After the failure of Skull and Bones, Windrose is emerging as a new hope for pirate fans. Here’s what sets the game apart from its competitors – and why abandoning the MMO model was probably the right decision.

The 3D dungeon crawler Cralon marks the debut of Pithead Studio, founded by former Gothic developers Jennifer and Björn Pankratz. So far, however, the game has received a mixed response on Steam – and technical issues are only part of the problem.

The pirate trend in video games is showing no signs of slowing down in 2026, and it has now reached the city-building genre as well. With Corsair Cove, Limbic Entertainment has announced a new city-builder in which a pirate settlement is built upward along cliffs and rock faces. GameStar editor and YouTuber Maurice Weber has even called it “one of the most original city-building games in a long time.” The game is scheduled for release in 2026.

Deal | En Garde! combines fast-paced swordplay, a charmingly exaggerated world and a protagonist with plenty of personality. The action-adventure is available on Steam with a 90% discount until May 3, bringing the price down to just under $2.

No fewer than six My Neighbor Totoro set concepts have crossed the 10,000-supporter threshold on LEGO Ideas. Past examples suggest, however, that even strong interest offers no guarantee they will ever become official sets.

Which Harry Potter film is Daniel Radcliffe’s favorite? In a tournament-style ranking, the actor ends up choosing a film that few fans would likely have expected. But it’s not just the winner that has sparked discussion among fans.

With the couch gag, one of The Simpsons’ most recognizable trademarks is disappearing. Showrunner Matt Selman has defended the decision by citing limited runtime, changing streaming habits and the additional animation work involved. Many fans, however, see it as the loss of a key part of the show’s DNA and suspect cost-cutting and a lack of creativity instead.

Elementallis combines classic Zelda-style gameplay in the spirit of A Link to the Past with elemental powers reminiscent of Avatar: The Last Airbender. After years in development, the top-down RPG has finally received a release date – and it is now only a few days away.

With Vampire Crawlers and Kiln, Xbox Game Pass is getting two day-one releases next week. One looks like a promising roguelite spin-off from the makers of Vampire Survivors, while the other leans into a delightfully offbeat multiplayer concept built around pottery and brawling.

Deal | With Halo: The Master Chief Collection, all six games in the legendary sci-fi shooter series are currently available on Steam at 75% off. That brings the price of the bundle down to around $10 – matching its lowest price so far.

Warner Bros. has released the first teaser for The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum and, along with it, revealed the film’s main cast. Jamie Dornan as Aragorn, however, is already sparking debate, as many fans still consider Viggo Mortensen’s portrayal untouchable.

Amazon is responding to mounting pressure from Temu and Shein with a new Smart Warehouse in Shenzhen. The concept is intended to make storage, customs handling and shipping via Amazon easier for Chinese retailers, while also lowering costs and speeding up supply chains.

Deal | Legend of Keepers turns the usual dungeon-crawler formula upside down: instead of fighting your way through dungeons as the hero, you build and defend them yourself. Anyone who enjoys tactical games and wants to experience the genre from a different angle may find this one well worth a look. At the moment, it is available free of charge on Steam.

Romestead combines cozy base-building with survival RPG elements: by day, players build and expand their settlement in the ruins of the Roman Empire, while undead hordes attack at night. The concept already seems to be resonating strongly, with the game appearing on more than 250,000 wishlists – and its Early Access release date has now been confirmed.

Deal | Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne is currently available at just under $2.50 thanks to a 75% discount, matching its lowest price to date. The dark third-person shooter continues to be highly rated on Steam, where 94% of user reviews are positive.

Deal | Supergiant’s first game is currently almost free on Steam. Bastion stands out above all for its narrator, who comments on nearly every action the player takes. Thanks to the current 85% discount, the action RPG is available for just $2.24 – matching its lowest price to date.

After months in beta, Google is now rolling out its desktop app globally. The app functions as a kind of control center, allowing users to search both the web and their own PC, as well as ask Gemini questions directly – all from a single search bar.

On the unofficial community website Speranza Bounties, Arc Raiders players can flag other accounts, vote each day on “Most Wanted” targets and submit confirmed eliminations. According to Insider Gaming, the platform does not just focus on aggressive PvP players, but also frequently places well-known streamers and content creators in the crosshairs.

HBO’s new Harry Potter series may be set to fill one of the most noticeable gaps left by the films: concept art suggests that Peeves the poltergeist could finally make his live-action debut in season 1.

Google Wallet is getting a major redesign: instead of the old list view, the app will now show cards and passes in a clearer grid layout. Favorites, search and new sorting options are also being added – features many users have wanted for a long time.

With CUE7, Toyota is introducing a new basketball robot said to offer more accurate shooting, smoother dribbling and successful shots from as far as 25 meters (82 feet). Footage of the presentation is available on the WELT News Channel on YouTube.

While others his age are busy playing video games, Malte Schröder is already planning to launch his own IT company. The 14-year-old from Rostock, Germany, wants to offer businesses a local alternative to external providers with a compact AI box, but says he cannot wait until he turns 18 because of how quickly technology is evolving. To make that happen, he is now taking the matter to court.

Unitree’s humanoid H1 robot sprinted at 10.1 m/s, which at first glance puts it surprisingly close to elite human speeds. The catch is that this figure refers only to its measured top speed, not the decisive total time over 100 meters. Even so, the run is impressive and suggests that Usain Bolt’s world record may not remain untouchable forever.

Deal | Echo Point Nova is currently available on Steam at its lowest price yet. The shooter currently holds a 96% positive user rating and, thanks to a 50% discount, is available for $12.49 until April 27.

Deal | One of the most acclaimed roguelites of recent years is currently back at its lowest price on Steam. Hades is discounted by 75% until April 28, bringing it down to just over $6.

VW is refreshing the ID.3 Neo with updated styling as well as new comfort and software features as part of a broader EV push. Most notably, fully electric GTI production models are now on the horizon.

OpenAI is expanding ChatGPT with a new Pro tier priced at $100 per month, targeting one group above all: Codex users with moderate usage needs.

The Mercedes EQS is set to receive what is likely its most significant update since launch in 2026. The electric luxury sedan is moving to an 800-volt system, while the EQS 450+ is expected to deliver up to 926 kilometers of WLTP range and charging speeds of up to 350 kW. At the same time, one key question remains: can this major technical upgrade also solve the model’s bigger problem so far – its lukewarm reception in the luxury segment?

Deal | In Demolish & Build 2017, players run their own construction and demolition company, operate heavy machinery and tear down buildings piece by piece. The simulation is discounted by 94% until April 20 and is currently available at its lowest price yet: $1.19.

Just a few days after the first reports of a ransom demand targeting Rockstar Games, the situation is growing more serious. According to the BBC, the hacker group ShinyHunters has now announced that it plans to publish the stolen data because its demands were not met. Rockstar has confirmed the incident, but continues to maintain that neither players nor the release of Grand Theft Auto VI will be affected.

GuppyLM is a tiny open-source language model with a fish personality that shows that training AI does not have to be complicated. With a prepared Colab notebook, this mini AI can be trained in just a few minutes.

The full Battle Pass for Season 2 of Pokémon Champions has allegedly surfaced online. It includes three Pokémon along with their Mega Evolutions, as well as cosmetics, tickets and in-game currencies. However, it remains unclear which rewards will be free and which will be part of the Premium Pass.

Apple is apparently working on a new device category: smart glasses that are meant to function as an AI wearable rather than true AR glasses. The concept does not include image overlays, but is said to be closely linked to the iPhone. Four different designs are currently being tested.

Borderlands Mobile has launched out of nowhere, without any prior marketing campaign – but for now only as part of a soft launch for iOS users in the US. The game itself appears promising, yet fans remain concerned about aggressive monetization and frustrated by its limited availability.

Ralph Fiennes, who portrayed the Dark Lord in the original films, is unlikely to return as Voldemort in HBO’s new Harry Potter series. Instead, the actor who previously played Voldemort has put forward Tilda Swinton as a possible successor. At first glance, the idea of a female version of Voldemort may seem unusual, but it has already found some support among fans.

The early Pokémon Champions meta has one clear winner: Incineroar. With a pick rate of 53.76% in the first tournament, the Fire/Dark Pokémon is by far the most-played pick. That is likely because it fits into almost any team and can control opponents very effectively.

Following an alleged cyberattack involving a ransom demand, Rockstar Games has now publicly addressed the incident for the first time and confirmed that it is real. Fans can breathe a sigh of relief, however: according to Rockstar, the attack will have no impact on players or on the release of Grand Theft Auto VI.

With the new Harry Potter series, HBO appears to be taking exactly the approach many fans have been hoping for. Instead of modernizing the world, the adaptation is leaning into an authentic 90s setting – a clear distinction from the Warner Bros. films.

Tesla may soon be targeting the mass market again: according to Reuters, the company is developing a compact, affordable electric SUV. The new model is expected to be priced below the entry-level Model 3.

Valve is reportedly developing an internal AI tool called SteamGPT. New code discoveries suggest that the system could process support cases in the background, detect suspicious Trust Score patterns, and possibly even assist with anti-cheat measures in Counter-Strike 2.

Firefox appears to be heading toward one of its biggest updates in years. With the internal “Project Nova”, Mozilla is working on a broad modernization of the browser that is intended not only to refresh the design, but also to bring more customization, new convenience features and greater user control over AI. The basis for this is an interview by PCWorld with Firefox chief Ajit Varma.

Michael Dell is painting a bleak picture of the memory market: compared with 2022, AI-related demand could reportedly be 625 times higher by 2028. Many observers, however, are skeptical of these claims and suspect vested interests behind them.

The pirate survival game Windrose is set to launch in Early Access on April 14. After the strong response to the demo and more than 1.5 million wishlists on Steam, Windrose Crew can likely expect a successful start.

The storage crisis is becoming an increasing burden for consumers. South Korea is now responding with a package of measures that includes free PCs for people in need and stricter market regulation.

With Texture Set Neural Compression, Intel has unveiled a new AI-based technology intended to store textures and material data far more efficiently. That could not only reduce download sizes, but also lower the VRAM requirements of modern games – an area Nvidia is also actively targeting.

After a Pokémon GO tournament in Orlando, the community is seething: one player won the final fair and square, but was denied the title because his victory celebration was judged to be unsportsmanlike.

The dates for Halo: Campaign Evolved’s Advanced Access phase and full release may have been leaked. The information is based on a cryptic X post by grunt.api, a dataminer known in the Halo community. Some fans interpret the post as pointing to an Advanced Access start on July 23, 2026 and a full release on July 28, 2026. There has been no official confirmation so far.

With the K90 Max, Redmi could solve a problem that gaming smartphones have struggled with for years. The new model is said to combine active cooling with full dust and water resistance rated at IP66, IP68 and IP69. That would make it the first device of its kind to bring these two features together.

Pokémon Champions has been received better than many expected: less grind, fair monetization and a more accessible entry into competitive play are earning praise. At the same time, an annoying Pokémon Home bug and the 30 FPS cap are dampening the overall mood.

Sony is apparently testing a new user interface for the PlayStation 5, with early users reporting a revised home screen that offers faster access to the Store, PS Plus and the games library – in some cases even outside the beta program.

Evitania Online combines idle automation with MMO elements and is off to a remarkably strong Early Access start: just one day after release, the free-to-play game already has more than 140 reviews on Steam, 96% of them positive.

Google is finally granting Google Photos users on Android a long-requested feature: videos can now be played faster or slower directly in the app. The rollout is already underway.