There are two kind of miraculous stories going on in gaming right now. One is Pokémon GO, which has managed to not only live past its initial hype from three years ago when it took over the world to still be one of the largest, most profitable, most played mobile games on the market to this day. The other is Minecraft, even older, having just turned 10, yet it’s having a “moment” as it’s been re-adopted by players and content creators alike, somehow becoming more popular than ever.

And now these two are going to overlap, potentially for Minecraft’s benefit specifically.

Minecraft has just rolled out a new trailer announcing select early access for Minecraft Earth, which should be starting up in October. Minecraft Earth is Microsoft and Mojang’s take on a Pokémon GO-like AR game which gets Minecraft players out into the real world. But instead of catching monster, they’re fighting off Creeps and building structures in the real world which can be planted and viewed through the AR lens of players’ phones. Build a castle on your front lawn and the idea is that other players can pass by and see it standing there. That’s the idea, anyway.

Between the continued popularity of Pokémon GO and the resurgence of Minecraft, if there was every another title to rival GO it feels like it’s going to be Minecraft Earth when it launches in full.

Many originally thought that it would be Niantic’s own Harry Potter: Wizards Unite that would take on that mantle, an AR game in the vein of GO made in part by its original creators, and yet that game has mostly sputtered and left a minimal cultural impact. The concept just didn’t really translate to an AR, location-based game where players were asked to “catch” things like wardrobes and clocks and quidditch balls which are just…not nearly as interesting as Pokémon.

Minecraft Earth, meanwhile, has a concept that immediately marries AR, real-world travel and the core concept of Minecraft’s building and exploration in a way that makes perfect sense. As such, provided the game works as intended and isn’t some kind of technical disaster, it seems like the right moment to capitalize on the dual popularity of GO and standard Minecraft with a game like this. It really does feel like it has the potential to be revolutionary, given both what I’ve seen from the technical aspects of the game and how engaged the Minecraft fanbase is currently. I can also envision a host of YouTubers and Twitch streamers live-vlogging their Minecraft Earth adventures like we used to see with Pokémon GO, which is a raft of content that will help carry the game to even more eyeballs.

I don’t know when Minecraft Earth will launch in full. If early access is in October, a winter launch wouldn’t exactly be great for an outdoor-based game, so perhaps we might have to wait all the way until spring. But when it does get here? Watch out, and mark my words, this will be a hit.

Fancy some more games to make the most of your rig? We’ve compiled a list of some of the best PC games currently available, whether you’re on on Steam, Origin, Epic Store or any other service.

First of all, though, it’s wise to make sure your rig is up to the task. You don’t need to go crazy with components for most games. A good mid-level machine will have a dual or quad-core CPU that can handle multi-threads – something that’s essential for RTS games with numerous sprites on the screen at once or titles with a demanding amount of effects being thrown at any given time.

At the moment, Intel’s 9th-gen CPUs lead the field in terms of clock speeds, but if you want to do video work when you’re not playing games, for example, we’d recommend looking at processors from AMD’s Ryzen or Threadripper ranges.

A graphics card with a minimum of 4GB of vRAM is almost essential for modern PC gaming, although cheaper alternatives can be found. For starters, the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 is fine for multiplayer titles like Overwatch and Call of Duty, while higher frame rates can be achieved at 1080p with the GTX 1060 or 1070, although they cost a little more.

4K Gaming is more complicated, requiring significantly more power to achieve a meaningful performance alongside the improved resolution. The GTX 1080 or the newly released RTX 2080 Ti will work perfectly, with the latter able to achieve Ultra HD picture quality at 60 frames per second. Plus, if you go for an RTX card, you’ll be able to see Nvidia’s cool ray tracing rendering technique on select games including Battlefield V and Metro Exodus.

On top of this, around 8-16GB of system RAM, the maximum that the PC’s motherboard can handle, is also ideal.

If you’re shelling out for a gaming PC, you’ll also need to think about the monitor. You’ll want a model that offers high refresh rates, at least 60Hz. High-end monitors currently offer 144Hz at the higher end. FPS gamers will also want to pay attention to low input-lag times; in fast-paced multiplayer games it’s wise to take any edge you can get on the competition.

1. DOOM

Pros

• Unremitting demon-slaughter action all the way
• Brilliant Glory Kill mechanics
• All your favourite Doom enemies and weapons
• Solid multiplayer and DIY SnapMap modes

Cons

• Repetitive level design
• Semi-useless map

DOOM (2016) has no right to be as good as it is. The reboot of id Software’s classic shooter is a slice of explosive brilliance, boasting one of the finest solo campaigns in recent memory. It hold no punches, handing you an abundance of weapons and asking you to go nuts.

The campaign is the obvious star here, taking you from the surface of Mars to the depths of hell as you slaughter countless demons that come your way. Whether you’ve got a shotgun, chainsaw or machine gun; there’s plenty of grotesque enjoy to be found in DOOM’s gunplay.

Multiplayer and Snap Map are enjoyable little distractions as well, with much of the former’s downloadable content now available for free. Here’s hoping that DOOM Eternal will build upon everything we love about this fantastic shooter.

2. Yakuza 0

Pros

• So much variety
• Snappy, genuinely funny writing
• Great sidequests
• Good story and main characters

Cons

• Basic combat
• Can be a bit cringy

Yakuza 0 is a wonderful, daring and truly unexpected experience. Previously exclusive to PlayStation platforms, it comes to PC with what is arguably the best entry for newcomers wanting to jump in. You play as Kazuma Kiryu, a young member of the Yakuza who finds himself framed for a murder he didn’t commit.

This sets the stage for an epic adventure set across Kamurocho and Sotenbori, two fictionalised versions based on real-life locations in Tokyo and Osaka. The authenticity is striking, and exploring the brightly-lit streets of these absurdly detailed places is as close as we can get without booking a flight to Japan ourselves.

Alongside a great sense of place, Yakuza 0 presents a fast, satisfying combat system with two playable characters. The world is filled with shops, locations and side quests to complete alongside the massive main story.

3. Return of the Obra Dinn

Pros

• Compelling detective story
• Makes you feel like a genius
• Distinctive visual style

Cons

• Pacing oscillates from slow to fast and back again, but never gets it quite right

Return of the Obra Dinn is a detective game that requires real smarts, and by placing the player into the shoes of an insurance agent with a magic watch in the 1800’s has created the most bizarre Bernard’s Watch reboot of all time.

Obra Dinn is dense with information, meaty chunks of the stuff falling out of every brutal tableau. Whether you can use that information to piece together the mystery of what happened to the 60 unfortunate souls onboard the Obra Dinn is something else entirely, but when you make a grasping guess, with nothing more than a flimsy theory and a hunch, it’s the best feeling in the world when it comes off.

4. Apex Legends

Pros

• Fast, frantic combat
• Best-in-class movement
• Three dimensional characters
• Gorgeous artstyle

Cons

• Everyone is a bullet sponge
• Limited ammo to loot

Respawn Entertainment has taken the battle royale genre by storm with Apex Legends, a free-to-play shooter that takes the wonderful gunplay from Titanfall 2 and combines it with an assortment of brave, innovative changes to the formula.

Apex Legends is all about teamwork as a squad of three players select from a variety of classes before dropping into a vast, uncompromising map. It’s brilliantly tense, with threats waiting around every corner as you scavenge for weapons and items.

Having already surpassed 25 million players, Respawn has confirmed that new maps, modes, characters and skins are on the way for Apex Legends. So, the party is just getting started.

5. Rainbow Six Siege

Pros

• Deeply engrossing tactical shooter
• Teamwork isn’t only encouraged, but necessary
• Diverse and well-balanced cast of operators
• Consistent updates and additions

Cons

• Can seem impenetrable to newcomers
• Trolls can ruin matches with little penalty

Starting with a relatively small base of players, Rainbow Six Siege has grown into one of the biggest and brightest multiplayer shooters on the planet. Frequent updates have introduced new operators, weapons and maps that can take players hours upon hours to master.

It presents a steep learning curve and requires plenty of teamwork, but get a few friends together and there aren’t many more rewarding shooters on the market right now. Destructible environments, and quick, structured rounds make working together a priority, with each character owning a repertoire of unique gadgets to use.

6. Divinity: Original Sin 2

Pros

• Well written
• Wicked sense of humour
• Incredibly deep RPG systems
• Lots of replayability value

Cons

• Progression system relies on random cosmetics
• Bad team composition can be frustrating

Divinity: Original Sin 2 is a spectacular RPG positively brimming with new races, locations, quests and more just waiting to be uncovered by the player.

Twenty hours in, you’ll still be discovering new mechanics you never knew existed. In this respect, Original Sin 2 is a little daunting for newcomers, requiring a bit of persistence to penetrate.

That being said, the quality of writing and world-building here is almost unmatched in terms of its sheer scope and detail. An experience not to be missed.

7. PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds

Pros

• Good shooting
• Good way to show dominance over 99 other players through firepower
• Each of the three maps in the game brings a totally unique playstyle
• Proper support means new items, maps and vehicles on the regular

Cons

• Can be intimidating to learn
• Sometimes you get shot in the head from a mile away without a chance to react

PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds is the latest Early Access title to become a phenomenon. Like DayZ, Minecraft and others before it, this game has spread like wildfire, with thousands upon thousands of players picking it up and diving into its Battle Royale-style world.

Players jump into a huge map and simply have to fight to the last man standing. Up to 100 players dueling to the death on a remote island is as intense and thrilling as you’d expect, as players fight for dominance and the inevitable chicken dinner.

8. Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire

Pros

• Amazingly deep world
• Tactically satisfying combat
• Nautical management

Cons

• Sailing is underwhelming
• Not accessible for curious newcomers

Pillars of Eternity 2 is lighter in tone than the original, and if nautical nonsense is something you wish, this is one of the best ways to get your boat on. The game is dense and fascinating, offering an experience you won’t find elsewhere: it’s Obsidian at its very best. And if you can stare into the watery deadfire abyss, you’ll find it also stares into you, providing deep characterisation and a thoughtful pace.

Combat is tight and interesting, and looking after a boat is fascinating. There’s questing, conversations and everything a good CRPG needs. It’s easy to see why it made a splash at launch.

9. XCOM 2

Pros

• Tight, tactical gameplay
• Dynamic and unpredictable
• Wider strategy full of tough, meaningful decisions
• New stealth options work well
• Strong cinematic presentation

Cons

• Views don’t always provide necessary information

The sequel to the 2012 reboot of Julian Gollop’s famous turn-based tactical masterpiece, XCOM 2 is set 20 years after the events of the original game, but showcases the same deep and engaging strategic gameplay.

New to the mix is faster combat and the introduction of secondary mission objectives, which add a bit of variety and extra challenge to proceedings – as if XCOM wasn’t tough enough already.

Outside of combat, researching and building new weapons and gadgets plays a major part in ensuring success, and you’ll spend hours mastering all of the character classes and their respective load-outs.

It’s rare that a sequel manages to improve so comprehensively on the title that precedes it; this is one of those cases.

10. Dead Cells

Pros

• Fun combat
• Environmental storytelling that conveys the game’s lore
• Wide range of items that enable different playstyles

Cons

• Confusing progression system
• It’s a bit grindy

If there’s one rogue-like with Metroidvania elements you play in 2018, make it Dead Cells. The game boasts some of the best 2D combat around, and a compelling cycle of life and death that has a chance of sucking away all of your free time.

A standard run of Dead Cells will only take you 20 to 40 minutes and during that time you could find yourself cowering from giant worms behind a huge shield, freezing zombies with an ice bow and trapping zombie pirate fishermen with wolf traps before leathering them with a broadsword.

This variety is exciting, and as soon as you die you’re dropped back at the start to do it again. Sure, it’s going to eat your life, but you’ll enjoy it every step of the way.

11. Monster Hunter World

Pros

• Incredibly deep and rewarding gameplay
• Beautiful and varied worlds
• So much depth to its systems
• Each monster is a new challenge
• Story is actually engaging

Cons

• Multiplayer matches can be fiddly to set up

When it launched back at the start of 2018, team Trusted was blown away by Monster Hunter World. Now, with it’s launch on Steam, PC players are allowed to join the hunt. It’s a great port, and the game is every bit as impressive on the PC as it was on the other consoles at launch, and if you want to cut off a monsters tail and make it into a cloak, this is as good as it gets.

If you’ve previously bounced off of Monster Hunter titles, this fixes nearly all of the flaws that the series has previously had with accessibility and difficulty, allowing rookie hunters to come in and start fighting giant monsters. In many games, this would get old fast, but each of the giant beasts you hunt and slay has their own quirks and intricacies, making the game constantly compelling.

12. Stellaris

Pros

• Vast amount of approaches for different empires
• Constantly being updated with new features
• Full of great mini sci-fi stories
• Crisis keeps endgame interesting

Cons

• Diplomacy not as interesting as war
• Managing large empires can get fiddly
• Generally not as fun to play as a good guy

Stellaris is a masterpiece of strategy, a game of creating an empire amongst the stars and exploring and shaping those stars to fit your whims.

The genius of the game is the anomaly system, which sees your science vessels find something unusual: a giant skeleton of a planet, a depowered automated shipyard or perhaps a small ceramic pot orbiting a sun, and deposits you into a choose your own adventure that feels like it’s been torn from an episode of Star Trek. A good episode of Star Trek.

Stellaris also bits the stale end game that is the hallmark of 4X strategy titles by introducing a late game crisis which brings carnage to the universe, letting the game come to an explosive end no matter how establish everyone feels as the game enters its final stage.

John Carmack suggested a fun, cute feature that could be implemented in Minecraft, and it sounds like a good idea.

John Carmack proposed an interesting bit of feedback for the Minecraft team on Twitter, suggesting a new way to interact.

Carmack shared a fun idea, saying that “holding hands” could be an interesting mechanics. Honestly, we agree!

“It would be cute seeing best friends and various mobs walking like that, but there could be consequential things like crossing otherwise random portals together or forming coven circles for magical acts,” he wrote, also acknowledging it could be used as a way to play the classic children’s game Red Rover as well.

After Carmack took to Twitter with his idea, people chimed in and agreed, saying that it could be an interesting way to hang out with friends. Others just made it into something weird, as many internet denizens tend to do. The idea is a pretty good one – there isn’t really any way for players to emulate friendship or romance and things like that in-game, so it would be a cute addition to a game that’s already full of ways to express yourself.

John Carmack✔@ID_AA_Carmack

Holding hands might be an interesting Minecraft mechanic. It would be cute seeing best friends and various mobs walking like that, but there could be consequential things like crossing otherwise random portals together or forming coven circles for magical acts. Red rover.1,07111:35 PM – Sep 16, 2019Twitter Ads info and privacy212 people are talking about this

It’s unclear why John was sitting around thinking about new ways to interact in Minecraft, however. Maybe he’s enjoying it in his free time? His previous tweet was about welding sparks and the one following Minecraft was meant to address Oculus Quest developers. Whatever the reason may be, perhaps he’s just trying to offer his thoughts on what could make a good game even better. We already know he knows what he’s talking about when it comes to game design. So when he makes a suggestion, perhaps it’s a good idea to stop what you’re doing and listen. Who knows? Maybe this feature will be making its way to Minecraft soon enough! 

Thanks to anhero for bringing this to our attention with his Chatty thread. This is a cool idea, and it’s odd that you can’t already do this given all the customization options and actions available in Minecraft. 

One avid Overwatch fan has taken it among themselves to recreate a full-scale version of a popular map in Minecraft.

Despite initially being released in 2009, a decade later Minecraft continues to remain at the forefront of popularity in the video game industry. A great deal of Twitch streamers continue to find new ways to enjoy the title to this day, with Minecraft Monday being as popular as ever.

One particular builder in Minecraft had recently set aside the time to combine two of their favorite franchises, recreating a map from the beloved hero-shooter Overwatch.

After an immense “72 hours of progress,” Reddit user ‘halvencyon’ was ready to share their creation with the world, posting a photo album that highlighted the incredible effort of recreating Rialto in Minecraft.

A month and a half of chipping away at the build and the results are spectacular. From internal detail to the sprawling scope of the project, no stone was left unturned in this faithful reimagining of the popular Escort map.

REDDIT: HALVENCYONThe scale of Rialto has been captured perfectly.

Every aspect of the map has been delivered with care, even down the most minute details such as health pack locations and lighting considerations. 

“There’s always room for improvement,” the creator expresses, “but I feel this is my best work yet!”

REDDIT: HALVENCYONCareful not to fall off the map!

Set in Italy, the map was released in Overwatch in May 2018 and now stands as one of the 21 competitive maps in the game to date. Five of which are tuned to the Escort game mode which sees attackers pushing a payload through three checkpoints.

While the recreation in Minecraft is purely aesthetic for the time being, perhaps someone will connect the redstone dots and create a fully functioning Rialto multiplayer mod in the near future.

REDDIT: HALVENCYONEven the small details have been captured in this recreation.

You can check out the full album of images here and leave some words of encouragement to the devoted creator.

This isn’t the first time that the world of Overwatch has mixed with Minecraft as fans recently created a fully functioning D.Va mod.

One YouTuber has found a pain-staking, yet, ingenious way to play Minecraft without even taking a single step but it’s a challenge that not everybody will be willing to take on. 

Despite releasing back in 2009 as the ‘Java’ version, Minecraft has become extremely popular once again with content creators flocking to play the game over numerous platforms. Felix ‘PewDiePie’ Kjellberg was able to cross over the 100 million YouTube subscribers mark with his playthrough, while Felix ‘xQc’ Lengyel has taken Twitch by storm with his Minecraft Monday victories.

Yet, neither of the Felix’s have quite taken on the leap of absurd challenges that involve you beating the game with a pretty terrible arsenal of weapons or even harder, beating it without walking a single step.

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REDDIT, U/VITAMINT123Players can create pretty much anything they want in Minecraft.

That challenge, however, was taken on and beaten by YouTuber TheHeightAdvantage who was able to fully build a house, gather all the needed materials, and even take down The Ender Dragon without even walking an inch.

• Read More: PewDiePie’s next Minecraft plan could be his best yet
  

How did they do it? Well, the YouTuber unbinded all moving controls in their settings so that they won’t take a misstep. Instead, they opted to use boats on land and underground, buckets of water, and a pig he called Little Timmy to get him around.

While his methods may seem strange, just how the YouTuber got around isn’t a completely new idea. The boats can be placed on the ground and sat in while moving, giving you a few block’s worth of movement. That’s the starting point, and of course, you need to spawn near trees to get the wood, but it gets a little easier from there. 

After you’ve got your hands on enough iron, you can craft a bucket and then claim water. Placing water near your feet will sweep you away and give you a few extra blocks of distance. 

Yet, once you befriend a pig and give it a saddle, you can go pretty much anywhere you want – just make sure to have a Carrot on a Stick handy.

If that all sounds like time consuming and hard work – truth be told, it is. TheHeightAdvantage told PCGamer that all in all, it took him around 30 hours to get everything in place and defeat the Ender Dragon. 

Of course, being able to lay claim to ‘beating’ Minecraft without moving sounds like a pretty sweet deal, but exploring the huge landscape while walking is the route we’ll choose to take.

SEATTLE, Sept. 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — The Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP) is pleased to present Minecraft: The Exhibition, opening on October 19, 2019. Designed for players and non-players of all ages, the exhibition celebrates the game’s 10th anniversary by exploring how Minecraft has developed into a platform for unlimited creative expression, community-crafting, and inspiration to build a better world outside of the game.

Created in partnership with Mojang, Minecraft: The Exhibition is dynamic and immersive featuring life-size Minecraft creatures, scenic backdrops, a day-night lighting cycle, audio effects, and a gallery score. The exhibition spans over 6,000 square feet of the museum and is among the most ambitious exhibitions produced by MoPOP, offering fans of all ages the opportunity to interact with the best-selling game of all time like never before.

“We are thrilled to co-create Minecraft: The Exhibition with Mojang and host the world premiere at MoPOP,” said Brooks Peck, Senior Curator of MoPOP, “Minecraft is not only a game that allows for unlimited creativity and exchange of ideas, it also promotes inclusiveness and equality, which are core to MoPOP’s mission.” 

In the exhibition, visitors will feel as if they have stepped inside the blocky world of Minecraft, with scenes, patterns, colors, and textures being informed by actual in-game builds. The gallery features 15 life-size characters from the game, including the explosive Creeper and mysterious Enderman, hands-on experience at a real-life crafting table, and a face-off against a groaning Zombie. Guests can also try the game and explore epic and elaborate creations from the virtual community. Exhibition films include interviews with the game’s creative team, builders, and gamers and shows first hand how Minecraft inspires creative exchanges and social change.

For more information, visit MoPOP.org/Minecraft

PHOTOS/VIDEO
For available artwork please visit the Press Room here .

ABOUT THE MUSEUM OF POP CULTURE (MoPOP)
MoPOP is a leading-edge nonprofit museum in Seattle with a mission to make creative expression a life-changing force by offering experiences that inspire and connect our communities. MoPOP reaches multigenerational audiences through collections, exhibitions, community events, and educational programs, bringing understanding, interpretation, and scholarship to the pop culture of our time.

ABOUT MOJANG
Mojang is a game development studio based in Sweden, best known for developing Minecraft. In 2014, Mojang joined Xbox Game Studios to continue work on Minecraft and bring their vision, creative energy and innovative mindset to the development of future games.

ABOUT MINECRAFT
With over 112 million unique Minecraft players engaged across all platforms and over 176 million copies sold worldwide, Minecraft is the best-selling video game in history. The Minecraft franchise continues to reach new players through an expanding line of consumer products, game updates, Minecraft Marketplace and the amazing content created by its vibrant and growing community. Its world expanded with new games like “Minecraft Dungeons” and “Minecraft Earth,” Minecraft: Education Edition is a special version of the game designed for schools and educational settings.

View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/world-premiere-of-minecraft-the-exhibition-virtual-landscape-comes-to-life-in-seattles-mopop-300919935.html

SOURCE Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP)

Mojang has plans for three major Minecraft biome updates, so we’re going to see major changes to the swamp, mountain, and badlands locations in the relatively near future. But which one’s coming first? That’s not a rhetorical question – the developers want you to answer in a big vote to see which changes are coming first.

The biome vote takes place as part of the Minecon Live stream on September 28 at 9:00 PDT / 12:00 EDT / 17:00 BST, which will broadcast across basically every streaming platform on the face of the internet. Viewers will be able to vote for the next biome update during that stream, much as they did last year with the selection between taiga, savannah, and desert.

Badlands, mountains, and swamps will all get new features, mobs, and mechanics, and Mojang plans to offer video previews of all the new stuff leading up to the vote. Regardless of which biome wins the decision, updates for all three are coming – it’s just a matter of which update lands first.BEST PC GAMING HARDWARE DEALS TODAYaddlink S70 1TB NVMe PCIe Gen3x4 M.2 2280 SSD R/W 3400/3000MB/s Internal Solid State Drive

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You can get more details on the official site.

Or watch the developers explain it in the video above.

Our latest check-in with the Minecraft player count confirms that yep, it’s still totally the biggest game in the world. Don’t expect those updates to stop any time soon.

Mojang wants players to vote for which of the three biomes gets upgraded first.

In the lead up to Minecon Live, Mojang has announced plans to update three Minecraft biomes. Swamp, Mountains and Badlands are all scheduled to get updates, with “new mobs, features and mechanics” to be added. 

More details about these updates will roll out between now and September 28, but in the meantime Mojang has announced that it wants players to vote on which of these biomes will get the update treatment first. This vote will take place live on September 28 during Minecon Live, which is a special Minecraft livestream.

It’s exciting news for Minecraft fans: while all of these biomes have received small iterative changes throughout their histories, it sounds like Mojang has much bigger plans afoot to make them more exciting. And don’t fret: all three will inevitably get an update – this vote is just to determine which comes first.

Minecon Live will also feature a bunch of community panels, ranging the social through the technical, and even more “juicy” news and update info will be announced during the stream. It’ll no doubt attract a healthy audience: apparently the game attracts more than 112 million players per month.

Borderlands 3 doesn’t run great on console, but it seems to be especially having issues on Xbox One and Xbox One X. In addition to a healthy slab of performance issues, the madcap, post-apocalyptic looter-shooter seems to be overheating Xbox One and Xbox One X consoles, causing frequent crashes. In fact, some players are reporting the game is downright unplayable due to this. At the moment of publishing, it’s unclear what the issue, but it’s been present since launch on September 13, and is still an issue as of today.

Meanwhile, things are a bit better on PS4 and PS4 Pro. There doesn’t seem to be any issues of overheating, and crashes appear to be minimal. Personally, I’ve had one or two crashes on my base PS4, which also sounds like a jet engine while running the game. And the PS4 Pro isn’t much better, with many noting the console is quite loud when running the game. As you may know, Borderlands 3 isn’t the most technically demanding game on the market, so it’s unclear what the issue could be.

Allan davies@allan_davies

@Borderlands can you fix the problems for the xbox one x, borderlands 3, constantly crashing and turning off the console on 4k, makes the game unplayable, tells me the console is overheating, but seen this problem before on other games, so annoyed with it all now11:38 AM – Sep 18, 2019 · Oldham, EnglandTwitter Ads info and privacySee Allan davies’s other Tweets

One shady alien@TrashServersReplying to @GearboxOfficial @Borderlands

The game overheats my Xbox one x and shuts it down randomly when I try to play co-op or sometimes when I load onto a planet. I don’t have this issue with my other games. So fix it because I don’t want my Xbox to get damaged because of your game overheating it1:00 PM – Sep 17, 2019Twitter Ads info and privacySee One shady alien’s other Tweets

Slickkster@Slickk2000

@GearboxOfficial My Xbox one x keeps overheating from Playing Borderlands 3 is this normal to happen.11:29 AM – Sep 17, 2019 · Perrysburg, OHTwitter Ads info and privacySee Slickkster’s other Tweets

Anthony Mundell@lMundyy

@GearboxOfficial @Borderlands been playing this game since launch and over the past 2-3 days my Xbox One X has been turning itself off countless times and it has nothing to do with overheating because it’s not even hot and I’m not receiving the overheating message when back on??9:27 AM – Sep 17, 2019Twitter Ads info and privacySee Anthony Mundell’s other Tweets

Grandads Belt@Grandads_Belt

@2KSupport trying to play borderlands 3 on xbox one x and game keeps on making my xbox think its overheating and not venting right tried to make 2k support ticket but verification keeps failing and I can’t make an account.9:11 AM – Sep 15, 2019Twitter Ads info and privacySee Grandads Belt’s other Tweets

Benjamin@Benjaminb1121

@XboxSupport my Xbox keeps “overheating” during a borderlands 3 cutscene but I’ll touch the Xbox and it’s not hot I’ve cleaned it and everything and it’s still turning off during this cutscene please help18:42 AM – Sep 15, 2019Twitter Ads info and privacySee Benjamin’s other Tweets

Steve Fava Jr@TheSteveFava

@Borderlands PLEASE FIX YOUR GAME ON XBOX!!!! MY CONSOLE DAMN SURE ISNT OVERHEATING AND I JUST PAID $60 FOR AN UNPLAYABLE CRASH FEST!!!!!7:43 AM – Sep 14, 2019Twitter Ads info and privacySee Steve Fava Jr’s other Tweets

Gearbox has been working on updates tirelessly since launch, but for the moment, there’s no word when console gamers can expect these issues to be fixed alongside a myriad of other performance problems.

Borderlands 3 is available for PS4, Xbox One, and PC. Further, it will release on Google Stadia later this year. For more news, media, and information on the game, click here.

Gears 5 players who have been sharpening their hive-busting skills since the game launched have a new challenge coming their way that sounds like it’ll be quite the experience. Coming to the game is a new Escape Challenge Hive called “The Hunters,” and it’s full of Sires, an enemy with the potential to throw a wrench in even the best of plans for approaching these hives. Other available hives will change with the release of The Hunters.

The Coalition announced the release of the new Escape challenge in its latest “What’s Up” post where it educated players on what’s coming to the game this week and onwards. The big sell for this week’s Gears 5 content drop is Batista coming to the game – unlocking him is easy – but the new hive will be welcome news for anyone who’s already mastered the innerworkings of the other maps.

Players will have to enter this Escape hive to get a feel for it just like the others, but know that the Sires are waiting for you.

“If Sires scare you, you’ll need a strong stomach for this one,” the post said. “This week’s new Escape Challenge Hive is The Hunters, featuring Sires that will spawn unpredictably and hunt you down from every angle.”

Gears of War✔@GearsofWar

A new Escape Hive awaits you in #Gears5!

Venture into the depths of ‘The Hunters’, a maze-like layout where Sires lurk around every corner.

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For those who have only stuck to the Versus mode and haven’t dabbled in the campaign or other multiplayer experiences long enough to encounter the Sires, they’re massive pains to go up against if you’re not careful. After a brief battlecry that alerts you to their attack, they pounce towards a player. If they successfully make contact, they apprehend the player and start carrying them off away from the others. You can mash a button to give yourself some time, but if you don’t have a teammate near you to blast them away, they’ll just rip your head right off and that’ll be that. If you’ve ever played Left 4 Dead 2, it’s a lot like playing against a full-grown version of a Jockey.

You’ll encounter those creatures in other maps and game modes as well, but you’ll find plenty of them in The Hunters. This new hive is also part of Gears 5’s planned releases that bring new types of maps and cosmetics each week among other content.

Gears 5 is now available for the Xbox One and PC platforms, and you can read our full review on the game here.

Those interested in Obsidian Entertainment’s new project called The Outer Worlds have caught glimpses of the game through teasers, trailers, and some hands-on impressions ahead of its October release date. Some new gameplay that’s emerged from Tokyo Game Show gives us a more candid look at a user’s experience with the title as they take on enemies, explore branching dialogue options, and more. The new footage appears to show off early parts of the game and consists of nearly 20 minutes of gameplay.

There’s a lot of talking in The Outer Worlds as made evident by the gameplay, but that sort of thing is expected given the RPG world that the game is housed in where players’ actions and choices are remembered. When you’re not chatting it up with your companions and NPCs worth talking to, you can go around shooting at enemies or lopping off limbs and parts of robots with your melee weapons. The subtitles and dialogue options are in Japanese, but the English voiceovers give viewers ideas of what’s going on.

This gameplay capitalizes on the Fallout vibes people have already gotten from the game which makes sense seeing how it’s Obsidian that’s creating The Outer Worlds. Characters, combat, and the environment are all reminiscent of that sort of experience, so if that’s the type of RPG that you’re into, The Outer Worlds seems like it’ll be a welcome part of your collection.

Until the game releases in October, we can expect to see more gameplay like this and trailers like this one here. For those who haven’t been keeping up with the game and are now interested, you can find out more on it below courtesy of the game’s site.

“Lost in transit while on a colonist ship bound for the furthest edge of the galaxy, you awake decades later than you expected only to find yourself in the midst of a deep conspiracy threatening to destroy the Halcyon colony,” a set-up for the game reads. “As you explore the furthest reaches of space and encounter a host of factions all vying for power, who you decide to become will determine the fate of everyone in Halcyon. In the corporate equation for the colony, you are the unplanned variable.”

The Outer Worlds releases for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC platforms on October 25th. A Nintendo Switch version is in development and does not yet have a release date.

Minecraft’s annual celebration of all things blocky and worth building is coming up soon when Minecon Live kicks off on September 28th. During that event, players who are there and those who are watching from home will be able to have their say on a player-driven update that’ll affect the game’s biomes. One biome is being updated, the Minecraft team announced, and it’ll be up to players to decide which one it’ll be.

A post on the Minecraft site set the stage for Minecon Live and introduce players to this year’s vote for the biome updates. The three biomes that’ll be eligible for votes during the Minecraft event are the Swamp, Mountains, and Badlands biomes. Each of them will be updated at some point, but players get to decide which one will be updated first.

It hasn’t been announced yet how players will vote for their preferred biome, but we know from the announcement that you’ll have to tune into the actual event on September 28th at 12 p.m. ET to cast your vote. Minecraft has run votes in the past, sometimes through Twitter, so it wouldn’t be a bad idea to follow them there in preparation for the event.

Minecraft✔@Minecraft

Let’s transform a biome! On Sept 28, vote during MINECON Live and choose between Swamp, Mountains, or Badlands to decide which Minecraft biome we will update next! Learn more about what we have in store, and how you can vote:

↣ http://redsto.ne/biomevote  ↢#MINECON

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Minecraft players also won’t be expected to go into the votes without knowing anything about how the biomes will look once the decision has been made. In the weeks leading up to the event, videos will be shared by the Minecraft team to offer previews of the updated versions of these biomes. New mobs, features, and mechanics were some of what was promised in the video above, and those videos should start rolling out soon to show off the biomes.0COMMENTS

In the past, Minecraft has added more content to the game based on players’ votes. The best example of this is the Minecon event from 2017 which was then called Minecon Earth where players were able to choose what mob would be added to the game next. The community chose something which was then called “Mob B” and is now known as the “Phantom” in Minecraft. The undead mob flies around the night skies and gets spooked by cats. Speaking of cats in Minecraft, another contest held in 2018 added one player’s cat to the game.

Minecraft’s live event will take place on September 28th, so look for the biome videos ahead of that date to prepare for your vote.

The big picture: Part of Microsoft’s success with Minecraft is the fact that Minecraft is going after gamers on multiple fronts including consoles, PC and mobile. There’s even a heavy focus in the education sector. But it hasn’t been all sunshine and unicorns. Last month, for example, Mojang canceled its long-promised Minecraft graphical overhaul because it was too technically demanding.

Microsoft’s decision to purchase Minecraft for $2.5 billion five years ago stunned the tech and gaming communities alike. Many saw the acquisition as little more than a puzzling decision from newly minted CEO Satya Nadella but it quickly became apparent that the Redmond-based company was on to something.

While titles like Fortnite and other battle royale entries have dominated gaming headlines in recent years, Minecraft’s slow and steady approach is certainly winning the race. The game passed Tetris as the best-selling game ever earlier this year and according to studio head Helen Chiang, Minecraft now has over 112 million active players each month.

As Business Insider highlights, that’s a jump of more than 20 million users since Microsoft last supplied player numbers in October 2018. That level of growth is incredibly impressive, especially for a game that’s been available for more than 10 years now.

At the end of the day, people keep coming back to Minecraft and that’s great news for Microsoft. “It may not always be the one that’s in the forefront, because there are a lot of great games that continue to come out, but it’s one that they love to return to,” said Chiang.

It’s been pretty clear to anyone paying attention that Minecraft has been seeing a resurgence lately, but now we actually can quantify that to some degree.

This week, Microsoft has told Business Insider that Minecraft has rocketed to 112 million monthly players, a 20 million increase over the last time they reported those figures in October 2018. This is a game that is now a decade old, and more relevant than ever.

Other than “it’s good and people like it” there are any number of explanations for the recent explosion of Minecraft. There was a new update around the ten year anniversary that added a lot of new content. 100 million subscriber YouTuber PewDiePie is credited with bringing back the game in the “influencer” scene, with his channel practically devoted to nothing but Minecraft the last few months. And then there’s the slow fade of Fortnite as players transition out of that megahit and back into other games, Minecraft among them.

Minecraft’s rise is even more impressive considering that on most platforms, it isn’t actually free, unlike Fortnite. Though some may credit Microsoft putting it in the Xbox Game Pass as a move that has boosted its playercount further.Today In: Innovation

Fortnite seems to know that Minecraft is pulling away players, which is why we have seen the birth of Creative Mode in that game and continued devotion to building it out. But Minecraft remains the original, and should only keep capitalizing on its popularity with future releases like Minecraft Dungeons, which combines the original with Diablo-like dungeons and looting.

All in all, the refrain I keep hearing from Minecraft players is that’s a game people like to return to after a while away, and in this case, I think there’s kind of a snowball effect where so many people returned to it together, it felt like old friend groups could all rejoin the game at once and have as much fun playing now as they may have 3-8 years ago.

Microsoft’s $2.5 billion purchase of Minecraft felt kind of odd at the time, but they now own one of the most played games in the world. I am willing to bet that 112 million monthly players is more than Fortnite has right now, and possibly only is competing with mobile titles at that scale. It’s deeply impressive.

Expect Minecraft to live forever, and to continue to be relevant with upcoming releases like Minecraft Dungeons and Minecraft Earth, the AR play that will take aim at Pokémon GO next.

Microsoft has revealed its latest numbers for Minecraft, and, astonishingly, it’s acquired another 20 million monthly players since previous figures were released just under a year ago.

Last October, official numbers revealed that Minecraft had accumulated 91 million monthly active users, which in itself was a massively leap from December 2017, when the game set a new record with over 74 million players logging in for their fix of cube-based adventure. And Minecraft’s popularity shows no signs of abating, with head of Minecraft Helen Chiang telling Business Insider in a new interview that the game has now amassed 112 million monthly players.

That, of course, accounts for players across all platforms (of which there are many), alongside those playing through Xbox Game Pass – but, even so, it’s another impressive, and slightly head-spinning, number. Furthermore, it sees Minecraft once again stealing the lead over free-to-play rival Roblox, which announced 100 million monthly active users back in August.

Taken alongside developer Mojang’s announcement in July that Minecraft has now sold over 176 million copies (potentially making it the best-selling video game of all time), it’s clear that Minecraft, despite recently celebrating its tenth birthday, continues from strength to strength.

And with such a healthy player base, it’s no surprise that Microsoft is still leaning heavily on the IP which it famously paid $2.5 billion USD for back in 2014. Alongside continuing support of the core game, including the rather swish-looking raytracing update, Microsoft currently has free-to-play, Pokémon-Go-style mobile offering Minecraft Earth in beta for iOS and Android, and is working on the promising Minecraft Dungeons for next year.

Around a decade after its original release, Minecraft continues to grow and reach astonishing new player records. According to Business Insider, the game reached a new monthly player milestone.

As of this week, the open-ended sandbox game has more than 112 million monthly players. This is up substantially from the 91 million monthly players that Microsoft announced in October 2018. The numbers count players on all platforms: console, PC, mobile, and others.

To put Minecraft’s popularity in context, Epic announced in August 2018 that Fortnite had 78.3 million monthly players. Meanwhile, the MMO creation game Roblox reached 100 million monthly active users in August 2019.

Minecraft still receives regular updates, while the game was added to Xbox Game Pass in April 2019; this no doubt helped expand the footprint of the popular game even further.

Minecraft boss Helen Chiang told Business Insider that Minecraft is a game that people enjoy coming back to again and again. “It may not always be the one that’s in the forefront, because there are a lot of great games that continue to come out, but it’s one that they love to return to,” Chiang said.

Microsoft acquired the Minecraft franchise and developer Mojang in 2014 for $2.5 billion. Series creator Markus “Notch” Persson is no longer involved with the franchise. He spent $70 million on a Beverly Hills mansion, outbidding Beyonce and Jay-Z for the home.

Looking ahead, a Minecraft movie is on the way. Writer Allison Schroeder (Hidden Figures, Frozen 2) was hired to pen the latest draft of the screenplay The Minecraft movie is scheduled for release in theatres on March 4, 2022. There is no word yet on if it will be animation or live action, or a hybrid, nor do we know who may star in it. At one point, Steve Carell was apparently connected to the project, though it’s unclear if that’s still the case.

The next new Minecraft game is the AR title Minecraft Earth, which is scheduled to release later this year.

Dozens of rowboats and one brave pig called “Little Timmy” are the main methods of transportation. But no walking.

It’s awesome when players take on ridiculous, self-imposed challenges, like the time someone beat Skyrim while only using a torch or when another player beat Fallout: New Vegas on max difficulty without dying or killing anyone.

The latest entry in the category I’ll call ‘There Should Really An Annual Awards Show For This Kind Of Accomplishment’ is this Minecraft player who beat the game without ever walking. No walking! At all. With the exception of standing or hopping straight up, this player never used his legs.

Technically, you don’t really beat Minecraft because it’s an endless game, but you can “beat” it by visiting The End and defeating the Ender Dragon. And that’s what YouTuber TheHeightAdvantage did, amazingly, without ever taking a single step. You can watch a fascinating and well-edited video of his accomplishment below:

So, how do you beat Minecraft without actually walking? With a lot of patience and creativity. He created a Minecraft world and then immediately unbound the walking keys. Standing in place, he began doing the usual Minecraft things: chopping trees, collecting resources, and crafting items. He just did it all without walking around.

Of course, you do need to actually move in Minecraft, so TheHeightAdvantage crafted a boat. The boat is on land, one block away, but mounting the boat moves him over to it. Collect the boat, place it one block away, and mount it again: it’s slow, but it does get you around.

Eventually he finds a water source, and can start scooping it up and dumping it with a bucket to use the boat like an actual boat. More boats are later used to created long, mountable pathways over land. And then, after much boat-mounting, he saddles a pig named “Little Timmy” and rides him around.

In a message on Reddit, TheHeightAdvange tells me it took him around 30 hours to complete the no-walking playthrough, but he eventually rode Little Timmy into The End (leading him with a carrot on a stick) and defeated the Ender Dragon. The brave pig, sadly, didn’t survive.

I asked how he came up with the idea for such a challenging run. “I originally thought of the idea when I found a seed where you spawn in a mineshaft right next to a mine cart and wanted to do an entire playthrough without leaving the mine cart,” he said. “I had a few failed attempts and then came up with the boat idea to make things easier on myself, plus it would then be possible on any seed.”

At the end of the video, the stats are shown, which do show some distance traveled by normal movement—though he explains that colliding with mobs or entities that bump you around is registered by the stats page as walking. But as far as true leg locomotion goes, the player never took a step. As for Little Timmy, he carried his master over 45km. That’ll do, pig.

You can check out TheHeightAdvantage’s other videos here, and follow him on Twitch where he’s currently doing a hardcore Minecraft run.

There’s this game called Minecraft and it’s really popular. According to Minecraft studio head Helen Chiang, over 112 million people play it per month. That’s a third of the population of the United States, and the Australian population is a sixth of that figure. If you had 112 million donuts, and divided them up between 10,000 ibises, each ibis would have 112,000 donuts each. That’s too many donuts by anyone’s measure.

Chiang revealed the figure in an interview with Business Insider, adding that the game has grown and endured for over ten years because it’s something people will always return to, even if they put it down for a few weeks to play something else. It doesn’t hurt that Minecraft is now available on virtually every device with a screen, and that Mojang keeps updating the game with stuff like bees and harmony and hope.

Better still, the game is advancing with the times: it’s getting ray tracing support soon, and if you’re the type to turn their nose up at Minecraft’s graphics you may be surprised by how good it looks. That said, not every leap forward comes to fruition: the game’s Super Duper Graphics Pack was canceled recently for being “too technically demanding”.  

And people keep doing the damnedest things in Minecraft, such as creating an in-game Reddit browser, or watching movies on in-game TVs.

Bees have found their way into Minecraft. These adorable creatures are beneficial for helping plants grow faster, and they’re a social animal who communicate with others of their species. You can breed these creatures, and learn about their behaviors and where to find them in these handy guides. But how do you harvest their honey? We’re going to discuss that feature right here, detailing how to collect honey and honeycombs from a bee nest.

Collecting Honey and Honeycombs From a Bee Nest in Minecraft

Collecting Honey by Hand 

You can harvest honey from a bee’s nest by walking up to it with an empty bottle and picking it out, using the item. The empty bottle is going to fill up with the honey for you to take away, consume, or use how you want. However, there’s a catch: the bees are going to become immediately hostile to you when you steal their honey. You’re going to need to run away, and if they sting you, they’re going to die shortly afterward because honey bees do not live long without their stinger inside them.

To prevent the bees from dying and attacking you, place a campfire underneath the nest. Doing so turns the bees passive, preventing them from attacking you, and you get to ensure they can collect more honey for you in the future.

Collecting Honeycombs

Unfortunately, you can’t locate a bee nest in Minecraft and expect to grab honeycombs as quickly as you would the honey. When you collect honeycombs from a bee nest, you’re going to destroy the home. But, you’re going to need those honeycombs to make a beehive for yourself. You’re going to need a particular tool to collect the delicious reward inside a bee’s home.

You need to make a tool that has the silk touch enchantment on it. Doing so prevents the materials of the bee nest from getting destroyed, allowing you to take the honeycombs. You can then use them in other recipes, or make a series of beehives to give the bees a new home in your backyard or near your garden.