Black Friday is over, but that just means it's time for Cyber Monday. Tons of sales on digital PC games are still going on, including the big Steam sale, and we'll be updating this page with the best deals we can find. Some of the fall's biggest games, just a few months old, are already nearly half price.

Now is a great time to save on PC hardware, too. Find the best hardware deals in our Cyber Monday deals list, where you'll find discounted GPUs, monitors, RAM, SSDs, cases, keyboards, mice, headsets and everything else you need for the perfect setup. 

Deals on 2017's biggest games

Nier: Automata is $36/£24 on Steam (save 40%). It's one of our favorite RPGs of the year, and it's weird in all the right ways (there are a lot of sad robots).

Tacoma is $11.99/£8.99 on GOG (save 40%) and Steam. It's the somewhat overlooked sci-fi game from the creators of Gone Home that we liked a lot.

Resident Evil 7 is $30/£20 on GMG (save $30/£20) and is similarly discounted on the Humble Store and Steam. That's, like, 1.4 scares per buck. 

The Evil Within 2 is $30 on Amazon (save $30) and £16.99 on Amazon UK.

Dishonored: Death of the Outsider is $15 on Steam (save $15).

Assassin's Creed Origins is $49.79 on the Ubisoft Store (save $10.20). On the UK store it's £41.49. You can get the same deal on Amazon, too.

Tekken 7 is $25/£20 on the Humble Store (save $25), and is similarly discounted on Fanatical and Steam.

Divinity: Original Sin 2 is $40.49 on GOG. It's only $4.50 off, but it's one of our favorite games of the year, and favorite RPGs of all time, so it deserves a shout. 

Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite is $40.19 on Steam (save $19.80).

XCOM 2: War of the Chosen is $30 on GMG (save $10). It's an amazing expansion for a great game.

Pro Evolution Soccer 2018 is £26 (save 53%) at GamesPlanet.com, which we called "the definitive PES on PC" in our review.

PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds is $23 on Newegg ($7 off) if you use the promo code EMCBBCE32 at checkout.  [Expired]

Prey is only $20/£12.99 on Amazon, and while it's a boxed copy, at 67% off this might be its lowest price since release. It's a very good game, too. [Expired]

Great games under $20

Pillars of Eternity is $12/£9.19 on the Humble Store (60% off). That's a lot of old school isometric adventuring for that money.

Watch Dogs 2 is $20.39/£16.99 on Steam (66% off). OK, that's a few cents over 20 bucks, though in the UK you can shave some off the price by buying from GMG for £15.30.

Dirt Rally is $11.99/£7.99 on Steam (80% off), which is a great discount on a respectable Rally game that, coincidentally, we gave a score of 80 at review.

Rising Storm 2: Vietnam is $15/£11.50 on Amazon (save $15), which gets you a Steam key. It only came out around six months ago, so it's a quick discount and comes just before a big update. On Amazon UK it's £11.50 (save £7.49).

Overwatch is $19.99 on Battle.net (50% off). In the UK it's £17 (save £13).

Titanfall 2 is $10/£12.49 on Origin (50% off), which is a great price for a great shooter, especially if you like a good singleplayer campaign.

Cities: Skylines is $7.49/£5.74 on Steam (save 75%), which an absolute steal for the best city-building sim on the market right now.

Tyranny is $17.99/£13.99 on Steam (save 60%) and Fanatical, if you want a deep cRPG that lets you be the bad guy. 

Stellaris is $16/£13.99 on Steam (60% off) and Fanatical. A good discount on a beautiful, absorbing 4X.

Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel is $12 on Amazon. That's cheap!

Planet Coaster is $18/£13.49 on the Humble Store (save $18/£13.49). It's one of the best theme park sims around, and adorable with it. 

Ruiner is $13.39/£10.04 on Steam (save 33%) and is one of our favorite recent games.

Hearts of Iron IV is $15.99/£13.99 on Steam (60% off) and Fanatical for the WWII generals out there.

Fallout 4 is $14.99/£10.00 on Steam (save 50%). The rest of the Fallout franchise is also on sale: Fallout 3 is 50% off, and both the original Fallout and Fallout 2 are 75% off.

Great games under $10

Shadowrun Complete Collection is $9.55 on Steam (save 86%). 

Rocket League is $9.99/£7.50 on Green Man Gaming and Steam (save 50%)   

The Sexy Brutale is $9/£6.74 on Fanatical (save $11/£8.25), a good price for a clever adventure game (we gave it an 82%). 

Dead Space is $5/£3.79 on GOG (save $15/£12.20).

Dragon Age: Inquisition is $5/£4.49 on Origin (save $15/about £12), and at that price it's definitely worth a go—it was one of our favorite games of 2014.

Great games under $5

Age of Empires II HD Edition is $4.99/£3.74 on Steam (75% off). Ah, nostalgia.

This War of Mine is $4/£3 on GMG (80% off). Play as a civilian struggling to survive in a warzone.

Oxenfree is just $5/£2.99 on GOG (80% off) it's a moody adventure game about a bunch of ghost-hunting friends.

Divine Divinity is $0.60 on GOG (90% off) if you've found the time to finish Divinity: Original Sin 2 and want to go back to where the series started.

Wuppo is $3.80 on GOG (75% off), which is a decent price for a hidden gem.

Unity of Command: Stalingrad Campaign is $3/£2.32 on the Humble Store (save $17/£12.67 off its price on Steam). It's one of our all time favorite war strategy games.

System Shock Pack is $4/£3 on the Humble Store (save $16/£12), and includes System Shock Enhanced Edition and System Shock 2. 

Psychonauts is $1/£0.69 on the Humble Store (save $9/£7.19). Nice.

The Aquatic Adventure of the Last Human is $2/£1.69 on the Humble Store (save $8/£6.40) and we consider it one of the all time best PC metroidvanias. So, not a bad deal. 

Insurgency is $1.00 on Fanatical (save 90%). It's a multiplayer shooter that we rather liked.

Dustforce DX is $2.25/£1.57 on Green Man Gaming ($7.74/£5.42). 

Theme Hospital is $1.49/£1.19 on GOG (save $4.50/£3.40). 

Lords of the Fallen is $4.79/£3.83 on the Humble Store (save about $25/£20).

This War of Mine is $4/£3 on GOG (save $16/£12) and includes the soundtrack. 

Necropolis: Brutal Edition is $4.49/£3.44 on the Humble Store (save $25.50/£19.55). It isn't the best dungeon crawler out there, but it's fun with a friend.

Minecraft: Story Mode Season 1 is free on the Microsoft store, though note there are bonus episodes you'll need to pay for if these five free ones aren't enough.

Sanctum 2 is also free over at the Humble Store, though only for a limited time.

Amazon

Amazon doesn't have many game deals yet, but we expect more to pop up throughout the week. Many of Amazon's PC game sales get you a Steam key, but we'll mention if the deal is for a physical edition or a download from Amazon.

Killing Floor 2 is $15 on Amazon (save $15).

Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel is $12 on Amazon.

XCOM 2: War of the Chosen is $30 on Steam and Amazon (save $10). It's an amazing expansion for a great game. 

GOG

If you spend at least $15 USD during GOG's Black Friday sale you'll get StarCrawlers free.

Tacoma is $11.99/£8.99 on GOG (save 40%). It's the somewhat overlooked sci-fi game from the creators of Gone Home that we liked a lot. 

Oxenfree is just $5/£2.99 on GOG (80% off) it's a moody adventure game about a bunch of ghost-hunting friends. 

Dead Space is $5/£3.79 on GOG (save $15/£12.20).

Kerbal Space Program is $23.99/£18 on GOG (save $16/£12) and is one of the best games of all time by our measure.

Owlboy is $18.69/£14.19 on GOG (save $6.30/£4.80).

The Heroes of Might and Magic bundle is down to just $8.95/£7.05 for five games, if you buy them all.

The Ultima bundle is $8.94/£7.14 on GOG, and includes Ultima 1-9 as well as Ultima Underworld 1 and 2. That's a lot of Ultima for less than $10.

The Tomb Raider bundle is $5.97/£4.77 on GOG (save $24) and includes Tomb Raider 1-3, The Angel of Darkness, The Last Revelation and Chronicles.

The Wing Commander bundle is $10.43/£8.33 on GOG (save $31.50/£23.80) and includes Wing Commander 1-5, Academy, Armada, and Privateer. 

Humble Store 

Humble is running its Fall Sale, and all purchases get you a Steam key for the game. The sale is huge, and there's a lot in the mix, so we've sifted through it to pick out some favorites:

Pillars of Eternity is £9.19 on the Humble Store (60% off). That's a lot of old school isometric adventuring for that money. 

Fallout 4 is $15 on the Humble Store (save $15).

Civilization VI is $30 on the Humble Store (save $30).

Call of Duty: WWII Digital Deluxe Edition is $90 on the Humble Store, for a saving of $10. It's not much but we guess you could use that $10 to buy one of the games below.

Planet Coaster is $18/£13.49 on the Humble Store (save $18/£13.49). It's one of the best theme park sims around, and adorable with it. 

Tekken 7 is $24.99/£19.99 on the Humble Store (half price). We called it "a smart, blisteringly fun" beat 'em in our review, and frankly it's worth buying to smash up the roster as a martial arts panda. 

Assassin's Creed: Black Flag is $6.79 on the Humble Store (save $13.20)

Valkyria Chronicles is $5/£3.74 on the Humble Store (save $15/£11.25). [Expired]

Lichdom: Battlemage is $4/£3 on the Humble Store (save $36/£26).

Green Man Gaming

Green Man is having a Black Friday blowout as usual, though you won't be able to see all of the discounts unless you register and sign in. Where it often diverges from competitors is with small (15% or so) discounts on popular or brand new games, and there are already a few available:

XCOM 2 is $19.80/£11.55 on Green Man Gaming (save 67%). 

No Man's Sky is $24/£16 on Green Man Gaming (save 60%). 

Prey is $20 on Green Man Gaming (half off).

Assassin's Creed Origins is $51/£41.49 on Green Man Gaming (save $9/£8.50). The Official Ubisoft Store slightly beats this at $40.19. UK store has it for £41.49.

Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus is $30/£20 on Green Man Gaming (save 50%).

South Park: The Fractured But Whole is $51 on Green Man Gaming (save $9), though the Official Ubisoft Store beats it with $45. UK edition is £37.50.

Rocket League is $9.99/£7.50 on Green Man Gaming and Steam (save 50%) and if you ask Tyler, it's the best game.

Absolver is $20.09/£16.74 on Steam (33% off)

Star Wars Battlefront 2 is $50/£43 on Green Man Gaming (save $10/£12). It isn't a huge discount, but it's a brand new game, so you may as well save the $10 if you wanted it. [Out of stock]

Fanatical 

Fanatical (formerly Bundle Stars) gives you Steam keys when you buy, and right now they're offering an extra 10% off on some games when you use the code BLACKFRIDAY10. Here are a few highlights from the sale so far:

Mad Max is $5 on Fanatical (save $15). It's surprisingly good!

The Metro Redux Bundle is $6/£4 on Fanatical (save $24/£12), the same as Humble's deal.

The Jackbox Party Pack 4 is $18.74/£14.24 on Fanatical (save $6.25/£4.75), a small discount on this collection of absurd games to play with friends live or over a stream.

Dead Cells is $12.74/£10.50 on Fanatical (save $4.25/£3.50).

Overcooked is $8.49/£6.50 on Fanatical (save $8.50/£6.50); a great couch co-op game.

Tabletop Simulator is $10/£7.49 on Fanatical (save $10/£7.50).

Steam

The annual Steam Autumn Sale is live and will run from November 22 to November 28. Here are the best deals on the PC's biggest games marketplace.

Batman: Arkham Knight is $6.79 / £5.43 on Steam (66% off). It had port problems at launch which still aren't entirely fixed but. If your rig runs it well, it's a decent and very pretty Batman game that's worth a try at this price.

Dishonored 2 is $19.99/£14.99 on Steam (half price). A decent price for one of the best games released last year.

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided is $8.99/£5.99 on Steam (85% off) and GMG. Worth it just to wander around Adam Jensen's futuristic apartment. 

Dirt Rally is $11.99/£7.99 on Steam (80% off), which is a great discount on a respectable Rally game that, coincidentally, we gave a score of 80 at review. 

Watch Dogs 2 is $20.39/£16.99 on Steam (66% off). In the UK you can shave some off the price by buying from GMG for £15.30. 

Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite is $40.19 on Steam (save 33%).

XCOM 2: War of the Chosen is $30 on Steam and Amazon (save $10). It's an amazing expansion for a great game. 

Dishonored: Death of the Outsider is $15 on Steam (save $15). 

Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege is just $7.49 on Steam (half off).

Ori and the Blind Forest: Definitive Edition is $10 on Steam (save $10).

Prey is $20/£15 on Steam (half off).

Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus is $30/£20 on Steam (save 50%).

Middle-earth: Shadow of War is $35.99/£27.00 on Steam (save 40%).

Dark Souls 3 is $23.99/£16.00 on Steam (save 60%).

Crusader Kings 2 is $10/£7.49 on Steam (save $20/£22), and its DLC is discounted, too.

Endless Space 2 is $20/£17.49 on Steam (save $20/£17.49) and just got a big update.

SteamWorld Heist is $4.94/£3.62 on Steam (save about $10/£6), and SteamWorld Dig 2 is $15/£11.42 on Steam (save $5/£3.75).

This War of Mine is 80% off on Steam, coming to just $4/£3. You can find the same deal on GOG.

Origin 

EA ran a Black Friday sale on Origin last year and it's at it again, with some decent discounts on its 2016 lineup, and even some markdowns on 2017 games. Here's the best of what's on offer now:

FIFA 18 is $36/£36.66 on Origin (save $24/33%) and is a definite improvement on previous PC FIFA releases.

Need for Speed Payback is $40/£36.66 on Origin (save $20/about £19), though it's worth noting we didn't exactly care for it.

Mass Effect: Andromeda is $20/£17.49 on Origin (save $20/17.50), and the Deluxe Edition is $25/£22.49 on Origin (save $25/£22.49). Despite all our issues with Andromeda, you're getting a lot of open-world space adventuring for your dollar at those prices. Unless you really want the soundtrack, though, we don't recommend the Deluxe Edition which mostly includes special armor and extra multiplayer items. There won't be any singleplayer DLC.

Dragon Age: Inquisition is $5/£4.49 on Origin (save $15/about £12), and at that price it's definitely worth a go—it was one of our favorite games of 2014.

Ubisoft Store

Ubisoft has some light deals on PC downloads, including for some brand new games. Just make sure you're looking at the PC download edition, as the console discounts are different.

The Division is $20 on the Ubisoft Store (save $30). It's £16 in the UK.

Watch Dogs 2 is $20.40 on the Ubisoft Store (save $39.59). It's £17 in the UK.

Far Cry Primal is $20 on the Ubisoft Store (save $30). It's £16 for UK buyers.

Assassin's Creed Syndicate is $20 on the Ubisoft Store (save $20). For UK readers, it's £17.50.

Battle.net

Blizzard brings us discounts of up to 50% off on three of Battle.net's biggest games: Destiny 2, Overwatch, and World of Warcraft.

Paradox Plaza

Paradox has knocked a lot of money off the best titles in its catalogue, including Cities: Skylines and Tyranny. If you already have these games be sure to check out the smaller but still significant discounts on expansion packs.

Hearts of Iron IV is $15.99/£13.99 on Paradox Plaza (60% off) and Fanatical for the WWII generals out there.

Crusader Kings 2 is $10/£7.50 on Paradox Plaza (75% off), it's still one of the best story generators ever.

Some online stores give us a small cut if you buy something through one of our links. Read our affiliate policy for more info.

Bookmark this page for the best PC game deals: We'll be posting all the best bargains here as they roll out on Black Friday and throughout the next week, and adding more retailers soon. 

Throughout Black Friday weekend and beyond we'll be scouring the web for the cheapest PC games and discounted software from Steam, GOG, Humble, Amazon, and more, with an eye for new games being discounted for the first time and big limited-time sales where you can snag our favorite games for pocket change. Come back to this page throughout the week, because you never know when a big discount will drop—we'll put the best stuff at the top.

The holidays are a great time to save money on PC hardware, and we're collecting the best deals on graphics cards, CPUs and much more in our best Black Friday PC gaming deals hub—but what good is new hardware without discounted games to play?  

Deals on 2017's biggest games

Tacoma is $11.99/£8.99 on GOG (save 40%) and Steam. It's the somewhat overlooked sci-fi game from the creators of Gone Home that we liked a lot.

Resident Evil 7 is $30/£20 on GMG (save $30/£20) and is similarly discounted on the Humble Store and Steam. That's, like, 1.4 scares per buck. 

The Evil Within 2 is $24.99 on Amazon (save $35) and £16.99 on Amazon UK.

Dishonored: Death of the Outsider is $15 on Steam (save $15).

Assassin's Creed Origins is $49.79 on the Ubisoft Store (save $10.20). On the UK store it's £41.49. You can get the same deal on Amazon, too.

Tekken 7 is $25/£20 on the Humble Store (save $25), and is similarly discounted on Fanatical and Steam.

Divinity: Original Sin 2 is $40.49 on GOG. It's only $4.50 off, but it's one of our favorite games of the year, and favorite RPGs of all time, so it deserves a shout. 

Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite is $40.19 on Steam (save $19.80).

XCOM 2: War of the Chosen is $30 on GMG (save $10). It's an amazing expansion for a great game.

Pro Evolution Soccer 2018 is £26 (save 53%) at GamesPlanet.com, which we called "the definitive PES on PC" in our review.

Great games under $20

Pillars of Eternity is $12/£9.19 on the Humble Store (60% off). That's a lot of old school isometric adventuring for that money.

Watch Dogs 2 is $20.39/£16.99 on Steam (66% off). OK, that's a few cents over 20 bucks, though in the UK you can shave some off the price by buying from GMG for £15.30.

Dirt Rally is $11.99/£7.99 on Steam (80% off), which is a great discount on a respectable Rally game that, coincidentally, we gave a score of 80 at review.

Rising Storm 2: Vietnam is $15/£11.50 on Amazon (save $15), which gets you a Steam key. It only came out around six months ago, so it's a quick discount and comes just before a big update. On Amazon UK it's £11.50 (save £7.49).

Overwatch is $19.99 on Battle.net (50% off). In the UK it's £17 (save £13).

Titanfall 2 is $10/£12.49 on Origin (50% off), which is a great price for a great shooter, especially if you like a good singleplayer campaign.

Cities: Skylines is $7.49/£5.74 on Steam (save 75%), which an absolute steal for the best city-building sim on the market right now.

Tyranny is $17.99/£13.99 on Steam (save 60%) and Fanatical, if you want a deep cRPG that lets you be the bad guy. 

Stellaris is $16/£13.99 on Steam (60% off) and Fanatical. A good discount on a beautiful, absorbing 4X.

Planet Coaster is $18/£13.49 on the Humble Store (save $18/£13.49). It's one of the best theme park sims around, and adorable with it. 

Ruiner is $13.39/£10.04 on Steam (save 33%) and is one of our favorite recent games.

Hearts of Iron IV is $15.99/£13.99 on Steam (60% off) and Fanatical for the WWII generals out there.

Fallout 4 is $14.99/£10.00 on Steam (save 50%). The rest of the Fallout franchise is also on sale: Fallout 3 is 50% off, and both the original Fallout and Fallout 2 are 75% off.

Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel is $20 on Amazon. It's been that cheap on Steam before, but if you've been meaning to pick it up now's the time. [Expired]

Great games under $10

Shadowrun Complete Collection is $9.55 on Steam (save 86%). 

Rocket League is $9.99/£7.50 on Green Man Gaming and Steam (save 50%)   

The Sexy Brutale is $9/£6.74 on Fanatical (save $11/£8.25), a good price for a clever adventure game (we gave it an 82%). 

Dead Space is $5/£3.79 on GOG (save $15/£12.20).

Dragon Age: Inquisition is $5/£4.49 on Origin (save $15/about £12), and at that price it's definitely worth a go—it was one of our favorite games of 2014.

Great games under $5

Age of Empires II HD Edition is $4.99/£3.74 on Steam (75% off). Ah, nostalgia.

This War of Mine is $4/£3 on GMG (80% off). Play as a civilian struggling to survive in a warzone.

Oxenfree is just $5/£2.99 on GOG (80% off) it's a moody adventure game about a bunch of ghost-hunting friends.

Divine Divinity is $0.60 on GOG (90% off) if you've found the time to finish Divinity: Original Sin 2 and want to go back to where the series started.

Wuppo is $3.80 on GOG (75% off), which is a decent price for a hidden gem.

Unity of Command: Stalingrad Campaign is $3/£2.32 on the Humble Store (save $17/£12.67 off its price on Steam). It's one of our all time favorite war strategy games.

System Shock Pack is $4/£3 on the Humble Store (save $16/£12), and includes System Shock Enhanced Edition and System Shock 2. 

Psychonauts is $1/£0.69 on the Humble Store (save $9/£7.19). Nice.

The Aquatic Adventure of the Last Human is $2/£1.69 on the Humble Store (save $8/£6.40) and we consider it one of the all time best PC metroidvanias. So, not a bad deal. 

Insurgency is $1.00 on Fanatical (save 90%). It's a multiplayer shooter that we rather liked.

Theme Hospital is $1.49/£1.19 on GOG (save $4.50/£3.40). 

Lords of the Fallen is $4.79/£3.83 on the Humble Store (save about $25/£20).

This War of Mine is $4/£3 on GOG (save $16/£12) and includes the soundtrack. 

Necropolis: Brutal Edition is $4.49/£3.44 on the Humble Store (save $25.50/£19.55). It isn't the best dungeon crawler out there, but it's fun with a friend.

Minecraft: Story Mode Season 1 is free on the Microsoft store, though note there are bonus episodes you'll need to pay for if these five free ones aren't enough.

Sanctum 2 is also free over at the Humble Store, though only for a limited time. [Expired]

Dustforce DX is $2.25/£1.57 on Green Man Gaming ($7.74/£5.42). [Expired] 

Amazon

Amazon doesn't have many game deals yet, but we expect more to pop up throughout the week. Many of Amazon's PC game sales get you a Steam key, but we'll mention if the deal is for a physical edition or a download from Amazon.

Killing Floor 2 is $15 on Amazon (save $15).

Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel is $20 on Amazon (save $20).  [Expired]

XCOM 2: War of the Chosen is $30 on Steam and Amazon (save $10). It's an amazing expansion for a great game. 

Prey is only $20 on Amazon, and while it's a boxed copy, that might be its lowest price since release.  [Expired]

GOG

If you spend at least $15 USD during GOG's Black Friday sale you'll get StarCrawlers free.

Tacoma is $11.99/£8.99 on GOG (save 40%). It's the somewhat overlooked sci-fi game from the creators of Gone Home that we liked a lot. 

Oxenfree is just $5/£2.99 on GOG (80% off) it's a moody adventure game about a bunch of ghost-hunting friends. 

Dead Space is $5/£3.79 on GOG (save $15/£12.20).

Kerbal Space Program is $23.99/£18 on GOG (save $16/£12) and is one of the best games of all time by our measure.

Owlboy is $18.69/£14.19 on GOG (save $6.30/£4.80).

The Heroes of Might and Magic bundle is down to just $8.95/£7.05 for five games, if you buy them all.

The Ultima bundle is $8.94/£7.14 on GOG, and includes Ultima 1-9 as well as Ultima Underworld 1 and 2. That's a lot of Ultima for less than $10.

The Tomb Raider bundle is $5.97/£4.77 on GOG (save $24) and includes Tomb Raider 1-3, The Angel of Darkness, The Last Revelation and Chronicles.

The Wing Commander bundle is $10.43/£8.33 on GOG (save $31.50/£23.80) and includes Wing Commander 1-5, Academy, Armada, and Privateer. 

Humble Store 

Humble is running its Fall Sale, and all purchases get you a Steam key for the game. For a limited time, Sanctum is discounted by 100%—which is to say that it's free—and a bunch of other games are available at steep discounts. The sale is huge, and there's a lot in the mix, so we've sifted through it to pick out some favorites:

Pillars of Eternity is £9.19 on the Humble Store (60% off). That's a lot of old school isometric adventuring for that money. 

Fallout 4 is $15 on the Humble Store (save $15).

Civilization VI is $30 on the Humble Store (save $30).

Call of Duty: WWII Digital Deluxe Edition is $90 on the Humble Store, for a saving of $10. It's not much but we guess you could use that $10 to buy one of the games below.

Planet Coaster is $18/£13.49 on the Humble Store (save $18/£13.49). It's one of the best theme park sims around, and adorable with it. 

Tekken 7 is $24.99/£19.99 on the Humble Store (half price). We called it "a smart, blisteringly fun" beat 'em in our review, and frankly it's worth buying to smash up the roster as a martial arts panda. 

Assassin's Creed: Black Flag is $6.79 on the Humble Store (save $13.20)

Valkyria Chronicles is $5/£3.74 on the Humble Store (save $15/£11.25).

Lichdom: Battlemage is $4/£3 on the Humble Store (save $36/£26).

Green Man Gaming

Green Man is having a Black Friday blowout as usual, though you won't be able to see all of the discounts unless you register and sign in. Where it often diverges from competitors is with small (15% or so) discounts on popular or brand new games, and there are already a few available:

XCOM 2 is $19.80/£11.55 on Green Man Gaming (save 67%). 

No Man's Sky is $24/£16 on Green Man Gaming (save 60%). 

Prey is $20 on Green Man Gaming (half off).

Assassin's Creed Origins is $51/£41.49 on Green Man Gaming (save $9/£8.50). The Official Ubisoft Store slightly beats this at $40.19. UK store has it for £41.49.

Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus is $30/£20 on Green Man Gaming (save 50%).

South Park: The Fractured But Whole is $51 on Green Man Gaming (save $9), though the Official Ubisoft Store beats it with $45. UK edition is £37.50.

Rocket League is $9.99/£7.50 on Green Man Gaming and Steam (save 50%) and if you ask Tyler, it's the best game.

Absolver is $20.09/£16.74 on Steam (33% off)

Fanatical 

Fanatical (formerly Bundle Stars) gives you Steam keys when you buy, and right now they're offering an extra 10% off on some games when you use the code BLACKFRIDAY10. Here are a few highlights from the sale so far:

Mad Max is $5 on Fanatical (save $15). It's surprisingly good!

The Metro Redux Bundle is $6/£4 on Fanatical (save $24/£12), the same as Humble's deal.

The Jackbox Party Pack 4 is $18.74/£14.24 on Fanatical (save $6.25/£4.75), a small discount on this collection of absurd games to play with friends live or over a stream.

Dead Cells is $12.74/£10.50 on Fanatical (save $4.25/£3.50).

Overcooked is $8.49/£6.50 on Fanatical (save $8.50/£6.50); a great couch co-op game.

Tabletop Simulator is $10/£7.49 on Fanatical (save $10/£7.50).

Steam

The annual Steam Autumn Sale is live and will run from November 22 to November 28. Here are the best deals on the PC's biggest games marketplace.

Dishonored 2 is $19.99/£14.99 on Steam (half price). A decent price for one of the best games released last year.

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided is $8.99/£5.99 on Steam (85% off) and GMG. Worth it just to wander around Adam Jensen's futuristic apartment. 

Dirt Rally is $11.99/£7.99 on Steam (80% off), which is a great discount on a respectable Rally game that, coincidentally, we gave a score of 80 at review. 

Watch Dogs 2 is $20.39/£16.99 on Steam (66% off). In the UK you can shave some off the price by buying from GMG for £15.30. 

Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite is $40.19 on Steam (save 33%).

XCOM 2: War of the Chosen is $30 on Steam and Amazon (save $10). It's an amazing expansion for a great game. 

Dishonored: Death of the Outsider is $15 on Steam (save $15). 

Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege is just $7.49 on Steam (half off).

Ori and the Blind Forest: Definitive Edition is $10 on Steam (save $10).

Prey is $20/£15 on Steam (half off).

Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus is $30/£20 on Steam (save 50%).

Middle-earth: Shadow of War is $35.99/£27.00 on Steam (save 40%).

Dark Souls 3 is $23.99/£16.00 on Steam (save 60%).

Crusader Kings 2 is $10/£7.49 on Steam (save $20/£22), and its DLC is discounted, too.

Endless Space 2 is $20/£17.49 on Steam (save $20/£17.49) and just got a big update.

SteamWorld Heist is $4.94/£3.62 on Steam (save about $10/£6), and SteamWorld Dig 2 is $15/£11.42 on Steam (save $5/£3.75).

This War of Mine is 80% off on Steam, coming to just $4/£3. You can find the same deal on GOG.

Origin 

EA ran a Black Friday sale on Origin last year and it's at it again, with some decent discounts on its 2016 lineup, and even some markdowns on 2017 games. Here's the best of what's on offer now:

FIFA 18 is $36/£36.66 on Origin (save $24/33%) and is a definite improvement on previous PC FIFA releases.

Need for Speed Payback is $40/£36.66 on Origin (save $20/about £19), though it's worth noting we didn't exactly care for it.

Mass Effect: Andromeda is $20/£17.49 on Origin (save $20/17.50), and the Deluxe Edition is $25/£22.49 on Origin (save $25/£22.49). Despite all our issues with Andromeda, you're getting a lot of open-world space adventuring for your dollar at those prices. Unless you really want the soundtrack, though, we don't recommend the Deluxe Edition which mostly includes special armor and extra multiplayer items. There won't be any singleplayer DLC.

Dragon Age: Inquisition is $5/£4.49 on Origin (save $15/about £12), and at that price it's definitely worth a go—it was one of our favorite games of 2014.

Ubisoft Store

Ubisoft has some light deals on PC downloads, including for some brand new games. Just make sure you're looking at the PC download edition, as the console discounts are different.

The Division is $20 on the Ubisoft Store (save $30). It's £16 in the UK.

Watch Dogs 2 is $20.40 on the Ubisoft Store (save $39.59). It's £17 in the UK.

Far Cry Primal is $20 on the Ubisoft Store (save $30). It's £16 for UK buyers.

Assassin's Creed Syndicate is $20 on the Ubisoft Store (save $20). For UK readers, it's £17.50.

Battle.net

Blizzard brings us discounts of up to 50% off on three of Battle.net's biggest games: Destiny 2, Overwatch, and World of Warcraft.

Paradox Plaza

Paradox has knocked a lot of money off the best titles in its catalogue, including Cities: Skylines and Tyranny. If you already have these games be sure to check out the smaller but still significant discounts on expansion packs.

Hearts of Iron IV is $15.99/£13.99 on Paradox Plaza (60% off) and Fanatical for the WWII generals out there.

Crusader Kings 2 is $10/£7.50 on Paradox Plaza (75% off), it's still one of the best story generators ever.

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Bookmark this page for the best PC game deals: We'll be posting all the best bargains here as they roll out on Black Friday and throughout the next week, and adding more retailers soon. 

Throughout Black Friday weekend and beyond we'll be scouring the web for the cheapest PC games and discounted software from Steam, GOG, Humble, Amazon, and more, with an eye for new games being discounted for the first time and big limited-time sales where you can snag our favorite games for pocket change. Come back to this page throughout the week, because you never know when a big discount will drop—we'll put the best stuff at the top.

The holidays are a great time to save money on PC hardware, and we're collecting the best deals on graphics cards, CPUs and much more in our best Black Friday PC gaming deals hub—but what good is new hardware without discounted games to play?  

The hottest deals right now

Tekken 7 is $24.99/£19.99 on the Humble Store (half price), and is similarly discounted on Fanatical and Steam.

Tyranny is $17.99/£13.99 on Steam (save 60%) and Fanatical, if you want a deep cRPG that lets you be the bad guy.

Cities: Skylines is $7.49/£5.74 on Steam (save 75%), which an absolute steal for the best city-building sim on the market right now.

Stellaris is $15/£13.99 on Steam (60% off) and Fanatical. A good discount on a beautiful, absorbing 4X.

Hearts of Iron IV is $15.99/£13.99 on Steam (60% off) and Fanatical for the WWII generals out there.

Fallout 4 is $14.99/£10.00 on Steam (save 50%). The rest of the Fallout franchise is also on sale: Fallout 3 is 50% off, and both the original Fallout and Fallout 2 are 75% off.

XCOM 2 is $19.80/£11.55 on Green Man Gaming (save 67%).

Dark Souls 3 is $23.99/£16.00 on Steam (save 60%).

Battlefield 1 is $20/£17.49 on Origin (save $20/£17.50), though we'd recommend the Battlefield 1 Revolution Edition for $30/£27.49 on Origin (save $30/£27.50) as it includes all the DLC.

Rising Storm 2: Vietnam is $15 on Amazon (save $15), which gets you a Steam key. It only came out around six months ago, so it's a quick discount and comes just before a big update. On Amazon UK it's £11.50 (save £7.49).

Overwatch is $20 on Battle.net (50% off). In the UK it's £17 (save £13).

Titanfall 2 is $10/£12.49 on Origin (50% off), which is a great price for a great shooter, especially if you like a good singleplayer campaign.

Assassin's Creed Origins is $49.79 on the Ubisoft Store (save $10.20). On the UK store it's £41.49.

Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus is $51/£34 on Green Man Gaming (save $9/£6).

No Man's Sky is $24/£16 on Green Man Gaming (save 60%).

Rocket League is $10/£7.50 on Green Man Gaming (save 50%).

Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel is just $12 on Amazon (save $28). It's been that cheap on Steam before, but if you've been meaning to pick it up now's the time. It's a mere £9 on Amazon UK too (save £21).

Kerbal Space Program is $23.99/£18 on GOG (save $16/£12) and is one of the best games of all time by our measure.

The Metro Redux Bundle is $6/£5 on the Humble Store (save $24/£20) and includes two of our favorite shooters, Metro 2033 and Metro Last Light.

Planet Coaster is $18/£13.49 on the Humble Store (save $18/£13.49). It's one of the best theme park sims around, and adorable with it. 

The Aquatic Adventure of the Last Human is $2/£1.59 on the Humble Store (save $8/£6.40) and it's a fantastic metroidvania. Well worth a couple bucks.

The Sexy Brutale is $9/£6.74 on Fanatical (save $11/£8.25), a good price for a clever adventure game (we gave it an 82%).

Ruiner is $13.39/£10.04 on Steam (save 33%) and is one of our favorite recent games.

Amazon

Amazon doesn't have many game deals yet, but we expect more to pop up throughout the week. Many of Amazon's PC game sales get you a Steam key, but we'll mention if the deal is for a physical edition or a download from Amazon.

Killing Floor 2 is $15 on Amazon (save $15).

Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel is $12 on Amazon (save $28).

GOG

At the time of writing you've got a couple days to get MDK completely free on GOG, and if you spend at least $15 USD during GOG's Black Friday sale you'll get StarCrawlers free, too.

Dead Space is $5/£3.79 on GOG (save $15/£12.20).

Kerbal Space Program is $23.99/£18 on GOG (save $16/£12) and is one of the best games of all time by our measure.

This War of Mine is $4/£3 on GOG (save $16/£12) and includes the soundtrack.

Owlboy is $18.69/£14.19 on GOG (save $6.30/£4.80).

Theme Hospital is $1.49/£1.19 on GOG (save $4.50/£3.40).

The Heroes of Might and Magic bundle is down to just $8.95/£7.05 for five games, if you buy them all.

The Ultima bundle is $8.94/£7.14 on GOG, and includes Ultima 1-9 as well as Ultima Underworld 1 and 2. That's a lot of Ultima for less than $10.

The Tomb Raider bundle is $5.97/£4.77 on GOG (save $24) and includes Tomb Raider 1-3, The Angel of Darkness, The Last Revelation and Chronicles.

The Wing Commander bundle is $10.43/£8.33 on GOG (save $31.50/£23.80) and includes Wing Commander 1-5, Academy, Armada, and Privateer. 

Humble Store 

Humble is running its Fall Sale, and all purchases get you a Steam key for the game. For a limited time, Brutal Legend is discounted by 100%—which is to say that it's free—and a bunch of other games are available at steep discounts. The sale is huge, and there's a lot in the mix, so we've sifted through it to pick out some favorites:

System Shock Pack is $4/£3 on the Humble Store (save $16/£12), and includes System Shock Enhanced Edition and System Shock 2.

Valkyria Chronicles is $5/£3.74 on the Humble Store (save $15/£11.25).

Lichdom: Battlemage is $4/£3 on the Humble Store (save $36/£26).

Necropolis: Brutal Edition is $4.49/£3.44 on the Humble Store (save $25.50/£19.55). It isn't the best dungeon crawler out there, but it's fun with a friend.

Lords of the Fallen is $4.79/£3.83 on the Humble Store (save about $25/£20).

Psychonauts is $1/£0.69 on the Humble Store (save $9/£7.19).

Green Man Gaming

Green Man is having a Black Friday blowout as usual, though you won't be able to see all of the discounts unless you register and sign in. Where it often diverges from competitors is with small (15% or so) discounts on popular or brand new games, and there are already a few available:

XCOM 2 is $19.80/£11.55 on Green Man Gaming (save 67%). 

No Man's Sky is $24/£16 on Green Man Gaming (save 60%). 

Assassin's Creed Origins is $51/£41.49 on Green Man Gaming (save $9/£8.50). The Official Ubisoft Store slightly beats this at $40.19. UK store has it for £41.49.

Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus is $51/£34 on Green Man Gaming (save $9/£6).

South Park: The Fractured But Whole is $51 on Green Man Gaming (save $9), though the Official Ubisoft Store beats it with $45. UK edition is £37.50.

Rocket League is $10/£7.50 on Green Man Gaming (save 50%) and if you ask Tyler, it's the best game. The best game that there is. (He plays way too much Rocket League.)

Absolver is $25.49/£19.54 on Green Man Gaming (save $4.50/about £3.50).

Dustforce DX is $2.25/£1.57 on Green Man Gaming ($7.74/£5.42).

Fanatical 

Fanatical (formerly Bundle Stars) gives you Steam keys when you buy, and right now they're offering an extra 10% off on some games when you use the code BLACKFRIDAY10. Here are a few highlights from the sale so far:

Mad Max is $5 on Fanatical (save $15). It's surprisingly good!

The Metro Redux Bundle is $6/£4 on Fanatical (save $24/£12), the same as Humble's deal.

The Jackbox Party Pack 4 is $18.74/£14.24 on Fanatical (save $6.25/£4.75), a small discount on this collection of absurd games to play with friends live or over a stream.

Dead Cells is $12.74/£10.50 on Fanatical (save $4.25/£3.50).

Overcooked is $8.49/£6.50 on Fanatical (save $8.50/£6.50); a great couch co-op game.

Tabletop Simulator is $10/£7.49 on Fanatical (save $10/£7.50).

Steam

The annual Steam Autumn Sale is live and will run from November 22 to November 28. Here are the best deals on the PC's biggest games marketplace.

Middle-earth: Shadow of War is $35.99/£27.00 on Steam (save 40%).

Dark Souls 3 is $23.99/£16.00 on Steam (save 60%).

Crusader Kings 2 is $10/£7.49 on Steam (save $20/£22), and its DLC is discounted, too.

Endless Space 2 is $20/£17.49 on Steam (save $20/£17.49) and just got a big update.

SteamWorld Heist is $4.94/£3.62 on Steam (save about $10/£6), and SteamWorld Dig 2 is $15/£11.42 on Steam (save $5/£3.75).

This War of Mine is 80% off on Steam, coming to just $4/£3. You can find the same deal on GOG.

Origin 

EA ran a Black Friday sale on Origin last year and it's at it again, with some decent discounts on its 2016 lineup, and even some markdowns on 2017 games. Here's the best of what's on offer now:

FIFA 18 is $36/£36.66 on Origin (save $24/33%) and is a definite improvement on previous PC FIFA releases.

Need for Speed Payback is $40/£36.66 on Origin (save $20/about £19), though it's worth noting we didn't exactly care for it.

Mass Effect: Andromeda is $20/£17.49 on Origin (save $20/17.50), and the Deluxe Edition is $25/£22.49 on Origin (save $25/£22.49). Despite all our issues with Andromeda, you're getting a lot of open-world space adventuring for your dollar at those prices. Unless you really want the soundtrack, though, we don't recommend the Deluxe Edition which mostly includes special armor and extra multiplayer items. There won't be any singleplayer DLC.

Dragon Age: Inquisition is $5/£4.49 on Origin (save $15/about £12), and at that price it's definitely worth a go—it was one of our favorite games of 2014.

Ubisoft Store

Ubisoft has some light deals on PC downloads, including for some brand new games. Just make sure you're looking at the PC download edition, as the console discounts are different.

The Division is $20 on the Ubisoft Store (save $30). It's £16 in the UK.

Watch Dogs 2 is $20.40 on the Ubisoft Store (save $39.59). It's £17 in the UK.

Far Cry Primal is $20 on the Ubisoft Store (save $30). It's £16 for UK buyers.

Assassin's Creed Syndicate is $20 on the Ubisoft Store (save $20). For UK readers, it's £17.50.

Battle.net

Blizzard brings us discounts of up to 50% off on three of Battle.net's biggest games: Destiny 2, Overwatch, and World of Warcraft.

Paradox Plaza

Paradox has knocked a lot of money off the best titles in its catalogue, including Cities: Skylines and Tyranny. If you already have these games be sure to check out the smaller but still significant discounts on expansion packs.

Hearts of Iron IV is $15.99/£13.99 on Paradox Plaza (60% off) and Fanatical for the WWII generals out there.

Crusader Kings 2 is $10/£7.50 on Paradox Plaza (75% off), it's still one of the best story generators ever.

Some online stores give us a small cut if you buy something through one of our links. Read our affiliate policy for more info.

Welcome back to the PC Gamer Q&A! Every Saturday, we ask our panel of PC Gamer writers a question about PC gaming. Tim's answer is usually 'Hearthstone'. This week: which game would you take to a desert island?

Shout out to the enjoyable podcast Final Games, which asks this very question to guests every episode (which have included PCG's Andy Kelly and Samuel Roberts in the past), allowing them to pick six games. Here, though, we've just limited the selection to one game. 

As ever, we'd love to hear your suggestions in the comments, too.

Tim Clark: The Orange Box

I've resisted the temptation to draw Samuel's ire by answering Hearthstone again, but I am going to assume the island has a working internet connection and pick The Orange Box. Between the infinite replayability, the sheer joy of Portal, and the no small matter of Episodes 1 and 2, I'm pretty sure I win on pure value. 

Jarred Walton: Game Maker Studio/Unity Engine

Game? How about software? Depending on how ambitious I'm feeling, I'd take either Unity Engine or Game Maker Studio. Then, as I basked in the sun waiting for rescue for the next several years, I could finally see about getting around to building my magnum opus. And let's assume I have all the necessary tools for doing graphics, sound, etc. and that infinite power is available.

The game would be something cyberpunk, but the great thing about having a software development platform is that I wouldn't need to create just one game. I could dabble in all sorts of genres and make as many games as I wanted—or at least, as many as I had time to create before I was rescued, brought back to humanity, and became an instant millionaire with my wildly successful first indie release. Don't pinch me, I'm enjoying my dreams.

Jody Macgregor: Stardew Valley

Is it weird to bring a game about growing food to an island where I'll be growing food to survive? Stardew Valley could be useful, reminding me when it's a good time to plant turnips or whatever. Plus, since I assume there's no wi-fi on this island, I'd be able to experience it properly. I came to Stardew Valley late so there was already a wiki full of advice on what gifts to give people and where they hang out at any time of day, which spoiled it a bit for me. I never had that experience of waiting outside somebody's door all day just to give them a fish they'd asked for.

Mostly I'd bring Stardew Valley because it would make me less lonely. That virtual village of people would be better substitute friends than a ball with a face on it. Spending time with them makes me genuinely happy. Just filling my dog's bowl, harvesting some crops and walking into town to check in with people lifts my spirits, straight-up sunshine injected into my heart. The only other game that improves my mood as surely as Stardew Valley is Blood Bowl, a game about football and murder, but let's gloss over that.

Andy Kelly: The Witcher 3 and all the DLC

If I'm trapped on a desert island, escapism is going to be important. So I'd take The Witcher 3 and all the DLC. That's a game you can get lost in, and it's so impossibly huge that by the time I've finished it I'll have forgotten most of it, making it feel fresh when I start all over again.

And when I've absolutely exhausted the storyline and know every quest by heart, I can just focus on getting really good at Gwent. Maybe set myself a goal like beating every single Gwent-playing NPC in the Northern Kingdoms or collecting every card. That should rinse through a few years. 

Wes Fenlon: Spelunky

I'm just going to be honest: the only way I'd ever complete a Hell run in Spelunky is if I was trapped on a desert island with nothing to do but play Spelunky. Instead of telling you again why it's incredible, I'll just refer you to its #10 ranking on this year's Top 100, and its well-deserved Game of the Year 2013 award. 

Chris Livingston: Crusader Kings 2

Really, even in casual dabblings with CK2, there's always something interesting happening, some curious and enjoyable little stories bubbling to the surface, some random events throwing a medieval wrench into the works, some massive battle or minor yet incredibly personal beef occupying your attention. Every session of CK2 feels completely different, even with the same starting country and scenario. If I can bring some of the full conversion mods along too, I'll never be wanting for great new stories and long-lasting memories. And I play for a few years solid with no interruptions, maybe one day I'll be so on top of things that my character won't be over their demesne limit. 

Austin Wood: Dungeons of Dredmor

I was having trouble with this one until Wes answered Spelunky. Which reminded me that, despite countless runs, I've never actually reached the bottom of Dungeons of Dredmor and killed Dredmor himself. A trip to a desert island would give me time to finish things once and for all. Plus if I can finagle mod support, or at least download the DLC, I may still never see everything the dungeon has to offer. 

Samuel Roberts: Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain

I'm half-tempted to pick an MMO I've never had time for, like The Old Republic or Guild Wars 2, but if I'm being honest with myself, MGS5 is the one. Missions play out differently each time, and the more hours you invest, the more tools you unlock to mess around with the enemies and their surrounding environment. Reaching S-rank on every mission would consume plenty of time, and while island life would be lonely, I could always pat D-Dog if it all gets a bit much.

But what about you, kind reader? Let us know below.

Dreams of The Witcher 4 will probably never become reality, judging by the words of CD Projekt chief executive Adam Kiciński. 

He told Polish site Strefa Inwestorow that the developer has no plans for Geralt to make a comeback because The Witcher was envisaged as a trilogy, and the third game provided a definitive end to his story. 

However, the company will "probably" make another game in the Witcher universe at some point to keep fans and investors happy. It sounds like there's nothing concrete in place but if it's not a definitive sequel we can probably expect some kind of spin-off with a new cast of characters.

He also spoke a little about his ambition for Cyberpunk 2077, the developer's next open-world RPG. Kiciński said it will be much bigger in scope than The Witcher 3, and that he hopes it will become more successful. It also sounds like the developer wants to add a lot of new features to its card game Gwent in 2018, having spent 2017 balancing the gameplay.

Thanks to IGN and Reset Era user Cornbread78 for the translation.

The first Witcher was a great game, but I returned to it recently and it's showing its age. If you want to learn more about Geralt's origins but can't take the rough edges then you're in luck, because you can now play through its prologue in The Witcher 3's engine thanks to a fan-made mod.

Witcher 1 Prologue Remastered does exactly what it says on the tin, recreating the opening hour of Geralt's first outing with all the visual and mechanical excellence we've come to expect from CD Projekt Red. It's not perfect (it's basically a complete recreation in the Witcher 3, and some things don't translate directly), but it looks pretty darn good.

The trailer is above but if you don't mind story spoilers then someone has uploaded a full 50-minute play through. If you're not sure whether to download it, then watch a couple of minutes first: 

Click here for installation instructions—you're going to need to remove all other mods from The Witcher 3 before you can play it.

And before you ask, no, the modders aren't planning a full remake of The Witcher in the third game's engine. From reading the discussion on the prologue mod's page it sounds like it's impossible to do with the modding tools that CD Projekt Red has provided. Making this prologue took nearly a year on its own.

If you get drawn into the story, you can buy the first game on GOG for less than $2 right now.

In many ways, CD Projekt Red, the development branch of Polish game company CD Projekt, sounds like a fantastic place to work: Successful and financially stable, but still very "indie" and pleasingly renegade. Not everyone thinks so, though. Head over to Glassdoor.co.uk, a website where people rate and review the companies they work for, and you'll see some rather harsh comments about the state of the place, including accusations that it's directionless, chaotic, and in one blunt summation, "bad." 

Not everyone who leaves a company is going to do so under happy circumstances, and disgruntled former employees are far more inclined to make noise about things than those who depart happy. Negative feedback is natural and inevitable, in other words, and generally passes without comment from the company in question. But this time, and "especially in light of the fact that we haven't communicated anything about Cyberpunk 2077 for a long time and saw some gamers getting worried about the project," CD Projekt elected to respond publicly. 

"In 2015, when we released The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, we were over 200 developers strong and that was the core crew of the studio. Since then, we've almost doubled the headcount and we're still hiring," co-founder Marcin Iwinski and studio head Adam Badowski wrote in a statement shared on Twitter. "Do people leave? Sure they do. We always wish them all the best and respect both their decision and the feedback they give us as the reason for their departure." 

Iwinski and Badowski acknowledged that the studio had bitten off more than it rightly should have been able to chew throughout the making of The Witcher series. "When we start down the road to creating something, we know the destination and we're sure of one thing: Even if something feels impossible, it doesn't mean it is," they wrote. "And, as it turns out, most often things are perfectly possible, they just require a lot of faith, commitment, and spirit." 

And also, you can reasonably infer from the statement, a lot of long hours and hard work. "This approach to making games is not for everyone. It often requires a conscious effort to 'reinvent the wheel'—even if you personally think it already works like a charm," they continued. "But you know what? We believe reinventing the wheel every friggin' time is what makes a better game. It's what creates innovation and makes it possible for us to say we've worked really hard on something, and we think it's worth your hard-earned cash." 

And also this:

As true as it is that unhappy employees are inevitable, it's also true that this can easily be seen in the same light as Alex St. John's crunch apologia from 2016: Simplistically, that if you really love games then you'll happily bleed to make them. Ultimately, I suspect that the reality of the situation lies somewhere between anonymous Glassdoor venting and the studio's "all is well" missive, and that despite its wild rebel trappings, CD Projekt Red is a lot like most other big studios out there. 

As for Cyberpunk 2077—the thing we really want to know about—it's "progressing as planned, but we are taking our time," Iwinski and Badowski wrote. "In this case, silence is the cost of making a great game." I have no idea what that's supposed to mean. 

CD Projekt Red's full statement is below. 

Retiring wasn’t easy. Eventually I had to put my swords in the display case. Folk expect an old man in Toussaint to care about wine, so that’s what I did. I asked the majordomo for help, and he handed me a ledger: Terroir. Well. I’ve been brewing potions and oils for this many years—making wine can’t be that hard. I just have to get on with it.

Year 1

The majordomo taught me the basics, but he was happy to leave me to learn on my own. The first harvest was a mess. Few grapes were worth using. According to the ledger, pretty much any grape can make wine. The resulting batch is… red. It’s wine. I’m pretty sure. 

After I bottle it, a few local drunks give it "FIVE PLOUGHING STARS," which I cautiously take as a compliment. I plant more vines with the extra money. The truth is, it’s an easier way to earn coin than punching an angry cyclops. Maybe retirement is going to be OK after all.

Year 3

Grapes are fickle: they need a little rain to get going, then they grow best with warm sun and cloudy days. Too much rain and the vines grow leafy and and starve the grapes, blocking the sun even when the weather is good. Not enough rain, and the leafless vines sit exposed to sun, getting scorched and turning too sweet.

This summer was dry and the grapes ripened too early. I thought about praying for rain, but I’ve never been on good terms with the gods. Long ago, I saw a Skellige druid perform a rain summoning ritual, but the majordomo said that kind of thing would upset the neighbors.

Rain finally came, and the green leaves gave the grapes enough shade to calm down. Slowly, the last of the grapes finally ripened, but the first hints of frost were only days away when I called the workers in for harvest. We made it, but it was a close thing.

Maybe it was beginner’s luck, or maybe it’s just easy to impress dockside drunks, but the local judges haven’t liked my wines from the last few years. They keep coming back with the same problem: the acidity is too low.

Year 4

Constant, dreary rain. Like being back in Velen, hip-deep in mud and foglets. The workers in the fields trimmed leaves in a downpour, but new leaves came back as fast as they could cut them. I thought about reaching for a sword and helping cut back the foliage, but Yen thought someone would end up losing a hand. She’s usually right.

It doesn’t really matter, since the rain never stopped. We trimmed leaves from early spring to late autumn, then let the small, bitter grapes die on the vine without harvesting a single one.

Year 7

Making wine is a process. The first step is to stomp the grapes into juice, which pulls out tannins, the stuff that makes red wine bitter and caustic—like Vesemir always was before breakfast. After crushing, we ferment juice and grape pulp, which trades the sweetness for alcohol. Then, some of the fermented pulp gets pressed to add more acidic juice to the wine.

The workers taste the wine throughout, looking for acid, sweetness, and tannins. Getting a good balance between these qualities takes trial and error. The majordomo, for all his good qualities, isn’t interested in keeping track of the combinations we try out. I started keeping a notebook at my desk, writing down combinations. This year’s batch will be Acid: 5; Sweetness: 3; Tannins: 4. I scratch out 5/3/4 in my notebook to remember for next year. Last year we tried 4/3/4. It was good, but again the locals thought the acid was too low.

In time, we’ll be able to afford better barrels that age wine to perfection and a big grinder that pulls more tannins out of the grapes. They seem like luxuries, but those things will help us hit recipes no matter what happens with the harvest. For now, we can only do what we can with the grapes the weather gives us. Sometimes it’s good wine, sometimes it’s bad, but booze will always sell.

Year 9

I got a note from the mayor that he’d like to visit the estate. The weather was perfect this year, so I thought we’d have wine worth showing off. Sales are fine and the weather has been good enough, but another powerful local friend would be worth the trouble—even if it meant an evening wearing tights. After the harvest, we invited the mayor to share a bottle. He loved it, and offered a hefty sack of coin as a "government grant," wink wink.

Year 12

War looms, but for once I’m not marching off to join in the mess. A stressed-out Nilfgaardian quartermaster visited the estate, asking us to donate wine to the army. Local wine distributors in Toussaint are picky—we have to be careful to send them really good wine and sell bad batches to the peasants—but the quartermaster insisted that any purple alcohol will do.

The quartermaster’s timing is good. Instead of letting this year’s overripe, sunburned grapes go to waste, we turn them into the most disgusting toilet water ever to be bottled in Toussaint. I send 3,000 bottles of the Corvo Bianco Moehoen Special 1287—named for the Nilfgaardians’ prick of a Field Marshal—to the Black Ones with my insincerest compliments.

Year 15

For years, our wines were bottled and sold year by year, with a few special cases set aside for a few years down the line. The workers just finished rolling in the new aging barrels—made of “white oak” from a far-off land, “America”—and now wine becomes a long game. Planning ahead and aging wines to be bottled five, ten, or thirty years in the future is strange for an old man who expected to die young by the sword. Most times, I made my choice and never looked back. Now, I worry. It’s a new thing.

I’ve spent all this time expanding the vineyard and perfecting one type of wine, but some nearby soil might be good for different types of grapes: merlot, chardonnay, pinot noir. I’ve only just started to fill in the bestiary for my new world.

Micromanaging the vineyard workers is still a pain in the ass, and the majordomo still isn’t interested in keeping track of important details, so my notebook has grown thick and dog-eared. Still, watching the years roll by over these lovely hills with a glass of wine in-hand—well, life could be worse. It pretty much always was.

Year 20

We won an award today. Finally nailed down the perfect recipe, and last year’s batch got happy reviews from the royal court. I set aside some for this year’s local wine awards, and the Corvo Bianco Red 1295 was named the best in all of Toussaint. People are offering absurd prices for the remaining bottles, so I’m releasing them a dozen at a time to help the 1295 grow into legend. Dandelion isn't the only one who can build a myth when he wants to.

Corvio Bianco now has its own tavern where I can sell wine directly, and a few years of good harvests have filled my pockets and spread our reputation. Not bad for an abandoned boy raised on the stone floor of Kaer Morhen. Not bad at all.

Written by Ian Birnbaum.

It's sometimes hard to let things go, especially when the things in question are as fantastic as The Witcher. But all good things come to an end, including the saga of Geralt, and so it shouldn't be surprising that Doug Cockle, who gave voice to the character, said at EGX (via VG247) that he knows "nothing about The Witcher 4." But he did have some interesting thoughts to share about some of his experiences in the role. 

You may or may not be aware, but Geralt is famous for his prowess with the ladies—so much so that CD Projekt recorded 16 hours of sex-scene motion capture data. (He also inspired a sexy cosplay calendar.) And of course that means that Cockle not only has to sound tough and rugged when he's fighting monsters or confronting corrupt Nilfgaardians—he also has to lay it down (so to speak) during those tender moments of bumping uglies. 

"It’s a bit like being caught masturbating by your mom. But it’s kind of fun," he said. "It can be really challenging, you’re naturally embarrassed. You’re having to show whoever's in the booth that side of your personality." 

As for the future, Cockle said CD Projekt is "very much focusing on Cyberpunk [2077]," the futuristic RPG that the studio steadfastly refuses to talk about, and that he hopes to be involved in it somehow. 

"What I have discussed [with CD Projekt] is the idea of me being involved somehow," he said. "Whether that’s a major part or just an Easter egg. I hope so, I really enjoy working with them. But I haven’t had significant contact. We have jokingly talked about it." 

I think it's a good bet that it will happen. The Witcher trilogy wasn't just a surprise RPG hit, it's a series that, over the course of a decade, turned a small Polish developer nobody had ever heard of into a legitimate gaming juggernaut. As the memorable voice of its lead character, Cockle played a big part in making that happen, and I'll be honestly surprised if he doesn't turn up somewhere in its next big thing, even if it is only as a little bit of fan service.

We ran down everything we know (which isn't much, I have to say, but it's what we've got) about Cyberpunk 2077 right here.   

Glitches, at least to some degree, are a tolerated part of gaming. We expect that, every once in awhile, something is bound to break. Sometimes these glitches are harmless bugs that make characters move weird or objects act unexpectedly. But sometimes you encounter a whole different kind of glitch that either ruins the game entirely or leaves you scratching your head as you try and figure out what the hell is going on.

Last week we asked our readers to share stories of their best encounters with glitches. Over 100 of you responded and we’ve taken our favorites and compiled them below. Some are sad, some are bizarre, and others are downright hilarious. 

Zalbaar the Magnificent 

A lot of glitches fall into basic tropes like character animations breaking or textures being swapped. But baedeker's story makes me laugh because of the sheer absurdity of it. It's like if someone made a crossover between Star Wars and Duncan Jones' Moon.

Commenter: baedeker

Back in 2003, I was playing Knights of the Old Republic, and I had gotten off the first planet Taris and was on Tatooine. Obviously going between planets I was entering the ship, Ebon Hawk, quite a few times. What I started to notice is Zaalbar had duplicated within the ship. Game worked fine so I found it funny and carried on, thinking the doppelganger would disappear once I re-entered the ship. I left the ship and re-entered after doing a few quests to see Zaalbar had replicated himself another two times. There were now four Zaalbars looking in the same direction standing next to each other. I re-entered the ship, and there were now eight, then 16. At this point Ebon Hawk's hull was filled with a the horde of Zaalbars. My game was running at 2 fps and made using the ship very painful. I think I gave up on the playthrough as I finished a few times before. Later down the line I found I had the Double Zaalbar Glitch which must of doubled the double glitch.

Super Civ 

Listen, I'm not much for min-maxing but when you build a civilization so powerful that you can discover new technology and knowledge just merely by thinking about it—like this is the Matrix or something—that's pretty crazy. This obviously wasn't a glitch due to some shoddy code, but because the developers never imagined someone would push the limits of the game this far.

Commenter: Jimmy

Back when I was playing Civilization 2, I ended up making one "super civilization." My production in some cities and total science research level went so high that it literally broke the production and technology counters. The game displayed that I would discover new technologies every "-1 turn" and some cities could also produce the most complex buildings in "-1 turn." At first, it didn't have any real effect because buildings and research were still actually completed in one turn. However, it ended up completely breaking the game because one turn would not end because I was endlessly discovering future technologies and the game kept spamming the technology tree for a new tech to research. At first I was like "LOL!!! Ok, let's crank this up and complete this game with a ridiculously high score." But I ended up realizing I would not complete the game if my turn would not end. Out of curiosity, I kept spamming new technology research just to see if it would end at some point, but got bored after 20-30 minutes and I just started a new game, making sure to never break that science research level again.

Your own worst enemy 

I don't even know what to say about this one.

Commenter: Darkrage.nl

Crusader Kings II: I had a character who was supporting his own assassination plot led by his son. After several failed attempts he finally succeeded by poisoning his own wine.

The Flying Dutchmen

We had a lot of submissions about the Assassin's Creed series which are, unsurprisingly, very buggy games. But this story comes with photos which, to me, only enhances the hilarity of a bunch of sailors hanging on for dear life as their ship ascends into low-orbit like a space shuttle.

Commenter: Awesome!

I played Assassin's Creed: Black Flag for the first time last year. I went into my ship's cabin and came back out onto the deck only to find my ship had acquired a taste for something greater than water.

Fashion faux pas 

I'm not a good judge of what is fashionable these days (or any day) but something tells me Zloth's bold reimagining of the mini skirt would set the fashion world on fire. His story about his first capital ship in X3: Terran Conflict is harrowing, however.

Commenter: Zloth

Well, there was the time (might have been while beta testing) in City of Heroes where texture for miniskirts got rotated 90 degrees. Wouldn't have been a problem except there were supposed to be slits on the sides.

Or X3: Terran Conflict where you would save and save and FINALLY earn enough money to buy your own capital ship, so you would go to a star base and purchase one of these huge ships. You would order it to go somewhere and watch as your massive investment would undock and slowly tip its nose downward, away from the station, in order to thrust away. Of course, that meant the tail of the ship went upward—right into the starbase. The shielding would drop like a rock, then the hit points, and then your pride and joy would turn into a star for a couple of seconds. Hope you saved your game. 

Murder mystery 

Bad enemy AI is sometimes frustrating and sometimes hilarious. This story in particular made me laugh out loud just because of how stupid it is.

Commenter: doplerradar

Assassin's Creed 3 DLC. It was so buggy. Enemies were complete idiots, occasionally they'd try to shoot me while on the other side of a wall, and a wolf got stuck in a hay bale once. One time they executed a woman by firing squad and the officer went up to the body and said "What happened here?"

The real monster 

The Witcher 3 is an incredible game but, holy hell, is it buggy sometimes. We've all heard stories of Roach's shenanigans and the weird squat-walking bug that makes NPCs strut around like the Minister of Silly Walks. But MrGlobbits video is particularly funny to me because—oh my god what is going on with his head!?

Commenter: MrGlobbits

One day while walking through Novigrad...

Wallhacks 

Hacking is a serious thing in most multiplayer shooters. But if I was in Martin's shoes, I'd happily do whatever I needed to in order to get away with bags full of money in Payday. Who knew that no-clipping was a viable strategy for bank robbery?

Commenter: Martin Cummerou

The very first time I played Payday: The Heist, I clipped through the map and ended up underneath it. I figured this would be the end of my short career as a robber, however, I found out (because I was bored) that I could shoot enemies from below the map, and they could not shoot back. So I proceeded to kill every single enemy that spawned while the rest of my team hid and got the loot. My team then thanked me by running away with the loot.

City of Ghosts 

Of all the glitch stories shared, Branovices is my favorite. It's the kind of bizarre thing that you can't help but laugh at. How a city with a population of zero ended up collapsing into civil unrest almost reads like satire.

Commenter: Branovices

I founded a new city in SimCity 2000 and started setting everything up, but no one was moving in. No matter what I built or how much I lowered taxes, the population was zero. Then it got weird. My nonexistent citizens started complaining about how bad the nonexistent traffic was. Eventually the situation became so intolerable to everyone (no one?) a riot broke out. 

To recap: A city with a population of zero had a riot over traffic congestion.

These were just a few of our favorite stories. Head over to the comment thread from last week in order to see the rest.

Commenters were edited for clarity and grammar.