The trailer gives us a glimpse at gameplay across a series of missions. It also provides details about the four playable characters part of a group named the Aces. Players can take on the role of the Ace of Clubs (the ghost), the Ace of Diamonds (the technician), the Ace of Spades (the enforcer), and Ace of Hearts (the mastermind). As you might expect from an entry in the Payday franchise, Aces High offers a mix of stealth and action gameplay. While players will have the option to sneak around, sooner or later, they will trip off an alarm, bringing in hordes of guards that stand between them and their escape routes.

Payday: Aces High will feature an overarching story that revolves around the Aces trying to get revenge on business titan Warren Jupiter, who had previously framed the crew. In their hunt for vengeance, players will have access to plenty of tools and weapons, giving them freedom to plan out their heists in their preferred way. Available weapons will range from pistols and SMGs to shotguns and assault rifles, while equipment will include grappling hooks and sentry guns, among other things.

“For the past 15 years, we’ve admired how Payday lets players jump into scenarios straight out of the wildest Hollywood crime movies and take heists into their own hands,” said Fast Travel Games co-founder and chief creative officer Erik Odeldahl in a press release. “We’re kicking things up to the next level this year with Payday: Aces High – get ready to lock-and-load with up to three other heisters, in the immersion that only VR can bring!”

“Payday is one of the most iconic franchises in gaming, with more than 50 million players worldwide,” said Starbreeze Entertainment CEO Adolf Kristjansson. “Fast Travel Games is a globally respected VR studio with over a decade of VR experience. They are the ideal partner to bring Payday to this platform. With Aces High, we are expanding the Payday universe and inviting players to plan and execute heists together in a fully immersive experience. Under their leadership, Aces High is not just an adaptation. It is a true Payday game built from the ground up for this medium.”

In the meantime, Starbreeze has been facing quite a bit of trouble in its attempts to make Payday 3 more appealing to players. Earlier this year, however, it had been hit by a round of lay-offs, which indicate that these attempts may not be going smoothly. Back in October, the studio had also confirmed that it was no longer working on an offline mode for the co-op shooter. Thankfully, the more popular Payday 2 seems to be largely unaffected, thanks to its development now being handled by Sidetrack Games.

Two techno heads simply bobbing to the steadily growing beat? Blocks that methodically crawl towards the field before unfolding, as two skeletal hands start generating silk with each clear? I vaguely remember a snake of some sort, and much more in-your-face spider depictions, but you also have people emerging from cleared squares to walk away. Don’t even get me started on the chef stage with its progression from chopped fruits to vegetables, and I swear I saw a lizard at some point.

It’s incredibly trippy and should feel like little more than a gimmick, but each stage throughout Journey Mode and beyond feels unique – both overtly and in all the little ways. Each song feels tuned to your progress, evolving as you stack up the clears and even warping if you build too far up, seemingly portraying that internal pressure. Each little note tied to your cursor movement, the satisfying click when locking blocks in place – it’s so subliminally addictive that you might not even realize it on that 50th attempt at Survival on Hard Mode.

"The framework is less interstellar journey and more Big Bang, each milestone Burst creating more Loomis to join in. Multiple areas await, each divided into different levels that you play through consecutively. "

However, despite these notable visual flourishes, Lumines Arises reinforces one core aspect about the franchise: How gosh darned fun it is to play. How unique of a twist it feels on the Tetris formula, subtly rewiring that line-clearing mentality into something more malleable, and how delightful it feels to master. Which I haven’t, but there’s no denying the joy that comes from subconsciously fitting everything in place. It almost makes you wonder how the franchise fell by the wayside for so long without a new entry, much like with Tetris before Effect came along. Was this all just one big plan to revive Meteos, Mizuguchi’s other puzzle masterpiece? Probably.

Regardless, from the outset, Lumines Arise will feel very familiar in structure to Tetris Effect. As a Loomi, you embark on Journey Mode to set other Loomis free. The framework is less interstellar journey and more Big Bang, each milestone Burst creating more Loomis to join in. Multiple areas await, each divided into different levels that you play through consecutively. Blocks carry over between each; the speed gradually increases; and if you’re good enough to stay alive throughout, a high score is generated before moving on to the next area.

Aside from the final areas, each follows this pattern, unified by a singular theme such as Dissonance. The actual gameplay is where Tetris aficionados will face the biggest shock. A 16×10 square playing field awaits, and every single piece is 2×2, comprising four blocks each. If they’re the same color, they merge into a square, awaiting the periodic timeline to sweep across and wipe them out. If they’re not, you’ll need to match them with other corresponding colors. Things start to get interesting when combining other blocks with already established squares, transforming them into larger 3×3 squares, which grant even more points when cleared.

They also contribute to your Burst meter, which works somewhat differently from the Zone mechanic. The board slows down as usual, but instead of suspending line clears to build up even higher scores, you’re trying to further add on to a single square, amplifying it into one giant Burst of light. The opposing color, meanwhile, is transformed into assorted squares and blocks, which can be further chained for a higher score. As with the Zone, Burst lasts longer when activated at a full meter. Anything above 50 percent may be useful as a “get out of jail free” card, but it won’t last as long and thus provide as much of a benefit.

"Combine this with the satisfying presentation and sheer joy of each action, and you’ll want to improve, if only to keep the rhythm going. Again, it’s a simple formula, yet there are layers of depth beyond it that are nothing if not captivating."

In the middle of all this, special blocks attached to a square can be used to connect all corresponding blocks across the board for an easier clear. So even if you’re not as optimal in building 2x2s or 3x3s, causing opposing colored blocks to stick out like so many sore thumbs, it could be the key to a clean slate. Alternatively, turn it to your favor to set up even more chains and build up that Burst meter even faster.

As unorthodox as it can feel at first, Lumines’s gameplay loop remains as addictive as ever – relatively easy to pick up and grasp but difficult to fully master. Combine this with the satisfying presentation and sheer joy of each action, and you’ll want to improve, if only to keep the rhythm going. Again, it’s a simple formula, yet there are layers of depth beyond it that are nothing if not captivating.

Once you’ve cleared Journey Mode, the real meat of Lumines opens up: Survival. Play through all stages in a row and attempt to complete them. It’s the ultimate test but also the only way to really play. Right? The good news is that there are other modes, like Missions, which offer Tutorials for learning various techniques and challenges to put them into practice. For example, one of them involves clearing squares in the middle to hatch a large egg. It’s a simple lesson that teaches you to properly optimize block placement in the best space on the board, given the low travel distance, and it’s a lot easier said than done. Various tougher missions await, and it’s a great way to learn the game while testing your understanding of its mechanics.

Otherwise, you can venture into playlists and curate your own Survival sequence of stages, or venture into online battles to challenge other players. It’s also home to different durations of Time Attack and the new Dig Down, where instead of pieces dropping from above, the board as a whole periodically raises, and you need to keep clearing to survive. The more squares cleared, the bigger the board and the more leeway available to make mistakes, but things only get more difficult as time goes on.

"As a new entry in the franchise, a successor to everything that came before and really just another great puzzler for those who loved Tetris Effect, this comes highly recommended."

Maybe you’ll want to engage in some Loomi-Pon as well – a gachapon mechanic where you spend in-game currency to unlock new cosmetic items to dress up your character. When compared to the larger suite of features available in Tetris Effect: Connected, Lumines Arise can feel smaller, especially since it doesn’t have the largest swathe of experimental modes. There’s also the issue of visibility in certain places, not to mention one stage where the two block colors look so confusingly similar that it can mess you up during Bursts.

Neither of these is enough to deny the greatness of Lumines Arise as a whole, even if they slightly dampen the excitement. As a new entry in the franchise, a successor to everything that came before and really just another great puzzler for those who loved Tetris Effect, this comes highly recommended. By the end of Journey, there’s this message of ascending beyond and embracing the light of hope. Like Tetris Effect, Lumines Arise appeals to a deeper state of mind – one that appreciates the beauty of its sights and sounds, even after getting crushed for the millionth time in Survival.

This game was reviewed on PC.

A new deep dive video highlights new mechanics like Burst, which essentially freezes any clears made to maximize one’s score. Unlike the Zone from Tetris Effect, however, it also sends adjacent blocks of the other pattern into the air, which then fall back down.

It may seem like a risk, but it allows for more combos if you know what to do. Beyond Journey Mode, which takes players on a wordless narrative, is Survival Mode, where players run through all the stages without any breaks (complete with leaderboards). You can also partake in Training missions, Challenges or make your own custom playlist of stages.

Of course, there’s Burst Battle, which is playable against the AI or others, and the new Dig Down, where blocks must be cleared to traverse downwards.

Lumines Arise is available on November 11th for PS5 and PC (with VR support). A free demo is available now on PC as part of the Steam Next Fest.

Whether that includes new content and features remains to be seen. Other releases in the coming months include subsidiary Broken Mirror Games’ I Hate This Place, a recently delayed isometric survival horror title. It’s now launching on January 29th, 2026.

Broken Mirror has two other projects, Project F and Project M, for release in 2026. Interestingly, the latter is exclusive to Nintendo Switch 1 and 2, but further details are yet to come. There’s also Star Trek: Infection, a VR survival horror developed by Played with Fire and published by Broken Mirror. It launches on December 11th for Meta Quest 3 and SteamVR.

Of course, Bloober Team is working on a remake of Silent Hill 1 alongside Konami, which doesn’t have a release date. The team behind Cronos: The New Dawn also has a new project in the works.

It has also claimed that Valve plans on producing between 400,000 and 600,000 units of its new VR headset every year, which would put it in the same ballpark as Apple’s Vision Pro headset in terms of units manufactured.

Valve leakers Tyler McVicker and Brad Lynch have also corroborated that two Deckard VR headsets, dubbed the DV1 and DV2, may be in production due to their representation in the SteamVR files. The DV label signifies that the product has entered the final stages of internal development before it gets released to consumers in the form of a PV model. Due to this, they believe there is a high chance of an announcement by Valve coming between this month and the next.

Keeping to its traditions, Valve has been quite coy about announcing its follow-up to the Index VR headset. However, the company has hinted at its development in the past. Back in 2022, for instance, a job listing had popped up with Valve looking for someone to take on the role of Software Engineer – Computer Vision.

“We are looking for versatile, self-directed software engineers in computer vision who can help us achieve the next steps in VR with millions of customers worldwide,” wrote the company in the job listing. “The main scope of this position is to prototype, ship, and support consumer gaming products leveraging visual-inertial tracking (HMD and controllers), camera passthrough, environment understanding, eye tracking, and hand tracking.”

Earlier this year, the company had also written about the future being bright for PC gaming, especially when it comes to the handheld markets through products like the Steam Deck, and VR gaming through SteamVR.

“The future of hardware at Valve is bright. Steam Deck, SteamOS and SteamVR are delivering tons of value to players and devs, built on top of a decade of investments into UI, Linux compatibility, input support, custom silicon, motion tracking, displays, battery efficiency, and more,” wrote Valve.

“Every developer making PC games benefits from these investments, and players can now enjoy their PC games in so many new contexts. Hardware teams at Valve are delighted to see Steam in the living room, the airport, the backyard, and wherever else customers want to bring their library of PC games.”

The launch of the Valve Index eventually also saw the company releasing a brand new VR title taking place in the Half-Life universe – Half-Life: Alyx. While working with any VR headset that worked with Windows, the critically acclaimed title would also serve as a strong demonstration of the Index’s features, like its ability to keep track of players’ fingers.

“Embodiment is one of VR’s biggest strengths, allowing for unrivalled expressive roleplay as you step inside a virtual body and experience the world through it,” wrote studio head Glenn Brace in the post. “One of our core goals with Reach was to push embodiment further than ever before through a responsive full-body avatar that gives you a true sense of presence in the world in a way that’s only possible in VR. Whether you’re reaching for a ledge, dangling above a perilous drop, or dodging an enemy attack, your actions feel natural and fully grounded in the world.”

In the post, Brace also emphasises how important traversal is as a core gameplay pillar of Reach. Rather than simply being a way for players to get from one point to another, traversal is an important part of gameplay that takes advantage of Reach’s full-body awareness of the player. This allows for players to pull realistic-looking parkour moves as they explore the game’s underground world.

When it comes to some of the other aspects of gameplay, Brace noted that player agency is “right at the heart of the game.” This comes from giving players plenty of freedom in how they take on the various combat encounters of the game. Each tool and weapon, for instance, has multiple functions that can adapt to the player’s situation, from combat, to traversal, and even puzzle solving.

As for the PS VR2 version of Reach, Brace has noted that the Sense controllers part of Sony’s VR headset allow for haptic feedback and adaptive triggers to offer more immersive gameplay. This, according to Brace, will let the player “feel the weight, and resistance of objects and surfaces” throughout their time with the game. The game will also make use of the PlayStation VR2’s 4K capabilities to offer high-resolution textures and smooth gameplay.

Reach is coming to PC VR (via Steam), Meta Quest 3 and PlayStation VR2 on October 16. Announcing this, nDreams Elevation had released a trailer back in August that also showcased the game’s pre-order bonuses, which include a Traditional Ferran Outfit, an Ornate Bow, a Ferran Guard Shield, Traditional Gauntlets, and an Ornate Drone.

The studio had also released another trailer during PC Gaming Show – Tokyo Direct last week where it showcased the world of the game. The trailer gave us a look at the underground vistas offered up by Reach’s setting of the city of Ferra, as well as some of the enemies that players will get to face. The story in the title will revolve around the protagonist falling into the depths while looking for an important Power Core.

In the meantime, a free demo is available, with three stages from Journey Mode and the cross-play online mode, Burst Battle. It’s live until September 3rd, local time, and an extensive trailer is available to explain everything. Check it out below.

The full game features more than 35 stages, and similar to Tetris Effect and Rez Infinite, it promises a synesthesia-like experience with its visuals and music. It also introduces the Burst Mechanic, which effectively pauses time after matching a Square and allows for stacking even more for higher scores. Stay tuned for details in the coming months.

Throughout the list of features showcased in the trailer are bursts of fast-paced gameplay from Zombie Army VR. All of these bits of gameplay showcase the various features of the game, including progression systems, the famous kill cams, and the fast-paced and brutal combat that players will get to take part in with their weapons of choice.

According to a description of Zombie Army VR provided by its developers, the fact that it is a VR game will mean that it will offer a “new level of immersion.” Players will have to learn how to use the various ranged weapons offered by the game. A side-arm can also be used simultaneously as a dual-wielding option in case a player happens to run out of bullets in their primary weapon but doesn’t have the time to reload.

Zombie Army VR was announced for PlayStation VR2, SteamVR, Meta Quest 2 and Meta Quest 3 at the end of March. The game, priced at $29.99, is available for pre-order on all of the digital stores for your platform of choice.

Zombie Army VR is a direct sequel to the previous Zombie Army games. Rather than being a spin-off, the story picks up right after the death of Zombie Hitler. Players take on the role of a Deadhunter that has to take down undead war criminals. In their adventure of taking on the zombie hordes of Nuremberg, the Deadhunter will eventually meet Deadhunter leader Hermann Wolff, and will be tasked with helping him and his family survive.

Despite being a VR-only game, Zombie Army VR won’t be skimping on the arsenal that the franchise has been known for. Along with a variety of assault rifles and sniper rifles, players will also get access to pistols, submachine guns, and even melee weapons for some brutal up-close action. There are also upgrade kits that can be used to further upgrade and modify weapons.

The previous mainline game in the Zombie Army series was 2020’s Zombie Army 4: Dead War. Originally released for PC, PS4 and Xbox One, the game also eventually got updated to make better use of the more powerful hardware offered by the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.

Along with the other games in the series in the form of the Zombie Army Trilogy, Zombie Army 4: Dead War has also since been brought over to the Nintendo Switch. A trailer released for the game leading up to its Switch release revealed the various features of the port. It also revealed that the title would run at 30 FPS at up to 1080p on the console.

Zombie Army VR is a continuation of the story set forth by the Zombie Army franchise. In the game, players take on the role of a Deadhunter tasked with taking down zombie war criminals. Players will have to take on undead hordes near the bombed-out city of Nuremberg, and in the process, help Deadhunter leader Hermann Wolff find his family.

As the game’s own store description puts it, the story of Zombie Army VR will ultimately revolve around bringing peace back to Europe, which still remains ravaged by war and zombies even after the death of Zombie Hitler.

In Zombie Army VR, players will be able to make use both of their hands for an immersive experience. The use of both hands carries over to a number of gameplay options, including aiming down a gun’s sights, dual-wielding pistols and submachine guns, and even reloading when you run out of bullets.

Among the vast arsenal players will have access to in Zombie Army VR are various kinds of sniper rifles, submachine guns, pistols, and other tools. All of these will be based on real-world World War 2 weaponry. Players will also be able to get their hands on upgrade kits to further make their guns more powerful, as well as earn experience to level up in order to get better accuracy.

The traditional X-ray Kill Cams from the Zombie Army series will also be returning in Zombie Army VR, along with the kind of gameplay that fans of the series expect. Check out the trailer below for more details.

The most recent title in the franchise was Zombie Army 4: Dead War, which was originally released back in 2020 on PC, PS4 and Xbox One. The game has since also been brought over to the Nintendo Switch. For PS5 and Xbox Series X/S players, Zombie Army 4: Dead War also got updated to make use of the most powerful hardware on current-gen consoles, allowing for better frame rates and higher resolutions.

Check out our review of Zombie Army 4: Dead War from back in 2020 for more details.

Going by the post, Valve sees the future for its hardware like the Steam Deck, along with software like SteamVR abd the Linux-based SteamOS is bright. This comes off a year of development where Valve focused quite a bit on SteamOS in its efforts to make the operating system platform agnostic.

Valve’s investments into Linux have also been paying off in large part thanks to its contributions to the Proton software compatibility layer. For context, Proton is what allows games developed primarily for Windows to run on Linux. Thanks to this, developers don’t have to go out of their way to have their games be playable on Linux, and by extension, SteamOS and the Steam Deck.

According to the post, the Deck Compatibility program has ranked around 17,000 games throughout Steam as either “Playable” or “Verified” for the Steam Deck. The handheld gaming system has also been quite successful, with around 330 million hours of playtime on Steam throughout 2024 being attributed to the Steam Deck.

“The future of hardware at Valve is bright. Steam Deck, SteamOS and SteamVR are delivering tons of value to players and devs, built on top of a decade of investments into UI, linux compatibility, input support, custom silicon, motion tracking, displays, battery efficiency, and more,” wrote Valve.

“Every developer making PC games benefits from these investments, and players can now enjoy their PC games in so many new contexts. Hardware teams at Valve are delighted to see Steam in the living room, the airport, the backyard, and wherever else customers want to bring their library of PC games.”

Valve’s efforts at spinning off SteamOS as a hardware-agnostic operating system has also been paying off. Earlier this year, it revealed its collaboration with Lenovo to release some versions of the Lenovo Legion Go S that would be running on SteamOS.

Even with all of this success over the last year, Valve has previously been adamant that it is in no hurry to rush out a follow-up machine to the Steam Deck. The most recent instance of this came about in January. Shortly after AMD unveiled its new processors, some of which would benefit the handheld gaming PC form factor, Valve’s Pierre-Loup Griffais dispelled any potential rumours of a new Steam Deck that uses AMD’s new Z2 chip.

“There is and will be no Z2 Steam Deck,” posted Griffais on social media at the time. “Guessing the slide was meant to say the series is meant for products like that, not announcing anything specific.”

Back in October, Valve designer Lawrence Yang also spoke about the company’s intentions to not replace the Steam Deck with a newer model. Yang said that there were no plans of a yearly iterative release of the Steam Deck, and that the only way a Steam Deck 2 would come into existence would be if there were a reason for it to be made, which largely comes down to it needing a “generational leap” in performance and battery life.