The Epic Games Spring Sale is underway, offering discounts on an epic number of games between now and April 9th. To help manage the flood, a buyer’s guide is here to point the way to deals that may hold particular interest. Here are the details:

What is the Epic Games Store Spring Sale 2025?
It’s thousands of spring deals, from AAA blockbusters you’ve been eyeing for months to indie gems that may have flown in under your radar. At up to 75% off, why not try out something that catches your eye?

When is the Epic Games Store Spring Sale 2025?
The sale lasts from March 26, 2025 at 12 PM ET / 4 PM GMT / 5 PM CET to April 9, 2025 at 11 AM ET / 4 PM BST / 5 PM CEST. It’s just a coincidence it intersects with April 1—rest assured, these prices aren’t foolin’ around.

Electronic Arts announces F1 25, saying the next installment in the motorsport series will race onto PC and consoles on May 30th, kicking off "an" (as opposed to "the") official game of the 2025 FIA Formula One World Championship. The Official Reveal Trailer is here to celebrate the game and spokesdriver Lewis Hamilton with live action and cinematics. The Pre-order Page is live with incentives, including a loyalty bonus for those who own F1 23 or F1 24. Word is this will bring Braking Point to its breaking point, and there's a pig in a poke promotion for the upcoming Brad Pitt movie, promising content after the game's launch for those daring enough to buy it before it is complete:

Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: EA) invites players to create headlines as a new chapter of Formula 1® begins with F1® 25, an official game of the 2025 FIA Formula One World Championship™, coming to PlayStation®5, Xbox Series X|S and PC on May 30. Take the spotlight in the latest instalment of the fan-favourite story mode, Braking Point, with Konnersport now battling for championships, as a dramatic event throws the team into chaos. Braking Point now comes with multiple difficulty settings catering for returning vets and rookies making their F1® debuts. The on-track excitement ramps up with the upcoming event film of the summer Apple Original Films’ F1, launching worldwide in cinemas this June from Warner Bros. Pictures. Those who pre-order* the F1® 25 Iconic Edition can experience post-launch gameplay chapters inspired by the film featuring the APXGP team.** F1® 25 Iconic Edition players will also receive additional content, including 2025 season liveries for use in F1® 24***, and up to three days early access.

Spilled! has spilled out onto Steam, offering a Windows and macOS casual maritime simulation from solo developer Lente. The cozy game has an ecological theme that involves cleaning up oil spills, recycling plastic, and extinguishing fires. It also has a meta development angle, as it's a crowdfunded game about a boat that was developed on a boat (Boaty McBoatface would be so proud). Here's the Launch Trailer and there's also a playable demo. Here's a boatload of details:

Spilled! is a short, relaxing and satisfying cozy game in which you clean up oil spills with a boat. Recycle, earn coins, upgrade your boat, repeat! Explore and clean up new areas with more waste and new challenges!

Short but satisfying - Move through 8 areas, each bigger in size and with more waste. No rush, take as long as you want. Spilled! is a short yet cozy game that you can finish in 1 hour, but you can use the level select to go back to any area if you just want to relax!

Game of Thrones: Kingsroad is now in Early Access on Steam, bringing a Windows edition of this action/RPG from Netmarble that's also on mobile. Just remember Cersei Lannaster's warning: when you play the Game of Thrones, you win or you reload your last save. This post discusses Early Access, while this follow up highlights a known issue with the Battle Pass end date. Check out the Early Access Trailer and read on for more:

Explore the seven kingdoms that make up Westeros in the vast open world of Game of Thrones: Kingsroad. Discover vivid landscapes, massive cities, backwater towns, untamed wilderness, and the people that inhabit them. Roam about iconic regions and locations. Take in everything from the splendor of King’s Landing to the frigid unease of Castle Black, located at the foot of the 700 feet tall Wall that stretches along the northern border of the Kingdom of the North, protecting the realm from horrors that lurk beyond.

GeoGuessr announces GeoGuessr Steam Edition, a standalone version of the hit web-based version (thanks The Verge). This is coming to (wait for it) Steam sometime next month. As noted in this post, crossplay between the browser and Steam versions will be supported. Here's more on this game of geographical deduction:

GeoGuessr Steam Edition takes you on a journey around the world, challenging you to recognize locations and outsmart your opponents. Each round places you in an unknown location, where you must use landscapes, signs, and landmarks to pinpoint your position. Face off against players worldwide in exciting multiplayer battles. Climb the leaderboard, sharpen your geography skills, and discover famous landmarks or hidden corners of the world. Every guess brings you closer to victory. Do you have what it takes to be the ultimate champion?

• Shelter 3: An Elephant Adventure on Epic Games Store (Windows, macOS). "Shelter 3 is a game where wisdom, empathy and leadership play an important role in your survival. As a new mother you must protect your calf, but you must also take responsibility for the whole herd, protecting old and young from lurking predators and the threat of starvation." Already on Steam.
• Tennis Antics on GOG.com* (Windows). "Ever played tennis in a graveyard or on a galleon against pirates? This is a fast and frantic tennis inspired game, unlike anything you have ever experienced! Tennis Antics has all the playability of traditional tennis with the inclusion of pure, unadulterated fun."

*Blue's News may receive a commission on sales of this item.

• Captain Wayne - Vacation Desperation on Steam (Windows). "Captain Wayne is an intense, fast-action Retro Shooter about a sailor with a SHOTGUN for an ARM!! With a cartoony, hand-drawn art style and gory gameplay, you'll have to mow down enemies through 8 action-packed locales to take back what's yours. ARE YOU READY TO RAISE ANCHOR?"
• Din's Champion on Steam (Windows, macOS). "Mine and gather resources, craft useful items, and explore a dynamic, evolving world all while fighting off the evil gods' minions and machinations in this side scrolling, action RPG. Become a Din's Champion and stop Valta's new scheme to destroy the world. Oh, and beware of exploding barrels..."
• Emperor of the Fading Suns Enhanced on Steam (Windows). "This classic 4X strategy game, renowned for its deep game play and unparalleled setting, allows one to five players to battle on land, air, sea and space as they fight each other and AI for control of humanity. Trade, build, and engage in diplomacy with the Church, Merchant League, and alien races."

• RailGods of Hysterra - Early Access Date Reveal Trailer. April 23rd.
• White Knuckle - Early Access Release Date Trailer.

• The Triple-i Initiative Returns April 10th (video).

• Fortnite Chapter 6 Season 3 Will Be Star Wars-Themed According To Leaker - GameSpot.

• Nightdive boss shares optimism for ‘No One Lives Forever’ remaster, despite studio closure - VGC. This story is starting to repeat itself.

• Dice and Destiny (pay what you want and help charity) - Humble.*
• Humble Heroines 2025 (pay what you want and help charity).*
• Tactical Triumph (pay what you want and help charity) - Humble.*
• HeroCraft PC Complete (pay what you want and help charity) - Humble.*

*Blue's News may receive a commission on sales of this item.

• Activision user research workers are unionizing 'to create an industry that works for them' - Game Developer.
• Tomb Raider developer Crystal Dynamics lays off 17 employees 'to better align our current business needs and the studio's future success - PC Gamer.

• How do you pronounce Balatro- The official answer has been confirmed - VGC. Topic now as officially settled as .gif and gib.

• Watch Side Quest on Apple TV+ Today - Ubisoft.
• Soccer Star Cristiano Ronaldo Is an Actual Fatal Fury- City of the Wolves Playable Character - IGN.
• StarCraft Miniatures Game Is Coming In 2026, With Board Games To Follow - GameSpot.

• Pillars of Eternity - Patch 1.3.8.0.87535 is Live.

↑ Official patches. ↓ Unofficial games, patches, and mods.

• This mod turns Like a Dragon- Infinite Wealth into a classic Yakuza action brawler - DSOGaming.

• Introducing More In-Game Benefits for Free-to-Play Games with Game Pass - Xbox Wire. Heroes of the Storm!?!
• PlayStation Plus Monthly Games for April- RoboCop: Rogue City, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Digimon Story- Cyber Sleuth – Hacker's Memory - PlayStation Blog.

Official trailers.

• Brawlhalla: Guardians Crossover Event Launch Trailer.
• Call of Duty: Warzone - Verdansk Map Flythrough.
• War Robots- Frontiers - Ravana- War Robot Spotlight.

• Lies of P Overture Q&A - 'It's an Opportunity for Us to Really Complete the Experience' - Wccftech.
• Lies of P Director Says Overture DLC Isn’t Connected to Base Game’s Massive Final Cutscene Reveal - IGN.

• Verdansk returns in Season 3 of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and Warzone on April 2 – PlayStation.Blog.

• Build Your Own Dungeon in Into the Restless Ruins – Demo out Now on Xbox - Xbox Wire.

• Cyberpunk 2077 developer CD Projekt taps Scopely to develop franchise spin-off - Game Developer.
• Newer Kindles get a work-around for touchscreen page-turning in new software update - Ars Technica.

• YouTube Shorts will count views even if you scroll past - The Verge.

• Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27823 (Canary Channel) - Windows Insider Blog. Thanks Console General.

• Open source devs say AI crawlers dominate traffic, forcing blocks on entire countries - Ars Technica. Thanks Burrito of Peace.
• NVIDIA & Other Tech Giants Demand Trump Administration To Reconsider -AI Diffusion- Policy - Wccftech.

• 23andMe Site Went Down as Customers Struggled to Delete Data - WSJ. Thanks The Flying Penguin.
• Files stolen from court system include restraining orders • The Register.

Here's a reminder that we have scheduled downtime tomorrow (Thursday) at around 2:00 pm EDT. Apologies for the disruption.

Last Link of the Day: Avengers: Doomsday - Now in Production.

Hello Games announces the launch of a new Relics Update for No Man's Sky, continuing its post-release support for the 2016 space-based action/adventure. Relics digs into the past, adding a paleontology element that allows players to excavate bones and fossils, engage in new battles, and even do a little Jurassic Parking if you're willing to risk the chaos. An Update Trailer features a look at what to expect, including combat with Gorignak that may require you to form some sort of rudimentary lathe. A post on Steam has more on this chance to make your bones:

Since launch, because of the way that No Man’s Sky’s planetary terrain works, No Man’s Sky players have enjoyed being able to dig down through the earth to find buried technologies or other valuable items hidden beneath their feet. From today, players will start to find a whole new category of palaeontological finds - the skeletal remains of alien creatures which used to inhabit these worlds. So terrain manipulators at the ready!

Just as the living creatures which continue to populate the star systems, there is a huge variety of prehistoric bones, in all shapes and sizes, to excavate and collect. It’s up to you how you reassemble them and there’s a lot of fun to be had building ever-more outrageous skeletons to put on display in your bases-turned-museums or share with your fellow Travellers.

Brain Seal announces Dark Quest 4, a new entry in this series of dungeon crawlers designed to recall physical board games. This is coming to Windows and consoles in Q3, and a Steam Listing is live for the PC edition. This post on Steam introduces the new installment and serves a Gameplay Reveal Trailer for our viewing pleasure. It also has the meta explanation that this fills a mysterious gap between the intent and the execution of the previous Dark Quest: "A while ago we announced the Dark Quest: Board game which eventually became Dark Quest 3. Looking back we feel like we missed an opportunity to create a dungeon crawler that plays on the board in a very similar fashion how you would play tabletop games such as Hero Quest, Descent, Dwarven Saga etc." Here's what to expect:

In Dark Quest 4, players build a party of three heroes and take on epic, hand-crafted missions in a world that looks and feels like a physical tabletop board game. With its unique animated figurines, charming visuals, and a fully voiced dungeon master (the sorcerer himself), the game brings the magic of old-school dungeon crawling to a whole new generation.

Play solo or bring up to two friends along in an adventure where strategy meets creativity and imagination.

Polden and Button Mash announce Final Sentence, a new type of battle royale coming to PC via Steam in Q2 of this year. Rather than rewarding your aim or ability to avoid combat, this puts the focus on your typing prowess like TypeRacer, Typing of the Dead, and their ilk. Fitting the genre, this is a multiplayer battle with between 40 and 100 players per match. The unexpected twist for such a game is the Russian roulette element, which is shown in this Cinematic Trailer. Here's word:

You’ve never played anything like this before. Type fast and type accurately — your life depends on it. There's a revolver pointed at your head… with one bullet in the chamber.

Beat Your Friends Play with strangers in massive rooms of 40 to 100 players — or battle it out in private matches with 4 or 8 friends.

Deep Stats and Ranked System Every achievement is tracked and compared with others. See your progress. Know exactly where you're improving — and where you're falling behind.

Wednesdays is now available on Steam, offering a visual novel that takes on the disturbing topic of sexual abuse of children, which is some heavy lifting for a videogame. The Windows and macOS game is 10% off for the next week. Here's the Launch Trailer and here's the description:

Like so many children, Tim was a victim of sexual abuse.

Twenty years later, while playing Orco Park, a videogame from his childhood, his memories will come rushing back along with a flood of questions : How could this have happened? Who knew? How has it shaped him? What does “normal” even mean?

Written by Pierre Corbinais (Haven, Road 96: Prologue, Bury Me, My Love), Wednesdays seeks to raise awareness about child sexual abuse through a surprisingly uplifting story.

• Pirates Outlaws 2: Heritage on Steam (Windows). "Pirates Outlaws 2 is a swashbuckling roguelike deckbuilder. Collect & fuse cards, gather powerful relics and adapt your strategy during each run. Become a reputed pirate, loot the Sea Masters, challenge giant creatures and triumph in the great Arena!"

• Asgard's Fall - Viking Survivors - Release Date Announcement. April 9th.
• Maze Mice - Coming to Early Access on May 2nd - Trailer.
• Moroi - Official Release Date Announce Trailer. April 30th.
• Quantum Witch - Releasing 24th June on Steam - Trailer.

• GameStop Stock Surges as Video Game Retailer Adds Bitcoin to Its Investment Policy - Yahoo! Finance. When your meme stock memes.

• inZOI has become the most wishlisted game on Steam, but I wouldn't get too caught up in the hype - TechRadar.

• Following 24 hours of Denuvo-based backlash, InZOI is taking a surprising step and removing it entirely: 'We want to sincerely apologise for not aligning more closely with player expectations' - PC Gamer.
• Elon Musk Sides With Grifter, Gets Burned by Assassin's Creed - MP1st.

Official patches.

• Assassin’s Creed Shadows - Title Update 1.0.1 (Hot Fix) - Release Notes.
• Hunt- Showdown 1896 -- Update 2.3 & Garden of the Witch Event Now Live!.
• NVIDIA App version 11.0.3.218. Thanks Console General.
• Total War: WARHAMMER III - Patch 6.1 Now Available.

• PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS Weekly Bans Notice (03/17~03/23).

• Path of Fury - Episode I: Tetsuo's Tower - bHaptics Trailer.

• Hyper Sentinel Fusion - Announcement Trailer.
• MY HERO ULTRA RUMBLE — Season 10 Trailer.
• Battle of the Bulge coming to Warfare Legacy Collection.

↑ Official trailers. ↓ Content creator videos.

• Crossy Road World Record High Score (MAX SCORE REACHED) - Guinness World Records. Thanks Ant.

• Nordic Game Awards 2025- The Nominees.

• Xbox Series X|S is testing a new Game Hub feature where launching a game shows an info screen first - VGC.
• March 2025 Nintendo Direct Will Focus on Switch Games - Siliconera.
• RollerCoaster Tycoon 3: Complete Edition - PS5 & Xbox Launch Trailer.
• The Spring Sale comes to PlayStation Store March 26 – PlayStation.Blog.

• Waze is dropping Google Assistant on iPhone after leaving it broken for ‘over a year’ - The Verge.

Thanks Ant.

• Lode Runner Web Game (online game). Going offline "soon." Thanks Reddit.
• I won't connect my dishwasher to your stupid cloud - Jeff Geerling. Thanks Slashdot.

Thanks Console General.

• Intel is reportedly 'working to finalize commitments from Nvidia' as a foundry partner, suggesting gaming potential for the 18A node - PC Gamer.
• US expands export blacklist to keep computing tech out of China - The Verge.
• Block reportedly lays off almost 1,000 employees - Engadget.
• How to Buy the Best Keycaps for Your Mechanical Keyboard (2025) - WIRED (may require registration or subscription).
• The Worm That No Computer Scientist Can Crack - WIRED (may require registration or subscription).
• Microsoft confirms KB5053657 fixes USB printers broken by Windows 11 KB5050092 - Neowin.
• March 2025 Microsoft Photos update now rolling out to Windows Insiders - Windows Insider Blog.
• Releasing Windows 11 Build 26100.3624 to the Release Preview Channel - Windows Insider Blog.
• Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.3585 (Beta Channel) - Windows Insider Blog.
• Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26200.5510 (Dev Channel) - Windows Insider Blog.

• Ark: Aquatica developer shifts blame for disastrous AI trailer onto marketing team - Eurogamer.net. You can recognize AI finger-pointing by counting the fingers.
• Microsoft adds ‘deep reasoning’ Copilot AI for research and data analysis - The Verge.

• Wanna Buy a Sex Toy Online in Texas- Proposed Law Says You’ll Have to Provide Your ID - Xataka On.

• AI Limit Review - IGN.
• The First Berserker: Khazan Offers a Soulslike Challenge - Siliconera.
• inZOI early access review - Rock Paper Shotgun.
• Wreckfest 2 Early Access Review - IGN.

• Monitor/Projector: Duex Float 15.6- Portable Monitor Review - A Permanent Addition to My Tech Travel Bag - TweakTown.
• Motherboard: ASRock Phantom Gaming B860I Lightning Wi-Fi Review - TechPowerUp.
• SSD: Samsung 9100 Pro 2 TB Review - The Best Gen 5 SSD - TechPowerUp.

Heads-up, we have some scheduled downtime in the works. Blue's News will go offline sometime after 2:00 pm EDT tomorrow as the server is physically moved to a new location in the data center. Barring complications, this should be a brief outage, perhaps as short as 15 minutes. We will, however, return with a new IP address. This should sort itself out for everyone eventually, but eventually is the key word here. DNS IP propagation should be expected to take 24-48 hours to complete. The good news is it generally happens more quickly than that for most, but the bad news is it's possible it can take 72 hours or more. Apologies in advance for the disruption. Hopefully everything goes as smoothly as possible.

Heads-up Round-up
Thanks Ant, Neutronbeam, and Max.

Breakfast Link

• Andy Kaufman Anticipated Our Reality-Bent World - The New York Times (may require registration or subscription).

Stories

• ‘Leave Measles Out of Spring Break’- California coast city releases PSA to try and slow virus spread - The Independent. Thanks Reddit.
• The Best James Bond Movies Are About to Get a Huge Upgrade - Men's Journal.

Science

• Parts of America will experience a partial solar eclipse this weekend - NPR.

Media

• The unlikely origins of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - BBC Global.
• The Most Difficult Military Airplane to Land.

Creature Features

• Cute bunny lounging in his burrow eating grapes, such a happy day. Thanks Boing Boing.

The Funnies

• Savage Chickens.