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Game Pass September 2026: VF5, RuneScape Dragonwilds and Eight More

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September is looking strong for Game Pass subscribers in Singapore. Microsoft dropped the Wave 1 lineup today, bringing nine games to the service between 1 and 16 September — with RuneScape: Dragonwilds landing Day One on the 15th and Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. World Stage joining on the 10th. The sting in the tail: ten games exit the service on 15 September, including Cyberpunk 2077, Dead Cells, and Frostpunk 2. If you have been meaning to finish any of them, now is the time.

SpeedRunners 2: King of Speed key art showing racers in colourful arenas
Image courtesy of tinyBuild

Game Pass September 2026 Wave 1 — Full Schedule

Here is everything confirmed in Wave 1, via the official Xbox Wire announcement:

  • Shelldiver — 1 September (Cloud, Console, PC)
  • SpeedRunners 2: King of Speed — 3 September, Day One (Cloud, Xbox Series X|S, PC) — the frantic online/local racer now supports up to eight players
  • Dice a Million — 4 September (Cloud, Xbox Series X|S, PC) — roguelike deck builder with dice mechanics
  • Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War — 8 September (Cloud, Console, PC)
  • The Royal Writ — 10 September (Cloud, Xbox Series X|S, PC) — medieval roguelike deck builder
  • Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. World Stage — 10 September (Cloud, Xbox Series X|S, PC)
  • RuneScape: Dragonwilds — 15 September, Day One (Cloud, Xbox Series X|S, PC)
  • TCG Card Shop Simulator 1.0 — 15 September (Cloud, Xbox Series X|S, PC) — the full 1.0 release of the card-shop management sim
  • Aniimo — 16 September (Cloud, Xbox Series X|S, PC) — creature-catching RPG from Korean developer KRAFTON

Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. World Stage — Good News for Singapore’s FGC

The standout addition for Singapore’s fighting game community is Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. World Stage on 10 September. The expanded release brought rollback netcode, full cross-play between PS5, Xbox, Switch 2 and PC, and a brand-new single-player World Stage mode to SEGA’s long-running 3D fighter. Competitively, VF5 has stayed relevant precisely because of its high execution ceiling — and Game Pass now removes the buy-in barrier entirely for Xbox and PC players who have not yet tried it.

Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. World Stage Trailer — via VIRTUA FIGHTER on YouTube
Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. World Stage in-game screenshot showing two fighters mid-battle
Image courtesy of SEGA

RuneScape: Dragonwilds Arrives Day One — Survive the Dragon Queen

Jagex’s survival spinoff RuneScape: Dragonwilds lands Day One on Game Pass on 15 September. Set in Ashenfall — a previously unexplored continent of Gielinor — the co-operative crafting and survival game sends solo players or teams of up to four deep into dragon-infested wilds. Think Valheim’s loop of gathering, building, and boss-fighting, filtered through RuneScape’s skill-levelling DNA. Singapore gamers on PC or Xbox can jump in on launch day at no extra cost beyond their Game Pass subscription.

RuneScape: Dragonwilds key art featuring a warrior facing a massive dragon in a dark landscape
Image courtesy of Jagex

Cyberpunk 2077, Dead Cells and More Leaving 15 September — Act Now

Ten games exit Game Pass on 15 September. The ones worth flagging for Singapore subscribers: Cyberpunk 2077 (Night City is genuinely vast and still worth a second playthrough post-Phantom Liberty), Dead Cells, Frostpunk 2, Spiritfarer, Superliminal, and Deep Rock Galactic Survivor. Download them before the cut-off and your save data stays safe even after they leave the library.

Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War joining on 8 September also deserves a mention — the campaign’s 1980s spy thriller framing has aged well, and it is a solid stop-gap for the Modern Warfare 4 crowd warming up for later this year.

Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War title art
Image courtesy of Activision

All Wave 1 games are available to Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers in Singapore across Cloud, Console, and PC. Check the full details on the Xbox Wire.

Game News

Xbox Series X25 Pre-Orders Open + Disc to Digital Beta August 31

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Gamescom 2026 delivered two headline Xbox announcements this week that Singapore gamers should know about: pre-orders for the limited-edition Xbox Series X25 25th Anniversary console went live this morning, and the long-anticipated Disc to Digital program officially launches its beta for Xbox Insiders on 31 August.

Xbox Series X25: A Console That Glows Green

When Xbox first unveiled the Series X25 at the Xbox Games Showcase in June, the design stopped a lot of people mid-scroll. The console wears a translucent OG Green design straight from the original Xbox playbook — you can see the internals through the casing, and the iconic X logo on the front glows green on startup, a direct callback to the booting sequence of the original 2001 console.

Specs are unchanged from the Xbox Series X: 1 TB of storage, the same performance internals, backward compatibility across Xbox generations. Each unit is individually numbered with a unique engraving. The console ships with a full-game download of Halo: Campaign Evolved, making the bundle feel like a genuine 25-year celebration rather than a limited-edition skin on existing hardware.

The Xbox Wireless Controller X25 Special Edition is also part of the collection, featuring a fully transparent back case and battery door, the original ABXY button colours, and bumper references to the classic “Duke” controller. It launches separately on 20 October 2026 and can be bought on its own — useful for any Xbox gamer who wants the nostalgia hit without the full console upgrade.

Xbox Wireless Controller X25 Special Edition — translucent OG Green with original ABXY colours
Image courtesy of Xbox / Microsoft

Price, Launch Date, and How to Pre-Order

The Xbox Series X25 Limited Edition is priced at US$899.99 and launches on 13 November 2026. Pre-orders opened today, 27 August, at 7 a.m. PDT via Xbox.com and participating retailers — limited to one unit per customer while supplies last. Dedicated fans were given early access via email beginning 26 August.

There is no confirmed Singapore retail price at the time of writing; check Xbox.com or your preferred local games and electronics retailers for regional availability and SGD pricing when it goes live. Supplies of limited anniversary hardware tend to move fast, so if you’re considering it, it is worth acting sooner rather than later.

Xbox Series X25 bundle with Halo: Campaign Evolved
Image courtesy of Xbox / Microsoft

Xbox Disc to Digital: Your Physical Collection Goes Hybrid

The second big Xbox news out of Gamescom is the long-rumoured Disc to Digital program, now officially confirmed by Xbox. The concept is straightforward: insert a supported physical disc into an Xbox One or Xbox Series X console with an optical drive, launch the game, and your account receives a digital entitlement for that title. The physical disc continues to work exactly as it always has — you have not traded it away.

Xbox Disc to Digital program — physical discs unlock digital entitlements
Image courtesy of Xbox / Microsoft
XBOX CONFIRMS New Killer Physical Games Feature (Disc to Digital) — via XBOX ON on YouTube

The digital entitlement unlocks extra benefits where supported: Xbox Play Anywhere (play on console and PC) and Xbox Cloud Gaming, meaning your disc collection could become streamable. Thousands of Xbox One and Xbox Series X titles are supported at launch, with more to be added over time. One important note: original Xbox and Xbox 360 discs are not supported in this initial rollout.

There is also a logical ownership wrinkle worth knowing: if you sell or trade a physical disc to another player, the digital entitlement automatically transfers to the new owner’s account and is removed from yours. Xbox frames this as a feature for game preservation — your physical investment stays meaningful even as the industry pushes toward an all-digital future.

Why This Matters for Singapore Gamers

Physical gaming remains very much alive in Singapore, with stacks of Xbox One and Series X disc games sitting on shelves across the island. Disc to Digital effectively future-proofs those libraries: your games become accessible on multiple platforms and, where supported, through Cloud Gaming — without giving up the physical copy you already own.

The contrast with PlayStation’s direction is also hard to ignore. As we covered when Sony confirmed they were moving away from optical drives by 2028, the question of physical game ownership has become increasingly pointed. Xbox is now taking a clear counter-position, bridging physical and digital rather than forcing a choice between the two.

Xbox Insiders can sign up and begin testing Disc to Digital from 31 August. General availability follows after the Insider phase. For more on both the Series X25 and future Xbox news, keep an eye on GameTrader’s gaming news coverage.

Game News

Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy Is Out Now — Review Roundup

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It’s out. Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy went live today on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC — and it arrived Day 1 on Xbox Game Pass exactly as promised. We flagged the date and Game Pass confirmation back in August; now the reviews are in and we know how it landed.

Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy — Sophia navigating the island of Crete
Image courtesy of Asobo Studio / Focus Entertainment

A Plague Tale Heads to Ancient Crete

Unlike Requiem‘s plague-ravaged medieval France, Resonance shifts the setting to the Greek island of Crete in 1334 — positioned 15 years before A Plague Tale: Requiem, making it a prequel rather than a continuation. You play as Sophia, a smuggler drawn into the mysteries of the Prima Macula’s ancient history on the island.

The centrepiece gameplay twist is a dual-timeline mechanic: you switch between the Medieval period and the older Minoan civilisation, each era offering different puzzle approaches and traversal options. Combat has also shifted — Sophia can parry attacks and counter with finishing moves, a far more action-forward approach than the survival-stealth of the first two games. Asobo clearly wanted this entry to feel like its own thing, and structurally it does.

Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy — action combat and parry system
Image courtesy of Asobo Studio / Focus Entertainment
Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy – Launch Trailer — via Focus Entertainment on YouTube

How Did Critics Score Resonance?

The game lands at an 80 on Metacritic (PS5) across 50 critic reviews — 84 on Xbox Series X, and 85 on PC. Over on OpenCritic, 86% of critics recommend it with a top-critic average of 83, earning the platform’s “Mighty” badge across 81 reviews.

Underneath those solid numbers is a clear critical split. Outlets that embraced the action pivot were genuinely enthused:

  • DualShockers: 9/10 — “A worthy standalone entry and a high-quality follow-up to the past two games.”
  • TheSixthAxis: 9/10 — “A great game with a compelling and excellently performed story” with “more action adventure” baked in.
  • COGconnected: 85/100 — “Asobo has shifted confidently towards action and combat, while preserving their reputation for excellent performances and outstanding visuals.”
  • Shacknews: 8/10

Critics who missed the survival tension of the originals were tougher:

  • IGN: 6/10 — the lowest score among major outlets at launch
  • Eurogamer: 3/5 — flagging that the stealth and scarcity that defined Innocence and Requiem don’t survive the genre pivot intact

The split is real and worth knowing before you buy in: if you came to A Plague Tale for oppressive atmosphere and resource scarcity, this prequel is a different game. If you’re open to Asobo’s storytelling craft in a more fluid action-adventure format, Resonance is among the better-directed releases of the year.

Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy — dual-timeline puzzle mechanics on Crete
Image courtesy of Asobo Studio / Focus Entertainment

Where to Get It in Singapore

Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy is available now on the Steam store, the Epic Games Store, PlayStation Store, and Xbox Store. PC players can pick it up on Steam for US$29.99 — meaningfully below typical AAA pricing, which makes sense for a standalone prequel entry. Console pricing is set separately; check your local PlayStation or Xbox store for the regional price.

If you’re subscribed to Xbox Game Pass in Singapore, there is no additional cost — the game is included on Day 1. That makes this a very easy yes for local Game Pass subscribers who enjoy cinematic action-adventure games.

Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy — Minoan era environment
Image courtesy of Asobo Studio / Focus Entertainment

Between the Metacritic 80+, the Day 1 Game Pass inclusion, and the competitive PC price point, Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy is worth at least a try for Singapore fans of the series — especially on Game Pass where the barrier is zero. For more gaming news and release coverage, stay with GameTrader.

Game News

Gears of War: E-Day Story Trailer Drops at Gamescom — October 6 on Xbox Game Pass

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Gears of War: E-Day got its story trailer world premiere at Gamescom Opening Night Live, and it is exactly the brutal, emotional origin story fans have been waiting for. Releasing October 6, 2026 on Xbox Series X|S and PC, and playable on day one through Xbox Game Pass — which is fully available in Singapore — E-Day is shaping up as one of the biggest Xbox exclusives of the year.

Gears of War: E-Day key art
Image courtesy of The Coalition / Xbox

Back to the Darkest Day in Gears History

E-Day is set 14 years before the original Gears of War, putting players right at the moment the Locust Horde first erupted from below and began slaughtering humanity. This is the furthest back the franchise has ever gone — earlier than Gears of War: Judgment (months after E-Day) and Gears Tactics (one year later) — making it the definitive origin story for the entire series.

At the centre of it all are Marcus Fenix and Dom Santiago, whose legendary friendship developer The Coalition describes as forged during “the horrific nature of the event” itself. The story trailer introduced soldier Daan Riggs and Bravo Squad, caught in a desperate evacuation as the ruined city of Kalona falls around them.

Gears of War E-Day — Marcus and Dom in the ruins of Kalona
Image courtesy of The Coalition / Xbox

Watch the Campaign Trailer

Gears of War: E-Day Campaign Trailer — via GOWSeriesVideos on YouTube

October 6 on Xbox Game Pass — What Singapore Players Need to Know

E-Day launches globally on October 6, 2026 with Xbox Play Anywhere, meaning a single purchase covers both Xbox Series X|S and PC. Better still, it is available day one on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, which SG subscribers can access right now.

For Singapore players on PC, E-Day is also on Steam and purchasable there at launch. The open beta earlier this month drew over 22,000 concurrent Steam players, a strong signal that there is a healthy PC community worldwide — Singapore included.

Note: E-Day is an Xbox console exclusive and will not come to PS5. Singapore players on PlayStation will need to give this one a miss, or consider picking up an Xbox Series X|S or signing up for Game Pass on PC.

Gears of War E-Day — Locust combat gameplay
Image courtesy of The Coalition / Xbox

Unreal Engine 5 Tech — The Best-Looking Gears Yet?

The Coalition has been talking up the game’s technical pedigree, and for good reason. E-Day runs on Unreal Engine 5 with three headline features:

  • MegaLights — manages hundreds of dynamic light sources simultaneously, enabling realistic muzzle flashes, explosions, and volumetric fog in real time.
  • Full Dynamic Lighting — first Gears title to use entirely real-time calculated illumination rather than pre-baked lighting.
  • Hardware Ray Tracing — improved reflections and shadows, all targeting a stable 60 fps on Xbox Series X.

The result is partially destructible environments in the city of Kalona and character detail that puts previous entries in the shade.

Gears of War E-Day — environment detail showcase
Image courtesy of The Coalition / Xbox

What Launches on October 6

E-Day ships with a full suite of modes:

  • Campaign — solo or co-op with a friend
  • Horde mode — fully reworked from previous entries
  • Versus — four modes (Team Deathmatch, Conquest, Demolition, Crucible) across four maps, with ranked play

Gamescom 2026 (running 26–30 August in Cologne) is the first time the public can get their hands on the campaign. For Singapore fans who cannot make the trip, the October 6 release is only weeks away. If you are already an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscriber, your wallet stays untouched. For more gaming events closer to home, check out our events coverage.

Game News

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.