After pausing development due to the war in Ukraine, STALKER 2 now appears to be set for a 2023 release.

Following today's Xbox and Bethesda Games Showcase, Xbox tweeted a graphic with images of its upcoming games. You'll notice STALKER 2 is listed under the 2023 side of the graphic, seemingly confirming that the game has been delayed again. However, it seems the game is targeting the first half of 2023, as Xbox notes that all games listed in the image are targeting to release over the next 12 months.

✨ VIDEO GAMES ✨ pic.twitter.com/r48l1xE9ln

— Xbox (@Xbox) June 12, 2022

Earlier this year, STALKER 2 was pushed back from April 2022 to December 2022. At the time, GSC Game World said the delay would help the team "fulfill our vision and achieve the desired state of the game."

Shortly after this announcement, Russia's invasion of Ukraine paused development for the Kyiv-based developer. At the time, GSC Game World said "game development shifted to the side-lines" and would continue "after the victory."

Then, just last month, reports emerged saying the developer had resumed work on the game, with rumors saying some of the developers had relocated. Since the development pause, this is the first we've heard of a new release window for STALKER 2.

STALKER was not present in today's Xbox showcase. Instead, the presentation primarily focused on Starfield and Redfall, along with a tease for Hideo Kojima's next project.

Logan Plant is a freelance writer for IGN. You can find him on Twitter @LoganJPlant.

We got a new cinematic look at Ark 2 today, which will now be released in 2023.

At today's Xbox-Bethesda summer showcase, we got a fresh cinematic trailer game – which if you don't remember, stars Vin Diesel – and a new release window, 2023.

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Forza Horizon 5 is returning to familiar, plasticky ground with a wild-looking Hot Wheels expansion.

Revealed at today's Xbox-Bethesda showcase, the DLC showed off the game's beautiful Mexican setting with added toy-like tracks, like a loop-the-loop through a volcano and into the sky. The DLC launches on July 19, 2022.

Forza Horizon 3 also got a very popular Hot Wheels expansion, which we awarded a 9/10 review, saying it was "a delightful, daring, and different expansion that reinforces Forza Horizon 3’s reputation as one of the best racing games ever made."

Given that we awarded the core Forza Horizon 5 a full 10/10, we can only hope its own Hot Wheels DLC similarly improves on its predecessor.

For more, check out our full roundup from the Xbox-Bethesda showcase. And for everything from this season of big events, check out our Summer of Gaming 2022 schedule.

An aircraft from Halo -- specifically, what looks to be a Pelican -- is coming to Microsoft Flight Simulator, it was announced during today's Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase.

The free add-on is available today. The Halo crossover was just one of a few Flight Simulator-related bits of news announced; it was also revealed that the 40th Anniversary Edition will release in November 2022, and will include classic airplanes, gliders, and helicopters.

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Overwatch 2 will be adding a new Tank character, the Junker Queen, to the line-up.

As announced in today's Xbox and Bethesda showcase, the Junker Queen is the second new hero announced for Overwatch 2 after Sojourn. The character was referred to within the original Overwatch, but never made a formal onscreen appearance inside the game.

In a cinematic trailer, the Junker Queen is shown in a very Thunderdome-esque brawl for the throne of Junkertown. A full look of the character and her kit will be revealed later, but a brief look at the character's gameplay was in the Overwatch 2 release date trailer.

Fans of the series will know the Junker Queen from Junkrat's animated short, where she was briefly seen on a poster in Junkertown. As in the poster, Junker Queen is a tall and imposing figure who wields a large axe, which she's seen swinging to clear away foes (as well as using a rifle). The Australian ruler of Junkertown (itself an Overwatch map) is described as "ruthless", but her full kit and lore remain to be seen – although we know she's connected to previous characters Roadhog and Junkrat.

Also announced during today's Xbox and Bethesda Showcase was the release date for Overwatch 2's PvP component, which will be arriving on PC and consoles on October 4. Furthermore, Overwatch 2 is switching to a free-to-play model.

Details on what going free-to-play means specifically for Overwatch 2 will also be detailed on the June 16 Reveal Event, so check back with IGN for all the latest details on Overwatch 2 then.

Matt T.M. Kim is IGN's News Editor. You can reach him @lawoftd.

Overwatch 2's long-awaited PvP mode will be released into early access on October 4 – and it will be going free-to-play.

As announced during the Xbox and Bethesda Showcase, Blizzard made a special appearance to give an update on Overwatch 2. After years of waiting, the PvP portion of Overwatch 2 will be released this October. But where the first Overwatch was a paid release, Overwatch 2 will be going free-to-play.

This will likely mean Overwatch 2 will undergo some serious business model changes, and likely incorporate some form of Season Pass for monetization. It's also unclear how this will affect the way new heroes can be acquired, which were previously released for free under the first Overwatch.

Blizzard also announced a Founder's Pack, which gives existing Overwatch players an exclusive icon, two Epic skins and other bonuses. Players will need to own the original Overwatch before June 23, 2022 to be eligible for the Pack.

A short trailer for Overwatch 2 revealed the release date, as well as some of the new character designs.

Overwatch 2 was first announced at BlizzCon 2019 as a follow-up to the critically-acclaimed online shooter. Earlier this year, we learned that its PvP and PvE sections will be released separately. Overwatch 2 will eventually include both a PvP mode – which will be mirrored in the first Overwatch – and a PvE story mode that's exclusive to the sequel.

Alongside new characters, Overwatch 2 has reconfigured team comps to be 5v5 instead of 6v6, requiring only one Tank class per team instead of two. Heroes will also be retooled with different move sets and abilities – and we've written about how it results in a whole new game for Tank players as a result.

Matt T.M. Kim is IGN's News Editor. You can reach him @lawoftd.

Xbox is starting up a Riot. The company's biggest games including League of Legends, Wild Rift, Legends of Runeterra, Valorant, and TeamFight Tactics are coming to Xbox Game Pass.

League of Legends: Wild Rift is a streamlined version of Riot's popular MOBA, and a version with all champions unlocked is coming to Xbox Series X/S. Runeterra is Riot's competitive card game, Valorant is Riot's tactical shooter, and TeamFight is the studio's auto-battler.

Each Riot game will be coming with full unlocks or other extras, whether that's every Agent in Valorant, the Foundations Set in Runeterra, or select Little Champions in Teamfight Tactics.

While these games are already free-to-play, Agents, cards, and Champions are sometimes locked behind microtransactions. But for players with Xbox Game Pass, these purchases will become free.

The slate of Riot games was announced as part of the Xbox and Bethesda Showcase. Alongside the Riot titles, Xbox announced Hollow Knight: Silksong will be coming to Xbox Game Pass Day 1 and released a new trailer. For more, check out IGN's full rundown of the Xbox showcase.

Matt T.M. Kim is IGN's News Editor. You can reach him @lawoftd.

Stealth-action game A Plague Tale: Reqiuem showed up at the Xbox and Bethesda showcase as developer Asobo Studio revealed brand new gameplay, as well as a promise of coming to Game Pass day one.

A Plague Tale: Requiem is the sequel to A Plague Tale: Innocence, the 2019 stealth game set in 14th Century France. Players follow Amica de Rune as she must use stealth and fire to navigate past a plague of rats spreading across Europe – as well as enemy soldiers in the midst of the Hundred Years' War between England and France.

Unfortunately, we didn't get any updated information on a more specific release date: it's still coming in 2022 not just to Xbox and PC, but also to PS5 and Nintendo Switch.

A Plague Tale: Innocence was one of the surprise hits of 2019, incorporating a mix of stealth and survival horror elements with a historical drama. Check out IGN's review of Plague Tale here.

Rebekah Valentine is a news reporter for IGN. You can find her on Twitter @duckvalentine.

After being teased in 2020, we've finally seen true gameplay of Forza Motorsport, which will arrive in Spring 2023.

Revealed at today's Xbox-Bethesda showcae, we saw a montage of appropriately gorgeous cards racing around similarly lovely tracks. It was followed up by a longer, real-time gameplay demo that showed its upgraded visuals and physics up close.

Representatives from Xbox said it will have a "generational leap in immersion" driven by raytracing on tracks, improved physics and vehicle destruction, and a full day-night cycle.

Forza Motorsport was first announced at 2020's Xbox showcase, where we learned that it will run at 4K / 60FPS. An in-engine teaser showed what the game was aiming for, but we hadn't seen live gameplay until now.

The game's been in testing for some time and, with Forza 7 delisted, its release will be a moment to savour for fans of the simulation racing game. Forza's more carefree cousin, Forza Horizon, got an incredible new installment last year - we awarded Forza Horizon 5 a full 10/10 last November.

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Finally, after three years of yearning for more Hollow Knight, Silksong appeared at today's Xbox + Bethesda Showcase, but it does not yet have a release date. However, the trailer did confirm that it will be available day one on Xbox Game Pass when it arrives on Xbox and PC.

In the new trailer shown today and the first proper look at Team Cherry's insectoid Metroidvania we've gotten since 2019, with rapidfire shots of the main character, Hornet, battling Hollow Knight's familiar insectoid enemies, jumping around lava and more.

Hollow Knight: Silksong was first unexpectedly announced in February 2019 as the sequel to Hollow Knight, an acclaimed indie Metroidvania taking place in a kingdom of sentient bugs. Silksong follows the character of Hornet, an enemy-turned-ally from the original game, who is captured in the game's opening and taken far away from the kingdom that Hollow Knight takes place in.

We tried the game back at E3 2019, and found it to be "unmistakably Hollow Knight, but with the speed cranked up to 11." We called the original Hollow Knight "amazing" in our 9.4/10 review.

The announcement was part of the Xbox + Bethesda Showcase, which includes a closer look at Redfall and more.

Kat Bailey is a Senior News Editor at IGN as well as co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.