Gaming News · Issue #56 · 2 October 2026

TL;DR

• Gray Zone Warfare Rogue Ops lands October 22 with a soft wipe, a hideout, and a one-way choice between PvE and PvEvP.
• Krafton just killed PUBG: Black Budget after closed alphas, another extraction shooter that never made it out.
• Gears of War: E-Day opens at 88 on Metacritic while The Coalition reportedly braces for layoffs.
• Someone rebuilt Danger Zone inside Counter-Strike 2, and you can queue it today on 22-player servers.
• DOOM and DOOM II are free to keep through Prime Gaming, and Ubisoft owns this weekend's Xbox Free Play Days.

🎯 Extraction shooters

Gray Zone Warfare Rogue Ops Hits October 22 With a Soft Wipe and a One-Way PvE or PvEvP Choice

MADFINGER Games confirmed on October 1 that Update 0.5: Rogue Ops launches October 22, moving Gray Zone Warfare from pre-alpha to alpha. It adds a buildable Hideout, crafting, smuggling jobs as a rogue PMC (private military contractor), new weapons, and new locations. A soft wipe clears lockers and money but keeps rank, vendor levels, and finished tasks. Supporter Edition owners get a preview from October 19.

Player impact: When you first log in, you must move your old character to PvE or PvEvP, and that pick is permanent. Decide where your squad actually plays before October 19, and spend your cash now because it will not survive.

Sources: Gray Zone Warfare on Steam (MADFINGER Games) · Gray Zone Warfare Steam sale and Supporter Preview post

Krafton Cancels PUBG: Black Budget, Its Extraction Shooter, After Closed Alpha Tests

Krafton ended development of PUBG: Black Budget on October 1, posting on Steam that the project's current direction would not let it deliver an experience players could enjoy over the long term. The first-person PvPvE game, set on a time-looping island with base building between raids, had already run closed alpha tests. Krafton recently shut down another spin-off, PUBG: Blindspot, too.

Player impact: Alpha testers lose the game outright, and one more big-budget rival leaves the extraction lane. Expect more studios to cancel extraction projects quietly as players stay loyal to Tarkov, ARC Raiders, and Hunt.

Sources: Kotaku · Aju Press

Incursion Red River Shows a Gas-Grenade Boss Called The Merchant and Optional Food Buffs

Maeschtro's co-op Vietnam extraction shooter Incursion Red River posted Development Update #12 on October 1. It previews the Docks and a training outpost on the upcoming Outskirts map, a new boss called The Merchant who guards night-time shipments with CS gas grenades, an MK47 rifle, reworked audio, and a new inventory tablet. Food and drink now give stamina and health buffs, but you never need them to survive.

Player impact: A gas-throwing boss on night convoys means squads need masks or a plan to push through area denial. The food system adds small buffs without turning raids into a hunger-meter chore, so solo players are not punished.

Sources: Incursion Red River on Steam

🔫 FPS

Danger Zone Is Back in Counter-Strike 2 Thanks to a Fan Mod With Missile Strikes and Redeploys

Epidemic, the team behind Epidemic.gg skin inspect servers, relaunched its unofficial Danger Zone mod beta for Counter-Strike 2 on September 30. It recreates the CS:GO battle royale mode with missile strikes, early-game redeploys, hexagonal gas zones, squad pings, and proximity voice. Servers run 22 players each in Europe, North America, and Singapore, and you need a 386.5 MB Steam Workshop pack. Valve is not involved.

Player impact: Anyone who missed Danger Zone can play it again today for free on community servers. Trios and creator tournaments are planned, but with no Valve support this lives or dies on whether players fill the servers.

Sources: FPSHUB

Metro 2033 and Last Light Redux Get Free 4K 60fps Upgrades on October 29

Deep Silver and 4A Games announced on October 1 that Metro 2033 Redux and Metro: Last Light Redux get a free next-gen update on October 29. It adds native PS5, PS5 Pro, and Xbox Series X|S versions with native 4K at 60fps or upscaled 4K at 120fps, sharper textures, better lighting, and DualSense adaptive triggers. Existing owners on Steam, Epic, Windows Store, PlayStation, and Xbox all qualify.

Player impact: If you own either Redux game, you get the upgrade free, so do not rebuy anything. It lands three months before Metro 2039 on February 4, 2027, which makes October the cheap time to catch up on the story.

Sources: Pure Xbox · Push Square

🔜 Coming soon

Kena: Scars of Kosmora Slips to 2027 So Ember Lab Can Polish a Bigger Game

Ember Lab announced on October 1 that Kena: Scars of Kosmora, the sequel to 2021's Bridge of Spirits, has moved from 2026 to 2027. The studio's chief operating officer said the team needs more time to polish an expanded game. It is still coming to PS5 and PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store. No new date was given.

Player impact: Strike it from your 2026 holiday list. Ember Lab says the extra time goes into scope and polish, which is the usual trade-off with sequels to small-studio hits.

Sources: Gematsu

🆕 Just released

Gears of War: E-Day Scores 88 on Metacritic as The Coalition Reportedly Fears Layoffs

Gears of War: E-Day reviews landed on October 1 with an 88 Metacritic score on Xbox Series X, 84 on PC, and an 87 OpenCritic average. That makes it The Coalition's best-reviewed Gears. Critics praised the new movement and darker tone but flagged pacing, repetitive side objectives, and mandatory ray tracing on PC. Eurogamer reports staff fear post-launch cuts under Microsoft's XBOX Reset.

Player impact: Premium Edition owners are playing now, and everyone on Ultimate or PC Game Pass gets in on October 6. PC players should check ray tracing support before buying, since it is required.

Sources: GamerFuzion · Beebom (citing Eurogamer)

🆓 Free to try

Xbox Free Play Days Goes All Ubisoft: Far Cry 6, AC Odyssey, and Avatar Free Until October 4

Xbox Wire confirmed on October 1 that Free Play Days runs Thursday, October 1 through Sunday, October 4 with five Ubisoft games: Far Cry 6, Assassin's Creed Odyssey, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, Skull and Bones, and The Crew Motorfest. No Game Pass membership is needed. It is a weekend play window only, and discounts run as low as $8.99 for Far Cry 6 if you want to keep playing.

Player impact: Install Far Cry 6 tonight if you want a free open-world shooter weekend on Xbox, and your achievements carry over if you buy. Everything locks again after Sunday, October 4.

Sources: Xbox Wire · Pure Xbox

DOOM and DOOM II Are Free to Keep on Prime Gaming Until October 14, With DOOM Eternal to October 21

Amazon's Prime Gaming (now run through Amazon Luna) October claims include DOOM + DOOM II on GOG until October 14 and DOOM Eternal through the Microsoft Store until October 21. All are free to keep once claimed, with no ongoing subscription needed to play. On Steam, Arena of Trophies is also free to keep until October 22 before the developer delists it.

Player impact: Any Prime member can grab three DOOM games for nothing this month. Claim the GOG pair before October 14, since that deadline comes first.

Sources: Game Rant · FandomWire

🖥️ Hardware

Sony Brings a Lighter PSSR Upscaler Called QSSR to the Base PS5, Starting With Wolverine

Sony announced Quick Spectral Super Resolution (QSSR) on October 1, a lighter version of the PS5 Pro's AI upscaler that runs on base PS5 hardware. Games render at a lower resolution and QSSR rebuilds the image. Marvel's Wolverine and Ghost of Yotei got patches enabling it the same day, and Digital Foundry called Wolverine's result exceptional. Developers have to add support game by game.

Player impact: Base PS5 owners get sharper images in supported games without buying a Pro. It only works where a studio patches it in, so watch for shooters adding it before you decide a Pro upgrade is worth the money.

Sources: Push Square · Gematsu

📦 Other

Steam Autumn Sale Cuts Tarkov 25%, Road to Vostok 25%, and Dark and Darker DLC Until October 8

Steam's Autumn Sale runs from October 1 to October 8 at 10am Pacific. Battlestate Games has Escape from Tarkov's Standard Edition at 25% off, with edition upgrades and the PvE upgrade discounted until October 12. Road to Vostok is 25% off right after its Build 2 update, Quasimorph is 35% off, and Dark and Darker's Legendary Status is 30% off ahead of its October 9 wipe.

Player impact: If an extraction game has been on your wishlist, this week is the cheapest entry point before several wipes and big updates land in October. Tarkov buyers get four extra days, until October 12.

Sources: Escape from Tarkov on Steam · Dark and Darker on Steam

007 First Light Adds New Game Plus, a 00 Difficulty, and Two Missions in Free Extended Operations DLC

IO Interactive released Extended Operations for 007 First Light on October 1 as a free update. It adds two missions, Valhalla Protocol (an Aston Martin driving challenge with online leaderboards) and Jungle Heist, plus New Game Plus, a photo mode, a harder 00 difficulty, a Squire Marksman rifle, and a Storm 12-gauge shotgun. The game launched May 27 on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Switch 2, and PC.

Player impact: If you finished First Light, the 00 difficulty and New Game Plus are a free reason to reinstall. Leaderboards on the driving mission give speedrunners and streamers something to compete on.

Sources: Push Square · Gematsu

Reigns Developer Nerial Shuts Down After 13 Years and 11 Games

Nerial, the independent studio behind the Reigns series, Card Shark, and The Crush House, is shutting down, Gematsu reported on October 1. Founders François and Tamara Alliot said that after 13 years and 11 games they decided with publisher Devolver Digital to end development at the studio. Its last release was Reigns: The Witcher in February 2026. The founders plan a break before working on games again.

Player impact: No more Reigns games from the team that made them, and staff are now job hunting. It is another small studio gone in a year of cuts, even with a recognisable series behind it.

Sources: Gematsu

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