Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 – New Multiplayer and Early Access Beta details

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 – New Multiplayer and Early Access Beta details https://ift.tt/sdyEnCB

Call of Duty: Next has wrapped, following a packed showcase of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4. From live Multiplayer gameplay to new intel on modes, maps, movement, weapons, Warzone, and more, Call of Duty: Next offered the most extensive look yet at what’s ahead for Modern Warfare 4.

Now it’s your turn to play. The Modern Warfare 4 Early Access Beta is available now on PlayStation 5, with a wide range of content to experience across two Beta weekends.

Here’s what you need to know before deploying.

Boots on the ground: Movement and weapons

Modern Warfare 4 returns to grounded, boots-on-the-ground combat while introducing new ways to move fluidly through the environment. Climb and rapidly descend pipes, reposition while hanging from ledges, aim and fire while suspended, and seamlessly chain movements together while maintaining greater control and momentum.

Get acquainted with these systems in the Mobility Course, a dedicated training facility featuring guided tutorials and timed courses. Learn the fundamentals, then return throughout the Beta to improve your movement, weapon handling, marksmanship, and completion times.

There’s an extensive arsenal to experiment with, too. Across the Beta, access 22 weapons, including firepower available through Multiplayer progression, default loadouts, and Campaign. Customize your weapons through Gunsmith and fully level supported weapons to earn powerful new Apex Attachments, specialized modifications that alter how a weapon performs without taking up a standard attachment slot. Need some build advice? Gunny can recommend weapon builds based on the attachments you’ve already unlocked.

Maps, modes, and Kill Block

Battle across six Core 6v6 maps throughout the Beta, spanning globally diverse environments from snow-covered New York rooftops and a dense South Korean shopping district to a covert armory on the outskirts of a French rail terminal and a Mexican lithium refinery. Deploy across Rooftops, Silkworm, Transit 213, Cachette, Lotus, and Lithium.

Classic 6v6 game modes including Team Deathmatch, Domination, Hardpoint, Kill Confirmed, and Search and Destroy are joined by new ways to compete. Inflation turns every elimination into a cash bounty: build your team’s total while staying alive, because being eliminated leaves some of your collected cash behind. In Hijack, fight for control of a Data Spike, carrying, throwing, and even passing it between teammates as you push toward the enemy Comm Station. Plant the Spike to score over time and defend it through detonation for a bonus.

Then there’s Kill Block, the Westbridge Training Facility’s modular live-fire battleground. Built from three interconnected Slabs, Kill Block continually reconfigures its routes, sightlines, weather, and combat spaces between rounds, creating more than 500 possible combinations. Deploy there in classic 3v3 Gunfight or take on the new, larger-scale Gunfight 10v10.

For an even larger fight, Ground War: Combat Outpost brings 24v24 vehicle and infantry combat to expansive play spaces. Establish Outposts to earn resources, put those resources toward completing further objectives, and contend with powerful airborne Killstreaks across two maps available during the Beta: Imjin Farmland and Wolves Stadium.

Play the Modern Warfare 4 Early Access Beta now

Players who have pre-ordered Modern Warfare 4 or redeemed a Beta Code can jump into Early Access now on PS5. Open the PlayStation Store, search for the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 Beta, and choose Download. Once installed, launch the Beta from your Home screen or Game Library.

Weekend One runs through August 25 at 10:00am PT, followed by Weekend Two, the Open Beta, from August 28 at 10:00am PT through September 1 at 10:00am PT. Weekend Two is open to everyone — no pre-order or Beta Code required. Just download the Beta on PS5 and jump in. Your install and progression from Weekend One continue into Weekend Two.

There are also eight Beta rewards to earn across both weekends, unlocked as you progress to Level 30. Earn all eight during the Beta and they’ll carry over into Modern Warfare 4 at launch, including the Dread Tiger Operator Skin for Reece and the Level 30 Beta Forged Weapon Blueprint for the Han 86 Assault Rifle.

Campaign comes to the Beta

For the first time in Call of Duty Beta history, play a Campaign mission before launch.

In Entrenched, fight alongside infantry and armored vehicles in a large-scale assault to prevent a strategically vital nuclear power station from falling into enemy hands.

Weekend Two: Call of Duty: Warzone Resurgence

There’s even more incoming when Weekend Two begins August 28. Call of Duty: Warzone joins the Modern Warfare 4 Beta with Resurgence on Zodiac, an all-new map set around a DRC Advanced Systems drone assembly and manufacturing headquarters.

Battle through offices, rooftops, tunnels, and the surrounding shoreline, keeping your squad in the fight as you eliminate enemies and complete Contracts to shorten redeployment timers, then outlast every opposing squad to secure the win.

The Modern Warfare 4 Early Access Beta is available now on PlayStation 5. Deploy across Multiplayer, put the new movement and weapon systems through their paces, take on Entrenched, and return for even more when the Open Beta begins August 28.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 launches October 23.

Share of the Week: Katana

Share of the Week: Katana https://ift.tt/xhALjbF

Last week, we asked you to unsheathe katanas from your favorite games and share using #PSshare #PSBlog. Here are this week’s sharp highlights: 

call_me_xavii shares Atsu drawing her katana as a duel begins in Ghost of Yōtei

JAA_PhMode_0510 shares a glowing katana in Cyberpunk 2077

JLunarTraveler shares a birdseye view of Jin and his katana in Ghost of Tsushima

rorottino shares a red-drenched moment from Death Stranding 2: On The Beach

xenobitz shares a character with their katana raised in Fortnite

crimsonashtree shares Narmaya holding their katana to the side in Granblue Fantasy: Relink

Search #PSshare #PSBlog on Twitter or Instagram to see more entries to this week’s theme, or be inspired by other great games featuring Photo Mode. Want to be featured in the next Share of the Week?

THEME: Breathtaking View
SUBMIT BY: 11:59 PM PT on August 26, 2026 

Next week, share breathtaking views and vistas from the game of your choice using #PSshare #PSBlog for a chance to be featured.

Tails of Iron 2: Blood & Brine – Free Expansion

Tails of Iron 2: Blood & Brine – Free Expansion https://ift.tt/Rmxwroq

Today, Blood and Brine, the free expansion for Tails of Iron 2: Whiskers of Winter, arrives on PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4. This new post-game adventure sends Arlo away from the frozen North to Hardshell Brook, a coastal region packed with 11 quests, 10 new bosses, nine armour sets, new music, and a fishing system with 32 aquatic creatures to discover. You’ll need to finish the main campaign before you can set sail.

Cast off for Hardshell Brook

After everything Arlo has survived across the Ratdom, his next problem sounds almost relaxing: help two shipwrecked sailors build an aquarium. Jaimie and Sam have washed ashore after losing their vessel, and their plan is to fill a new attraction with rare sea life, draw in visitors, and earn enough to repair their ship.

That means somebody has to do the fishing.

Hardshell Brook gives Arlo a very different landscape to explore, with sunlit docks, open water and plenty of unfamiliar faces. You’ll cast your line in different fishing spots and hunt down 32 creatures for the aquarium, gradually turning an empty collection into something much stranger. Fishing gives the adventure a quieter rhythm between battles, but we haven’t forgotten what kind of world this is. Some things under the surface are much happier trying to eat Arlo than being displayed behind glass.

And as the aquarium grows, so do the questions around Jaimie and Sam. Their story about what happened at sea might not be quite as simple as it first appears.

A rougher kind of seaside break

Hardshell Brook may look warmer than the snow-covered Wastes, but it is definitely not safer. Across the expansion’s 11 quests, Arlo will encounter new enemies on land and beneath the waves, along with 10 boss fights designed around fresh attack patterns and hazards.

We also wanted to make the coast feel different in combat, so Blood and Brine introduces ship arena battles that take fights out onto the water. One moment you might be exploring the harbour or checking a fishing spot; the next, you’re on deck dealing with something enormous that has decided your boat looks like lunch.

There are nine new armour sets to collect as well, giving you more options to prepare for these encounters and, just as importantly, more ways to make Arlo look suitably battle-worn for a trip to the seaside.

Indie heroes enter the Ratdom

One of our favourite parts of making Blood and Brine has been working with other independent studios. We’ve always loved seeing how different indie teams build memorable characters and worlds, so we wanted to bring a few of those familiar designs into our hand-drawn medieval setting.

The expansion includes crossover armour inspired by Blasphemous, Cult of the Lamb, Dave the Diver, Death’s Door, Moonlighter, and Beyond Galaxyland. Rather than simply dropping those costumes into the game, our artists redrew and adapted each set so it feels at home on Arlo and inside the Ratdom. Seeing recognisable heroes reinterpreted as armour for a very determined rat has been a lot of fun, and we’re hugely grateful to every team who let us play with their designs.

A thank you to everyone who joined Arlo’s journey

Blood and Brine started as another adventure for Arlo, but it grew into a much bigger addition than we first expected: a new region, new quests and bosses, new music, a new fishing mechanic, and a small celebration of the indie games we admire.

More than anything, it’s our way of saying thank you to everyone who has supported Tails of Iron 2: Whiskers of Winter. We hope returning players enjoy discovering what is waiting along the shores of Hardshell Brook, and that anyone who has not yet finished Arlo’s original campaign has one more reason to sharpen their blade.

Tails of Iron 2: Whiskers of Winter – Blood and Brine is available today as a free expansion on PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4. Complete the main campaign, ready your fishing rod, and prepare to set sail. The waters of the Ratdom are anything but peaceful.

To celebrate the launch, Tails of Iron 2: Whiskers of Winter is 60% off on PS5 and PS4 from August 12–26 as part of PlayStation’s Ready, Set, Play promotion.

Code Vein II Mask of Idris DLC launches September 9

Code Vein II Mask of Idris DLC launches September 9 https://ift.tt/94ufNUG

Earlier this year, Code Vein II invited players into a post-apocalyptic action RPG where they fight alongside unique partners, wield powerful blood-based abilities, and battle fierce enemies to prevent the world’s destruction.

Today, we’re excited to announce that the Mask of Idris DLC launches on September 9, 2026. This all new DLC introduces a history-altering story separate from the main campaign, taking players on a new adventure alongside two new partners. As you progress through the DLC, you’ll unlock new weapons and Formae to help overcome formidable new bosses.

Launching alongside the DLC is a free update for all players, introducing additional features to further enhance the gameplay experience. However, today, we’ll take a closer look at everything coming in the Mask of Idris DLC.

(SPOILER WARNING: The trailer content includes story details from the base game)

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Please note that certain play conditions must be met before you can access the Mask of Idris DLC. For full details on the required conditions, please visit our official Bandai Namco channels. Once you’ve met the requirements, you’ll embark on a new adventure that transcends time and space to uncover a history-altering story in The Forsaken World.

The Forsaken World

Throughout Code Vein II, history has been altered countless times, leaving behind scattered pockets of alternate space worlds known as Temporal Rifts. These spaces preserve residual traces of branching paths of history created by the past intervention of the great hero Idris. Though they were meant to disappear over time, the Temporal Rift continued to expand, eventually becoming what is now known as The Forsaken World.

At its center lies the Spindle of Pathos, a colossal, swirling force that draws in emotions from across time and space. As its influence continues to grow, it now threatens to consume the world the protagonists are fighting to protect. It is here that your journey begins as you battle to save the world from its impending fate.

As you venture into the Forsaken World, you’ll be joined by a new partner, Liv Voda, and Lou Magmell, a familiar face with a different story to tell. Together, you’ll confront powerful new threats and uncover the mysteries hidden in this fractured realm.

Liv Voda – The alluring guardian of time and space​

Liv Voda is the original guardian of The Temporal Rift, and half-sister of Valentin Voda. She had abandoned her duties out of boredom and ​ been away from the frontier region for many years. ​

She has a combative personality, and her hair and eyes glow brightly when her emotions run high.​

Liv’s preferred combat style is aggressive attacks with a focus on melee combat. Her weapon of choice is the Halberd. She gracefully dances across the battlefield, relentlessly assailing enemies with continuous attacks from her Formae Chariot Rave and nimble evasive steps.

Her Linkage Trait makes enemies more susceptible to staggering from weapon attacks. This trait, combined with her support Formae Mad Blood Dance (which boosts both her own and the protagonist’s attack power, with its effect extending upon each successful hit), forms a powerful synergy. Overwhelm your foes with coordinated teamwork.

Lou MagMell – A lonely girl in the Forsaken World​

Lou Magmell is not the same Revenant girl the protagonist encounters in the main story but a different individual who entered the Forsaken World after experiencing a separate tragedy. The truth behind her past will gradually unfold as the story progresses. Despite her own hardships, she joins the protagonists in their fight to halt the expansion of the Forsaken World.

New weapons and formae

To prepare players for the challenges ahead, the Mask of Idris DLC introduces a collection of new weapons that broaden your combat options. Whether you prefer swift strikes or devastating power, these additions provide new ways to customize your fighting style.

Grave Knocker is a martial arts Formae compatible with all weapon types, allowing players to unleash a powerful aerial kick that creates shockwaves to stagger surrounding enemies. Upon landing, a second shockwave expands, making it an effective ability for controlling groups of enemies.

Sword of Karma: Idris summons a great sword imbued with the flames of Pathos, allowing players to unleash a series of powerful strikes and extended combo options. With its long reach and devastating final blow that sends flames of Pathos forward, this Formae provides both offensive power and flexibility in combat.

Prepare to journey into the Forsaken World with the Mask of Idris DLC, featuring a new story, powerful allies, new weapons, and challenging battles. Whether you’re a returning player or discovering Code Vein II for the first time, experience this new adventure when the DLC launches on September 9.

Inside the brutal puzzles of Clive Barker’s Hellraiser: Revival

Inside the brutal puzzles of Clive Barker’s Hellraiser: Revival  https://ift.tt/ouLRxCp

It’s dark. The walls are oppressively grey, spikey and close. And there’s a disturbing noise of chattering teeth that sounds like it’s coming from, well, everywhere. Then, I see him. Flesh warped, eyeless sockets sunken, mouth wide, teeth full. The Chatterer – the source of the ever-present and unnerving noise. Player character, Aiden, runs away, but seconds later Chatterer remerges in front of him in a crackle of electricity. Aiden tries another path of escape and Chatterer again fizzles into view. Down a seething red, fleshy corridor and the chattering figure zaps in front of him again. But there is a way to escape, you just need to know how.

This is just part of my introduction to Clive Barker’s Hellraiser: Revival, a first-person survival horror hitting PlayStation 5 on October 8. And while this is a fairly straightforward puzzle element that I’m being shown, there are far more elaborate and equally disturbing ones that Assistant Game Director Vid Rajin is eager to walk me – or more accurately in this case, run – through.

A labyrinth of terror

Although Clive Barker’s Hellraiser: Revival features a number of firearms and weapons, that’s not the purpose of the demonstration I’m immersed in. The focus is very much on how the game aims to test your nerve through its reality warping environments and the mysteries they hold, all encased with the gruesome tension the series is famous for.

In fact, Hellraiser is a franchise which doesn’t necessarily lend itself to combative action, given its psychological and deeply disturbing investigation of the lines between pleasure and pain. To translate that into a game was one of the challenges faced by the teams at Mad Head Games and Saber Interactive, aiming to give the puzzles an appropriate edge.

“We use the Genesis Configuration – a puzzle box – at the centre of things,” explains Vid. “Mysterious puzzle boxes are literally key to everything in Clive Barker’s universe, so it writes itself in terms of helping to craft puzzles and how to manipulate the world. We have a background in adventure games and hidden object puzzle titles, so we took our experience from those, but we want to make sure we have a narrative purpose for puzzles wherever we can.”

The earlier example of our encounter with Chatterer is a clear sign of that bleeding of narrative and puzzles, as is another environmental teaser where Aiden is wandering through his house near the start of the game. At first it appears normal – but twisted little elements, such as photos on a wall being crooked or distorted soon become clear. And trying to escape the various rooms only leads to them repeating. The only way to solve this tormenting loop? By turning back instead of trying to move forward, which changes the entire setting.

“The labyrinth Aiden is trapped in is intertwined with the real world,” says Vid. “So in the case of the looping rooms, the environment is almost trying to tell Aiden something, to get him to change his perspective, and make the player figure out another approach to what they might have been doing.”

Controlling the Genesis Configuration

Learning lessons is a fundamental part of any horror story, which makes Vid’s point fit smartly into the game, aping one of the mainstay themes of the genre no matter the medium – you learn or you die. Be it reversing your course to escape the looping room or outmanoeuvring Chatterer by discovering which corridor he doesn’t teleport in front of you in, understanding the importance of finding unconventional routes is crucial. Hints are offered by the labyrinth itself, although for some of the more traditional puzzles, like opening a safe via a sliding picture lock, clues can be something far less intimidating, such as discovering a diagram on a desk.

But a chunk of progressing through Clive Barker’s Hellraiser: Revival is through using the Genesis Configuration itself. While it can channel power for offensive abilities like setting enemies on fire, Vid reveals how it’s essential for overcoming many of the present environmental puzzles. 

Some puzzles have clear binary solutions. One example is using the Genesis Configuration to rotate a giant wheel, which in turn would realign the narrow walkways Adrien found himself on within a spike-laden room to plot a safe route through. Another demoed its transformative properties: we stood in a courtyard hub, with three main gates. Each one could only be opened by retrieving a statue’s missing item – such as an appropriately macabre tongue or hand – and then changing the Genesis Configuration into the correct shape to act as a key.

But there are others which have multiple ways of solving them. What those are, the studio remain tight-lipped, keen for players to discover themselves. 

And while many revolve around traversal, the labyrinth itself, and all the horror that await within, there are a few incidental and familiar parts for survival horror fans.

“We have classic lock pick mechanism puzzles as well [such as]safe combinations which reward you with useful items, like crafting resources, ammo, some nice upgrades, or even like a new weapon,” says Vid. “And you have to manage your inventory in a similar way to the Resident Evil games.”

Inspiration outside of hell

Between these types of traditional survival horror puzzles and more surreal, M.C. Escher inspired interiors that help fashion the environment, Clive Barker’s Hellraiser: Revival is shaping up to be something fans will appreciate. The development team – fans themselves – also had the advantage of Clive Barker himself advising from its initial conception and Doug Bradley reprising his role as Pinhead from many of the movies, to help keep them on track. “They were a huge help, especially in giving us small details,” says Vin. “The pressure to make something to honor the franchise is always there, but it’s been alleviated by the positive response from the fans so far.”

Prepare for oblivion

With a campaign that Vin suggests could take over 12 hours to complete, Clive Barker’s Hellraiser: Revival aims to deliver a sharp experience that captures the visceral and psychological intensity of its source material. And if you own a PS5 Pro, you can expect higher graphic settings and PSSR sSupport to hone in on the horror.

Can your chattering nerves handle a piercing face to face with Pinhead and his cenobites? Find out on October 8 when Clive Barker’s Hellraiser: Revival launches on PS5, available for pre-order now.

(For Southeast Asia) Pulse Elevate wireless speakers launch November 12, 2026

(For Southeast Asia) Pulse Elevate wireless speakers launch November 12, 2026 https://ift.tt/pk5yIaG

Update (August 19, 2026): Pulse Elevate wireless speakers in Midnight Black and White will launch starting on November 12, 2026,* with a recommended retail price (RRP) of  SGD 319 / MYR 1,099 / THB 8,499 / PHP 14,709 / VND 6,999,000.

Pre-orders for Pulse Elevate speakers will be available starting from September 2, 2026 in local retailers..

With Pulse Elevate wireless speakers, experience lifelike audio for desktop gaming and on the go – read more about Pulse Elevate wireless speakers here.

*Availability may vary by market and retailer.

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We’re excited to share a first look at the Pulse Elevate wireless speakers – the newest addition to our lineup of PlayStation audio accessories  – which we revealed earlier today during State of Play. Pulse Elevate builds upon the immersive next-level gaming audio experience we introduced to players with Pulse Elite wireless headset and Pulse Explore wireless earbuds, combining powerful technologies like planar magnetic drivers and PlayStation Link into new form factors for players to experience with their favorite games.

As the first wireless speakers developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Pulse Elevate fits seamlessly in a PS5, PC, or Mac desktop gaming setup and can be enjoyed on the go with a PlayStation Portal remote player or smartphone. The wireless speakers feature exceptionally lifelike audio, ultra-low latency and lossless PlayStation Link wireless connectivity.

Here’s an overview of the speakers’ key features:

• Lifelike desktop audio: Each speaker features studio-inspired planar magnetic drivers for lifelike sound across the entire audible spectrum. This means players can hear games exactly how developers intended – whether they’re playing on PS5, PC, Mac or PlayStation Portal.
  • On the PS5 console, the driver technology further enhances immersion in PS5 games that support Tempest 3D AudioTech by positioning audio cues with incredible accuracy.
  • The speakers also feature built-in woofers that deliver rich bass tones for a fuller soundscape.

• Built-in mic with AI-enhanced noise rejection: Pulse Elevate seamlessly introduces a high-quality voice chat experience into a desktop gaming setup with a microphone integrated within the right speaker. With AI-enhanced noise rejection technology, the mic also helps identify and remove unwanted background noise for crystal-clear voice communication, providing a new level of headset-free voice chat for desktop gaming.

• PlayStation Link ultra-low latency and multi-device connectivity: Pulse Elevate is powered by PlayStation Link technology for ultra-low latency and lossless connectivity to deliver sound as it happens on compatible devices including PS5, PC, Mac, and PlayStation Portal remote player.
  • The speakers are also compatible with Bluetooth devices, so players can listen simultaneously via a PlayStation Link-connected device for in-game audio and a separate Bluetooth-enabled device for music, voice chat, and more.
  • Pulse Elevate wireless speakers will feature a PlayStation Link USB adapter that is compatible with USB-C ports.

• Built for both desktop gaming and portability: With the built-in rechargeable battery, players can take Pulse Elevate on the go when gaming with a PlayStation Portal remote player via PlayStation Link, or with a mobile device or smartphone via Bluetooth. The included charging docks make it easy to jump back into a desktop gaming setup. 

• Highly customizable audio: Pulse Elevate speakers feature built-in volume controls and are designed to be easily adjusted for the ideal horizontal and vertical orientation in a player’s desktop setup. Players can further personalize their audio experience on PS5 or PC* with the option to adjust EQ, sidetone, volume, and mic mute settings directly via system menus.

Pulse Elevate wireless speakers will launch in 2026 and will be available in both Midnight Black and White.**

What games are you looking forward to trying with our new speakers? Stay tuned for more information on launch date and availability in the coming months.

*PC options available post launch.

**White available while supplies last from direct.playstation.com (where available) and select retailers. Availability may vary by country.