Halo Infinite ranks in order

Halo Infinite’s ranked playlist puts players into ranks depending on their skill and performance, then shuffles players up and down those ranks as they play better or worse. At time of writing, the ranks of Halo Infinite are arranged as follows, from least to best.

• Bronze
• Silver
• Gold
• Platinum
• Diamond
• Onyx

Your rank is set when you complete your first ten games of ranked competitive matches, then updates as you play from that point on. Your rank resets at the start of every season, so  you have until then to get as high as possible. The rewards for high ranks appear to be emblems and nameplates, as shown in the image above. If there’s any other perks to it, we haven’t found them.

How to improve your competitive tier ranking

The actual rubric for how your rank improves is… vague, to say the least. Infinite simply says it improves when you “perform better than expected”, which might suggest that multiple factors are being considered, such as wins, K/D ratio and general match score. We’ll update when we know more, but frankly – just do well. Win games, get kills, don’t die. 

Ranked competitive matching game rules

Ranked games in Halo Infinite have various game types, but with some additional rules added or changed to make things a little more tricky. Here’s some things to keep in mind.

• There’s no motion sensor/radar for anybody.
• Friendly fire is active.
• Grenades no longer show hitmarkers.
• Everybody starts with a BR75 (Battle Rifle) and no secondary weapon.

These rules clearly make things a little more dangerous and hardcore – the Battle Rifle is more deadly and precise than either the usual starting Pistol or Assault Rife, friendly fire means you now have to be wary of allies, lack of grenade hitmarkers means you can’t scout ahead with explosives, and the loss of radar is a game changer that makes ambushes and stealth much more viable.

There’s also one more thing to keep in mind – if a player leaves the game, either for connection issues, crashes or just voluntarily quitting, the game keeps going but nobody will fill their place, putting that team at a permanent disadvantage with one less hired goon. That being said, Halo Infinite does penalise those players – quitting Ranked too often in a row places a temporary ban on playing that game mode for a short time.

Ranked game modes

Ranked mode has four game modes available at time of writing with a total of six maps in circulation (though not all maps can support all game modes. We’ve listed the available ones below, just keep in mind that they’re all subject to the altered ranked game rules mentioned above.

• Oddball: Streets, Recharge, Live Fire
• Strongholds: Streets, Recharge, Live Fire
• CTF (Capture the Flag): Behemoth, Bazaar, Aquarius
• Slayer: Streets, Recharge, Live Fire, Bazaar, Aquarius

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Developer Hoyoverse confirmed (opens in new tab) the updated launch schedule earlier today. Despite rumors and speculation that the Genshin Impact 2.7 delay could push Hoyoverse into shortening the update in order to get the game back on its usual six-week cycle, the studio says “the duration of version 2.7 is expected to be six weeks.”

Update 2.8 is planned to launch on July 13, 2022. However, the ongoing Spices from the West event, which implied that update 2.7 could arrive as late as June, will continue through June 7 as planned. Per Hoyoverse’s previous statement, the weekly compensation given out for the update 2.7 delay will be adjusted, so expect 400 more Primogems to arrive on Wednesday, May 25, and a bit less for the final week. 

As usual, the time zone breakdown for the update’s launch means it will technically arrive one day earlier for much of the world. Maintenance will start around 3pm PT / 6pm ET / 11pm BST and should end within five hours. Genshin Impact updates usually go live 30 to 60 minutes before the scheduled maintenance resolution, but especially given 2.7’s launch hurdles, there are no guarantees there. 

Hoyoverse says that the long-disabled Serenitea Pot building function will also return once maintenance ends and update 2.7 launches, so you’ll get to update your characters and furniture soon. 

The 2.7 reveal stream will air at 5am PT / 8am ET / 1pm BST on the official Genshin Impact Twitch (opens in new tab) channel. It will be posted to the game’s YouTube (opens in new tab) roughly four hours later. 

The stream reveal art features new character Yelan as well as the lovable oni Itto. The new four-star character in the update, Kuki Shinobu, is a top member of Itto’s gang so players had suspected the Geo oni would be rerun for update 2.7, and that certainly seems to be the case. 

New Genshin Impact character Shikanoin Heizou has already been revealed and should arrive in update 2.8

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1. Complete the GTA Online tutorial

To get going in GTA Online, you’ll first need to complete the tutorial section. If you’re playing the standalone GTA Online version, you should be able to jump right in, but players with the full GTA 5 game that includes GTA Online, might still need to complete the Prologue of the main single player game to get access. 

You’ll be taken through a character creator to define your appearance and characteristics, before being launched into San Andreas to meet some familiar faces and learn the ropes. The new GTA Online Career Builder system has also been introduced to give you a nice cash injection into your wallet to get your criminal enterprise up and running.

2. Buy a decent car and a garage

We say ‘buy’, but you can actually pick up one of the bests sports cars in the game for the grand cost of ‘bugger all’. To get an Elegy RH8 completely gratis, just register for Rockstar’s Social Club (opens in new tab). Once you do, this two-door speedster (which resembles the Nissan GT-R) will be yours. Thanks to its great traction, it’s a superb choice for races. Make sure you invest in Loss/Theft Prevention to ward other users off nicking your shiny new motor, too. You’ll also want to invest in a garage to keep your cars safe. At $25,000, the Unit 124 garage on Popular St is probably the best bet for cash-poor beginners.

3. Keep cashing in at ATMs

Online Los Santos is a dangerous place. Any cash your up-and-coming crook is carrying on their person can be stolen by other players. To ensure you don’t lose all that moolah from your last job, make sure to cash your coin into an ATM. There are plenty of cash machines located around Los Santos and Blaine County, and you can use the Quick GPS on the Interaction Menu (hold down the touchpad) to direct you to the nearest one. Can’t get to an ATM? You can also visit the Maze Bank website via your phone’s web browser and make a deposit through there. In GTA Online, prudence pays.

4. Save up, then buy an underground facility

To partake in GTA Online’s Doomsday Heist, you’re gonna need a bigger boat/underground facility to hang your hat. These huge bunkers are one of several key requirements for playing the bonkers robbery (you’ll also need to become a CEO), and as such, they’re expensive. The cheapest can be found at Paleto Bay, and will set you back $1,125,000 from the Maze Bank Foreclosures site – funnily enough, $1,125,000 is just under what a $19.99/£11.99 Great White Shark Cash Card nets you. For that whopping fee, your criminal mastermind gets a security room, lounge, and sleeping quarters, among other luxuries.

5. Steal a chopper

San Andreas is one sizeable piece of real estate, so stealing a chopper can be a huge time-saver. Considering one of the cheaper ’copters from Elitas Travel (the $780,000 Buckingham Maverick) will still fleece your finances, your change purse really will thank you for nicking a whirly bird. Perhaps the easiest one to steal can be found at Los Santos International Airport, near the flight school. With skilful driving, you can vault the nearby fence and claim it for your own. Let skyward crime commence!

6. Purchase a high-end apartment

Before you can enjoy GTA Online’s superb heists, you’ll first need to hit level 12. Crucially, if you want to plan these multi-part jobs yourself – and thus have power over how the take is split up – you’ll also need to buy a high-end apartment. These fancy flats come with planning boards that are crucial to heist setups, and the ‘cheapest’ can be found in Del Perro Heights. Visit the Dynasty 8 Real Estate on your character’s phone, and the property  yours for $200,000.

7. Keep your eyes peeled for Weekly Events

Rockstar does regular Weekly Events, which reward players with double RP and double cash rewards, like the recent shotgun-dodging Battle Week. Keep a beady peeper on Rockstar’s Newswire (opens in new tab) and the latest GTA Online patch notes for updates on these events, because participating in them often offers weekly discounts on cars and properties.

8. Play nice for Rep rewards

As in life, it pays not to be a dick in GTA Online… well, generally. If you frequently help out other players during jobs, and don’t try to screw them over by nicking their motor/money, you’ll receive a ‘Good Sport’ award. Said bonus usually comes in the form of extra Reputation Points or cash. See, it really does pay to play nice with the others in your session.

9. Complete story missions

Playing through GTA Online’s vast array of deathmatch types and races can feel generic. For something more bespoke, try some story missions. The likes of Lamar, Gerald, and Simeon Yetarian all cross over from GTA 5, and each has cutscene-laden missions to tick off. Most of these thieving tasks feel nicely personable, and finishing them nets you cash and Job/Reputation Points. To access them, bring up the mission list from the pause menu.

Find out how to get free extras for GTA Online with Amazon Prime as part of our Amazon Prime Day free games page!

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Follower quests were revealed as part of today’s big Sunbreak showcase (opens in new tab), and they’re among the most exciting features in the expansion coming to PC and Switch on June 30. Followers won’t be available for every quest and Follower quests are single-player only, but those are minor restrictions for the ability to hunt with fan-favorites like the village shrine maidens Hinoa and Minoto, not to mention several new characters coming in Sunbreak.

It seems you can also bring an animal buddy – presumably either your Palamute or Palico – into a Follower quest, and Followers look to be similar in strength. They can heal you, place traps, and damage or even mount monsters. Hunting with Followers can also unlock “exclusive rewards” – most likely some unique gear suited for layered armor sets. 

“You’ll gradually unlock more characters to pick from as you advance in the game,” game director Yoshitake Suzuki explained during today’s stream. “For the characters from [the new base] Elgado, you’ll be able to take Fiorayne, Luchika, Jae, Admiral Galleus, and Master Arlow with you.” 

Today’s reveal also confirmed the return of Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate’s Seregios, as well as added subspecies for two Rise original monsters: Aurora Somnacanth and Magma Almudron. These three have joined a growing list of new monsters led by the Elder Dragon Malzeno, and we’ll also see Master rank versions of old monsters bearing new tricks. 

Fortunately, hunters are getting some new tools to deal with these beasts. Sunbreak is adding Swap Scrolls that let you save and swap between two loadouts of weapon Switch Skills, essentially doubling the number of special moves you can bring into each hunt. There’s even a “Swap Evade” that you can use to change skills while evading attacks, which ought to help preserve the flow of combat. Capcom says it’ll share more of the new Switch Skills coming in Sunbreak later this month. 

Monster Hunter is often described as a game about turning dinosaurs into swords, but Exoprimal, a bonkers shooter coming from Capcom next year, is about turning dinosaurs into a fine red mist. 

The post Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak lets you go hunting with your favorite story characters appeared first on Game News.

As Xbox Cloud Gaming vice president and product head Catherine Gluckstein explained in a new blog post (opens in new tab), Fortnite is now available for free via the Xbox Cloud Gaming beta in 26 countries (full region list here (opens in new tab)). 

As long as you have a Microsoft account and an Apple (or Android) device with internet access, you can play Fortnite through the cloud straight in a web browser without worrying about a download or membership. It’s also available on Windows PCs, but Fortnite is already pretty easy to get there. 

Fortnite was removed from Apple platforms in 2020 ahead of Epic’s lawsuit against Apple, which followed an ugly spat over App Store restrictions and payment methods. To boil it down, Epic got on Apple’s bad side by letting Fortnite players purchase V-Bucks directly instead of going through the tech giant’s storefront. Apple immediately kicked Fortnite off its platform, and the Google Play Store was right behind it. 

Microsoft ended up filing a letter of support for Epic’s lawsuit, zeroing in on Apple’s decision to block Epic from updating its Unreal Engine for iOS devices. Microsoft has also previously criticized Apple’s store terms and conditions, especially as they relate to streaming services like the Xbox Cloud (then xCloud). 

With this partnership, Xbox has made Epic’s biggest game free and playable on Apple devices once again, totally circumventing the App Store and even pre-empting a newly proposed EU law that could give iOS users more freedom over their devices and potentially side-load games like Fortnite back onto the platform.

Gluckstein says this is the start of Xbox Cloud Gaming’s next initiative, and that Xbox will “look to bring more free-to-play games people love in the future.” 

Sony has also gotten closer to Epic Games: the company recently invested an additional $1 billion in the house of Fortnite. 

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The Overwatch 2 PVP beta starts today at 11:00 PT / 14:00 ET / 19:00 BST and will run until May 17. If you’re interested in taking part in the PC only event, you’re probably curious as to what hardware you’ll need.

User GXTnite shared the system requirements (opens in new tab) for the Overwatch 2 beta on the game’s subreddit (opens in new tab), and thankfully they don’t appear to be too demanding. Blizzard has provided the minimum specs you’ll need for targeting 30fps, as well as the recommended hardware for running the game at 60fps on medium settings.

Below are the system requirements for the Overwatch 2 PvP Beta:

Minimum (targeting 30fps):  

• Operating system: Windows® 7 / Windows® 8 / Windows® 10 64-bit (latest Service Pack)  
• Processor: Intel® Core™ i3 or AMD Phenom™ X3 8650  
• Video: NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 600 series, AMD Radeon™ HD 7000 series  
• Memory: 6 GB RAM  
• Storage: 50 GB available hard drive space 

Recommended (targeting 60fps on medium settings): 

• Operating system: Windows® 10 64-bit (latest Service Pack)  
• Processor: Intel® Core™ i7 or AMD Ryzen™ 5  
• Video: NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1060 or AMD R9 380  
• Memory: 8 GB RAM  
• Storage: 50 GB available hard drive space

It’s worth noting that these are the system requirements for the beta and that they’re likely to change ahead of the release of the full game, especially as the lack of technical optimisation means that most players hopefully won’t be targeting 30fps when that launch comes around. For now, Blizzard suggests that you make sure you’ve got all of your drivers up to date to allow the game to run as smoothly as possible.

There are two ways to secure your place in Overwatch 2’s first beta. You can sign up via email for a chance to be selected by Blizzard or tune in to watch specific Twitch streamers. Find out exactly what you need to do with our guide on how to get into the Overwatch 2 beta.

Now’s the perfect time for a beta for Blizzard’s hero shooter sequel. Here’s why we need the Overwatch 2 beta now more than ever.

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The game was announced during Wednesday’s Meta (formerly Oculus) VR showcase, showing off some frantic-looking gameplay involving several ghost hunters and one very wily ghoul. The four-legged red ghost has eyes on its hands and zips and swings around an indoor arena with the energy of a dying star, eluding its pursuers and making it really hard to grab a clear screenshot for this article.

Somewhat curiously, Ghostbusters VR has only been confirmed for Meta Quest 2, even though Sony Pictures owns the rights to the franchise. Sony has its own PSVR out already and the PSVR 2 is on the way, but promotional materials for Ghostbusters VR only mention Facebook’s Meta Quest 2. That said, it’s still possible it’ll be announced for PSVR or PSVR 2 later on. 

“Strap on your proton pack and Meta Quest 2 and step into the world of Ghostbusters in immersive virtual reality,” reads the official synopsis. “Start your Ghostbusters HQ in a new city, San Francisco, and solve a deep mystery across a new chapter in the Ghostbusters universe.”

Developer nDreams confirmed that Ghostbusters VR will be playable in single-player as well as co-op, but the trailer definitely focuses on the multiplayer experience. It does make sense for nDreams to capitalize on the recent multiplayer horror renaissance spearheaded by popular indie games like Phasmophobia, Devour, and GTFO.

It doesn’t seem like Ghostbusters VR brings back any familiar characters from the franchise, but instead stars its own cast of original ghostbusters similar to Illfonic’s upcoming asymmetrical multiplayer game Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed.

Here are the best VR games to get lost in right now.

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Sega has teamed up with Roblox developer Gamefam to launch Sonic Speed Simulator, a new 3D Sonic game available inside Roblox. The game is in a paid closed beta (opens in new tab) state right now, but if you can wait a few days it’ll be free-to-play starting this weekend on Saturday, April 16 at 7am PT / 10am ET. Check out the trailer below:

ARE YOU READY?💙🦔Sonic Speed Simulator will be officially releasing for FREE on Saturday, April 16th, 2022 at 10am EST!#SonicRoblox pic.twitter.com/ZThn9dP0sVApril 14, 2022

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“Sonic Speed Simulator is the fastest game in Roblox and features everyone’s favorite speedster, Sonic the Hedgehog,” reads the official synopsis. 

The game lets you zip around various worlds and through classic Sonic loops and obstacles solo or with friends to earn rewards, including different Sonic character skins and pets to increase your stats. Likewise, If Roblox players manage to rack up 10,000 “likes” for Sonic Speed Simulator, they’ll unlock an exclusive Sonic the Hedgehog skin for their avatar.

“We’ve worked closely with SEGA to create an official Sonic the Hedgehog experience on Roblox that will authentically delight the hundreds of millions of Blue Blur fans around the world,” said Gamefam CEO Joe Ferencz. “We’re proud that SEGA entrusted our talented team of creators to bring Sonic to the metaverse and deliver the highest velocity, and probably best-looking, game in Roblox history!”

Sonic fans eagerly awaiting that other 3D Sonic game can check out Sonic Speed Simulator in Roblox on PC, tablet, mobile devices, and on Xbox consoles by downloading the Roblox app.

Curious about Sonic’s latest outing on the big screen? Here’s our Sonic the Hedgehog 2 movie review.

The post Sega launches official Sonic the Hedgehog Roblox game appeared first on Game News.

BBC Studios has announced that the Tardis will be touching down in Epic Games’ popular battle-royale blaster. 

According to a post on DoctorWho.TV (opens in new tab), a brand-new Doctor Who-inspired island, will offer battles, missions and adventures in iconic locations from the Whoniverse. The story goes that a strange Reality Virus has caused the Tardis to appear on the island, and players will have to patch it up by locating parts to repair the Dynamorphic generators.

The Doctor Who themed content isn’t part of an official collaboration with Epic Games but is instead offered as part of the game’s Creative mode. But given that Fortnite has characters from practically every other series on the planet, we wouldn’t be surprised to see some Doctor Who skins added to the Fortnite store at some point in the future. Leaked images suggest that iconic Assassin’s Creed hero Ezio could be sneaking into Fortnite next.

If you want to get in on the Doctor Who Fortnite action, you’ll need to enter Island Code 3610-1396-4646 to play.

This is far from Doctor Who’s first video game outing. The most recent outing is last year’s Edge of Reality, which saw players join up with Jodie Whittaker’s incarnation of the Time-Lord to take on a collection of historic (and modern) foes in a classic Whoniverse-level threat to save the world. Back in 2019, The Edge of Time saw players hunting for the tenth doctor’s belongings in a VR adventure.

Wondering when Fortnite Season 2 starts? Here’s everything we know so far.

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How to unlock Payphone Hits in GTA Online

To unlock Payphone Hits in GTA Online, you need to get your Agency business set up then complete a total of three Security Contracts. These can be initiated through the computer in your office once you’re registered as a CEO, and it doesn’t matter which sort of contracts you complete or if you repeat the same type. Once you’ve finished three of them, Franklin will contact you to confirm that GTA Online Payphone Hits are now available.

GTA Online Payphone Hits locations

(opens in new tab)

To start Payphone Hits in GTA Online, you need to discover a ringing phone (marked as a blue telephone icon on your map when nearby) then approach it and interact to take the call and receive details of the assassination. There are a large number of public telephones available and any of them could ring at random, so we’ve marked all of the known GTA Online Payphone Hits locations to get started on the map above – if you’re close and the phone isn’t ringing, move on to another position and see if it triggers there. Alternatively, you can also call Franklin direct to see if he has any of this particular work available.

How to complete GTA Online Payphone Hits

Once you’ve initiated one of the GTA Online Payphone Hits, you’ll receive details of your target(s) who will then appear as red crosshair icons on the map. Pay particular attention to the Assassination Bonus, which can be viewed at any point by holding right on the d-pad, as this will significantly increase your payout if you achieve it. Fulfilling this bonus objective should also help you avoid having to escape a police wanted level, or dealing with reinforcements dispatched to avenge the victim. Track down your target(s), take them out, then leave the area to complete Payphone Hits in GTA Online.

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You can also check out the best GTA 5 Cheats in the video below:

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