Polygon.com - Gaming

Beast of Reincarnation release time in your time zone

Paulo Kawanishi — Sun, 02 Aug 2026 00:01:11 GMT

With the release of Beast of Reincarnation, the moment where you must help Emma in her journey to hunt down mythical creatures called Nushi becomes imminent. After playing the game's initial segment, Jen Glennon wrote in her preview: "Am I annoyed and a little embarrassed by my time with Beast of Reincarnation? Yes. Do I want to keep playing it? Also, emphatically, yes. There’s a robust learning curve, but I’m intrigued by the potential for customization and the story being set up here."

Vampire: The Masquerade team’s plans after 6th Edition include Mage: The Ascension and Changeling: The Dreaming

Tomas Franzese — Sat, 01 Aug 2026 16:13:50 GMT

While Vampire: The Masquerade 6th Edition was White Wolf's big reveal at Gen Con 2026, the TTRPG publisher also teased the other World of Darkness games it wants to bring back next. Those plans include some surprising deep cuts, like Changeling: The Dreaming.

Lego Pokémon Smart Play sets are the best kids toy of summer 2026

Giovanni Colantonio — Sat, 01 Aug 2026 16:00:12 GMT

When I was a kid growing up in the late '90s, I had more Pokémon toys than you could imagine. Stuffed animals, bouncy balls with plastic monsters inside, gold cards — you name it. I still have some of my favorites on my nightstand to this day: a series of wheeled monsters that you could shoot out of launchers. At the time, that was the coolest thing in the world. If I had Lego’s new Pokémon Smart Play sets back then, I’m pretty sure my mind would have been permanently blown.

Does Halo: Campaign Evolved have a post-credits scene?

Ford James — Sat, 01 Aug 2026 15:00:12 GMT

Did you know there is a secret Halo: Campaign Evolvedending? Well, it's more of a post-credits type of scene than an actual secret ending, but it implies that a certain someone is still alive, and it's done in a hilarious fashion. The non-secret ending also poses some questions, especially for anyone playing Halo for the first time.

How to perform an Under the Sea skill in Forza Horizon 6

Josh Broadwell — Sat, 01 Aug 2026 14:31:12 GMT

Performing an Under the Sea skill in Forza Horizon 6 is a requirement in certain challenges, but it's locked to a single, specific location that you might not have ever visited. It's in a little sea farm tucked away at the edge of the map, and you've probably driven by it without realizing it was even there. Once you do get there, though, earning the skill takes very little time and requires no fancy driving maneuvers like some skills do.

Everything in this $10 Steam game is either a horse or a nightmare

Rebecca Corgan — Sat, 01 Aug 2026 14:30:12 GMT

Mutant centipedes. Ducks that are partially muscle cars. Many-legged dogs, sentient vehicles, and alligators with giraffe heads. In Horsey Game, most of what you see on the neon pixelated map is automatically categorized as “horse” (even if no biologist on earth would agree with that assessment). This results in a couple of very intriguing conclusions:

Vampire: The Masquerade 6th Edition's controversial changes aren't being well-received

Tomas Franzese — Sat, 01 Aug 2026 13:55:28 GMT

White Wolf's previously teased Gen Con announcement turned out to be for Vampire: The Masquerade 6th Edition, a new iteration of the long-running vampiric TTRPG. Unfortunately, Vampire: The Masquerade fans aren't taking too kindly to its changes.

Clair Obscur Switch 2 status reveals the reality of Nintendo's console

Giovanni Colantonio — Sat, 01 Aug 2026 13:00:12 GMT

Switchboard is Polygon's weekly newsletter for all things Nintendo, sent on Thursdays and published on the site on Saturdays. You can subscribe here.

XCOM and Gloomhaven's creators say video game and tabletop collabs can save the industry

Sam Nelson — Sat, 01 Aug 2026 12:00:12 GMT

The gaming industry is in crisis. Layoffs at Xbox have led to still more layoffs from the studios Microsoft ditched. Bungie significantly reduced its staff right after releasing its final update for Destiny 2 and Epic Games cut 1,000 employees in March due to a downturn in Fortniteengagement. The tabletop industry has its own set of problems. Pathfinder publisher Paizo had to restructure after its book distributor Diamond Comics declared bankruptcy and CMON had layoffs, citing rising tariffs as it struggled to fulfill crowdfunding campaigns. The cancellation of projects like Plaid Hat’s The Monolith and the Altered expansion Roots of Corruptioneven after they achieved their crowdfunding goals further demonstrated the industry’s financing problems. Yet despite all the bad news, the creators of Gloomhaven and XCOMsee collaborations across video games and tabletop games as the way forward.

Pokémon Go Giovanni counters, team line-up in August 2026

Julia Lee — Sat, 01 Aug 2026 04:01:12 GMT

Giovanni’s team had a refresh in Pokémon Go following the arrival of the June 2026 "Flying Taxi: Taken Over" event.