Gaming

Gaming

PC Gaming Zone: Updates and new game releases, hardware benchmarks, esports, and gaming culture.

playstation xbox nintendo value gaming culture price hike shuhei yoshida

Former PlayStation boss says gaming price hikes are inevitable, but lack of value is the real issue

Is it me, or is the industry as a whole missing the point?
Editor's take: Game prices are climbing to $70 and beyond, with publishers blaming inflation and rising development costs. However, players are pushing back against the price hikes because current big-budget games consistently fail to deliver comparable value. Current prices are a symptom of a much bigger problem.
minecraft bedrock edition flat world minecraft gaming mojang

Minecraft Bedrock Edition gets Flat World presets

As the Minecraft community counts down to the highly anticipated Summer Drop 2025, Mojang is setting the stage with the Bedrock 1.21.80 update, introducing new Flat World presets. The update also brings improvements to gameplay, the UI, and greater parity between the Bedrock and Java editions.
clair obscur gaming

Despite rising game prices, 2025's best-reviewed titles are budget hits

Higher prices doesn't mean better games
A hot potato: Video games are becoming more expensive – Microsoft announced last week that it would be selling some of its upcoming titles for $80, while Nintendo will be doing the same with Switch 2 releases. One of the companies' arguments for this increase is that games now have enormous budgets with massive teams, all of which supposedly benefit the players, yet the three best-reviewed games of 2025 so far are all budget titles.
microsoft xbox consoles price hike

Microsoft shocks with hefty Xbox price hike, games to cost $80

Facepalm: As of today, the entry-level Xbox Series S will cost $379.99 for the 512GB model and $429.99 for the 1TB version – an $80 to $130 increase over last year's pricing. Meanwhile, the Xbox Series X Digital has jumped to $549.99, and the flagship Series X now carries a hefty $599.99 price tag. Even premium models like the limited-edition 2TB Galaxy Series X haven't been spared, rising from $599.99 to a steep $729.99.