SIFTER

🐧 A retelling of a Lovecraft classic through a fresh new lens PENGUIN COLONY has a lot to say about our history. @veselekov.bsky.social joins Lightmap on this surprising new game that might leave you thinking hard about your place in the world. INTERVIEW www.sifter.com.au/post/penguin...

🐋 🌌 BEYOND THESE STARS by @balancingmonkeygames.com is a balancing act of complex systems and environmental tensions, with a world map that's it's own communicative and endearing character. REVIEW by firkraags.bsky.social www.sifter.com.au/post/beyond-...

🎮EA kills off Bioware, ending careers and long running series Mass Effect and Dragon Age 💿US Politicians are pushing a bill that ensures when you buy a game you own it ☁️We now know how much the ad hoc pricing for Xbox Cloud gaming will be NEWS www.sifter.com.au/post/ea-clos... #XBox #Bioware #EA

If you're missing #PAXAus, I found at least a few of your favourite things at the Indie Showcase that you can play now ...parties, and fairies, and heat guns, and shotguns, clues on an evidence board, tied up with string. FEATURE by @firkraags.bsky.social www.sifter.com.au/post/i-found...

🦔 You can buy fictional DNA for the price of a decent new car 🎖️ Mixtape and Bits and Bops win big at the AGDAs 🎮 Our highlights from #MIGW26 🔫 Epic Games’ vibecoded new Disney FPS needs more AI according to Bloomberg reporting NEWS hhtps://www.sifter.com.au/post/purchase-sonic-figure-dna

What a fantastic collection of interviews with fantastic people!

THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: OCARINA OF TIME remake is everything I dreamed it would be. We got a preview look of the new Nintendo remake and there is so much more texture and depth to the game. PREVIEW www.sifter.com.au/post/the-leg... #ZeldaOoT #NintendoSwitch2

We hit the PAX Australia 2026 show floor in a big way and here are our highlights. The SIFTER team spoke to game makers of all stripes about their games, and if you weren't at the show here is how you get up to speed. Watch now FEATURE www.sifter.com.au/post/we-hit-... #MIGW26 #PAXAus26

Catch up on High Score, GCAP and ACMI Showcase at Melbourne International Games Week 2026. Throughout the week we covered heaps of events and spoke to lots of talented game makers, catch up here. FEATURE www.sifter.com.au/post/migw-hi... #migw26

Dog Don’t Care theme by Dom Parker being performed at the Sydney Opera House by the Somnus Quintet at Constellations @waypoint-events.com @serenade.games

The @sifterhq.bsky.social squad was legit everywhere at MIGW.

My sifter gang 💛 @sifterhq.bsky.social

If you aren’t following us on Instagram you are missing out for real, we’ve been posting so much over there for #MIGW26 and #PAXAus www.instagram.com/sifterHQ

Chatted to Holly Longdale and Clay Stone on the state of World of Warcraft and where we’re going next. Podcast dropping soon for @sifterhq.bsky.social!

🍄In its current form, Shroom and Gloom basically requires the player to learn a new language to play, but its exploration features show huge promise. @nomibelle.bsky.social @teamlazerbeam.bsky.social #ShroomAndGloom #Preview PREVIEW www.sifter.com.au/post/shroom-...

⛏️ MINECRAFT unveils a new dimension with a familiar name 💿 New method lets everyone digitise Xbox games 🧙‍♂️ WITCHER 3 cartridges on Switch 2 enable infinite remaster copies 🤒 Spanish prof estimates GTA VI “sickies” cost to the US economy NEWS www.sifter.com.au/post/minecra...

STAR WARS: GALACTIC RACER is the follow up to Episode 1: Racer I’ve been waiting decades for. For lovers of spending time in a galaxy far, far away, and the thrill of risking it all for the prize REVIEW www.sifter.com.au/post/star-wa... @fusegames.com @starwarsgracer.bsky.social

FIRE EMBLEM: FORTUNE’S WEAVE world of sexy himbo-pests and magical girlfriends has its claws in me deep. How can I dislike so much of this game but simply want to sink every waking hour into it? REVIEW www.sifter.com.au/post/fire-em... #FireEmblem #FortunesWeave #Review

⚙️ The prequel GEARS OF WAR: E-DAY delivers non-stop schlocky fun that feels just as good as you remember the original trilogy, a must play for any Gears fan and one worth checking out for any shooter enthusiast. REVIEW www.sifter.com.au/post/gears-o... #GearsEDay

Don’t let its cute appearance fool you, Well Dweller is a gruesome twist on a fairy tale. Beneath the stunning art are the stories of animals forced to carry on despite bones surrounding them, sad reminders of what they’ve lost. @kylethompsonsondev.bsky.social www.sifter.com.au/post/well-dw...

❄️Big news from Blizzcon’s opening ceremony ⚙️Valve surprise launches the Steam Frame VR headset 🔫Kojima’s stealth action game PHYSINT gets its leading role with new details from Tokyo Game Show NEWS www.sifter.com.au/post/starcra... #Blizzcon #SteamFrame #HideoKojima

🧟 #ResidentEvil has always been a zombie series with a freaky set of enemies that need to taken care of. The movie is enjoyable in exactly the same way with over the top elements and grisly baddies REVIEW by @nomibelle.bsky.social www.sifter.com.au/post/residen...

I can now battle Pokémon for real thanks to the LEGO SMART Brick, a major leap in interactive technology that brings sound, light and so much joy. REVIEW www.sifter.com.au/post/pokemon...

⚔️ The Legend of Zelda turns 40 and gave all the presents to us 💳 Valve have chosen literally the most annoying way to check if someone is 18 🏆 Mixtape and Bits and Bops lead nominations at the Australian Game Developer Awards NEWS www.sifter.com.au/post/zelda-o...

MARVEL’S WOLVERINE is a brutal and cinematic adventure that treads familiar gameplay ground. An engaging story which is held back a tiny bit by some samey combat, strap yourself in, mash those buttons and enjoy the ride. REVIEW www.sifter.com.au/post/marvel-... #WolverinePS5

Though it’s not a sentiment I ever imagined walking away from a Star Wars game with, I felt aware of how hard it was sometimes, to share things with the people you love when you’ve run out of words. @juiceboxcat.bsky.social #SWZeroCo #FathersDay #VideoGames FEATURE www.sifter.com.au/post/star-wa...

🎮Our favourites from Playstation's State of Play this week ☁️Xbox will restrict the amount of time people can use Cloud Gaming before having to pay 🪐Star Wars Zero Company devs all suspended ahead of launch due to financial issues 😱Gamescom has a theft problem NEWS www.sifter.com.au/post/build-y...

Featuring a protagonist who has created a simulation that they are then forced inside of, Tormentum II confronts the player with questions about the creation of art that are interesting to dive deeper into. #Tormentum REVIEW www.sifter.com.au/post/torment...

This article is basically just about how much I love my girlfriend

Orbitals made us realise another physics-based multiplayer co-op game was exactly what we needed #Orbitals #VideoGames #Review REVIEW www.sifter.com.au/post/orbital...

Defeat giant creatures and explore the beautiful world of a post-apocalyptic Japan in order to stop the Beast from returning, but the game left too late to hit me with the plot twists and lore explanations. REVIEW www.sifter.com.au/post/beast-o...

Sony and Xbox are preparing us for a discless future Gamescom is keeping us fed with some massive announcements from LEGO, Witcher and more We pitch our Pokemon ideas in honour of the new Creative Director #VideoGames NEWS www.sifter.com.au/post/both-xb...

All this tactical crunchiness, strategic head-scratching and replayability is effortlessly matched by a story that feels like one of the best Star Wars adventures in gaming since the Star Wars: Jedi series. @bitreactor.com #SWZeroCo REVIEW www.sifter.com.au/post/star-wa...

The ability of the developers of Helix: Ascent and Descent to add environmental elements that felt so vivid, while rarely straying from black and white monochrome is very impressive. #HelixAscentDescent #VideoGames #Review REVIEW www.sifter.com.au/post/helix-d...

🚨Leakers share GTA6 details to protest the game not releasing on physical discs ⚔️Disney’s D23 had some massive news for Kingdom Hearts fans this year ⚙️The Horizon Forbidden West live service spinoff is reportedly ditching the liveservice aspects NEWS www.sifter.com.au/post/kingdom... #VideoGames

The Sinking City 2 was made with so much love, and I could feel it in every word said, in every pixel, and in every movement. @frogwares-games.bsky.social #SinkingCity2 REVIEW www.sifter.com.au/post/sinking...

Aussie game Ground Zero Hero embraces fun by providing an insane array of interactions and missions, although a greater spread of items and synergies could make it a more effective roguelite REVIEW www.sifter.com.au/post/ground-... @playacclaim.bsky.social @rowanedmondson.bluesky.social

🍕 The Bite of '87 is just a reference to how delicious this pizza is, a real Freddy's Pizzeria is coming in 2027 🚕 Rideshare Stimulator gets an unexpected moment in the spotlight with GenAI accusations 💾 Pokemon break the bank - literally! NEWS www.sifter.com.au/post/get-rea...

With some very literal naming and a lack of individuality Wild Blue Skies forced @nomibelle.bsky.social to make comparisons in which it lost out almost every time @chuhailabs.com #WildBlueSkies REVIEW www.sifter.com.au/post/wild-bl...

The reviews keep rollin' in for Club Soko!🥳 Check out @eurogamer.bsky.social and @sifterhq.bsky.social reviews for Club Soko: 📰 www.eurogamer.net/club-soko-im... 📰 www.sifter.com.au/post/club-so... #IndieDev #GameDev

Bubbly Basin highlights the strengths of underwater Pokémon spectacularly with its new area that embraces exploration, but its story missions lack detail with no newly introduced characters or Ditto transformations. REVIEW www.sifter.com.au/post/pokopia...

After the recent adventure to Middle-Earth with the beloved Lord of the Rings set, Magic is back again, this time for second breakfast 🧙‍♂️ #MTGxTheHobbit REVIEW www.sifter.com.au/post/magic-t...

What happens when key developers behind XCOM’s reboot franchise team up with Respawn Entertainment to create a brand new tactical Star Wars RPG? #StarWars #SWZeroCo PREVIEW www.sifter.com.au/post/star-wa...

🗡️ Zelda movie wraps with a stacked Aussie & Kiwi cast 🚶 Big Walk hits #2 on Metacritic's Best Games This Year 🎮 $2.8M paid for mint condition original Pokémon games 💰 EA sold in the second-biggest gaming deal ever NEWS www.sifter.com.au/post/copies-...

Whether it's a blushing bisexual in the boiler room trying to make out or an angry sweaty dude in the metal room trying to start a fight in the circle pit, #ClubSoko characters truly make the game fantastic @miracletea.bsky.social @bradmakesgames.bsky.social REVIEW www.sifter.com.au/post/club-so...

While Rita the chicklet was good at solving word puzzles, I was not, despite my love for a good word search and the daily Wordle @sporktank.bsky.social #Rita #WordPuzzles REVIEW www.sifter.com.au/post/rita-ga...

BIG WALK by Melbourne's @househouse.com is beautiful, familiar and importantly so Australian. This social adventure will be all anyone is talking when it releases this week. PREVIEW www.sifter.com.au/post/big-wal... #bigwalk

🦎 Meccha Chameleon dev has a really bad week with malware all around 🎰 GTA Online removes access to gambling mini games down under 📴 Players are shutting down their PlayStations in protest NEWS www.sifter.com.au/post/you-win... #PlayStation #GTAOnline #MecchaChameleon