Gaming News · Issue #36 · 12 September 2026

TL;DR

• Sony's heist extraction game Fairgame$ resurfaces with pre-alpha PS5 footage and a playtest sign-up.
• Steam's free weekend hands you Borderlands 4, Mordhau, and three more until September 14.
• Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. joins Game Pass with rollback netcode and crossplay.
• BlizzCon opens today with a new Overwatch hero and a Diablo IV roadmap.

🎯 Extraction shooters

Sony's Heist Game Fairgame$ Resurfaces With Pre-Alpha PS5 Gameplay Ahead of a New Playtest

New in-game footage of Fairgame$, the PvPvE heist game from Sony's Haven Studios, surfaced September 10 through a Player.gg playtest sign-up under the codename Project Espresso. PvPvE means players fight both AI and each other. The clip runs on PS5 Pro and is labelled pre-alpha, with squads racing to break into high-security sites, grab cargo, and extract before rivals. Haven has not confirmed a release date or a firm test window.

Player impact: The sign-up hints a test is close, so squads eyeing another extraction game can register interest now. Watch whether Haven can prove the loop works after years of near-silence on this project.

Sources: Push Square

🆓 Free to try

Steam's Free Weekend Hands You Borderlands 4, Mordhau, and Three More Until September 14

Steam is running a Free Weekend that lets anyone play five games at no cost through September 14 at 10 AM PT. The lineup is Borderlands 4, medieval melee brawler Mordhau, Crime Boss: Rockay City, F1 25, and Surviving Mars: Relaunched. These are play-for-free trials, not free-to-keep claims, and each game is discounted during the promo if you decide to buy and carry your progress over.

Player impact: Borderlands 4 is the headliner and this is the cheapest way to test its performance and loot grind before paying full price. Mordhau is worth a squad night while it costs nothing.

Sources: Game Rant · Screen Rant

Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. World Stage Lands on Game Pass With Crossplay and Rollback Netcode

SEGA added Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. World Stage to Xbox Game Pass on September 10 for console, PC, and cloud. This version brings rollback netcode, a model that predicts and corrects inputs to hide lag in online matches, plus crossplay, a new solo mode called World Stage, and upgraded training and replay tools. It is also on PS5, Steam, and Switch 2 as a paid release.

Player impact: Game Pass members can try one of the most technical fighting games for free while it has a fresh player pool. Rollback plus crossplay means online matches should finally hold up instead of stuttering.

Sources: Digital Citizen · Pure Xbox

Steam's Programming Fest Puts Hacking and Automation Demos Free Until September 14

Steam is running Programming Fest from September 10 to 14, a themed festival built around games about coding, hacking, factories, and automation. It bundles free playable demos with discounts across those genres and ends September 14. This is a genre-specific event, separate from the larger cross-genre Steam Next Fest, whose next edition runs October 19 to 26.

Player impact: A quick free well for the weekend if factory-builders, hacking sims, or automation puzzles are your thing. Nothing here is a keeper, but the demos cost nothing and the linked discounts expire September 14.

Sources: All Things How

📦 Other

BlizzCon Returns September 12 With an Overwatch Hero Reveal and a Diablo IV Roadmap

BlizzCon 2026 runs September 12 and 13 at the Anaheim Convention Center, with the opening ceremony at 10:30 AM PDT on September 12. Blizzard has confirmed an Overwatch panel revealing a new hero and gameplay changes, a Diablo IV What's Next panel plus a franchise update, and two World of Warcraft What's Next panels. A StarCraft return is rumored off a gap in the schedule, but Blizzard has not confirmed it. Esports include the Overwatch World Cup.

Player impact: Overwatch players get their next hero and balance direction today, and Diablo IV players learn the post-launch plan. Watch the schedule gap that has fueled the StarCraft speculation.

Sources: Blizzard News · GameSpot

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