There have been some unique throwback games over the years, but SpreadCheat looks like it's going to be in a category all of its own. Games People Play and Rubarb are developing the upcoming puzzle title, which invites the player to use a Excel-like program to commit a little financial fraud in the name of hitting your company's fiscal targets.
Although Games People Play describes SpreadCheat as capturing "a retro Windows 3.11 setting," the actual character models and backgrounds look like mid-'80s computer graphics. The player's character is a recently hired employee who has to cook the books, so to speak. Essentially, players have to create and manipulate spreadsheet data so it looks like the company is hitting its financial goals. In the real world, this would all be wildly illegal. But in the context of the game, it's played for laughs. One thing we're not clear about is whether the player can be caught and punished for their financial malfeasance by the authorities.
The pseudo-Excel program used in the game features its own version of Microsoft's Clippy, the annoying virtual Office assistant that would pop up whenever users would forget to turn it off. Perhaps the fake Clippy in this game will actually be useful, which would be a nice change.
A bunch of PlayStation Studios games are on sale for Black Friday, but if you're looking for one that has the heart and charm of an old-school platformer, Astro Bot is an easy recommendation. It's on sale for the first time at multiple retailers, including Amazon and Best Buy. Normally $60, Astro Bot is up for grabs for $50 for a limited time.
If you missed it when it first launched in September, Astro Bot is a charming adventure game that mixes beautifully designed levels with fun platforming gameplay. For anyone who has owned multiple generations of gaming hardware--specifically, PlayStation consoles--Astro Bot is also effortlessly charming as it features hundreds of little bots modeled after characters from some of the best video games of all time, like Bloodborne, Legacy of Kain, and Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance.
"Team Asobi cements itself as an essential PlayStation studio with an imaginative platformer for the ages," Mark Delaney wrote in GameSpot's Astro Bot review.
Blizzard is holding another PTR (Public Test Realm) for Diablo 4, testing some of the new features and content that will be arriving in Season 7 next year. Here's everything Diablo 4 players on PC will be able to preview during the 2.1 update test period, which will run December 3-10.
One of the major new features previewed in the 2.1 PTR is the Armory, a new feature that will allow players to swap between different builds easily. The Armory lets you save, load, and name your favorite character builds, with five different built slots allotted per character. Loadouts will save a character's equipped items, Paragon Board and Glyphs, skill selections, and class mechanic. Switching between them will display the relevant details at a glance.
2.1 will also let players master Witchcraft, with three new schools of Hawezar sorcery to learn. These include Eldritch, which focuses on destructive energies and polymorphy; Psyche, a defensive magic based on mind and spirit; and Growth & Decay, a type of magic based on the dichotomy of healing and harming.
Star Wars Outlaws is starting a new chapter this week with the launch of the game's first story DLC, Wild Card. To mark the occasion, Ubisoft has dropped a launch trailer that explains how Kay Vess and her friends get drawn into an adventure alongside the legendary Lando Calrissian. But it looks like they'll be on opposite sides at the start.
An outlaw's reputation means everything in the underworld, which is how the Empire is able to successfully blackmail Kay into working for them on this mission. If she refuses, the Empire will simply let it be known that Kay is one of their operatives and the various syndicates will mark her for death. To keep the Empire off of her back, Kay also has to win a high-stakes Sabacc tournament against some of the game's best players--who may also be flagrant cheaters like Lando.
Naturally, this arrangement is destined to go sideways as Lando and Kay escape on her ship. From there, we're not sure where the story is going, but it's an encouraging way to tease the DLC. Ubisoft has also dropped a massive update for the game that--among other things--does away with forced stealth missions. From now on, Kay can shoot her way out of some tight spots without failing her mission. Most of the major gameplay changes are laid out in the new video below.
Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto VI took home the "Most Wanted Game" award at the Golden Joysticks this week, and in an acceptance speech, a developer teased "absolutely mind-blowing things" to come from the game.
"There's an incredible amount of people doing amazing things on Grand Theft Auto 6. Absolutely mind-blowing things so it's a real honor to be able to come up here and accept this award on everyone's behalf," the developer said (via Rockstar Intel).
GTA 6 winning the award for most-anticipated upcoming game is no surprise at all given the incredible amount of hype surrounding the game, which is set for release in Fall 2025. GTA 6 is also nominated for the Most Anticipated award at December's The Game Awards.
The PlayStation VR 2 is a great virtual reality headset with a steep asking price. But during PlayStation's Black Friday sale, which is live now at major retailers, the PSVR 2 is a great VR headset with a very enticing asking price. For a limited time, you can get the PSVR 2 for only $350. Better yet, the deal applies to both the standalone headset and the Horizon Call of the Mountain PSVR 2 bundle. The bundle normally costs $600, so you're saving a whopping $250.
If you don't own a PS5 yet, PlayStation's Black Friday sale includes big discounts on the PS5 Slim and PS5 Slim Digital. But you don't actually need a PS5 console to play games on PSVR 2. A few months back, PlayStation released a $60 adapter for PC that unlocked support for SteamVR. If you have a powerful enough gaming rig, the PSVR 2 is even more of a bargain as a PC VR headset.
Equipped with two 2000 x 2040 OLED displays, 4K HDR visuals, 3D Audio, and intelligent eye tracking, the PSVR 2 is a powerful virtual reality headset. The headset and the included pair of Sense controllers offer immersive haptic feedback.
As mentioned, the Horizon Call of the Mountain Bundle is the same price as the standalone headset, so there's no reason to not get the bundle. Unless, of course, you don't like getting $60 games for free. Call of the Mountain is one of the most visually impressive games on the platform.
We wouldn't be surprised if this bundle sells out fast, so you should move fast if interested.
That said, if the bundle sells out, getting the PSVR 2 on its own for $350 is still an awesome deal.
Virtual reality is more immersive with headphones or earbuds, but it's not always easy to find a comfy pair for gaming in VR. You shouldn't have that problem with PlayStation's Pulse audio gear, as both the headset and earbuds are comfortable to use while wearing the headset. The Pulse Explore Wireless Earbuds are discounted to $170 (was $200) for Black Friday. This is the first big discount on PlayStation's first pair of wireless earbuds. You can also save $20 on the over-ear Pulse Elite Wireless Headset, which drops the price to only $130 (was $150).
PlayStation's Black Friday sale also includes a long list of PS5 accessory and video game deals, making this a great time to check out all of PlayStation's best first-party games for cheap. From discounted DualSense controllers to low prices on games like God of War Ragnarok and Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, here’s a look at other great Black Friday PlayStation deals. Once you’re done browsing all these offers, head over to our Black Friday Hub for deals on Lego sets, board games, video games, and more.
PlayStation's DualSense Wireless Controllers haven't received official discounts all year, but Black Friday is here to save your wallet. The colorful range of DualSense Controllers are on sale for $55-$60 each at multiple major retailers. PlayStation recently raised the price of its controllers to $75-$80, so you're saving $20 on each model. If you're shopping for a PlayStation 5 or PC gamer and have no idea what to buy, you really can't go wrong with an extra controller, especially one that is very rarely discounted and is available in some very cool colors.
Even the Chroma Collection models that launched earlier this month are included in the sale. You can grab the eye-catching Chroma Indigo and Chroma Pearl DualSense Controllers for $60 each.
Check out both PlayStation Pulse audio deals and more discounts below. For a comprehensive look at PlayStation's official holiday deals, take a look at our roundup of the best PS5 Black Friday deals.
These wireless earbuds are design specifically for PS5, featuring full support for the console's Tempest 3D spatial audio, plus other gaming-focused features like built-in noise-canceling mics for voice chat.
The Pulse Explore earbuds come with a charging case and six earbud tips to help you fine-tune the fit. They connect wirelessly to your PS5, PC, and Mac with the included PlayStation Link adapter. These also have Bluetooth, so you can sync them to other devices like your Steam Deck, Nintendo Switch, and smartphone. The Pulse Explore supports simultaneous PlayStation Link and Bluetooth wireless connections.
If you'd prefer a more traditional audio option, PlayStation is also discounting its Pulse Elite Wireless Headset to $130 (was $150). The over-ear headset is compatible with PS5, PC, and Mac with the PlayStation Link adapter that comes with the headset. It also features a boom microphone and onboard audio controls. Like the Pulse Explore, the Elite headset offers simultaneous PlayStation Link and Bluetooth wireless connections.
PlayStation's Pulse earbuds and headphones are just two of the big Black Friday deals on PS5 products. Plenty of PlayStation console-exclusive games are on sale, too. Some of the biggest discounts we're seeing here--that will make very good use of those earbuds--include Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth for $40 (was $70), The Last of Us Part 1 for $30 (was $70), and Returnal for $30 (was $70).
The Last of Us is one of Sony's biggest first-party franchises, and for Black Friday, you can grab remasters of both chapters for cheap at Amazon. The PS5 version of The Last of Us Part 1 is discounted to $30 (was $70) and Part 2 is on sale for $40 (was $50). These deals are available at multiple retailers, including Amazon, Walmart, and Best Buy--so if one retailer sells out, be sure to check the other to see if the games are still available. If you pick up both games, you 're saving $50 overall, which matches the best price yet for the series on PlayStation 5.
Developed by Naughty Dog, The Last of Us games are set in a post-apocalyptic version of the US where fungal infection has pushed humanity to the brink of extinction. This PS5 remake of the PS3 original follows Joel, a survivor of the outbreak who is hired to escort a young girl, Ellie, across the US on a top-secret mission. It features enhanced graphics, all-new vocal and motion capture performances from the original cast, and new quality-of-life tweaks to the gameplay.
The Last of Us Part II is set several years after the first game. While it features familiar faces in the leading roles, it also introduces new playable characters and storylines that take the saga in surprising--and even darker--directions. The game originally launched on PS4, but this PS5 remastered version upgrades the visuals and gameplay performance.
Amazon has plenty of other deals on PlayStation games and hardware, inclduing first-party exclusives like God of War Ragnarok for $30 (was $70) and Marvel's Spider-Man 2 for $40 (was $70). If you don't have a PS5 yet, you can pick up the consoles for $375 for a limited time. The best option here is a PS5 Digital Edition console that comes bundled with NBA 2K25, but you can also grab one with a disc drive for $425 in case you want to enjoy watching some 4K Blu-rays on it. Check out all the PlayStation Black Friday Amazon deals below. If you're looking for more savings, head over to GameSpot's Black Friday hub for the latest discounts on games from other consoles, Blu-rays, figures, and more.
PlayStation's official Black Friday deals include the best prices of the year on PS5 Slim consoles, DualSense controllers, Pulse Explore earbuds, and a bunch of first-party games. We've rounded up the best PS5 Black Friday deals below, most of which are available at multiple retailers. End dates for the deals vary by product, but PlayStation is positioning its deals as holiday offers, so the discounts on consoles, official accessories, and PlayStation Studios games will be available beyond Black Friday, as long as they don't sell out.
Quick look: PlayStation Holiday & Black Friday Deals
The PS5 Slim, PSVR 2, and Pulse deals are scheduled to run until December 21. PlayStation-exclusive games, with the exception of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, will be on sale until December 19. The DualSense controller deals, however, are expected to end on December 12. We'd still recommend ordering soon if you plan on buying PlayStation gear as a gift this holiday.
The carrying case is a great add-on, especially since the carrying case you have now likely isn't the right size for the Switch while attached to the Nitro Deck. But Amazon also has discounts on the Nitro Deck without a carrying case, including a Hellboy-themed edition, as well as the Nitro Deck+, which has a few new features, including two extra buttons, video out, and a modified layout.
Ranked Play has arrived in Black Ops 6's multiplayer, bringing a competitive ladder that closely follows the official rules, maps, and game modes used by the Call of Duty League (CDL), meaning this mode restricts many of the game's perks, weapons, and attachments. Here we explain everything you need to know about accessing and playing Ranked Play, as well as guide you in building some of the best ranked loadouts available.
Ranked Play is unlocked differently than in previous years. In Black Ops 6, you must first earn at least 50 wins in multiplayer. This requirement was previously explained by Treyarch as being included to ensure that players are experienced with multiplayer, and it gives the Ricochet anti-cheat team a historical match history to examine before an account enters Ranked Play.
How Ranked Play works in Black Ops 6
Just like in recent years, Ranked Play features 4v4 gameplay of Hardpoint, Control, and Search and Destroy. Friendly-fire is enabled in these modes. The featured map pool for the Call of Duty League in Black Ops 6 includes Protocol, Vault, Rewind, Skyline, and Red Card.
There are eight ranks to climb in Black Ops 6 Ranked Play, and everyone begins the season at 0 SR (Skill Rating). The ranking system progresses as follows:
Bronze – Starting Rank
Silver – 900 SR
Gold – 2,100 SR
Platinum – 3,600 SR
Diamond – 5,400 SR
Crimson – 7,500 SR
Iridescent – 10,000 SR
Top 250 – 10,000+ SR
You'll level up through these ranks as you play and earn a higher SR, and a portion of your SR is deducted with each loss. How much SR you earn will depend on various factors, which include the distance from your projected rank, individual and team performance in each match, and the margin of each match win.
Treyarch does reveal that team performance has a bigger impact on SR gained or lost in higher ranks, so that all winning playstyles are more consistently rewarded.
Ranked Play Rewards
Ranked Play rewards are available to earn, and this includes both career and seasonal rewards. Rewards are cosmetics such as operator skins, calling cards, weapon charms, and more. The Ranked Play skins can be previewed in the image above.
Best Ranked Play weapons to level up and use
Currently, pro players only use the GPR 91 and AMES 85 assault rifles. They have banned the Model L, XM4, and Krig C with gentleman's agreements, but these assault rifles are solid options that are still available at this time with the launch of Ranked Play.
The Jackal PDW is the submachine gun used by pro players, but there are a few other options in Ranked Play.
Snipers are restricted for Hardpoint and Control game modes, but the LW3A1 Frostline and LR 7.62 snipers are unbanned for Search and Destroy. However, you can only snipe with the base version of these sniper rifles, as all attachments have been deemed too powerful and banned by the pros.
The full list of restrictions for Black Ops 6 Ranked Play can be found below, as well as specific weapon builds to use.
Best Ranked Play loadout for assault rifles
Taking all of the attachment bans into consideration, the recommended options here are best suited for all assault rifles currently available to use. These attachments will help reduce recoil, as well as boost the gun's damage and range.
Recommended AR attachments:
Optic: Kepler Microflex
Muzzle: Ported Compensator
Barrel: Reinforced Barrel
Underbarrel: Vertical Foregrip
Rear Grip: Commando Grip
Best Ranked Play Jackal PDW loadout
The Jackal PDW is a powerful submachine gun used by CDL players. The suggested attachments are used by many of the pros, and these will help boost the damage and range of the Jackal PDW, as well as provide you with better mobility.
Recommended Jackal PDW attachments:
Muzzle: Compensator
Barrel: Reinforced Barrel
Underbarrel: Vertical Foregrip
Rear Grip: Ergonomic Grip
Stock: Balanced Stock
Best Ranked Play PP-919 loadout
Currently, the PP-919 isn't a favorite in the pro circuit, but it is available in Ranked Play. This is a really easy-to-use submachine gun, and the recommended attachments will help reduce recoil as well as provide better movement speeds.
Recommended PP-919 attachments:
Muzzle: Compensator
Barrel: Gain Twist Barrel
Rear Grip: Quickdraw Grip
Stock: No Stock
Fire Mods: Recoil Springs
Best Ranked Play Stryder .22 loadout
The Stryder .22 is the only secondary weapon available in Ranked Play, and only three attachment slots are given to customize the gun. You do have a few options for optic attachments, but by far the best and most popular option is the Kepler Microflex.
Recommended Stryder .22 attachments:
Optic: Kepler Microflex
Magazine: Fast Mag II
Rear Grip: Quickdraw Grip
Best perks and equipment to use
Unfortunately, you don't get many options for perks and equipment. Ninja is the best first perk for Search and Destroy, while you'll want to equip Flak Jacket for the respawn modes. Flashbangs are the best tactical equipment available, however, you can make a smoke class to use for search and Destroy. It's best to tailor and label at least one class towards Search and Destroy. Otherwise, this is how you'll want to build your loadouts for most classes:
Melee: Knife
Perk 1: Ninja / Flak Jacket
Perk 2: Fast Hands
Perk 3: Double Time
Wildcard: Perk Greed
Perk Greed: Dexterity
Lethal: Frag or Semtex
Tactical: Flashbang
Field Upgrade: Trophy System
Best perks and equipment to use
Unfortunately, you don't get many options for perks and equipment. Ninja is the best first perk for Search and Destroy, while you'll want to equip Flak Jacket for the respawn modes. Flashbangs are the best tactical equipment available, however, you can make a smoke class to use for search and Destroy. It's best to tailor and label at least one class towards Search and Destroy. Otherwise, this is how you'll want to build your loadouts for most classes:
When the Fortnite Chapter 5 and Remix Finale event takes the stage in-game on November 30, it will feature a pack of four iconic musical artists: Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Ice Spice, and Juice WRLD. Like previous in-game concerts, such as those starring Travis Scott and Ariana Grande, the event is likely to be a kaleidoscopic audiovisual roller coaster. Still, by including the late Juice WRLD, who passed away in 2019, this in-game concert will also be decidedly different from any before seen in Fortnite: It will be the first to use an artist's likeness posthumously, something that Hollywood is also grappling with as of late.
GameSpot recently spoke to Nate Nanzer, Epic's head of global partnerships, in a music-focused interview that hit on the developer-publisher's decision to bring Juice WRLD, whose real name is Jarad Anthony Higgins, to Fortnite. Nanzer told me Epic had long hoped to do something like this with the late artist and explained why the company feels now is the right time.
"It's something that our players have been asking for for years and years and years, and we've wanted to do it, but we wanted to find the right moment," Nanzer said. "We obviously want to do it in the most respectful way possible. We worked very closely with his mom and his label, and we were able to find the right moment where it felt right, around this event, and he has new music coming out, so all the stars kind of aligned around this moment."
Much has been made about Avowed's approach to its setting, the Living Lands, and the fact that it is not an open-world game. Instead, Avowed's world is made up of "open zones"--large geographical areas that are interconnected with other large areas, much like a previous game from developer Obsidian, The Outer Worlds.
At least in the first of Avowed's areas, that means that Obsidian has put a focus on making sure that the entire space provides interesting adventures. Whether you're chasing side quests handed out by random characters populating the Living Lands' biggest city, Paradis, or just rambling through the area to see what's there, there are plenty of rewards for exploration. There are bandit camps, ruins, half-destroyed hovels, and groups of dead soldiers surrounding the corpses of huge bears. The Living Lands is a place dense with stories and thick with secrets to uncover, and even wandering aimlessly through the wilderness feels like an adventure unto itself.
"We have these open zones, and they're expansive, they have a lot of breadth of them, but they're manageable enough for our team size to be able to handcraft every part of them and to fill them to the adequate amount of density that we want in that environment," said region director Berto Ritger in an interview with GameSpot. "So we don't want big, big, long expanses, of just grass, that has nothing going on. There are moments of serenity and calm in the environment, but there's always a little bit of something. And we try to have enough variety as well with those things where you're not finding the same corpse of the potion in his hand over and over."
Peter Stormare's popular Call of Duty character The Replacer has built his entire identity around stepping in for people at their jobs so they can play COD. Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 took things a step further by lining up The Replacer as a playable in-game operator. So it's only fitting that The Replacer's finishing moves reflect himFFdoing what he does best in an over-the-top manner.
The Replacer's finishing moves have leaked early, and they've been posted on social media. The common theme between each finisher is that just when the player is about to execute their opponent, The Replacer comes in and does it for them. And unlike the player, The Replacer doesn't know the meaning of "overkill."
Since the Replacer's return during Black Ops 6's promotional push, he's subbed for The Pope, Joe Rogan, NFL mascots, and a number of other individuals. One of the more recent ads saw The Replacer appear on Jeopardy as both a contestant and as the host, much to the chagrin of Jeopardy host Ken Jennings.
As part of its ongoing overhaul, Star Wars Outlaws will be dropping forced stealth sections from "almost all" parts of the game with its new patch. In a blog post, developer Massive Entertainment outlined these changes, which will allow players to blast their way out of danger when they're discovered by enemies. Frank Reynolds would be proud.
"We know many of you enjoy the stealth approach, so it was important to us to preserve that playstyle while also giving you the freedom to decide how to tackle each mission," Star Wars Outlaws' creative director Drew Rechner wrote in a blog post. "Ultimately, you'll have the choice to sneak, go in combat-first, or--my personal favorite--sneak until you're caught and then blast your way out."
Stealth missions were one of the more divisive parts of Star Wars Outlaws, as a combination of temperamental enemy AI and poor checkpoints made it frustrating for some. Rechner added that these changes will also apply to the formerly stealth-only syndicate sections of the game and that players will be able to pick up and keep weapons they find in the field for longer.
One year after Netflix brought Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy to its growing mobile-gaming library, two of those games are set to leave the service. Netflix has warned users that they will only have until December 13 to play Grand Theft Auto 3 - The Definitive Edition and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City - The Definitive Edition.
While GTA 3 and Vice City are both set to leave the service, it seems like San Andreas is staying on Netflix for a while longer, with the game not displaying the same "Leaving Soon" card as the other two. According to What's On Netflix, the GTA games were some of the most downloaded in Netflix's library, with San Andreas easily the most popular of the three.
The GTA Trilogy's exclusive Netflix mobile release was based on Grove Street Games' remasters for console and PC, but included a number of extra quality-of-life improvements, including a popular "Classic Lighting" mode. Their removal from Netflix comes just after the console and PC remasters received a major update, which added the Classic Lighting mode and other improvements from the mobile editions.
Black Ops 6 Ranked Play is live for those players who want to take on more serious competition following the rules of the Call of Duty League. The ranked competition will reward exclusive cosmetic items to those who reach certain milestones, including an exclusive champion skin that will be awarded only to the player who comes out on top at the end of the season.
Separate to Black Ops 6's Prestige ranks, Ranked Play is designed for the most dedicated players who want to play multiplayer matches with the same settings, maps, modes, and weapon restrictions as COD's official esports league. In order to qualify for Ranked Play, players first have to log 50 wins in match-made multiplayer games to unlock access to the ultra-competitive mode. All wins logged since the game was released count towards this, even if the games were played before the start of Season 1.
Ranked Play has changed a little from previous COD titles, with the ranking system being simplified. In Black Ops 6, players will work through eight ranks: Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond, Crimson, Iridescent, and Top 250. Progress through the ranks can be made by earning Skill Rating (SR), which can also be lost by losing a match.
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