Steam Deck Maker to Launch New Video-Game Console in 2026 (Gaming News Roundup)
Valve, the maker of the popular Steam Deck handheld PC gaming console, is launching new video-game hardware, Steam Machine, in 2026.
The Steam Machine, a 6-inch cube gaming console meant for stationary play vs. the portable Steam Deck option, will debut next year along with the Steam Controller and VR headset Steam Frame.
“With over six times the horsepower of Steam Deck, Steam Machine has the power to play your whole Steam library, including your favorite AAA titles,” Valve says. “Just sign with your Steam account and your entire library is there.”
Per Valve, all three devices “are optimized for Steam and designed for players to get even more out of their Steam library.”
Pricing has not yet been revealed for the new devices, which are now available for wishlisting on Steam.
Watch Valve’s announcement of the new Steam Machine hardware and accessories below.
See more gaming news from this week in the roundup below.
Microsoft’s Activision and Treyarch debuted the Milo Ventimiglia-led “Call of Duty: Black Ops 7” Friday.
New details were also revealed about the game’s co-op campaign “Endgame,” which takes place after the conclusion of the first 11 missions.
Per Xbox, “Endgame is the culmination of the story, where the world fully opens up for 1-32 players in squads of up to four. Working together on Avalon across a variety of missions, players will wield personalized abilities and face unexpected challenges, putting everything they’ve mastered throughout the story to the test.”
*
First-person sci-fi adventure and immersive sim “Ambrosia Sky” debuted with “Act One” of the video game Monday across PC via Steam and Epic Games Store. Acts Two and Three of the game will launch in 2026.
Per developer Soft Rains, “In ‘Ambrosia Sky,’ players assume the role of Dalia, a field scientist belonging to an enigmatic order in pursuit of human immortality. Dispatched to a farming colony on Saturn’s outer rings, a place she once called home, she finds it abandoned and overrun by hostile fungi. Those she knew are now dead, missing, or perhaps complicit. It’s up to Dalia to cleanse the contamination, discover the truth, and lay the dead to rest.”
In the first act, “Ambrosia Sky” “thrusts you into a mind-bending world of death, decay, and what comes after. Armed with a chemical sprayer and grappling hook, you’ll face unpredictable alien growths across the colony.”
Watch the launch trailer for “Ambrosia Sky” below.
*
“Winter Burrow” has officially launched. The game is available on Steam, Game Pass, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch.
“Winter Burrow” follows a big city mouse as it returns home to fix up their childhood burrow. The game allows players to explore, gather resources, knit sweaters, bake pies, make crafts, and meet the locals back home.
The game is developed by Pine Creek Games and published by Noodlecake.
*
“Horizon Steel Frontiers,” a new MMORPG was unveiled at G-Star 2025. In addition, NCSOFT has launched the official “Horizon Steel Frontiers” website, featuring the debut trailer and exclusive developer interviews.
The game will build on “Horizon’s” hunting-action gameplay while adding new advanced MMORPG systems, such as customizable combat and extensive player freedom.
Watch the trailer below.
ProbablyMonsters announced an enhanced version of its action rogue-like “Storm Lancers” will launch Dec. 9 on Nintendo Switch and for PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store.
Per the video game developers, “This version of ‘Storm Lancers’ will have HDR support, run at a smooth 60 frames-per-second and allows players to group up online through Nintendo GameShare and Steam Remote Play Together.
Riot Games has released a music video for the “Valorant” Game Changers Championship 2025. Titled “Go Off,” the music video features a reimagined version of “M.I.A.” by KATSEYE, which is this year’s championship anthem. It is available across streaming platforms.
The music video tells the story of the women in “Valorant” and the women who play it, celebrating the connection and community that they foster through the game.
The “Valorant” Game Changers Championship 2025 will take place Nov. 28-30 at at Riot’s LoL Park in Seoul.
Fortnite developers now have the ability to make in-island transactions with new tools from Epic. They will soon be able to publish games in-island and sell items directly from their islands using V-Bucks. These transactions are part of the Unreal Editor for Fortnite Creator Ecosystem Update and offer developers monetization opportunities beyond engagement payouts.
See the full list of items that developers are authorized to sell, how to join in the monetization and the updated developer guidelines on the Fortnite website.
*
Roblox has made its rewarded video ads product available to “all ads-eligible creators” on the website. The goal with this development is “providing our developers with a more predictable, easy-to-implement solution to increase their earnings and gain more control over ad revenue,” according to Roblox.
Additionally, Roblox has launched a self-serve option for its License Manager tool, which allows any eligible IP holder—from major studios to brands with registered IP — to offer their IP for use on the gaming platform, and gives any eligible creator the chance to apply to adapt an experience to use it.
According to Roblox, since the launch of the License Manager with founding partners Lionsgate, Netflix, Sega, and Kodansha in July, creators have submitted over 1,500 license requests from the selection of available IP.
“We launched the licensing platform to fundamentally change how IP holders and creators collaborate across the platform,” said Greg Hartrell, Senior Product Director, Creator Content Ecosystem in a blog post. “This new system dramatically streamlines a historically complex IP licensing process, which previously involved lengthy negotiations and restricted partnerships to a select group of studios.
ARC Raiders has introduced its first major update, launching on Nov. 13.
The update will introduce Stella Montis, a new region north of the Rust Belt. The debut of the Breaking New Ground community unlock event, where players can team up and unite to help restore tunnels inside Stella Montis and earn rewards.
New ARC enemies such as Matriarch and Shredder, the Aphelion Rifle, and Stella Montis-themed questlines will be added onto the gameplay. The new update will lead towards the next update titled Cold Snap, set to arrive in December.
*
“Digimon Story: Time Stranger” is receiving its first DLC this winter in the form of “Additional Digimon & Episode Pack 1: Alternate Dimension.” The addition includes new Digivolution routes for Mega Digimon and a special questline in the RPG.
The game is available on PlayStation5, Xbox Series XS and PC via Steam. Players need the base game to add the new DLC. It is available for the game’s Deluxe and ultimate editions as well.
Watch the DLC announcement trailer here:
Fans can now access “World of Warcraft: Midnight” as beta testing has begun. The beta testing is now live in the test client, allowing players to test out new features.
Those invited will include anyone who pre-purchased the Midnight Epic Edition, alongside fans who signed up from the opt-in page of the Midnight website. Players who purchase or who upgrade to the Epic Edition of Midnight during the beta will also gain immediate access.
Fans can also experience upcoming features like the level-up quest campaigns in the zones, exploring the newly revamped Eversong Woods and Silvermoon City player hub.
A new trailer has launched for the Nintendo Switch 2 edition of “Metroid Prime 4: Beyond,” which releases for the consol as well as the Nintendo Switch 1 on Dec. 4.
Players take on the role of bounty hunter Samus Aran, defending the Galactic Federation across various worlds in this sci-fi first-person shooter. The release concurs with the availability of a new Sylux amiibo figure in addition to the Samus figures available now.
The game is available to preorder on Nintendo eShop and in select retailers.
Watch the trailer here:
The Steam Machine, a 6-inch cube gaming console meant for stationary play vs. the portable Steam Deck option, will debut next year along with the Steam Controller and VR headset Steam Frame.
“With over six times the horsepower of Steam Deck, Steam Machine has the power to play your whole Steam library, including your favorite AAA titles,” Valve says. “Just sign with your Steam account and your entire library is there.”
Per Valve, all three devices “are optimized for Steam and designed for players to get even more out of their Steam library.”
Pricing has not yet been revealed for the new devices, which are now available for wishlisting on Steam.
Watch Valve’s announcement of the new Steam Machine hardware and accessories below.
See more gaming news from this week in the roundup below.
Microsoft’s Activision and Treyarch debuted the Milo Ventimiglia-led “Call of Duty: Black Ops 7” Friday.
New details were also revealed about the game’s co-op campaign “Endgame,” which takes place after the conclusion of the first 11 missions.
Per Xbox, “Endgame is the culmination of the story, where the world fully opens up for 1-32 players in squads of up to four. Working together on Avalon across a variety of missions, players will wield personalized abilities and face unexpected challenges, putting everything they’ve mastered throughout the story to the test.”
*
First-person sci-fi adventure and immersive sim “Ambrosia Sky” debuted with “Act One” of the video game Monday across PC via Steam and Epic Games Store. Acts Two and Three of the game will launch in 2026.
Per developer Soft Rains, “In ‘Ambrosia Sky,’ players assume the role of Dalia, a field scientist belonging to an enigmatic order in pursuit of human immortality. Dispatched to a farming colony on Saturn’s outer rings, a place she once called home, she finds it abandoned and overrun by hostile fungi. Those she knew are now dead, missing, or perhaps complicit. It’s up to Dalia to cleanse the contamination, discover the truth, and lay the dead to rest.”
In the first act, “Ambrosia Sky” “thrusts you into a mind-bending world of death, decay, and what comes after. Armed with a chemical sprayer and grappling hook, you’ll face unpredictable alien growths across the colony.”
Watch the launch trailer for “Ambrosia Sky” below.
*
“Winter Burrow” has officially launched. The game is available on Steam, Game Pass, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch.
“Winter Burrow” follows a big city mouse as it returns home to fix up their childhood burrow. The game allows players to explore, gather resources, knit sweaters, bake pies, make crafts, and meet the locals back home.
The game is developed by Pine Creek Games and published by Noodlecake.
*
“Horizon Steel Frontiers,” a new MMORPG was unveiled at G-Star 2025. In addition, NCSOFT has launched the official “Horizon Steel Frontiers” website, featuring the debut trailer and exclusive developer interviews.
The game will build on “Horizon’s” hunting-action gameplay while adding new advanced MMORPG systems, such as customizable combat and extensive player freedom.
Watch the trailer below.
ProbablyMonsters announced an enhanced version of its action rogue-like “Storm Lancers” will launch Dec. 9 on Nintendo Switch and for PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store.
Per the video game developers, “This version of ‘Storm Lancers’ will have HDR support, run at a smooth 60 frames-per-second and allows players to group up online through Nintendo GameShare and Steam Remote Play Together.
Riot Games has released a music video for the “Valorant” Game Changers Championship 2025. Titled “Go Off,” the music video features a reimagined version of “M.I.A.” by KATSEYE, which is this year’s championship anthem. It is available across streaming platforms.
The music video tells the story of the women in “Valorant” and the women who play it, celebrating the connection and community that they foster through the game.
The “Valorant” Game Changers Championship 2025 will take place Nov. 28-30 at at Riot’s LoL Park in Seoul.
Fortnite developers now have the ability to make in-island transactions with new tools from Epic. They will soon be able to publish games in-island and sell items directly from their islands using V-Bucks. These transactions are part of the Unreal Editor for Fortnite Creator Ecosystem Update and offer developers monetization opportunities beyond engagement payouts.
See the full list of items that developers are authorized to sell, how to join in the monetization and the updated developer guidelines on the Fortnite website.
*
Roblox has made its rewarded video ads product available to “all ads-eligible creators” on the website. The goal with this development is “providing our developers with a more predictable, easy-to-implement solution to increase their earnings and gain more control over ad revenue,” according to Roblox.
Additionally, Roblox has launched a self-serve option for its License Manager tool, which allows any eligible IP holder—from major studios to brands with registered IP — to offer their IP for use on the gaming platform, and gives any eligible creator the chance to apply to adapt an experience to use it.
According to Roblox, since the launch of the License Manager with founding partners Lionsgate, Netflix, Sega, and Kodansha in July, creators have submitted over 1,500 license requests from the selection of available IP.
“We launched the licensing platform to fundamentally change how IP holders and creators collaborate across the platform,” said Greg Hartrell, Senior Product Director, Creator Content Ecosystem in a blog post. “This new system dramatically streamlines a historically complex IP licensing process, which previously involved lengthy negotiations and restricted partnerships to a select group of studios.
ARC Raiders has introduced its first major update, launching on Nov. 13.
The update will introduce Stella Montis, a new region north of the Rust Belt. The debut of the Breaking New Ground community unlock event, where players can team up and unite to help restore tunnels inside Stella Montis and earn rewards.
New ARC enemies such as Matriarch and Shredder, the Aphelion Rifle, and Stella Montis-themed questlines will be added onto the gameplay. The new update will lead towards the next update titled Cold Snap, set to arrive in December.
*
“Digimon Story: Time Stranger” is receiving its first DLC this winter in the form of “Additional Digimon & Episode Pack 1: Alternate Dimension.” The addition includes new Digivolution routes for Mega Digimon and a special questline in the RPG.
The game is available on PlayStation5, Xbox Series XS and PC via Steam. Players need the base game to add the new DLC. It is available for the game’s Deluxe and ultimate editions as well.
Watch the DLC announcement trailer here:
Fans can now access “World of Warcraft: Midnight” as beta testing has begun. The beta testing is now live in the test client, allowing players to test out new features.
Those invited will include anyone who pre-purchased the Midnight Epic Edition, alongside fans who signed up from the opt-in page of the Midnight website. Players who purchase or who upgrade to the Epic Edition of Midnight during the beta will also gain immediate access.
Fans can also experience upcoming features like the level-up quest campaigns in the zones, exploring the newly revamped Eversong Woods and Silvermoon City player hub.
A new trailer has launched for the Nintendo Switch 2 edition of “Metroid Prime 4: Beyond,” which releases for the consol as well as the Nintendo Switch 1 on Dec. 4.
Players take on the role of bounty hunter Samus Aran, defending the Galactic Federation across various worlds in this sci-fi first-person shooter. The release concurs with the availability of a new Sylux amiibo figure in addition to the Samus figures available now.
The game is available to preorder on Nintendo eShop and in select retailers.
Watch the trailer here: