The new mission takes players back to Avarax, where they will have to take on a Trygon as a boss fight. The boss, according to the announcement, will make use of guerrilla tactics, and can go underground to pop up behind defensive lines. To help take on the boss, players will also have access to the new Inferno Pistol as a secondary weapon.

In the new mission, which is the ninth PvE mission part of the Operations mode in Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2, players are tasked with getting to an Adeptus Mechanicus facility where a Tech-Priest was last heard from refusing an order to withdraw. Players will have to fight their way through the facility and evaluate the status of the Tech-Priest.

The update also brings with it a host of new quality-of-life improvements, including the addition of Prestige Ranks and Prestige Rewards, reworked weapon perks, customisation options for the colour of cloth, tabards, and hoods, and custom PvP lobbies.

The new DLC added to the game as part of its season pass are the Space Wolves Chapter Pack, and the Imperial Fists Champion Pack. The first one brings with it a new Champion skin for the Vanguard class, weapon skins for the Chainsword, Bolt Carbine and Thunder Hammer, and more than 50 unique cosmetics from throughout the Space Wolves’ Great Companies.

The Imperial Fists Champion Pack includes a Champion skin for the Tactical class, along with a weapon skin for the Plasma Incinerator that also pays homage to the Sons of Dorn.

While content for Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 is being continuously developed, Focus Entertainment and Saber Interactive had also confirmed back in February that the next game in the franchise had also begun development. Appropriately titled Space Marine 3, the game will feature a new campaign, as well as new multiplayer modes.

In the meantime, the publisher has confirmed that work on Space Marine 2 is still continuing, and that post-launch content support for the title is “far” from over.

For more details about Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2, check out our review. The title has been quite popular, having been played by more than 6 million players as of January.

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 Update 7.0 Patch Notes:

New Features:

• New PvE Operation: Exfiltration
• Prestige Ranks in PvE
• Private PvP Lobbies
• New Secondary Weapon in PvE and PvP: Inferno Pistol
• New customisation options: 2 new colours, Bulwark cloth colouring, hands colouring

New Season Pass content:

• Space Wolves Chapter Pack
• Imperial Fists Champion Pack

Gameplay & Balancing:

• Extended weapon arsenal in PvE
• Weapon perks updated in PvE
• Improved Matchmaking in PvE and PvP
• Various changes, bugfixes and improvements

In a message published on the official Focus Entertainment forums, the publisher has offered assurances that work on Space Marine 2 post-launch content is “far” from over. More content for the third-person shooter continues to be in the works, with Saber and Focus looking to add new weapons, operations, a class, and more in the coming months, including “surprises even dataminers haven’t found out about.”

“Let us set the record straight: Space Marine 3 does not mean the end of Space Marine 2‘s development. ​Far from it,” Focus’ message reads. “No teams are shifting over, no one is abandoning the game, and our plans to bring more awesome content to Space Marine 2 remain. We are working on much more content and surprises for the months to come, such as a new class, more operations, melee weapons, and more! Trust us, there are surprises even dataminers haven’t found out about.

“This announcement simply marks the genesis of a new project, years away from release. We’ve made a decision and have just started the process.

Focus Entertainment says developer Saber has “just started the process” of working on Space Marine 3, a project that, according to the publisher, is still “years” away from completion- which means Space Marine 2 is in no immediate danger of being put on the backburner.

Space Marine 2 is available on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. Read our review of the game through here.

Based on the 2004 title of the same name by People Can Fly, Painkiller is touted as a reimagining with three-player co-op support (though it’s playable offline). As one of four Champions, players must battle Azazel, hordes of demons and the Nephilim before they can lay waste to Earth.

Along with classic weapons, Painkiller sports some new additions and traversal abilities like hooking and dashing. Each Champion has varying energy, power, damage, and health, while Tarot Cards provide buffs to abilities. Synergize with players, and you may stand a chance against the overwhelming forces of evil.

Stay tuned for more details and gameplay from Painkiller in the coming months. As for People Can Fly, they have a new project in the works in Lost Rift, a survival title entering early access this year.

“They were so expensive for what they were,” Karch said, referring to the Saints Row games. “They didn’t know what they were building. They didn’t have any real direction. It couldn’t last. And so, who’s going to fund them for the next game after that disaster?”

For some context, Saints Row as a series had historically reinvented itself quite a few times. While it originally started off as a crime drama game in the vein of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, with its third release, Saints Row was reinvented into more of a lighthearted game where more focus is put down to the player having fun thanks to wacky situations they find themselves in.

Saints Row 4, on the other hand, turned into essentially a superhero game, with the player having access to various superpowers that they could then use to fight off an alien invasion. 2022’s Saints Row was an attempt at a reset button, with the game aiming for a middle ground between the original Saints Row and the zanier Saints Row The Third.

Karch also spoke about how the level of investment required for the Saints Row game didn’t directly translate into appropriate returns. While he acknowledges that keeping developer Volition would have been nice, he also noted that it wasn’t financially feasible.

“It would be nice in an ideal world for everyone to have a job,” Karch said. “But games with nine-figure budgets are making eight figures in revenue and that’s dooming a lot of developers.”

“The days of throwing money at games other than maybe the GTAs of the world is over,” Karch continued. “It’s over. This business needs to mature. If it doesn’t, the whole business is in trouble. Unfortunately, that means layoffs.”

While an attempt was made to bring the Saints Row franchise back with a bang with a reboot of the series in 2022, the title ended up being a financial flop. Back in May 2024, reports popped up indicating that only 1.7 million copies of Saints Row (2022) had been sold. The poor performance of Saints Row amidst the general chaos surrounding the Embracer Group ultimately led to developer Volition getting shut down in 2023.

“This past June, Embracer Group announced a restructuring program to strengthen Embracer and maintain its position as a leader in the video game industry,” said Volition in a statement back in 2023. “As part of that program, they evaluated strategic and operational goals and made the difficult decision to close Volition effective immediately.”

For more details about 2022’s Saints Row, check out our review. Also check out the details surrounding a rumoured pitch for Saints Row 5 that would have featured the classic cast returning, including characters like Johnny Gat, Shaundi, and Pierce.

“Saber Interactive is one of the largest independent developers in the world,” he said on Twitter. “We are working on numerous games across many different genres. Everything that we have talked about is still in development. We will share information on upcoming games when we have something cool to share.”

In terms of announced projects, the developer has John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando, Jurassic Park Survival, and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic – Remake in the works. The latter is doubtless interesting to fans of BioWare’s beloved RPG series since it was announced in 2021 and saw numerous development issues.

Willits previously said the title would receive more details “when the time is right.” Aside from the recent reassurance, it seems that time is definitely not now.

Stay tuned for more updates in the meantime. Saber is also working on new content for Space Marine 2 with Patch 7.0 on the horizon. The first Public Test Server for the game is live on Steam, allowing PC players to try the patch early. Head here for more details.

Saber Interactive is one of the largest independent developers in the world. We are working on numerous games across many different genres. Everything that we have talked about is still in development. We will share information on upcoming games when we have something cool to…

— Tim Willits (@TimWillits) March 14, 2025

Players can look forward to an all-new campaign and new multiplayer modes. Details on the setting, factions and mechanics are “tightly under wraps” for now, and there’s no release date (though it’s “likely years away”). The platforms also remain a mystery. Based on the key art, at least Captain Titus is returning.

However, the press release says players can look forward to “innovations that will redefine the standards of third-person action games.” “We view this as an opportunity to create a true love letter to the Warhammer 40,000 universe.”

The companies will reveal more information when they can, so stay tuned. In the meantime, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 is available for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC. Check out our review for the base game, which has over six million players.

Since its launch, the third-person shooter has received new multiplayer maps, Operations, weapons, and other features. Patch 7.0 is coming up but Steam players can try it out now courtesy of a Public Test Server. Head here for more details.

The available content includes the new secondary Inferno Pistol, Prestige Ranks, a new PvE map (Exfiltration), and the weapon perks rework. Not all content is available to test out – the Space Wolves Chapter Pack and Imperial Fist Champion Pack are included but can’t be accessed.

Progress won’t carry over into the main game since it’s a separate build. Players can expect all weapons unlocked and levels capped, including Prestige Ranks, to save time on grinding. Private PvP lobbies are also available, allowing you to squad up with others.

The Public Test Server will remain available until Patch 7.0 launches. It will then become unavailable until the next update. Saber Interactive also notes that mods won’t work and using them will cause crashes, so be warned.

Stay tuned for more updates when the next patch goes live. Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 is available for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC. As of January 2025, it has over six million players.

“We saw that many of you mentioned FOMO generated by the events. Rest assured, we are not looking to transform Space Marine 2 into a full live-service game. The items available through events WILL be available later, for everyone.” It noted that community events are meant for the “most dedicated players” to unlock the items early “and not to be a source of frustration and stress for everyone.” The team is currently busy creating a simplified process to unlock them.

Despite not going the live-service route, the next free content update contains substantial new content. A new PvE weapon, Operation, private PvP lobbies, a rework to class loadouts, more rebalanced Perks are on the way and PvE Prestige Ranks. The latter allows unlocking a new Prestige Perk by hitting level 25 on a class and a unique cosmetic.

Saber Interactive also confirmed that Horde Mode is one of its “top priorities” and though it couldn’t offer more details, it’s confirmed to be “very different” from the first Space Marine.

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 is available for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC. It’s sold over six million copies since launching last September. Check out our review.

Hasbro announced during its recent quarterly earnings briefing that it has partnered with Saber Interactive for a AAA project based on one of its IP, to be developed by the Space Marine 2 team. Hasbro owns several major properties, including Dungeons and Dragons, Transformers, Magic: The Gathering, G.I. Joe, and others.

According to Hasbro CEO Chris Cocks, the Saber title will be based on one of Hasbro’s “tentpole IPs”, and will use the Swarm engine, which was utilized for Space Marine 2’s development as well.

“We have many new digital collaborations in the works, but I am especially excited to announce this one today as a personal fan of many of this team’s games,” Cocks said. “Hasbro and Saber Interactive will be collaborating on an all-new videogame partnership developed by the team behind 2024’s mega-hit,
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2. Combining high-octane single-player action and amazing multi-play with Saber’s Swarm tech, this new AAA title based on one of our tentpole IPs is sure to be a hit.”

What we do not know yet is which IP Saber and Hasbro have chosen to work on together. Cocks did confirm, however, that the game will be co-published by the two companies.

Saber Interactive currently has a couple other AAA licensed titles in development as well, including Jurassic Park: Survival and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic – Remake.

Before going through the additions and impressions of each title individually, let’s first explore the general quality of life enhancements across all three games. First, the returning features. The classic tank controls are joined by a modern control scheme option, which can be toggled in the menu like before. My favorite remaster feature remains the wonderful ability to toggle classic and modern graphics on-the-fly. Like the previous collection, the modern visuals of VI-VI are wrapped in 4K resolution at a smooth 60 frames per second, and that 60 FPS extends to the retro visuals as well. Complementing the fresh visuals is the Photo Mode, which comes with some new settings and outfits this time around. Depth of field, zoom settings, and camera angle changes are added in addition to new outfits for Lara to pose in. Thankfully, these outfits can be worn during gameplay and not just in Photo Mode, unlike the initial release of Tomb Raider I-III Remastered.

"Brand new to IV-VI Remastered are boss health bars, which can be toggled on or off."

My second favorite remaster feature is the ability to save anywhere with the press of a button. Brand new to IV-VI Remastered are boss health bars, which can be toggled on or off. And of course, putting a bow on the whole experience are the 168 achievements; a lower count than I-III Remaster, but still formidable to collect. Overall, this is a pretty good suite of enhancements and features. The new control scheme and improved framerates really ease a lot of the clunkiness inherent in titles like Tomb Raider VI.

Now on to the three games themselves. Tomb Raider IV: The Last Revelation opens with a flashback tutorial. A teenage Lara Croft joins her mentor Werner Von Croy through Angkor Wat in search of an artifact. After the tutorial, Lara spends a majority of her time exploring the tombs of Egypt. The plot of The Last Revelation is among the most significant in the classic series, tying together Tomb Raider V and VI with Lara and Von Croy’s uncertain fates. That said, the way the story is told is lacking in certain areas. Scene transitions aren’t properly explained and things just happen without exposition or on-screen guidance at times, but these are issues present through all of the games in this collection.

"Rather than hopping between distinct locales like some of the games do, The Last Revelation hones in on the mazelike intricacies of Egypt’s many tombs."

The focused Egyptian setting of The Last Revelation is perhaps my favorite in the series. Rather than hopping between distinct locales like some of the games do, The Last Revelation hones in on the mazelike intricacies of Egypt’s many tombs. Some of the environments in Tomb Raider IV feel like being stuck in the best Zelda dungeons at times. The modern visuals do a good job filling in the details of the numerous hieroglyphs adorning the crypt walls that the original game left hazy. Lara goes outdoors a bit too, and the vastly improved draw distance of the modern graphics impress during these moments as you see stretches of desert dunes in the distance.

Tomb Raider IV’s control scheme is largely unchanged from previous games and mostly revolves around jumping around solving puzzles and navigating platforms. Player’s won’t find it difficult to jump into IV from the previous collection as this game is easily the most traditional of the three included in this collection.

Tomb Raider V: Chronicles takes a rather novel approach to storytelling. The entire game functions as a flashback to some of Lara’s most adventurous exploits not covered in previous games. Why is it framed through flashbacks? Well, Lara is presumed dead after the events of the previous game. Players wanting a bit of variety in locations and gameplay get that here, with four distinct sections covering different parts of Lara’s life. It’s also cool how each of the four sections is told from the perspective of one of Lara’s close confidants.

"The environmental design of the game’s Rome segment is evocative."

I particularly enjoy the game’s opening Rome chapter, which forms the most traditional gameplay of the four locales. Controls are pretty much identical to previous games, but if you need a bit of practice, the optional backstage opera tutorial area does a great job easing you through the motions. The environmental design of the game’s Rome segment is evocative. Switching between classic and modern graphics is especially interesting within this level because the skybox is completely different between the two visual settings.

Some of the other locations, such as the underwater diving within the game’s second locale, are beset with some level guidance issues. Still, the variety of the four locales make up for the individual shortcomings. Searching for the Spear of Destiny through the ocean floor of a Russian naval submarine is tense and interesting, while the occult flavored Ireland adventure has Lara coming into contact with demonic forces. The final section through a NYC skyscraper involves some stealth-based gameplay and also sheds more light on Lara’s relationship with her mentor, Von Croy. There’s a lot of game packed into Chronicles, even if some of it is uneven in execution.

The next and final game in the collection is the black sheep of the Tomb Raider series. Having never touched Angel of Darkness before, I was pleasantly surprised with what I played of the remaster. First off though, something that may disappoint fans: the stamina meter is kept from the original. I fell off high scaffolding a number of times due to the stamina bar depleting mid-hang, and the remaster doesn’t attempt to remedy that. What it does remedy is the original’s terrible framerate and clunky controls as a result thereof. I personally like how walking near edges prevents you from falling, unlike previous entries. The streamlined directional climbing also feels smoother than other Tomb Raider games.

"The stamina meter is kept from the original Angel of Darkness release"

But yeah, everything else feels a tad bit slower and more rigid in Angel of Darkness. Opening drawers and picking up items has this slow animation tied to it making everything take longer. And then there’s the unskippable tutorial, with Lara narrating to herself how to play the game. Previous entries allowed players to move around during tutorials, but not this one; you must stay still while she talks. The ‘getting stronger’ gimmick is untouched from the original, and I kind of hate it. Lara can’t push heavy boxes or jump long distances if she doesn’t come across an unspecified requirement that makes her temporarily stronger. The requirement is typically just entering a side room or unlocking a door. It’s also just easy to miss the progression flag where Lara gets stronger, making her completely unable to progress in instances like the poison gas apartment near the beginning of the game.

But if there’s one thing Angel of Darkness was lauded for, it’s tone. The story is as dark and intriguing as it gets in the series. Lara is suspected of murdering her old mentor and must sneak her way through Paris to avoid getting caught. The music and art direction have a suspenseful feel to them that suits the story really well.  Speaking of art direction, this is where the difference between modern and classic visuals is blurred the most. At times I prefer the original graphics for the increased foliage, but there’s no denying the added detail to signage with the modern visuals. The remaster adds a couple of restored content omitted from the original game including new weapons for Kurtis and an item vendor by the name of Rennes’ Pawnshop too, making this the definitive version of the game by a longshot.

"Tomb Raider IV is the most welcoming game out of the trio here, but there’s still something to love with each of them."

As a package, IV-VI Remastered does what I-III achieves and then adds some little additions on top. I found various aspects of V and VI tedious, and the remaster doesn’t really erase those inherent flaws. Even with the modern control scheme, there’s some element of movement jank involved, especially with VI’s sluggish animations. There’s also instances of poor guidance and level flow in all three games; times when you’re left to solve puzzles with nary a clue or indication to help. Tomb Raider IV is the most welcoming game out of the trio here, but there’s still something to love with each of them. These are some of the most unique games in the franchise, featuring a wider variety of locales than before, so if you’re in the mood for something other than just tombs, this collection will satisfy. Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered offers a ton of game for your buck, and at the attractive price point, comes highly recommended for fans and newcomers alike.

This game was reviewed on the PC.