Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 and Warzone Season 5 launches July 23, full details

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 and Warzone Season 5 launches July 23, full details https://ift.tt/aneNk09

Get ready to unleash the arsenal. The machines rage on in Season 05, and the next major update delivers new Maps, Limited Time Modes, Weapons, Events, and more across Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 and Call of Duty: Warzone, launching Thursday, July 23.

Black Ops 7 Endgame Overview

New Assignment: Burn Run
Race against the clock in a bomb-rigged vehicle that’s ready to explode. Stay the course, blast through fiery checkpoints, and run over objects and enemies to earn bonuses and add additional time.

Ability Boosts

Upgrade your Major and Minor Abilities with enhancements that can be acquired in Zone IV and Nightmare regions, offering reduced cooldown times, extra ammo, and other improvements. 

Multiplayer Overview

New Maps

Jubilee (New)
Fight through a rural Japanese town as a festival turns to chaos and the streets erupt in conflict.

Frequency (Remastered)
Deploy to the mountains of Hunan and battle for control of the listening station’s global surveillance capabilities.

Dig (Remastered)
Battle alongside ancient ruins at an archaeological dig site in Avalon where rival forces clash over what lies beneath.

Turbo Tilt (New) (Mid-Season)
Shrink down to size and enter a pinball machine in a wild Mid-Season Multiplayer map inspired by the history of Nuketown.

Freeun: Descent (New) (Mid-Season)
Jump, dive, slide, and more in an all-new Freerun obstacle course.

New Limited Time Modes (LTMs)

Overdrive Domination (New) (LTM)
Capture objectives and eliminate targets with style to earn stars and gain Operator buffs.

Gauntlet Rush (New) (LTM)
Compete across a gauntlet of game modes: Team Deathmatch, Kill Confirmed, Domination, Hardpoint, and Roulette. Stay active to earn buffs and collect Gain Stacks for extra score.

Cranked Moshpit (Returning) (Mid-Season) (LTM)
Eliminate enemies to activate the Cranked timer and earn Operator buffs. Your life ends when the timer runs out, so don’t let up.

Black Ops 7 Ranked Play
Ranked Play returns, bringing new seasonal rewards for those who climb the ranks.

Zombies Overview

New Survival Map: Eidskallen Lighthouse
Push for the highest round using the resources available in a confined section of Totenreich comprised of Beacon Island and the Lighthouse. Earn rewards for reaching round milestones.

Kowakujō Directed Mode, Starting Room
Get extra guidance on the Main Quest as Directed Mode comes to Kowakujō. In Starting Room, drop into the Outer Ward and survive with whatever’s on hand.

Rogue Run: Astra Malorum
Drop into three new Rogue Run playlists taking place on Astra Malorum. Beat the round, pick your upgrade, and earn rewards for reaching milestones in this roguelite twist on Zombies.

New Round-Based Map (Mid-Season)
Get prepared to confront the Warden in the Round-Based Zombies finale arriving at Mid-Season.

Perk, GobbleGum, Legacy Weapons (Mid-Season)
Shrug off the horde with help from the Widow’s Wine Perk, a new GobbleGum, plus two Legacy Weapons.

Call of Duty: Warzone Overview

New Verdansk POI: Drone Labs (Launch)

A new POI arrives east of TV Station and south of Quarry, unleashing Drones across Verdansk. Scour the main buildings for loot or fight across the drone obstacle course out back. Rumors suggest the presence of an armed JLTV on site, for those who can secure it.

New features

HKDs Killstreak (Launch): The Guild’s deadly drone tech arrives in Resurgence and Battle Royale. Seek out the devastating killstreak to drop an aerial payload on your foes.

Quickdrop Kit (Mid-Season): Return to the match more quickly with this stackable reward that cuts down your squad’s redeployment time.

Resurgence Ranked Play: Rank up and earn rewards in a new season of Ranked Play: Resurgence.

Battle Pass & BlackCell overview

No job too difficult, no target off-limits. Spectre headlines the latest Battle Pass, bringing the cold precision of a free-agent assassin into the fight. Progress through the Season 05 Battle Pass to unlock new Weapon Blueprints, Operator Skins, and more.

Purchase BlackCell for additional rewards including the New Operator Cipher and a Mastercraft Weapon Blueprint, each featuring additional unlockable variants via in-game challenges.

New Weapons: In the Battle Pass, unlock the FG42 Assault Rifle and the dual wield Gremlin SMG. Through in-game Events and Weekly Challenges, get the Mammoth LMG and Mace Melee weapons.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 and Call of Duty: Warzone is available on PS5 & PS4.

Coloratura: Designing a world where sound is the only guide

Coloratura: Designing a world where sound is the only guide https://ift.tt/gwIoUPO

The idea to create Coloratura was born from a revolutionary premise: creating a game that wasn’t just an audioguide but an experience you can play blindly, using spatial orientation and sensory perception as its main core. The project was born from Museful, a Game Jam prototype that served to confirm that tridimensional movement was possible without visual guiding.

The team took inspiration from several sources. They analyzed games designed to be played blindly like The Vale or A Blind Legend to understand what worked, and what kind of visual aids they wanted to avoid in order to maintain the purity of a true sightless experience. For the narrative and world building, they took great inspiration from titles such as Life is Strange, embracing a musical indie tone with slice of life themes and a big focus on the inner conflict of the main character.

Audio-focused gameplay design

Coloratura is a single-player narrative adventure where you play as Alex, a talented musician who has lost her sight due to an accident. Far from limiting movement, this game breaks the limits of traditional accessibility designs: the player has total freedom in a 3D environment without cardinal boundaries, being able to rotate the camera and freely explore the scene.

To ensure the player’s ability to navigate the levels intuitively and comfortably, the team designed some innovative audio mechanics:

• Radar and memory systems: Alex can concentrate to feel elements at different distances. The game uses a “memory” system to assign a positional sound to objects such as a table or a coffee machine once they are discovered. This allows the player to create a mind map of the space.
• The objective “button”: To avoid the player feeling lost, the team implemented a bell sound to indicate the direction they have to follow. This was an effort to translate the classic visual objective tracking from games to a guide that was purely based on sound.
• Musical puzzles: The goal is to locate sound sources that become puzzles. Once resolved, the player can build up melodies and form the final game soundtrack, mirroring Alex’s life stages.

Art direction and world building

In Coloratura the sound design is a main part of the visual design in a way. The world is built through a rich sound landscape that embraces the player and allows them to triangulate their position at any point. The musical identity, designed by José Ramón “Bibiki” García, is very well defined – acoustic guitar riffs are used to represent Alex’s personality and conscious state, while piano sounds evoque more introspective and dreamy moments.

The 3D environment was also created with a focus on fluidity. They eliminated strict collisions and designed scenes with broad walls to allow the player to move around without dealing with the frustration of getting stuck against an invisible object. On top of all that, there was a comprehensive dubbing work that included professional actors capable of transmitting deep emotions with almost an ASMR vibe. This allowed the voice acting to hit the right spot without feeling overwhelming.

Challenges during development

The main challenge the team faced was “unlearning” how to create video games. Traditional game design rules and processes, originally created for visual games, didn’t really work for Coloratura. On a technical level, the team faced challenges such as adjusting positional sound to clearly indicate when an object was at the player’s back. This prevented users from turning around and walking sideways (or, as the team says, walking like a crab) in fear of getting disoriented.

To overcome these challenges, the team relied on constant iteration and playtesting. They also worked closely with blind players throughout development, whose feedback was vital to the project. One of those collaborators was Sergio Vera, who is blind. Sergio not only helped validate and refine the game’s spatial movement, but also shared personal experiences that informed Coloratura’s story and helped make its portrayal of blindness feel authentic. The goal wasn’t to create a game solely for blind players, but an accessible experience that people both with and without visual impairments could enjoy on equal terms.

The experience on PlayStation

Nowadays the industry and platforms like PlayStation are making a strong bet in inclusion and accessibility, with initiatives like the Access controller. Coloratura arrives in this context with a pioneering project, showcasing the full potential of PlayStation 5’s sophisticated 3D audio and providing the players with a level of technical immersion that few narrative games achieve.

The game includes a mode with a supporting interface made of sketched illustrations and text for people with dyslexia or other needs, but the true magic is in its inclusive gameplay. Coloratura invites PlayStation players to put on their headphones, blindfold themselves or play in total darkness, and lose themselves in the experience. As the team at Nakama Studios points out, there are no graphics more powerful than those drawn by our own imagination when the outside world fades away and only sound remains.

Enjoy Coloratura when it launches on PS5 later this year.

Share of the Week: Portraits

Share of the Week: Portraits https://ift.tt/aXIG58r

Last week, we asked you share portraits from the game of your choice using #PSshare #PSBlog. Here are this week’s highlights:

Cog_VP shares Aloy resting in the grass in Horizon Zero Dawn

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call_me_xavii shares a portrait of Bond in 007 First Light

artenpixels_ shares a black and white portrait of Alicia in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

JAA_PhMode_0510 shares Jackie striking a pose in Cyberpunk 2077

Falconswift87 shares Kratos in the snow of God of War Ragnarök

themarkplumb shares a lantern-lit portrait from Red Dead Redemption 2

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: Sun
SUBMIT BY: 11:59 PM PT on July 15, 2026 

Next week, share moments in the sun from the game of your choice. Use #PSshare #PSBlog for a chance to be featured.

Get ready for PlayStation at Comic-Con 2026 in San Diego

Get ready for PlayStation at Comic-Con 2026 in San Diego https://ift.tt/JtzlLvp

Comic-Con 2026 is nearly here, and PlayStation is gearing up with a full slate of panels and activities. If you’re joining us down in sunny San Diego, we’ve gathered details on everything you need to know. For those that won’t be there in person, don’t worry – we’ll keep you updated on any announcements here at PlayStation Blog.  

Comic-Con 2026 panel schedule

Marvel’s Wolverine – Deep Cuts 

Thursday, July 23, 2026 
11:15 AM – 12:00 PM PT 
Room: Hall H

We’re not just scratching the surface; we’re cutting through it. Insomniac Games’ Creative Director Marcus Smith, Game Director Mike Daly, Narrative Director Walt Williams, and Sr. Project Director Jess Reiner-Reed are joined by actors Liam McIntyre (Wolverine) and Krizia Bajos (Jean Grey), along with Executive Producer Eric Monacelli from Marvel Games to unveil exciting new details from the highly anticipated Marvel’s Wolverine, releasing on September 15 on PlayStation 5 consoles. Moderated by media personality, Naomi Kyle, the panel will offer a behind-the-scenes look into the game’s story, characters, and exclusive never-before-seen content.   

MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls — Behind the Battle 

Thursday, July 23, 2026 
12:00 PM – 12:45 PM PT 
Room: Hall H

Step into the arena with MARVEL Tokōn: Fighting Souls. Moderated by fighting game commentator and streamer Sajam, Game Producer Takeshi Yamanaka (Arc System Works), Localization Director Amber Seitz (Arc System Works), and Senior Product Development Manager Michael Francisco (Marvel Games) take you inside the making of the game and the creation of MARVEL Tokōn’s place in the Marvel Universe. The development team is joined by Mike Deodato (Marvel Comics artist and Knights of Doom illustrator) and voice actor Josh Keaton (Iron Man and Spider-Man) to showcase behind-the scenes-looks, and surprise announcements you won’t want to miss. 

God of War Laufey – Forging God of War’s Next Heroes 

Friday, July 24, 2026 
5:30 – 6:30 PM PT 
Room: Ballroom 20

God of War Laufey Game Director Ariel Lawrence and Santa Monica Studio Head of Creative Cory Barlog lead an in-depth conversation with the cast including Deborah Ann Woll (Laufey), Chris Judge (Kratos), Jack Quaid (Phranque), and Perlina Lau (Rue) for the first time since the game’s reveal. Panelists will share new details about the heroes of God of War Laufey, including behind-the-scenes insights from development and the performance capture that brings each character to life. 

Around the convention corner

From July 23-26 on the San Diego Convention Center show floor, fans will have a chance to sink their claws into the Marvel Booth (Booth #2329), where players can drop in for a Marvel’s Wolverine photo opp and walk away with giveaway items like Marvel’s Wolverine Claws and a copy of the Marvel’s Wolverine Prequel Comic written by Narrative Director Walt Williams while supplies last. 

While traveling around the convention center and downtown area, be on the lookout for the Marvel’s Wolverine wrapped San Diego Trolley. Players can head to the Omni Hotel Lawn to cool down with a Madripoor Sunrise Slushie and take a photo alongside a looming Proto-Sentinel Head, before grabbing Marvel’s Wolverine Claws. 

Fighting game fans can head to the San Diego Ballroom of the Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina for a chance to play MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls, and take pictures with Doctor Doom and Storm statues. 

See you in San Diego, then check back here after the show – we’ll be updating with full recordings of the panels!

The Blood of Dawnwalker: unique time-driven quest system and player choice detailed

The Blood of Dawnwalker: unique time-driven quest system and player choice detailed https://ift.tt/kgjn4dS

The world has gotten very small for you and your family, Coen. It was never a grand world to begin with, tied as you all were to your farm in the tiny village of Laslea, but with the arrival of the plague, your sister’s illness, and then the vampires, it has shrunk even further.

When you wake up, it’s the day of the Blood Mass for Laslea. Tonight, the vampires, the vrakhiri, will arrive to collect the oblation of their livestock. Every adult in the village must attend and give of their blood to sustain their rulers, Brencis and his clique. It is known. It is normal. Shockingly, it’s becoming more normal every day as the hope of change or salvation withers among the people of Vale Sangora.

Not everyone is cut out for this new normal. Your mother is barely able to hold herself upright under the weight of her fear. Your father, pulled in two directions by his family and his past, has become grim and hard. Your siblings are struggling to understand everything happening around them. And you, Coen, a young man in your prime, are stuck staring down a long future of being bled every fortnight, little hope for anything other than the life of cattle.

Is it any wonder some say it’s the end of the world?

And yet, the daily concerns of life must go on. Your mother is in no condition to attend the Blood Mass tonight and if she is not present, your family and maybe the entire village will suffer. The gates are guarded by Knyaz Brencis’s men – no one will be permitted to leave until the offering is extracted. Between dawn and sunset, the day is divided into 8 parts. You must use that time to find a solution.

So, you wander the sunny dirt paths of Laslea. Somehow, in spite of the clamp of the vrakhiri around your neck, even in this tiny village, the possibilities are endless. You could decide to go directly to Anca, the local herbalist, and ask for medicine for your mother and wind up spending most of the day reading Latin, soaking up every moment you can in her presence.

You could punch one of the Uriash, gigantic ram-like warriors occupying the village at Brencis’ command in an attempt to burst the boils of rage festering in your heart. You could go looking for an escaped pig or a lost neighbor, you could save the weaver by searching for a stolen tapestry commissioned by the vrakhiri, you could beat an upstart boy for insulting you, you could even uncover the start of a revolution against the vampires… but you may not be able to do it all.

You see, as long as you are wandering, watching, listening, never intervening, the sun will stay high in the sky. The Blood Mass will not arrive. The day will never turn to night.

To move time forward, you will have to choose. So you wander. You speak to an old woman weeping by an unearthed grave. You confront the man who lurks by the river. You ask your sister about the dark dreams that jolt you awake at night. You practice your sword skills on the animals in the woods. And, in your own time, you choose how your day unfolds.

Yet it is quickly made clear to you that some choices are out of your hands. There is no combination of actions and words at Coen’s disposal that can stop the Blood Mass once the sun sets. Some events have their own tides that cannot be resisted. Everyone has their own free will and no matter how earnestly you try, you can’t control the power of grief, of fear, of revenge.

The Blood Mass goes poorly. Decisions are made by you and your family that cannot be taken back, and deep in the night, you wake up in the bowels of Laslea’s silver mine with a strange new hunger. You are no longer fully human.

The wrath of the vrakhiri at the defiance of Laslea has chosen you as its scion.

Brencis picked you to turn into one of his own, a familiar face to destroy your friends and neighbors as one more twist of the knife. The surviving villagers, including your father, mother, and siblings, will be made a sacrifice to his coronation in 30 days. Your family has been crammed into the darkness of a cell, your existence squeezed down into the palm of Brencis’ hand.

And yet. As the village burns, as the sun rises, you are given a new choice. All is not lost. The light of the sun does not burn you, sear your flesh. Not even the vrakhiri could control this. In that moment, the world opens up, the shackles fall away. For you now have all the power and ferocity of a vampire, but all the feelings and connections of a human. You have something denied to you for so long: the ability to choose.

As you step out of the remains of your home, your village, the whole of Vale Sangora lays before you. There is a sword at your side. Your arm still aches from the magic runes Anca carved into your skin. The taste of copper lingers in the back of your throat.

You realize that, with enough blood and rage, you could rip this valley from the vrakhiri’s claws and feast upon its riches yourself. You could join the revolution, save your family and dispose of the vrakhiri. You could wash your hands of the entire affair and pursue whatever pleasures the next moment offers you.

You are a unique thing, Dawnwalker, and no one will ever write a future quite like yours. A new day is beginning; how will you spend it?

The Blood of Dawnwalker rises on PlayStation 5 this September 3, 2026.

(For Southeast Asia) PlayStation Store: June 2026’s top downloads

(For Southeast Asia) PlayStation Store: June 2026’s top downloads https://ift.tt/hKj5eVo

It’s time to see which PS5, PS4, PS VR2, and free-to-play games topped last month’s download charts. In June, Sports games (NBA 2k26 and EA SPORTS FC 26) and DAVE THE DIVER from South Korea studio topped Asia charts while creepy, empty spaces took over the charts as Escape the Backrooms topped the charts in US/Canada.  

Check out the full listings below. What titles are you playing this month?

PS5 Games

US/Canada	Asia
Escape the Backrooms	NBA 2K26
007 First Light	EA SPORTS FC 26
UFC 6	DAVE THE DIVER
EA SPORTS FC 26	007 First Light
NBA 2K26	Resident Evil 4
Minecraft	Forza Horizon 5
NBA THE RUN	FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH
Grand Theft Auto V	It Takes Two
LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight	The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales
MLB The Show 26	Ghost of Yōtei
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7	UFC 6
Forza Horizon 5	Grand Theft Auto V
Resident Evil 4	The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Ghost of Yōtei	TEKKEN 8
Mortal Kombat 1	FINAL FANTASY TACTICS – The Ivalice Chronicles
FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH	Moving Out 2
ARK: Survival Ascended	Split Fiction
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor	Gran Turismo 7
Ready or Not	CONTROL Ultimate Edition
Poppy Playtime: Chapter 5	Hogwarts Legacy

*Naming of products may differ between regions
*Upgrades not included

PS4 Games

US/Canada	Asia
Red Dead Redemption 2	Red Dead Redemption 2
Gang Beasts	Blasphemous
Batman: Arkham Knight	UNCHARTED: The Nathan Drake Collection
STAR WARS Battlefront II	Call of Duty: WWII
Call of Duty: Black Ops III	Shadow of the Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition
Need for Speed Heat	EA SPORTS FC 26
Minecraft	Watch Dogs 2
Cuphead	SEKIRO: SHADOWS DIE TWICE
UNCHARTED The Nathan Drake Collection	Need for Speed Heat
LEGO Marvel Super Heroes	NBA 2K26
The Forest	God of War III Remastered
EA SPORTS FC 26	A Way Out
Resident Evil 6	Resident Evil 6
Call of Duty: WWII	Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition
God of War	Rise of the Tomb Raider: 20 Year Celebration
Grand Theft Auto V	Dying Light
RESIDENT EVIL 5	Minecraft Dungeons
A Way Out	Detroit: Become Human
NBA 2K26	Grand Theft Auto V
Blasphemous	LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2

*Naming of products may differ between regions

PS VR2 Games*

US/Canada	Asia
I Am Cat	Beat Saber
Beat Saber	Moss II VR
Among Us 3D: VR	Arizona Sunshine VR 2
Job Simulator	Gun Club VR
Arizona Sunshine VR 2	Angry Birds VR: Isle of Pigs
Escape – Backrooms Horror VR	Metro Awakening
Synapse	Arizona Sunshine VR Remake
Metro Awakening	Horizon Call of the Mountain
Arizona Sunshine VR Remake	Crossfire: Sierra Squad
GORN 2	Subside

*PlayStation Store purchases only. Game upgrades or games bundled with hardware not included

Free to Play (PS5 + PS4)

US/Canada	Asia
Fortnite	eFootball
Roblox	NTE: Neverness to Everness
Call of Duty: Warzone	Roblox
Rocket League	Where Winds Meet (F2P)
Marvel Rivals	Delta Force (F2P)
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege – Free Access	Asphalt Legends
Apex Legends	PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS
Fall Guys	Genshin Impact
Asphalt Legends	Wuthering Waves × Cyberpunk
eFootball	Fall Guys

Share of the Week: Sparks

Share of the Week: Sparks https://ift.tt/g0w9OrW

Last week, we asked you to share sparks and fireworks using #PSshare #PSBlog. Here are this week’s highlights:

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call_me_xavii shares Sam taking in spinning fireworks in Death Stranding 2: On The Beach

JAA_PhMode_0510 shares some use of spark bokeh in Cyberpunk 2077

Couch_Gamer2k23 shares Arjun dodging blue orbs and sparks in Saros

RhodWulfLeon shares Cal surrounded by sparks as he fights in Star Wars Jedi Survivor

Taser9001 shares Cloud fighting a mech surrounded by sparks in Final Fantasy VII Remake

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4mllr shares Stacy and the gang taking in fireworks in Mixtape

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: Portraits
SUBMIT BY: 11:59 PM PT on July 8, 2026 

Next week, zoom in on your favorite characters and share detailed portraits from the game of your choice. Use #PSshare #PSBlog for a chance to be featured.