Crimson Desert seems huge — not just in how much there is to do, but simply how enormous its world is. As an open-world RPG, that’s to be expected, but it’s only when you’re standing on a strange island floating in the sky, seeing the whole world stretch out beneath you, that it’s clear just how expansive the world of Pywel really is.

I recently went hands-on with the beginning portion of Crimson Desert and played about four hours, and while I never made it out to the landmarks I could see in the distance, even the area in and around the city where the game begins felt enormous and full of life.

Helping out in Hernand

You play Kliff, a member of a faction called the Greymanes — warriors renowned for their swordsmanship and their reputation for helping others. The early part of the story takes place in a town called Hernand, where you get your first taste of just how big and bustling Crimson Desert is. Even with four hours of playtime, there was so much to do in and around Hernand that I never made it far from town.

A few weeks ago, during State of Play, we shared the first gameplay footage of Control Resonant running on PlayStation 5 Pro. The trailer was fast-paced and focused — but it only scratched the surface of the gameplay systems at work.

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Hey Troopers! We’re the team at Auroch Digital, and alongside our partners at Dotemu we’re currently Doing Our Part, by creating the most realistic depiction of war ever made. Starship Troopers: Ultimate Bug War is releasing on PlayStation 5 on March 16 – officially endorsed by FedDev – and we also have a world first for Starship Troopers fans.

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A world of danger and opportunity awaits you on Tau Ceti IV. Starting March 5, Marathon will be available on PlayStation 5 and other platforms. The team here at Bungie has been working hard to bring that world to life, and we’re thrilled that players across the globe will soon be able to immerse themselves in the dark sci-fi adventure of our PvPvE survival extraction shooter.

Launching the game is just the first step in a long journey together with our players. Marathon’s living universe will continue to evolve across seasons, powered by your feedback and your impact on Tau Ceti as you continue to peel back its many mysteries. We’ve got a ton of exciting stuff cooking for you and wanted to share some of that with you here.

First thing to know: Marathon’s seasonal updates will be available to everyone. No expansions or DLC required.

Each season you’ll be challenged to discover, adapt, and master new skills and, at the start of each season, everyone will start fresh, with nothing in their vault. Seasonal resets mean that the game stays dangerous, loot feels meaningful, and there’s always an opportunity to get back into the game or bring a friend along without feeling behind the curve.

As you progress throughout the season–completing contracts and collecting faction upgrades– you’ll be granted access to stronger base stats and to better gear in the Armory. Your power floor will rise over time, and recovering from a loss will be easier, as will crafting your ideal build.

You’ll carry over things that express your identity from season to season. The titles you’ve unlocked, the Codex progression you’ve earned, as well as the cosmetics you’ve either purchased or earned will not be affected by seasonal resets.

Head over to our latest blog on Bungie’s Marathon web site to learn more about seasons. In the meantime, let’s take a look at some of the highlights coming to Marathon at launch and beyond.

Welcome to Tau Ceti

At launch, Marathon will include all six launch Runner shells, access to the Rook frame, aka scavenger mode, six factions, 28 weapons (plus mods, implants, cores), as well as earnable cosmetics, achievements, and storytelling through the Codex. You’ll experience all of this in three zones: Perimeter, Dire Marsh, and Outpost.

Season 1 will find players touching down planetside as the Tau Ceti gold rush begins. As a Runner, you are caught in the heated start of a proxy war between rival factions, doing your best to stay alive and even thrive. In addition to the new Ranked competitive mode, this Season will also introduce the new Cryo Archive map, both arriving early in Season 1.

Cryo Archive

Cryo Archive is Marathon’s first end-game zone aboard the derelict UESC Marathon ship. Characterized by close-quarters combat and raid-like puzzle solving, Cryo Archive finds crews of Runners clashing in the frozen hallways of the Marathon’s first deck, surrounded by cryopods, medical bays, and abandoned storage wings.

While onboard you an

We’re back with a lot of news about Tides of Tomorrow. We’ve released a new trailer breaking down our unique feature, Online Story-Link, and we’ve just opened pre-orders! Our pre-order bonus is the Delta Agent DLC – a special Tidewalker and Boat skin.

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ILL is a first-person action-horror game coming to PS5 that aims to deliver relentless terror, both when the player is in full control and during the game’s motion-captured cutscenes. I’m Max Verehin, Co-founder of Team Clout, and I’m honored to give the PlayStation community a behind-the-scenes look at the work that goes into creating the cutscenes that complement the game’s immersive, horrific gameplay.

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Last month was filled with surprises, delights, and fights!  Some big new releases included God of War Sons of Sparta, Dragon Quest VII Reimagined, Resident Evil Requiem, Nioh 3, and Reanimal. Which game was your favorite?
 
How does it work? At the end of every month, PlayStation Blog will open a poll where you can vote for the best new game released that month. After the polls close we will tally your votes, and announce the winner on our social channels and PlayStation.Blog. 

What is the voting criteria? That’s up to you! If you were only able to recommend one new release to a friend that month, which would it be? Note: re-released games don’t qualify, but remakes do. We define remakes as ambitious, larger-scale rebuilds such as Resident Evil 4 (2023) and Final Fantasy VII Remake.

How are nominees decided? The PlayStation Blog editorial team will gather a list of that month’s most noteworthy releases and use it to seed the poll.

Email us at PSPodcast@sony.com!

Subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or download here

Hey, everybody! Tim, Kristen, and I are back this week to talk about the horrors of Racoon City, Reanimal, and trying to conquer your backlog before a wave of new games comes for us all. Along with our various journeys through Greece in God of War Sons of Sparta.

Stuff We Talked About

• Next week’s release highlights:
  • Resident Evil Requiem (out now) | PS5
  • Scott Pilgrim EX | PS5, PS4
  • Legacy of Kain: Defiance Remastered | PS5, PS4
  • Rager | PS VR2
  • Never Grave: The Witch and The Curse | PS5
  • Planet of Lana II | PS5
  • Marathon | PS5
    
    
• Death Stranding 2 PC specs reveal blog —See the power requirements to connect, widescreen support, and other features.
  
  
• Scott Pilgrim EX new character blog  —  Get acquainted with Goth Neil and Lady Envy, and check out the fun new stage, Casa Vania.
  
  
• God of War Sons of Sparta The Pit blog — Time to test your Spartan resolve in the roguelike challenge mode. See how to unlock this mode early and take it on solo or with local co-op. missions and objectives.
  
  
• Life is Strange: Reunion hands-on report — Chloe and Max are back for more time manipulation shenanigans. Check out new features, including the ability to play as both the protagonist and the interactive notebook.
  
  
• PlayStation Plus Monthly Games March
  • PGA Tour 2K25 | PS5
  • Monster Hunter Rise | PS5, PS4
  • Slime Rancher 2 | PS5
  • The Elder Scrolls Online Collection: Gold Road | PS5, PS4

The Cast

Last week, we asked to share well-framed moments from the game of your choice using #PSshare #PSBlog. Here are this week’s highlights:

parmindernangla shares Atsu framed by the sun in Ghost of Yōtei

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artenpixels_ shares Ratchet framed by rock formations in Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart

jobolts_ shares Arthur framed by some tree branches in Red Dead Redemption 2

call_me_xavii shares Aloy sitting in a frame-shaped hole overlooking water in Horizon Forbidden West.

EduardoPrx shares Eve framed by a halo of lights and containers in Stellar Blade.

x01.vp shares Rèmi standing in front of a circular light in Hell Us Is

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: Heroic
SUBMIT BY: 11:59 PM PT on March 4, 2026 

Next week, we need a hero. Share a heroic character using #PSshare #PSBlog for a chance to be featured.

Hello, fellow Wanderers. We’re proud to share new details about the very first major expansion to our wuxia epic, Where Winds Meet. It’s called Hexi — and it’s vast in scale and ambition!

So large, in fact, that it will be released in three distinct chapters that will be dropped from March to May 2026. It will feature three major maps with nearly 20 sub-regions – covering areas of endless deserts, ice fields, snow-capped mountains and vast swathes of grasslands. You’ll find it populated by eleven unique bosses, dozens of side quests and so much more.

We’ve tried to push boundaries, letting players inhabit characters from history and witness the era from the perspective of ordinary people caught up in the tides of history. This is what makes Hexi’s main story unique, existing outside of the game’s main timeline, and adopting a more cinematic approach to storytelling and gameplay.

There will also be a significant shift in the narrative, as we travel through time and space as if in a dream to a different era of Chinese history – the Tang Dynasty – one of the most prosperous eras of ancient China. At the end of the Tang Dynasty, however, the Hexi region loses all contact with the capital, Chang’an, and the Hexi people long for their spiritual homeland and this prompts your dream pilgrimage. 

The first chapter of the Hexi expansion is called the Jade Gate Pass and launches on March 5 (Pacific Time).  Set in a vast desert landscape, it represents the beginning of the biggest expansion since our game launched, offering up brand-new narratives, new bosses, fresh gameplay features and martial art styles.

To help you to survive and advance in the challenging desert environment, you can obtain two brand new wuxia skills in the Jade Gate Pass area. Sand Race literally allows you to surf on the sand to speed your progress, while Cosmic Reversal will empower you to reverse time itself and rebuild desert ruins. This skill will be particularly helpful for overcoming obstacles, uncovering secrets and solving puzzles. 

Whitecrown City lies between Jade Gate Pass and Liangzhou. Once the crossroads of travel from East to West and a vital part of the ancient frontier defence, now a time-eroded, abandoned shadow of its former glory.

Entering this city will rekindle ancient legends – Guo Xin – the last Grand Protector of Anxi – and the campaign boss. Standing as guardian of this lonely outpost, Guo Xin watches over the frontier in solitude. On this desolate ground, you will witness the reveal of secrets hidden deep beneath the annals of history.

Furthermore, another formidable boss in Jade Gate Pass is the Wandering Ark, whose legend is deeply embedded in the Hexi lore and is waiting to be discovered in the desert wilderness. This boss does not stay in a fixed location – it’s a colossal vessel moving freely across the desert sea. Encountering this vessel, players need to be precise and strategic in discerning where to attack this opponent, while defending against ruthless ranged and close quarter attacks.

Fortun