Rockstar Games has officially announced the release of an enhanced version of Grand Theft Auto V for PC, scheduled for 2025. One of the key innovations will be support for ray tracing technology, which will significantly increase the realism of lighting and reflections in the game.
Previously, ray tracing was only available on next-gen consoles like the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. Now, PC owners will be able to enjoy these graphical improvements, including:
Improved reflections: More accurate and realistic reflections on surfaces such as glass and water.
Global Illumination: more natural light distribution, creating realistic shadows and penumbras.
Increased detail: improved textures and models, providing a deeper immersion into the game world.
In addition to graphical improvements, the update will bring:
Reduced loading time: performance optimization for faster game start and transitions between locations.
New content: additional missions, vehicles and weapons previously unavailable on PC.
Updated gameplay mechanics: improvements in control and interaction with the game world.
Rockstar Games emphasizes that this update is aimed at providing PC players with the full range of features available on modern consoles, and promises to continue to support and develop GTA V in the future.
More details about the release date and additional features will be announced closer to 2025.
31 October the remaster was released Horizon Zero Dawn for PlayStation 5 и PC. An updated version of the game developed by the studio Nixxes with the support of Guerrilla Games, transferred to the engine of the second part, which allowed to significantly improve the visuals and some mechanics.
However, despite technical improvements, interest in the project remains Steam was below expectations. According to data SteamDB, the peak number of concurrent players in the remaster was about 2 538 person, which is significantly inferior to the original version, which reached more 56 000 players at the start.
A possible reason for the low interest could be the high cost of the remaster - 50 dollars for new users and 10 dollars for the update for owners of the original. In addition, the lack of significant innovations in the gameplay may have influenced the decision of players to purchase.
Fans Grand Theft Auto 6 eagerly awaiting news about the upcoming game, which is scheduled for release on 2025 year. Recently, the community's attention was drawn to a statement by a former developer from Rockstar GamesWhen asked if players would be "surprised" by what GTA 6's creators are about to unveil, he replied:
"You only have to look at how every Rockstar game has evolved. You can argue that every element of the game is moving forward in terms of feeling more realistic, and people are behaving more realistically as the game iterates through each cycle.
"It's going to blow people away. It's going to sell a ton of copies, like it always does. People have been talking about it for a long time after GTA 5, and I really want them to get it and play it, because I think [Rockstar] is going to raise the bar again, like they always do."
These words have increased the expectations of fans who are hoping for revolutionary changes in the new part of the series. Although Rockstar Games rarely publishes promotional materials, insiders and former employees continue to fuel interest in the project.
The wait for GTA 6 continues, and some researchers are already speculating when a new trailer might be presented. While there is no official information, fans continue to monitor any news and leaks related to the game.
In the community dedicated to the game Dragon Age: The Veilguard, a scandal erupted: the subreddit moderators decided to automatically ban all participants associated with the popular streamer asmondgoldThe move has sparked a backlash among fans, many of whom consider the measures excessive and unfair.
The reason for this decision was Asmongold's controversial statements about Dragon Age: The Veilguard. In his streams, he criticized the game, comparing it to unsuccessful projects and expressing doubts about its quality. The subreddit moderators believed that his audience could bring negativity to the discussions and decided to prevent possible conflicts by preemptively banning.
However, many Reddit users consider such actions excessive, pointing out that not all Asmongold fans share his opinion. They note that such measures limit freedom of speech and create an atmosphere of mistrust in the community.
At this point, the subreddit's moderators have not commented on the situation, and it remains unclear whether they will reconsider their policies regarding Asmongold fans. In the meantime, discussions continue, and many hope for justice and open dialogue between all community members.
Release Dragon Age: The Veilguard from BioWare was much more successful than many expected. After the first signs of a weak start due to a small number of pre-orders, the game managed to reach 70 thousand concurrent players on the very first day in Steam. According to SteamDB, the peak amount was 70 400 players, making it BioWare's biggest PC release and surpassing other single-player titles EAIncluding Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, whose peak was lower.
The gaming community has generally received the project positively - 79% positive reviews after 3200 opinions on Steam. It signals that BioWare may finally be able to turn around its losing streak after the failures of projects like Mass Effect Andromeda и Anthem. It is expected that the weekend may further increase the number of players, which will add to the popularity of the game and once again highlight its success.
It is important to note that the number of players specified in Steam, does not cover users of console versions, where there is also high interest. This makes the game a significant event not only for fans of the series, but also for BioWare, which was looking for a successful project against the backdrop of previous failures.
First financial statements after release Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 confirms the success of the game. Microsoft и Activision reported that the new part of the franchise broke all records for sales and the number of active users. According to Satya Nadella, Microsoft CEO, Black Ops 6 release drives new subscription records Game Pass and set a record for the number of players on the first day of launch.
One of the factors of this success was that Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 first came out on the day of release and on Game Pass, which significantly expanded the potential audience of the game. Sales of the game on PlayStation и Steam increased by 60% year-over-year. Microsoft also confirmed that it achieved records for Game Pass revenue and average revenue per subscriber in the first quarter of 2025.
Activision also did not stand aside and officially announced that Black Ops 6 became the most successful release in the history of the franchise, showing record figures for the total number of players, playing time and the number of matches played. Moreover, the entire franchise Call of Duty now has more than 500 million copies sold for all 21 years since her debut.
Cyberpunk 2077 from CD Projekt RED will finally be available to users Mac в 2025 year. The new version, called Ultimate Edition, includes both the main game and the expansion phantom liberty. Following the successful launch of the expansion in September 2023 years, this event marks a new step in the game's support for the Mac platform.
For the first time, Mac users will have access to cutting-edge features such as: ray tracing, frame generation and built-in spatial audio. The port will be adapted for Apple Silicon chips, which will allow you to take full advantage of the opportunities Metal and modern technologies of the company. It is assumed that the technology will be used for personnel generation FSR3 from AMD, since Apple has not yet introduced its own version of interpolation.
Since its release Cyberpunk 2077 has faced numerous performance issues, especially on last-gen consoles, which even led to the game being temporarily removed from PlayStation Store. However, with many subsequent patches and improvements, CD Projekt RED was able to improve the stability and quality of the game by adding support for visually impressive technologies such as ray tracing.
New edition Cyberpunk 2077 for Mac will be available as in Mac App StoreAnd in Steam, and existing game purchases in Steam on PC will be automatically transferred to the Mac. Hopefully, the Mac version will be more polished and ready for full use than the original launch.
On October 30, the embargo on reviews of the updated version was lifted. Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered, which is coming to PC and PlayStation 5. Critics have generally praised the work of Guerrilla and Nixxes studios, praising the improvements in the visual component, but all have expressed doubts about the need for this update.
«Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered "It's a superb remaster of an incredible game, but the question still remains... was the update really necessary?", — Player 2 writes, rating the game on A-.
Among the main advantages of the remaster, critics noted the presence of three graphic modes on PS5, improved textures and increased resolution. But despite all the changes, many publications emphasize that the original was already high-quality in terms of graphics, and the update was not so necessary.
Gameblog, giving it an 8/10, points out that the price of upgrading from PS4 to PS5 is 10 euro may be worth it for those looking for the best quality, but the full price of the game doesn't exactly inspire the same enthusiasm, especially for the PC version, which was already impressive in the original.
On the Metacritic The remaster has a rating 86 of 100, And Opencritic — 84 points. Most reviewers agree that while the visual upgrade is worth it, it's not a necessary purchase for those who already own the original game.
BioWare has released Dragon Age: The Veilguard on various platforms, but the PC version deserves special attention. After numerous reviews from critics and players, the game has received recognition for its high-quality optimization and attention to detail, which allowed it to be placed on par with the best PC releases in recent years. Digital Foundry specialists especially noted the stable performance and high quality of graphics on the platform, making it an excellent example of the right approach to adapting games for PC.
Stable performance and high graphics
One of the main advantages of the PC version Dragon Age: The Veilguard is its stable performance. Even on mid-range video cards such as the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060, the game demonstrates high stability and allows you to achieve excellent image quality. The game's basic graphics settings offer users flexibility in choosing parameters, allowing you to adapt the game to various PC configurations. This is especially important for users whose video cards are equipped with 8 GB of VRAM, which is the recommended minimum for comfortable gameplay.
Another important aspect of stability is the shader compilation process. Unlike many modern games, which can experience performance issues due to shader compilation during gameplay, Dragon Age: The Veilguard performs this process on first launch. This way, players avoid annoying interruptions and "stutters" during gameplay. On a PC with an AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D processor, shader compilation takes about four minutes, while on less powerful processors such as the Ryzen 5 3600, this process can take up to ten minutes.
Frostbite and graphical improvements
Game Dragon Age: The Veilguard runs on the engine Frostbite from DICE, which is known for its difficulties in optimizing for PC. However, BioWare managed to exceed expectations and ensure the game runs smoothly without encountering the problems that other projects on this engine have encountered. For example, the remake Dead Space, which also used Frostbite, faced numerous complaints about poor optimization and performance on PC, highlighting BioWare's success.
Digital Foundry noted in their analysis that the game does not experience any significant performance drops even when quickly moving between different locations. This is a significant achievement for games running on the Frostbite engine, and is especially important for players who expect stability and smooth gameplay.
Support for modern graphics technologies
Dragon Age: The Veilguard supports advanced technologies such as scaling using NVIDIA DLSS и AMDFSR, which allows you to significantly increase performance without significant loss of image quality. The game also offers deep settings for dynamic resolution changes (Dynamic Resolution Scaling), which is especially useful for users with weak configurations, since it allows you to automatically adjust the resolution depending on the load on the system.
Ray Tracing is also present in the game, providing more accurate reflections and improved ambient occlusion. However, the mode Ultra for ray tracing is extremely resource-intensive and, according to Digital Foundry, is designed more for future video cards that can handle such a load. At the moment, the optimal option is to preserve reflections with RT, but abandon the resource-intensive RTAO, which allows you to achieve a balance between graphics quality and performance.
Advantage over console versions
On PC version Dragon Age: The Veilguard is noticeably superior to console counterparts such as the PlayStation 5. Even in high quality mode on the PS5, the game does not achieve the clarity and detail that can be seen on the PC. Console versions use simpler effects and rely heavily on upscaling, which degrades image quality. In turn, on the PC, even mid-range video cards such as the GeForce RTX 4060 allow you to get a clear and detailed image, especially when using the technology DLSS.
Combination DLSS и Dynamic Resolution Scaling on PC does Dragon Age: The Veilguard is a great example of a game that can take advantage of scaling technologies to improve performance and enhance the visual experience. This is especially important for players who want to enjoy the game on mid-range and even low-end PCs without sacrificing image quality.
BioWare managed to create not only an exciting action RPG, but also to ensure the highest quality of the PC port, which deserves special attention. Dragon Age: The Veilguard stands out from other modern releases by offering solid performance, quality graphics, and extensive customization options. Digital Foundry particularly praised the efforts of the BioWare team, which allowed them to make the PC version of this game one of the best in 2024.
Ubisoft looks set to beef up franchise pipeline Assassin's Creed, inspired by success Call of Duty from Activision. Latest rumors from an insider Tom Henderson indicate the company's plans to release a new installment in the series every six months for the next five years.
Assassin's Creed has long been one of the largest franchises Ubisoft, and the company is looking to capitalize on its popularity. Recent releases such as Assassin's Creed Valhalla и Assassin's Creed Mirage, showed excellent sales results, which inspired the publisher to further expand.
The next game in the series, Assassin's Creed Shadows, will come out 11 February 2025 yearIt will be presented in a Japanese setting, but the delayed release date and specific creative decisions have drawn some criticism from fans.
Plans for the coming years include several more projects in the universe Assassin's Creed:
Assassin's Creed Shadows (2025)
Assassin's Creed Jade (2025)
Assassin's Creed Invictus (date unknown)
Assassin's Creed Hexe (date unknown)
Assassin's Creed Black Flag Remake (date unknown)
Ubisoft seems to be following the same strategy as Activision for Call of Duty, which releases games annually. Only time will tell if this approach can maintain interest in the series and avoid fan fatigue.