Welcome to a brand new weekly characteristic on IGN: a roundup of sport preview protection in case you missed something we received to take a look at over the course of the week. We loved fairly the number of video games we appeared forward to: The Duskbloods, Tides of Annihilation, Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2, Star Wars: Smuggler’s Gambit, and Silver Pines.
The Duskbloods
Key Preview Takeaways:
- The Duskbloods is likely to be FromSoftware’s most complicated and fascinating sport but. Miyazaki cites TTRPG influences for its gameplay methods and multiplayer mechanics.
- So far as gameplay really feel, it is corresponding to Bloodborne or Nightreign with added mobility and match into an eight-player phase-based PvPvE setting the place you earn victory factors to keep away from elimination.
- The lock-on concentrating on and digital camera can have hassle monitoring fast paced opponents, however the fight is intricate and intense.
FromSoftware is not new to multiplayer. Invasions have been a staple within the Souls video games and we simply got here off of Elden Ring’s co-op twist with Nightreign. However The Duskbloods is one thing very totally different and new territory for the workforce, and to easily label it as a PvPvE sport is to woefully undersell what it’s. It has that acquainted powerful motion fight packaged in phase-based matches the place eight gamers compete for what are basically victory factors on a map to be able to advance to subsequent phases, which then concludes in a three-player PvP brawl. I received to play about eight hours of The Duskbloods on a go to to FromSoftware in Tokyo, and whereas there are a ton of nuances I will dissect on this preview, I will say upfront that it has the makings of one other hit within the Souls lineage the place enjoyable is discovered within the problem and the mysteries of its world propel you to maintain pushing – simply now within the context of a aggressive multiplayer Change 2 unique. If any workforce can pull off such a wild thought, it might be director Hidetaka Miyazaki and firm. So buckle up y’all, The Duskbloods simply is likely to be essentially the most complicated and most fascinating undertaking to come back out of FromSoftware but.
Take a look at our full preview of The Duskbloods for extra.
Tides of Annihilation
Key Preview Takeaways:
- This Arthurian-legend action-RPG leans into its King Arthur inspirations in a very spectacular method.
- The two boss fights in my demo have been extraordinarily satisfying fight encounters.
- Regardless of the fight being enjoyable, Gwendolyn’s motion controls nonetheless want some fine-tuning.
In Tides of Annihilation it isn’t simply London Bridge that’s falling down, it’s your entire metropolis that’s been razed to ruins by an unknown presence invading from a mysterious otherworld, and you’re the one human survivor left to cease it. This motion journey closely impressed by Arthurian legend made a severe splash when it was introduced early final yr, however I used to be initially involved that the fast-paced slash ‘em up from first-time developer Eclipse Glow Video games might have been all model over substance. Nonetheless, after spending roughly two hours of hands-on time with a preview construct at a latest occasion, I’m pleased to say that Tides of Annihilation feels simply as exhilarating to play as it’s completely dazzling to look at.
Take a look at our full Tides of Annihilation preview for extra.
Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2
Key Preview Takeaways:
- Nails the look, really feel, and sound of Aliens.
- You’re by no means actually comfy, in a great way.
- The Specialist class that permits you to custom-assemble your individual class is the best way to go.
Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2 looks as if a kind of lazy Sunday video games, the place you kill a part of a day taking part in a pair hours with associates. It will get Aliens and understands that forty miles of dangerous highway Cameron envisioned. As a co-op sport, it’s not going to vary the world. Aliens already did that. Nevertheless it’s an ideal excuse to mess around in that world once more, and I’m wanting to see what else LV-558 has in retailer.
Learn our full Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2 ultimate preview for extra.
Star Wars: Smuggler’s Gambit
Key Preview Takeaways:
- Smuggler’s Gambit can connect with your MyDisney account to immediately hyperlink to the Smuggler’s Run trip on the Disney theme parks.
- Fortnite gamers will really feel proper at house, after all, however it’s approachable sufficient for Fortnite newbies, too.
- Content material doesn’t appear to be missing on this expertise, with loads of missions on provide.
Star Wars: Smuggler’s Gambit, which can be obtainable on August 16, is a enjoyable time with associates – it’s clearly preferable to taking part in solo – and it appears to be a intelligent technique to both lengthen your theme-park expertise exterior of Disneyland’s partitions and into your house, or vice versa. Hondo is a very nice character to anchor this round, and I’d like to see Disney do extra to increase the story of its theme park rides, be they Star Wars or in any other case. Simply think about taking part in as Finn in the course of the occasions of the Rise of the Resistance trip, for example…
For extra, learn our full hands-on impressions of Star Wars: Smuggler’s Gambit.
Silver Pines
Key Preview Takeaways:
- The distinctive visible model is immediately interesting.
- The ’90s-style adventure-meets-survival-horror gameplay makes it really feel distinctive in 2026.
- Monster selection is missing within the quick, early-game demo we performed.
I’m frequently impressed with what number of fascinating and distinctive concepts for video video games nonetheless handle to come out, whilst we’ve received actually 1000’s popping out yearly now. In case you haven’t heard of Silver Pines but, it’s a pixelated 2D survival horror that solutions the query, “What may Alan Wake be like if it have been made for the PS1 within the ‘90s?”, and it’s one thing I didn’t notice I wanted in my life till now. After taking part in the primary hour of this creepy, nerve-racking demon lovechild of Silent Hill and The Secret of Monkey Island, I used to be fully pulled in by the unusual and unsettling story, the deceptively lovely pixel artwork, and the eerie sounds and music that made every new darkened hallway that a lot tougher to discover. Although, with solely a really small sampling, it stays to be seen in the event that they’ll be capable of proceed the momentum after a really sturdy opening stretch. Both method, that is already fairly simply one of the crucial trendy and distinctive video games of 2026.
For extra, learn our full preview of Silver Pines.
Ryan McCaffrey is IGN’s govt editor of previews and host of IGN’s weekly Xbox present, Podcast Unlocked, and a co-host of Subsequent-Gen Console Watch. He is a North Jersey man, so it is “Taylor ham,” not “pork roll.” Debate it with him on Twitter at @DMC_Ryan.