Gaming

Anno 117: Pax Romana had me questioning my strategic skills

In the best way possible

Published

August 24, 2025

Citybuilder aficionados will have something new to chew into with Anno 117: Pax Romana. The game is set to release on November 13, 2025. It’ll be available on PlayStation®5, Xbox Series X|S, Amazon Luna, and Windows PC via Steam, the Epic Games Store, and Ubisoft Connect.

Ubisoft was kind enough to give us the opportunity to play the game for one hour and it’s one that most definitely deserves your attention. That’s especially true if you have any interest at all in the Roman Empire.

What is Anno 117?

Anno 117: Pax Romana, as mentioned earlier, is a citybuilder, real-time strategy game. Some shades of the Civilization franchise for those most familiar with the series. Here, you manage the economy of a budding city as the Roman Empire enlarges its territory.

You play as a newly appointed governor, sent by the Emperor to build and lead several provinces across the Empire. You’re tasked to build cities from the ground up: from the beautiful heartlands of Latium to the mysterious Celtic wetlands of Albion, where no civilized Roman wants to be.

Real-time strategy builder

So, confession: It’s been ages since I played anything remotely like Anno 117. That said, the concept of building a city from the ground-up to expand an empire did tickle my fancy.

The demo starts with you choosing which faction to build from. The first one is a people that would be more accepting of the Roman ways. The other – The Albion – would be more resistant and challenging.

The Albion is an experience that’s first showcased at gamescom 2025 so I figured I’d go with that. In hindsight, perhaps I should have chosen the easier path first, especially for someone who hasn’t played this type of game in a while.

The game does hold your hand a little bit to start. There are plenty of bits and pieces of tutorials to guide you through. The game tells you which buildings to build first, shows you what resources you need, and constantly prompts you to decide whether to increase your population.

Despite that, it never felt like I was being told exactly how to play. The decision on where to place your residents, resource structures, storage facilities, and more still fall on your lap.

Managing multiple things at once

As the governor, you’re tasked with what seems to be an impossible balancing act. You have to make sure that you’re growing the population and meeting their needs at the same time. These needs start off as just food. But as the city grows, so do their needs.

Other than this, you have to make sure the city is running smoothly. To do that, you need to be efficient in managing where the funds go, and ensuring all manufacturing structures function efficiently.

It can be a tall order, but it’s a level of challenge that pushes you to want to do well instead of quitting outright.

Mercury is one of the Roman deities your city can choose to worship.

I didn’t get to this part but in the briefing before the start of the demo, we were also told that part of the things the community of your city will need is some sort of religious system. Who they deem as their deity also determines the abilities and attributes of your citizens.

A game for aspiring public servants?

I ended the playthrough nearly burning through all my resources and being unable to fix the issue on a few of my manufacturing facilities. It really had me questioning my strategic abilities. But I’m gonna chalk this one up to having zero experience with the Anno franchise.

One interesting thought I had as I was fleshing out this article is how Anno 117: Pax Romana is the perfect simulation game for aspiring public servants. As I write this, there’s a growing issue in my home country. It’s about how flood control funds were mismanaged by public officials and their contractors.

I just had a brain fart of how this game simulates governance work. Perhaps more people will gain appreciation for real governance, its pitfalls and challenges, if they played a game like this. I digress.

Anno 117: Pax Romana was hailed as the Best PC game at gamescom 2025 – and for good reason. It’s a unique challenge with fantastic presentation. From my demo experience, it feels like it can be a bit of a timesink – one that might just sharpen the way you strategize.

Gaming

Valve unveils price of the Steam Frame

The VR headset starts at US$ 1,059.

Published

September 15, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

The trifecta is complete. Almost a year after announcing their new hardware, Valve has finally unveiled the price tag of the Steam Frame, complementing the Steam Machine and Steam Controller revealed a few months ago.

Whereas the Steam Machine is a console of its own, the Steam Frame is a traditional VR headset with a pair of controllers for both hands. Unfortunately, despite being in a different segment, the headset is not immune to the rising prices of technology. The Steam Frame will start at US$ 1,059 for a 256GB model and can go up to US$ 1,299 for the 1TB model. On the plus side, each box will come Half-Life: Alyx packaged along with the headset.

Here’s a more detailed rundown of what you’re getting. The Steam Frame will ship with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset, paired with 16GB of RAM. Each eye comes with a 2160 x 2160 LCD screen, putting out images at up t0 a 144Hz experimental refresh rate. As mentioned above, the headset will start with 256GB of storage but can go up to 2TB. It will come packaged with SteamOS 3 and a rechargeable 21.6Wh battery.

This might be a hard buy for some. The industry currently has more affordable options, for one. Also, virtual reality isn’t the most thriving segment of gaming today.

If you’re still decided on buying one, however, Valve is using its lottery system. Interested customers can sign up from now until September 17. The company will then randomize the purchasing order. Those who draw the first ones in the lottery can get a purchase email as soon as September 18. Meanwhile, anyone who registers after September 17 will automatically be put at the back of the queue.

Gaming

BlizzCon 2026 announces World of Warcraft: Forever and Diablo V

StarCraft, Overwatch, Hearthstone, and more also get news

Published

September 14, 2026

GadgetMatch

Blizzard Entertainment kicked off BlizzCon 2026 with a packed Opening Ceremony featuring new games, major expansions, updates, and other announcements across its biggest franchises.

Blizzard Entertainment President Johanna Faries opened the event at the Anaheim Convention Center, celebrating the community behind the company’s games and the teams that bring its worlds to life.

World of Warcraft: Forever and Diablo V

The biggest announcement was World of Warcraft: Forever, a new World of Warcraft experience launching November 5 AEDT, with its beta beginning September 18 AEST. The new experience will feature three zones, more than 1,000 quests, nine dungeons, two raids, and a new Skyborne race.

Blizzard also officially announced Diablo V, marking the next era of the franchise. The game is set to launch in North America in Spring 2029, with Sanctuary having fallen and Diablo having won.

StarCraft is also returning with a new story-driven, open-world shooter. The game is currently planned for a Spring 2030 release in North America.

Beyond games, Blizzard revealed that an animated series set in the Diablo universe is in development with Netflix. The company says this is only the beginning of its plans to expand its universes beyond gaming.

For Warcraft III Reforged, the new Forsaken Kingdom campaign is available today. It marks the Warcraft RTS series’ first new storyline in more than 23 years and explores the fall of Lordaeron and the origins of the Undercity. The accompanying 3.0 update also brings graphical improvements and a revamped World Editor.

Heroes of the Storm is adding Xal’atath as its newest Hero. She arrives in the Nexus on September 29 AEST, with her PTR release scheduled for September 15 AEST.

Existing games updates

Meanwhile, Diablo IV is preparing for its next major content drop. Season of Hell’s Legacy begins September 16 AEST and celebrates the franchise’s 30-year history with the return of the Prime Evils and Deckard Cain, alongside themed rewards and gear.

The legendary Amazon class will also arrive in the first half of 2027 as part of Diablo IV’s first class pack. The Diablo IV: Age of Hatred Collection is additionally coming to Nintendo Switch 2 on September 16 AEST with cross-platform play and cross-progression.

For World of Warcraft, Blizzard teased the next major update for Midnight. Eclipse (12.2) will see Xal’atath move closer to her goal of claiming Azeroth’s Worldsoul. Blizzard also offered another look at The Last Titan, the next expansion in the Worldsoul Saga and a major culmination of more than two decades of Warcraft storytelling. More information is coming early next year.

Overwatch is getting a major update with Season 5. The season introduces new Support Hero Doctrine, reworks for Sombra and Roadhog, and the new Watchpoint: Grimsvötn map. It will also conclude The Reign of Talon, Overwatch’s first year-long narrative arc.

LE SSERAFIM & YOASABI

BlizzCon also featured performances from YOASOBI and LE SSERAFIM. YOASOBI will perform during the first-ever esports halftime show at BlizzCon, while LE SSERAFIM will return to the Main Stage to close the weekend. A new LE SSERAFIM in-game collaboration is available now, with another Overwatch Spotlight scheduled for February 2027.

Finally, Hearthstone is getting its first new class in more than six years. The Monk arrives in 2027, while the upcoming Reign of the Black Empire expansion takes players back to the earliest age of Azeroth. It introduces the Assemble keyword, which combines two cards into a new one. Battlegrounds is also adding Aberrations as a new minion type.

BlizzCon 2026 is now underway, with Blizzard promising more announcements and details throughout the weekend.

Gaming

Just Dance: Decades of Hits to launch on October 13

All-new Just Dance experience that brings every generation together

Published

September 12, 2026

GadgetMatch

Just Dance: Decades of Hits will launch on modern consoles on October 13, Ubisoft has announced.

This will offer fans of the franchise a new experience across eras of music. The game will be available on PlayStation5 , Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch on the launch date.

Nintendo Switch 2 users, meanwhile, will be able to enjoy the title by November 10, 2026.

Just Dance: Decades of Hits brings together every generation to one dance floor with 25 iconic songs across six different decades:

Mamma Mia by ABBA
Uptown Girl by Billy Joel
It’s Tricky by Run-DMC
No Scrubs by TLC
Wannabe by Spice Girls
Bye Bye Bye by *NSYNC
Feel Good Inc. by Gorillaz
Turn Down for What by DJ Snake and Lil Jon
Danza Kuduro by Don Omar feat. Lucenzo
Manchild by Sabrina Carpenter
NUEVAYoL by Bad Bunny
And more!

Bringing every generation together

Songs, visuals, and an all-new Adventure Mode are all designed to immerse players in the spirit that made each decade unforgettable.

From the funky ’70s disco floors and the electrifying ’80s rock scene to the glossy 2000s pop and beyond, travel through time and share the joy of rediscovering iconic moments with friends and family.

In Adventure Mode, follow Lyra, Dr. Gigavolt’s daughter, in a playful journey through time to rescue her father.

Explore the decades through six themed worlds, enjoy fun mini activities, and unlock exclusive rewards.

For unpredictable, chaotic fun where the rules change every round, players can jump into Party Mode. Or they can get moving with the Workout Mode, which tracks calories burned with each dance.

Up to six players can dance locally in the game, with no extra accessories needed.

In addition those who own Just Dance: Decades of Hits as well as Just Dance 2023-2026 editions will be able access all their songs in one place on the same console without having to switch games or separate menus.

This also includes songs from purchased Music Packs and songs available through an active Just Dance+ subscription.