Aug 17-23, 2026

This is the weekly Crosspad catch-up: one calm place for the gaming stories you missed while life was busy. It is preference-aware, so readers who choose coverage lanes only see those lanes; readers with no preferences get the full brief.

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Video Games

Video Games Minecraft Dungeons II trailer opens The Sift before September launch Minecraft Dungeons II has a new gameplay trailer, and Mojang is using it to introduce The Sift, a new dimension built around rifts, danger, and co-op combat before the... Read it

Video Games Code Vein II's Mask of Idris DLC puts its September story behind the ending Bandai Namco has put a date on Code Vein II: Mask of Idris. The paid expansion launches September 9, 2026, and the important detail is the access gate: players need to... Read it

Video Games STALKER 2 Update 2.0 rebuilds A-Life, fog, difficulty, and modding tools Update 2.0 is about trust in the Zone GSC Game World's Back to the Zone Update 2.0 gives STALKER 2 players a substantial free update on August 20. Read it

Video Games Kingdom Hearts IV now has a late 2027 window and a Coco world Late 2027 gives families a clearer calendar Kingdom Hearts IV finally has a clearer window. Square Enix and Disney used D23 2026 to point the game toward late 2027, with... Read it

Video Games Bethesda's Fallout 4 and Skyrim update warning is really a load order planning story Bethesda's warning about Fallout 4 and Skyrim updates is less about excitement and more about preparation. Rock Paper Shotgun reports that Fallout 4 is due for an August... Read it

Video Games Senate Roblox child safety probe gives parents a concrete August 31 deadline to watch The Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism has opened a bipartisan child-safety investigation into Roblox, and the useful part for families is the... Read it

Video Games Game launches are becoming events because ordinary sequels no longer cut through the noise The old sequel machine is weaker than it used to be. GamesIndustry.biz argues that players now respond more strongly to launches that feel like cultural events, while... Read it

TTRPGs

TTRPGs D&D returns to the Underdark in new Unearthed Arcana playtest Dungeons & Dragons has a new Unearthed Arcana packet on the table, and this one sends players back below the surface. Wizards of the Coast published designer insights... Read it

TTRPGs D&D Beyond's August Drop turns sewer tools into a DM prep question The table-use test D&D Beyond's August Drop is small enough to miss and practical enough for Dungeon Masters to check before their next prep night. Read it

Board Games

Board Games Unstable Games spins up Ordinary Magic around designer Marceline Leiman Unstable Games is building its next tabletop push around a new studio name and a specific designer voice. BoardGameWire reports that the publisher behind Unstable... Read it

Board Games Gen Con's Camilla Cleghorn hire is about tabletop scale and trust Why the events role matters Gen Con hiring Camilla Cleghorn as Head of Events is a personnel story on the surface. For tabletop players, it is really an operations... Read it

Board Games Mercenaries Wanted turns Gloomhaven into a $24.99 drafting game for shorter game nights Cephalofair's next Gloomhaven-universe release is small on purpose. Mercenaries Wanted is a 1 to 6 player drafting game from designer Dennis Vogele, priced at $24.99,... Read it

Board Games Towers of Sifnos gives Garphill fans a smaller Greek defense strategy box to watch this fall Renegade Game Studios has opened pre-orders for Towers of Sifnos, a Garphill Games strategy title about a Greek island preparing for pirate raids. Read it

Board Games Cole Wehrle's Buried Giant is turning Gen Con buzz into its next board-game roadmap Buried Giant Studios now has something more concrete than a clean origin story. Wargamer's Gen Con interview with co-founder Cole Wehrle describes packed playtesting... Read it

CCGs/TCGs

CCGs/TCGs Pokemon TCG Pocket turns Team Rocket into the next collection pressure point Pokemon TCG Pocket is bringing Team Rocket back into the center of the collection chase. The Pokemon Company International says the Team Rocket's Ambition expansion... Read it

CCGs/TCGs Pokémon TCG's Delta Reign brings Mega Rayquaza back in November The next Pokémon Trading Card Game expansion has a clear headline for collectors: Mega Rayquaza is back, and The Pokémon Company has set Mega Evolution: Delta Reign for... Read it

CCGs/TCGs Cyberpunk TCG chooses Melee.gg for organized play after its record Kickstarter Cyberpunk Trading Card Game is moving from crowdfunding heat toward organized play infrastructure. WeirdCo announced through PR Newswire that it has selected Galactic... Read it

CCGs/TCGs Wizards gives MTG Star Trek stores a season-long 'To Boldly Go' sealed league Wizards Play Network has laid out Magic Presents: To Boldly Go, a sealed league tied to Magic: The Gathering | Star Trek. The official WPN page says the event runs from... Read it

CCGs/TCGs Yu-Gi-Oh's Glorious Victors booster targets Ritual players and holiday collectors A December booster with real deck pressure Konami has put dates and product details behind the next Yu-Gi-Oh TCG booster. Glorious Victors is listed as a 60-card set... Read it

Wargames

Wargames Games Workshop is hiring a new Age of Sigmar studio head Games Workshop has posted a Head of Age Of Sigmar Studio role, and that makes this more than a routine hiring note for hobby insiders. Read it

Wargames StarCraft: The Miniatures Game gets new starter on-ramps and faction support StarCraft: The Miniatures Game is getting a clearer tabletop on-ramp. ICv2 reports that three new faction starter sets for Protoss, Terran, and Zerg are incoming on... Read it

Wargames Games Workshop is hiring product leads for Kill Team, Blood Bowl, and Warhammer Quest Specialist games need steady hands Games Workshop has three specialist game roles open at the same time, and that makes this more than routine hiring news. Read it

Wargames New Middle-earth Battlehosts make the Lord of the Rings lane easier to enter What the boxes actually solve The new Middle-earth Battlehosts matter because they lower the first question that stops many miniature-curious families: where do we even... Read it

Wargames Warhammer 40K Orks test the new codex rhythm Buying pressure arrives with rules pressure Games Workshop's latest Ork slate is more than another green wave of models. It is an early test of how the new Warhammer... Read it

Family & Table

Family & Table When a Child Reports Harm in a Game, Protect the Conversation First The first ten minutes after a scam, threat, or unsafe contact can protect the child, preserve the facts, and keep honesty possible. Read it

Thanks for reading. Crosspad is building a steadier kind of gaming coverage: curious, fair, family-aware, and not afraid to ask what our games are training us to love.

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