The genre that I like to call the “escape room simulator” has been getting a lot of new entries in the last couple of years. Liminal Exit is preparing to enter the fray with a third quarter release this year, combining elements of survival horror, walking, and immersive sims. You are trapped inside a building with three floors, tasked with reporting anomalies across liminal spaces that keep repeating if you miss something out of place. Adding a dash of survival horror, Liminal Exit looks to test your awareness, as well as your mental fortitude, with an eerie AI attempting to trap you forever.

There’s no firm release date just yet, but you can check out the spooky new trailer for Liminal Exit below:

We’re getting more firefighting simulators than you can shake a hose at these days, but one is starting to stand out more than the rest. Rescue Ops: Wildfire was first revealed back in May by developer Exkee but now we have our first look at real gameplay, and it looks very promising. A new gameplay video is a brief yet beefy peek at the game’s various systems, driving, fire physics, and just how deep the simulation goes. You can check it out below.

There’s no firm release date yet for Rescue Ops: Wildfire, but the plan is for it to hit PC Early Access in early to mid-2026. As of right now, there are no console versions planned, but I won’t give up hope for us console simmers.

Fans of tactical shooters on console have been waiting a long time for this one. Ready or Not is now available on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, putting players in the boots of SWAT officers in the fictional city of Los Suenos. Alongside the console launch comes the addition of cross-platform play so you can squad up no matter where you play.

The base version of Ready or Not features 18 missions that can be played either solo or in online co-op for up to five players. It also includes two missions as part of the Los Suenos Stories free DLC update. Additionally, for an extra $20, you can grab the Dark Waters and Home Invasion DLC packs which include more missions, a UH-60 support helicopter, and more. Each DLC can be purchased separately as well.

I played my first two missions last night with a friend and, so far, it is scratching a major itch that I’ve had since playing SWAT 2 and SWAT 3 on PC way back in the day, when I would get kicked from my online matches every time the house phone rang. I am currently reviewing Ready or Not on PlayStation 5, so stay tuned in the coming days for my full breakdown.

Announced only a month ago, Neverwinter Nights 2: Enhanced Edition is out now. Neverwinter Nights 2 originally launched in 2006, nearly 20 years ago. It was removed from Steam in 2012, likely due to licensing issues between Atari and Hasbro. Then it was quietly delisted from GOG sometime in late 2020 or early 2021, leaving no official PC storefront selling the game. If you already had it, you had it. But if you didn't have it, you couldn't buy it.

Jump to July 15, 2025, and Neverwinter Nights 2 is back—albeit in "enhanced" form—thanks to prolific game porters and enhancers, Aspyr Media. 

This was top-notch roleplaying back in the 2000s. Our review (yes, Gaming Nexus has been around that long; longer, actually) gave it an 8.5, noting developer Obsidian's pedigree, but acknowledging janky AI—back when "AI" simply described NPCs' and enemies' behavior on the battlefield—a middling artistic aesthetic, and, even then, one of the worst cameras to be found in video gaming.

Our review of the Enhanced Edition is forthcoming. And we'll see just how great or merely good enough the following new features are:

Experience the Complete Saga with All Classic Expansions Included: Journey through the cursed Shadow Realm in Mask of the Betrayer as a Shard-Bearer battling an insatiable spiritual hunger. Lead your shipwrecked crew through a hostile jungle in Storm of Zehir, uncovering a plot that threatens all of Faerûn. And delve into the treacherous underbelly of Mysteries of Westgate, where secrets and danger lurk around every corner.

Steam Workshop Support: Dive into a world of community-created content with full Steam Workshop integration. Discover and download new adventures, modules, and more to expand your Neverwinter Nights 2 experience.

First Time on Consoles with New Controls: Experience Neverwinter Nights 2 on consoles for the very first time! Enjoy tailored controls with full controller support, as well as the option for classic mouse-and-keyboard gameplay.

If you've never played Neverwinter Nights 2, this is the perfect time to jump in, even with a $30 price tag. The jury is still out whether this Enhanced Edition is worth that same price to previous owners of the game, however.

Neverwinter Nights 2: Enhanced Edition is out now on Steam, GOG, Switch, PS5, and Xbox S|X.

EVO 2025 is only a few weeks away and Quarter Up have announced that they are bringing Invincible Vs. to the show, but have also announced a new character for Invincible Vs. with Rex Splode. Check out his gameplay trailer below. 

There will be 16 demo stations set up at EVO with 3 stages and six playable characters. Those five of them have been announced including... 

• Invincible
• Atom Eve
• Thula
• Bulletproof 
• Rex Splode

The sixth playable character is currently a mystery so I think we will be getting a character reveal at the event. 

Invincible Vs. is scheduled for release in 2026.

It's no secret that as soon as I got my hands on Street Fighter 6, I was happy to shoryuken Street Fighter 5 to the promised land. This means I didn't even get to play with Sagat, because while he was in the game way before then, I had my fill with the game, and decided I would play it on special call outs. This has all changed with Street Fighter 6, and though I still haven't played anything with Elena, Sagat is the game character to remind me I've been away for too long. 

Since the last time I've played, we've had Elena, a Switch 2 release, and an entire Season 3 patch. Now we wait for Sagat to be added, as the first Season 3 character. Capcom released his gameplay trailer today, and I'm very scared of the Emperor Sagat. He's learned a thing or two up in the mountains. 

I saw Sagat with more reach than I've ever seen him have. He looks HUGE. He has a slew of new tech, that look familiar if you're a Ryu or Ken user. He has knees and kicks similar to Ken's Jinrai kicks. He has a medium jumping punch that hits twice. His level 1 super, Tiger Shot goes right through a Shinkuu Hadouken. His Tiger Uppercut seems to hit anything that moves. He has what seems to be a charging tiger uppercut that comes with an additional hit, that then results in a wall splat. He even has a Level 2 super that he can modify up to 4 different ways, depending on how you want your opponent to land.

I spent a lot of time oohing and ahhing during this trailer, and it's time you take part in it, if you haven't already. And remember, the fighters pass is all about Street Fighter 1 as you get ready for Sagat, with an EX color for Ryu and Ken, along with new challenger screens, an outfit for your avatar, and even the sound effects from the very first game. Check it out. 

I still cannot believe it. For the first time ever, I will be at EVO, trying my absolute best to cover one of the biggest fighting game conventions ever. I'm over excited, but not overwhelmed. I think that's a good thing.

For those of you who don't know, EVO is THE fighting game tournament to be in. It is a 3 day festival centered by tournaments and competitions, but surrounded by convention standards, like vendors, exhibits, meet and greets, and a very large pop up arcade. 6.5 million are expected to tune in, and people from 60 different countries will be featured in the tournaments. 

EVO, presented in part by Chipotle, will take place across 13 acres on the EVO show floor. Chipotle will be joined by other presenting partners such as AT&T, Playstation, Qiddiya Gaming, Nacon, Zennu, Red Bull, White Claw Zero Proof, Under Aumour, Voodoo Ranger IPA, and Grand Archive TCG. Chipotle leads the charge here, providing free rides to nearby Chipotles in a foil wrapped Burrito bus, which is the strangest sentence I've typed so far. 

Chipotle will have something called the Burrito Meter available on Twitch, were viewers can emote during the commercials, and fill up a Burritometer (I made that word up), leading them to get text-to-win Chipotle giveaways. Competitors who make it out of round two pools also get some freebies. There will be pop up tournaments, free swag, and more meet & greets in the Community Lounge. 

The Arena lineup consists of Fatal Fury: COTW, Granblue Fantasy Versus Rising, Guilty Gear Strive, Marvel VS Capcom 2, Mortal Kombat 1, Street Fighter 6, Tekken 8, and Under Night, In-Birth SYS: Celes. There are also extended tournaments in Rivals of Aether II, KOF XV, Samurai Showdown, Blazblue Centralfiction, Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2, Capcom VS SNK 2. Virtual Fighter 5 R.E.V.O, and Killer Instinct. There will be more games tournaments taking place, as well, but we would be here all day. Also, as press, I cannot compete. 

Last year, Evo Vegas featured 10,000+ competitors, and became the largest tournament in esports history As this one is the US version, EVO also took place in Japan, and will take place, in France later this year, and Singapore in 2026. If this goes well, maybe I'll take my first trip overseas. They've come a long way from 2002. 

I'm hoping to interview some of my favorite fighting game content creators, and competitors. IFC Yipes, Justin Wong, Smug, Diaphone, Rooflemonger, last years Street Fighter 6 champ Punk, and of course, Maximillion Dood. I'm sure there will be opportunities to meet the people behind my favorite fighting games, so I hope to meet them too. Maybe I can get Ken Masters to record a Games N Moorer intro. 

I'm excited to say the least. Below is a video series called Real Talk, from EVO FGC featuring Justin Wong, and IFC Yipes, along with Evo Moment 37, featuring a young Justin, and Daigo, in a absolute insane round finish. This is just the beginning. 

Of Ash and Steel, a new open world RPG developed by Fire & Frost and published by tinyBuild, is one of those games that could very well become the "next big thing". I've played through a test build of the early hours of the game, and the vibes I get from it remind me of early builds of games like Kingdom Come: Deliverance. The feeling I come away from my time with the demo is one of boundless potential, like an entire world is spread before me just waiting for me to come explore it.

The build I played included a brief tutorial area and several hours of early quests in the main world. The player character is a cartographer who has tagged along with a group of knights on a mission to deliver an important communique. The cartographer's job was to guide the knights' ship through the rocks to their island destination. As the game begins, it's clear that he has failed miserably, as the knights are wet and angry on the shore, looking out at their smashed-up ship.

The tutorial gives the player a bit of starting gear and teaches the basics of combat. But what it really imparts is the idea that the player is not a superhero. He's not even a knight. He's a helpless map maker, and any survival skills he needs are going to have to be learned along the way. 

You will be on your own figuring out these skills, as Of Ash and Steel does not hold the player's hand. This is a game that does not offer waypoints, a compass, or a map. Players must pay attention when it comes to navigation and taking directions. However, unlike games like Outward, which left me feeling bewildered and immediately overwhelmed, Of Ash and Steel is a bit more manageable. The game does a great job of guiding the player where they need to go, while still leaving the feeling that you found things all by yourself. It's quite a good trick.

I only began to explore combat in my time with the game; while it is a major gameplay component, it is not the central point of the experience. I found the combat to be challenging, but reasonable. This is not a Soulslike game, but players would still do well to retreat when they are outnumbered, particularly when they are just starting out. 

There is a charm to Of Ash and Steel that is difficult to describe. The character work is outstanding, giving even minor characters flashes of personality that do a lot to sell the experience. The exploration feels rewarding rather than frustrating, with the player discovering goodies tucked around every corner. Rather than feeling restrictive due to it's lack of UI elements, Of Ash and Steel gives the player a feeling of freedom. I'm very excited to get my hands on the full game.

Players interested in Of Ash and Steel can learn more and wishlist the game on Steam here. 

In a developer commentary video, The Game Kitchen has released fourteen minutes of gameplay for the upcoming action platformer Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound. While the most recent entries into the Ninja Gaiden series have applied the third dimension to the action, Ragebound is headed back to the series roots as a 2Dside scrolling game.

The video, embedded below, showcases both of the playable main characters, Kenji and Kumori, as they scale buildings and slash demons, all as the level’s boss character hounds their progress before culminating in a showdown. The footage also shows the level up and shop systems.

Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound releases at the end of the month, July 31st, for PC via Steam, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 & 5, and Xbox Series X|S. You can also read about Joseph’s experience with the Ragebound demo from last month. 

It’s become a July tradition for 2K to reveal its annual NBA game, and today is the tipoff for NBA 2K26, which launches September 5^th for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC, Nintendo Switch, and Nintendo Switch 2. So, for everything, essentially. Several editions of the game are available to pre-order starting today, with various cover athletes, which 2K also revealed today.

Gracing the Standard Edition of the game is former University of Kentucky standout, reigning NBA MVP, NBA Finals MVP, and NBA Champion, and current Oklahoma City Thunder point guard, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Chicago Sky forward and WNBA All-Star, Angel Reese, headlines the GameStop-exclusive WNBA Edition of the game. Basketball Hall of Famer, 10-time NBA All-Star, and three-time Olympic Gold Medalist, Carmelo Anthony, is on the cover of the Superstar Edition. And finally, a limited time Leave No Doubt Edition features all three athletes on its cover.

Each edition of the game comes with a variety of in-game extras, as well as price points. The Standard Edition will cost $69.99 on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC, and Nintendo Switch2, but only $59.99 on the original Nintendo Switch. The WNBA Edition will be $69.99 and only be available for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, in addition to its GameStop exclusivity.

The more premium versions of NBA 2K26 are the Superstar Edition, which is $99.99, and is available on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC only. As in years past, this version includes a bunch of bonuses, such as 100,000 in premium currency, a bunch of boosts for the MyCAREER mode, and extra card packs for my favorite mode in the game – MyTEAM. Additionally, the Superstar Edition also comes with one week of early access beginning on August 29^th, which is perhaps the earliest I can ever remember the game being playable.

Last, but not least is the Leave No Doubt Edition, a limited time version that will only be available to purchase through September 7^th for a whopping $149.99 on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. This edition includes everything from the Superstar Edition but beefs it up with an additional 35,000 premium currency, a Season One Pro Pass, and a Summer Pass which gets you a pass to use sometime next year, which is an interesting tactic to keep players coming back for more. Along those lines, the Leave No Doubt Edition will also grant you a highly coveted Galaxy Opal MyTEAM card this December, as well as an Invincible card that is scheduled to release in May of 2026. And finally, if you pre-order this edition on the same platform that you own NBA 2K25 on, you’ll get a 10% discount, in addition to the one week of early access to the game.

Shew, okay, that was a lot, but that’s everything we know about NBA 2K26 right now. Stay tuned in the coming weeks as 2K undoubtedly begins to peel back the curtains on the game’s various systems and modes.