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Krafton Announces BMPS 2026: Date, Prize Pool, EWC Slots, and More

Aditya Parsutkar
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Krafton Announces BMPS 2026: Date, Prize Pool, EWC Slots, and More

Krafton India Esports has officially announced the Battlegrounds Mobile India Pro Series (BMPS) 2026 on April 23. The tournament will start from May 6, 2026, and will feature some of the best BGMI teams in the country.

This year, a total of 64 invited teams will compete for the title. The prize pool is more than ₹2 crore, making it one of the biggest BGMI tournaments in India. With high prize money and international chances, teams will be fully focused on performing well. Check out the BMPS 2026 date, format, teams, and more details.

BMPS 2026 Format and Teams

BMPS 2026 will have five rounds. Teams will have to play consistently in every stage to move forward. One bad performance can cost them a spot in the next round.

A big change this year is the number of teams. Earlier, 96 teams used to get invited, but this time only 64 teams have been selected. This means the competition will be tougher, and only top teams will get a chance to play.

BMPS 2026 Date and LAN Events

The tournament will begin on May 6 and will continue for several weeks. It will start with online matches, and later stages are expected to be played offline.

According to reports, the Semi Finals could take place in Delhi from June 9 to June 14. The Grand Finals are likely to be held in Jaipur from June 19 to June 21.

If this happens, fans may get to see LAN matches with live audience, which always makes the event more exciting.

Read More: BGMI Redeem Codes Today: Unlock M416 Glacier Drops and White Rabbit Backpack rewards

Esports World Cup 2026 Slots

BMPS 2026 is very important because it will decide India’s teams for the Esports World Cup 2026.

The winner of BMPS 2026 will directly qualify for the global event. India has also received one extra slot, and there is a strong chance that the runner-up team will get that second slot.

The PUBG Mobile World Cup 2026 will take place from August 6 to August 16 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. A total of 32 teams from different regions will compete in the tournament.

India has been given two slots for this event. Teams from regions like SEA, MENA, Europe, and Americas will also take part, making it a very competitive global tournament.

BMPS 2026 will start on May 6 with 64 teams playing across five rounds for a prize pool of over ₹2 crore. The winner will qualify for the Esports World Cup 2026, and India’s second slot may go to the runner-up. As per reports, the Semi Finals could be held in Delhi from June 9 to 14, and the Grand Finals in Jaipur from June 19 to 21. Overall, it is a big tournament that will decide the best BGMI team in India and the teams going to represent the country globally.

Fortnite x Ben 10 Collab Officially Teased

Aritra Patra
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Fortnite x Ben 10 Collab Officially Teased

Epic Games has officially teased its upcoming Fortnite x Ben 10 collaboration. The teaser dropped on April 22, 2026, via the official Fortnite X account, and it confirms what leakers had been saying for months: the Omnitrix is coming to the island.

The teaser is about 10 seconds long. It shows Ben Tennyson’s hand, his green jacket, and the Ultimatrix strapped to his wrist. The design pulls directly from the Ben 10: Ultimate Alien era of the show.

The skin uses Fortnite‘s cel-shaded art style, the same look used for other animated collabs like Ed, Edd n Eddy.

Two alien transformations are visible in the teaser: Heatblast and Alien X. These are among Ben’s most recognizable aliens, and their inclusion points to some form of transformation mechanic in the collaboration.

Gwen Tennyson and More Cosmetics

Leaker ShiinaBR confirmed on X that Gwen Tennyson will also get her own skin in the collaboration. Like Ben, she is expected to appear in her Ultimate Alien look. Her cosmetic set is likely to include back blings and emotes.

The collaboration will also feature Fortnite Kicks styled after Wildmutt, one of Ben’s alien forms. Wildmutt is another well-known character from the original 2005 series.

Release Date

The Fortnite Ben 10 collab releases on April 24, 2026, at 8 PM ET. That is when the Fortnite Item Shop resets. Both Ben and Gwen skins will be available, along with a bundle that includes all the cosmetics from the crossover.

Fans have been hoping for an Omnitrix-based Mythic weapon in Fortnite Chapter 7 Season 2. No such item has been confirmed or teased so far. Epic may add a gameplay element when the collab goes live, but there is no indication of that right now.

Ben 10 is a Cartoon Network franchise. Epic has been building its relationship with Cartoon Network through earlier collabs. The April 24 drop date means players won’t have long to wait.

India’s Online Gaming Rules 2026 Notified: What Changes From May 1

Deepak Ojha
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India’s Online Gaming Rules 2026 Notified: What Changes From May 1

The Government of India has notified the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Rules, 2026, formalizing a central regulatory structure for the country’s online gaming ecosystem. The rules were published in the Gazette on April 22, 2026, and will come into effect from May 1, 2026.

Issued under the PROG Act, 2025, the rules introduce a structured compliance, classification, and enforcement framework that directly impacts game publishers, platforms, and payment intermediaries operating in India.

Top Updates: Online Gaming Rules 2026

Authority Structure and Oversight Mechanism

The rules establish the Online Gaming Authority of India (OGAI) as the central body responsible for administering the framework. The authority will function as an attached office under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, with representation from multiple ministries including Home Affairs, Finance, Information & Broadcasting, and Sports.

The authority is empowered to issue directions, examine complaints, maintain records of registered and classified games, and coordinate with financial institutions and enforcement agencies.

A central feature of the rules is the introduction of a determination mechanism that allows the authority to evaluate individual games and classify them based on their structure and financial design. The evaluation focuses on whether a game involves monetary deposits, the expectation of winnings, and the way rewards and revenue models are structured.

This mechanism replaces the earlier ambiguity around classification and gives the regulator the power to assess games on a case-by-case basis, rather than relying on broad legal interpretations.

Registration and Recognition Pathways

The rules introduce a layered system for registration, particularly for e-sports and online social games. Registration is not universally mandatory but can be required depending on factors such as user risk, financial exposure, and participation scale.

Where registration is required, it is specific to each game and each service provider, and certificates can remain valid for up to ten years unless revoked earlier due to non-compliance. Importantly, games classified as online real money games are not eligible for recognition as esports, closing a key regulatory gap that had persisted in the industry.

Financial Enforcement Extends Beyond Platforms

The rules expand enforcement beyond gaming platforms by directly involving banks and payment intermediaries.

Financial entities are required to verify whether a game has been properly classified or registered before enabling transactions. In cases where a game is determined to fall under restricted categories, the authority can direct entities to suspend or block associated financial flows.

This creates a system-level enforcement mechanism that targets the economic layer of online gaming operations. The framework mandates that service providers implement structured grievance redressal systems and maintain mechanisms for addressing user complaints. It also introduces the requirement for user protection measures such as age verification, usage controls, and systems designed to mitigate financial and behavioral risks associated with gaming.

Appeals against decisions of the authority can be made to an appellate authority within the government, with defined timelines for resolution.

The authority has been granted investigative and enforcement powers, including the ability to initiate inquiries, impose penalties, suspend registrations, and restrict the offering of specific games. Proceedings may be conducted digitally, and the framework allows for coordination with other government bodies to ensure compliance.

With the rules set to take effect from May 1, the regulatory environment for online gaming in India moves from fragmented oversight to a centralised, rule-based system. The introduction of a determination process, combined with financial enforcement and registration requirements, is expected to directly impact how gaming platforms structure their products, monetisation models, and compliance strategies in the Indian market.

Massive FACEIT Ban Wave: Over 23000 Smurf Accounts Suspended in One Day

Sonu Banerjee
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Massive FACEIT Ban Wave: Over 23000 Smurf Accounts Suspended in One Day

With the launch of FACEIT Season 8 on the horizon, the CS2 matchmaking platform has banned tens of thousands of smurf accounts within the span of a single day.

Through an announcement on April 21, 2026, FACEIT confirmed that it has banned over 23000 smurf accounts over the past day ahead of the new season.

Additionally, the platform reassured players that anyone who lost to these accounts in their last 100 matches and within the past three months will have their elo restored. According to FACEIT’s official statement, the elo refunds will be done to ensure a fairer start for players’ placement matches once Season 8 goes live.

The massive ban wave comes as part of FACEIT’s continued effort to combat smurfing, cheating, and comms abuse on the platform, all of which are long-standing issues that have plagued the CS2 community for years.

Prior to this, FACEIT reported over 151,000 toxicity-related bans in the past year, along with an additional 541 bans for cheating in January and February 2026 alone.

If you suspect that you’ve played against smurfs recently or reported any suspicious accounts on FACEIT, be sure to check your inbox to see if you’ve been refunded any elo.

Overall, the community reaction regarding these bans has been largely positive. However, several users are also claiming that they’ve been falsely banned from the platform as a result of this ban wave.

If you’ve been falsely banned from FACEIT despite not smurfing, be sure to reach out to the FACEIT support and let them know about your concerns.

CS2 Armory Update: Skins and Stickers Leaving Soon

Sarjyo Mukherjee
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CS2 Armory Update: Skins and Stickers Leaving Soon

The Counter-Strike 2 community has been put on alert after Valve quietly announced on X that they will be removing several popular cosmetic collections from the Armory, having failed to mention this in the official release notes earlier today.

Skins in Counter-Strike 2 are known to hold aesthetic but, more importantly, market value; therefore, once collections are removed from active drops or the Armory, there is a significant chance that this might directly impact their demand in the market. As a result of higher demand, players might see a quick jump in their prices, making this move more significant than it seems.

Items Leaving the Armory

According to the latest announcement, the following skin collections will be leaving the Armory, therefore putting players and collectors on high alert.

  • Train 2025 Collection
  • Sport & Field Collection
  • Sugarface 2 Stickers
  • Elemental Craft Stickers

Valve has not specified when these collections will be available in the Armory, only confirming that they will be leaving “soon”, therefore giving a window for players to stock up before the prices increase.

The Train 2025 Collection caused quite the buzz at launch and attracted a lot of attention from players due to its eye-catching design and its significance with the iconic map. It goes without saying that these items were already trading at high prices, and this news is bound to shoot them even further.

Valve choosing to miss out on these points in the patch notes may seem to be a simple oversight at first glance; however, there might be deeper implications. Having this info out of the patch notes gives them the room to go back on their decision, but whether they will or not, only time will tell.

New CS2 Update Improves Recoil, Aim Punch, and Teases Armory Overhaul

Sonu Banerjee
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0
New CS2 Update Improves Recoil, Aim Punch, and Teases Armory Overhaul

Less than a day after introducing the new Animgraph 2 animation framework to the live servers of CS2, Valve has shipped yet another major update to the shooter, bringing some much-needed updates to weapon recoil and aim punch that the community has been requesting for years.

For the uninitiated, after several weeks of beta testing in the “animgraph_2_beta” build, the Animgraph 2 update officially went live yesterday. The new framework saw all third-person animations in the game getting reworked, resulting in much smoother and more accurate animations alongside a surge in client FPS for most players.

Now, it seems that Valve is tackling even more issues that have been plaguing CS2 since its release. In an April 22 update, the CS2 devs improved the camera motion due to weapon recoil to match CS:GO more closely. Bullet trajectories for each weapon still remain unchanged, but overall screen shake when spraying has been reduced.

Additionally, Valve has reworked aim punch when players take damage. Moving forward, armored players will notice the aim punch (albeit to a significantly lesser extent than those without armor) when they’re shot.

As per the official patch notes, players will experience the full camera motion due to external sources of aim punch (e.g. getting shot) regardless of network latency. The effects of aim punch on bullet trajectories are still applied immediately on the server.

Armory Update

Alongside the gameplay changes, Valve has confirmed that several skin and sticker collections will be departing the CS2 Armory in the near future.

While the Armory changes aren’t explicitly detailed in the patch notes, the official CS2 X handle announced that the following collections are getting removed from the Armory soon:

  • Train 2025 Collection
  • Sport & Field Collection
  • Sugarface 2 stickers
  • Elemental Craft stickers

The last time Valve announced Armory removals, the Gallery Case, Graphic Collection, and Character Craft Stickers were flagged for removal on September 10th, with the actual removal taking place on October 1st. That gave players three weeks to stock up on the cosmetics before they were gone for good.

CS2 April 22 Patch Notes

Below, we have listed the official patch notes for the April 22 CS2 update, as announced by Valve:

[ GAMEPLAY ]

  • Adjusted camera motion due to recoil to match CS:GO more closely. Bullet trajectories should continue to match CS2.
  • Players will now experience the full camera motion due to external sources of aim punch (e.g. getting shot) regardless of network latency. The effects of aim punch on bullet trajectories are still applied immediately on the server.

[ ANIMGRAPH 2 ]

  • Minor adjustments to viewmodel animations.
  • Fixed several cases where crouch transitions in the air were instantaneous.
  • Fixed a bug where MVP panel characters weren’t resetting correctly.
What Is AnimGraph 2 and How It Changes CS2 Meta

BGMI Redeem Codes Today: Unlock M416 Glacier Drops and White Rabbit Backpack rewards

Aditya Parsutkar
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BGMI Redeem Codes Today: Unlock M416 Glacier Drops and White Rabbit Backpack rewards

KRAFTON India has released the next set of BGMI redeem codes as part of its ongoing reward phase. Today’s drop includes select redeem codes that unlock M416 Glacier Spin Tokens alongside the White Rabbit Backpack – a unique, theme-based cosmetic item that enhances player characters with a distinctive, playful aesthetic.

The Backpack features as a key highlight in today’s drop, expanding the range of customisation options available to players. With 53 redeem codes going live today, players stand a chance to win four M416 Glacier Spin Token codes, alongside White Rabbit Backpack rewards and other in-game items.

Redeem codes are valid until July 9, 2026, and will be released daily on BGMI’s official channels.

BGMI Redeem Codes Today: M416 Glacier Token Codes:

  • LHZHZ6PJAP9CP9EW
  • LHZIZKCRDVW5TMC9
  • LHZJZK3RJ5N4RNMP
  • LHZKZMH7CXRUA3AV

General Redeem Codes:

  • KGZCZTB6FXFKTCA6
  • KGZDZVP6TQAUP7KW
  • KGZEZHCUA3ANGQQW
  • KGZFZHB9NJK36EWS
  • KGZGZR6GCCTFF76H
  • KGZHZRSUGEQDPUNE
  • KGZIZW3HD8W5RUJ4
  • KGZJZQSUWMRFG4CH
  • KGZKZP8FCURRNR3R
  • KGZLZJ67HXG35ESJ
  • KGZMZWD4Q7AF6CV6
  • KGZNZE8B9Q73D4AT
  • KGZOZG59U8KSARS5
  • KGZPZS56TAUDHMQJ
  • KGZQZ57CXCDM7FJU
  • KGZRZMUE8WJ73XTR
  • KGZVZTBR6X96BD74
  • KGZTZ6JJJ7GU6D7M
  • KGZUZH3B7U5QWK9B
  • KGZBAZV384AUPDCD
  • KGZBBZUJG75DVBE3
  • KGZBCZCG6KMFFFH3
  • KGZBDZ3ERHK5RV84
  • KGZBEZHQ3TC8Q9TC
  • KGZBFZHGTMMN37PS
  • KGZBGZ7TRJFGX9F4
  • KGZBHZ3RK7N5N4XP
  • KGZBIZF3JK355ARD
  • KGZBJZHNK6HW64JX
  • KGZBKZ4SGX9EN6RK
  • KGZBLZ5A7EXKU4HV
  • KGZBMZERG5CVPPW6
  • KGZBNZH5RN4JR6BW
  • KGZBOZ3VMXFHDVK6
  • KGZBPZ33DXK7Q65P
  • KGZBQZP4HPHUBSR7
  • KGZBRZMP3UP6866B
  • KGZBVZG4KCKH69W6
  • KGZBTZMAVDRMTTH5
  • KGZBUZWHE4GRBW89
  • KGZCAZRTQFSF4PEK
  • KGZCBZPHTE4KAH3S
  • KGZCCZ9J6G7Q936G
  • KGZCDZGUMBH8M3NC
  • KGZCEZ86JRCHSARF
  • KGZCFZ35KE5SN6VB
  • KGZCGZP5VNTJ36JG
  • KGZCHZVX6H8EPVW5
  • KGZCIZB9BVH6K6UU

Read More: KRAFTON India Brings Phoenixtra X-Suit in BGMI, Dark Raven Returns

Steps to redeem:

Players can follow these simple steps to claim their rewards:

  • Step 1: Go to the Redeem section on BGMI’s official website www.battlegroundsmobileindia.com/redeem
  • Step 2: Enter your Character ID
  • Step 3: Enter the Redemption Code
  • Step 4: Enter the verification/ Captcha code → A message will confirm ‘Code redeemed successfully’
  • Step 5: The reward will be delivered via in-game mail

Rules to Remember:

A maximum of 10 users can redeem each code on a first-come, first-served basis

A user cannot redeem a code twice

If a player is among the first 10 users to successfully redeem the code, a message will confirm ‘Code redeemed successfully’. If not, users will see ‘Code expired’ or a similar expiry message

Each user account can redeem only one code per day

Redeem codes cannot be used via guest accounts

Rewards to be claimed within 30 days from receiving the in-game mail post which the mail gets deleted

Xbox Cuts Game Pass Ultimate Price to $22.99

Aritra Patra
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0
Xbox Cuts Game Pass Ultimate Price to $22.99

Microsoft has cut the price of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate from $29.99 to $22.99 per month, effective April 21, 2026. PC Game Pass also drops, from $16.49 to $13.99 per month. Both cuts take effect immediately on Xbox.com for new sign-ups. Existing subscribers will see the lower price on their next billing date from April 22 onwards.

Game Pass Essential at $9.99 per month and Game Pass Premium at $14.99 per month are not changing.

The Trade-Off: No Call of Duty at Launch

The price drop comes with one significant change. Microsoft will no longer offer new Call of Duty games on Game Pass Ultimate or PC Game Pass on day one. Instead, new titles will join the subscription during the following holiday season, roughly a year after release. Existing Call of Duty games already in the Game Pass library will stay available.

Game Pass Essential and Game Pass Premium do not include day-one new releases and are not affected by this change.

In its own statement, Activision said: “Game Pass continues to be an awesome place for players to discover games, including Call of Duty.”

Why Microsoft Made the Change

Asha Sharma, a former Meta executive who replaced Phil Spencer as Microsoft’s gaming chief in February, told employees in a memo that Game Pass had become too expensive. In a post on X, Sharma acknowledged that Game Pass Ultimate had “become too expensive for too many players.”

Microsoft said in a blog post: “Our players cover a wide breadth of geographies, preferences, and tastes, so while there isn’t a single model that’s best for everyone, this change responds to a lot of feedback we’ve gotten so far.”

The price cut comes six months after Microsoft raised the top Game Pass tier by 50% to $29.99 per month in October 2025. Tuesday’s cut does not fully reverse that increase.

Call of Duty Sales Were Hit Hard

Removing new Call of Duty titles from day-one access is not just about pricing. Game Pass appeared to impact premium sales of last year’s title, Black Ops 7, significantly, with launch sales down more than 60% in some markets. In the US, Black Ops 7 was the fifth best-selling game of 2025, the lowest placement for a Call of Duty game in nearly 20 years.

Revenue from Xbox content and services came in below internal projections, according to Microsoft’s finance chief Amy Hood. Hood also announced an unspecified impairment charge in the gaming business. Microsoft expanded the gaming division in 2023 with the $75.4 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard, the publisher behind Call of Duty.

How to Enable Vulkan in Minecraft

Sarjyo Mukherjee
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How to Enable Vulkan in Minecraft

Vulkan is coming to Minecraft, replacing the iconic OpenGL system in an attempt to adopt modern hardware, which promises better FPS, improved stability, and more efficient GPU performance, as we have come to witness with this API. In this article, we see how to enable Vulkan for Minecraft to optimize game performance.

What is Vulkan in Minecraft?

For those who are unaware, Vulkan is a next-gen graphics API that enables developers to have better control over the user’s GPU resources, which enables them to optimise the game better. In a direct head-to-head with OpenGL, Vulkan offers objectively smoother gameplay, better FPS, and significant improvements in efficiency. At the time of writing, developers have only released it for Minecraft versions 26.2 or later.

Currently, Vulkan support is experimental and available in Minecraft 26.2 Snapshot.

How to Turn On Vulkan in Minecraft

Follow these simple steps to enable Vulkan:

  • Open the Minecraft Launcher
  • Select the latest snapshot version and click Play
  • Go to Video Settings under Options
  • Find Graphics API
  • Change it from Default to Prefer Vulkan
  • Click Done and restart the game

After restarting, Vulkan will be active.

Vulkan vs OpenGL: Performance Benefits

Early tests have shown signs that Vulkan brings significant improvement in performance over OpenGL, and one might argue that Minecraft is not a demanding title anyway; there is hardly anyone who would reject a lighter and more stable version of a game without a catch for free.

This update might not bring significant benefits to the game, but to know that the developers are actively working to bring micro improvements to the game speaks to the dedication they are putting in. As of now, all modern hardware would benefit from switching to Vulkan, marking a major step toward next-gen graphics and better performance in Minecraft.

What Is AnimGraph 2 and How It Changes CS2 Meta

Sarjyo Mukherjee
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0
What Is AnimGraph 2 and How It Changes CS2 Meta

As we continue to criticise Counter-Strike 2 for being less snappy than Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, the developers have dropped the biggest backend upgrade, which not only changes key mechanics but also drastically improves how the game performs. In this article, we will explore what Animgraph 2 is and how it will change Counter-Strike 2 forever.

What is AnimGraph 2?

AnimGraph 2 is a massive overhaul of the existing Counter-Strike 2 animation system. The update is set to part ways with the older animation framework and adopt the new one, which is said to be more efficient in ways the game tackles player movement, weapon actions, and character model behaviours, and, essentially, all animations. Not only does this make said animations more realistic, but it drastically reduces the load on the computer hardware, therefore improving performance.

This update includes:

  • Reworked third-person animations
  • Smoother movement transitions (like crouching mid-air)
  • Improved animation logic for weapons and player actions
  • Reduced CPU and network usage

To put it simply, the game will now feel lighter on the hardware, allowing your computer to perform better.

What Changed in Today’s CS2 Update?

Following positive responses from the Beta released earlier, Valve has officially launched the full version of the update with the 3GB patch released on 21st April 2026, bringing it to the live game.

Key improvements include:

  • Snappier weapon deploy animations
  • Improved knife transitions
  • Improved third-person visuals
  • Holistic fix of animations throughout the game.

What Does This Mean for CS2 Gameplay?

From what the name suggests, this is more than just an update that improves animation but changes a fundamental aspect of the game, which is suggested to improve CS2 in ways that will be welcomed by the community.

  • Better performance: Lower CPU and network load improve gameplay, especially on weaker PCs.
  • Improved hit registration: Set to reduce desync issues by sending fewer but more accurate animation updates, which, in sync with sub-tick, will improve hit registration.
  • More consistent movement: Realistic changes to ramps and player height,
  • which improve grenade lineups and positioning.
  • Cleaner visuals: Enemy animations are more consistent, which makes fights fairer than before.

AnimGraph 2 has been a welcome change for the community right from when the Beta was introduced. Performance improves drastically, changing how the game performs and eventually leading to smoother and more consistent gameplay. Only time will tell how this update fares, but as of today, the community celebrates this big update.

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