The next major update for Marvel Rivals is approaching fast. NetEase Games has confirmed the official start date and time for Season 6.5, which will serve as the mid-season update following the current season.
Players can expect a short period of server downtime before the new content becomes available. This update introduces a new character to the roster alongside several cosmetic additions.
Marvel Rivals Season 6.5 Start Date and Time
Marvel Rivals Season 6.5 is scheduled to launch on Friday, February 13 at 9 AM UTC.
The developer has indicated that the game will undergo maintenance to prepare for the patch. While the exact duration of the downtime can vary, players should anticipate being unable to access the game for a couple of hours while the update is deployed. A significant download will be required before the game can be launched again.
Marvel Rivals Season 6.5 Details
New Character: Elsa Bloodstone
The primary addition for this mid-season update is the debut of Elsa Bloodstone. She will join the existing roster of heroes when the update goes live. Her arrival was previously outlined in the Season 6 roadmap.
Upcoming Skins and Cosmetics
In addition to the new playable character, Season 6.5 will bring a collection of new costumes. The update details confirm the following skins will be available:
Jeff the Land Shark: Duck Comic
Moon Knight: Growth and Decay
Hawkeye: Luminous Legend
The update will also introduce a new costume that can be earned through Twitch Drops, though specific details on which character receives this skin were not fully detailed in the initial announcements.
Only a few days remain before the PlayStation State of Play 2026 goes live, and if you’re a PlayStation fan, there’s every reason to be excited about all the exciting new reveals and latest updates that Sony is set to showcase.
Sony has confirmed that the State of Play 2026 broadcast is set to run longer than an hour, which means fans can expect a packed presentation with plenty of new announcements in store for them.
Ready to find out more about the PlayStation State of Play 2026? Here’s everything you need to know about the upcoming event, including its start time and how to watch it live.
PlayStation State of Play 2026 Date & Start Time
The PlayStation State of Play 2026 is set to kick off on February 12, 2026, at 2 pm PT.
For your convenience, we’ve converted the start time across major global time zones below.
Pacific Time (PT): 2:00 PM
Eastern Time (ET): 5:00 PM
Greenwich Mean Time (GMT): 10:00 PM
Central European Time (CET): 11:00 PM
India Standard Time (IST): 3:30 AM (Feb 13)
Japan Standard Time (JST): 7:00 AM (Feb 13)
Australian Eastern Daylight Time (AEDT): 9:00 AM (Feb 13)
Where to Watch PlayStation State of Play 2026?
Fans looking to catch the PlayStation State of Play 2026 can tune into the official livestreams of the event on YouTube or Twitch at the aforementioned times.
There are some major upcoming titles that fans can expect to see in the PlayStation State of Play 2026 event, with some of the biggest games being Marvel’s Wolverine, Devil May Cry 6, and Resident Evil Requiem, among others. Be sure to tune into Sony’s official streams to see the full list of games first-hand alongside millions of other gamers.
NetEase is launching Monster Hunter as part of the main feature for Marvel Rivals Season 6.5, and the mid-season update is scheduled for a February 13, 2026, rollout at 11:00 AM UTC. For players in India, that’s the same day at 4:30 PM IST as the servers come back online after a brief maintenance period. Elsa is coming to the game as the 47th playable hero, joining the already packed roster with another supernatural hero specialist.
Her entry thus marks the culmination of a tease pattern over a months-long stretch. Elsa’s entry into the world beyond the shadows began at The Game Awards 2025, in Season 6’s trailer for “Night at the Museum,” as she faced off against Deadpool as a narrative antagonist in the chaotic museum controlled by the Collector.
Initial reports highlighted Deadpool as the premier season launch character, taking center stage come January 16, 2026, while Elsa was rumored to follow as a drop in mid-February as part of the 6.5 update of Season 6. Industry specialist Miller Ross later further confirmed Elsa as the 47th playable character, directly relating Elsa’s release to the Marvel Rivals 6.5 release in February.
As it were, while NetEase is still keeping her role and ability kit a secret, it is expected that Elsa will be a duelist or a hero focused primarily on dealing damage, in line with her comicbook and multimedia presence as a powerful monster-hunting heroine. The datamining done a few months ago already indicated that a hero featuring Elsa Bloodstone is in the works, and the developer has a precedent for releasing similar gallery card teasers in a future year.
The first half of Marvel Rivals Season 6 is rapidly nearing its conclusion, and only a few days remain before the hero shooter welcomes another wave of fresh content in its upcoming mid-season update.
The Marvel Rivals Season 6.5 update is all set to hit the live servers this week, bringing with it tons of exciting new content to the NetEase title, including a new hero, balance tweaks, events, cosmetics, and more.
While the developers have yet to drop the full patch notes for Marvel Rivals Season 6.5, we already have a solid idea of what the new update will bring to the game based on NetEase’s earlier roadmap and the plethora of leaks we’ve seen surfacing on social media forums.
Here’s everything you need to know about the next major Marvel Rivals update and all its expected contents.
Marvel Rivals Season 6.5 Release Date
As previously revealed by NetEase in the Marvel Rivals Season 6 roadmap, Season 6.5 is officially set to launch on February 13, 2026.
Fortunately, players won’t have to wait till then to check out what the new patch has in store for them. The Marvel Rivals Dev Vision video for the mid-season update is expected to shed light on all the upcoming additions and is likely to drop around February 10. The trailers for the new hero and event are also expected to be revealed on the same date.
The detailed patch notes for the Marvel Rivals Season 6.5 update will likely be dropped a day later, on February 11, giving fans a couple of days to prepare for when the update officially goes live.
‼️SEASON 6.5 TRAILER ROADMAP
Here is a rough timeline of when we can expect Season 6.5 information to drop. Most details are still unknown. pic.twitter.com/qABQMqW9k7
NetEase has confirmed that the new hero coming to Marvel Rivals with the game’s Season 6.5 update is Elsa Bloodstone.
While not much is known about her kit in Marvel Rivals, we do know that she is the daughter of the legendary monster hunter Ulysses Bloodstone, carrying on his legacy with enhanced physical abilities and supernatural weaponry powered by the mystical Bloodgem.
Apart from the new hero, the Marvel Rivals Season 6.5 update will also see a new event for players to participate in, new skins for your favorite characters, and a lot more. Fans should keep an eye out for the official patch notes drop from NetEase and monitor the game’s official social media channels for updates.
The Fortnite Kernel Hearts skins are now official and rank among the most anticipated drops among all the 2026 expected collaborations that were leaked in recent times. Joining forces with indie RPG Kernel Hearts, Fortnite is set to get skins as a part of their cross-promotional efforts between both developers.
The Fortnite x Kernel Hearts collab is expected to be released around March 31st, 2026, just in time for the launch of the Kernel Hearts PC demo. EPIC has yet to confirm this release date and the exact items included in the cross-promotional collaboration, but the crossover will probably coincide with the release of the PC demo.
Inspired by the Kernel Hearts characters, the new collaboration is expected to bring the following items to the game:
Fang Fortnite skin – the magic-wielding lead character from Kernel Hearts.
Mikolaj Fortnite skin – mysterious soldier ally featured in the collab.
Additional characters & cosmetic items — potential appearance by other magical girls and Tofu, the wolf companion.
Themed Fortnite items — unique weapon wraps, gliders, and more.
How to Get the Skins
As of now, there is no concrete way of telling how Fortnite will let users have this skin, but judging by experience, they will come with a hefty price tag and only for a limited time. Getting them for V-Bucks might be the only way, but we can only confirm it upon release.
The collaboration is clearly an attempt to use the massive playerbase of Fornite to promote the upcoming Kernel Hearts, and as always, EPIC is expected to do a fantastic job of bringing elements from that game into their own. Given the game design for Kernel Hearts, one can argue that it will be one of the most desired Fortnite skins to this day.
The Arc Raiders’ Week 16 Trials involve boss hunting and routing rather than farming mindlessly. This rotation will go live on February 9 and 16 and will require you to damage Shredders, search First Wave Husks, damage Rocketeers, damage Leapers, and destroy Fireballs.
To reach three stars, you will bank 4,000 points in a single raid for each task based on your best run per trial, provided you successfully extract alive.
How to Complete Week 16 Trials
The meta this week is to divide your time between two routes to a set of objectives rather than attempting everything at once. For Shredders and Fireballs, go to Stella Montis under a Night Raid. Loop around Medical Research – Atrium – Cultural Archives – Lobby – Sandbox – Assembly, grabbing all Shredders and Fireballs until you go around again. Want a tough class like Renegade/Anvil III-IV, a powerful explosive like Hullcracker, or a shotgun like IL Toro? Grab some shield rechargers and healers and use hard cover to get through the AoE of the Shredder, and take out its thrusters when it is unable to use those.
For Rocketeers, Leapers, and First Wave Husks, switch to Spaceport. Play on an Electromagnetic Storm or Night Raid to accumulate double points and heavy spawns. Begin by clearing Shipping Warehouse, Jiangsu Warehouse, Fuel Processing, Departure Building, Fuel Lines, and Vehicle Maintenance for First Wave Husks, focusing on Baron and Rocketeer husks for greater rewards. Move to the Launch Towers and target Rocketeers from a distance to pull them to stairs or tight spots to safely remove their thrusters/core, though Wolfpacks and heavy ammo make them trivial to pick off. Same strategy for Leapers, but use Blaze Grenades to burn their eye/core.
Trials only reward up to the point of extraction, meaning a greedy death ruins the perfect run. If you still have any queries regarding Arc Raiders Week 16 Trials, let us know in the comments below.
The Esports World Cup Foundation (EWCF) has added Counter-Strike 2 to the lineup of the inaugural Esports Nations Cup (ENC) 2026, setting the stage for the largest open qualification program in CS history. Running November 2-29 in Riyadh, the event will see 24 national teams clash at an unprecedented scale, with over 15,000 players across 3,000+ teams vying for a shot through national and regional qualifiers.
CS2, one of the most-watched esports titles with over 584.7 million global hours viewed according to Esports Charts, brings massive national representation to ENC. For the first time, countries typically limited to one or two players at club events can field full national rosters, turning local rivalries into international showdowns.
Tournament Format and Schedule
The CS2 event kicks off November 10 and wraps with the playoff Grand Final on November 15. The first stage features 24 teams in a round-robin group stage across four groups of six. Top four from each group advance to a 16-team single-elimination playoff bracket. Matches run best-of-one in groups, best-of-three in playoffs, and a best-of-five Grand Final for ultimate bragging rights.
Qualifiers run July 6-19 via a new CS2 National Team Ranking system, determining 24 slots. This ranking aggregates Valve Regional Standings (VRS) points from the top five players per nation – shared equally from club performances – with a June 1 cutoff. FACEIT Elo fills gaps for unranked regions.
National Qualifiers hit 96 countries across 10 regions, with single-elimination brackets offering 32-64 team slots per nation:
North America (8 qualifiers)
South America (8)
Western Europe (16)
Eastern Europe (16)
Middle East + Central Asia (16)
North Africa (4)
South + Central Africa (8)
South + East Asia (8)
Southeast Asia (8)
Oceania (4)
Winners advance to Regional Qualifiers (double-elimination), awarding ENC spots as follows:
North America (3), South America (3)
Western Europe (4), Eastern Europe (4)
Middle East + Central Asia (3)
North Africa (1), South + Central Africa (1)
South + East Asia (2), Southeast Asia (2)
Oceania (1)
As a VRS Tier 2 event, national rosters must share citizenship, with a max of three players from any single VRS-ranked club. Clubs releasing core players can earn VRS points through ENC performances.
Building on EWC Momentum
CS2’s ENC debut follows its dramatic EWC 2025 run, where national lineups stole the show in the Grand Final: an all-Turkish Aurora Gaming vs. all-Mongolian The MongolZ, with The MongolZ sweeping the Club Championship trophy. EWC 2026 expands CS2 further with on-site open qualifiers, a 32-team double-elimination group stage, and 16-team playoffs.
This ENC addition cements CS2’s place in Saudi’s growing esports ecosystem, promising grassroots hype from qualifiers to Riyadh’s main stage. National pride is officially on the line, get ready for anthems, flags, and clutch plays that unite countries.
KRAFTON, Inc. has announced its full-year financial results for 2025, reporting its highest-ever annual revenue of KRW 3.3266 trillion (₹206.24 billion / $2.26 billion). The strong performance was mainly driven by the continued growth of the PUBG IP franchise, along with solid contributions from new game launches.
The company shared the update during its official investor relations (IR) briefing, confirming that 2025 marked a historic milestone as KRAFTON crossed the KRW 3 trillion (₹186 billion / $2.04 billion) revenue mark for the first time.
KRAFTON Financial Performance in 2025
According to consolidated financial statements prepared under Korean International Financial Reporting Standards (K-IFRS), KRAFTON recorded an operating profit of KRW 1.0544 trillion (₹65.37 billion / $716.99 million) in 2025. This represented a 22.8% year-over-year revenue growth, with total revenue increasing by KRW 616.8 billion (₹38.24 billion / $419.42 million) compared to 2024.
Current year’s performance (2025)
Previous year’s performance (2024)
Current performance (Q4 2025)
Revenue
33, 266
27,098
9,197
Operating Profit
10,544
11,825
24
For the fourth quarter of 2025 alone, KRAFTON posted revenue of KRW 919.7 billion (₹57.02 billion / $625.39 million). However, operating profit for the quarter stood at KRW 2.4 billion due to a one-time expense of KRW 81.6 billion (₹5.05 billion / $55.48 million) related to employee welfare costs ahead of the company’s planned relocation to its new headquarters in Seongsu, South Korea.
PUBG IP Leads Growth Across PC and Mobile
The PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS IP played a major role in KRAFTON’s record-breaking year. On PC platforms, PUBG delivered its highest annual revenue ever, recording 16% year-over-year growth. Increased player engagement, new game modes, and high-profile collaborations helped drive this growth. Notably, the Porsche collaboration in November became the most successful supercar partnership in PUBG history.
KRAFTON also saw strong performance on mobile platforms. PUBG MOBILE continued to grow through new themed modes and World of Wonder (WoW) user-generated content updates. Meanwhile, BATTLEGROUNDS MOBILE INDIA (BGMI) maintained stable revenue and strengthened its position as a leading mobile game in India with exclusive skins, premium items, and local brand partnerships.
Compared to 2024, the number of paying users increased by 5% for PUBG MOBILE and an impressive 27% for BGMI.
New Titles Cross One Million Sales
KRAFTON’s newer titles also contributed to its strong financial results. inZOI and MIMESIS both crossed one million units sold, following their launches in March and October 2025, respectively. These titles helped boost PC revenue, which reached KRW 287.4 billion (₹17.81 billion / $195.43 million) in Q4 2025 alone.
Additionally, revenue from the “Others” segment surged by 963% year-over-year, following the consolidation of ADK Group and Neptune into KRAFTON’s financials.
KRAFTON’s Strategy and Game Roadmap for 2026
Looking ahead, KRAFTON has outlined an ambitious strategy focused on expanding big franchise IPs with long-term product life cycles (PLCs). The company plans to continue scaling the PUBG franchise with new content, cross-platform collaborations, and a major transition toward PUBG 2.0, powered by Unreal Engine 5, expanded game modes, and deeper UGC support.
Several PUBG-based projects are already in development, including Black Budget, PUBG: BLINDSPOT, and the console-focused battle royale Valor.
Beyond PUBG, KRAFTON aims to grow titles like inZOI, Last Epoch, and MIMESIS into long-term franchises. The company is also developing 15 new projects, with upcoming releases such as Subnautica 2, Palworld Mobile, Dinkum Together, and NO LAW.
KRAFTON also plans to explore strategic mergers and acquisitions, invest in promising studios, and expand its publishing partnerships. Alongside gaming, the company is pushing into AI-driven gameplay and live services under its “AI for Games” initiative, while also exploring future opportunities under its “Game for AI” vision.
The Free Fire MAX India Cup 2026 Spring, aka FFMIC 2026 FFC mode registrations, are now live in the game. The FFMIC In-Game Qualifiers act as a direct entry route to the main stages of the tournament. Teams that perform well here will move ahead to compete against the best squads from across India.
How to Register for FFMIC 2026 FFC Mode In-Game Qualifiers
Registration for the FFMIC 2026 In-Game Qualifiers is completely in-game and can be done through Free Fire MAX. Players need to open the game and head to the FFC Mode section. From there, they can either create a squad or join an existing team to complete the registration process.
The registration window is open from 9 February 2026 at 12 PM IST and will close on 15 February 2026 at 10 PM IST. All matches for the In-Game Qualifiers will be played on 15 February 2026, making it important for teams to register before the deadline.
Each team must have a minimum of four players, while a maximum of five players is allowed. All players must be Indian citizens and must meet the eligibility requirements set by Garena. Players should be at least 16 years old, have a minimum Diamond rank, and be Level 48 or above to participate.
During the qualifiers, each team can play up to 12 matches, but only the best 8 matches will be counted for the final standings. Teams earn points based on match placement and eliminations, making consistency and teamwork very important.
At the end of the In-Game Qualifiers, the top 38 teams will qualify for the Group Stage of FFMIC 2026 Spring. These teams will then compete against city-qualified and invited squads in the next phase of the tournament.
With registrations now live, this is the perfect opportunity for Free Fire MAX players to test their skills and begin their journey toward the FFMIC 2026 Spring title.
The PUBG Mobile 4.3 update release date is already becoming a hot topic among players as excitement builds around the next major version of the game. Recently, Level Infinite brought back the popular Skyhigh Spectacle-themed mode, which has once again grabbed the attention of the PUBG Mobile community.
PUBG Mobile 4.3 Update Release Date
Level Infinite has officially confirmed that the Skyhigh Spectacle themed mode will remain active in PUBG Mobile until 10 March 2026. This announcement has indirectly revealed the timeline for the next update.
Following the end of the themed mode, the PUBG Mobile 4.3 update is expected to release on 11 March 2026. This is because major PUBG Mobile updates usually roll out right after a themed mode ends. With the new update, players can expect the introduction of the Passive Skills themed mode, which is likely to change gameplay dynamics.
Before the global release, the 4.3 beta update is expected to go live for testing. The beta version allows players to try out new features early and helps developers fix bugs before the final release.
The beta update is likely to arrive a few weeks before the official launch, giving players a sneak peek at the Passive Skills mode, new mechanics, and other improvements coming with the 4.3 update.
What to Expect from PUBG Mobile New Update 4.3
While Level Infinite has not fully revealed the update details yet, players can expect:
A new theme mode
Fresh gameplay features
New abilities or mechanics linked to skills
Map and performance improvements
Bug fixes and balance updates
More official information is expected to be shared closer to the update release.
The 4.3 update release date now seems almost confirmed, with the update expected to arrive on 11 March 2026. The return of Skyhigh Spectacle mode and its end date has given players a clear hint about the next update’s timeline. With a new themed mode and beta testing expected soon, PUBG Mobile fans have a lot to look forward to in the coming weeks.
