Gaming News · Issue #64 · 10 October 2026

TL;DR

• Ironmace's Season 11 wipe for Dark and Darker merges solos, duos, and trios into one extraction queue with no gear brackets.
• ARC Raiders' producer says a PvE split is "quite possibly" coming, with the PvE-only test starting October 13.
• WARDOGS Season 2 lands October 15 with T-72 tanks, rain, and a vendor that lets you bet cash on your own match.
• Gears of War: E-Day reportedly had 1.7 million Game Pass players but only about $37 million in sales.
• Pony Island is free to keep on Steam until October 12, and STALKER 2 has a free Xbox trial through Sunday.

🎯 Extraction shooters

Dark and Darker Season 11 Throws Solos, Duos, and Trios Into One Queue

Ironmace launched Early Access Season 11 for Dark and Darker on October 9. Solo, duo, and trio queues are now one matchmaking pool for parties of one to three, and Gear Score brackets and entry requirements are gone. The Dark Swarm returns, so light sources now protect you, and Fog of War, solo escape stairs, and randomized dungeon layouts are back. Rarity no longer grants primary attributes, so random modifiers decide what an item is worth.

Player impact: Solo players will now run into full trios with no gear bracket protecting them, so solo routes and fast escapes matter again. Kit you hoarded for its rarity may now be worth a lot less.

Sources: Dark and Darker on Steam: Early Access Season #11

ARC Raiders' Producer Says a PvE Split Is "Quite Possibly" Coming

Embark producer Aleksander Grondal told GamesRadar+ that ARC Raiders' community is "already split" between PvP and PvE players, and asked whether the game will eventually reflect that, he said "quite possibly." Insider Gaming reported the interview on October 9. The one-week PvE matchmaking test runs October 13 to 20, with zero player damage, mixed solo, duo, and trio sessions, and lower loot value. Night Raids, Hidden Bunker, Locked Gate, and Frigate are left out of the test.

Player impact: The October 13 test is now a vote on ARC Raiders' future. If PvE queues stay full, PvP raids could thin out, and solo players who hate getting third-partied finally get their say.

Sources: Insider Gaming · GodisaGeek

Active Matter Adds Mouse and Keyboard on Console, but Controller Players Won't Face Them

Active Matter's October 9 update 0.4.0.182 adds native keyboard and mouse support on consoles, and console matchmaking now sorts by input device, so controller players are not matched against mouse users. The same patch makes magazine loading 20% faster, cuts melee and monster damage to armor plates and helmets by 70%, and raises M82A1 damage by about 8%. In PvE-only Isolated raids, Invisibles and Hellhounds no longer spawn next to players who stay in one spot.

Player impact: Console squads with mixed inputs can split into different queues, so check what your friends play on before you party up. Armor that survives melee hits makes close fights with monsters less of a gear tax.

Sources: Active Matter on Steam: Update 0.4.0.182 · Active Matter on Steam: Activity Report

🔫 FPS

WARDOGS Season 2 Adds T-72 Tanks, Rain, and a Vendor That Lets You Bet on Yourself

Bulkhead detailed WARDOGS Season 2 on October 9 ahead of its October 15 launch on Steam early access. It adds four guns including the M14 DMR and PP-19 Bizon, the T-72B3 tank and Gepard anti-air vehicle, a rain preset where thunder masks footsteps, and an experimental Wager Vendor for staking in-game cash on your own performance. Cash and progression wipe each season, but leftover cash converts to Gold Bars and banked XP carries into future long-term progression.

Player impact: The wipe on October 15 resets your cash, so spend or bank it before then. Rain plus thunder makes sound-based play unreliable, and the wager system rewards players confident enough to risk a match's earnings.

Sources: Gaming Trend · Insider Gaming

Battlefield 6's Server Browser and Platoons Finally Arrive, but Not Until December 8

Insider Gaming reported on October 9 that Battlefield 6 Season 5 adds a server browser that filters by region, mode, map rotation, and player count, and lets players host servers with custom map rotations. Platoons, the game's clan system, come with it. Neither lands at the October 13 season launch: both are tied to the Frozen Aces phase on December 8, more than a year after the game's October 2025 release.

Player impact: Squads who want favourite maps on rotation or a regular clan night have a date to circle. Until December 8, you are stuck with matchmaking playlists.

Sources: Insider Gaming

🔜 Coming soon

GTA 6 Lets You Listen to Radio on Foot and Adds the Series' First Podcasts

Rockstar revealed six GTA 6 radio stations on October 8, including Flash FM, Back Country Radio, Dirty South Classics, and the metal station The Chamber 106.6, with previews on the official site. For the first time in the series, players can listen to radio and on-demand podcasts outside a vehicle, using earbuds connected to the character's phone. Talk radio stations still run continuously.

Player impact: Walking around Vice City will not mean silence anymore, which changes how long on-foot missions and exploring feel. Streamers should check how licensed music plays before going live with it.

Sources: VGC

Canyons Stops Calling Itself an Extraction Shooter and Lands in November 2027

HypeTrain Digital and RedRuins Software dated Canyons for November 2027 on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC (Steam and Epic) on October 8. The game, earlier promoted as an extraction project, now pitches itself as a four-player co-op PvE third-person shooter with survival elements and procedurally generated expeditions. You still choose whether to push for rare loot or head home early, but there are no rival player squads.

Player impact: If you wishlisted Canyons for PvPvE raids, that game is gone. Players who want extraction tension without getting hunted by other squads now have another option, about a year out.

Sources: Gematsu · iXBT.games

🆕 Just released

Gears of War: E-Day Reportedly Pulled 1.7 Million Game Pass Players and Only $37 Million

Data firm Alinea Analytics estimates that about 1.7 million people played Gears of War: E-Day through Game Pass, with roughly 722,000 paying $30 for early access, Kotaku reported on October 9. Estimated revenue sits around $37 million, about $26 million of it from Xbox players, with outright sales in the low hundreds of thousands. Microsoft has not confirmed the figures. Analyst Rhys Elliott argues Game Pass is eating premium sales of a well-reviewed game.

Player impact: If numbers like these keep landing, expect pressure to pull day-one first-party games from Game Pass, as Xbox already did with Call of Duty. Subscribers counting on new Xbox games at launch should watch this.

Sources: Kotaku

Ace Combat 8 Sells a Million in Just Over a Week, the Fastest in the Series

Bandai Namco confirmed on October 9 that Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve passed 1 million copies worldwide on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S faster than any previous Ace Combat game, reaching the mark in just over a week. It sits at 87 on Metacritic, second in the series only to Ace Combat 4. Brand director Kazutoki Kono credited the franchise's 30 years of aircraft and story work.

Player impact: A fast million means Bandai Namco has a reason to keep supporting it with DLC and fixes. If you are on the fence, launch month is when online lobbies are busiest.

Sources: VGC

🆓 Free to try

Pony Island Is Free to Keep on Steam, and STALKER 2 Gets a Free Xbox Trial

Pony Island is free to keep on Steam if you claim it before October 12 at 10am Pacific; the store page lists it at $0 instead of $4.99. On Xbox, Free Play Days run through Sunday, October 11: STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl, High On Life 2, and Little Nightmares III have timed trials for all Xbox players, Rogue Waters has a two-hour trial, and Screamer and Family Man need Game Pass. Pony Island 2 opened a Steam playtest on October 8 ahead of its April 27, 2027 release.

Player impact: Claim Pony Island before Monday morning and it stays in your library for good. STALKER 2's trial is the cheapest way to see if it runs well on your Xbox before you pay full price.

Sources: Steam store: Pony Island · TheClick: Xbox Free Play Days · VICE

🖥️ Hardware

Steam Deck Now Runs Your Non-Steam Windows Games Through Proton Automatically

Valve's October 7 Steam Client Beta makes Windows programs added as non-Steam games run through Proton by default on SteamOS and Linux, GamingOnLinux reported on October 8. Before this, players had to pick a compatibility tool by hand for every Epic, GOG, or launcher shortcut. The beta also adds a setting to disable the screensaver during play and fixes the Stop button failing to close games launched by external tools.

Player impact: Steam Deck and SteamOS players adding Epic or GOG games get one less setup step and fewer launch failures. Opt into the client beta if you want it now.

Sources: GamingOnLinux

📦 Other

Rockstar's Tribunal Hears a Staffer Passed Union Discord Screenshots to HR for Two Years

At a Glasgow employment tribunal on October 9, Rockstar Lincoln HR director Charlie Kinloch was questioned over a junior employee who passed him screenshots from a union Discord for over two years, Kotaku reported. Rockstar says more than 30 staff were fired in 2025 for gross misconduct including GTA 6 leaks; the fired developers say they were targeted for organising with the IWGB union. Kinloch knew of the comments from March 2025 but acted in October 2025. Hearings continue next week.

Player impact: This is the clearest look yet at how Rockstar handled leaks during GTA 6 development. The fired developers have asked players not to boycott the game, but to back their legal case.

Sources: Kotaku

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