We’re really excited to see all the discussion, positive vibes, as well as your feedback and bug reports for Phase 2 of Season 4, Top Gun.
While we’re seeing a lot of you have already jumped in and sunk Carriers, explored Wake Island, and engaged in dogfights aplenty, we wanted to give a quick recap for those who might have been stuck at work or taking care of other important business.
Guides, Features and Update Notes
Top Gun has brought in new modes, the return of Wake Island, and plenty of changes and adjustments, so here’s a quick recap as well as links to the full information if you’re looking for more.
CARRIER STRIKE IS BACK
Tsuru Reef is under siege.
Striking the USS Grant aircraft carrier base, Pax Armata is primed to destabilize NATO’s dominance in the Pacific by deploying their own carrier, the PXS Condor. If NATO wants to maintain their stronghold on Tsuru Reef -- and prevent Pax from laying claim to another sector of the world -- they're going to have to fight for it.
Learn more about the fan favourite mode returning in Battlefield 6 in our Top Gun: Carrier Strike Mode Guide here:
Of course, Top Gun arrived with detailed changes that you can find in our 1.4.2.0 Update Notes.
One of the quality-of-life changes you might have missed is the new ADS Dispersion Crosshair.
We have introduced a new option that allows an indicator that represents the current amount of Dispersion (AKA Bloom/Spread) that the weapon has when aiming down sight.
When shooting while aiming down sight with an automatic weapon, you will notice that the size of that shape increases, which communicates that the weapon is becoming inaccurate. When moving, you can also see how the accuracy is affected.
This option intends to help players understand how Dispersion functions and to learn to improve their shooting technique with that mechanic in mind.
The option called “ADS Dispersion Crosshair” can be found under HUD/CROSSHAIR and is by default enabled in the firing range only but can be fully turned OFF or enabled in any multiplayer experiences.
In addition, the option comes with its own opacity slider and color picker so that you can customize the visibility of the indicator to your liking.
Check out the Update Notes for all changes that arrived on August 18!
LEARN TO FLY
An important aspect in Top Gun is, you guessed it, flying! Not only are two new jets available on Wake Island, including a two-seater, but you can also duke it out in the brand new Gauntlet: Fighter Sweep mode.
Nervous flyer? No problem, we have just the thing for you. As of the Season 4 Update 1.4.2.0, there’s a new way to fly:
Simplified Jet Controls are similar to the Simplified Helicopter Controls from launch, in that it is an alternative and “simpler” method to control jets. Essentially, instead of manually adjusting the pitch, roll, and yaw in order to fly, you only need to look in the direction you wish to fly, and the jet will align relative to where you look.
Want to know more? Check out the Aerial Vehicles Guide here:
Ready to practice what you read? Head to the Air Vehicle Sandbox in Portal. Search for experience code 1264G and test your pilot skills.
For the latest updates, keep an eye on Steam Discussions and our BattlefieldComm X account. If you need to report any issues, please visit EA forums. If you want to take part in Q&As, giveaways, community events, or find a squad, join the Battlefield Discord.
This article may change as we listen to community feedback and continue developing and evolving our Live Service & Content. We will always strive to keep our community as informed as possible.
It seems like controversy is destined to follow Grand Theft Auto 6 all the way up to its launch in November, as the most recent wave of leaks from disgruntled players at CYBERLEEK have resulted in absolute chaos for both Rockstar Games and parent company Take-Two. The leaker is out for vengeance, posting several never-before-seen videos with gameplay and combat details ahead of GTA 6's Netflix preview on August 27.
Valve honcho Gabe Newell recorded a video to kick off The International 2026, the latest edition of Valve's annual Dota 2 championship tournament, and as noticed by GamesRadar, the reaction to it is pleasingly wholesome... Read more.
Initially announced alongside the smashing success of Riot Games' FPS shooter Valorant, the studio's take on 2D fighters with 2XKO was initially met with wide praise from League of Legends fans and fighting game enthusiasts alike. Despite the positive perception and character updates, however, Riot Games is officially shutting down 2XKO less than one year since it debuted.
Gearbox is sticking to its word and continuing to support Borderlands 4 with big new content drops despite what it's admitted was a "softer" launch than expected. The developer has released the full details for the $20 Borderlands 4 Story Pack 2, titled FL4K and the Last Resort, and, as you might've gleaned from that title, the Borderlands 3 playable Beastmaster class FL4K is making a triumphant comeback.
At the heart of FL4K and the Last Resort's story is a rescue mission for the vault hunter's dog, who is kidnapped by Tediore soldiers while accompanying FL4K on a hunting mission on the new tropical jungle map, Providence, which makes up much of the new DLC's visual identity. Art director Chris Neely tells Polygon the update has "a little bit of a Mad Max edge" and "a little John Wick action."
"Tediore has captured one of my best friends. He's a skag, and he's helpless without me. If he is alive, I require assistance rescuing him. If he is dead, go Vault Hunter, put things in their place," says FL4K in the below trailer. Frankly, if there's one guaranteed trick to get me to buy a DLC, it's telling me there's an animal that needs rescuing. Diabolical work, Gearbox.
Ultimately, we're here for the loot, and Story Pack 2 delivers on that front. Gearbox says you'll be able to find two new Pearlescent weapons; the Astonisher Ripper shotgun and the Quadratus, a Vladof Heavy Weapon Ordnance; as well as 18 new pieces of Legendary gear.
Borderlands 4's second big expansion releases alongside a smaller new Bounty Pack, titled Amara and the Vile Shadows, which is a separate $6 purchase and comes with a new replayable mission and new loot including a new Pearlescent weapon and six new pieces of Legendaries.
All of that is releasing alongside a new system update that'll bring the game up to version 1.10 and increase the max level cap by 10 for everyone.
Anime NYC is the largest anime convention on the East Coast, in the biggest city in the US! Bringing together 150K fans from around the world for four days of excitement, it showcases the best of Japanese pop culture with unique exhibits, exclusive screenings and experiences, and appearances by top creators from Japan and beyond.
In one of the more heartbreaking developments in the games industry this year, Riot’s League of Legends fighting game, 2XKO, will officially end active development in December.
The writing has been on the wall for some time now, but the official news still hit the fighting game community like a freight train. The 2XKO team explained the situation in a blog post on August 20, admitting that there simply aren’t enough active players to justify continued support.
“Over the last few months, we’ve been monitoring 2XKO’s trajectory closely, and what we’ve seen is painting a clear, consistent picture: while a lot of you jumped in to try the game and there's an incredible community that plays every day, we haven’t seen enough players stick with the game to get to a path toward sustainability,” their post reads.
With a heavy heart, the @Play2XKO team shares an update about the future. - Active development will end in December. - The final content patch goes live in October. - Servers stay online. - In-game purchases made before August 20 will be refunded.https://t.co/3UQF7kh5S4https://t.co/FKquzTd6xc
— Riot Games (@riotgames) August 20, 2026 As of right now, 2XKO will remain online beyond 2026, and offline play will not be affected. The team will continue to introduce new content throughout the rest of the year, including feature improvements, two new champions in Lux and Samira, and a final bug fix patch in December.
It’s unclear if this will remain true in the future, though, as the wording of Riot’s blog post made it seem as though the status of active online play is subject to change. “We’ll give advanced notice if any of that changes,” it reads.
The team went on to give a preview of what’s coming next for the game: In the coming months, Riot will disable KO Points purchases, refund all purchases made prior to August 20, add a purchasable bundle of nearly all 2XKO cosmetic content for $39.99, and make most items available for Credits. Riot will also unlock most gameplay content, including all champions.
It’s also removing systems like Battle Passes, KO Points, Champion Tokens, seasons, and events, as well as disabling ranked lobbies to better streamline the casual lobby experience. “Ranked lobbies will be disabled to ensure that we can matchmake within a single pool of players per server,” the post explains. “Casual lobbies will still be matchmade by skill, so you should still expect to see players around your skill level.” Private lobbies will remain unaffected by these changes.
Notably, the 2XKO Competitive Series will continue through the end of 2026, but after that, it’s gone for good. Riot will continue to support players and tournament organizers during this time, including providing prizing for all Major and Challenger events. The final Competitive Series event will still take place in November. 2027 and onwards, TOs can continue to run both offline and online events featuring the game using their community competition guidelines.
The team went on to explain why development for the game is ending, saying “diehard tag fighter players loved 2XKO, but most other fighting game players struggled to find reasons to stick with the game. …We saw no meaningful, sustained change in 2XKO’s trajectory; only a fraction of what it would take to trend toward sustainability. Over time it became clear it would be impossible for us to continue actively developing the game as we are today.”
Although the team looked at all available options — reducing the size of their workforce (something that happened back in February), adjusting patch schedules, and changing their business model — they discovered that “finishing the rest of our work-in-progress content and sunsetting active development was the best route forward for players and Rioters.”
Needless to say, the response from the FGC hasn’t been positive. It even sparked a response from Evo, the world’s largest fighting game tournament, which wrote: “Not the news we wanted to hear today. Sending love to the team who worked so hard to bring the game to life.”
“I feel terrible for the 2XKO team and so sad for myself and everyone who loves this game,” one player wrote on X. “Shame on Riot for the way they turn their backs on games they develop that don't have LoL numbers.”
“Riot really needs to stop cancelling everything that isn't as big as LoL. You're never gonna reach that level of success again. It's unrealistic to shit-can everything (and everyone) that doesn't reach that bar,” another said.
As previously mentioned, the writing has been on the wall for 2XKO for some time now. Players feared the worst after Riot laid off dozens of the game’s development team back in February, worrying that this move heralded the eventual death of the title. Unfortunately, it seems they were right, though there's at least some silver lining with servers remaining online for the time being.
Virginia (she/her) is IGN’s News Editor. With ten years of experience reporting on games and entertainment, she’s got a storied background in the fighting game community, influencer news, and viral online trends. Find her on Twitter at @TheeMissGlaze.
We have introduced a new option that allows an indicator that represents the current amount of Dispersion (AKA Bloom/Spread) that the weapon has when aiming down sight.
Following the earlier releases on Switch and PC, the other two console platforms will get the game later this year.
It seems like controversy is destined to follow 
The global console releases will follow on October 29.
Initially announced alongside the smashing success of 
Gearbox is sticking to its word and continuing to support Borderlands 4 with big new content drops despite what 
Brigandine Abyss had the potential to be great, but it is held back by some issues that make it a disappointing follow-up to its predecessor. 
In one of the more heartbreaking developments in the games industry this year, Riot’s League of Legends fighting game, 2XKO, will officially end active development in December.