One of the biggest eyebrow raisers for the upcoming Resident Evil Requiem was the surname of its protagonist, Grace Ashcroft. That's because she's the daughter of Alyssa Ashcroft, an investigative reporter and oft-forgotten character who last appeared in the equally overlooked Resident Evil Outbreak. For the many unfamiliar RE fans, this begs the question: Who the heck is Alyssa Ashcroft, and why has she suddenly become a big deal? To prepare for the next mainline Resident Evil game, we're going to answer this tantalizing question. 

Resident Evil Outbreak launched for the PlayStation 2 in North America on March 30, 2004. Set only a couple of days after the initial T-virus outbreak in Raccoon City, the game unfolds across five scenarios across different areas of the doomed city.  Outbreak features eight playable characters, including Alyssa Ascroft, along with an RCPD officer, a Vietnam War veteran, a bar waitress, and a surgeon, among others, fighting for survival against the infected. 

Join Marcus Stewart and Charles Harte (as well as occasional special guests) for two hours each Friday on Twitch and YouTube starting at 12 p.m. PT/3 p.m. ET as they journey through Outbreak for the first time. If you can't catch the broadcasts live, they'll be uploaded to the official Game Informer YouTube channel. 

Catch up on previous episodes below:

Episode 1

Solo developer Immersiv Games reached out to me back in June to check out its non-linear adventure game, Arcadian Days, during Steam Next Fest, and it ended up being one of my favorite demos from the event. Now, Immersiv Games has revealed Arcadian Days hits Steam Early Access on September 16, and if you're looking for something relaxing and unique to check out, I'd recommend giving it a shot. 

During the Steam Next Fest demo, I was impressed by its minimalist, free-flowing exploration and sun-kissed visuals – throughout the demo, a gorgeous sunset created a painterly backdrop to my leisurely tasks, which included collecting plants for a crop or wood in a shed. The tasks I experienced weren't too challenging, and completing them took little effort, but Immersiv Games' self-proclaimed "non-linear" and "relaxing" makes me think this is by design. Though I love me some fast-paced, high-intensity action games, Arcadian Days' demo reminded me that it's equally as rewarding to check out a game that asks you to slow down and breathe. 

I look forward to seeing how the Arcadian Days evolves during its Early Access period. Arcadian Days launches on PC via Steam Early Access on September 16. 

For more, check out my Arcadian Days demo thoughts in this round-up here. 

Hot off the heels of a very successful open beta, EA has revealed the PC specs for Battlefield 6. These features promise to deliver “the most advanced PC experience in franchise history.”

When Battlefield 6 hits PC on October 10, it will boast 4K graphics with uncapped frame rate and ultrawide monitor support. Players can tinker with over 600 customization options such as HDR and HUD scaling, camera settings, controller schemes, and streamer/Incognito modes. The game also includes native Steam platform support.

In terms of hardware support, Nvidia confirms Battlefield 6 features support for DLSS 4 with Multi Frame Generation, DLSS Frame Generation, DLSS Super Resolution, DLAA, and NVIDIA Reflex.

The game also utilizes Javelin anti-cheat software, built from the ground up to solely safeguard against cheats and hacks “within and outside of kernel mode.”

Here is the full list of the game’s Minimum, Recommended, and Ultra PC specs (click the image to enlarge):

Graphics Settings
Minimum:1080p/30FPS
Rec: 1440p/60fps (Balanced), 1080p/80fps+ (Performance)
Ultra: 2160 (4K)/60fps (Balanced), 1440p/144fps (Performance)

Upscaler
Minimum/Rec/Ultra: Native

GPU
Minimum: Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 - AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT - Intel Arc A380 
Rec: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti - AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT - Intel Arc B580
Ultra: Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080/AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX

Video Memory
Minimum: 6GB
Rec: 8GB
Ultra: 16GB

CPU
Minimum: Intel Core i5-8400 - AMD Ryzen 5 2600
Rec: Intel Core i7-10700 - AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
Ultra: Intel Core i9-12900k - AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D

RAM
Minimum: 16GB (Dual channel 2133mhz)
Rec: 16GB (Dual channel 3200mhz)
Ultra: 32GB (Dual channel 4800mhz)

OS
Minimum: Windows 10
Rec: Windows 11 64-bit
Ultra: Windows 11 64-bit

Direct X
Minimum/Rec/Ultra: DirectX12

Storage
Minimum: 55GB HDD (at launch)
Rec: 90GB SSD (at launch)
Ultra: 90GB SSD (at launch)

TPM 2.0 Enabled/UEFI Secure Boot Enabled/HVCI Capable/VBS Capable
Minium/Rec/Ultra: Required

Battlefield 6 launches on October 10 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. You can read our hands-on impressions and conversation with the game's designers here. 

Tomb Raider developer Crystal Dynamics announced an unknown number of layoffs yesterday, vaguely citing “evolving business decisions,” as the reason. 

The studio shared the news on LinkedIn, writing that the decision wasn't made lightly and was made to “ensure the long-term health of our studio and core creative priorities in a continually shifting market.”

“To those impacted - we recognize and thank you for your hard work, talent, and passion. We are committed to offering the full extent of support and resources at our disposal during this transition,” reads Crystal Dynamics’ statement.

The message ends with confirmation that the future of Tomb Raider, including an upcoming new title, will be unaffected by the layoffs.

Tomb Raider (2013)

Crystal Dynamics does not elaborate further, but it’s worth noting the studio had been working on the recently canceled reboot of Perfect Dark alongside the game’s primary – and now defunct – developer, The Initiative. It’s hard to imagine this didn't have some factor in yesterday's layoffs.

The news comes after the studio laid off 17 employees in March. As of now, Crystal Dynamics, which was acquired by Embracer Group in 2022, has a new single-player Tomb Raider title in the works. First announced in 2022, the project will be published by Amazon Games and built in Unreal Engine 5. We know little about the game beyond this, and a release window is unknown. 

Crystal Dynamics has not shipped a new triple-A title since the polarizing Marvel’s Avengers in 2020, though it collaborated with Aspyr on Tomb Raider I-III/IV-VI Remastered collections, released in 2024 and 2025, respectively, and 2024's Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1&2 Remastered. 

Since launching in May, Elden Ring Nightreign, the multiplayer roguelike spinoff of Elden Ring, has continued to receive updates introducing new bosses and more. Now, developer From Software has announced the game's biggest update yet – Deep of Night – will go live next month on Thursday, September 11. 

Deep of Night is a "high-difficulty" Expedition challenge mode "designed for seasoned players who have navigated through the Night many times," the studio writes in a press release, suggesting this already-difficult game is going to get a lot harder soon. In Deep of Night, the enemies are stronger than usual. Plus, you cannot specify the target Nightlord for the Expedition, meaning the final boss of the run will be random. 

Alongside this, From Software says ongoing terrain changes will not be reflected, and that special items such as "Depth Relics," which are exclusive to Deep of Night, and weapons with multiple additional but also detrimental effects, will appear on runs. Furthermore, the difficulty increases the deeper you descend, and "the ratings will fluctuate based on wins and losses, affecting the depth." 

From Software says players should aim to surpass Depth 3, and notes that Depth 4 to Depth 5 will "feature an endless battle for those seeking even greater thrills," suggesting that Deep of Night can turn into an endless-run mode. 

The Deep of Night update for Elden Ring Nightreign goes live on Thursday, September 11. 

In the meantime, read Game Informer's Elden Ring Nightreign review.