The Daily Game News

News Pulse

A live read on the games news cycle, measured from our own coverage clustering.

live
502stories · 48h window
43outlets tracked
160picked up by 2+
12 stories / hr · 16% below normal
33outlets on top story

The news landscape

When each story broke, and how far it spread. Bigger dots are hotter — hover for detail, click to read.

Massively on the Go: Pokemon Go 10th Anniversary Mega Finale is less free and less content — 2 outlets, 25.8h ago'Fortnite'’s Most Prized Collectible Is Easier Than Ever to Get, but for a Limited Time — 3 outlets, 43.9h agoWe almost had Matthew McConaughey in HBO’s The Last of Us but he had a strong reason to decline — 2 outlets, 40h agoThe Watcher is a creepy surveillance thriller with shiny Unreal Engine props - I just hope it's not as talkative as its trailer — 2 outlets, 20.9h ago4.5 Honkai: Star Rail Stream Teased Zenless Zone Zero Crossover — 3 outlets, 26.2h agoIt's Official, Sonic Frontiers Has Now Sold More Than Five Million Copies — 5 outlets, 44.7h agoFantasy Action RPG Bringer Announced — 2 outlets, 28.1h agoStill Not Sold on Dawnwalker? Dev Presents 'Everything You Need to Know' About the Open World RPG — 5 outlets, 45.9h agoNexon Q2 2026: MapleStory and ARC Raiders made so much money that Nexon paid out a special dividend — 2 outlets, 21.4h agoHere's What The Mafia: Definitive Edition Upgrade Looks Like On Xbox Series X — 2 outlets, 37.4h agoRoundup: All The Xbox Reveals From The Kinetic Publishing Showcase 2026 — 9 outlets, 65.6h agoArcade Archives Nintendo Switch 2 and Switch sale live, lowest price ever for Ridge Racer and more — 2 outlets, 17.9h agoSpider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse Suffers Significant Leak Online as 4 Minutes of Footage Hits Social Media — 5 outlets, 28.7h agoSamsung has new Galaxy headphones in the works — 2 outlets, 36.5h agoPokemon Bank shutdown will make 5 Pokemon unobtainable in modern Switch games, and fans want to know when that changes — 2 outlets, 19.3h agoMulholland Drive’s 4K Criterion Collection Edition Drops to a New All-Time Low Price — 2 outlets, 19.2h agoNeverwinter kicks off its Summer Festival with events, mounts, and fashion — 2 outlets, 23.9h agoStar Wars: The Old Republic Is Entering A "New Era" With Its Next Official Release — 2 outlets, 22.9h agoBest team to use in Path of Idle: Old Gods Rising — 2 outlets, 40.7h agoTop Ranged Classes for PvP Dominance in Mistfall Hunter — 2 outlets, 23.9h agoThe Mandalorian and Grogu Lands Disney+ Release Date After Underperforming in Theaters With $345 Million — 3 outlets, 43.5h agoPlaying Baldur's Gate 3 with no weapons at all forced me to progress my story in a very specific way — 4 outlets, 45.4h agoHigh On Life Is Coming To VR, And Yes, You Can Stroke Your Weird Guns — 4 outlets, 41.1h agoPocketpair 'not planning to spend a year making a massive update' for Palworld 1.1 — 2 outlets, 17.7h agoPalworld TCG Creators Apologize For Stock Shortage — 4 outlets, 23.6h agoSony Pitches Stressed Out Bear as Its Own Hello Kitty — 2 outlets, 22.8h agoToday’s Top Deals: Best Buy’s MTG Sale, Nioh 3 for PS5, and GameSir G8+ Mobile Controller — 3 outlets, 26.9h agoMonopoly GO Free Dice Rolls Links (August 2026) — 2 outlets, 22.5h agoThe Challenge winner Tyler Duckworth found dead after neighbor reports water leak — 2 outlets, 16.1h agoBeloved Legend of Zelda Games Get New Enhanced 3DS Ports — 2 outlets, 16.1h agoNeo Berlin 2087 Set for 2028 — 3 outlets, 40.8h agoBeast of Reincarnation Director Promises Improvements After Apologizing For Rocky Launch — 3 outlets, 36.9h agoSecretlab's Gaming Chairs Are on Sale During the Back to School Sale, Including Its Flagship Nanogen Edition — 2 outlets, 18.9h agoBlood of Dawnwalker takes notes from Guitar Hero for the vampire RPG's parrying: "It's so cool that we believe most people will play this way" — 2 outlets, 20.4h agoThimbleweed Park 2 Is Being Funded By A Sole 'Wealthy Outsider' — 2 outlets, 20.1h agoA dev tried to warn WB Games not to launch Lord of the Rings: War in the North 10 days before Skyrim, but was 'overruled' — 4 outlets, 23.6h agoThe "greatest speedrun accomplishment of all time" is in sight as two legendary Super Mario Bros runners compete for a time that once seemed impossible — 2 outlets, 19.9h agoThe 7 Most Perfect Cozy Games Like Animal Crossing — 2 outlets, 16.8h agoUpcoming Nintendo Switch 2 Games: Release Dates for 2026 and Beyond — 2 outlets, 15.7h agoBlizzard takes rare World of Warcraft mount from players as the MMO's latest crack down on real-money transactions continues — 3 outlets, 21.6h agoIndie Publisher Nakana.io Is Closing, All Games Now Heavily Discounted — 5 outlets, 47.9h agoBefore Grand Theft Auto Online, GTA 4's multiplayer added 'glorious chaos' to the open world sandbox — 2 outlets, 17.4h agoGhost Recon Breakpoint: How to Unlock the 4-AC (Best AR) — 2 outlets, 14.9h agoBaldur's Gate 3 is like a brand-new game with its most popular combat mod — 3 outlets, 25.5h agoWant More Story In Your Stardew? Fields Of Mistria Is Right Up Your Valley — 5 outlets, 40.2h ago'The Game Feels Super Smooth': Wolverine Will Run at 60fps with Ray Tracing on Base PS5 — 6 outlets, 45.9h agoDragon Ball: 6 Best Candidates To Join The Heroes, Ranked — 2 outlets, 19.4h agoLanterns Is Replacing House of the Dragon in HBO's Sunday Slot This Weekend — 2 outlets, 20.9h agoSwitch Online's DK Challenge Now Offering Physical 39-Card Set Reward — 2 outlets, 12h agoModding the Khajiit lands into Oblivion is still the cat's meow — 2 outlets, 15.1h ago'Marvel Tokon' Reportedly Moves 500K Units In First Week, Kicking Off Sales Figures Debate — 9 outlets, 43.3h agoMadden NFL 27 Review: One Step Forward, One Step Back — 4 outlets, 30.9h agoHow To Survive Every Biome In PEAK (All Levels) — 5 outlets, 26.3h agoDisney's Live-Action Tangled Remake Sets 2028 Release Date | D23 2026 — 2 outlets, 14.1h agoOne Piece Officially Unveils The 3 Strongest New Gen Pirates — 3 outlets, 23.4h agoDisney Reveals First Look at Star Wars: Ahsoka Season 2 at D23 Fan Event — 2 outlets, 10.9h agoAhsoka season 2 trailer features Anakin, Clone Wars-era flashbacks and Grand Admiral Thrawn declaring war on the Rebel Alliance — 2 outlets, 14.6h agoDisney Dreamlight Valley Teases Fourth Expansion 'The Keepsake Sea' And Jack Sparrow — 2 outlets, 15.6h agoHell Let Loose: Vietnam Comparison Shows Difference Between Xbox Series X And Series S — 7 outlets, 42.5h agoEight Xbox Games Are Getting Delisted In August & September 2026 So Far - Pure Xbox — 9 outlets, 42.3h agoGuide: When Is the Phantom Blade Zero State of Play? — 2 outlets, 19.4h agoStar Wars: Starfighter teaser shown behind closed doors at D23, read an exclusive description — 3 outlets, 14.1h agoMarvel's Releases First Official VisionQuest Trailer at D23 — 4 outlets, 17.4h agoCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 4's PS5 Beta Includes Campaign Mission for the First Time — 11 outlets, 24.4h agoMarvel's X-Men movie release date, cast, story speculation, and more news — 4 outlets, 26.1h agoRound Up: The Final Previews Are In For Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave On Switch 2 — 16 outlets, 47.9h agoDiablo: The Infernal Path Officially Confirmed for Fall 2026 Ahead of BlizzCon — 3 outlets, 18.2h agoUS Senate launches investigation into Roblox: 'Children on your platform are hurting. Congress will not look the other way' — 8 outlets, 25.1h agoAvengers: Doomsday D23 special look teases a major Doctor Doom moment and the new Marvel mega-villain's backstory — 6 outlets, 19.8h agoName That Game (August 16, 2026) — 2 outlets, 26.9h agoDragon Ball Super 2: 9 Strongest New Transformations, Ranked — 2 outlets, 8.4h agoStalker 2's imminent free update aims to make the sequel more atmospheric and less relentlessly hostile: 'The Zone isn't one constant gunfight' — 2 outlets, 20.6h agoRideshare Stimulator Reportedly Replaced Lead Writer With ChatGPT — 2 outlets, 15.7h ago9 Anime Characters Smarter Than Batman — 2 outlets, 14.4h agoBest players for FC 26 Pocket Inspector Evolution — 2 outlets, 15.9h agoAnime Origins Tier List – Best Units [RELEASE] — 2 outlets, 9.3h agoWe’re reaching peak camera with the Sony A7R VI — 2 outlets, 24.1h agoThe surprise must-see movie of the summer — 2 outlets, 15.9h agoInsomniac had to ditch Spider-Man's open-world for Marvel's Wolverine because Logan is "not somebody who has a friendly neighborhood" — 2 outlets, 20.9h ago'It's a Relentless Onslaught': Wolverine PS5 Dev Responds to Unprecedented Criticism — 2 outlets, 3.6h ago5 Reasons The Elder Scrolls 6 Should Be Xbox Exclusive (And 5 Reasons It Shouldn't) — 2 outlets, 2.9h agoHow To Unlock All Achievements In Servant Of The Lake — 3 outlets, 20.1h agoIn the Tranquility of Cycles Quest Trigger Guide In Genshin Impact — 9 outlets, 26.9h agoFeature: These 30+ Games Are Coming To Xbox Next Week (August 17-21) — 2 outlets, 1.9h agoGameRant Daily Crossword (August 16, 2026) — 3 outlets, 26.9h agoMatt Groening Himself Says The Simpsons: Hit & Run Is 'Coming Back in Some Form' — 4 outlets, 12.7h ago10 Essential GameCube Games Switch 2 Needs ASAP — 5 outlets, 26.9h agoTalking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (August 15-16) — 4 outlets, 19.9h agoI Hope GTA 6 Borrows a Lot From GTA 4 — 6 outlets, 21.5h agoA Kingdom Hearts Animated Series Is 'Coming Soon' to Disney Channel, Disney Plus — 33 outlets, 22.5h ago
Outlets covering →
48H AGOWHEN IT BROKENOW

Publishing volume

Stories per hour, against what the model expects for this hour.

48H AGONOW
published learned expectation

How the algorithm sees today

Where stories fall, and the boundaries the model has learned. These move.

Steady0.25Rising0.59Hot1.73Breaking2.73
160 clustered stories in this window

How stories spread

Outlet pickup across each story’s life. A steep climb is a scheduled drop.

A Kingdom Hearts Animated Series Is 'Coming Soon' to Disney Channel, Disney Plus — 33 outlets over 22.5hRound Up: The Final Previews Are In For Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave On Switch 2 — 16 outlets over 47.9hCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 4's PS5 Beta Includes Campaign Mission for the First Time — 11 outlets over 24.4hIn the Tranquility of Cycles Quest Trigger Guide In Genshin Impact — 9 outlets over 26.9h'Marvel Tokon' Reportedly Moves 500K Units In First Week, Kicking Off Sales Figures Debate — 9 outlets over 43.3h

Breaking now

Fastest pickup, still growing.

Just published

Newest first, updating live.

Biggest clusters

Most outlets on one story.

Who breaks it first

How often each outlet published first, over 318 clusters.

  • Gamerant 68% · 3 stories
  • Gematsu 65% · 22 stories
  • Xbox Wire 59% · 3 stories
  • Pocket Gamer 59% · 3 stories
  • Dexerto – Games 57% · 14 stories
  • GameRant 56% · 63 stories
  • PlayStation Blog 53% · 6 stories
  • RPGamer 52% · 18 stories

How far behind

Median minutes behind the first report.

  • GameRant first · 37 stories
  • Gematsu first · 12 stories
  • Nintendo Everything first · 9 stories
  • Massively OP first · 7 stories
  • PlayStation Blog first · 3 stories
  • Dexerto first · 3 stories
  • GamesRadar+ +4m · 50 stories
  • Google News – Video Games +11m · 22 stories
  • GameSpot +13m · 15 stories
  • Polygon +26m · 35 stories

Most active outlets

Output this window, and how much was original.

  • GameRant 21 first · 43 total
  • GamesRadar+ 18 first · 27 total
  • IGN 11 first · 24 total
  • Polygon 8 first · 22 total
  • Massively OP 3 first · 17 total
  • TheGamer 3 first · 12 total
  • Nintendo Everything 3 first · 10 total
  • Destructoid 3 first · 9 total

What the press is chasing

Games by total reach.

  • coming soon 36 reach · 3 stories
  • kingdom hearts 33 reach · 1 stories
  • it doesn 20 reach · 8 stories
  • fire emblem fortune s weave 16 reach · 1 stories
  • wild blue skies 14 reach · 3 stories
  • grand theft auto vi 13 reach · 6 stories
  • madden nfl 12 reach · 4 stories
  • hell let loose vietnam 12 reach · 3 stories

Shape of the window

Every story by level. Most news is carried by a single outlet.

Breaking 0
Hot 17
Rising 22
Steady 56
Quiet 65
Solo 342

Levels are cut at the learned 40th, 75th, 90th and 97th percentiles of heat = outlets^0.6 × (1 + pickups per hour) × freshness, measured over the last 2000 readings. Because the cut-points come from the site’s own recent history rather than fixed numbers, the same story can be “Hot” in a quiet week and “Steady” during a showcase. Breaking additionally requires the cluster to still be growing. Current cut-points: 0.25 / 0.59 / 1.73 / 2.73.

How these numbers are measured

Where the data comes from

The Daily Game News aggregates gaming coverage from 28 outlets and groups reports of the same event into a single cluster. Nothing here is scraped from a third-party analytics service: every figure on this page is derived from that clustering, which is what makes “how many outlets ran this” answerable at all.

Reach, velocity and heat

Reach is the number of distinct outlets in a cluster. Velocity is how many joined in the last three hours — deliberately a current measure, because outlets-per-hour since publication simply rewards a story for being new. Heat combines the two with a freshness decay, and it is heat that the level labels are drawn from.

Why the thresholds move

A fixed threshold is wrong most of the day: six outlets in an hour is a frenzy at 04:00 and unremarkable during a showcase. Instead the site keeps a rolling sample of recent heat values and reads the boundaries off its own percentiles, so the labels keep their meaning as the news cycle changes. The model state shown in the sidebar is that sample, and its adaptation rate.

What “first” means

An outlet is credited with breaking a story when its timestamp is the earliest in the cluster. Because syndication and feed delays make any single observation noisy, scoop rates are smoothed toward the site-wide average in proportion to how little history an outlet has. Lag is reported as a median for the same reason.

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