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Grounded 2 Comes to PS5 on August 11 with Into the Abyss

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Obsidian Entertainment’s shrink-ray survival hit is finally coming to PlayStation 5 this Tuesday — and it’s arriving alongside what the studio is calling one of the biggest updates the game has ever seen. Grounded 2 launches on PS5 in Early Access on 11 August 2026, paired with the free Into the Abyss update dropping simultaneously on all platforms.

A New World Beneath Brookhollow Park

Since Grounded 2 launched on Xbox and PC in July 2025, the pond at the heart of Brookhollow Park has been visible but largely off-limits. Into the Abyss blows it wide open. For the first time, players can explore both the surface and the full depths beneath it, uncovering new locations, creatures, and mysteries that stretch from the shoreline all the way down into the dark.

Grounded 2: Into the Abyss Official Update Extended Announcement Trailer — via IGN on YouTube

The pond is split into three distinct environmental zones, each with its own atmosphere, hazards, and secrets. Above water, two new overland biomes — the Mountains and the Bayou — ring the pond with fresh terrain and their own discoveries. Below the surface, the deeper you dive, the stranger things get.

Player character facing a massive boss creature in the depths of Grounded 2's Abyss
Image courtesy of Obsidian Entertainment

New Creatures, Old Nightmares

The pond is not empty. The koi fish makes its return from the original Grounded, now looming even larger against tiny shrunken players in open water. Joining it is the diving bell spider, an arachnid that traps air bubbles to breathe underwater — and will make life very difficult for anyone exploring the shallows. Both are fully fledged threats designed around the new underwater combat and evasion systems.

A large beetle-like creature with red fungal growth lurking near a neon-lit food stand in Grounded 2
Image courtesy of Obsidian Entertainment

The Toe-biter Buggy and New Diving Gear

Staying submerged for any length of time requires preparation. Players can unlock a progression of diving suits that increase how long they can remain underwater, opening access to deeper pond zones as their equipment improves. On the surface, the new Toe-biter Buggy is an amphibious vehicle that can charge across land and skim over water alike — essential for navigating the expanded map without being picked off mid-swim.

Player riding the Toe-biter Buggy amphibious vehicle across the teal pond in Grounded 2
Image courtesy of Obsidian Entertainment

Into the Abyss also reworks the Pneumatic Transit System (PTS) — the game’s fast travel network — making it upgradeable via science skills and components. It’s a quality-of-life addition aimed squarely at co-op squads covering large stretches of Brookhollow Park together.

PS5 Players Finally Get Shrunk In

Grounded 2 has been an Xbox console exclusive since its Early Access debut, available on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox on PC, ROG Xbox Ally handhelds, and Steam. That changes on 11 August. The game arrives on PS5 in Early Access (Game Preview) at USD $29.99 — check the Singapore PlayStation Store for local pricing. Into the Abyss content is included from day one.

Grounded 2 — Official PlayStation 5 ‘Into the Abyss’ Trailer — via IGN on YouTube

For Singapore players already on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate — which is available locally — Grounded 2 is included in your subscription with no extra charge. The Into the Abyss update is also free for every existing Xbox and PC owner, regardless of how they purchased the game.

Grounded 2 player character wearing lava-stone armour in a golden-lit park setting
Image courtesy of Obsidian Entertainment

One Year In, a Much Larger World

Grounded 2 launched in Early Access roughly a year ago on Xbox and PC, and the team has been building on it steadily since. Into the Abyss is the clearest sign yet of how ambitious the full release will be. As Obsidian’s Chris Parker told GamesRadar, “Launching on PS5 effectively makes this our second launch” — a remark that undersells neither the scope of the update nor the scale of the new audience the studio is courting.

Two players running from a giant crustacean enemy near a food truck in Grounded 2's Brookhollow Park
Image courtesy of Obsidian Entertainment

If you’re browsing other game news from the week, Grounded 2’s PS5 launch on 11 August is one of the bigger multiplatform moments of the month — and for survival fans in Singapore, it’s the freshest reason yet to dive in.

Game News, Game Preview

Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy Arrives August 27 — Day One on Xbox Game Pass

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If you’ve been following Asobo Studio’s acclaimed A Plague Tale series, you’ll want to mark your calendar: Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy arrives on August 27, 2026 — just 18 days away — and it’s shaping up to be the most ambitious entry in the franchise yet.

Sophia stands on ancient Minoan ruins overlooking a coastal island in Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy
The Minotaur’s Island — a hauntingly beautiful Mediterranean setting steeped in ancient myth

A Prequel Set 15 Years Before Innocence

Resonance is a standalone prequel, set roughly 15 years before the events of A Plague Tale: Innocence. Players step into the boots of Sophia — a warrior introduced in Requiem — as she finds herself stranded on a cursed island that guards the secrets of an ancient Minoan civilisation. The game unfolds across two interwoven timelines: Sophia’s desperate medieval-era journey through crumbling ruins, and flashbacks to the island’s Minoan past, where a ritual gone wrong awakened something that was never meant to walk the world again.

That something is the Minotaur — not the myth you remember, but something altogether more restless. It hunts Sophia through every corridor of the island, and early previews suggest Asobo has crafted a creature encounter that feels genuinely threatening rather than scripted.

Combat That Bites Back

Sophia fights multiple enemies with sword and dagger in Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy
The new parry-based combat system rewards aggression — and punishes complacency

The series has always leaned on stealth and survival over direct combat, but Resonance marks a deliberate shift. Sophia comes armed with a sword, a dagger, and a grappling hook, and the new parry-driven system rewards players who stay aggressive. Previews from IGN called it “the best A Plague Tale has ever played” — high praise from a publication that covered every entry in the series. Eurogamer, meanwhile, noted it still feels “unmistakably A Plague Tale”, reassuring fans that the atmospheric, story-driven DNA of the originals hasn’t been abandoned for pure action.

Ancient Puzzles, Stolen Light

Sophia uses a glowing Minoan sphere to solve a light-based puzzle in a labyrinthine chamber
The Minoan sphere bends light to reveal ancient mechanisms — and hidden paths

Alongside the revamped combat is a brand-new puzzle mechanic built around a stolen Minoan artefact: a sphere that manipulates light. Sophia uses it to activate ancient mechanisms, reveal hidden passages, and unlock the island’s deeper mysteries. Screenshots show the sphere casting brilliant cyan light through labyrinthine stone chambers — it looks visually stunning, and judging by previews, it integrates naturally into both exploration and story beats.

The Ancient World Comes Alive

Armoured gladiators clash in a Minoan arena as the Minotaur looms in Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy
The ancient Minoan timeline brings a fiery arena spectacle that contrasts sharply with Sophia’s grim present

The dual-timeline structure is where Resonance earns its subtitle. The flashback sequences — set in the Minoan era — show a thriving, brutal civilisation complete with packed arenas and gladiatorial combat, all rendered in Asobo’s stunning engine. The visual contrast between the burning-gold past and Sophia’s decayed, ash-grey present is striking, and it suggests the studio has a lot of story to tell beyond what the trailers have revealed.

Composer Olivier Derivière returns to score the game, bringing the same atmospheric tension that defined the soundscapes of Innocence and Requiem.

Watch the Official Trailer

Singapore Availability — PS5, Game Pass, and Steam

For readers in Singapore, the good news is that all three platforms are fully supported:

  • PS5 — physical and digital, USD $59.99 (expect regional SG pricing on PSN)
  • Xbox Series X|S — including day-one on Xbox Game Pass, making it an instant play for subscribers
  • PC via Steam — USD $49.99, with English, Japanese, and Korean language support confirmed (handy for our multilingual gaming community)

Game Pass subscribers in Singapore have a particularly strong reason to celebrate: Resonance launches day one on the service, meaning no extra spend required if you’re already subscribed.

Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy releases August 27, 2026. You can wishlist it on Steam now.

Game News

Beast of Reincarnation Out 4 August — Famitsu Scores Game Freak’s RPG 35/40

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After months of build-up, Beast of Reincarnation is finally here — Game Freak’s action RPG launches on 4 August 2026 for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC, and the first official review from Famitsu hands it a strong 35/40.

Game Freak Steps Outside Pokémon

Beast of Reincarnation is Game Freak’s boldest non-Pokémon project in years, developed with publisher Fictions. The game is set in a post-apocalyptic Japan where nature and rusted machine-bone creatures have overtaken the ruins of civilisation. You play as Emma, an outcast swordswoman who channels a power called Bloom Arts, and Koo, a blighted white wolf whose spirit skills you command in a hybrid real-time and turn-based combat loop. As we covered in our combat breakdown, the one-person-one-dog dynamic is the heart of what sets this apart from a standard action RPG.

Emma and Koo the white spirit wolf by a stream in Beast of Reincarnation
Image courtesy of GAME FREAK / Fictions

Watch the Official Trailer

Beast of Reincarnation — Release Date Announce Trailer via PlayStation on YouTube

First Reviews: Famitsu Scores Beast of Reincarnation 35/40

The first official review is in from Famitsu — Japan’s long-established games publication — and it’s a solid showing: 35 out of 40, made up of four individual scores of 8, 9, 9, and 9. A 35 places the game firmly in recommended territory by Famitsu’s scale, and the consistent spread across all four reviewers suggests broad agreement on its quality rather than a single outlier carrying the number.

Western review scores are arriving as global launch windows open, so a fuller critical picture will take shape over the next 24–48 hours.

Emma fighting a crowd of mechanical beast enemies in Beast of Reincarnation
Image courtesy of GAME FREAK / Fictions

Singapore Pricing and Editions on PS Store

Both editions are live now on the Singapore PlayStation Store:

  • Standard Edition — SGD 70.00: includes the Brown Shiba skin for Koo and 30,000 in-game Amber
  • Digital Deluxe Edition — SGD 80.00: adds additional cosmetics, 100,000 Amber, and in-game vegetable seedlings for crafting

PC players can pick it up on Steam. The game carries an IARC 16+ rating for strong violence.

Emma and Koo dwarfed by a giant mechanical carcass in the post-apocalyptic wasteland in Beast of Reincarnation
Image courtesy of GAME FREAK / Fictions

Day 1 on Xbox Game Pass, PS5 Pro Enhanced

If you’re subscribed to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate or PC Game Pass, Beast of Reincarnation is available Day 1 at no extra cost — one of the more notable Game Pass additions this August. On PlayStation, the game is PS5 Pro Enhanced with upgraded resolution options, and DualSense adaptive trigger and haptic feedback is tuned to reflect Emma’s combat state and the terrain she moves through.

Emma and Koo before dramatic waterfalls in a lush grotto in Beast of Reincarnation
Image courtesy of GAME FREAK / Fictions

Browse more game news on GameTrader.SG.

Game News

Gears of War: E-Day Multiplayer Fully Revealed — Free Open Beta Starts 13 August

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The Coalition pulled back the curtain on Gears of War: E-Day’s full multiplayer suite yesterday, and Singapore players on Xbox Series X|S and PC have an easy on-ramp: a free open beta running 13–17 August that requires no pre-order or subscription to join.

Gears of War E-Day Horde Siege — COG soldiers battle a massive Locust boss in a ruined city
Image courtesy of Xbox / The Coalition

Horde Siege — 12 Players, Three Squads, One Massive Front

Horde Siege is the headline mode, and it is the biggest co-op the series has ever shipped. Twelve players split into three squads of four work simultaneously across the same large map — each squad pushing their own section of the Locust front while sharing a common objective pool. The result is coordinated chaos that scales in a way the classic five-player Horde never could.

Four classes shape how each player contributes: Assault holds the mid-range with a sonic pulse mine; Breacher dives into close-quarters with shotgun and an adrenaline injector for self-healing and damage boosts; Marksman keeps distance using a pulse detection drone to spot enemies; and Medic keeps the squad alive. Every class has 30 progression levels to work through, adding long-term depth between sessions.

Gears of War E-Day Horde Siege Classes screen showing Assault, Breacher, Marksman and Medic
Image courtesy of Xbox / The Coalition

Three mission lengths keep the mode accessible across different schedules: Blitz runs 15–20 minutes, Siege stretches to 20–40 minutes, and Horde goes the full distance at 50–60 minutes. Three difficulty settings — Infantry, Commander, and Allfather — scale the Locust threat accordingly. The beta will showcase the Golden Quarter map, a dense city district set within Kalona; three additional maps are confirmed for the full October launch.

Gears of War: E-Day | Official Multiplayer Reveal — via XBOX on YouTube

Versus — Six Maps, Four Modes, Classic 4v4

Versus keeps the classic 4v4 structure and adds E-Day’s new traversal mechanics to the familiar competitive formula. Six maps are confirmed at launch, each built around a distinct setting within and around Colona: Outpost (military camp with bunkers and elevated bridgework), Battleship (exposed warship decks and contested dock bridges), Park (a coastal zoo in ruins with a central fountain), Precinct (tight police-department corridors with flanking routes), Market (a seaside marketplace with long sightlines and balconies), and Skyward (a rooftop environment built around vertical play).

Gears of War E-Day Versus — Battleship map interior showing CNV Valiant warship deck
Image courtesy of Xbox / The Coalition

Four game modes round out the Versus offering. Team Deathmatch and Conquest are returning staples. Demolition is a bomb-planting mode, and Crucible introduces a power-core control mechanic with a shrinking battlefield. The Coalition has confirmed additional Versus content post-launch without specifying what or when.

How SG Players Can Get Into the Beta

The E-Day beta rolls out in two phases, and the second phase is completely free:

  • Early Access (6–10 August): Accessible with a pre-order of Gears of War: E-Day on Xbox Series X|S or Steam, or with an active Game Pass Ultimate or PC Game Pass subscription. If you already subscribe to Game Pass in Singapore, you are in from day one of the beta.
  • Open Beta (13–17 August): Free for all players on Xbox Series X|S and PC. No pre-order, no subscription required.

Singapore players with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate — or who grab the game on Steam — can lock in early access on 6 August. Anyone else can wait a week and play for free. See more gaming events and betas on GameTrader.SG.

Cosmetics You Actually Earn

The Coalition is positioning E-Day’s progression on the opposite end of the spectrum from recent multiplayer releases. Nearly all cosmetic customisation — including character skins, weapon wraps, and charms — can be unlocked by playing the game and completing in-game challenges and medals. Premium cosmetics exist and include a Metallica collaboration weapon set, but the studio has framed the experience around earned rewards rather than a battle pass or seasonal currency system.

Gears of War: E-Day launches 6 October 2026 on Xbox Series X|S and PC via Steam and the Microsoft Store, with day-one availability on Game Pass. Full game release coverage is on GameTrader.SG as it drops.

Game News

Xbox Backward Compatibility on PC Goes Live — BLiNX, Conker, Crimson Skies and More Now Playable

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Microsoft has officially launched Xbox backward compatibility on PC, letting Windows 11 players revisit original Xbox classics through the Xbox app for the first time. Four launch titles are available now, with modern visual enhancements baked in — no disc required.

The inaugural line-up covers four iconic games from the original Xbox era:

  • BLiNX: The Time Sweeper — Microsoft’s cult-favourite time-manipulation platformer from 2002, a game that was once intended as a flagship Xbox mascot and has been stuck on the original hardware ever since
  • Fuzion Frenzy — the chaotic multi-player party game that shipped as a launch title alongside the original Xbox in 2001
  • Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge — the beloved aerial combat adventure set in a dieselpunk alternate-history America, widely regarded as one of the best exclusives the original Xbox produced
  • Conker: Live & Reloaded — Rare’s irreverent, adult-oriented action platformer, an enhanced Xbox remake of the N64 classic Conker’s Bad Fur Day

All four games are available with an active Xbox Game Pass subscription. Individual purchase is also supported via the Xbox app on PC.

ROG Xbox Ally handheld running Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge with gameplay on screen
The ROG Xbox Ally running Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge. Image courtesy of Xbox / ASUS ROG

Enhanced for Modern Displays

This isn’t a bare-bones emulation layer. Microsoft has added a range of visual improvements to the backward-compatible titles: up to 4× resolution upscaling, VSync support, and anti-aliasing enhancements. The result is that games from 2001–2004 should look noticeably sharper on contemporary monitors and OLED screens.

Handheld PC gaming is explicitly supported from day one. The ROG Xbox Ally — ASUS ROG’s dedicated Xbox-branded handheld — is a confirmed compatible device, making it easy to replay these classics in portable form.

Person holding a white ROG Ally X handheld showing the Xbox app game library
The ROG Ally X displaying the Xbox app game library. Image courtesy of ASUS ROG

Requirements and Current Limitations

Windows 11 is required — Windows 10 users will need to upgrade before backward-compatible titles become accessible. A download is also required for each game even if you have a Game Pass subscription, as expected.

Achievement support is not available at launch. Microsoft has indicated it is planned for a future update, so completionists will want to hold off for now if their Gamerscore matters to them.

Singapore Availability — Check Before You Buy

Microsoft’s official announcement notes that backward compatibility on PC is available in select markets only. Singapore-based readers should verify current availability through the Xbox app or the Xbox Singapore page before purchasing individual titles, as a specific regional roll-out confirmation for Singapore has not been separately issued at time of writing. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate — which covers the backward-compatible games — remains available in Singapore.

Source: Xbox Wire by Mike Nelson, Xbox Wire Editor (22 July 2026). Xbox Game Pass details.

Game News

Halo: Campaign Evolved Reviews Are In — 84 on Xbox, 81 on PS5

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The review embargo for Halo: Campaign Evolved lifted yesterday, and the first wave of critics have delivered their verdict ahead of Tuesday’s full global launch. Early access is live right now for Premium Edition and Collector’s Bundle buyers — and the scores land in broadly positive territory, though with some meaningful platform-specific caveats that PS5 players should factor in before parting with S$79.90.

We have been tracking this release since announcement — our last round-up covered early access details and the gold milestone — so here is the score breakdown and what the reviews mean for Singapore gamers heading into launch.

Halo: Campaign Evolved Metacritic Scores at Launch

Halo ring structure viewed from inside, with a planet visible beyond — screenshot from Halo: Campaign Evolved
Image courtesy of Xbox Game Studios

Based on Metacritic, which aggregates critics across all three platforms:

  • Xbox Series X/S: 84/100 (26 reviews)
  • PlayStation 5: 81/100 (43 reviews)
  • PC (Steam / Windows): 77/100 (19 reviews)

OpenCritic puts the overall picture at an 88% recommendation rate across 58 critics — a strong endorsement even if the raw numbers look modest by Halo standards. For context, the original Halo: Combat Evolved scored 97 on Metacritic in 2001, so this remake technically carries the franchise’s lowest aggregate ever. That context matters less than it sounds: the critical split here is almost entirely about value-for-money rather than the quality of the core game itself.

What Critics Are Saying

Master Chief faces a Flood creature in a tense close-quarters encounter — screenshot from Halo: Campaign Evolved
Image courtesy of Xbox Game Studios

The highest scores celebrate the ambition of the rebuild. VGC gave a perfect 10/10, calling it “an Unreal Engine 5-powered upgrade that elevates the original with sublime visuals, smart tweaks, and broad respect.” Push Square awarded 9/10 on PS5, describing it in their review as “a legendary shooter brought back in style — a faithful yet expanded and improved remake of an everlasting great.”

The middle tier sits around 8–8.5. Game Informer (8.5/10) wrote that “the core gameplay shows its age, but the magic that made this formula work is still intact.” IGN (7/10) acknowledged solid gunplay while wishing the three new prequel missions ran longer.

Halo: Campaign Evolved | Launch Trailer — via HALO on YouTube

PS5-Specific Issues Singapore Players Should Know

Cortana's holographic form in a rebuilt cinematic — screenshot from Halo: Campaign Evolved
Image courtesy of Xbox Game Studios

The gap between the Xbox (84) and PS5 (81) scores is partly explained by platform-specific criticism. DualShockers (6.5/10) cited PS5 performance issues as currently “holding it back in major ways” — most notably, performance mode does not consistently hold 60fps during heavy combat. Push Square also flagged that DualSense adaptive triggers and haptic feedback are underwhelming, calling it “a missed opportunity to differentiate the PS5 version.” PS5 disc buyers should additionally note that a full digital download is required even with a physical copy.

Xbox Series X runs meaningfully better, which is reflected in its higher aggregate. And for Game Pass subscribers, the decision is easy: all Standard Edition players gain access from 28 July at no extra cost.

Is It Worth S$79.90 in Singapore?

Warthog vehicle firing its turret in a frozen cave — screenshot from Halo: Campaign Evolved
Image courtesy of Xbox Game Studios

The honest answer depends on your history with Halo. If you are a PlayStation-only player who never experienced the original campaign, the PS5 version — performance dips and all — delivers one of gaming’s most influential shooter campaigns rebuilt in Unreal Engine 5, with three new prequel missions, four-player crossplay co-op, and a Campaign Remix replayability layer. Push Square’s 9/10 makes a strong case for first-timers.

For veteran Halo fans who have replayed the original, S$79.90 for a campaign-only package with no PvP and no Firefight is a harder sell — and that tension runs through every middling review. The game itself is good; the price-to-content ratio is where critics diverge.

UNSC soldiers in a newly reshot cinematic cutscene — screenshot from Halo: Campaign Evolved
Image courtesy of Xbox Game Studios

Halo: Campaign Evolved launches globally on 28 July 2026. Standard Edition is priced at S$79.90 on the PlayStation Store and Steam. Premium Edition early access players — including Singapore buyers who unlocked access today — also receive the Silver Anniversary Armor and Assault Rifle Styles, plus the newly added Sandstone Ancient armor style as a launch goodwill bonus. Follow our game news coverage for further updates as the July 28 launch approaches.

Game News

Shift at Midnight: Gas Station Co-Op Horror Is Out Now on Steam and Game Pass

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Working the night shift at a lonely gas station already sounds like a rough deal. But in Shift at Midnight, some of those customers aren’t quite human — and figuring out which ones before they figure out you is what makes this co-op horror game worth picking up today.

Shift at Midnight — blood-soaked convenience store interior after a creature breaks loose
Image courtesy of Kwalee

What Is Shift at Midnight?

Developed by solo developer Bun Muen and published by Kwalee, Shift at Midnight is an online co-op detective-horror game for up to three players. The premise: manage a rundown gas station convenience store during the dead of night, 1993. Stock the shelves, hit your revenue quota, and identify which customers are doppelgangers wearing a human face.

There’s no combat button. The whole experience runs on observation and communication. Talk to customers, inspect their head, clothes, limbs, and movements, then cross-reference everything against the in-game database with your teammates. Get it right and you log the sale. Get it wrong, and the doppelganger drops the act. Now you’re barricading doors, setting traps, and praying you survive until sunrise.

Each of the 13 Story Mode shifts is randomly generated, so no two nights play out the same. An Endless Mode — unlocked after finishing the story — is also available from launch, delivering endless chaos for squads who want more.

Watch the Launch Trailer

Shift at Midnight – Game Pass Trailer — via Kwalee Gaming on YouTube

Built for the Co-Op Horror Squad

Shift at Midnight sits somewhere between Lethal Company and Papers, Please — tense, deliberately lo-fi, and genuinely funny when your crewmate confidently accuses a perfectly innocent nurse of being a monster while the actual creature walks out unchallenged. The proximity voice chat means all that paranoia happens out loud, which makes both the tension and the chaos land harder.

Shift at Midnight — player verifying a customer's body parts in the detection menu
Image courtesy of Kwalee

The game’s free Steam demo drew over 4,500 user reviews at 99% positive before today’s full launch — a striking number for a debut release from an independent developer. That kind of word-of-mouth pull is hard to manufacture, and suggests the core loop delivers even in the limited demo build.

The 1993 Database You’ll Live In

Shift at Midnight — NET Database screen showing a customer profile set in 1993
Image courtesy of Kwalee

A good chunk of each shift is spent in the NET Database — a clunky, deliberately retro in-game computer that lets you look up a customer’s name, occupation, and physical description against what you actually observe in the store. The whole aesthetic leans into the 1993 setting: chunky pixel fonts, faded UI elements, the vibe of a dial-up-era system running something it probably shouldn’t. It keeps the atmosphere unsettling without needing a AAA budget to pull it off.

How Singapore Players Can Jump In Today

Shift at Midnight — two players confronting a glowing doppelganger outside the store at night
Image courtesy of Kwalee

Shift at Midnight is out now, 22 July 2026, across three platforms Singapore players can access:

  • Steam — USD$9.99, available on Singapore accounts right now
  • Xbox Game Pass Ultimate — included at no extra cost from day one
  • Xbox Series X|S — available via the Xbox digital store

One thing worth noting: crossplay at launch connects PC Game Pass and Steam users but does not yet extend to Xbox console players — full crossplay is still in development. Check for updates on the official Steam store page.

If your gaming crew hasn’t found its next co-op horror obsession, Shift at Midnight is worth a trial shift. Catch up on more game launch news for everything else arriving in your backlog this week.

Game News

Halo: Campaign Evolved Goes Gold — SG Early Access Starts This Thursday

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Halo Studios has officially confirmed that Halo: Campaign Evolved has gone gold — development on the 1.0 version is complete, and the game is on track for its July 28 global release. For Singapore players, that means the wait is almost over: early access kicks off this Thursday, 24 July, for Premium and Collector’s Edition owners, with the full launch following on Tuesday, 29 July.

As we covered earlier this month, this marks the first time a mainline Halo campaign has ever come to PlayStation — so PS5 owners in Singapore are finally getting their shot at the Chief.

Master Chief faces off against a Covenant Elite in Halo: Campaign Evolved
Image courtesy of Halo Studios / Xbox

When Can Singapore Players Start?

The global release date of July 28 at 8 AM PDT works out differently for the Asia-Pacific region. Halo Studios confirmed in the official launch FAQ that Singapore and other Asia-Pacific markets are on the same schedule as Japan:

  • Premium & Collector’s Edition early access: Thursday, 24 July 2026 (SGT)
  • Standard Edition global launch: Tuesday, 29 July 2026 (SGT)

If you were planning to buy a physical copy at local game retailers and electronics shops, the disc should be on shelves for the 29 July date — physical availability in retail was confirmed as part of the July Community Q&A.

Halo: Campaign Evolved | Cinematic Story Trailer — via HALO on YouTube

What the July Community Q&A Revealed

Alongside the gold announcement, Halo Studios published a detailed community Q&A on Halo Waypoint answering fan questions ahead of launch. A few highlights that were not part of earlier coverage:

  • Machinima Mode is included — it supports freecam, lowered weapons, and controlling a Spartan without needing skull unlocks, so content creators and long-time fans of the original’s machinima scene will have tools to work with from day one.
  • Weapon dropping works differently here: you can drop a weapon for a teammate without automatically swapping to whatever is on the ground, which sounds small but makes co-op much cleaner.
  • Friendly fire can be toggled on or off by the fireteam leader — handy for co-op sessions where you’d rather not grief your squadmates.
  • AI behaviours have been improved since the earlier preview build that media played ahead of launch.
  • LASO mode uses a curated assortment of skulls rather than all 42, making it — per the team — “technically more like LAASO.”
A Warthog with turret blazes through an icy Forerunner cave in Halo: Campaign Evolved
Image courtesy of Halo Studios / Xbox

Operation: METEORITE — The Three New Story Missions

Every edition of the game includes Operation: METEORITE, a brand-new three-mission arc set a year before the events of the original Halo. The prequel follows Master Chief and Sgt. Johnson on a clandestine UNSC operation aboard a Covenant research vessel — it is effectively new canon, filling in story that Halo: Combat Evolved only implied.

Cortana rendered in stunning detail in Halo: Campaign Evolved
Image courtesy of Halo Studios / Xbox

Editions, Pricing and Game Pass

The game launches at USD 49.99 for the Standard Edition. The Premium Edition (USD 59.99–69.99) adds five days of early access — so Thursday 24 July in Singapore — along with a digital art book, weapon skins, armour cosmetics, and a digital manual. The Collector’s Edition at USD 199.99 is available via Halo Waypoint and mirrors the Premium digital bonuses with physical extras.

If you are on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate or PC Game Pass, the Standard Edition is included in your subscription at launch — no extra charge. That is genuinely one of the better deals in gaming right now if you have not picked up Game Pass yet.

Pre-ordering the digital version before 7:59 AM PDT on 28 July also nets you the Foundry Armory Pack — legendary-style cosmetics for the Master Chief’s Mark V Mjolnir armour — which is also bundled with physical copies.

Sgt. Johnson leads a UNSC squad in Halo: Campaign Evolved's Operation Meteorite prequel missions
Image courtesy of Halo Studios / Xbox

Steam Deck Verified, Handheld Optimized on Windows

One more piece of good news for portable players: the July Q&A confirmed Halo: Campaign Evolved has earned Steam Deck Verified status (the highest Steam Deck rating) and is rated Handheld Optimized on Windows handhelds. Given how popular handhelds are becoming in Singapore’s gaming scene, that is worth flagging — the Chief plays just as well lying on your sofa as he does at a desk.

The interior of Installation 04 stretches out against a breathtaking planetary vista in Halo: Campaign Evolved
Image courtesy of Halo Studios / Xbox

Nine days to go — or four if you have the Premium Edition. You can follow all our gaming news coverage here on GameTrader.SG.

Game News

Denshattack! Launches Tomorrow on Switch 2, PS5 and Steam

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Tomorrow, Tuesday 15 July, is the day Denshattack! stops teasing and hits the tracks for real. Developed by Undercoders and published by Fireshine Games, it is the kind of game that resists a one-line pitch: imagine Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, except your board is an entire gravity-defying train and the backdrop is a neon Japanese dystopia built from the bones of the Dreamcast era.

Trick Your Train Through Dystopian Japan

Denshattack! puts you in the boots of Emi Araki, a 19-year-old ramen delivery driver who stumbles into the underground world of Denshattackers — rebels who pull skateboard-style stunts on trains to resist the Miraidō Corporation, a shadowy megacorp that has sealed the ultra-rich inside protective urban domes while the rest of Japan runs wild outside.

The gameplay is pure arcade satisfaction: ollie, kickflip, grind, and chain manuals across 60+ stages roaming through recognisable Japanese regions — Kyushu, Osaka, Tokyo, Hokkaido — before spilling into fantastical set pieces that defy geography entirely. Boss battles escalate from eccentric to completely unhinged, each drawing from regional gang culture to keep the surprises coming.

Denshattack! train riding a pink looping track through a surreal landscape
Image courtesy of Fireshine Games

Watch the Official Trailer

Denshattack! — Creator Reveal Trailer via Fireshine Games on YouTube

A Soundtrack Worth the Ticket Alone

The music is one of Denshattack!’s genuine standout credentials. Undercoders brought in Tee Lopes — the composer behind the Sonic Mania soundtrack and a go-to name for that electric Y2K arcade energy — alongside Richard Jacques and SEGA veteran vocalist Takenobu Mitsuyoshi. The full game ships with both English and Japanese voice acting, and the aesthetic sits squarely in Dreamcast territory: if Jet Set Radio and Crazy Taxi had a train-obsessed little sibling, Denshattack! would be it.

Denshattack! yellow train bursting through a manga-style speed lines effect
Image courtesy of Fireshine Games

Where to Play — and How to Get In Free First

Denshattack! launches tomorrow across PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC via Steam. For Singapore Xbox subscribers it arrives as a Day One Xbox Game Pass addition (Ultimate and PC Game Pass tiers), which is the easiest entry point if you are already on the service.

A free demo is live right now on Steam and on Switch 2 if you want to feel the trick system before committing. The demo has earned Overwhelmingly Positive reviews on Steam — a rare signal for a pre-launch build. Check the Steam store page for SGD pricing.

Denshattack! customised yellow train racing along gold tracks with a giant boss looming
Image courtesy of Fireshine Games

For fans of the Japan-culture aesthetic, the Y2K arcade soundtrack, or just anyone who bounced off Bomb Rush Cyberfunk and wants the same energy at a faster pace — Denshattack! looks like a strong bet. Keep an eye on Game News for first impressions once the review embargo lifts at launch tomorrow.