Players’ Choice: Vote for April 2025’s best new game https://ift.tt/6EyeBua
Last month, we had breakout runaway hits, indie darlings, and a few surprises. Which game spoke to you the most? Some of the big new releases included Blue Prince, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Forever Skies, and The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered.
How does it work? At the end of every month, PlayStation Blog will open a poll where you can vote for the best new game released that month. After the polls close we will tally your votes, and announce the winner on our social channels and PlayStation.Blog.
What is the voting criteria? That’s up to you! If you were only able to recommend one new release to a friend that month, which would it be? Note: re-released games don’t qualify, but remakes do. We define remakes as ambitious, larger-scale rebuilds such as Resident Evil 4 (2023) and Final Fantasy VII Remake.
How are nominees decided? The PlayStation Blog editorial team will gather a list of that month’s most noteworthy releases and use it to seed the poll.
Play the Fortnite BR Star Wars Season: Galactic Battle May 2 https://ift.tt/3pAuih1
Hello there, PlayStation fans!
That’s no moon over the Battle Royale Island — it’s a whole Star Wars Season! Also, the celebration is just getting started in LEGO Fortnite Brick Life. Over in LEGO Fortnite Odyssey, explore and battle for galactic supremacy. The fun continues in Rocket League with the new 2v2 Car Wars LTM.
There’s a lot to unpack, but don’t worry — these are the updates you’re looking for! Let’s dive in with what’s happening across Epic Games, starting with Fortnite Battle Royale.
A shadow emerges in Battle Royale
Imperial Star Destroyers exit hyperspace in formation around the Death Star, which looms with its superlaser array fixed on the BR map. Heroes from across eras are ready to strike back against the assault led by Emperor Palpatine from the shadows, and the Island’s fate hangs in the balance. Draw your lightsaber and ready your blaster May 2 in Fortnite: Galactic Battle!
New places to see, returning weapons to loot
Driving back the Imperial invasion will take every blaster and ship at your disposal and these new locations will help you do just that! The First Order Base, Outpost Enclave, Resistance Base, and Vader Samuari’s Solitude are all primed and ready for exploration (and looting!). Just be mindful, you never know who you’ll run into.
The preferred weapon of Force users everywhere
An elegant weapon for a more civilized age, the use of a lightsaber is the mark of a Jedi, though it’s also used by their sworn enemies, the Sith. Lightsabers are exceptionally handy for deflecting blaster bolts, and wielding one will allow you to sprint faster, jump twice as high, and have immunity to fall damage. You’ll have to prove yourself to earn one, though… Or just loot it off another player.
How to prove yourself? Train with hologramic followers of both the light and dark sides to unlock their respective lightsaber and Force Ability. Force Push, Force Lightning, and Force Saber Throw are the Force Abilities you can learn day one, with more becoming learnable later in the Season!
So anyway, start blasting
As far as non-lightsaber weapons go, it’s blasters-only on day one, with the exception of the Thermal Imploder that’ll cause a blast in its own way. You’ve got your DL-44 Blaster Pistol, ACP Scatter Blaster, E-11 Blaster, and several more.
Be careful about holding down the trigger, as these babies are prone to overheating!
Looking to dogfight for your next Victory Royale? Pilot the Imperial TIE fighter equipped with high-powered blasters or the nimble X-wing and take to the skies!
Weekly updates
May 8 – The pull of the Force
Sensing a disturbance in the Force, Leia and Luke will arrive on the Island alongside renowned smuggler Han Solo to offer you strategic services!
Also, train with hologram Mace Windu to earn a Purple Lightsaber and be taught Force Pull. Pull in just about anything and anyone nearby with this Force Ability.
Rumor has it that Sith Lord Darth Maul will also appear as a hologram, offering Red Lightsabers and teaching Force Throw, which allows you to throw nearby objects as projectiles…
May 15 – Chew on this
Chewbacca arrives and he’s bringing his Wookiee Bowcaster to the loot pool to aid the rebels. You’ll also find the new, powerful CA-87 Jawa Scatter Blaster in Chests around the Island!
May 22 – Mandalorian Rising
Mandalorians will intervene this week. Recruit a Heavy, Scout, Supply, or Medic Mandalorian to your team, and gain further advantage over your opponents with the unvaulted Mandalorian Jetpack!
Also, keep an eye out for signature Mandalorian weapons: the Amban Sniper Rifle and the new dual-wield WESTAR-34 Blaster Pistols.
May 29 – Star Destroyer bombardment
Be the first to reach the control room of a Star Destroyer which spawns every match. Assume control of its turbolaser to lay waste from above!
June 7 – The final showdown: Death Star sabotage
Mobilize and take the fight to Emperor Palpatine in a live, in-game narrative event on June 7. Never tell me the odds.
Get the Star Wars Battle Pass
The Star Wars Battle Pass is full of treasures from across the known galaxy. The Star Wars Battle Pass has both free and premium rewards that can be claimed by earning XP in any Fortnite experience. Here are the Outfits in the Pass, available as premium rewards:
Apprentice Evie: Force-sensitive vigilante spreading peace across the Galaxy. (Automatically unlocked after purchasing the Pass or accessing it through Fortnite Crew!)
Poe Dameron: The finest pilot in the Resistance.
Wookiee Team Leader: Growl it out.
Emperor Palpatine: Leader of the Empire. Ruler of the galaxy.
Kaleesh cyborg and General of the Separatist droid army, General Grievous will be a premium Outfit in the Star Wars Battle Pass later in May. Unlock Grievous by completing objectives that’ll come online further in the Season! The Pass will be available to progress in from May 2 until the Galactic Battle ends on June 7, 2025 Eastern Time.
More fun begins in LEGO Fortnite
Celebrate the most intergalactic time of year in LEGO Fortnite Brick Life’s Star Wars Festival, where you can grab a bite in the Durrr Burger Cantina, score goals in Death Star Soccer Ball, hang out with a Porg, and even acquire your very own Lightsaber Bench. This gathering for Star Wars fans everywhere will be going on from May 2 until June 8, 2025 Eastern Time.
In a galaxy just next door, LEGO Fortnite Odyssey is launching a public matchmaking test on May 15 called Rapid Survival — an eight-player public world survival experience on the existing Star Wars Island.
Load in with a pre-determined loadout that includes a Lightsaber, Macrobinoculars, a plethora of building materials, and more to aid in your journey. Even though PvP combat is on, you can also choose to team up against the Star Wars enemies!
Heads-up: Rapid Survival will be open at specific four-hour windows from May 15 until May 26 Eastern Time.
First Order LEGO Pass
The ruthless Captain Phasma Outfit is front and center as a premium reward in the First Order LEGO Pass, available starting May 2! There’s even more precious cargo you can unlock like the premium First Order Base Build, First Order AT-AT Build, Lil’ Treadspeeder Emote, and a lot more.
The First Order LEGO Pass will be available to progress in until June 8 Eastern Time, with free and premium rewards unlockable by earning XP in any Fortnite experience. Captain Phasma is automatically unlocked after purchasing the Pass or accessing it through Fortnite Crew!
Shift into Hyperspace as Star Wars and Rocket League cross over once again
Leading the charge in Rocket League is Car Wars, a brand new Limited Time Mode that’ll require you to channel your inner TIE pilot for any hope of victory! Also, look forward to Star Wars Challenges rewarding imperial items like the Stormtrooper Octane Decal and TIE Fighter Topper. Rocket League x Star Wars runs from May 2 at 12 PM ET to May 16, 2025, at 12 PM ET!
Dark Side of the Force = Unnatural Abilities in LTMs
Car Wars (May 2 at 12 PM ET – May 14 at 12 PM ET)
The 2v2 Car Wars takes place at the Force Field Arena, a Star Wars-inspired twist on the Arena used for Rocket Labs’ Loophole. Target the thermal exhaust ports at each end of the Arena to score and use the lightsaber-fied Spike Rush mutator to hit your mark.
G-Force Frenzy (May 2 at 12 PM ET to May 7 at 12 PM ET)
Debuting in last year’s Mandalorian Mayhem event, G-Force Frenzy returns this year! This is a 3v3 mode that lets you unleash unlimited boost, cranked to five times standard power. Navigate the arena faster than the Millennium Falcon on the Kessel Run!
Swear allegiance to the Empire with new Challenges
Ten new items are yours to earn by completing Star Wars Challenges! Claim antagonistic accessories like the Stormtrooper Octane Decal, Stormtrooper Helmet Topper, TIE Fighter Topper, Force Lightning Boost, and more.
Borderlands 4: revealing Vault Hunter skills, new planet Kairos, and more https://ift.tt/3pAuih1
Wreak havoc across the dangerous new planet Kairos when Borderlands 4 launches on September 12, 2025. I’m Graeme Timmins, Creative Director at Gearbox Entertainment—and today, the team and I are thrilled to give you our deepest ever look at some explosive, carnage-filled gameplay, all running on PlayStation 5 Pro. We’re showing off two of our four new Vault Hunters and some of their Action Skills, intense looter shooter gameplay with details on all kinds of new gear, the deadly regions you’ll explore on the all-new planet Kairos, and much more.
Following the cataclysm seen in our teaser trailer and the contentious clash of our First Look trailer, the tyrannical Timekeeper is here to admonish us as we meet our four new Vault Hunters in this pulse-pounding Gameplay Trailer:
Ever since Gearbox created the looter shooter genre nearly 16 years ago, we’ve continued to refine the formula, delivering more loot and action with every entry. I’ve worked on every mainline Borderlands game since starting out as Lead Level Designer on the original Borderlands, and my Gameplay Deep Dive co-op buddy Anthony Nicholson, Senior Project Producer on Borderlands 4, has been with the series since Borderlands 2. With Borderlands 4, we truly believe that this team is creating the best, most ambitious Borderlands game to date.
This all-new adventure is the perfect entry point for new players—and for existing players, you’ll find the awesome gameplay you know and love cranked up to 11, with new movement abilities, our biggest and baddest enemies yet, a vast new planet to explore, and of course, billions of guns to loot.
Wreak havoc as a Vault Hunter
The Borderlands games are set in an unforgiving sci-fi universe, where life is cheap and guns are plentiful. You play as a Vault Hunter, a badass mercenary on the hunt for alien Vaults, wielding wild guns and devastating abilities. In the Gameplay Deep Dive, we’re showing off two of our four all-new Vault Hunters: Vex the Siren, who uses supernatural phase energy to empower herself and can conjure deadly minions, and Rafa the Exo-Soldier, a former Tediore trooper who wears an experimental exo-suit capable of digistructing an arsenal of weapons. Personally, I’m a huge fan of Vex’s spectral feline familiar Trouble, who can absolutely maul any enemies that try to attack my flank during a shootout.
Each Vault Hunter class in Borderlands 4 offers a unique playstyle that empowers you to choose from three signature abilities that serve as your Action Skills. We’re delivering our most advanced skill tree system yet, letting you enhance your Action Skills with special augments and capstone abilities. You can choose from three branching paths of passive abilities that enable an incredibly wide variety of distinctly powerful builds.
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Each Vault Hunter also has a unique Trait that shapes their playstyle; for instance, Vex’s Trait makes her Action Skills attune to the element of the weapon she currently has equipped, incentivizing an arsenal of elemental weapons to shock, burn, or freeze enemies based on the situation.
One of our guiding design principles for our Vault Hunters is that playing as them should make you feel like an unstoppable force on the battlefield, that unleashes Action Skills to control the flow of combat and blast through enemies with an arsenal of outrageous weaponry. You can also flex even more skill expression during battle with a wide range of new movement abilities, including gliding, dashing, double-jumping, and point-grappling.
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Welcome to Kairos
In Borderlands 4, we’re dropping you into the middle of Kairos, an all-new planet rife with warring factions, deadly fauna, and desperate inhabitants. For thousands of years, the oppressive Timekeeper kept the planet hidden, controlling its inhabitants with cybernetic implants called Bolts and an army of synthetic soldiers known as The Order.
But six years before the events of Borderlands 4, a rogue moon suddenly teleported into Kairos’ orbit, shattering the planet’s protective veil and plunging the world into chaos. Now the denizens of Kairos have started rising up, with some even ripping their Bolts right out of their skulls. That’s the situation our four Vault Hunters have crash-landed into: a planet with a population primed to explode, and you’re the spark.
In your quest to ignite a revolution against the Timekeeper, you’ll meet unique factions that you’ll need to recruit to your cause, including a slew of new characters and some returning faces that’ll be instantly familiar to Borderlands fans. We’re delighted to be bringing back fan-favorite characters like Claptrap, Moxxi, and Zane—but we’re also so excited for you to meet some of the charming allies and loathsome adversaries that await you on Kairos.
To help you get around Kairos’ sprawling, seamlessly connected spaces, you can now summon a personalized Digirunner vehicle at will and jet-boost your way towards the horizon. We’ve built a world that exudes craftsmanship and encourages you to explore it at your own pace—with the option for guidance provided by your ECHO-4 robot buddy—as you take on new enemies, encounter world events, and discover hidden treasures.
From Order patrols to world bosses, there’s always something to shoot and loot as you explore Kairos. You’ll also come across short gameplay experiences and new activities that auto-grant a tracked mission whenever you discover them—like Silos, which house old, decommissioned Order tech that you can hijack for the Crimson Resistance with the help of ECHO-4.
Once you’ve reclaimed a Silo, it will reveal the approximate location of a Vault Key Fragment. Collect enough fragments and you’ll unlock a hidden Vault—a high level dungeon with challenging combat and serious loot. Reclaimed Silos can also be used as Fast Travel points, or you can zipline up their hacked communications balloon to start gliding through the air towards your next objective.
Wreaking havoc across Kairos is awesome alone and even better with friends—which is why we’ve made it easier than ever to jump into co-op multiplayer, whether through 2-player splitscreen or via our improved lobby system with drop-in/drop-out action for up to 4 players online, with full crossplay at launch.* Borderlands 4 is designed for co-op from the ground up, with instanced loot for each player, dynamic level scaling, individual difficulty settings, and the option to Fast Travel directly to other players to keep the party together and having fun through the whole campaign.
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Gearing up for a fight
In the new gameplay footage, you can watch us go on the offensive across the Terminus Range, where one of the Timekeeper’s generals, Vile Lictor, has been conducting nefarious experiments. We’re breaking into his secret blacksite with the help of Amara, an allied Siren and former Vault Hunter.
You can also see the destructive power of some deadly weapons from our eight unique manufacturers: Order, Ripper, Daedalus, Tediore, Maliwan, Jakobs, Vladof, and Torgue, each boasting their own devastating strengths. Longtime Borderlands fans will notice that the first three of these manufacturers are brand new, with fresh characteristics:
Order guns focus on precision with high-powered bursts
Ripper guns charge up to go fully automatic
Daedalus guns are easy-to-use and incorporate multiple ammo types
Tediore guns are reloaded by tossing them as grenades
Maliwan guns specialize in elemental damage to burn, freeze, and shock
Jakobs guns can fire bullets as fast as you can shoot with ricochets on critical hits
Vladof guns have a high rate of fire and huge magazines
Torgue guns have heavy-duty explosive rounds that can switch to sticky projectiles.
With the new Licensed Parts system, you can find guns that incorporate the behaviors and abilities from multiple manufacturers into a single weapon, fueling our wildest loot variety yet. In addition, Borderlands 4 reworks our approach to the iconic Legendary guns that have unique effects you won’t find on any other piece of gear. In Borderlands 3, Legendaries dropped too often, devaluing them and making other loot feel less special overall. In our new system, not only do all guns feel great, but now Legendary drops will truly be special events.
We’ve added the magic back to our loot chase, and we know you’ll love grinding all the great gear on Kairos. Farming coveted gear is much more intuitive now that you can replay entire missions or use Moxxi’s Big Encore Machine to fight bosses whenever you’d like. Speaking of bosses, Borderlands 4 makes them bigger and better than ever—like Vile Lictor himself, a monstrosity you can glimpse at the end of the Gameplay Deep Dive. These boss fights will put all your new skills, gear, and abilities to the ultimate test, requiring that you think quickly and adapt to whatever each boss throws at you.
There are also new gear slots to specialize your builds even further:
Ordnance, a shared slot for Grenades and Heavy Weapons like rocket launchers, recharges on a cooldown to keep you locked and loaded during especially tough encounters
Enhancements, which replace the Artifact slot seen in Borderlands 3, augment your weapons based on their manufacturer, rewarding you with extra firepower when you optimize your gear loadout
Repkits add utility by letting you heal yourself or activate temporary buffs to help turn the tide of an intense battle
We’re incredibly excited to unveil more Borderlands 4 when we host our first hands-on event this June, with tons to show off ahead of the full launch on September 12. Wishlist Borderlands 4 now and stay tuned as we reveal more in the coming months!
*Online play requires an Internet connection, a SHiFT Account, and a PlayStation Plus subscription. Terms apply.
PlayStation Plus Monthly Games for May: Ark: Survival Ascended, Balatro, Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun https://ift.tt/dIG5Op6
Tame dinosaurs to survive an island paradise, mix and match card decks to win big and head to the far-future for some retro shooting action with May’s PlayStation Plus Monthly Games lineup. Ark: Survival Ascended, Balatro and Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun will be available to PlayStation Plus members from May 6.
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Ark: Survival Ascended | PS5
Are you ready to form a tribe, tame and breed hundreds of species of dinosaurs and other primeval creatures, explore, craft, build, and fight your way to the top of the food-chain? Your new world awaits in this survival sim, reimagined from the ground-up with Unreal Engine 5, with high-end graphic features, advanced physics systems and quality of life revamps in every area. Ark: Survival Ascended includes access to all of Ark’s worlds, including Scorched Earth, Aberration, Extinction, Ark Genesis Part 1, Ark Genesis Part 2, and more. The game supports public online multiplayer for up to 70 players, private-session multiplayer for up to 8 players, and local split-screen for 2 players.
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Balatro | PS5, PS4
In this poker-inspired roguelike deck builder, it’s all creating powerful synergies and winning big. Play illegal poker hands, discover game-changing jokers and trigger outrageous combos in this roguelike strategy experience. Combine valid poker hands with unique joker cards in order to create varied synergies and builds. Earn enough chips to beat devious blinds, all while uncovering hidden bonus hands and decks as you progress. You’re going to need every edge you can get in order to reach the boss blind, beat the final ante and secure victory.
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Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun | PS5, PS4
Load up your Boltgun and plunge into battle headfirst! Experience a perfect blend of Warhammer 40,000, classic, frenetic FPS gameplay and the stylish visuals of your favourite 90’s retro shooters. Play a battle-hardened Space Marine on a perilous mission across the galaxy, as they battle against the Chaos Space Marines and daemons of Chaos. In glorious boomer shooter style, unleash your devastating Space Marine arsenal as you blast through an explosion of sprites, pixels and blood. Run, jump and charge across huge levels to shoot, shred and slice the worst heretics across the galaxy!
All three games will be available to PlayStation Plus members on May 6 until June 2.
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Last chance to download April’s games
PlayStation Plus members have until May 5 to add RoboCop: Rogue City, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth – Hacker’s Memory to their game library.
Watch the Borderlands 4 gameplay deep dive State of Play on April 30 https://ift.tt/E36PNcG
Get ready for a deep dive on Borderlands 4! During this special State of Play, I’ll be joined by other members of the Gearbox team to share the nitty-gritty details of how you’ll wreak havoc across Kairos and take down the Timekeeper.
Catch the show live on PlayStation’s Twitch and YouTube channels on April 30 at 2pm PT / 5pm ET / 10pm BST / 11pm CEST.
Back at February’s State of Play, we unveiled the game’s Launch Date Trailer, which showcased a taste of the explosive action, fearsome enemies, and powerful loot. Since then, we’ve announced that Borderlands 4’s launch has moved up to September 12, 2025, meaning you’ll get to enjoy the looter shooter action even earlier!
In this upcoming State of Play, strap in with me and Anthony Nicholson, Senior Project Producer, for over 20 minutes of developer-guided gameplay, including missions, killer weapons, exciting Action Skills, new and returning characters, and more.
While you wait, check out the game’s key art, which we just revealed today, and remember to wishlist Borderlands 4 at PlayStation Store. We’ll see you on April 30.
Hey, everybody! Sid, Brett, and Tim are back this week to discuss the release date reveal and new trailer for Ghost of Yōtei. This episode also includes interviews with Doom: The Dark Ages Director Hugo Martin and Days Gone Remastered Creative and Product Lead Kevin McAllister.
Stuff We Talked About
Next week’s release highlights:
Days Gone Remastered (out today) | PS5
Forza Horizon 5 | PS5
Despelote | PS5, PS4
Days Gone Remastered — New accessibility options revealed
Onimusha 2 Samurai’s Destiny remaster — Developer Q&A with Capcom
Ghost of Yōtei — October 2 release date, new trailer revealed
F1 25 — Dev interview and new Braking Point story mode trailer
Doom: The Dark Ages — New Cosmic Realm details revealed
The Last of Us Complete — Now available on PS5
The Cast
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Sid Shuman – Senior Director of Content Communications, SIE
Brett Elston – Manager, Content Communications, SIE
Thanks to Dormilón for our rad theme song and show music.
[Editor’s note: PSN game release dates are subject to change without notice. Game details are gathered from press releases from their individual publishers and/or ESRB rating descriptions.]
Last week, we asked you head to the great outdoors (inside your favorite games) and share nature-filled moments using #PSshare #PSBlog. Here are this week’s highlights:
Mur4dQshares Astro Bot and a cow napping in a meadow
PattyGnandshares the girls of Lost Records: Bloom & Rage dangling their legs over a lakeside overlook
Amianan_NiRaGuBshares the Shadow-cursed lands of Baldur’s Gate 3
cenriceshares riding alongside a reflective mountainside in Neva
CamisGuishares a plant-like tortoise in God of War Ragnarök
dlazdagamingshares the northern lights shining in Snowrunner
Search #PSshare #PSBlog on Twitter or Instagram to see more entries to this week’s theme. Want to be featured in the next Share of the Week?
THEME: Days Gone Remastered
SUBMIT BY: 11:59 PM PT on April 30, 2025
Next week, we’re riding the broken road in Days Gone Remastered. Share epic moments from Deacon’s journey using the game’s new Photo Mode feature using #PSshare #PSBlog for a chance to be featured.
