Last week, we asked you to share the friendly and villainous side characters of Death Stranding 2: On The Beach using #PSshare #PSBlog. Here are this week’s highlights:

youarerexam shares Neil with his gun raised moving through shadows

EmperorHal shares Tomorrow tossing an apple in the air

carletto0809 shares a nightmarish version of Dollman

sorathluna shares Fragile playfully posing for a picture

calisarah1998 shares Rainy basking in the nighttime air

sicparvismagna_vp shares a portrait of baby Lou

Search #PSshare #PSBlog on Twitter or Instagram to see more entries to this week’s theme, or be inspired by other great games featuring Photo Mode. Want to be featured in the next Share of the Week?

THEME: Vacation
SUBMIT BY: 11:59 PM PT on August 6, 2025 

Over the next two weeks, we’re heading on vacation. Share places and spaces from the game of your choice that you would love to vacation at using #PSshare #PSBlog for a chance to be featured.

Hi there. Square Glade Games here! We’re excited to share that we’re bringing Outbound, our cozy open-world exploration game, to PlayStation 5. Alone or with up to four players, Outbound starts you off with an empty camper van and sets you off on a journey to scavenge, craft, and build up your dream home as you adapt to the changing environment. 

I’m Marc Volger, co-founder of our studio, and I’m here to introduce Outbound to our wonderful PlayStation community, giving a deeper look into what you can do in our title, along with help from my fellow co-founder, Tobi Schnackenberg, who will share a bit about the inspiration behind our upcoming game.

Outbound is a “cozyvival,” a term our team started using after Alpha testing when we stepped back and took a look at what players found enjoyable. We found that they fell in love with the satisfying survival mechanics, like managing energy, gathering materials, and growing food, paired with the cozy, low-pressure vibe of living in the van. Other titles tend to lean further into one end of the spectrum or the other, but we feel cozyvival perfectly expresses that balance our players enjoy — that’s the sweet spot where Outbound is found.

Chill solo adventure or cheery multiplayer road trip?

As a solo player, Outbound gives you a wonderful off-grid feeling, where you’re gathering resources and building up your camper van at your own pace. You’re the captain of your own ship, so to speak, and it gives you a sense of calm and empowerment. Outbound can also be played with up to three other friends; however, it changes the DNA of the experience in a significant way.

With others along for the ride, friendly cooperation can turn Outbound into more of a high-energy road trip, very much like when you go on road trips with friends in real life. We loved to see that energy change, so while not required, multiplayer is a key addition from our perspective. We also recognized, as we brought Outbound over to PS5, that we had an opportunity to take advantage of the PlayStation Portal, as the PlayStation ecosystem doesn’t require any optimization to be Portal ready. We absolutely love the idea of a group of friends sitting together with Portal devices, playing together. The ease of carrying it with you (on a road trip, maybe) is something we hope our players will cherish.

Grand fields of inspiration

“Part of the inspiration for Outbound came when I was on a road trip of my own from Germany to the Netherlands,” says Tobi. “And I saw a beautiful old-school camper van as it drove by a field of solar panels and windmills. We were in the prototyping stage at that point, and this moment sparked the idea of building it around an electric van with sustainability in mind.”

“Thus, sustainability is a huge theme that we’ve woven into the design,” Tobi continues. “The sun, wind, and rain are key sources of energy, and recycling litter earns you new blueprints for van upgrades. Those are merely a couple of ways Outbound shines a light on sustainability through gameplay, and we inject that energy aesthetically, as well, like how we show sailboats on the horizon as opposed to massive tankers and cargo ships.”

Pet that good pup

On behalf of the team at The Game Kitchen, we’re thrilled to share that Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound is ready to go and will launch next week on July 31! To celebrate, we’d like to look back on the project’s creative journey and share a glimpse into how the game’s art style was developed, refined, and ultimately brought to life.

When Dotemu approached us to create a new entry in Team Ninja’s iconic 2D Ninja Gaiden series, pixel art felt like the natural choice. It allowed us to honor the look of the original trilogy while drawing on The Game Kitchen’s own experience with the medium. Yet pixel art is incredibly versatile, capable of conveying very different aesthetics: from the dark baroque atmosphere of Blasphemous to the minimalist style of The Last Door. We knew Ragebound required a distinct visual identity, different from anything we’d done before.

The last installment of the original 8-bit Ninja Gaiden series was released in 1991, featuring character designs and cover art that shared the same aesthetic as the anime OVA launched that year. As our mission was to bring the series back to its roots, we asked ourselves: What if Ninja Gaiden had continued into the mid-90’s as a 2D series? This idea became the foundation to define Ragebound’s visual style: vibrant, high-quality pixel art inspired by the 16- and 32-bit era, combined with the bold, dynamic designs typical of 90’s seinen anime.

To share how we brought this vision to life, two members of our team, Jesús Campos and María Lozano, discuss their creative process below.

Jesús “Nerkin” Campos, is a senior pixel artist at The Game Kitchen, acclaimed for his environmental art on the Blasphemous series. As the Art Director for Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound (and avid retro game lover), he took inspiration from classic 16- and 32-bit games to create vibrant, fluid pixel art full of energy and action. While honoring the legacy of the original Ninja Gaiden titles, Jesús also wanted to elevate the visuals to modern standards, blending traditional graphics with current quality and techniques. Pushing pixel art to new heights has become one of The Game Kitchen’s trademarks, he states.

Discussing the creative process, Jesús shares that one of the biggest challenges was dealing with limited colors and detail due to the low resolution, while still managing to convey the mood of each moment in the adventure and the atmosphere of every zone. He explains that to overcome this, the team put great care into selecting precise color palettes, designing texture tiling and layering decorative elements and parallax effects to bring depth and vibrancy to the environments.

Jesús also states that the most critical aspect of art applied to level design was ensuring clarity and readability. Given that the game was an action-platformer, it was essential for characters and enemies to stand out distinctly from the background so players could immediately identify and engage with them. He n

Only 19 of the ‘05 NISMO R34 GT-R Z-tune were produced by Nissan’s performance division. Nineteen. With some mathing, that’s one of Z-tune R34 for every 424,315,789 humans on Earth. If you happen to be one of the ridiculously few, good for you. For the rest of us, we have the free Update 1.61 from the Polyphony team. In addition to being able to drive the grail-status Z-tune the ’22 Honda N-ONE RS and ’22 Nissan Qashqai Tekna 190 2wd e-Power are also available in this free update.

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Three new events, a new Lone Pine location added to Scapes, and a ’17 Lexus RC F GT3 with the “ANEST IWATA Racing 2025” livery in the Lexus Showroom are additional content for the month. The Sophy AI racing agent will be available to battle against on the High-Speed Ring circuit.

Update 1.61 for Gran Turismo 7 is available as of today, Wednesday, July 23 at 10:00pm PT / July 24 at 6:00am GMT / 3:00pm JST.

NEW CARS**

’22 Honda N-ONE RS 

(Can be purchased from Brand Central / Used Cars)

Read more

Many PS5 peripherals, including the DualSense wireless controller, are designed to support a variety of devices beyond PS5 including PC, Mac, and mobile devices. We believe enabling compatibility of our peripherals across multiple platforms creates a more flexible and seamless gaming experience.

As part of this effort, we’re excited to announce that the latest PS5 system update beta will preview a new feature that allows DualSense wireless controllers and DualSense Edge wireless controllers to be paired across multiple devices simultaneously, making it easier to switch between them without needing to pair each time. 

Additionally, we’re also sharing new details on Power Saver for games – a new mode that enables supported PS5 games to run with lower power consumption and reduce environmental impact – which will be available at a later date.

While beta access is limited to invited participants in select countries*, we plan to release the update globally in the coming months. If you’re selected to participate in the beta, you’ll receive an email invitation tomorrow when it’s available to download. Some features available during the beta phase may not make it into the final version or may see significant changes.

Here are the details of each features:

Pairing a DualSense wireless controller across multiple devices

Until now, pairing was required each time you connected a DualSense or DualSense Edge wireless controller to a different device such as PC, Mac, and mobile devices.

With this update, you can now register up to four devices simultaneously, and easily switch between them directly from your controller. For example, you can take your controller which you use with your PS5, then seamlessly switch connection to a PC to play PC games, or connect it to a smartphone to enjoy Remote Play from your PS5. With this enhanced flexibility, you can enjoy gaming more freely across multiple devices.

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Hey everyone, Game Director Alex Cox here again to break down another look at Mafia: The Old Country, following the Gameplay Trailer breakdown back in May. As with every Mafia title, the team at Hangar 13 has been hard at work ensuring that this all-new entry set in 1900s Sicily elevates and honors the classic gameplay pillars fans know and love. 

In this video series (stay tuned for more updates soon), we’re showing off several key aspects of this updated gameplay through the lens of Enzo’s experience as a newly enlisted member of the Mafia. Each entry will be narrated by a different figure in the Torrisi crime family, beginning with the Don himself.

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Family responsibilities 

Being part of the Torrisi crime family comes with certain obligations. In this video, you’ll get a taste of what’s expected from those who join, especially new soldatos who have yet to prove themselves. We begin with the Don asking Enzo to “send a message” that says “Torrisi takes care of his family and affairs.” How you carry out duties like these will vary throughout the story, as next we see Enzo collecting a protection payment at gunpoint before fearlessly enacting the Don’s will in a bloody knife duel. 

Each task Enzo undertakes on behalf of the Family will show off his unflinching tenacity and the range of his abilities, whether he’s leaping across rooftops on foot, pursuing cars through the country on horseback, or skulking into hostile territory to dispatch enemies silently or guns-blazing.

We then glimpse Enzo openly strolling through a bustling San Celeste and striking at enemies from the shadows underground; this section also gives you a look at Instinct mode, which lets you detect foes through environmental obstacles. Cut to Enzo continuing to lethally stalk and doggedly pursue enemies across the Valle Dorate, giving us a sense of the many high-stakes jobs he’ll undertake for the Family. 

I’

Dearest fighting game aficionados, tag-team warriors, Marvel fans, and everyone in between,on behalf of the teams at PlayStation XDEV, Arc System Works and Marvel Games, it is our pleasure to announce that the very first playable experience for MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls will be at Evo Las Vegas 2025 at the Arc System Works booth! 

Attendees will be able to duke it out with their friends and construct their very own 4-character team from a roster of 6 playable Marvel legends, including Captain America, Iron Man, Storm, Star Lord, Ms. Marvel, and of course, Doctor Doom. All players who step into the ring will also walk away with an amazing collectible pin based on our fighting souls – you won’t want to miss it! 

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Hi, I’m Tim Willits from Saber Interactive, and we are excited to announce Clive Barker’s Hellraiser: Revival, coming to PlayStation 5!

As lifelong fans of the legendary Hellraiser franchise, it’s been an honor to bring this terrifying universe to life in a way that is true to the franchise.

Hellraiser: Revival is a single-player, first-person action survival horror experience that will put you into the dark world of Clive Barker’s twisted imagination. From the moment we started this journey, our team has poured every ounce of passion, creativity, and determination into crafting what we believe will be the definitive Hellraiser gaming experience.

Ready to take a peek into the horrors that await? Watch the announcement trailer here:

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You will play as Aidan, the protagonist in the story who must fight with various melee and ranged weapons, and use the mystical powers of the Genesis Configuration to take down unholy enemies.  Finding a way to survive your bargain with the infamous Pinhead and help your girlfriend Sunny escape is never as simple as it seems in a world filled with Cenobites, cultists, deviants, and the realm of torture and pain that is the Labyrinth.  

Speaking of the story, we have been greatly privileged to consult with Clive Barker himself to make sure this new chapter in the Hellraiser storyline is authentic to the vision of his iconic Hellraiser films. 

Hot on the heels of Free Title Update 2 comes the next seasonal event in Monster Hunter Wilds: the Festival of Accord: Flamefete, running from July 23 to August 6. In this summer-themed event, the Grand Hub will be decorated to match the season. Hunters can collect tickets to obtain special equipment, take on special Event Quests, and enjoy some fun in the sun in the Grand Hub.

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The Grand Hub heats up for Summer

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An updated version of the classic 1997 PlayStation strategy RPG, Final Fantasy Tactics – The Ivalice Chronicles, is on the way. And better yet, it’s being worked on by some members of the original’s team.

“It was Final Fantasy Tactics that inspired me to dedicate my life to becoming a game designer,” reveals Kazutoyo Maehiro, who was an Events Planner for the original, and now Director of The Ivalice Chronicles. “Even now it serves as an emotional underpinning for me, so it’s very dear to my heart.”

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With other members of the development team, such as Yasumi Matsuno (Original Script, Scenario Writer, and Editor), present from the PlayStation original, there’s little doubt that this remake is in safe hands. For newcomers it means you can experience an engaging and rich tale of conflict in a troubled land, with updated and added dialogue, voice acting, and new features including a streamlined and optimised user interface.

Rebuilding Ivalice

Maehiro revisited the game a few years ago, a replay that reminded him of how awe-inspiring it continued to be. “[It was] no less impressive even compared to modern games with its excellent game design and deep storyline.” But with it came awareness that the game had become inaccessible on modern platforms within the console landscape. “I strongly felt that I wanted to revive this amazing game so that new players of the current generation could experience it. That was what began the development of this game.”

The process wasn’t without its challenges. Purists have the option to choose the Classic version, recreating the original as faithfully as possible, but crafting both it and the Enhanced version came with its challenges given the original master data and source code no longer exists. “This was simply the norm at the time,” explains Maehiro. ”We didn’t have the kinds of effective resource management tools available today, and we developed games by essentially overwriting the previous code each time we fixed a bug or added a new language.”

“The best way to ensure the game met modern playability standards while staying true to the original was to rebuild it.” – Kazutoyo Maehiro, Director, The Ivalice Chronicles