Gaming News · Issue #61 · 7 October 2026

TL;DR

• Escape from Tarkov PvE Prestige lands in patch 1.2.0.0, with six reset levels and PMC bots that now team up and roam.
• Hunt: Showdown sets the bayou on fire again as Inferno returns with Chapter 2.
• Xbox reportedly owns GTA 6 streaming at launch, the same month it caps Game Pass cloud play at 15 hours.
• GameStop wants $1,499 for a used PS5 Pro that costs $900 new.

🎯 Extraction shooters

Tarkov 1.2.0.0 Brings Six Prestige Levels to PvE and Makes PMC Bots Team Up

Battlestate Games shipped Escape from Tarkov patch 1.2.0.0 on October 6. PvE Zone gets Prestige: six levels that reset your PvE profile while keeping up to 50% of skills and weapon mastery, with an easier first tier than PvP. PvE PMC bots now spawn at raid start on every map including The Labyrinth, scale gear to their level, team up USEC with BEAR more often, and pick fights with Scavs and bosses.

Player impact: PvE players finally have a reason to wipe themselves, and raids get busier from minute one. Veterans at level 30 can also farm referral rewards (up to 1,200 TarCoins per new friend) through the new EXFIL Brothers program.

Sources: Escape from Tarkov on Steam: Patch 1.2.0.0

Hunt: Showdown Brings Back Inferno, Wildfires That Block Your Routes Across Every Map

Crytek's Blood Testament Chapter 2 patch for Hunt: Showdown 1896 went live on October 6. The Inferno time of day returns with fixed wildfires and heavy smoke on all maps, blocking key paths, plus a Firefighter Supply that guarantees the new Flame Rifle. The All Hallows' Cleave community event adds two tarot cards and a Long Derringer, and on October 13 Bileweavers and red Bloodweavers infest 20 new compounds.

Player impact: Your usual rotations die in the smoke, so routes and sound cues change for the next two chapters. Bloodweavers cause bleed, so pack bandages before Blood Moon matches from October 13.

Sources: Hunt: Showdown 1896 on Steam: Blood Testament Chapter 2 Patch Notes

BEASTOPIA: RAIDERS, an Animal Extraction Shooter, Drops a Free Steam Demo on October 8

OFFMOON's BEASTOPIA: RAIDERS, a 2D top-down PvPvE extraction shooter where animals scavenge a world after humanity's extinction, confirmed a free Steam demo for October 8 and a spot in Steam Next Fest (October 19 to 26). The demo has one map, the City Outskirts Border Zone, with matchmade 15-minute raids, missions, crafting, and no playtime cap. Solo or online co-op are both supported. No release date yet.

Player impact: A free way to try a full loot, extract, upgrade loop on PC with zero buy-in. Worth a session if you want something lighter than Tarkov between wipes.

Sources: BEASTOPIA: RAIDERS on Steam: demo launches October 8 · BEASTOPIA: RAIDERS Steam page

🔜 Coming soon

Watch Dogs: Legion Director's Cut Reportedly Due in 2027 as Ubisoft Shelves New Watch Dogs

Insider Gaming's Tom Henderson reports a Watch Dogs: Legion director's cut is in development for the first half of 2027. Ubisoft has not confirmed it. At its investor meeting this week, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot said the series matters to Ubisoft but no new Watch Dogs game is in development, reported by VGC on October 6.

Player impact: If you wanted a Watch Dogs 4, the realistic next step is a reworked 2020 game. Watch whether the cut fixes Legion's play-as-anyone system or drops it.

Sources: Push Square · VGC

🆕 Just released

Star Wars: Galactic Racer Launches at 88 on Metacritic, but Online Parties Cap at Three

Fuse Games' Star Wars: Galactic Racer launched October 6 on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC at $59.99, with an 88 on Metacritic, the best Star Wars score in over 20 years. Online parties are limited to three players with no private lobbies or split-screen. Fuse says a patch in the first few weeks will raise party size to six, and private lobbies are only under consideration.

Player impact: The roguelite podracing campaign is the reason to buy now. If you want to race your whole friend group, wait for the six-player party patch.

Sources: Push Square · Push Square

🆓 Free to try

Prime Members Can Keep FNAF: Into the Pit on Epic Until November 4, With Conarium and WarBreeds From October 8

Amazon's October Prime claims (now under Luna) went live, reported by VGC on October 6. Five Nights at Freddy's: Into the Pit is free to keep as an Epic Games Store key until November 4. GOG codes for Conarium and WarBreeds open October 8, followed by Vampire: The Masquerade Swansong on Epic on October 15. Prime's Luna streaming library also adds Star Wars: Galactic Racer.

Player impact: Claim Into the Pit now, it stays yours after you cancel Prime. Link your Epic account first or the key will not redeem.

Sources: VGC · Allkeyshop

🕹️ Console specifics

Xbox Reportedly Gets GTA 6 Streaming Exclusive While Capping Game Pass Ultimate Cloud at 15 Hours

The Verge reports Xbox Cloud Gaming will be the only service able to stream GTA 6 when it launches November 19, including on PC and Xbox One. Rockstar has not confirmed the deal or its length. In the same month, Xbox caps cloud play at 15 hours a month for Game Pass Ultimate, 10 for Premium, and 5 for Essential, and adds pay-as-you-go streaming hour bundles. You still have to buy GTA 6.

Player impact: PC and Xbox One players without a Series console get a way into GTA 6 on day one, but 15 hours goes fast in an open world. Budget for extra hours or a console.

Sources: Pure Xbox · Northeast Times

GameStop Will Sell Used PS5 Pros for Up to $1,499, and Says the Markup Is Intentional

An internal GameStop memo, reported by Push Square on October 6, says pre-owned PS5 Pro consoles will cost more than new ones, "this is intentional." Used digital units go up to $1,399.99 and disc models up to $1,499.99, against a $900 new price in the US. Push Square points to tight PS5 Pro supply before GTA 6 and demand for older firmware after recent jailbreaks.

Player impact: If you want a PS5 Pro for GTA 6, buy new while stock exists. Paying a 65% markup for a used console only makes sense if you are chasing jailbreakable firmware.

Sources: Push Square

Mafia III and Call of Duty: WWII Briefly Went Free on the European PS Store

Push Square reported on October 7 that Mafia III and Call of Duty: WWII showed up free on the PlayStation Store in the UK and parts of Europe, no PS Plus required. Sony has since pulled Mafia III's listing and restored CoD: WWII to £54.99. Some players claimed both, others hit errors, and it is unclear whether claimed copies will stay in libraries.

Player impact: If you grabbed either game, check your library before you start a save. Sony can revoke pricing-error licences, so don't count on keeping them.

Sources: Push Square

🖥️ Hardware

Xbox Elite Series 3 Leak Shows Hall Effect or TMR Sticks to Kill Stick Drift

Files found in the backend of Spectrum Customizer, the company behind Xbox Design Lab, point to an Elite Series 3 controller codenamed Edessa, reported by Digital Foundry and VGC on October 6. Listed options include Hall effect sticks in standard, loose, and tight tension, TMR magnetic sticks, voice-coil haptics, an audio scroll wheel, and metal faceplates. This is a leak: no price or date, and Microsoft has not confirmed it.

Player impact: Elite Series 2 owners who keep replacing drifting controllers have a reason to wait before buying another one. Magnetic sticks are the feature to watch for.

Sources: VGC · Pure Xbox

📦 Other

Xbox Says Gen-10 Is a Family of Devices, With Project Helix at the Centre

At an internal Microsoft town hall reported by Windows Central and Pure Xbox on October 6, Xbox chief Asha Sharma said "We are moving to a family of devices for Gen-10. There is not one device that fits all." Project Helix stays the main home console, with other devices, some built by partners and some portable, sharing one operating system. No dates or prices were given.

Player impact: Expect several Xbox hardware options next generation, including handhelds from partners. Hold off on any handheld purchase if you want one that runs the Xbox OS natively.

Sources: Pure Xbox

Read the full issue on the site →

11 stories in this issue. Same digest goes out in the Warhogy Discord — reply to this email if there is a story I missed.