Some of the most popular games offer cross-play support to make the user experience more engaging. With cross-play support, gamers can invite their friends to join the same gaming servers, even if they're accessing the game from different platforms. Even the most acclaimed game of the year, Baldur's Gate 3 will soon get the cross-play feature since the game's developers Larian Studios have confirmed that cross-platform co-op is currently in the works for Baldur's Gate 3. This begs the question if Grand Theft Auto -- which happens to be one of the five biggest gaming franchises of all time -- offers this sought-after feature.

No, it doesn't. As of 2023, GTA Online does not have cross-play support. GTA lovers have been asking for cross-play support for some time now, alongside cross-save support for the next iteration of GTA Online since it can be frustrating to switch between platforms with different progress rates. 

Read More: Take-Two Interactive Hints At 2025 Release Window For GTA 6

Cross-Play Support May Not Be Worth The Time & Money For Rockstar

It's important to remember that GTA 6 is projected to be one of the biggest games of 2024. In fact, GTA publisher Take-Two Interactive has shared that it expects a 'record' turning point in its next fiscal year, renewing speculation that GTA 6 will be released before March 2025 and possibly next year. Currently, GTA Online is available on PC and three generations of Xbox and PlayStation consoles, most recently releasing on the Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5.

GTA Online remains one of the most playable multi-player titles out there and playing alone can simply get boring or feel quite redundant since most missions need 2-4 players and heists, races or GTA RP are not as enjoyable unless carried out in a group. In GTA, PC players can only play with other PC players, while console players who use Xbox and PlayStation can play with other players on the same platforms. Saving or transferring GTA Online saves between old and current generation consoles is possible; it's easier if GTA Online is linked to their Rockstar Social Club account and they can just select their previously uploaded character.

There has been no response from Rockstar Games on the issue of cross-play, even though this is one of the biggest user requests for GTA 6. The game has been out for ten years now and the experts predict that financially, it doesn't make sense for Rockstar to invest time and money balancing the game for cross-play across all platforms, especially since the game is already a massive success without it. Meanwhile, a leaked voice memo has circulated online, allegedly from Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick, claiming that GTA 6 will be revealed in October 2023 and will be released in October 2024. Although there's no confirmation on whether it's authentic.

GTA Online players have waited for a long time for two things particularly: some zombies to take down and an official return to GTA 5’s starting area. Now since both promises have been fulfilled in the new Ludendorff Cemetery Survival mode, which was released on October 10, hundreds of thousands of players can’t wait to play it.

Rockstar Games announced the new mode recently, confirming that players would finally be able to return to North Yankton, which users might remember as the snow-covered town from the game’s opening where Trevor and Michael are involved in a failed robbery attempt, ruining their relationship for years.

Also Read: GTA 5 Story DLC Was Cut To Make Room For GTA Online

GTA Online Fans Get What They Wanted For A Long Time

GTA Online players weren’t actually able to explore the location without brute forcing their way in via glitches for several years, since it’s not connected to the open-world gamin’s main area, so this marks the first instance people were able to freely go to North Yankton without any workarounds. 

North Yankton plus zombies seem to have been a big enough deal to a attract 400,000 GTA Online players to quickly jump into the mode within its first 24 hours, as per GTAO Stats. That number seems to have passed the one million mark in the past few days.

Online rumors suggested that GTA 6 had already been internally delayed to 2026, but as per a former Rockstar Games lead, the studio doesn’t know whether the game will require more time in the oven until next summer.

Also Read: Red Dead Redemption 2 Mod Discreetly Unlocks Free Downloads

Rockstar Games Not Sure About GTA 6 Launch In 2025

Former Rockstar North technical director Obbe Vermeij has chimed in on the discourse to remind folks that "the decision to delay GTA 4 was made four months or so before the original release date. Any further and it's hard to make the call." The much-anticipated game has another year in prediction, so Vermeij says that Rockstar "is probably not in a position to determine whether they will hit 2025 until May-ish."

Vermeij continued explaining that a delay is certainly on the table, however. Hype for GTA 6 has been building for over a decade at this point - and everyone from industry analysts, Xbox executives, and Take-Two’s CEO reckon the game could be a hit unlike any other - so the studio will likely choose to delay it until it’s ready for launch, rather than rush toward an undercooked and doomed to-be-controversial launch.

"GTA 6 will sell for 10+ years and there is no competition to worry about," Vermeij continues. "They are not going to release the game until they're 100% happy with it. No matter what it said in the trailer. I have no inside info. Didn't talk to anyone."

Microsoft is planning to support the streaming of Xbox game libraries in November. Sources familiar with Microsoft’s plans told The Verge that the company is prepping to test the ability to stream games that users own that are not part of the existing Xbox Game Pass library.

As part of a long-running project called Project Lapland inside of Microsoft, the software giant has been readying its Xbox Cloud Gaming servers to be able to support streaming thousands of games.

The Xbox Cloud Gaming expansion comes in the same month Microsoft plans to allow game purchases in its Xbox mobile app for Android in the US. This became possible for Microsoft thanks to a court ruling earlier this week that forced Google to stop requiring Google Play Billing for apps in the Play Store.

Also Read: Microsoft Introduces Wave 2, Integrates AI Across All M365 Products

Users Can Buy Games On Android And Play On Xbox

Xbox president Sarah Bond revealed that “starting in November, players will be able to play and purchase Xbox games directly from the Xbox App on Android.” Once Microsoft’s work to allow a full game library on Xbox Cloud Gaming is complete, users will be able to purchase an Xbox game on Android and immediately stream it to their device.

Project xCloud was said to launch with game library streaming in 2020. Microsoft then announced it would support its game library on Xbox Cloud Gaming in 2022, but it never launched that year. While thousands of games will be available through Xbox Cloud Gaming, some publishers could hold certain games back due to licensing requirements.

Microsoft is also working on a browser-based Xbox mobile store that was originally planned to launch in July. The store will initially include in-game items but will grow to cover first-party games eventually. In August, Microsoft said that testing has kicked off on the web-based mobile store and that “work is progressing well and we will have more to share in the future.”

Also Read: Hackers Could Have Exploited Microsoft App To Spy On Mac Users

Microsoft Lays Off 650 Employees From Its Xbox Division

In a new wave of job cuts, Microsoft has announced the layoff of 650 employees from its Xbox division, marking the second major workforce reduction of the year within its gaming arm. The job cuts follow a previous workforce reduction of approximately 1900 positions in January this year.

As per the company, these layoffs are part of broader restructuring efforts aimed at streamlining its gaming operations, particularly after its takeover of Activision Blizzard. The news about the recent layoffs was brought to light for employees through an internal memo from Microsoft’s gaming chief, Phil Spencer.

According to the memo, the latest wave of job cuts will predominantly affect corporate and support roles within the company’s gaming division. Spencer ensured that no games, devices, or experiences were being canceled, and no studios would be closed after the layoffs.

After years of wait, Rockstar Games has officially announced the arrival of Red Dead Redemption and Undead Nightmare DLC, for PC, as it is set to launch on October 29, 2024.

The PC version of the famous open-world title will arrive with many specific features, including native 4K resolution, Ultrawide and Super Ultrawide monitor support, and much more. Aside from that, PC gamers can also expect unlocked framerates for a much smoother experience in current-gen hardware.

Also Read: Red Dead Redemption Making PC Debut 14 Years After Launch

Red Dead Redemption and Undead Nightmare DLC Ready to Make its Way Into PC This Month

Released in 2010, Red Dead Redemption quickly became a classic title for gamers to enjoy on console. While the original game never saw a release on PC, the sequel received a Windows release two years after its launch in November 2019. However, fans kept asking for the original title's release on PC. After 14 years, Red Dead Redemption and Undead Nightmare DLC are finally arriving on PC with many features for gamers to enjoy. One can capture John Marston's beloved journey on PC, with stunning visuals filled with details. Moreover, the iconic zombie-horror companion story, Undead Nightmare will also be available on launch.

Rockstar Games has stated that the new version adds many PC-specific enhancements to the title, including 4k resolution at up to 144hz compatible hardware, monitor support for Ultrawide 21:9 and Super Ultrawide 32:9, HDR10 support, and full keyboard and mouse functionality. The title also comes with NVIDIA DLSS 3.7 and AMD FSR 3.0 upscaling technologies. One can use DLSS Frame Generation, adjustable draw distances, shadow quality settings, and many more features to tweak the game's experience up to their desire.

The PC version of Red Dead Redemption will undoubtedly deliver a massive visual upgrade over the console version from last to last gen. Moreover, the added features from Rockstar promise a much smoother, and optimized experience for PC users. The PC version of the title was leaked earlier this year, through leaked codes from the official Rockstar page, however, they did not mention any release window at the time. Fans were still expecting an announcement for their beloved title on PC. With Rockstar officially announcing a PC version, fans are excited to get their hands on Red Dead Redemption once again. 

Bullet Echo India is back with another event, which will give the players new skins. The Octoberfest event will give the players Legendary and Epic Hero Skins each day till October 13, 2024. This will help you gain skins for your heroes. After you have completed a few daily missions and collected a few resources each day, you will be able to get skins. 

Also Read: OpenAI Introduces New Canvas Interface For ChatGPT

All Bullet Echo India’s Oktoberfest Event Skins

The event has already started and each day skins will be given to the players. At the beginning of the month, Krafton had made Legendary Midnight Lynx, General Vi (Legendary), and Winter Leviathan (Epic), followed by Beast Dragoon (Legendary) and Smuggler Arnie (Epic) available to the players 

However, the skins that are most awaited are not available during the event. Here they are: 

• October 7: Yukata Angel (Epic)
• October 8: Minotaur Ramsay (Legendary)
• October 9: Stray Mirage (Epic)
• October 10: Infected Ghost (Epic)
• October 11: Maid Sparkle (Epic)
• October 12: Lava Cyclops (Epic)
• October 13: Orc Bastion (Epic)

If you have missed the skins by any chance, you will be able to get them from the shop by spending a few bucks. 

Bullet Echo India's Partnerships

Earlier in the year, Krafton partnered with a leading content creation group, S8UL, to promote the game. To acquaint the audience with the features of the game, S8UL content creators like Mortal, Scout, Regaltos, Snax, JokerKiHaveli, PayalGaming, KaashPlays, and others will be making content related to the game. Talking about the collaboration, Lokesh 'Goldy' Jain, Co-owner of S8UL said: 

We are delighted to partner with KRAFTON for the launch of Bullet Echo India, as this gives us another chance to bring new & enriching gaming experience to the community. With KRAFTON's expertise and our deep understanding of the Indian gaming community, we are confident that Bullet Echo India will excite players across the country. I also look forward to it opening new avenues for esports athletes trying to make a mark in the competitive landscape.

Talking about the collaboration, Anuj Sahani, India Publishing Advisor and Head of KRAFTON India Incubator Programme said: 

We are excited to join forces with S8UL for our Bullet Echo India. S8UL's innovative approach has consistently set them apart, and their synergy is perfectly aligned with KRAFTON to deliver an unparalleled gaming experience that fans have been eagerly anticipating.

As someone who grew up playing games like Grim Fandango on repeat, Detective Doston looked exactly the sort of game I've been looking to play. Detective Doston's preview build scratched that little Lovo Motive-esque itch for me that very few games have been able to and while it feels a tiny bit similar to Loco Motive, it has enough character and creative flair to be its own thing. Masala Games' commitment to a solid, unique art style endemic to India, derived from the Patan Patola silk weaving technique, is what did it for me. The game's fantastic atmosphere, mood, and light-hearted jovialness are exactly the sort of palette cleanser you need from the deeply cynical AAA space we find ourselves in today.

The game, while a celebration of India and its vibrant cultures, is also extremely witty and sharp in its commentary - whether it be the deep-set political warfare of the neighbourhood kitty parties or the extreme pettiness of your neighbours to haunt you with high-precision bird strikes.

Detective Doston's attention to detail cannot be looked over as it weaves together crucial elements of Indian cityscapes with authentic storefronts, street signs, and of course, unruly litterers you can put in place by throwing their garbage back at them. The game is packed with excruciating attention to detail that faithfully recreates and enhances the summery vibes of Detective Doston. The game, while a celebration of India and its vibrant cultures, is also extremely witty and sharp in its commentary - whether it be the deep-set political warfare of the neighbourhood kitty parties or the extreme pettiness of your neighbours to haunt you with high-precision bird strikes. Detective Doston is one of my favourite games I've played from an Indian developer this year and I cannot wait for the full release. 

Also Read: Bollywood-Inspired Detective Dotson To Feature Co-Op Cases

Detective Doston: The Scourge of Littering Underworld

Detective Doston's gameplay is pretty straightforward and surprisingly non-linear with the way it uses simple and easy-to-grasp gameplay mechanics to let players explore the world at their own pace, pick up optional side quests and immerse themselves in the game world. Doston is a fairly mobile character, able to jump, sprint, and climb onto ledges as if he were a direct descendant of Ezio Auditore. The platforming, while basic, serves its purpose well and does enough to keep things mechanically interesting. The real game, however, is the actual 'detecting' you'll be doing. 

 Gathering clues, while not linear in this preview build, could be further expanded in the full release - giving players agency in the kind of detective they want Doston to be. 

This means gathering clues by either talking to NPCs, eavesdropping or finding clues in the environment and then placing those clues on your Evidence Board in a way that makes sense. Think Alan Wake II's Mind Palace Evidence Board but significantly more cheery and exponentially more Indian. Definitely more Indian. While this isn't exactly rocket science, it asks the players to pay attention to NPC dialog carefully and sus out their motivations. Gathering clues, while not linear in this preview build, could be further expanded in the full release - giving players agency in the kind of detective they want Doston to be. 

The real joy of the game, for me, came through the non-linear exploration which lets you talk to different NPCs and pick up side quests.

In the preview build, gathering clues usually means disguising yourself as another NPC, which will give you access to the area or certain NPC dialogue. The 'Disguise' mechanic is also quite dandy as each Disguise grants Doston with an additional ability. These abilities will help you in your clue-gathering endavors or simply make NPCs dance if you wish. I did. Several times. While the core gameplay loop was more than enough to sustain my interest in the game, its the meandering about the game world that made me come back to Detective Doston even after I had finished the 2 cases in the preview build (which took me about 30 minutes). 

The real joy of the game, for me, came through the non-linear exploration which lets you talk to different NPCs and pick up side quests. While these aren't super detailed, expansive, story-driven gameplay sections - they never failed to get a chuckle out of me. Overall, Detective Doston is a delightfully, authentically Indian game that knows exactly what it is and excels in immersing the player in the game world. I will be looking forward to the full release and throw litter back at unruly citizens, because that's just the kind of person I am.