Gaming
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth demo out now on Switch 2 and Xbox
Free demo now live
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is making its way to more players, and you can jump in right now.
Square Enix has released a free playable demo for the acclaimed RPG on Nintendo Switch 2, Xbox Series X|S, and Xbox on PC. Better yet, your progress carries over to the full game when it launches on June 3, 2026.
The demo includes Chapters 1 and 2, giving players a substantial slice of the experience right from the start.
A look at the opening chapters
Chapter 1 revisits one of the most pivotal moments in the story — the Nibelheim incident. You take control of a younger Cloud alongside Sephiroth as they investigate a mysterious outbreak of monsters. It’s a story beat longtime fans will recognize, but still hits hard with its modern presentation.
Chapter 2 opens things up. Cloud and the crew step into the Grasslands, where the game starts to flex its scale. Expect a mix of combat encounters, exploration, side activities, and even the in-game card battler Queen’s Blood.
Combat blends real-time action with command-based strategy, now enhanced with Synergy Abilities. The demo also introduces “Streamlined Progression” options like unlimited HP/MP and faster ability unlocks, letting players focus more on the story if they choose.
Pre-orders and physical bonuses
Pre-orders are now open across platforms, with a 20% discount available until June 10, 2026.
Digital editions come with in-game bonuses like Summoning Materia, armor sets, and accessories. Meanwhile, early buyers of the Nintendo Switch 2 physical edition get a little extra — a collectible Magic: The Gathering–Final Fantasy Zack Fair card featuring variant art by Tetsuya Nomura, available while supplies last.
Preparing for the final chapter
Set beyond Midgar, Rebirth follows Cloud and his allies — including Tifa, Barret, Aerith, and Red XIII — as they pursue Sephiroth across a wider world. New companions like Yuffie and Cait Sith join the journey, adding more personality and dynamics to the party.
Already released on PlayStation 5 and PC, the game has racked up over 125 perfect review scores and more than 40 Game of the Year awards. With its arrival on Switch 2 and Xbox, the remake trilogy is now nearly fully playable across modern platforms.
That puts more players in position for what’s next: the third and final installment, which is currently in development.
UPDATE: Southeast Asia physical release confirmed
Square Enix has confirmed that the Nintendo Switch 2 physical edition of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth will be available in Southeast Asia starting June 3, 2026, aligning with the game’s global launch.
As with other regions, players who pick up the first production run can receive a Magic: The Gathering—Final Fantasy Zack Fair card featuring variant art by Tetsuya Nomura, while supplies last.
Santa Monica Studio has officially revealed God of War Laufey. It’s the next mainline entry in the franchise and the first game to put Faye at the center of the story. The announcement came during PlayStation’s State of Play presentation and showed an unusually large look at the opening of the game.
The story begins after Faye’s funeral. She awakens in a mysterious realm called the Everywhen and quickly discovers that the plans she set in motion to protect Kratos and Atreus are now at risk. To save the people she loves, she must fight her way through an afterlife where gods from different mythologies compete for power.
Santa Monica Studio says the game builds on the foundations established by 2018’s God of War and the Norse saga while taking the series in a new direction. The team combines the speed and movement of the Greek-era games with the world-building and character-driven storytelling of the modern entries.
Exploring the afterlife of the gods
One of the game’s biggest mysteries centers on a question raised during God of War Ragnarök: what happens to gods when they die?
The answer is the Everywhen. Santa Monica Studio describes it as the birthplace and final destination of all magic. The realm exists beyond the worlds players have visited before and serves as a meeting point for gods, creatures, and mythologies from across existence.
The reveal trailer offered a first look at Sekhmet and Begtse, two powerful gods Faye encounters during her journey. Neither appears eager to welcome a newcomer into their domain.
Faye also finds allies along the way. Phranque, a cosmic cube voiced by Jack Quaid, joins her adventure alongside Rue, an enchanted ribbon guardian voiced by Perlina Lau. Together, they venture deeper into the Everywhen while uncovering its secrets and searching for a way home.
Faster combat built around Faye
Faye may not wield the Blades of Chaos, but Santa Monica Studio says she is every bit the warrior fans expect from a God of War protagonist. As the Golden Hand of the Jötnar, she fights with speed, mobility, and precision.
The studio redesigned combat around her strengths. Players can move seamlessly between ground and aerial attacks while maintaining momentum. Faye can dodge, reposition, and launch extended combos without slowing the pace of battle. The result looks noticeably faster than Kratos’ combat style while retaining the weight and impact that define the series.
Her abilities also draw heavily from Giant magic. Faye can strike enemies with enough force to separate their souls from their bodies. Once exposed, those souls become weapons. Players can attack them directly, launch them into other enemies, and create new combo opportunities.
The reveal also showcased a legendary sword that becomes Faye’s primary weapon in the Everywhen. Combined with her soul-based powers, it forms the core of a combat system that Santa Monica Studio says still has plenty of surprises left to reveal.
Deborah Ann Woll reprises her role as Faye after appearing in God of War Ragnarök. Santa Monica Studio has not announced a release date, but players can wishlist God of War Laufey now.
Marvel’s Wolverine shows out in the latest PlayStation State of Play trailer. But beyond the brutal combat and motorcycle chases, the game’s latest trailer also confirms a major character reveal: Jean Grey.
Shown prominently throughout the new gameplay presentation, Jean Grey teams up with Logan against the Reavers, a cybernetic mercenary group hunting mutants. The trailer gives fans their first real look at her telekinetic powers in action and hints at a bigger role in Wolverine’s story.
Insomniac Games debuted the extended gameplay trailer during State of Play, offering a deeper look at its upcoming single-player action adventure. The game follows James “Logan” Howlett as he tracks down mutants captured by the Reavers, who plan to deliver them to industrialist Bolivar Trask. Jean Grey emerges as one of the captured mutants and a key ally in the fight against Trask’s forces.
Wolverine looks every bit as savage as fans hoped
The new footage highlights Wolverine’s fast-paced and violent combat system. Players can stalk enemies, launch ambush attacks, and unleash brutal claw combos against heavily armed Reavers.
Logan can also use special combat abilities called Techniques, including moves such as Tornado Spin and Bull Rush. Successful attacks build up Rage, which powers stronger abilities and activates Wolverine’s Healing Factor. Push Rage far enough and Logan enters Rage Tier 3. It’s a heightened combat state inspired by Marvel’s Black, White, and Blood comic series.
Jean Grey isn’t just along for the ride. The trailer shows her fighting alongside Logan with powerful telekinetic attacks that can set up devastating Critical Strikes and team-based finishers.
One of the trailer’s standout moments features Wolverine battling Reavers across a highway convoy. Logan races through traffic on a motorcycle. He slashes tires, jumps between vehicles, and takes on powerful enemies while speeding down the road.
Release date, editions, and pre-order bonuses
Marvel’s Wolverine launches exclusively on PlayStation 5 on September 15, 2026.
The standard edition costs US$69.99, while the Digital Deluxe Edition is priced at US$79.99. Pre-orders are available starting today.
Pre-order bonuses include:
- Early unlock for the Classic Brown Suit
- Early unlock for Reflective Claws
- One additional Technique Point
- Four PlayStation avatars featuring Logan, Jean Grey, Mystique, and Sabretooth
The Digital Deluxe Edition adds five exclusive suits, five exclusive claw designs, and three additional Technique Points. Insomniac notes that the suits and claws are cosmetic items.
The trailer also teases several future reveals, including additional enemy factions, more suits, and what appears to be a brief look at Sabretooth.
With Jean Grey now officially in the spotlight and Wolverine looking as brutal as ever, Insomniac’s long-awaited Marvel adaptation finally feels within striking distance.
ASUS has announced the ROG XBOX Ally X20 bundle at COMPUTEX 2026, just in time to celebrate the gaming brand’s 20th anniversary.
Featuring a translucent black chassis with vibrant gold internal structure, the machine is both a throwback to gaming two decades ago and a vision of the future.
The translucence offers a peek under the hood to the high-performance cooling system and handheld silicon from AMD.
Premium hardware
The ROG XBOX Ally X20 brings a new Nebula HDR Display to the handheld for the first time, with a 7.4-inch OLED panel and Corning DXC glass and anti-reflective coating.
This slightly larger panel increases immersion and visibility. It has up to 120Hz refresh rate, FreeSync Premium of support, and 1,400 nits of peak brightness.
Furthermore, it has a VESA DisplayHDR 1000 rating, Dolby Vision, and 0.2ms response time.
Powering the portable device is the AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme processor with ample gaming horsepower and the latest tools like Auto SR upscaling, as well as XBOX for seamless navigation and gaming.
It supports 24GB of DDR5 RAM and 1TB of PCIe 4.0 storage to accommodate a large library of titles.
Better ergonomics, controls
Inspired by iconic XBOX controller designs, the ROG XBOX Ally X20 has a transforming D-Pad. It’s designed with the standard four-way movement, but can easily be converted to eight-way control for fighting games.
The improved face buttons have also been adjusted, now sitting flush against the chassis to enable smooth and uninterrupted thumb sliding. On the rear of the handgrips is a rubberized coating.
Speaking of controls, the next-gen handheld levels up with a new TMR joystick technology, delivering pinpoint precision, smoother tracking, and longer-lasting performance.
Bundled with ROG XREAL R1 Edition 20 Gaming AR Glasses
The bundle also features the ROG XREAL R1 Edition 20 Gaming AR Glasses, making the set an absolute collector’s must-have.
The AR glasses feature a 171-inch virtual screen at four meters, 240Hz display that covers 95% of the field of view, and a 0.01ms response time, thanks to micro-OLED. These glasses plug directly into the Ally via USB-C.
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