Gaming

Street Fighter 6 hits 50K active players on Steam after costumes update

Polygon report mentions latest Sagat update caused massive increase in number

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Several major updates for Street Fighter 6 dropped this week, ushering the start of its third year of existence.

Supposedly, it’s the entry of Muay Thai king Sagat as the fighting game’s first Year 3 character that should have been the highlight of the batch of updates.

But, as Polygon’s Patricia Hernandez inferred, it’s the new summer-themed costumes for select characters that are causing quite a stir so far.

The new Outfit 4 costumes have been made available for Luke, Jamie, Kimberly, Manon, A.K.I., Cammy, and Chun-Li. In other words, players can play these characters in swimwear pieces.

Hernandez wrote that specifically, it’s the Chun-Li costume that is stealing the spotlight a few days after the Street Fighter 6 Sagat update rolled out:

But it’s the Chun-Li swimsuit skin leaving little to the imagination that’s turning heads in the community right now. To say that the playerbase is obsessed is an understatement.

So much so that, citing Steam Charts statistics, Hernandez pointed out how the average number of active Street Fighter 6 players rose exponentially overnight following the update’s release.

On Aug. 4, the average number of people online at the start of the day was merely around 8,600 players. On Tuesday, the evening before the drop, that number jumped to around 17,000 and rose throughout the day. By Wednesday, when the costumes became available, the number of people online exploded to an amazing 50,000 active fans.

Meanwhile, according to ActivePlayer.io, the average number of concurrent players playing Street Fighter 6 prior to the update ranged from about 8,000 to 12,000.

But when the update became available, that number soared to as high as 52,000 on the morning of August 5th.

We’re not even accounting for Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 4 and 4, and Xbox Series X|S stats yet.

The Polygon report went on to mention several social media posts. These center on Chun-Li causing… quite a commotion among the Street Fighter 6 community. That’s lightly putting it.

Street Fighter 6 updates

Not to get lost in all of this, the Street Fighter 6 Sagat update lets players pick the fearsome character. His moveset inspired by Muay Thai. There’s uppercuts, knees, and even fireballs for an added twist.

Sagat also has two available outfits so far, including one that pays tribute to his Street Fighter II appearance.

Getting the Year 3 Ultimate Pass and Character Pass will unlock Sagat, as well as the remaining Year 3 characters.

One of them is C.Viper. Capcom has already premiered the teaser trailer for the second character to be released in Year 3.

Gaming

Call of Duty drops the PlayStation 4 starting with its next game

Is this the beginning of the end for the PlayStation 4?

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When can we declare that a console is officially dead? Is it as soon as the launch of the next generation? Is it when games no longer come out on the console? Recently, Call of Duty has confirmed that the next game will not be available anymore on the PlayStation 4, which presents an important question: Is the PlayStation 4 officially dead?

Call of Duty is one of the most persistent gaming franchises today. The last entry, Black Ops 7, is still available for the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One. Both consoles were launched over twelve years ago. (If that doesn’t make you old, the current generation was launched almost six years ago.)

As such, the franchise is one of the last stalwarts keeping the past generation alive. This week, Call of Duty, via a post on X, confirmed that the next game will not arrive on the PlayStation 4. Presumably, this also means the Xbox One.

Currently, we don’t have details about the upcoming game yet. But a new entry is confirmed to arrive later this year.

With the departure of the Call of Duty franchise, it’s fair to ask what will become of the old generation moving forward. Over the years, developers have started shying away from the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One. Since the franchise still maintains a steady fan base today, a lot of PlayStation 4 users might be forced to make an upgrade to play the latest entry.

SEE ALSO: PC Game Pass gets cheaper, but Call of Duty delays are coming

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Gaming

Stranger Than Heaven is a Yakuza prequel with Snoop Dogg

The story spans different eras and regions across half a century in Japan.

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In my review of Yakuza Kiwami 3, I groaned about how every new entry in the Yakuza and Like a Dragon franchise — original and remake — looked identical with each other. I ended that playthrough hoping desperately for a new era. Thankfully, those hopes did not fall on deaf ears. In its first trailer, the upcoming Stranger Than Heaven showed off an interesting reimagining of the Yakuza universe. Oh, and Snoop Dogg is in it.

First announced back in late 2024 as Project Century, Stranger Than Heaven has now confirmed itself as a prequel to the prequel to the Yakuza games. It didn’t start that way, though. When it was announced, there was hope that the then-untitled game featured a new story disconnected from Yakuza. It looks like the final game is making the best of both worlds.

Stranger Than Heaven chronicles the rise of the infamous Tojo Clan. Unless this is decidedly different from the Tojo Clan in the Yakuza series, this is the clearest sign that this is, in fact, a prequel.

Makoto Daito, a Japanese boy living in Chicago, escapes America to forge a new life in Japan. Along the way, he meets Orpheus, a smuggler played by Snoop Dogg, who drags Makoto into the criminal underworld. Eventually, Makoto decides to do things his own way by creating a new crime family called the Tojo Clan.

Unlike other games in the series, Stranger Than Heaven spans different eras and regions in Japan, starting with Fukuoka in 1915 and ending with Kamurocho in 1965. It will also have different fighting mechanics by mapping the left and right bumpers/triggers to left and right attacks.

Off the bat, Stranger Than Heaven looks like a new era for the series. It launches winter this year for all major platforms.

SEE ALSO: Now Playing: Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties

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Gaming

Star Wars: Galactic Racer launches October 6

Pre-orders now live

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Star Wars: Galactic Racer

Star Wars: Galactic Racer is set to launch on October 6, 2026, bringing a new high-speed twist to the Star Wars universe. The game is published by Secret Mode and developed by Fuse Games. It arrives on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC with support for up to 12 players.

Pre-orders are now open across Standard, Deluxe, and Collector’s Editions. Pricing starts at $59.99 for the Standard Edition, with both digital and physical versions available depending on platform.

A different kind of Star Wars story

Set in the lawless Outer Rim, the game introduces the Galactic League—an unsanctioned racing circuit where skill matters more than destiny. You play as a mysterious pilot named Shade, navigating a single-player campaign built on rivalries, alliances, and unfinished business.

There’s no Force or prophecy here. Instead, the focus is on build strategy and racing mastery. Players can customize three types of repulsorcraft and even take on classic podracers, blending familiar Star Wars elements with a more competitive, arcade-style edge.

Multiplayer supports online races where players can test their builds and driving skills against others.

Pre-order bonuses and editions

All pre-orders include a bonus livery usable across vehicles, with platform-specific colors, plus a Player Banner background for multiplayer.

The Deluxe Edition adds three extra vehicles, exclusive Arcade events, a livery pack, and cosmetic upgrades like new player banners and insignias. It also includes a digital art book featuring early designs of characters, locations, and vehicles.

Collector’s Edition for dedicated pilots

For collectors, the physical Collector’s Edition bundles a model of the Kor Sarun: Darc X landspeeder, themed patches, a printed art book, and a steel case housed in premium packaging. It also includes all Deluxe Edition digital content.

Star Wars: Galactic Racer launches on October 6, 2026, for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC, with pre-orders now available.

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