It's April Fools' Day once again, and you know what that means: a ton of joke announcements from some of your favorite gaming publishers and developers.
Here, for your perusal, is our roundup of the best gaming April Fools' Day gags we've seen so far.
Epic's acquiring Steam, apparently
On Shanghai-based video platform Bilibili, Epic posted that it's acquiring Steam from Valve. The video's in Chinese, but the gist of the good-natured jibe remains intact.
Fate/Grand Orderintroduces poker
There are many who would accuse gacha games of essentially being barely-disguised gambling rackets, butFate/Grand Orderhas done away with the pretense for this April Fools' Day and introduced a poker minigame.
It might be a silly idea for the occasion, but you can actually play the new poker minigame here, and it comes complete with jazzy background music as well! You'll also get some neat rewards for the mainFate/Grand Ordergame by playing.
Deep Rock Galactic's real-life loot bug
Did you know thatDeep Rock Galactic's loot bug is actually based on a real creature? It's true, and it's one unfortunate Ghost Ship employee's job to take care of the titular critter.
Valorantis swapping all agents' abilities around
Some very big changes are on their way to Riot's hero shooterValorant, and the studio says if you don't like them, you should "keep it to yourself".
Update 4.1 is swapping all agents' abilities around, as well as adding new "eye wash stations" to help you "shrug off flashes". Finally, lying to your team will now be punished by muting for the remainder of the round.
Final Fantasy XItrolls its players
That's right:Final Fantasy XIstill has a pretty solid community, and it's joining in the April Fools' Day prankery.
Highlights include a mount that can't move due to "lore reasons" and a new ability that lets you use gil as a throwing weapon, as well as a new "Unbelievably Vana'REAL" graphical setting.
TerrariaUndeluxe Edition
Not many game updates or special editions actively remove content, but that's whatTerraria's Undeluxe Edition is promising to do.
It boasts "5,092 fewer items", as well as "614 fewer NPCs" and "only 4 bosses". It's also "missing basic features", and it needs you "far less than ever before", according to Re-Logic. Fun!
All hailMedieval Dynasty's goose
Medieval Dynasty's April Fools' gag is perhaps a little more mysterious and engaging than most.
It invites you to solve a riddle involving "a majestic and almighty Goose" and to use your "Oxbow expertise" to decipher the puzzle. Why not head into the game and see what you can dig up?
War Thunderdemands you witness it, and other Gaijin silliness
Military simWar Thunderis generally known as a pretty serious prospect, but its new eventMad Thunderis perhaps the most serious thing Gaijin Entertainment has ever produced.
Gaijin's squad shooterEnlisted, meanwhile, has received a rather curious new PvE zombie mode as part of the company's April Fools' "celebrations".
Operation "Breaking Dead" pits you against super-soldiers with capabilities far beyond those of regular humans; so much so, in fact, that Gaijin says it had to revert control of these soldiers to AI rather than humans.
PowerWash Simulatorgets grimy
You've cleaned countless surfaces inPowerWash Simulator, but now, it's time to flip that switch.
PowerDirt Simulatortasks you with doing the complete opposite to what you'd normally do in FuturLab's cleaning extravaganza: covering everything in dirt.
Plumbers Don't Wear Tiesreappears on 3DO
Limited Run Games might have seemed crazy for reviving the "cult classic"Plumbers Don't Wear Ties, but this April Fools' Day, you can own the game...on 3DO!
In the original X (formerly Twitter) announcement's replies, Limited Run invites skeptics to complete their purchase to find out if the $69 physical 3DO release is real. I'm too much of a coward to do that, but if you've ever wanted to own this piece of gaming history on its original hardware...well, this might be your chance.
Pokemon SleepWorld Champions Tournament
Have you ever wanted to prove that you can sleep better than everyone else? ThePokemon SleepWorld Champions Tournament is designed to help you do just that.
Sega introduces "Cartridge Loadable Content"
You've heard of DLC, or downloadable content, right? Course you have. Well, get ready for Sega's latest innovation: Cartridge Loadable Content.
Using this brand new technology, you can attach lots of different cartridges to your baseSonic the Hedgehogcart, and you can give him a big head, turn him into a hedge, and more.
My Time at Sandrock's next game is simply...My Time
Pathea Games' April Fools gag introduces a brand new game in the My Timeseries, simply titledMy Time.
It's a smartwatch-based life sim with some pretty amusingly complex rules, and the announcement post takes a swipe at aggressive monetization practices as well.
Arma Reforgerplays on yourArmy Mennostalgia
Over inArmaland, Bohemia Interactive has "revealed" a newArma Reforgermode by the name ofTiny Wars, and it should appeal to you if you have nostalgia for theArmy Menseries.
HoYoverse shenanigans
HoYoverse'sGenshin ImpactandHonkai: Star Railalso participated in the April Fools' Day shenanigans, although I'm not entirely sure thatGenshin's event is purely a joke.
Genshin Impactrevealed something called the Mondstadt Tourism Revitalization Project, whileHonkai: Star Railinvites you to watch an epic trailer for a movie featuring Astral Express conductor Pom-Pom.
Strange goings-on inGoddess of Victory: Nikke
Stellar Bladedeveloper Shift Up is celebrating April Fools' Day in its gacha RPGGoddess of Victory: Nikke, and things are getting weird.
Whether it's a new title screen created by fan meme character Doro or even an entirely new game, you can't accuse Shift Up of half-measures when it comes to April Fools' Day.
Don't Nod helps you to hunt ghosts healthily
Recently, Don't Nod released the action-RPGBanishers: Ghosts of New Eden, in which you play as a ghost hunter. Our very own Tyler gave it a very respectable score indeed in his review.
If you're planning to hunt ghosts for real, though, you'll want Don't Nod's new ghost-hunting kit, which the studio announced earlier today. Shame it's just an April Fools' gag.
Dying Light 2'sPokemonminigame
The hectic environment of Villedor was crying out for a more relaxing turn-based combat minigame, and that's what Techland's April Fools' Day joke is bringing.
Pocket Zombies lets you catch, train, and battle the undead. Except, of course, that it doesn't. Oh, if only this one were real.
A newElden Ring"expansion"
Bandai Namco took the meaning of the word "expansion" literally for its own April Fools' Day gag, announcing a newElden Ringexpansion that consists of...well, take a look for yourself.
Warhammer: Vermintide 2's Shoe Emporium
Vermintide 2's Lohner has decided to diversify his business ventures and has opened a Shoe Emporium for all your footwear needs. It's supposedly "coming after the release of Bardin's Songbook".
Stellariswants you to meet Rick the Cube
Players have apparently been complaining that space simStellaris' character portraits are too anthropomorphized, but Rick the Cube is here to put a stop to all of that.
Behold his unknowable form, and play as him when he launches "Soon".
Cyberpunk 2077now comes on floppy disk
Younger PC gamers probably won't remember the era of floppy disks, but if you do, you've probably got a strange nostalgia for them.
CD Projekt Red shares that nostalgia, it seems, since the studio has announced a floppy disk version ofCyberpunk 2077for April Fools' Day. The game only spans 97,619 disks, which is a pretty significant achievement!
Satisfactoryarrives on Nintendo Switch, complete with "smooth 7 fps gameplay"
Have you ever wished you could playSatisfactoryon the go? Well, now you can! I mean, you can't, but for the sake of the joke, you can.
A newSatisfactoryDirect "trailer" was unveiled today, showing offSatisfactoryand its "smooth 7 fps gameplay" on the Switch. Ha ha, guys.
Yacht Club Games' new skincare product
Shovel Knightdeveloper Yacht Club Games got in on the fun by introducing a brand new skincare product, guaranteed to take pride of place in your routine.
Naraka: Bladepoint's deadly new weapon
Naraka: Bladepointis well-known for its range of deadly weapons, but its newest addition will have even the most skilled players weeping and begging for mercy.
Dave the Diver's Leahs-chan VR game
Wish you could chat withDave the Diver's Leahs-chan and see her in something other than figurine form? Well, now you can*.
Check out Mintrocket's trailer forDokidoki Leahsbelow. It's definitely real!
*Can't.
Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising's much-needed name change
If you've ever struggled withGranblue Fantasy Versus: Rising's name, you'll be glad to know it's getting a much-needed name change soon, and the new name is much better.
Incidentally,Granblue Fantasy Versus: Risingis also welcoming a new fighter to its roster soon, and this one definitely isn't an April Fools' joke.
Tribes of Midgard? More likeTribes of Goblins
This April Fools' Day provides the perfect excuse to go full goblin mode...at least, if you're aTribes of Midgardfan, that is.
Tribes of Goblinspromises "open-world survival for up to 10 Goblins" and the chance to engage in "over 9000 varieties of rock combat". Who could resist?
Dead by Daylightintroduces a giant killer
Sometimes, it's easy to feel small when you're aDead by Daylightsurvivor fleeing for your life, but thanks to the game's April Fools' gag, that feeling isn't metaphorical anymore. Say hello to Oni.
Palworld's dating sim is 100% cursed
It might be a joke, but Palworlddeveloper Pocketpair's April Fools' Day dating sim is beyond cursed.
I'm pretty sure that Pocketpair has actually willed this project into genuine existence and that we'll be playing it before you know it. Yikes.
Malcolm Myers comes toGuilty Gear Strive
If you've playedGuilty Gear Strive's story mode, you'll probably remember theMad Max-style bandit that accosts Sol and Jack-O' Valentine at the beginning.
Well, he's finally ascending to the role of playable DLC character (except not really, of course) thanks to "Season 4.1". You can check out his trailer here.
Halofinally lets us see Master Chief's face
What do you think is under Master Chief's helmet? A human face? A Tyranid? A screaming, soulless void?
Thanks to a new post on the officialHaloX (formerly Twitter) account, we finally know...but you might not be ready for the truth.
Razer's Cthulhu gaming chair wants your soul
That is not dead which can eternal...sit, apparently. The all-new Razer Cthulhu gaming chaircomes complete with "eight independent robotic arms" that "cater to your every want".
