Bricktales

While LEGO Brawls was all about combat, Clockstone’s LEGO Bricktales is a more chilled-out experience. You explore gorgeous LEGO dioramas, from deserts and a castle to Caribbean islands, solving puzzles and receiving new skills to spice up your grandfather’s aging amusement park. The main appeal is being given bricks and figuring out the solutions.

It’s an interesting mix of engineering and sandbox gameplay with five biomes to explore, multiple collectibles and side quests and a dedicated Sandbox Mode to tinker around in. LEGO Bricktales launches on October 12th for Xbox, PlayStation, PC, and Nintendo Switch.

Persona 5 Royal (Xbox, PC, Switch, and PS5)

After garnering critical acclaim on the PS4 for two years, Persona 5 Royal is finally coming to Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC, Nintendo Switch and PS5 on October 21st. As an enhanced version of Persona 5, Royal offers new story events, a new Palace, Ultimate Persona, quality-of-life features, a third semester, and a new party member in Kasumi. All previously released DLC is also included for free, and it’s also launching on day one for Game Pass.

If you’re yet to fall in with the Phantom Thieves and experience one of the best RPGs ever, then Persona 5 Royal is worth a look.

Dragon Ball: The Breakers

Ever wanted to play an asymmetrical, Dead by Daylight title but with Dragon Ball characters, running in fear from overpowered villainous beings? Dragon Ball: The Breakers is your oddly specific ticket, pitting seven ordinary humans against the likes of Frieza, Buu and Cell. Venture to different regions for keys to activate the Super Time Machine and either avoid the villains or use Dragon Change to fight back as legendary heroes like Goku, Vegeta, and Trunks.

The villain’s role is simple: Hunt down the survivors, level up and become stronger, and destroy any means of escape. That means decimating entire parts of the map, wrecking the time machines and beating survivors to a pulp. Dragon Ball: The Breakers is out on October 13th for Xbox One, PS4, PC, and Nintendo Switch.

New Tales from the Borderlands

Gearbox Entertainment returns to the adventure-style format (sans Telltale Games) with New Tales from the Borderlands. Out on October 21st for Xbox and PlayStation platforms along with PC and Nintendo Switch, it features three new characters – scientist Anu, her brother Octavio and Fran, the owner of a frozen yogurt store. Together, they’ll search for a Vault Key while hopefully surviving against Pandora’s various hazards and corporate entities.

As with the first game, quick-time events and dialogue choices can affect the narrative, resulting in different outcomes. Will it have Rhys and Vaughn in cameos? One can always hope.

Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope

Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle was already a stellar title that fused two unlikely intellectual properties together in a strategy RPG bonanza. But Sparks of Hope looks to be even bigger, featuring multiple planets to explore, massively expanded exploration with puzzles, side quests, and secrets, and a new antagonist in Cursa. Combat has been overhauled, doing away with the grid-based movement and adding new abilities along with the Sparks for elemental damage.

If that weren’t enough, new characters like Edge, Rabbid Rosalina and Bowser join the roster for even more unique squads. Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope launches exclusively for Nintendo Switch on October 20th.

Gotham Knights

Batman is dead, guys. For really real. As a result, it’s up to the Fumbling Four – er, the Bat Family to protect Gotham in his absence. Unlike the Arkham series, Gotham Knights is an action RPG with four playable characters – Nightwing, Robin, Red Hood, and Batgirl – each with unique abilities and play styles, gear, and stories to experience. As you fight crime, you’ll encounter classic villains like Harley Quinn, Mister Freeze, Clayface, and the mysterious Court of Owls.

Gotham Knights is out on October 21st for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC with support for two-player co-op.

A Plague Tale: Requiem

As the follow-up to Asobo Studio’s breakout action-adventure title, A Plague Tale: Requiem sees Amicia and Hugo on the run again. This time, the siblings must travel to a mysterious island, seeking a cure for Hugo’s disease before it consumes him. Things are far from ideal as mercenaries hunt them, and the plague rats are as hungry as ever.

With new weapons like a crossbow, alchemical potions, and Hugo’s ability to control the rats for devouring any foes, A Plague Tale: Requiem promises a much bigger experience. It releases on October 18th for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, PC, and Nintendo Switch via the cloud, along with Game Pass.

Scorn

What do you get when you combine “ick” with a whole lot of “yuck”? Probably Ebb Software’s Scorn, a first-person survival horror title with a biopunk aesthetic inspired by the works of H. R. Giger and Zdzisław Beksiński. Explore fantastical, disgusting structures made of machines and flesh, implant various weapons into your body, and seek answers for this whole mess across a non-linear story.

Scorn may require around 6-8 hours, probably more, on your first playthrough, but there’s nothing like it. It launches on October 21st for Xbox Series X/S and PC, along with Game Pass.

WRC Generations

KT Racing’s final WRC racing game is out on October 13th for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, and PS5, with the PC version releasing in November. It’s the biggest one yet with brand new hybrid model cars and revamped physics, 37 Legendary Cars, and 750 km of tracks spread across 22 countries. Progression has also been revamped, tracking tasks completed across the game, and the Livery Editor returns with more options and the ability to share your creations with other players. There sadly won’t be any post-launch content, but at least the new Leagues mode should satisfy fans for the long haul.

Dakar Desert Rally

If one rally racing game isn’t enough, there’s Saber Interactive’s Dakar Desert Rally. Promising the “biggest and most epic off-road rally racing adventure ever developed,” it offers 30 stages from the 2020-2022 Dakar Rally races. Players can race across a massive open world with officially licensed SSVs, quads, trucks, and much more while tackling dynamic weather like rain, snow, and the blazing sun.

With a Career mode, online multiplayer events, and four seasons to experience, Dakar Desert Rally launches on October 4th for Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PS4, PS5, and PC.

Marvel Snap

Are your current Hearthstone and/or Marvel needs not being met? Worry not, because Marvel Snap releases on October 18th for PC, Android and iOS. Developed by Second Dinner Studios, which consists of Hearthstone veterans, it’s a 1v1 multiplayer CCG with over 150 unique cards to play (and more coming post-launch).

Matches play out in random locations with different effects and players can “Snap” to effectively double down in a match. Whether it overtakes Hearthstone and Legends of Runeterra, the fast-paced gameplay and gorgeous comic book illustrations make Marvel Snap worth checking out.

Overwatch 2

Blizzard Entertainment’s Overwatch 2 finally launches on October 4th for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, PC, and Nintendo Switch…as an early access, free-to-play title. It’s pretty much an update to Overwatch 1 with three new heroes – Junker Queen, Sojourn and Kiriko; six new maps; and the new Push mode. Assault is out, and teams now consist of five players with only one Tank. A seasonal model of content releases is also in effect, meaning no more loot boxes but yes to an in-game store and Battle Passes.

Time will tell how it pans out. All players will need to enable SMS Protect while new players have to unlock each hero and play 50 Quick Play matches to unlock Competitive (not to mention unlocking Kiriko and future new heroes in the Battle Pass). But at least it supports crossplay and cross-progression with all Overwatch 1 cosmetics carrying over.

PGA Tour 2K23

Two years after PGA Tour 2K21, the next edition of 2K Games’ golfing simulator will release on October 14th for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC, PS4, and PS5. Aside from the usual PGA Tour mode and MyPLAYER (which offers new skills and archetypes), male and female pros are now playable. The Course Designer also returns with cross-platform support and online sharing. With multiple control options, online multiplayer (including Divot Derby) and Online Societies for Clubhouses, it should be a sizable leap over its predecessor.

NHL 23

Also launching on October 14th is EA Sports’ NHL 23. Along with mixed women’s and men’s teams in Ultimate Team mode, the hockey sim offers new gameplay features like Last Chance Puck Movement. It allows for hitting the puck even after tripping, with players taking advantage of new Stumble Actions to score. Enhanced goalie AI, on-ice projections, more customization in HUT to go with new reward tiers in the rotating HUT Rivals playlist, and more also await. NHL 23 will be available for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, and PS5 at launch.

Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed

Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed is IllFonic’s latest asymmetrical multiplayer title, which sees a squad of four Ghostbusters taking on a single mischievous Ghost. As the Ghostbusters, one must explore a map and track down the Ghost, taking care to calm civilians in the process. Meanwhile, the Ghost must terrorize everyone, possessing objects to stay hidden and ultimately evading capture to haunt a location.

With crossplay, original actors like Dan Aykroyd and Ernie Hudson reprising their original roles, and co-op and offline play, Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed should be a fun diversion when it launches on October 18th for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, and PC. And remember – don’t cross the streams.

Bayonetta 3

The Umbra Witch finally returns as Bayonetta 3 launches exclusively for the Nintendo Switch on October 28th. While the basic hack and slash combat remains, the sequel introduces several new mechanics. Demon Slave allows for directly controlling Infernal Demons to bash giant foes, while Demon Masquerade sees Bayonetta fusing with a demon to gain new abilities. Throw in new weapons, a new playable character Viola, and a multi-world threat in the form of the Singularity, and Bayonetta 3 promises to be the series’ most explosive title yet.

Second Extinction

Systemic Reaction, which has been in the news for its upcoming open-world rogue-lite Ravenbound, will finally release its co-op dinosaur shooter Second Extinction on October 20th for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and PC. The idea is to survive against hordes of dinosaurs with two other players, and there are six heroes, 11 weapons and multiple missions to tackle.

The real twist is War Effort where the threat level of a region increases or decreases based on how the community performs. If you’re still holding out for a new Dino Crisis, then this could make the wait easier.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

Along with the campaign, fans can look forward to multiplayer with new modes and weapons along with a revamped Gunsmith. There are also co-op missions for two players and Raids that offer in-depth puzzle solving and firefights for three players. If battle royale is more your speed, Warzone 2.0 will launch just a few weeks later and offer a new Gulag and AI foes.

Majin Buu will a raider, whose goal is to destroy all of the survivors. Going by the trailer, Majin Buu seems to have several of his abilites from the manga and anime, including the ability to change forms to get a different set of powers. The farmer will be one of the playable survivors.

Alongside the trailer, Bandai Namco has also announced that it will be kicking off the open beta for Dragon Ball: The Breakers on September 21. The beta is set to kick off at 6:00pm PDT, and will end on September 25 at 1:00am PDT.

During the beta, the raiders available to players will be Frieza and Cell. The only survivor skins available during the beta will be Oolong and Bulma.

The Dragon Ball: The Breakers open beta will be available on PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. Participating in the open beta will get you an Oolong keychain accessory in the full game, which is set to launch on October 14.

Story

The “story” of Dragon Ball: The Breakers sees seven ordinary people affected by an unexpected (not unknown – just unexpected) temporal phenomenon. This traps them in a Temporal Seam against a powerful enemy known as a Raider from a different timeline. With very few means to fight back, the survivors must do everything possible to survive and escape the Temporal Seam before being eliminated.

Asymmetrical Multiplayer

Like Dead by Daylight, Friday the 13th: The Game and so on, Dragon Ball: The Breakers is an asymmetrical multiplayer title. Up to seven players must cooperate to escape the Temporal Rift (or, somehow, defeat the Raider). Meanwhile, one player controls the Raider, whose job is to take down the Survivors, and destroy the time machine before they can escape (or delay them until time runs out).

Survival of the fittest, as they say. Along with Online Match, there are also Episodes for playing through the prologue as a Survivor and a Practice Mode for learning the ropes.

Survivors

The Survivors consist of two familiar faces – Bulma and Oolong – accompanied by an Earthling male and female, which aren’t the most distinct characters but that’s the point. Each Survivor lacks powers like Goku, Vegeta, Gohan, Piccolo and so on. Instead, they must rely on items, skills (which we’ll get into more in a bit), stealth (including hiding behind walls, Solid Snake-style) and their general cunning to defeat the Raider.

Raiders

There are three Raiders in Breakers – Cell, Buu, and Frieza. Each starts at level 1 and can evolve through various actions. For example, Cell starts in larva form at level 1 and must evolve by absorbing Survivors and NPCs. Leveling up and evolving grants different forms with more abilities, health, and damage. A Raider’s level caps at level 4, which is when they become a nigh unstoppable threat.

The Map

The map should be familiar for most Dragon Ball fans. It’s a mash-up for residential areas, rocky plateaus, cities, and so on. Each area contains its share of items, but don’t dwindle for too long. Every time a Raider evolves, they can destroy an area on the map. If you’re caught in the blast, this can mean a very quick death.

Power Keys and Startup System

For the Survivors, escape requires activating the Super Time Machine, which is anything but easy. First, you need to find Power Keys – each area on the map has one. Next, they must venture to the Startup System and activate it with a Power Key. After the system starts up, the Survivors must defend it from the Raider for a period of time.

More keys will reduce the time needed and if successful, the Temporal Seam is fixed and the Survivors win. As the Raider, you must destroy the Startup System before it reaches that point. Destroying areas on the map is also encouraged since this reduces the number of Power Keys that can be gathered.

Beacons

So what happens if the Startup System is destroyed? Fortunately, there’s still an option for victory. After the Super Time Machine’s destruction, various Beacons appear on the map. These can be used to call an emergency Time Machine to escape alone or with other Survivors. However, there’s a catch to this as well. Only one can be called at a time and if the Raider destroys it, then you can’t call any more.

Skills

In terms of Skills, the Survivors have different active and passive skills. Active skills consist of a Grappling Device for quick traversal and Smoke Screen, which briefly prevents the Raider from locking onto allies in a certain range. They can also use a Saiyan Pod Remote, which calls down a Saiyan Pod for quickly flying up and repositioning to a different part of the map. Survivors can also Change into random objects to hide (though you may get an object that sticks out all the more so caution is advised).

The Raiders also have active and passive skills which increase in number as they level up. One such skill is Ki Detection for detecting a Survivor’s aura, making it easier to find them. The number of available Special Attacks also increases and they also gain a powerful Ultimate Special Attack. Perfect Cell can throw out a Kamehameha in a straight line, for instance, dealing immense damage.

Dragon Change

Did we say no powers like Goku, Vegeta, Piccolo and Gohan? Well, good news – the Survivors can get their powers after all. Sort of. If a Survivor collects enough Change Power on the field, they can activate Dragon Change. This allows for taking on the form of a certain Z Fighter, complete with Super Attacks like the Kamehameha, Special Beam Cannon, Galick Gun and so on. Up to three Transpheres with different forms can be equipped and changed to in battle.

However, just because you can become Goku doesn’t mean the battle is won. Each Transphere has a level – the higher the level, the more Change Power needed. If the Raider’s level is high, you’ll need an equivalent level Form to stand a chance. Then again, a Form can also be used to fly away and escape or serve as a diversion, so there are benefits to lower level Forms.

Items and Vehicles

Items available on the map include gloves for firing a beam of Ki, a Jet-Bike for moving around more quickly, and a Dragon Radar to help locate Power Keys. You can also find a rocket launcher for tickling the Raider and a dinosaur mount, among other weapons and vehicles.

Summoning Shenron

It wouldn’t be a Dragon Ball game without Dragon Balls. Somehow, someway, you can collect all seven Dragon Balls and summon Shenron to make a wish. You can wish for increasing the Dragon Change level of all allies by one, or gain Ultimate Dragon Change for yourself (which provides a level 4 Form). The latter is the strongest Form for a Survivor and matches up against a Raider very well. The Raider can also make a wish, either to increase their evolution level by one or restore HP so beware.

Signal Feature

Though trolling your teammates can be funny, the path to victory lies in cooperation. If a teammate is downed and calling for aid, it’s generally a good idea to revive them. There’s also Signal Feature, which functions like pinging. It can be used to ping certain points of interest (like items), ask teammates to assemble, warn them of the Raider’s location, and whatnot.

Standard and Special Edition

The Standard Edition of Dragon Ball: The Breakers retails for $20. Pre-ordering nets a Transphere for Android 18 along with the Wall Kick skill and Full Power Energy Blast Volley Super Attack. You can also equip a Blue Scouter as an accessory. The Special Edition retails for $30 and includes the base game, four cosmetic items, a Victory Pose and a “Dragon (Yellow)” Vehicle skin.

Shop and Microtransactions

Of course, other cosmetics can be purchased in-game with Zeni or TP (the latter being premium currency). There are Stamps, Keychains, T-Shirts, Pants, Hoodies, Boots, Bracelets, and even Oolong’s ears and nose. You can even purchase custom voices for the Raider’s different Forms. Past network tests also had a Recommended tab in the store with rotating items.

Hilariously enough, Transpheres are acquired through gacha. Seriously. By spending tickets, Zeni or TP, you can roll for characters like 5-star Goku who has Kaioken Rush as an ability. No word on the drop rates but you can expect the more powerful forms to be rarer.

System Requirements

As with most contemporary Dragon Ball games on PC, the system requirements for Breakers aren’t too heavy. At minimum, you’ll need an Intel Core i5-7600 or AMD Ryzen 3 3100 GPU, 8 GB RAM, and a GeForce GTX 770 or Radeon RX 470. The recommended requirements include a Core i7-8700 or Ryzen 5 3600, 8 GB of RAM RAM and a GTX 780 or Radeon RX 570. In both cases, you’ll need 10 GB of installation space, though this could increase over time if more characters and maps are added.

Dragon Ball: The Breakers is available to pre-order in three different editions: a Special Edition, a Limited Edition, and a Standard Edition.

The Special Edition includes a customizable costume, the “Two-Handed Good” victory pose, and the “Dragon (Yellow)” vehicle skin. The Limited Edition will include, alongside the Special Edition bonuses, a Steelbook, 3 Raider stickers, the Cell Shell Figure, and the “Potara (Green)” in-game accessory. The Standard Edition won’t include any bonuses.

Pre-ordering any of Dragon Ball: The Breakers‘ editions will also get players the “Android 18 Transphere” with the “Wall Kick” skill and the “Scouter (Blue)” accessory.

Dragon Ball: The Breakers is an asymmetrical multiplayer game set in the Dragon Ball universe. 7 players take on the role of Survivors, trying to escape one player who takes on the role of the Raider. Survivors and Raiders will be various characters from the Dragon Ball setting.

Survivors have to work together to escape the Temporal Seam that got them stuck in the match by using various gadgets to ultimately find the Super Time Machine.

Leading up to the game’s release, Dragon Ball: The Breakers will also get a closed network test on August 6 and August 7.

The game sees a group of ordinary citizens, dubbed the Survivors, being pulled into a mysterious dimension where they are pitted against a single Raider, who is represented by one of the franchise’s foes, with Cell given as the example here. The Raider will hunt down Survivors and can win the game when they have eliminated all of them on the map, or when they destroy the super time machine, a vehicle that allows Survivors to escape. Each Raider will have multiple stages of evolutions until they get to their final form.

Survivors have a more complicated path to victory. They must activate the super time machine, but doing so requires you to collect startup keys that are shattered throughout the map. The more keys you collect, the fast the process of starting the machine becomes. Things get dicey, however, as when a Raider evolves they can destroy one of the areas. If the key for that area has not been found, it’s gone for good.

Survivors aren’t totally powerless. Though they are outmatched, there are various ways they can defend themselves, including attack and defense items, the ability to blend into the stage with camouflage, and finding orbs that allow them to temporarily channel the power of one of the main characters, such as Goku or Vegeta, allowing them to stall the Raider. They can also heal downed Survivors that Raiders have been taken out, and use various functions to communicate.

Dragon Ball: The Breakers is set to launch in 2022 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch and PC. A PC closed beta will go live December 3rd and 4th, and you can see the times for it in the video below.

The idea behind the game is to partake in 7v1 matches where seven “Survivors” must attempt to escape from the one “Raider.” The Raider in question can be Cell, Buu or Frieza, and utilizes powerful attacks while becoming stronger over time. Meanwhile, the Survivors need to rely on weapons, vehicles and power-ups in order to flee from the Raider and eventually escape with the Super Time Machine.

While Survivors can escape together, they may have to go solo depending on the others (or the actions of the Raider). Players can equip their Raider with unique perks while Survivors can be designed using a character customization tool with decorative equipment unlocked via in-game credits or in-game purchases. Stay tuned for more details on the title in the meantime.