The calendar has flipped over to December, and while Microsoft isn't ready to reveal all the games headed to Game Pass this month, the company has announced one: Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled. The racing game from Activision hits Game Pass on December 4.

This might not be the only Crash game headed to Game Pass soon, as an Amazon Fire Stick leak suggests Crash Bandicoot 4 is also coming to Game Pass. This is unconfirmed for now, though. Before this, Crash Bandicoot N' Sane Trilogy came to Game Pass this past August.

Other games confirmed for Game Pass in December include Overthrown (December 5) and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle (December 8).

From Software is not currently considering Elden Ring 2, according to studio boss Hidetaka Miyazaki. He confirmed this during a speech following a recent awards ceremony where the game's Shadow of the Erdtree expansion took home an award.

Asked about the expansion of the Elden Ring franchise, Miyazaki said, as reported by IGN Japan and Automaton, "We're not really considering developments such as an Elden Ring 2."

While there may be no sequel plans currently, Miyazaki said the Elden Ring franchise could return "in some form in the future." Miyazaki previously said people have expressed interest in making an Elden Ring movie, but no such project has been officially announced.

The recently announced changes to Fortnite Crew have been accompanied by some unpopular changes to XP gains in Chapter 6 Season 1, with progress slowing compared with past seasons--a jarring shift after the just-ended Remix season was overly generous with XP.

As with every new Fortnite season, players spent Chapter 6's launch day binge-playing the new battle royale map and trying out all the new weapons and items. But a lot of folks noticed something odd after playing all day--they weren't as far along in the new battle pass as they'd normally expect to be. Whereas dedicated players could usually earn 20 or 30 levels just from playing a lot on day 1, this time around, a lot of folks (including myself) found their gains grinding to a halt before they hit double digits.

This is reportedly the result of some newly implemented major changes to how XP is primarily gained in Fortnite. Season-long milestones for battle royale have been removed entirely, there is now just one set of three daily quests for all modes combined instead of quests for each mode, and XP in other modes (Lego, Reload, OG, Festival, Save the World, and Creative) is now primarily time-based and hard-capped weekly--it only takes a few hours to reach the cap, and after that gains are reduced to a trickle.

A low-quality video of what appears to be a Nintendo Switch 2 has emerged, prompting fan speculation over the as-yet-unseen console and the validity of this footage.

The video was posted on Chinese video site Bibli and was first spotted by Nintendo Soup (via Kotaku). The footage appears to show someone removing a joycon from the side of the Switch 2 screen by simply pulling it off. The controllers themselves seem to sport infrared sensors (on both the left and right joycons) and bigger shoulder buttons. This matches previous leaks, which suggested that the Switch 2 would have magnetic joycons and a more complex controller layout, though it would also maintain the same basic design as the original Switch. However, the blurry footage could be fake, and feature a version of the console constructed using information from prior leaks.

Details about the upcoming console are still scant. Nintendo has confirmed that an official announcement of the Switch 2 will arrive before April 2025. The console was previously rumored to release in 2024, but reports early this year claimed it had been delayed. The Switch 2 specs are still up in the air, though a Digital Foundry report claimed that the system would use an Nvidia custom T239 processor. Nintendo recently confirmed that the successor will be backwards compatible. Nintendo Switch Online will also carry over to the new system. At least one game has already been announced for the upcoming console.

PlayStation Portal - 30th Anniversary Edition

$220

See at PlayStation Direct

The 30th Anniversary PlayStation consoles and accessories were restocked at various retailers today for Cyber Monday. While most of these restocks sold out immediately, the 30th Anniversary PlayStation Portal handheld is still available for $220 via PlayStation Direct.

PlayStation Portal - 30th Anniversary Edition

$220

PlayStation Direct is the official PlayStation retail portal, so you're getting the device directly from Sony. PS Direct requires you to sign in with your PSN account before you can buy. All orders are eligible for free standard shipping.

See at PlayStation Direct

The PlayStation Portal is a handheld device used for streaming gameplay directly from your PS5 over Wi-Fi. The device does not play games natively. Design-wise, it looks like a DualSense PS5 controller with an 8-inch LCD screen. The Portal supports DualSense features like adaptive triggers and haptic feedback and can stream gameplay at up to 1080p resolutions and 60fps. Like other 30th Anniversary PlayStation devices, this version of the Portal features a gray color scheme and colored face buttons that resemble the original PlayStation 1 console and its DualShock controller.

Stocks are limited, and given how popular all the 30th Anniversary consoles and accessories are, chances are the Portal will sell out soon. If you've been considering buying one, now is the time.

If you're looking to help a new D&D player get into the tabletop RPG, make sure you pick up Dungeons & Dragons: The Young Adventurer's Collection Box Set while it's on sale for just $15 (normally $35) during Cyber Monday. This four-book collection is designed to introduce new players to everything from gearing up their characters with weapons and magic spells to surviving in dungeons.

Dungeons & Dragons - The Young Adventurer's Collection Box Set

$15 (was $35)

This collection includes four paperback volumes aimed at younger readers--though they can be helpful for newcomers of all ages. Monsters & Creatures is a bestiary of various beasts that populate D&D's many realms; Warriors & Weapons is all about weapons, armor, and adventuring equipment; Wizards & Spells introduces new players to the magical aspects of the D&D universe; and Dungeons & Tombs overviews the mazes and caverns they'll be exploring.

See at Amazon

The Young Adventurer's Collection Box Set 2

$22.37 (was $35)

You can supplement the first collection with The Young Adventurer's Collection Box Set 2, which is also on sale for $22.37 ($35). This includes four more paperback books that overview the many worlds and dimensions of the D&D universe and the many monsters, magical items, and treasures found therein.

See at Amazon

Both Young Adventurer's box sets feature paperback editions of the books, but hardcover editions are also available as standalone releases, and most are available at a discount--including a few books from the series that aren't part of either collection, like Characters & Quests. Check the list below for links to the discounted Young Adventurer box sets and hardcover editions.

For experienced adventurers or readers who want something written for an older audience, the new Worlds & Realms: Adventures From Greyhawk to Faerun And Beyond hardcover book is another excellent overview of the D&D universe. It's packed with in-universe lore, history, and short shorties, as well as art from every edition of D&D released over its 50-year run. You can pick it up at Amazon for just $25 (was $50).

Walmart's Cyber Monday deals include a big discount for a big Bluey plushie. The three-foot-tall My Size Bluey plush is down to just $30 (was $50), making now the perfect time to grab the collectible if you're shopping for a holiday gift.

My Size Bluey Plush

$30 (was $50)

The My Size Bluey plush measures 36 inches tall and 14 inches wide. It's crafted with soft fabrics and is generously stuffed, making it a great companion for sleeping, cuddling, or play. You'll only find this $30 deal at Walmart, and it's only sticking around for Cyber Monday, so grab it while you can. While Walmart's page doesn't list how many are left, considering how popular Bluey is (with kids and adults alike), there's a good chance this could sell out before the sale ends.

See at Walmart

If you're looking for alternatives, there are several other stuffed Blue figures and toys on sale right now. Over at Amazon, you can pick up the 13-inch Talking Bluey Plush Toy for $20 (was $29), the 19-inch Bluey Plush Pillow Buddy for $21.23 (was $25), or the 15-inch Bluey Snuggle Pillow for $19 (was $28).

It's also worth mentioning that Walmart has big discounts on 24-inch Pokemon plushies, with multiple pocket monsters like Charizard, Pikachu, Eevee, Snorlax, and Gengar.

There's a new era for NASCAR games coming in 2025, but fans may want to grab the previous titles while they still can. Motorsport Games, the company that until recently held the rights to make NASCAR racing games, has announced that all of its NASCAR titles and associated DLC will be pulled from digital storefronts on December 31.

The silver lining from that announcement is that titles like NASCAR Heat, NASCAR Rivals, and NASCAR: Ignition will be going on sale before the games are delisted. All of the affected games and their physical disc counterparts will remain playable after January 1, 2025, they just won't be directly available for online purchases.

NASCAR branded games date back to 1991 with Bill Elliott's NASCAR Challenge, and the license has been utilized by several different gaming publishers over the decades. The current NASCAR rights holder is iRacing, which reportedly plans to release NASCAR '25 across all consoles and PC in Fall 2025.

Zelda: Hyrule Crest Metal Puzzle

$15 (was $32)

See at Amazon

Zelda: Master Sword Metal Puzzle

$15 (was $32)

See at Amazon

Zelda: Triforce Metal Puzzle

$15 (was $32)

See at Amazon

A trio of officially licensed metal puzzles themed around The Legend of Zelda are on sale for over 50% off at Amazon for Cyber Monday. You can get brain teasers shaped as the Triforce, Hyrule Crest, and Master Sword for $15 each. This is the best price we've seen for all three models. When we initially wrote about these back in April, each puzzle was selling for close to full price.

The Legend of Zelda: Hanayama Metal Brain Teasers

• Triforce -- $15 ($32) | Level 4 - Hard
• Hyrule Crest -- $15 ($32) | Level 5 - Expert
• Master Sword-- $15 ($32) | Level 6 - Grand Master

Designed by Japanese manufacturer Hanayama, each Zelda brain teaser has the same objective: take it apart, then put it back together. While that may sound pretty easy, these are dubbed brain teasers for a reason. Hanayama's puzzles have Mensa difficulty ratings ranging from one to six, and all three Zelda puzzles are Level 4 (hard) or higher. For those unfamiliar with Mensa, it's a society for people with high IQs (98th percentile or better).

Even if you can't figure out how to solve the brain teaser, you're at least getting a high-quality metal collectible to display on your desk. Hanayama notes that these puzzles are suitable for ages 12 and up--but many adults will likely run into some trouble trying to deconstruct and rebuild these puzzles.

Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl may have arrived with more issues than the developers would have liked, but it's almost a miracle it came out at all considering the ongoing war in Ukraine. Now, Russian propaganda outlets are trying to spread the wild claim that Stalker 2 is somehow drafting players into the Ukraine military to fight off the Russian invasion.

As first reported by 404 Media, the video is being spread on Telegram with false claims that it originated from a report by Wired. Emails have also been sent to journalists claiming that Ukrainian developer GSC Game World is helping the government of Ukraine find "citizens suitable for mobilization" through an embedded program that collects player data and locations. It also contends that Ukraine provided funding for Stalker 2's development in exchange for that data.

PC Gamer points out that the video also encourages Stalker 2 fans to play the game with a VPN to avoid this supposed data collection. This suggests that the primary target of the propaganda isn't players in the West or in Ukraine, but rather fans in Russia. The Stalker franchise was popular in Russia before the invasion, and it remains so now. The video is likely an attempt to dissuade Russian players from engaging with the game or anything else that portrays Ukraine in a positive light.

With the launch of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle around the corner, interest in the original film series starring Harrison Ford will probably spike. The first four movies are streaming on Prime Video and Paramount+, and 2023's Dial of Destiny is on Disney+. If you prefer to own your movies, there's a four-film collection on Blu-ray and 4K Blu-ray. And the timing of the game's release is kind of perfect, as Amazon's Cyber Monday sale includes deals on the collections in both formats. You can even get a 4K collection with a steelbook case for each movie.

Indiana Jones 4-Movie Collection:

• Indiana Jones 4-Movie Collection (4K Blu-ray) -- $53 ($91)
• Indiana Jones 4-Movie Collection (Blu-ray) -- $32.49 ($48)
• Indiana Jones 4-Movie Limited Edition Steelbook Collection (4K Blu-ray) -- $91 ($112)

Amazon also has deals on individual movies in the franchise, in case you only want to watch your favorite. Notably, the steelbook editions of Temple of Doom and the Last Crusade are cheaper than the non-steelbook editions thanks to Cyber Monday.

A new report alleges that PC hardware company NZXT's PC rental program is "shady and manipulative." The video from Gamers Nexus (via The Verge) accuses NZXT of changing prices and parts between "purchase" and "rental" versions of prebuilt PCs with the same (or similar) names.

For context, NZXT's Flex program allows customers to rent prebuilt gaming PCs starting at $59 (though a renter would need to provide a monitor, keyboard, and mouse). Gamers Nexus claims that specs and prices of prebuilt PC models change depending on whether you select "buy" or "rent." The exact prices and specs can change "day to day" according to the video.

For example, the video shows that a "Player: Three Prime" model PC contained an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 if a customer was set to buy it, whereas the rental version contained an RTX 4080 Super. However, the performance estimates--showing expected frame rates in certain games--did not change between the two models, despite containing significantly different hardware. These specs allegedly changed multiple times while Gamers Nexus was completing its report.

Tencent has unveiled its latest creation--an open-world survival game called Light of Motiram--and although the game's recently released trailer is visually stunning, viewers can't help but notice the game bears a striking resemblance to Horizon Zero Dawn and Horizon Forbidden West.

Set in an ancient-yet-futuristic open world where players must craft items, maintain survival stats, and battle strange robotic beasts called Mechanimals, Light of Motiram certainly seems to be riffing on the Horizon aesthetic. The game's environments, polygonal robot creatures, and even its tall grass all seem to be heavily inspired by the Horizon playbook, but Light of Motiram seems to have drawn inspiration from other games as well.

At various points in both Light of Motiram's cinematic trailer and its gameplay footage, the player can be seen accompanied by a small, floating robot with a synthetic "eye" in the center of the device. The airborne gadgets look nearly identical to Destiny's Ghosts, and seem to have a somewhat similar function, scanning objects in the environment. (Unlike Ghosts, however, these little bots don't appear to revive downed players.)

Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp, a free-to-play game launched in 2017 for mobile devices, is now available in a "Complete" edition for $10. This new version of the game does away with Pocket Camp's microtransactions in exchange for a set price point, at least to begin with. After January 30, 2025, the price will double.

The game has the same features as the previous edition, as well as some new ones. For example, players can import their own custom designs from Animal Crossing: New Horizons on Switch. Players can assign the custom designs to clothing, and items like umbrellas, walkways, and flooring, among other things.

• Download at iTunes
• Download at Google Play

Anyone who already played Pocket Camp when it was free can continue their journey. Players can link their Pocket Camp app to their Nintendo Account to transfer save data to the Complete edition to do this, but they must do so by June 1, 2025.

Horizon fans are eating well this year with impressive remasters and spin-offs, but for Cyber Monday, you can get them coolest gift of all: the elusive Lego Horizon Forbidden West Tallneck set. Amazon normally sells the 1,222-piece Horizon Tallneck for $105, but you can snag it for only $63. We expect this deal to sell out fast.

Horizon Forbidden West: Tallneck Lego Set (1,222 Pieces)

$63 ($105)

The Tallneck Lego set has been retired for a while now, and it's not available at any other major retailers. Amazon restocked it relatively recently, but the strange thing is the retailer started selling it for above the original $90 list price. For the past few months if you wanted to build this very cool display model, you would have had to spend $100 or more. This $63 deal price isn't the lowest ever, but it's not far off.

Bluey: Seasons 1 & 2 (DVD)

$12.49 (was $25)

See at Amazon

36-inch Bluey Plush

$30 (was $50)

See at Walmart

Bluey is wonderful. You may have heard your friends talk about the wholesome and hilarious animated series on Disney Plus and thought, gee, I sure would like to own the misadventures of a tight-knit Australian dog family on physical media. Good news for you (and your kids), Amazon's Cyber Monday sale includes Bluey: Seasons 1 and 2 for only $12.49, which is 50% off its $25 list price. You could pair this set with Season 3 for $10 (was $15) to get the complete Bluey experience for only $22.49 total.

Bluey: Seasons 1 & 2 (DVD)

$12.49 (was $25)

The Seasons 1 and 2 DVD set contains 103 episodes across four discs, including all of the episodes that made the Heeler family into breakout stars. These include some of the very best and meme-able episodes, like Grannies, Camping, Sleepytime, and Magic Claw.

Bluey Season 3 contains 50 episodes, including The Sign, a long episode that made lots of adult viewers reach for a box of tissues, and other gems such as Family Meeting and Cricket.

See at Amazon

36-inch Bluey Plush

$30 (was $50)

Walmart's Cyber Monday sale includes a 36-inch Bluey plush for $30. Will this giant Bluey plush sell out before Walmart's sale ends? It's certainly possible, especially when you look at the prices for Bluey plushies of this size at Amazon.

The retailer also has big Pokemon plushies discounted to $25. These Pokemon plushies are only 24 inches, which means if you bought Bluey and Snorlax, Bluey would be larger. Walmart has Eevee, Snorlax, Pikachu, and Gengar in stock.

See at Walmart

If you're looking for an easy way to play some classic retro games on the go, you can grab the My Arcade Tetis Pocket Player Pro for just $22.49 (normally $40) at Amazon. allowing you to play one of the greatest video games of all time without any annoying distractions.

My Arcade Tetris Pocket Player Pro

$22.49 ($40)

Dune: Exposures

$30 (was $60)

See at Amazon

The Art and Soul of Dune: Part One & Part Two

Save 50% at Amazon

See at Amazon

Amazon has a bunch of gaming and entertainment art books for 50% off during its Cyber Monday sale, including three great books focused on Denis Villeneuve's Dune adaptation series. The Art and Soul of Dune: Part One is on sale for $25 (was $50), while The Art and Soul of Dune: Part Two is available for $30 (was $60). If you're interested in the creative process, these books detail the journey of each film from conception to finished movie.

• The Art and Soul of Dune: Part One -- $25 ($50)
• The Art and Soul of Dune: Part Two -- $30 ($60)
• Dune: Exposures -- $30 ($60)

Dune 2-Film Collection (4K UHD)

$30 (was $55)

See deal at Amazon

Last year's Super Mario Bros. Movie was a runaway success, and if you still haven't seen it, you can get a 4K Blu-ray version of the delightful animated film for just $13 as part of this Cyber Monday promotion. The great thing about this Blu-ray is that it comes with the film on 4K and standard Blu-ray discs, as well as a digital streaming code to help maximize your viewing options.

For the special features, the film comes with behind-the-scenes featurettes, a field guide to The Super Mario Bros. universe, leadership lessons from Peach's voice actor Anya Taylor-Joy, and a Peaches music video. Apologies in advance if your kids keep this on an eternal loop. A big hit when it first came out, The Super Mario Bros. Movie earned rave reviews at the box office and was a huge commercial success as well.

"With a surprisingly great performance from Chris Pratt as Mario, The Super Mario Bros. Movie sees Nintendo's favorite plumber and his brother (voiced by Charlie Day) whisked away to the Mushroom Kingdom, where they join forces with Princess Peach to stop the mighty Bowser. "More than just another cartoon comedy, The Super Mario Bros. Movie is a surprisingly great action flick," Phil Owen wrote in GameSpot's The Super Mario Bros. film review. "Both pretty funny and also just plain pretty--this movie is a feast for the eyes."