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Vitality’s Grand Slam Season Meets the Cologne Bracket: The Case Against the World No. 1

Divyesh Moghe
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Vitality’s Grand Slam Season Meets the Cologne Bracket: The Case Against the World No. 1

No team had ever won three straight Counter-Strike Majors. Vitality walked into Cologne holding the Austin and Budapest trophies, seeded first, and were gone by Friday night without reaching a semi-final. The bracket had warned everyone this was coming. Almost nobody listened.

Vitality at the IEM Cologne Major 2026: The Case Against the World No. 1

The draw was the story before a single map

Buchholz seeding put Vitality, Team Spirit and FURIA on the same half of an eight-team single-elimination bracket. Vitality first, Spirit second, FURIA third. The arithmetic was brutal and public: at least two of the three most-favoured teams in the field would be eliminated before the June 21 grand final. Whoever survived that half would arrive at the LANXESS Arena having beaten two top-ranked sides. Whoever came from the other half would arrive fresh.

Falcons were the wrong quarter-final

Vitality drew Team Falcons. Falcons had beaten them in their previous three meetings. In April, karrigan’s move to Falcons gave a roster of NiKo, m0NESY and TeSeS the in-game leader it had lacked through seven grand finals without a Major. Kyxsan was benched to make room. That is not a squad you want in a best-of-three on the second day of quarter-finals, and Vitality lost.

Ranking rewards consistency. The bracket does not.

This is the case against the world number one, and Cologne made it plainly. Vitality’s 2025 was as complete a season as Counter-Strike has produced: six LAN titles, an ESL Grand Slam, a thirty-match win streak. None of it converts. ESL made every Stage 3 match a best-of-three for the first time in Major history, which rewarded depth across three weeks, then handed the survivors a single-elimination bracket where one bad map veto ends a dynasty.

Falcons beat FURIA 3-0 in the final. M0NESY took his first Major MVP. Vitality still hold three Majors, not four, and Astralis keep the record. The Grand Slam VII race runs on, and the team best equipped to win it just proved that being first in the standings and first out of the arena are entirely compatible.

PUBG Ally Duo Beta Is Live: How AI Teammate Ella Actually Works

Aritra Patra
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PUBG Ally Duo Beta Is Live: How AI Teammate Ella Actually Works

KRAFTON has launched a global beta for Ally Duo, a new arcade mode in PUBG: Battlegrounds that lets players team up with an AI character named Ella. The beta runs from June 17 to July 1, 2026, and is available to players worldwide on PC.

What Is Ally Duo in PUBG?

Ally Duo is a two-player arcade mode set on the Sanhok map. Instead of a human partner, the player teams up with Ella, an AI-controlled character built on PUBG Ally technology. The match starts in solo matchmaking and then pairs the player with Ella once inside. Each lobby is capped at 64 players, including AI companions and bots. Voice chat with other players is disabled in this mode. All communication runs through Ella, and KRAFTON recommends using the Team Only and Push-to-Talk settings.

Ella is not a scripted NPC. She is built on PUBG Ally, which KRAFTON describes as a Co-Playable Character (CPC). The system uses an on-device Small Language Model (SLM) powered by NVIDIA ACE. It processes voice commands locally and responds to in-game situations in real time, without relying on server-side processing.

How Does the AI Companion Work?

PUBG Ally uses Speech-to-Text (STT) and Text-to-Speech (TTS) systems to communicate with players during matches. Players can issue voice commands, and Ella responds by executing actions such as looting, moving, and adjusting tactics based on what is happening on the battlefield.

According to KRAFTON, the system goes beyond pre-scripted responses. It reads the live game environment and the player’s commands at the same time, then decides how to act. During fast-paced combat, Ella responds quickly. During broader strategy discussions, she factors in conversational context before acting. The mode supports three languages: Korean, English, and Chinese.

Because the SLM runs on-device, KRAFTON says latency is kept low, which matters during real-time combat where delays can cost a match.

Hardware and Platform Availability

Ally Duo is currently a PC-only feature. It is part of PUBG Update 42.1, which went live on PC on June 17 after maintenance ending at around 09:00 UTC. Console servers are scheduled for the same update on June 25, but KRAFTON has confirmed Ella will not be available on console at launch. No timeline has been given for a console rollout.

The AI workloads run on NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX GPUs on each player’s machine. This means players without an RTX GPU may not be able to access the Ally Duo mode.

How Does It Actually Work?

PUBG Ally runs a full pipeline. Speech-to-Text picks up what you say, the SLM reads your command alongside the current game state, and Text-to-Speech produces Ella’s spoken response. She can loot, reposition, cover you, and adjust her tactics based on what is happening in real time.

The key distinction KRAFTON is drawing here is that Ella is not reading from a preset list of responses. She is reading the battlefield and your voice at the same time. When the situation is fast, she reacts quickly. When you are planning, she factors in context before acting. The mode supports Korean, English, and Chinese.

Since the SLM runs on-device rather than through the cloud, latency is low. That matters in a battle royale where a half-second delay during a firefight tends to end badly.

PC Only for Now

Ally Duo is part of PUBG Update 42.1, which went live on PC following maintenance that ended around 09:00 UTC on June 17. Console players get Update 42.1 on June 25, but Ella is not included in the console version. KRAFTON has not given a date for when or whether that changes.

The AI runs on NVIDIA GeForce RTX GPUs on each player’s device. Players without an RTX card cannot access the mode.

CS2 Cologne Major 2026 Playoffs Pick’Ems Guide

Sonu Banerjee
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CS2 Cologne Major 2026 Playoffs Pick’Ems Guide

Stage 3 of the IEM Cologne 2026 Counter-Strike 2 tournament has come to an end, and we now have our final list of the eight teams that have made their way to the playoffs.

As a result, the Pick’Ems for the Cologne Major playoffs are also open, and CS2 players are busy finalizing their picks in a last-ditch effort to level up their tournament coin and earn those juicy tokens for the Major shop.

The previous stage ended up seeing a series of upsets, with strong teams like NAVI, FUT, MOUZ, and MongolZ failing to secure qualification, resulting in several shattered Pick’Ems and ruined hopes for the prestigious Diamond coin.

That said, whether you’re still in contention for the Diamond coin or just looking to make the best out of your current situation, you’ll want to lock in your Playoffs Pick’Ems before it’s too late.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through all our picks for the CS2 Cologne Major playoffs Pick’Ems.

CS2 Cologne 2026 Major Playoffs Pick’Ems

As with previous Majors, the Cologne Major Playoffs require players to make at least 2 correct picks in the Quarterfinals, and one correct pick each in the Semifinals and the Grand Final to complete all objectives and level up their tournament coin. Needless to say, this is not an easy task.

Now, without further ado, let’s check out our Pick’Ems guide for the IEM Cologne 2026 Major Playoffs.

Best Playoffs Picks for Cologne Major 2026

Here’s the full list of our picks in the CS2 Cologne Major 2026 Playoffs:

Quarter Finals

  • 9z Team vs FURIA
  • Aurora vs BetBoom
  • G2 vs Team Spirit
  • Falcons vs Vitality

Semi Finals

  • Furia vs Aurora
  • Team Spirit vs Vitality

Grand Final

  • FURIA vs Vitality

With the exception of a couple of games, all the matches in the Cologne Major playoffs are expected to be extremely close calls. Consequently, they can also be very difficult to predict.

While Vitality are the clear favorites to win the tournament, don’t be surprised if FURIA (or Spirit) pull off the upset and steal the trophy right from under them.

ARC Raiders Update 1.33.0 Patch Notes: New Event, Anti-Cheat Loot Refund and More

Sarjyo Mukherjee
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ARC Raiders Update 1.33.0 Patch Notes: New Event, Anti-Cheat Loot Refund and More

Arc Raiders Update 1.33.0 introduces the highly anticipated Forgotten Relics event along with the Converging Paths seasonal project. Players will earn Merits by gaining XP and extracting relics during raids, Raider Tokens, gameplay items, and a plethora of other rewards.

Along with all that, this Arc Raiders update focuses on several micro improvements like bug fixes, enhanced aiming, audio, loot distribution, map stability, and UI functionality. Anti-cheat measures have been expanded, including loot compensation for players affected by confirmed cheaters.

Find the patch highlights below:

CONTENT AND BUG FIXES

GENERAL

  • Corrected unexpected behaviors when aiming down sights that impacted aiming accuracy with some weapons. 
  • Players will no longer occasionally fall through the map when stepping on Fireballs and Pop parts.
  • Fixed an issue where quest objectives in rare cases could activate out of order, causing later steps to appear before they were intended to. 
  • Fixed damage tracking for expeditions so that it excludes damage done by squad members.

ANIMATION

  • Fixed a case where your Raider could briefly T-pose when moving backwards right after a sprint Dodge Roll. 
  • Fixed an issue where long weapons could detach and appear behind the player when switching weapons after vaulting; equip and unequip animations now play correctly. 
  • The Sandveil outfit no longer stretches unnaturally around the neck and shoulders.

ARC

  • The Rocketeer now drops Launcher Ammo instead of Heavy Ammo. 
  • Fixed an issue where the Firefly would sometimes drop an incendiary grenade without being destroyed.
  • Queen & Matriarch can now successfully plant their feet in more varied terrain, in addition to being able to stand on moving surfaces.

AUDIO

  • Announcements now play correctly when calling for extraction.
  • Fixed the Barricade Kit not playing audio when being dismantled.
  • Improved audio cues for Raider Caches to make them easier to find.
  • Adjusted footstep volumes for standing still, walking, crouching, running, and sprinting; increased metal slide volume for clearer movement audio. 

MAPS

  • The player can no longer fall through the map by walking near the wall of the Pilgrim’s Peak building.

SOCIAL

  • Adding friends outside of the game now updates their presence inside the game if they own it.

UI

  • Ermal’s available offers now correctly display stack sizes, such as “Raider Tokens x25”.
  • Added input shortcuts to the inventory action menu: Sell, Recycle, Repair (gamepad only), Salvage and Drop. 
  • Fixed an issue where selecting Upgrade on a weapon could open a different weapon when managing large inventories.
  • Fixed an issue where the expedition damage tracker would not display a correct damage number to players once they had dealt a significant amount of damage. 
  • Updated the Free Loadout warning to correctly account for refilling item stacks when checking available inventory space. 
  • Fixed an issue where merging stacks in the stash failed to refill with overflowing items. 
  • The current loadout is no longer cleared when selecting Free Loadout until a round is played.
  • When readied up, the Inventory screen now correctly displays the Free Loadout instead of an empty inventory.
  • Fixed jitter in the health and armor bar during healing.
  • Opening the console menu on PS5/Xbox while matchmaking no longer causes the matchmaking to be cancelled.
  • In-game countdowns for Map Conditions will now only be visible 60 minutes before the conditions go live.
    • Dev note: Beyond this visual change, we are actively investigating improvements in Map Conditions based on your feedback, including separate schedules for different timezones for better coverage. If you’re interested in checking which Map Conditions will be live throughout the day and when, you can always check the schedule at https://arcraiders.com/map-conditions. 

UTILITY

  • Knocked out players don’t stop Barricade Kits from expanding after deployment.
  • Fixed an issue where the healing cloud of Tactical Mk.3 Healing augment could revive DBNO players. 

KNOWN ISSUES

  • We know some PC players may experience lower FPS than usual.
    • While we investigate, please ensure your GPU drivers are up to date, or, if you’re still experiencing the issue, attempt rolling back to a previous driver version.
  • We are investigating an ongoing issue where some XBOX players (particularly on Series S) are experiencing crashes.
  • We are looking into your reports of unwanted behaviours related to the Quick Wheel.
  • The Dolabra, Hullcracker and Rascal do not deal damage to training dummies on Practice Range.
  • The throw animation may sometimes fail to play when attempting to detonate a Trigger ‘Nade immediately after throwing it.
  • Some gadgets and throwables lack a “Cancel” button when preparing to throw them.
  • The weapon swap animation may appear broken if weapon swapping right after vaulting.
  • Player animations may appear broken when interrupting a search of the Baron Husk.
  • Some hairstyles may clip through the Reaver outfit helmet.
  • The Saltwalker outfit preview in the Forgotten Relics page may incorrectly contain two toggles for each element.
  • Shredders float to the ceiling in some rooms of the Hidden Bunker.
  • The Leaper can jump through the ARC Turbine.
  • Occasionally, the Access Capacitor Rack may spawn without interactable batteries.
  • When picking up items, the pickup sound may not be the correct one.
  • When bringing items that give Merits with you into a Raid, the items will wrongfully display a Merits icon.
  • Shots taken while riding ARC may not register correctly.
  • After a player is revived, some Augments’ health restoration effects no longer pause when taking damage.

ANTI-CHEAT

As part of our ongoing efforts against unfair play, we’re continuing to expand Denuvo Anti-Cheat to more players. We’re pleased with the progress so far, and expect further improvement as we scale up.

In addition, we’ve been focusing on addressing item duplication and taking strict measures against those involved. This means carefully detecting incidents, addressing them directly, and building safeguards to prevent them from happening in the future. It’s detailed, methodical work, and we truly appreciate your patience while we see it through.

We’ve also introduced a new inbox message to let you know when we’ve taken action against a player you reported. Going forward, you can expect to receive two kinds of messages, depending on the situation:

  • Action Notice: A confirmation message sent to you once we have banned a player you reported.
  • Loot Compensation: If we identify a cheater who knocked you out, your lost loot will be returned automatically via an inbox message. No report is necessary.

Because these notifications are independent, you may receive both under certain circumstances. For example, if you report a cheater who also knocked you out, you could get both an action notice and your loot back simultaneously.

Xbox Game Pass June 2026 Wave 2 Lineup Confirmed

Aritra Patra
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Xbox Game Pass June 2026 Wave 2 Lineup Confirmed

Xbox has announced the second wave of Game Pass additions for June 2026. The lineup runs from mid-June through early July and includes EA Sports FC 26 via EA Play, the co-op FPS roguelite Abyssus, and the long-awaited return of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4. Eight games also leave the library on June 30.

Games Coming to Game Pass This Month

  • Junkster kicked things off on June 16. It’s a 3D action platformer where you play as UM-13, a construction bot stranded on a junkyard planet. You use a robo-wrench to repair your ship and collect lost cargo. It’s available on Cloud, Xbox Series X|S, Handheld, and PC under Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass.
  • Call of Duty: Vanguard arrives on June 17 across Cloud, Console, and PC. Developed by Sledgehammer Games, with a Zombies mode handled by Treyarch, it covers multiple WWII theaters: the Pacific, France, Stalingrad, and North Africa. It’s included in Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, and PC Game Pass.
  • EA Sports FC 26 lands on June 18 through EA Play on Cloud, Console, and PC. Members get a Supercharge Pack available from June 18 through July 17, which includes Football Ultimate Team Draft Tokens and seasonal Clubs rewards. EA Play members also save 10% on EA digital purchases.
  • Abyssus comes on June 25 to Cloud, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. It’s a one-to-four player FPS roguelite set in underwater ruins. The game features customizable weapons, skills, and hundreds of power-ups. It’s listed under Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, and PC Game Pass.
  • RV There Yet? arrives on June 30 on Cloud, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. Players drive through a valley called Mabutts Valley, keeping themselves supplied with food and medical items to survive. Available on Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, and PC Game Pass.
  • Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4 drops on July 2 across Cloud, Console, and PC. It was already part of Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass. It now also joins Game Pass Premium. The game brings back both titles with new skaters, parks, and tricks.
  • Winds of Arcana: Ruination launches on July 6 on Cloud, Console, Handheld, and PC. It’s a 2.5D action Metroidvania with full voice acting. Players control Aryn through a story about saving comrades in a fractured world. Available on Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, and PC Game Pass.

Games Leaving June 30

The following games exit the Game Pass library at the end of the month, as confirmed by Xbox:

  • Mecha Break (Cloud, Console, PC)
  • Payday 2 (Console)
  • Rise of the Tomb Raider (Cloud, Console, PC)
  • Tomb Raider (Cloud, Console, PC)
  • Slay the Spire (Cloud, Console, PC)
  • Ultimate Chicken Horse (Cloud, Console, PC)
  • Volcano Princess (Cloud, Console, PC)
  • Unpacking (Cloud, Console, PC)
Xbox Website Code Points to Klarna and PayPal Pay Later for Game Purchases

How to Get the BAILA Emote in Fortnite for Free

Sonu Banerjee
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How to Get the BAILA Emote in Fortnite for Free

With the FIFA World Cup 2026 in full swing, Fortnite is going all-in on the celebrations with back-to-back soccer-themed cosmetics being added to the battle royale. One of the newest additions to Fortnite is the BAILA emote, which comes as part of the Vinicius Jr. Icon Series collaboration.

If you’ve been hunting for the BAILA emote in the Fortnite Item Shop with no luck, it’s because this dance isn’t a standard V-Bucks purchase, and it’s only available to players who meet certain requirements.

In this guide, we’ll take a look at how to get the BAILA emote in Fortnite for free.

How to Get the Free Fortnite BAILA Emote

The BAILA emote in Fortnite is exclusively tied to a partnership with Vivo Brazil, the country’s largest telecommunications provider.

Active Vivo subscribers will receive a unique Fortnite redemption code as part of the World Cup promotion. Once you have that code, head to the official Fortnite redemption page and enter it there.

However, redeeming the code doesn’t automatically get you the emote. After redemption, you’ll need to complete a Mobile Quest that requires earning 100,000 XP while playing Fortnite Mobile.

Once you finish the aforementioned steps, you’ll be able to find the BAILA emote in your Fortnite locker.

How to Buy the BAILA Emote in Fortnite

At the time of writing, there’s no way to purchase the BAILA emote in Fortnite. Your only option is to follow the aforementioned steps, or wait and see if Epic Games adds the emote as an Item Shop purchase in the future.

Previously, we’ve occasionally seen the Fortnite devs bring exclusive promotional cosmetics back to the Item Shop, often at the standard emote price of around 500 V-Bucks.

Fearless Draft at MSI: What Banning Champions Across a Bo5 Actually Does to Team Prep

Divyesh Moghe
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Fearless Draft at MSI: What Banning Champions Across a Bo5 Actually Does to Team Prep

Everyone talks about Fearless Draft like it is a variety patch. More champions, fresher games, less Ksante. That framing is comfortable and it is wrong. Fearless is not a content update. It is an economic constraint, and constraints reveal who was actually good and who was merely ready.

Fearless Draft at MSI: What Banning Champions Across a Bo5 Actually Does to Team Prep

Here is the mechanic, stripped down. Once a champion is picked in a game, that champion is gone for the rest of the series. By game five, roughly fifty champions have been burned. Nobody drafts a comfort pick in game five. They draft what is left.

What this does to preparation is the interesting part. Under standard rules, a coaching staff builds a fortress: five or six compositions, drilled until they run on muscle memory. Under Fearless, that fortress is a liability, because every game you win costs you the pieces you won with. Depth stops being a luxury and becomes the entire currency.

Watch where teams break. It is almost never game one. It is game four, when a mid laner who has played the same three champions for a season is handed something he has scrimmed twice. The tell is not mechanical error. It is hesitation, a half second of wondering what the champion is supposed to do at minute fourteen.

This punishes a specific kind of team, and it is not the weak one. It punishes the specialist. Regions that built identity around mastery over breadth arrive at an international Bo5 with a shallow bench and a deep reputation. Regions that scrim chaotically, that let players flex into nonsense, arrive with junk drawers full of half-learned picks. In Fearless, a junk drawer beats a trophy case.

The second-order effect is that game one drafting becomes a negotiation with your future self. Do you spend Azir now to secure the lead, knowing you will not see him again? Coaches are effectively drafting five games at once while pretending to draft one.

Which is why Fearless does not just produce more variety. It produces more visible fear. And that, unlike variety, is worth watching.

Read more of our tactical breakdowns over at TalkEsport’s esports analysis desk.

Riot Reveals Full MSI 2026 Details: 11 Teams, Reworked Play-Ins, Broken Covenant Jhin

Divyesh Moghe
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Riot Reveals Full MSI 2026 Details: 11 Teams, Reworked Play-Ins, Broken Covenant Jhin

Four days of Play-Ins wiped out three regions before the real tournament even began. Riot’s MSI 2026 blueprint promised carnage, and Daejeon delivered it on schedule. Here is the full picture of what Riot built and why it bites so hard.

MSI 2026: All 11 Teams, the Reworked Play-In Gauntlet, and Broken Covenant Jhin

Riot has confirmed the complete structure for the eleventh Mid-Season Invitational, running June 28 to July 12 at the Daejeon Convention Center II in South Korea. The tournament carries a two million dollar base prize pool and the slogan “Call Your Shot.”

The 11 teams

Five regions send two representatives each. The LCK brings Hanwha Life Esports and T1. The LPL sends Bilibili Gaming and Top Esports. G2 Esports and Karmine Corp fly the LEC flag, while LYON and Team Liquid Alienware carry the LCS. The LCP contributes Team Secret Whales and Deep Cross Gaming. FURIA arrives as Brazil’s sole entrant, marking the return of the CBLOL and LCS to MSI for the first time since 2024 following the collapse of the LTA.

The glaring absence: Gen.G, two-time reigning champion, eliminated by T1 in the LCK Road to MSI qualifier.

The Play-In stage is now a meat grinder

This is the one real change from MSI 2025. Four teams, the second seeds from the LCK, LCP, LCS and LEC, entered a double-elimination bracket where every series was a best-of-five. Exactly one survived. T1 emerged, and now joins a Bracket Stage that had seven teams waiting comfortably.

Bilibili Gaming’s First Stand victory earned the LPL an extra direct slot, meaning both Chinese teams skipped the gauntlet entirely. Fearless Draft governs the whole event, and First Selection replaces the old side pick, letting winners choose between blue side or first pick in draft rather than taking both.

Broken Covenant Jhin and the rewards

Broken Covenant Jhin is the official MSI 2026 revenue-share skin, with proceeds shared among competing teams. Perfect Pick’Ems predictions unlock the skin and the champion. Crystal Ball makes its MSI debut, handing out a “Doesn’t Look Good” emote to fans who called the meta correctly before June 28.

The Bracket Stage runs through the Upper Final on July 9 and the Lower Final on July 11, closing with the Grand Final on July 12. The winner locks a Worlds 2026 berth, provided they reach their regional Split 3 playoffs, and the runner-up region unlocks a fourth Worlds seed.

Full brackets and live streams are available on the official LoL Esports site. For rolling coverage of the Daejeon Bracket Stage, follow our League of Legends esports news.

IEM Cologne Major 2026 Playoff Matchups Confirmed

Sarjyo Mukherjee
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IEM Cologne Major 2026 Playoff Matchups Confirmed

Following the conclusion of the final day of IEM Cologne Major Stage 3 Swiss Brackets, we have the teams that will be heading to the cathedral of Counter-Strike. As Lanxess gets ready to welcome the best 8 teams in the world, the final day saw some surprising results with new storylines ready to continue in the next stage of play.

9Z ends the Asian dream

Starting the map with a level scoreline, 9Z managed to keep MongolZ at bay on their defence before they switched sides. Playing dominantly on their offence, the South American team walked all over the defence to take an early lead with a 13-8 scoreline. The second map saw MongolZ make a late recovery, taking the momentum on their side before the end of the half, only to fumble with disappointing offence to close the game with a 13-8 scoreline, ending the Asian representation at the Major.

BetBoom eliminate FUT

With two underdogs going head-to-head to continue their fairytale run at the Major, BetBoom managed to edge out FUT following two back-to-back 13-7 wins and closing out the game in style. It was arguably one of their most dominant showings in this event, and it came right in time for the side to head to the playoffs.

G2 slips into the playoffs

Even after winning the first map, NAVI lost to G2 on both Inferno and Mirage.

Playoff Matches

DateTimeMatchFormat
18 Jun 202619:15Aurora vs BetBoomBO3
18 Jun 202622:309z vs FURIABO3
19 Jun 202619:15G2 vs SpiritBO3
19 Jun 202622:30Falcons vs VitalityBO3

Xbox Website Code Points to Klarna and PayPal Pay Later for Game Purchases

Aritra Patra
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Xbox Website Code Points to Klarna and PayPal Pay Later for Game Purchases

Code found on the Xbox website suggests Microsoft is preparing to add buy now, pay later payment options, allowing customers to spread the cost of purchases across weeks or months. The discovery was made by X user Redphx on June 15, 2026.

What Was Found in the Code

The Xbox website backend references both PayPal and Klarna as potential payment providers. Based on the language in the code, the feature appears to sit at the checkout level rather than as a separate financing programme. That means it could apply to everything sold through Xbox’s storefront: digital games, downloadable content, subscriptions, and hardware.

Microsoft has not confirmed the feature. No official announcement has been made.

How Each Option Would Work

The code describes two different payment structures.

With PayPal, users would have the choice between paying in four interest-free bi-weekly instalments, or spreading payments over up to 24 months.

With Klarna, purchases would be split into three payments. The first would be due at the time of purchase. The next two would follow every 30 days.

Xbox Has Been Exploring New Business Models

Microsoft has been open about looking at new ways to reduce the upfront cost of joining the Xbox ecosystem. The company has publicly stated it is considering “radically different business models” for its console business in 2026.

Buy now, pay later options would fit that direction. Xbox All Access, a programme that let customers pay for a console in monthly instalments bundled with Game Pass, quietly wound down in recent years. The appearance of Klarna and PayPal in the website code suggests Microsoft may be revisiting instalment-style purchasing.

PlayStation Already Offers Klarna in the US

Xbox would not be the first console maker to go down this route. PlayStation already offers Klarna financing through PlayStation Direct in the United States. PlayStation UK has also tested a separate Flex leasing scheme for PS5 hardware. In that context, Xbox adding buy now, pay later options would be Microsoft catching up with a trend already in motion across the industry.

Digital Games Would Be a Different Story

Where things get more complicated is if these payment options extend to digital game purchases. None of Xbox’s main rivals, including PlayStation, Nintendo, or Steam, currently offer dedicated buy now, pay later options on their digital storefronts. Hardware financing is one thing. Letting players take out short-term credit on a $70 game is another.

No timeline has been given for when or if the feature will launch. Microsoft has not commented.

Xbox Lost Millions of Subscribers After Game Pass Price Hike
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