XP Drop - 29th September

Hi and welcome to XP Drop

Your weekly power-up of gaming news, straight from the past seven days.

From blockbuster Tokyo Game Show reveals to Sony’s late-September State of Play, plus fresh release dates and chart moves, here’s everything you need in one scroll.

Grab your controller (or coffee) and let’s level up.

New releases & major updates

• Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 – Dec 8 2025 (PS5 confirmed at State of Play). Early-access for premium editions starts Dec 3.

• Code Vein II – Jan 30 2026, PS5 / Xbox Series X|S / PC. Surprise TGS trailer locked the date.

• Nioh 3 – Feb 6 2026, PS5 / PC. Team Ninja confirmed during TGS showcase.

• Resident Evil Requiem – Feb 27 2026, PS5 / Xbox Series X|S / PC / Switch 2. Capcom’s TGS headline.

• Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection – Mar 13 2026, Switch 2 / PS5 / Xbox / PC.

• Saros – Mar 20 2026, PS5. Housemarque’s sci-fi rogue-lite closed out Sony’s stream.

• Dynasty Warriors 3: Complete Edition Remastered – Mar 19 2026, PS5 / Xbox Series / Switch 2 / PC.

• Crimson Desert – Mar 19 2026, PS5 confirmed in Pearl Abyss TGS booth.

Freshly announced at State of Play & TGS

• Deus Ex Remastered – PS5, Feb 5 2026.

• The Seven Deadly Sins: Origin – Jan 28 2026, PS5 / PC / iOS / Android.

• Let It Die: Inferno – Dec 3 2025, PS5.

• Borderlands 4 (Switch 2) – Switch 2 version delayed, new date TBA.

PlayStation State of Play – Key Takeaways

Sony packed a lot into its late-September showcase. Here are the headline announcements and updates:

Other highlights

• New gameplay reels for Marvel’s Wolverine and Astro Bot: Cosmic Odyssey, both targeting Holiday 2026.

• PS VR2 sizzle segment featuring Half-Life: Alyx – Director’s Cut (2026).

• Updates on Helldivers II live-service roadmap and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth DLC.

Quick Take:
This State of Play served as Sony’s big holiday-and-Q1 line-up setter, locking dates for several early-2026 titles and surprising with a few late-2025 drops. It also doubled as a warm-up to Tokyo Game Show, where many of these games re-appeared with extended demos.

Tokyo Game Show 2025 – Key Highlights

Dates & Scale

• Ran 25–28 Sept at Makuhari Messe, Chiba (two business days, two public days).

• Over 1,200 exhibitors from 40+ countries; record footfall and strong online streaming.

Headline Announcements & Updates

Hardware / Tech

• Capcom and Square Enix both showed early Switch 2 builds.

• PlayStation had a large PS VR2 zone with Half-Life: Alyx – Director’s Cut hands-on.

• PC builders showcased new RTX 5000-series rigs.

Esports & Community

• TGS Arena hosted Street Fighter 6 Masters Cup finals and a VALORANT show match drawing huge live audiences.

Quick Take:
TGS 2025 delivered a strong JRPG and action-RPG focus, solidifying early-2026 as a packed release window and giving Switch 2 its first broad third-party public showing.

Xbox Update

What are people playing on Xbox

• On Xbox’s “Most Played” page, titles like Fortnite, Roblox, Call of Duty, Minecraft, and Rocket League remain staples.

• In terms of monthly active users (MAU) across 37 markets, Call of Duty (Modern Warfare / Warzone / Black Ops 6) led the pack, alongside Fortnite, Minecraft, Grand Theft Auto V, DOOM: The Dark Ages, and others.

• Among new additions to Game Pass, Avowed was one of the most popular (from Jan–Mar 2025) in terms of engagement among subscribers.

Takeaway: Big multiplayer / live-service franchises still dominate consistent play. Game Pass-first and major releases (like Avowed) pull in bursts of active users.

Game Pass / Subscription Updates

• In 2025, Microsoft raised Game Pass prices:
    • PC Game Pass monthly went from £7.99 → £9.99
    • Xbox Game Pass Ultimate went from £12.99 → £14.99
  

• Microsoft claims it’s made its “largest investment ever” into Game Pass this year, signalling increased content spend

• Upcoming additions: Little Rocket Lab enters Game Pass on October 7, 2025.

Implication: Microsoft is balancing rising subscription costs with more content to maintain perceived value.

U.S. Xbox Console Price Hikes

• On October 3, 2025, Microsoft will raise the recommended retail prices for Xbox Series S and Series X in the U.S.

• New prices:
    • Xbox Series X (disc) → $649.99 (up from ~$599.99)
    • Xbox Series S 512 GB → $399.99 (up from ~$379.99)
    • Other models (1TB, digital) also see price adjustments upward.

• Microsoft cites a “challenging macroeconomic environment” and tariff pressures as reasons.

• This is the second U.S. console price increase in 2025 (the first occurred in May). 

• Costco delisted Xbox products in the U.S. and UK stores ahead of the price hike, possibly to adjust inventory ahead of new pricing. 

• Some frustration is surfacing in the community over multiple price hikes in a single year, especially when console prices typically trend downward over a generation.

Note: These increases apply in the U.S., not all markets are impacted equally or at the same time.

Other notables & peripheral moves

• Xbox Design Lab launched Ninja Gaiden 4–themed controllers (manga / motif styling) for Series X|S and PC compatibility.

• Forza Horizon 6 was confirmed and set in Japan, with a 2026 release across Xbox & PC (and later on PS).
  

PC Update

What people are playing (Steam / PC)

• Counter-Strike 2 is currently topping Steam’s concurrent players charts, with a daily average in the high hundreds of thousands.

• Dota 2, PUBG: Battlegrounds, Hollow Knight: Silksong, Apex Legends and Borderlands 4 also remain solid in the top concurrent play counts.

• Steam’s top sellers / weekly charts continue to skew heavily toward blockbuster releases, seasonal discounts, and big live-service titles.

• According to Steam’s Hardware & Software Survey (Aug 2025), PC users remain heavily invested in NVidia & AMD GPUs, DDR5 memory, and high refresh rate displays.

Steam & Platform Updates

• Steam now shows real-time charts for “most played” and “top sellers” directly on its store page, giving better visibility into what’s hot right now.

• Steam Charts / SteamDB continue to be reliable community reference points for tracking trends (concurrent users, peaks, historical data).
  

Nintendo Update

What people are playing (Switch / Switch 2)

Switch 2 eShop top sellers

1. Hades II (Digital only – holding the #1 spot ahead of its 20th November physical launch.

2. Donkey Kong Bananza

3. Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles (Switch 2 Edition – strong pre-load momentum)
   – Other Top-10 movers: EA Sports FC 26, Street Fighter 6, Hollow Knight: Silksong
   

Nintendo News Highlights

• Doug Bowser to retire – Nintendo of America President & COO will step down 31 Dec 2025, with Devon Pritchard confirmed as successor.

• Fire Emblem Shadows announced – Mobile (iOS/Android) strategy title with social-deduction “traitor” mechanics revealed during TGS week.

• Metroid Prime 4: Beyond dated – Nintendo set a 4 Dec 2025 release for both Switch and Switch 2, with next-gen enhancements. 

• Minecraft Live reveals – “Copper Age” update arrives 30 Sept 2025, bringing new Nautilus mob, Spear weapon, and teasing a Dragon Ball Z DLC pack. 

• Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds – Sega confirmed a full physical cartridge edition for Switch 2, launching early 2026, avoiding the controversial “game-key card” system. 

• Virtual Boy on Switch Online – Starting 17 Feb 2026, the Expansion Pack adds a slate of Virtual Boy classics plus new Nintendo Music tracks (Fire Emblem Awakening, Super Mario Galaxy 2, Zelda II).

• Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream – New life-sim entry for the original Switch slated for Spring 2026, reviving the series after more than a decade. 

TL;DR

Big Launches & Dates Locked

• Sony’s State of Play and Tokyo Game Show set up a stacked early-2026 slate: Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 (Dec 8 2025, PS5), Let It Die: Inferno (Dec 3 2025), The Seven Deadly Sins: Origin (Jan 28 2026), Code Vein II (Jan 30), Deus Ex Remastered (Feb 5), Nioh 3 (Feb 6), Resident Evil Requiem (Feb 27), Monster Hunter Stories 3 (Mar 13), Dynasty Warriors 3 Remaster and Crimson Desert (Mar 19), and Saros (Mar 20).

• Extra reveals: new Marvel’s Wolverine and Astro Bot gameplay, Half-Life: Alyx – Director’s Cut for PS VR2, and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth DLC.

Tokyo Game Show Highlights

• JRPG and action-RPG heavy: demos for Nioh 3, Code Vein II, Monster Hunter Stories 3, plus Dragon’s Dogma II expansion and first Switch 2 third-party showings.

• Persona 6 teased for autumn 2026.

Xbox

• Most-played titles remain Fortnite, Roblox, Call of Duty, Minecraft, Rocket League, with Avowed the standout new Game Pass hit.

• Second U.S. console price rise in 2025 (Series X to $649.99, Series S to $399.99).

• New kit: Ninja Gaiden-themed controllers, Forza Horizon 6 set in Japan for 2026.

PC / Steam

• Top-played: Counter-Strike 2, Dota 2, PUBG, Hollow Knight: Silksong, Apex Legends, Borderlands 4.

• Steam adds live “most-played” and “top sellers” charts; RTX 5000 GPUs and new AMD/Qualcomm chips headline recent hardware buzz.

Nintendo

• Switch 2 eShop leaders: Hades II (pre-order), Donkey Kong Bananza, Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles, plus EA Sports FC 26, Street Fighter 6, Silksong.

• News: Doug Bowser retiring (end 2025); Fire Emblem Shadows mobile reveal; Metroid Prime 4: Beyond dated 4 Dec 2025; Minecraft Copper Age update 30 Sept; Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds physical Switch 2 release early 2026; Virtual Boy classics join Switch Online Feb 2026; Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream announced for spring 2026.