Latest Featured Articles

Bulletin.............................................

NRG stun MOUZ 2-1 at StarSeries Fall 2026, leap 18 places in VRS rankings

NRG stun MOUZ 2-1 at StarSeries Fall 2026, leap 18 places in VRS rankings

NRG beat world number two MOUZ 2-1 in the opening round of StarLadder StarSeries Fall 2026, reaching the upper-bracket semi-final and rising 18 places to 33rd in the global Valve Regional Standings.
A stark demonstration of ray tracing on or off in a dark city street scene with neon lights

Turning Off Ray Tracing Is the Most Self-Defeating Thing You Can Do

Turning off ray tracing for better frame rates has become a ritual for PC gamers who've decided the technology is an overpriced gimmick. They're wrong about the quality, wrong about the development costs, and wrong about the future. Here's why.
Steam Controller sold out label

I’ve Got a Steam Controller. You Probably Haven’t. Here’s Why That’s Everyone’s Problem.

The Steam Controller went on sale on 4th May 2026. It was gone in 35 minutes. Within the hour, the same controller you'd just missed buying for £85 was available on eBay for £200. Same controller, different breed of parasite. This is the piece where we talk about scalping properly, because it's time someone did.
how to build a gaming PC components laid out on a table

How to Build a Gaming PC in 2026: The Complete Beginner’s Guide

Building a gaming PC is less like assembling complex machinery and more like expensive Lego with better instructions and a significantly more satisfying power-on moment. The difficulty is not high. The satisfaction is.
An Xbox powered by project Helix sits on a media unit by a TV with a Steam games library on screen

The Next Xbox Is Just a PC with an Identity Crisis

Microsoft's next Xbox is a Windows PC with a console UI bolted on top and a rumoured £850 price tag attached. This is either the most honest thing a console manufacturer has done in thirteen years, or a very expensive identity crisis. Possibly both.
Warhammer Final Liberation artwork

The Warhammer Games You Forgot You Loved (and Some You Never Did) Are Back

Over twenty classic Warhammer PC games have returned to Steam under the Warhammer Classics label. Some of them are genuinely important pieces of PC gaming history. Some of them are Chainsaw Warrior. Here's the full picture, plus an interview with the people who spent years untangling the rights to bring them back.
Unreal Tournament Facing Worlds map

Why Unreal Tournament’s ‘Facing Worlds’ In Low Gravity Is the Greatest FPS Map Ever Made

Facing Worlds. Low gravity. Six beige computers hauled across town in parents' cars by teenagers who had no idea how an IPX network worked, and at least one who did. Unreal Tournament was the finest multiplayer FPS ever made, and everything since has been a step backwards.

NEWSLETTER

PC ZONE floppy disk newsletter sign up

PARTNER ADS

Flash Sale up to 44% off

Want to contribute to Da Zone??

Then look no further, hotshot, because here at PC ZONE we believe in the power of giving. That's right, if you give us your learned thoughts on gaming we'll reward you in kind with a post on our precious webspace. Sounds good? Get in touch and let us know what you have in mind...

FEATURES

Warhammer Final Liberation artwork

The Warhammer Games You Forgot You Loved (and Some You Never...

Over twenty classic Warhammer PC games have returned to Steam under the Warhammer Classics label. Some of them are genuinely important pieces of PC gaming history. Some of them are Chainsaw Warrior. Here's the full picture, plus an interview with the people who spent years untangling the rights to bring them back.
Civilization VII game banner with large crack riveting through it

Can the Test of Time Update Save Civ VII From Itself?

I have 471 hours of Civilization VI on Steam. I have 18 hours of Civilization VII. Those numbers tell a story that no amount of patch notes can easily undo, and the Test of Time update has the unenviable job of changing the ending.
Glowing loot box treasure chest labelled Pandora with gold coins and games items flying through the air

Loot Boxes, Battle Passes, and the Industrialisation of FOMO: How Modern...

Gaming monetisation didn't arrive as a villain. It arrived as a reasonable proposition — a way to fund ongoing development and to reward engaged players. Then the reasonable proposition became a psychology experiment. Then the psychology experiment became the product. Here's how it happened and why you should be annoyed about it.

REVIEWS

Grace holds a gun looking scared in Resident Evil: Requiem

Resident Evil: Requiem Review

A reformed Resi sceptic's verdict: Capcom finally stopped agonising and served up the whole buffet. Atmospheric, technically stunning, and the best survival horror in a decade. Mostly.
The Slayer stands atop a pile of bones in video game Doom: The Dark Ages

DOOM: The Dark Ages Review

The Slayer has returned to medieval times—and visually, he’s never looked better. Unfortunately, some of the gameplay and level design feel like they’ve taken a step back as well.
Blasphemous 2 cover art

Blasphemous 2 Review

Once again, a peculiar pixel art Metroidvania is presented to our gaming tastes, with a heavy religious, Andalusian flavor. This is Blasphemous 2 - unforgiving, visually mesmerizing, and immensely satisfying.

GUIDES

how to build a gaming PC components laid out on a table

How to Build a Gaming PC in 2026: The Complete Beginner’s...

Building a gaming PC is less like assembling complex machinery and more like expensive Lego with better instructions and a significantly more satisfying power-on moment. The difficulty is not high. The satisfaction is.
Man sits on his sofa playing a PC game through his living room TV

The Sofa Sultan’s Guide to PC Gaming on Your TV

Your gaming PC and your living room TV have been living in the same house, ignoring each other, for long enough. Here's the complete guide to connecting them properly. Yes, it's worth it. No, you won't miss the gaming chair.
Steam deck special edition on blue background

Boost Performance and Customization on Steam Deck with These Apps

There are many apps you can download to improve Steam Deck performance, allow you to play retro games for free with emulation and customize how games appear on menus.

TECH

A stark demonstration of ray tracing on or off in a dark city street scene with neon lights

Turning Off Ray Tracing Is the Most Self-Defeating Thing You Can...

Turning off ray tracing for better frame rates has become a ritual for PC gamers who've decided the technology is an overpriced gimmick. They're wrong about the quality, wrong about the development costs, and wrong about the future. Here's why.
DLSS Frame Generation visual demo

The “Fake Frame” Fallacy: Why Your Eyes Are Lying to You

DLSS Frame Generation gets dismissed as "fake" by purists — but is the latency concern legitimate, and does it actually matter for most players? We make the case for AI frames, but not without hearing out the other side first.
Intel Lunar Lake CPU concept image

Intel Core Ultra 9 288V Leads Exciting “Lunar Lake” CPUs

Lunar Lake CPUs are shaking things up big time, ditching Intel’s old MO. A roadmap for upcoming SKUs has leaked.

OPINION

A stark demonstration of ray tracing on or off in a dark city street scene with neon lights

Turning Off Ray Tracing Is the Most Self-Defeating Thing You Can...

Turning off ray tracing for better frame rates has become a ritual for PC gamers who've decided the technology is an overpriced gimmick. They're wrong about the quality, wrong about the development costs, and wrong about the future. Here's why.
Steam Controller sold out label

I’ve Got a Steam Controller. You Probably Haven’t. Here’s Why That’s...

The Steam Controller went on sale on 4th May 2026. It was gone in 35 minutes. Within the hour, the same controller you'd just missed buying for £85 was available on eBay for £200. Same controller, different breed of parasite. This is the piece where we talk about scalping properly, because it's time someone did.
An Xbox powered by project Helix sits on a media unit by a TV with a Steam games library on screen

The Next Xbox Is Just a PC with an Identity Crisis

Microsoft's next Xbox is a Windows PC with a console UI bolted on top and a rumoured £850 price tag attached. This is either the most honest thing a console manufacturer has done in thirteen years, or a very expensive identity crisis. Possibly both.

RETRO

Warhammer Final Liberation artwork

The Warhammer Games You Forgot You Loved (and Some You Never...

Over twenty classic Warhammer PC games have returned to Steam under the Warhammer Classics label. Some of them are genuinely important pieces of PC gaming history. Some of them are Chainsaw Warrior. Here's the full picture, plus an interview with the people who spent years untangling the rights to bring them back.
Unreal Tournament Facing Worlds map

Why Unreal Tournament’s ‘Facing Worlds’ In Low Gravity Is the Greatest...

Facing Worlds. Low gravity. Six beige computers hauled across town in parents' cars by teenagers who had no idea how an IPX network worked, and at least one who did. Unreal Tournament was the finest multiplayer FPS ever made, and everything since has been a step backwards.
Guybrush Threepwood stands apart from a campfire gathering of pirates on a moonlit beach in Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge

The Golden Age of LucasArts: Why Those Adventures Still Matter —...

In 1989, Ron Gilbert published an essay explaining why adventure games were broken and how to fix them. Then he went and fixed them. This is the story of LucasArts' golden age.

SHIT TIP (AKA CONSOLES)

NRG stun MOUZ 2-1 at StarSeries Fall 2026, leap 18 places in VRS rankings

NRG stun MOUZ 2-1 at StarSeries Fall 2026, leap 18 places...

NRG beat world number two MOUZ 2-1 in the opening round of StarLadder StarSeries Fall 2026, reaching the upper-bracket semi-final and rising 18 places to 33rd in the global Valve Regional Standings.
A stark demonstration of ray tracing on or off in a dark city street scene with neon lights

Turning Off Ray Tracing Is the Most Self-Defeating Thing You Can...

Turning off ray tracing for better frame rates has become a ritual for PC gamers who've decided the technology is an overpriced gimmick. They're wrong about the quality, wrong about the development costs, and wrong about the future. Here's why.
Steam Controller sold out label

I’ve Got a Steam Controller. You Probably Haven’t. Here’s Why That’s...

The Steam Controller went on sale on 4th May 2026. It was gone in 35 minutes. Within the hour, the same controller you'd just missed buying for £85 was available on eBay for £200. Same controller, different breed of parasite. This is the piece where we talk about scalping properly, because it's time someone did.

EDITOR'S PICKS

MOST POPULAR POSTS EVER

END ZONE

Breaking news:

Breaking news: