Happy Thanksgiving! Here’s Some Kotaku Merch.

Did you know we have a store? We have a store. You can buy hoodies, stickers and now this new t-shirt as well. It’s $24, and comes in a variety of colours. You can check out all the stuff available here

Why Some Overwatch Cheaters Are So Hard To Catch

Not everyone plays fair in Overwatch. Some people choose to download hacks that improve their aim, ruining the game for everyone else. Here’s how some of the most insidious Overwatch cheats work. YouTube user Chuck Norris has a quick, informative video that shows you just how sneaky Overwatch cheats can be. Contrary to popular belief,…

The History Of Gaming Balloons In The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

Since 1927 the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade has been filling the skies of New York with colorful balloon representations of pop culture icons. Video games didn’t enter the picture until 1993, and only three gaming icons have made the cut so far. This piece originally appeared 11/26/14. Some updates have been made for the…

In A Twist, Game Update Drops Denuvo Anti-Piracy Tech On Steam

Nowadays, most talk of DRM revolves around titles that add the “anti-tamper” tech known as Denuvo, thus preventing piracy of those games.  That’s what makes the latest update to side-scrolling puzzle game Inside so unusual: the developers have chosen to do away with Denuvo. The latest patch notes for Inside on Steam state that the…

Our Reviews Of The Fall’s Biggest Games

It’s been a busy season for major game releases, with plenty more to come before the year is out. If you’re thinking of binging on the latest big game over Thanksgiving weekend or looking to pick up some new games for the holidays, here’s a roundup of what we thought of this fall’s games, from…

All The Ways I Tried To Murder People In Planet Coaster

Contrary to how most people play RollerCoaster Tycoon, crashes aren’t my first preference. Too much indiscriminate death and destruction. I like to mete out my fury in teaspoons, slipped to my guests one by one. Individual tragedy lets you enjoy the subtleties of suffering, and forces your subject to wonder what they did to deserve…

Amazon Japan Creates A Final Fantasy XV Double Take

While opening other people’s packages is a huge no-no, these Amazon Japan boxes appear like they’ve been torn, exposing copies of Final Fantasy XV. They have not, because this is, of course, a PR stunt. But as a PR stunt, it is clever. According to IT Media, there are only a limited number of these…

Call Of Duty: Infinite Warfare Is Doing Well In Japan

Looking at the most recent Japanese sales figures, you won’t be surprised to see Pokémon Sun and Moon at the top. But you might be surprised to see Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare right up there. It doesn’t like that long ago when Western first-person shooter games were generally shunned in Japan. Those days have…

In Pokémon Sun and Moon, The Swimmer Has Evolved Into A Hot Dude

You know, the Swimmer, right? Save for swapping briefs for trunks, the male version hasn’t changed so much over the years. But the one in Sun and Moon sure has! Note: This article contains spoilers. Past male Swimmers wore swimming caps and googles, and since Pokémon Red and Blue, they’ve always looked similar. But here…

Onomichi Tenneiji Temple. Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. By Chris Bryan JPGs is a photo peek into wherever gamers might find interesting. If you’re a photographer and have images you want to share, drop us a line! 

Microsoft’s Solitaire Now Available On Rival Phones

Microsoft’s own version of Solitaire, one of the most popular and enduring video games of all time, is now available for the first time ever on a platform that isn’t Windows. It’s part of an app—available for both iOSand Android—called Microsoft Solitaire Collection, which bundles five card games (Klondike/classic Solitaire, Spider, Freecell, Tripeaks and Pyramid)…

Battlefield 1 Player Finds Safety Behind Brick Wall

Or not. Good night, sweet Prince. That gif is courtesy of Paste123, but the full source video is below.

Overwatch Players Are Using Symmetra’s New Shields To Break The Game

Overwatch’s Symmetra overhaul is live on the game’s PTR, and people are really putting her new kit through its paces. Thanks to the magic of custom games, Overwatch players have taken to spawning as many Symmetra shields as possible and watching as they sail into the sky like celestial frisbees. Until they collide with something,…

The Division’s New Survival Mode Is Intense

The $15 “Survival” expansion to 2016’s second most-intense emotional rollercoaster, The Division, seems to be a very good addition to the game. Emphasis on “seems to be,” because I can only extend so much praise to a clever but brutal game mode that keeps killing me. These are first impressions from a guy just trying…

Four Times Pokémon Sun and Moon Get Way Too Real

Something that really surprised me about Pokémon Sun and Moon were the random spurts of bleakness. The latest generation of Pokémon games aren’t afraid to go there, even if it leaves the player uncomfortable about the implications. I’m not just talking about the dark Pokedex entries, which make everyone reconsider their favorite monster, as well…