The Callisto Protocol becomes free on the Epic Games Store until 4 p.m. on December 25, 2025, giving you a no-cost window to grab Striking Distance Studios' cinematic survival-horror bruiser and keep it in your account permanently if you redeem it in time. The giveaway is highlighted in Game Rant's coverage of Epic's holiday AAA drop, which points to the limited-time redemption period and the kind of "claim-it-now" urgency that defines Epic's seasonal promotions Game Rant: Epic holiday giveaway details. If you missed it at launch, it's still best approached with the right expectations: this is a grim, heavy-hitting, corridor-driven ride that wears its inspiration loudly—often framed as an unofficial spiritual successor to Dead Space—while doing its own thing with close-quarters brutality and big-budget spectacle.
How to redeem The Callisto Protocol for free on Epic Games Store is simple and takes about a minute, as long as you don't leave it too late on Christmas Day. Open the Epic Games Launcher (or Epic's web store), sign in, search for The Callisto Protocol, and hit "Get" to add it to your account—then complete checkout (it should total £0.00) and confirm it's in your Library for download. If you want a quick vibe check before committing drive space, the official extended gameplay trailer from Summer Game Fest 2022 gives a solid look at its tone, pacing, and combat rhythm—handy for deciding whether you're in the mood for tense lighting, crunchy impacts, and prison-planet misery IGN: Extended gameplay trailer. Practical tip: if your download speed is getting hammered by holiday traffic, start the install, pause, and resume later—Epic's launcher usually handles queued downloads reliably, and you'll still own it as long as you redeemed before the deadline.
Grand Theft Auto nearly left the United States for Tokyo, Rio de Janeiro, Istanbul, and Moscow during Rockstar's concept phase discussions, according to reporting that draws on an interview with former Rockstar technical director Obbe Vermeij. WCCFTech's write-up on the "almost" GTA settings lays out the shortlist of non-U.S. locations that were considered over the years—ideas that would have radically changed the series' tone, mission structure, and satire targets WCCFTech: GTA settings that almost happened. If you've ever wondered why GTA's open-world formula hits the way it does, this is a reminder that "city choice" isn't just window dressing: it shapes everything from radio humor and street layout to vehicle culture, wanted systems, and the kind of criminal fantasies the game can sell convincingly.
Why GTA remains centered on U.S. parodies is tied to Rockstar's long-running satirical playbook and production realities, and the Vermeij interview offers a grounded glimpse of that balancing act. GamesHub's full interview with Obbe Vermeij digs into what it was like building the classic GTA trilogy and how Rockstar thinks about scope, technology, and the series' identity GamesHub: Obbe Vermeij interview. For a modern snapshot of where Rockstar is pointing the franchise now, it's hard to ignore the momentum around the next mainline entry—especially with Rockstar's own Grand Theft Auto VI Trailer 2 continuing to frame GTA's near-future ambitions in familiar territory Rockstar Games: GTA VI Trailer 2. Translation: a "GTA Tokyo" sounds amazing on a forum thread, but the series' voice, cultural targets, and the sheer workload of building an authentic (and legally safer) parody ecosystem still pull hard toward the U.S. sandbox.
The Witcher 3 is rumored to receive new DLC in May 2026 that could bridge into The Witcher 4, based on a report citing a Poland-based security analyst who's attempting to predict CD Projekt's next move. PC Gamer's breakdown of the rumor and its context frames it as additional fuel rather than confirmation—worth watching, not worth pre-ordering in your head PC Gamer: Analyst adds fuel to 2026 DLC rumors. The reason this chatter has legs is obvious: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt already has a track record of meaningful expansions (not just cosmetics), and a "bridge" DLC is a classic way to smooth the narrative handoff between major RPG installments—especially when fan expectations are sky-high.
What a Witcher 3 "bridge DLC" could realistically do is tee up characters, politics, or consequences that echo into The Witcher 4 without rewriting the ending you chose, and that's exactly the kind of careful threading CD Projekt would need to pull off. The hype engine is also being fed by the broader spotlight on the next game, with the cinematic reveal trailer for The Witcher 4 shown at The Game Awards 2024 keeping the franchise firmly in the conversation even while concrete details remain limited The Witcher: Witcher 4 cinematic reveal trailer. Until CD Projekt puts out an official announcement, treat "May 2026" as a rumor date—not a release date—but keep an eye on how it would fit into your backlog planning: if you've been itching for a reason to revisit Hearts of Stone or Blood and Wine first, this is a good excuse to reinstall, update your mods, and remember why Geralt's world still sets the bar for open-world RPG storytelling.
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