The first six months of 2026 proved to be extremely busy for gamers. The industry offered dozens of high-profile releases: from anticipated, large-scale AAA blockbusters to experimental and bold indie projects. The Streams Charts analytics team reviewed the results of the first half of the year to determine which games gathered the most viewers on […]
On July 30, the BLAST Bounty Summer 2026 LAN Finals—the first offline tournament of the new Counter-Strike 2 season—will kick off at the BLAST Arena Studios in St. Julian's, Malta. Eight teams will battle for the championship title in a Single Elimination playoff bracket, following a tournament that has already delivered plenty of surprises during […]
Legendary game designer Hideo Kojima continues to surprise fans beyond just video games. This time, the creator of the Metal Gear Solid and Death Stranding series made an unexpected appearance in Episode 11 of Season 2 of the popular Japanese drama series VIVANT. However, recognizing him was no easy task. In the series, Kojima made […]
We have prepared a digest of the main news for July 27, 2026, for Players readers. A Legend Turns 16: How StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty Changed the RTS World Forever The release of Blizzard Entertainment's StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty on July 27, 2010, marked a major milestone in gaming history and solidified real-time […]
Nordic Network Ltd has officially announced the launch of a new esports brand, Nordic Partners Gaming (NPG). The organization was created in collaboration with Achieveminds and is positioned as a project combining Nordic Partners' commercial expertise with Achieveminds' experience in esports, content creators, and influencer management. As its first step in Counter-Strike 2, NPG has […]
GSC Game World has confirmed that S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Cost of Hope will launch on August 20, 2026. The release date was revealed in a brand new trailer. In the expansion, Skif will journey toward the center of the Zone, where he must choose between the beliefs of Freedom and Duty while uncovering the secrets of […]
Players who completed Halo: Campaign Evolved during early access have discovered what could be a hint at Halo Studios' next project. Finishing all campaign missions on Legendary difficulty unlocks two secret cutscenes that many fans believe are teasing a remake of Halo 2. Special Legendary endings have long been a tradition in the Halo series. […]
A playable version of Minecraft has appeared on YouTube, allowing players to experience the game directly inside a video. The project was created by YouTubers Atlas Arcade and Animated Subtitles, who adapted Mojang's iconic sandbox for the platform. It works in both desktop browsers and the YouTube mobile app. In this version, players must defeat […]
Riot Games has announced the return of Go4LoL—one of the earliest competitive circuits in League of Legends history. The revival of the classic series coincides with the launch of the League Classic game mode, and the first tournament will kick off on August 1, just a few days after the mode's release on the live […]
The release of Blizzard Entertainment's StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty on July 27, 2010, marked a major milestone in gaming history and solidified real-time strategy as the premier esports discipline of the early 2010s. The title instantly became a cultural phenomenon, selling over 1.5 million copies in its first 48 hours alone—making it the fastest-selling […]
The Google search engine has added an easter egg honoring Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok, widely recognized as the greatest player in League of Legends history. Faker has become the first esports athlete to receive this type of personalized search engine integration. Now, when searching for "Faker" or his real name "Lee Sang-hyeok," the system displays an […]
Analytics firm GameDiscoverCo, led by Simon Carless, has published the results of a survey conducted among nearly 3,800 active Steam users regarding their attitudes toward the player review system. The study reveals that player ratings remain a decisive factor when purchasing games, with a "Mixed" rating capable of deterring half of a title's potential audience. […]
The offline FC Pro 26 World Championship, organized by EA, has successfully concluded. Serving as the third World Championship under the EA Sports FC banner and part of the Esports World Cup 2026 lineup, the S-Tier EA SPORTS FC 26 competition took place from July 22 to 26, 2026, at the Paris Expo Porte de […]
