CULTURE WAR

Why did the PC gaming community learn to hate prebuilt computers?

The Spy

BUT WHO WATCHES THE SPY?

CRACKING THE CODE

The designers of some of the BIGGEST RPGs think more complex tech is making things harder

THE MOST CONTROVERSIAL GAMES ON PC

From trainwreck ports and moral panics to lootbox disasters

THE HISTORY OF STAR WARS GAMES

The unstoppable sci-fi franchise has spawned a legion of interactive experiences, including some of the PC’s most important games

A STORM APPROACHES

WARHAMMER AGE OF SIGMAR: REALMS OF RUIN is a fast, accessible RTS – and a grand introduction for Games Workshop’s mythic setting

Captain's Log

Star Trek: Resurgence is more game, but not like we know it, captain

"I explode another SinTEK goon's head"

Revelling in SiN

TRANSLATION GAME

JEREMY BLAUSTEIN and SAM BURTON on what it takes to localise a game

CORE RETURNS

ARMORED CORE VI marks the first PC entry in the cult classic mecha sim saga

WARHAMMER 40,000: DARKTIDE

After a terrible launch the co-op online shooter is finding its feet.

OUTCAST

A cinematic action adventure that reaches for the stars.

PURPLE PATCH

BONZI BUDDY, the desktop companion who did $1bn of damage

CHARGE DEPLETED

PORTABLE GAMING’s a broader church than ever – are laptops still relevant?

SPEAKERS AND SOUNDBARS

Let’s test some tweeters and woofers to see which deliver bone-rattling, Earth-shattering audio.

HEART AND SOUL

Explore a beautiful tropical island using magic powers in TCHIA

LEON ME

The RESIDENT EVIL 4 remake isn’t the greatest game ever made: this is just a tribute

LOOTING STARS

EVERSPACE 2 might be the Diablo in space we’ve always wanted

ISLE OF MAN TT: RIDE ON THE EDGE 3

What’s that coming over the hill – is it a (Ducati) Monster?

WARTALES

Wander a land filled with danger and unpleasant wildlife

WAYFINDER

An MMO from the teams behind Warframe and Darksiders

LIVING HELL

DIABLO IV refines the ARPG series for a new era

THE HISTORY OF DIABLO

Blizzard’s writers and loremasters give us a guided tour of DIABLO’S story so far, and what it all means for Diablo IV

THE NEW WEST

Five years old, HUNT: SHOWDOWN is still the most interesting FPS in gaming

"I grab the downed soldier's weapon and start firing on his colleagues"

HITMAN 3'S Freelancer mode taught me I'm not as good as I think

"We should be asking for more variety in our open worlds"

SHERLOCK HOLMES: CHAPTER ONE is a vision of the untapped potential of the genre

OUTSOURCED CODE

Why writers and game devs are worried about CHAT GPT

CHARACTER BUFFS

Tiny changes that make PC gaming healthier

DEAD STRANGE

Not everyone will want to read WANTED: DEAD'S love letter to 2000s action games

CLUB MED

COMPANY OF HEROES 3 is a fantastic RTS with a main campaign that just doesn't work