Gaming News Roundup: GTA VI Preloads, EA Closes BioWare, Cyberpunk 2077 Patch 2.5, and More
GTA VI preloads start November 12, EA is closing BioWare, and Cyberpunk 2077 now supports mods on PS5. Here is what else happened in gaming over the past two weeks.
GTA VI arrives without a disc
GTA VI launches November 19 for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. Pre-order buyers can preload from November 12, one week before launch. The boxed version goes on sale the same day. It is a code in a box with no disc, and you redeem the code to preload.
Rockstar has not announced worldwide release times. The working assumption is midnight on November 19 in your local time zone. One report puts the PS5 download at 210GB, but that figure is unofficial and could change.
Modern Warfare 4 starts its first season
Season 1 goes live November 6 as a free content update. Multiplayer gets four maps at launch: Backstab, Canyon, River and a reworked Shoot House. Ministry and Overflow follow mid-season, along with the Counter Attack mode. Grind and Drop Zone return at launch.
DMZ adds X01, a weapons facility where extraction points close over time. Warzone gets two maps, Hajin and Zodiac. The Battle Pass runs 100 tiers, and premium buyers who fall behind are caught up with 50 or more rewards guaranteed. Two weapons arrive through the pass: the Cronen Osprey assault rifle and the CSG-35 SMG.
PS Plus: three games in, eleven out
PS Plus Essential members get Dead Island 2, Tomb Raider 4-6 Remastered and Monster Train 2 on November 3. Redeem them to your PSN account before December 1, when the lineup rotates. Redeemed games stay playable while your membership is active. Dead Island 2 is a first-person zombie game set in Los Angeles. Monster Train 2 is a card-based roguelike deckbuilder with a Metacritic score of 87 on PC.
On November 17, two days before GTA VI launches, 11 games leave PS Plus Extra. The list includes GTA 5 (PS5, PS4), Red Dead Redemption 2 (PS4), Football Manager 26, The Talos Principle 2 and Cricket 24.
Cyberpunk 2077 adds mods and a King quest
Patch 2.5 went live on PS5 on October 22. The download is close to 11GB.
The main addition is Clampdown, a side quest set before Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2. It unlocks after you finish The Heist and two gigs for Wakako, and it comes with a five-piece gear set based on King. A second quest, Welcome to Paradise, is a guided tour of Night City narrated by Richard Night.
The Double Trouble perk lets you dual-wield power pistols and revolvers. Mod support arrives through mod.io on PS5 and PS5 Pro. Modded saves are marked with an icon, and trophies cannot be earned from one. Five new outfit sets are sold by vendors across different districts, and hand cyberware can be customised at five Glamdocs. Consoles also get a field of view slider. FSR 3 upscaling was removed, while FSR 2.1, FSR 4 and FSR 3.1 Frame Generation remain.
Exodus gives its hero a new face
Archetype Entertainment changed the face of Jun, the male protagonist of Exodus, after feedback from potential players. General manager Chad Robertson announced the update. The face is narrower and its rounded features are sharper.
Players can choose a male or female Jun, and they can change hairstyle, facial hair, eye colour, makeup and tattoos. Facial structure itself cannot be customised. Wizards of the Coast publishes the game, and a PS5 release is listed for April 7, 2027.
PlayStation brings back transparent controllers
PlayStation introduced the Prism Collection on October 28. It brings three transparent designs to DualSense controllers and PS5 console covers: Flare Orange, Emerald Green and Graphite Gray. Each has a glossy finish. The design team says it wanted to revive the see-through look of the late 1990s.
Controllers cost $84.99 and console covers cost $74.99. Pre-orders open November 10 at 10am local time. The collection launches starting February 4, 2027, and exact availability varies by country. Covers are sold directly from PlayStation where available, and in limited quantities through select retailers elsewhere.
EA shuts down BioWare and cancels Mass Effect
EA announced on October 21 that it is cutting around 400 roles, including roughly 50 at BioWare. It is shutting down BioWare and its Edmonton workspace. A letter to staff from the COO and the chief studios officer said the company had taken a hard look at its business.
The next Mass Effect game, reportedly in early development, is cancelled. So is a new Sims entry, and the Skate team is downsized. EA says its sports games, Apex Legends, Battlefield, the third Star Wars Jedi game, the Iron Man title and a reportedly new Star Wars: Battlefront entry are continuing. EA went private earlier this year in a roughly $55 billion buyout. It is not confirmed whether that influenced the decision.
Sony stops making its 4K Blu-ray player
Sony appears to be leaving the UHD Blu-ray player market. Shipments of its UBP-X700/K have stopped, and Sony’s own store lists it as out of stock with no plans to ship new units. Sony has not issued a press release. The report comes from an official Sony retailer’s blog.
If accurate, Panasonic is the only recognisable consumer electronics maker still building these players. The PS5 is technically a UHD Blu-ray player too. Units of the X700 are still available in Europe and the US, but they are not expected to be restocked. Sony has signalled it will stop shipping disc-based games in January 2028.
