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Acer Gaming Laptops That'll Carry You Through 2026
With 2026 on the horizon and GPU and RAM prices threatening to go through the roof, nowās the time to start sizing up new gaming laptops.Ā Ah yes, thereās no time like the present, and thankfully weāve taken most of the hard work out of finding a gaming laptop that will help you sail through 2026 and beyond. Weāve got five of the best gaming laptop deals for you, so read on, and hopefully you can find a device to take your gaming to new heights. First though, whatās the forecast for computer prices in 2026?
GPU and RAM inflation?
GPUs, or graphics processing units are the parts in a computer responsible for rendering visuals in games and accelerating demanding tasks such as video editing and AI workloads. GPUs do the heavy lifting in games, and right now they are in great demand for gaming and content creation, as well as ever-evolving AI workloads.
RAM, or memory pricing is cyclical, and thereās currently an upswing, reflecting tighter supply and stronger demand. High demand for memory in AI development and data centers, is also causing a scarcity of RAM worldwide.Ā
Put simply, both GPUs and RAM are in great demand, while manufacturers (obviously) prioritize higher margin (AI) products, meaning higher prices all round. This in turn has reduced the supply of regular consumer components. On top of all that, global currencies, supply chains, and of course logistics are increasingly unstable, all leading to higher prices. Still curious? Hereās an in-depth article covering the GPU price inflation forecast in 2026.Ā
Computers: forecast to get a lot more expensive in 2026
Before we hook you up with the best gaming laptop for next year and beyond, letās decipher the true cause of these soon to soar prices. New generations of CPUs and GPUs will arrive in 2026 at higher starting price points, particularly at the performance end of the market. At the same time, AI-focused features are pushing baseline specifications upward, meaning todayās mid-range hardware increasingly becomes tomorrowās entry level.Ā
Rising manufacturing, energy, and compliance costs are also feeding into higher retail prices, while vendors continue to focus on higher-margin configurations. So while laptops have never been cheaper than in recent years, in 2026, there will be fewer genuinely affordable systems, coupled with a steady upward drift in what consumers can expect to pay for a decent gaming laptop.
Five of the best gaming laptops from Acer
1. Predator Triton 14 AI - PT14-52T-972D
First up, hereās a Triton for gamers seeking premium power in a carry-on friendly size. A Copilot+ PC, the Predator Triton 14 AI - PT14-52T-972D is available now for $2,499.99. This is a device built for gamers and creators who demand serious performance in a compact, premium design, with OLED clarity. Hardware wise, the Triton 14 features an IntelĀ® Coreā¢ Ultra 9 processor and an NVIDIAĀ® GeForce RTXā¢ 5070 GPU. The Triton 14 AI delivers stellar gaming performance while remaining perfectlyĀ portable. The 14.5-inch WQXGA+ OLED touchscreen offers a sharp 16:10 aspect ratio, smooth 120 Hz refresh rate, and beyond vibrant visuals for gaming and creative work. 32 GB of LPDDR5X memory and a 1 TB SSD, is basically equivalent to gold dust in 2026.
2. Nitro V 16S - ANV16S-71-72KE
Slimline and looking fine, the Acer Nitro V 16S ANV16S-71-72KE is a 16-inch gaming fortress ready to conquer and create. Recently reduced from $1,469.99 to the festive price of $1,399.99,Ā youād better get the Nitro V 16S while you can. Powered by an IntelĀ® Coreā¢ 7 240H processor with a deca-core design and a base frequency of 2.50 GHz, the CPU is paired with an NVIDIAĀ® GeForce RTXā¢ 5070 GPU for modern gaming performance. 16 GB of DDR5 SDRAM and a 1 TB SSD, deliver a solid combo of memory and fast storage. All of this on a 16-inch WQXGA (2560 x 1600) 16:10 ComfyView (Matte) IPS display with a smooth 180 Hz refresh rate for sharp, responsive visuals, whatās not to like?
3. Predator Helios Neo 18 AIĀ - PHN18-72-902R
Jumping up a bracket to the Predator family, letās see what the Neo 18 can throw into the mix. The Predator Helios Neo 18 AI Gaming Laptop - PHN18-72-902R is an 18-inch gaming galleon ready to sail the seas of gaming, currently priced at $2,849.99. Designed for gamers who demand maximum performance and screen real estate without stepping into full desktop mode, this laptop is powered by an IntelĀ® Coreā¢ Ultra 9 275HX processor and an NVIDIAĀ® GeForce RTXā¢ 5070 Ti GPU. Thereāll be no messing about with the Helios Neo 18 AI. This laptop is ready to handle demanding AAA titles and intensive workloads by the bucketload. The gargantuan 18-inch WQXGA display pairs a 16:10 aspect ratio with a lightning fast 250 Hz refresh rate for ultra-smooth, insanely immersive gameplay. Stacked with 64 GB of DDR5 memory and a 2 TB SSD, the Helios Neo 18 AI delivers desktop level gaming in laptop form.
4. Predator Helios Neo 16 AI Gaming Laptop - PHN16-73-979X
Staying strictly in the Predator family, our next super-powered gaming laptop is none but the Predator Helios Neo 16 AI Gaming Laptop - PHN16-73-979X. This laptop has recently undergone a hefty reduction from $2,649.99 to a mere $2,299.99. Under the hood, youāll find an IntelĀ® Coreā¢ Ultra 9 275HX processor with a 24 core design and a base frequency of 2.70 GHz, paired with an NVIDIAĀ® GeForce RTXā¢ 5070Ti GPU with 12 GB of dedicated memory. Fear not the spike in RAM prices, for this system is configured with a hefty 64 GB of DDR5 SDRAM and 2 TB SSD, providing ample memory and storage for all workloads. Letās not omit the display! The Helios Neo 16 has a 16-inch WQXGA (2560 x 1600) 16:10 CineCrystal (Glare) display running at a respectable 240 Hz refresh rate. For speed, power and portability, you simply canāt go wrong with the Helios Neo 16.
5. Predator Helios 18 AI Gaming Laptop - PH18-73-99A8
Last, and certainly not least in our odyssey of Acer gaming laptops thatāll carry you through 2026, meet the Predator Helios 18 AI Gaming Laptop - PH18-73-99A8. This is Acerās second most powerful laptop, reserved for the elite forces of the gaming world. First, the price: $6,999.99. Now that weāve got that out of the way, letās take a closer look. As youād expect, this laptop has some serious specs for the pinnacle of gaming on-the-go. Powered by an IntelĀ® Coreā¢ Ultra 9 275HX processor and an NVIDIAĀ® GeForce RTXā¢ 5090 GPU with 24 GB of dedicated memory, itās designed to crush all games and tasks in its path. The expansive 18-inch WQUXGA display delivers sharp visuals with a 16:10 aspect ratio, while Windows 11 Pro adds productivity-grade features as expected. Stacked with 192 GB of DDR5 memory and 6 TB SSD, buy the Helios 18 AI youāll be able to rent space out to your friends and neighbors.
Future-proof in 2026 and beyondĀ
We hope youāve enjoyed todayās article, and now have a clearer picture of the best gaming laptops to carry you through 2026. With GPU and RAM prices climbing and 2026 forecast to be a more expensive year for PC hardware, locking in a capable gaming laptop now is the best choice. From slim, portable machines built for gaming and creative tasks to desktop-class powerhouses, Acerās laptop lineup covers every rung of the performance ladder. If you plan to play seriously in 2026 and beyond, acting sooner rather than later could save you money and hassle down the line. Head to the Acer store to discover the freshest deals as we head into 2026, and donāt forget that students get a 15% discount.
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The Nemesis System: A Brilliant Idea Trapped by Patents
First introduced in Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor in 2014, the Nemesis System is one of the most ambitious gameplay innovations of the past decade. Developed by Monolith Productions, it transforms ordinary enemy encounters into evolving rivalries by giving enemies persistent identities, memories, and the ability to change based on how players interact with them. Orc captains remember past defeats, taunt you over previous humiliations, rise through ranks when they kill you, and sometimes even return from death bearing scars and grudges. What begins as a procedural villain generator quickly becomes a deeply personal, player-driven story engine, one that reached its full potential in Middle-earth: Shadow of War and left a lasting impression on players who experienced it.
How the Nemesis System Works
At its core, the Nemesis System functions as a dynamic storytelling engine that reacts to player behavior rather than following a fixed script. Instead of enemies existing as disposable NPCs, the system tracks encounters, outcomes, and patterns of interaction, then uses that data to shape future events.
Every notable enemy is procedurally generated with a name, appearance, voice, combat traits, strengths, weaknesses, and a distinct personality. More importantly, they remember you. If an enemy defeats you, escapes, is humiliated, or cheats death, that outcome is logged by the system and referenced in future encounters through dialogue, behavior changes, and even visual alterations such as scars, prosthetics, or altered armor.
The system also relies heavily on non-lethal outcomes to sustain long-term narratives. Enemies may flee, mock you instead of killing you, survive fatal blows, or ambush you later when you least expect it. Likewise, the playerās own deaths are treated as canonical events rather than failures, allowing rivals to grow stronger, gain promotions, and develop reputations based on how they defeated you.
All of this operates within a living hierarchy. Enemies exist in a structured chain of command, where captains can rise to power by killing the player or defeating rivals, and powerful leaders can fall through humiliation or betrayal. These power shifts often occur independently of the player through background missions, ensuring the world continues to evolve even when you are not directly involved.
What makes the Nemesis System especially effective is that it combines procedural generation with handcrafted content. While encounters are systemic and unpredictable, they are anchored by curated dialogue, animations, and personality archetypes that make individual rivals feel memorable. The result is a system that creates stories in real time, assembling them from player actions, enemy reactions, and emergent relationships rather than pre-written narrative beats.
Why Gamers Loved the Nemesis System
The Nemesis System resonated with players because it made their experiences feel genuinely personal in a way few single-player games ever had. Instead of delivering the same scripted moments to every player, it allowed unique stories to emerge organically from moment-to-moment gameplay. No two playthroughs were the same, and no two players ended up with the same rivals, allies, or outcomes.
One of its greatest strengths was emotional investment. Enemies were not just obstacles. They were characters with history. When an Orc killed you, mocked your failure, earned a promotion, and later ambushed you again with new scars and taunts, it created a powerful sense of rivalry. Revenge felt earned rather than scripted. Victory carried narrative weight because it resolved a relationship that had been built over hours of play.
Players also appreciated how naturally the system integrated storytelling into core mechanics. You did not have to make dialogue choices or follow branching narrative menus. Simply playing the game, fighting, fleeing, dying, or humiliating enemies, was enough to shape the story. This made the Nemesis System accessible to players who might normally ignore narrative-heavy RPGs, while still offering depth for those who cared about emergent storytelling.
Another reason for its popularity was how it blurred the line between single-player and multiplayer experiences. The system replicated the feeling of rivalry normally found in competitive games, where recurring opponents develop reputations and grudges over time. According to Monolith Productions, this sense of multiplayer-style relatedness was a core design goal, and it is something players consistently praised as fresh and memorable.
Ultimately, gamers loved the Nemesis System because it respected player agency. It did not tell players what their story was. It observed what they did and built meaning around those actions. That combination of systemic design, emotional payoff, and player-driven narrative is why the system is still discussed more than a decade later, despite appearing in only a handful of games.
Why the Nemesis System Is in Patent Hell, and How U.S. Gameplay Patents Work
The biggest reason the Nemesis System has not appeared widely across the industry is not technical complexity. It is legal ownership. Monolith Productions, under its parent company Warner Bros. Games, was granted a U.S. patent covering the core mechanics behind the Nemesis System. That patent does not protect a specific character or story. It protects a method of gameplay, specifically the idea of procedurally generated enemies who remember past encounters, evolve based on player interaction, and form persistent relationships within a hierarchy.
In the United States, game mechanics can be patented if they meet three criteria: they must be novel, non-obvious, and useful. Unlike copyright, which protects expression, patents protect systems and processes. Once approved by the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the patent holder gains exclusive rights to that system for a fixed period, generally twenty years from filing.
This creates a chilling effect across the industry. Even if another studio builds a system that feels meaningfully different in tone or presentation, the risk of infringement remains if the underlying mechanics resemble the patented claims. For most developers, especially indie and mid-sized studios, the cost of defending a lawsuit is enough to stop experimentation before it begins. As a result, many teams avoid deep emergent enemy systems altogether rather than risk legal exposure.
Warner Bros. has technically been free to reuse the Nemesis System internally, but it has done so sparingly. Planned projects that were rumored to incorporate it never materialized in a visible way, and the system remained closely associated with the Middle-earth games rather than becoming a studio-wide pillar.
More recently, industry discussion has intensified due to reports that control of the Nemesis System patent now sits under Netflixās games division following corporate asset transfers involving Warner-related properties. While the exact corporate structure is still being clarified publicly, what matters to developers is simple: the system remains locked behind exclusive ownership, with no clear, standardized licensing pathway available to outside studios.
This is why the Nemesis System is often described as being in āpatent hell.ā It is widely admired, broadly requested, and technically feasible to adapt, yet functionally unreachable for most of the industry due to legal risk rather than creative limitation.
If you are ready, the next section can cover whether the system could realistically be freed, including the current petition and what a developer-friendly licensing model could look like in practice.
Could the Nemesis System Be Freed Soon?
For the first time in years, there is a realistic conversation about the Nemesis System becoming accessible to the wider industry. This shift is driven by reports that control of the Nemesis System patent now sits with Netflix, following its future acquisition of Warner-related assets and expansion into game publishing.
This change in ownership matters because Netflix is not a traditional games publisher with a single franchise to protect. Its games strategy is still evolving, and its long-term value comes from growing an ecosystem rather than guarding one specific implementation. That creates an opportunity for a different approach to the patent.
Developers are not asking for the Nemesis System to be open sourced or stripped of protection. Instead, the current push focuses on something far more practical: a clear, affordable, and transparent licensing program. Under this model, Netflix would retain ownership of the patent while allowing studios of all sizes to legally build Nemesis-inspired systems without fear of litigation.
A community-led petition is already calling for exactly this kind of solution. The proposal argues that a standardized licensing framework would benefit everyone involved. Developers could finally experiment with emergent rival systems in genres like RPGs, strategy games, immersive sims, survival titles, and roguelikes. Netflix would gain licensing revenue, goodwill within the developer community, and long-term influence over how one of gamingās most celebrated systems evolves.
Importantly, this petition does not demand immediate action or retroactive permission. It asks for dialogue, visibility, and a pathway forward. In an industry where innovation often stalls due to legal uncertainty, even a modest licensing program would represent a major step.
Whether the Nemesis System is freed depends entirely on Netflixās willingness to treat the patent as a platform rather than a locked vault. If it chooses engagement over restriction, the system could finally move beyond a single franchise and become a foundational design tool for the next generation of games.
Next, we can close by looking at the long-term future of the Nemesis System and what kinds of games could benefit most if it is finally allowed to evolve beyond Middle-earth.
Final Thoughts
The Nemesis System remains one of the clearest examples of how systemic design can create stories that feel personal, reactive, and genuinely memorable. First introduced in Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, and refined in Middle-earth: Shadow of War, it showed that enemies do not need scripted arcs to become compelling characters. They only need memory, consequence, and the ability to change.
Its absence from the wider industry has never been about lack of interest. Developers have been vocal for years about wanting similar systems, and players continue to cite the Nemesis System as one of the most distinctive mechanics of the last generation. The barrier has always been legal uncertainty, not creative hesitation.
With the patent now reportedly under the control of Netflix, there is a rare chance to reset that trajectory. A fair, transparent licensing model would not diminish the value of the patent. It would amplify it. It would allow one of gamingās most celebrated ideas to evolve across genres, studios, and creative visions, rather than remain frozen in a single franchise.
Whether that happens is still an open question. But the renewed discussion, the active petition, and the continued admiration for the system all point to the same conclusion. The Nemesis System deserves more than to be remembered as a great idea locked away by circumstance. If given room to grow, it could still shape the future of how games tell stories, not through scripts, but through play itself.
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Rescue Raiders in ARC Raiders: Who They Are and Why They Exist
At first glance, ARC Raiders looks like a familiar survival shooter built around risk, scarcity, and distrust. Every trip topside is dangerous, every encounter uncertain, and every other Raider a potential threat. The game actively encourages caution, misdirection, and decisive violence, because hesitation often means losing everything you brought with you. And yet, within that hostile framework, a small but growing group of players has chosen to play against expectation rather than against the rules. Known as the Rescue Raiders, they enter matches not to hunt other players, but to protect them, revive them, and, when possible, get everyone home alive.
Their existence feels almost paradoxical in a genre that rewards ambushes and punishes trust. But that paradox is precisely what makes the Rescue Raiders worth examining. They are not a developer-designed faction or an official system. They are a player-made response to the social pressures created by ARC Raiders itself, an example of how emergent behavior can reshape the experience of a PvPvE game from the inside.
Understanding ARC Raiders: PvPvE by design
ARC Raiders is built around a PvPvE structure that forces players to contend with two constant threats at once. On one side are the ARC, autonomous machines that dominate the surface and act as the gameās primary PvE challenge. On the other are fellow Raiders, human players with their own objectives, risk tolerance, and moral boundaries, or lack thereof. Loot routes, contracts, and extraction points push these groups into shared spaces, ensuring that player interaction is not optional, but inevitable.
Crucially, the game does very little to dictate how those interactions should play out. There are no hard alignment systems, reputation meters, or karma mechanics separating heroes from villains. A Raider who helps you one match can betray you the next, and the game treats both outcomes as equally valid. This design creates tension, but it also creates ambiguity. Every sound cue, silhouette, or voice line carries weight, because intent is never guaranteed.
That ambiguity is the foundation on which both the gameās best and worst moments are built. It enables thrilling standoffs, uneasy alliances, and last-second rescues, but it also opens the door to camping, fake-friendly tactics, and predatory behavior aimed at less combat-focused players. Understanding that design philosophy is essential to understanding why groups like the Rescue Raiders exist at all. They are not resisting the PvPvE nature of ARC Raiders. They are operating entirely within it, responding to its pressures in a way the game deliberately leaves open-ended.
The PvE vs PvP divide
While ARC Raiders does not formally separate its players, an informal divide has naturally formed. Some Raiders approach each deployment with a PvE mindset, prioritizing contracts, exploration, resource gathering, and survival against the ARC. For these players, combat with other Raiders is often a risk to be managed rather than a goal in itself. Avoidance, awareness, and efficient extraction matter more than kill counts.
Others lean heavily into the PvP side of the game. They study player movement patterns, control high-traffic zones, and treat each match as an opportunity to outplay or outgun other Raiders. From a mechanical standpoint, this approach is just as valid. ARC Raiders allows it, and in many cases rewards it. However, the overlap between these playstyles is where friction emerges. PvE-focused players tend to move predictably through objective areas and extraction points, making them easy targets for experienced PvP players willing to camp or ambush.
Over time, this imbalance has shaped the tone of many encounters. Being eliminated by another Raider is not inherently frustrating, but being repeatedly caught at extraction, deceived by fake-friendly behavior, or killed while reviving an ARC downed teammate can make the experience feel punitive rather than competitive. The result is a perception, especially among PvE-leaning players, that they are being hunted not for strategic advantage, but because they are simply easier prey.
The birth of the Rescue Raiders
The Rescue Raiders emerged directly from this growing tension. Rather than pushing for rule changes or a separate PvE mode, a subset of players chose to respond in-game by changing how they engaged with others. Organized through the r/RescueRaiders subreddit, the group formed around a shared philosophy: the surface did not have to be governed solely by kill-on-sight logic, even in a PvPvE environment.
Their approach was not to eliminate PvP, but to set boundaries around it. Rescue Raiders committed to never shooting first, to prioritizing revives and escorts over loot, and to intervening when encounters became one-sided or exploitative. In effect, they positioned themselves as a stabilizing presence, stepping in where the gameās systems intentionally remain neutral.
Importantly, the Rescue Raiders were conceived as a role-playing community, not an enforcement body. They do not claim authority over how others should play, nor do they attempt to punish behavior outside their own engagements. Their rules exist to govern their own actions and representation, not to impose a moral hierarchy on the wider player base. In a game that thrives on uncertainty, the Rescue Raiders chose to make their intentions unmistakably clear, even when doing so puts them at a disadvantage.
What do Rescue Raiders actually do in-game?
In practice, being a Rescue Raider is less about passive friendliness and more about deliberate, often risky decision-making. Rescue Raiders deploy with the expectation that they may enter active firefights, unstable situations, or ambiguous encounters where intent is unclear. Their priority in those moments is not to secure kills or loot, but to stabilize the situation. This typically means reviving downed Raiders regardless of affiliation, providing cover during ARC engagements, and escorting injured or under-geared players toward safer routes or extraction points.
Rescue Raiders will also place themselves between vulnerable players and known danger zones, particularly around extractions or high-traffic objectives where camping is common. Communication is central to how they operate. Hostile intent is announced clearly when PvP is unavoidable, and many Rescue Raiders rely on in-game cues such as glow sticks or voice lines to signal their role before an encounter escalates. Even after a firefight, revives are encouraged whenever possible, with the goal of restoring agency rather than removing players from the match.
This approach does not eliminate conflict. It reframes it. Combat becomes a last resort rather than a default response, and success is measured less by eliminations and more by how many players make it back to Speranza alive.
Rules, discipline, and self-policing
What prevents the Rescue Raiders from devolving into inconsistent or performative friendliness is the structure behind the role. The r/RescueRaiders community enforces a clear and public set of rules that govern how members engage with others. Chief among these is the principle of never shooting first. Rescue Raiders are expected to withhold fire until aggression is unmistakable, even when doing so puts them at personal risk.
Equally important are the rules around restraint and accountability. Cross-match grudges and witch hunting are strictly prohibited. Player IDs are never shared for retaliation, and members are discouraged from carrying personal vendettas across matches. The community also maintains firm standards against discrimination, harassment, and pre-teaming, recognizing that trust collapses quickly when those boundaries are crossed.
Notably, the Rescue Raiders make room for adversarial play within their own space. Players who engage in kill-on-sight or fake-friendly tactics are not banned outright, but are required to identify themselves transparently through designated user flairs. This emphasis on disclosure reinforces the groupās core value: clarity of intent. By holding themselves to explicit standards and policing their own behavior, the Rescue Raiders aim to model a form of play that coexists with ARC Raidersā inherent hostility rather than pretending it does not exist.
Is this good for ARC Raiders?
Whether the Rescue Raiders are ultimately good or bad for ARC Raiders depends largely on where a player sits within its PvPvE spectrum. For PvE-focused players, the presence of Rescue Raiders often makes the game feel more survivable and, importantly, more humane. A timely revive, an escort out of a camped extraction, or a neutral third party stepping into a chaotic fight can turn what would have been a frustrating loss into a memorable story. In that sense, Rescue Raiders help preserve player retention by softening the sharpest edges of the gameās social friction.
At the same time, their approach is not without drawbacks. Because ARC Raiders is built on ambiguity, Rescue Raiders can be exploited by bad actors who feign friendliness or take advantage of revive-first rules. Well-intentioned interventions can backfire, accidentally enabling repeat campers or prolonging encounters that PvP-focused players believe should carry consequences. From that perspective, Rescue Raiders can be seen as diluting risk in a genre defined by it.
What is notable, however, is that these outcomes are not design failures on the part of the Rescue Raiders. They are natural consequences of operating within a system that intentionally withholds certainty. The Rescue Raiders do not eliminate danger; they absorb it, often at personal cost. Their mistakes are not evidence of naĆÆvetĆ©, but proof that the role they have chosen is difficult to sustain in a game that constantly incentivizes distrust.
A product of the game, not a rejection of it
The Rescue Raiders are not an anomaly imposed on ARC Raiders. They are a direct product of it. PvPvE games, by design, encourage players to define their own roles once the systems stop short of prescribing behavior. Some players optimize for combat efficiency, others for survival and progression, and a few choose to prioritize cooperation in a space where trust is never guaranteed. The Rescue Raiders exist because the game leaves room for that choice.
Rather than rejecting conflict, they redefine how and when it occurs. They operate within the same risk framework as everyone else, often accepting worse odds in exchange for clarity of intent. In doing so, they highlight something easy to forget in high-stakes survival shooters: player-driven culture can be just as influential as balance changes or new content.
That culture, however, is still shaped by access. ARC Raiders rewards awareness, communication, and stable performance under pressure, all of which are easier to maintain with reliable hardware. For students diving into PvPvE games like ARC Raiders, Acerās Predator and Nitro gaming laptops and desktops offer strong performance for modern shooters without unnecessary complexity. Through Acerās student discount program, eligible buyers can save up to 15%, making it easier to invest in a system that keeps pace with demanding games while staying within a realistic budget.
Whether you play as a hunter, a survivor, or something closer to a first responder, ARC Raiders ultimately reflects the choices players bring with them onto the surface. The Rescue Raiders are simply one example of how those choices can reshape the experience, not by changing the rules, but by deciding how to play within them.
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All Games That Won an Award At The Game Awards 2025
Each year, the video game industry gathers to recognize the titles, studios, and creators that shaped the medium over the past twelve months. The Game Awards 2025 was no exception. This yearās ceremony highlighted not just blockbuster releases, but also the growing influence of independent studios, narrative-driven experiences, and long-term live-service games that continue to evolve years after launch.
From technical achievements in audio and accessibility to creative excellence in storytelling, art direction, and performance, the awards provided a clear snapshot of where the industry is heading. One title, in particular, dominated the conversation, while several others secured key wins that underscored their impact across different genres and platforms.
What are The Game Awards?
The Game Awards is an annual event that celebrates excellence in video game development and publishing. Launched in 2014, it serves two primary purposes: recognizing the best games and creators of the year, and providing a global stage for major announcements, trailers, and industry updates.
Winners are selected through a combination of votes from an international jury of media outlets and public fan voting, depending on the category. This hybrid approach allows the awards to balance critical evaluation with community sentiment, making the results a useful barometer of both industry recognition and player impact.
The Game Awards 2025 Categories
For 2025, awards were presented across a wide range of competitive categories, reflecting the diversity of modern gaming:
* Game of the Year
* Best Game Direction
* Best Narrative
* Best Art Direction
* Best Score and Music
* Best Audio Design
* Best Performance
* Best Action Game
* Best Action Adventure Game
* Best RPG
* Best Fighting Game
* Best Sim / Strategy Game
* Best Sports / Racing Game
* Best Multiplayer
* Best Ongoing Game
* Best Independent Game
* Best Debut Indie Game
* Best Mobile Game
* Best VR / AR Game
* Innovation in Accessibility
* Games for Impact
* Best Community Support
* Best Adaptation
* Most Anticipated Game
* Playerās Voice
All games that won an Award at The Game Awards 2025
1. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (9 Awards)
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 was the clear standout of The Game Awards 2025, earning more honors than any other title and firmly establishing itself as the defining game of the year. Developed by Sandfall Interactive, the game blends turn-based RPG combat with real-time mechanics, striking art direction, and a tightly written narrative that explores themes of mortality, memory, and inevitability. Its visual identity, influenced by European surrealism and Belle Ćpoque aesthetics, helped it stand apart from more conventional role-playing releases.
Beyond its mechanics and presentation, the game was widely praised for how cohesively its systems supported its story. Strong character performances and a memorable original score reinforced its emotional tone, while confident direction kept the experience focused and deliberate. The breadth of its wins also underscored a broader industry shift, with an independent studio successfully competing across top-tier categories traditionally dominated by large publishers.
Awards won:
* Game of the Year
* Best Game Direction
* Best Narrative
* Best RPG
* Best Independent Game
* Best Debut Indie Game
* Best Art Direction
* Best Score and Music (Lorien Testard)
* Best Performance ā Jennifer English
2. Counter-Strike 2 (2 Awards)
Counter-Strike 2 continued its long-standing dominance in competitive gaming by securing multiple esports-focused awards at The Game Awards 2025. As Valveās modernized evolution of CS:GO, the game builds on a legacy that spans more than two decades, refining its core tactical shooter formula while introducing technical upgrades such as improved visuals, tick-rate-free networking, and enhanced smoke physics.
The gameās wins reflect not just its mechanical depth, but also its position as the backbone of the global esports ecosystem. Its competitive integrity, consistency, and spectator appeal remain unmatched, supporting a professional scene that rewards both individual excellence and team coordination at the highest level.
Awards won:
* Best Esports Game
* Best Esports Team ā Team Vitality (Counter-Strike 2)
3. Hollow Knight: Silksong (1 Award)
Hollow Knight: Silksong secured a major genre win at The Game Awards 2025, reinforcing its position as one of the most anticipated and discussed releases of the year. Developed by Team Cherry, the game expands on the foundations of Hollow Knight while introducing faster, more aggressive combat, a stronger emphasis on mobility, and a new protagonist in Hornet. The result is a tighter, more demanding experience that rewards precision and mastery.
Its award recognition highlights how well the game balances mechanical challenge with world design and atmosphere. From intricate platforming sequences to hand-drawn environments and a distinctive musical score, Silksong demonstrates how refinement rather than reinvention can elevate a sequel into a genre leader.
Awards won:
* Best Action Adventure Game
4. Hades II (1 Award)
Hades II claimed the award for Best Action Game, continuing Supergiant Gamesā reputation for tightly designed combat and strong narrative integration. As a follow-up to the original Hades, the sequel builds on the fast-paced, isometric action formula while introducing a new protagonist, expanded ability systems, and more complex enemy encounters. Combat remains the centerpiece, emphasizing responsiveness, build variety, and moment-to-moment decision-making.
The win reflects how well Hades II balances mechanical intensity with accessibility. Despite its difficulty, the game remains approachable through clear visual feedback and flexible progression systems, making it appealing to both returning players and newcomers to the genre.
Awards won:
* Best Action Game
5. Arc Raiders (1 Award)
Arc Raiders earned recognition for Best Multiplayer, reflecting how successfully it translated high-stakes cooperative and competitive play into a polished extraction shooter experience. Developed by Embark Studios, the game blends PvE and PvP elements in a shared world where players must balance looting, survival, and confrontation with both AI-controlled ARC machines and rival squads.
What set Arc Raiders apart was its emphasis on tension and decision-making rather than constant combat. Matches reward smart positioning, coordination, and knowing when to disengage, which helped the game build a dedicated multiplayer community. Its win highlights the continued evolution of the multiplayer space beyond traditional arena shooters.
Awards won:
* Best Multiplayer
6. Battlefield 6 (1 Award)
Battlefield 6 was recognized for Best Audio Design, an award that reflects the franchiseās long-standing focus on large-scale immersion. The game delivers a dense and reactive soundscape, from distant artillery and collapsing structures to the distinct report of weapons echoing across massive maps. Audio plays a functional role as well, helping players read the battlefield and react to threats beyond their immediate line of sight.
This win underscored how technical execution can meaningfully shape gameplay. In a genre where situational awareness is critical, Battlefield 6 used sound design not just for spectacle, but as a core part of the player experience.
Awards won:
* Best Audio Design
7. No Manās Sky (1 Award)
Nearly a decade after its original release, No Manās Sky won Best Ongoing Game, highlighting one of the most notable long-term turnarounds in modern gaming. Through years of free updates, Hello Games has continuously expanded the title with new systems, narrative content, multiplayer features, and quality-of-life improvements.
The award recognizes sustained development rather than a single release window. No Manās Sky has become a reference point for how long-term support and community engagement can fundamentally reshape a gameās reputation and value over time.
Awards won:
* Best Ongoing Game
8. Baldurās Gate 3 (1 Award)
Baldurās Gate 3 received the award for Best Community Support, reflecting Larian Studiosā continued engagement with its player base well after launch. Ongoing patches, feature updates, mod support, and direct communication with the community helped maintain strong player trust and long-term interest.
Although its major award sweep occurred in previous years, this recognition highlights the importance of post-launch stewardship. Baldurās Gate 3 remains an example of how responsiveness and transparency can extend a gameās lifecycle and cultural relevance.
Awards won:
* Best Community Support
9. Donkey Kong Bananza (1 Award)
Donkey Kong Bananza took home Best Family Game, recognizing its broad accessibility and polished platforming design. The game leans into classic Donkey Kong fundamentals, precise jumping, readable level layouts, and playful challenge, while layering in modern presentation and quality-of-life improvements that make it approachable for younger players.
The award reflects the gameās ability to appeal across age groups. It delivers enough depth to keep experienced players engaged without sacrificing the clarity and charm that define strong family-focused titles.
Awards won:
* Best Family Game
10. Doom: The Dark Ages (1 Award)
Doom: The Dark Ages was recognized for Innovation in Accessibility, highlighting how id Software expanded the franchiseās reach without compromising its fast-paced combat identity. The game introduced customizable difficulty modifiers, improved visual readability, and expanded control options, allowing more players to engage with its demanding mechanics.
This win underscores a broader industry trend toward inclusive design. Doom: The Dark Ages demonstrates that accessibility features can coexist with high-skill gameplay rather than dilute it.
Awards won:
* Innovation in Accessibility
11. Umamusume: Pretty Derby (1 Award)
Umamusume: Pretty Derby earned Best Mobile Game, reflecting its continued success in blending sports management mechanics with character-driven storytelling. The game combines racing simulations with training systems and narrative arcs, supported by high production values uncommon in mobile titles.
Its win highlights how mobile games can achieve sustained popularity through depth, polish, and consistent content updates, rather than relying solely on short-session engagement.
Awards won:
* Best Mobile Game
12. The Last of Us: Season 2 (1 Award)
The Last of Us: Season 2 won Best Adaptation, continuing the franchiseās success beyond its original medium. Building on the narrative foundation of Naughty Dogās games, the HBO series translated its character-driven storytelling, emotional weight, and moral ambiguity into long-form television with broad critical and commercial appeal.
The award reflects how faithfully the adaptation preserved the source materialās tone while still functioning as a standalone series. Its success has further validated video games as a strong foundation for prestige television when handled with care.
Awards won:
* Best Adaptation
13. Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves (1 Award)
Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves claimed Best Fighting Game, marking a strong return for SNKās long-running franchise. The game modernized classic mechanics while maintaining the timing, spacing, and execution that define competitive fighting games. Its visual style and refined combat systems helped it stand out in a crowded genre.
The win highlights the continued relevance of traditional fighting game design when paired with modern production values and online infrastructure.
Awards won:
* Best Fighting Game
14. FINAL FANTASY TACTICS ā The Ivalice Chronicles (1 Award)
FINAL FANTASY TACTICS ā The Ivalice Chronicles won Best Sim / Strategy Game, recognizing the enduring appeal of tactical RPG design. The remaster introduced visual enhancements, balance adjustments, and modern platform support while preserving the complex job system and politically driven narrative that defined the original.
Its award underscores how thoughtful remasters can reintroduce classic systems to new audiences without losing their original identity.
Awards won:
* Best Sim / Strategy Game
15. Mario Kart World (1 Award)
Mario Kart World earned Best Sports / Racing Game, reinforcing Nintendoās dominance in accessible competitive design. The game expanded the series with new tracks, mechanics, and online features while retaining the straightforward controls and chaotic balance that define Mario Kart.
The award reflects the franchiseās ability to evolve incrementally while remaining one of the most widely played multiplayer experiences across age groups.
Awards won:
* Best Sports / Racing Game
16. The Midnight Walk (1 Award)
The Midnight Walk won Best VR / AR Game, highlighting how virtual reality continues to mature as a storytelling platform. The game focused on atmosphere, environmental interaction, and narrative pacing rather than technical spectacle alone, offering an experience designed specifically around immersion.
Its recognition signals growing appreciation for VR titles that prioritize design intention over novelty.
Awards won:
* Best VR / AR Game
17. Wuthering Waves (1 Award)
Wuthering Waves received the Playerās Voice award, the only category decided entirely by fan voting. The game gained a large and vocal following thanks to its fast-paced combat, open-world exploration, and ongoing content updates, particularly within the free-to-play action RPG space.
This win reflects strong community engagement and sustained player enthusiasm rather than critical jury consensus.
Awards won:
* Playerās Voice
18. Grand Theft Auto VI (1 Award)
Grand Theft Auto VI won Most Anticipated Game, an unsurprising outcome given the franchiseās cultural footprint and Rockstar Gamesā long development cycle. As the first mainline GTA entry in over a decade, the game carries immense expectations around scale, technical ambition, and narrative scope. Trailers and limited previews have already fueled record-breaking engagement across social media and streaming platforms.
The award reflects anticipation rather than execution, but it also highlights how dominant legacy franchises remain in shaping industry attention. Even without a release date in sight, Grand Theft Auto VI continues to set the benchmark for hype in modern gaming.
Awards won:
* Most Anticipated Game
Final thoughts: The full winners list and what it says about 2025
Taken as a whole, The Game Awards 2025 reflected an industry increasingly shaped by strong creative direction, long-term support, and player trust. Independent development reached a new high point, live-service games continued to prove their value through sustained updates, and established franchises maintained their gravitational pull on global audiences.
For reference, here is the complete list of award categories and their respective winners from The Game Awards 2025:
* Game of the Year: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
* Best Game Direction: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
* Best Narrative: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
* Best RPG: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
* Best Independent Game: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
* Best Debut Indie Game: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
* Best Art Direction: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
* Best Score and Music: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Lorien Testard)
* Best Performance: Jennifer English (Clair Obscur: Expedition 33)
* Best Esports Game: Counter-Strike 2
* Best Esports Team: Team Vitality (Counter-Strike 2)
* Best Multiplayer: Arc Raiders
* Best Action Game: Hades II
* Best Action Adventure Game: Hollow Knight: Silksong
* Best Audio Design: Battlefield 6
* Best Ongoing Game: No Manās Sky
* Best Community Support: Baldurās Gate 3
* Best Family Game: Donkey Kong Bananza
* Best Fighting Game: Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves
* Best Sim / Strategy Game: FINAL FANTASY TACTICS ā The Ivalice Chronicles
* Best Sports / Racing Game: Mario Kart World
* Best Mobile Game: Umamusume: Pretty Derby
* Best VR / AR Game: The Midnight Walk
* Innovation in Accessibility: Doom: The Dark Ages
* Games for Impact: South of Midnight
* Best Adaptation: The Last of Us: Season 2
* Playerās Voice: Wuthering Waves
* Most Anticipated Game: Grand Theft Auto VI
From a hardware perspective, many of these award-winning titles demand capable systems, whether for high-refresh competitive play, visually dense RPGs, or large-scale multiplayer experiences. This is where pre-configured gaming systems continue to offer practical value. Acer Predator and Nitro gaming laptops and desktops available through the Acer Store are well suited for modern releases like Arc Raiders, Battlefield 6, and Hades II, offering balanced CPU and GPU configurations without the complexity of custom builds.
For students, Acer also provides an additional incentive. Eligible buyers can receive 15% off through Acerās student discount program, making high-performance gaming hardware more accessible at a time when component prices remain volatile. For players looking to experience 2025ās best games as intended, that combination of value and performance is difficult to ignore.
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ARC Raiders Expedition 2 Guide: Is It Worth It?
ARC Raiders Expedition is an optional progression reset system that allows players to leave the Rust Belt in exchange for long-term rewards, permanent unlocks, and temporary buffs that carry into a new Raider. Instead of forcing a global wipe, Expeditions give players a limited departure window where they can choose whether to reset their progress based on how prepared they feel. By investing time and resources into building a caravan and contributing their entire stash, players can earn bonus skill points, extra storage, and account-wide advantages that stack across future Expeditions. The system is designed to respect player investment while still refreshing progression and pacing as the game evolves.
What is the Expedition
In ARC Raiders, an Expedition is an optional progression reset that allows your Raider to permanently leave the Rust Belt and begin a new journey with account-level advantages. Instead of acting as a mandatory wipe for all players, Expeditions run on a set schedule and are built around a 60-day preparation period, where you gather materials and complete a multi-stage caravan project. After the build is finished, a shorter departure window opens, and you decide whether to send your Raider out for good or hold off for a later cycle.
When you undertake an Expedition, your current Raider departs aboard the caravan you have constructed. Once the caravan leaves, most forms of character progression reset, including your level, skill tree, stash, inventory, workshop progression, and blueprints. However, certain unlocks and bonuses carry forward to your next Raider, which helps returning players restart with small but meaningful advantages. These benefits can become stronger if you continue completing Expeditions over multiple cycles, making this system a long-term progression layer rather than a one-time reset.
If you do not depart during the departure window, you are not forced into anything. Your caravan progress is preserved, and you can continue preparing and improving your stash value until a future Expedition window opens. This structure makes Expeditions more flexible than traditional wipes, since participation is based on readiness rather than a fixed, mandatory reset.
Note on Expedition cycles: Expeditions in ARC Raiders run on seasonal schedules, with requirements and rewards that may change between cycles. The information below reflects the current Expedition cycle running from December 22, 2025 to February 18, 2026, unless otherwise stated.
Current Expedition Requirements (December 22, 2025 to February 18, 2026)
Preparing for an Expedition in ARC Raiders takes place over a 60-day preparation period and is divided into six required project stages. Each stage unlocks in sequence and requires specific materials or item value contributions. All progress is account-wide, meaning any Raider can contribute toward completing the caravan.
The second Expedition cycle introduces updated material requirements while keeping the same overall structure. Players must complete all five phases before the caravan is ready to depart.
Stage 1: Foundation (1/6)
This stage focuses on building the base structure and frame of the caravan.
Required materials:
* Metal Parts x150
* Plastic Parts x200
* ARC Alloy x80
* Steel Springs x15
Stage 2: Core Systems (2/6)
This stage installs essential systems such as wiring, ventilation, and power.
Required materials:
* Durable Cloth x35
* Wires x25
* Electrical Components x20
* Cooling Coils x4
Stage 3: Framework (3/6)
This stage builds the walls and roof while defining the interior layout.
Required materials:
* Light Bulbs x4
* Batteries x30
* Shredder Gyros x10
* Exodus Module x1
Stage 4: Outfitting (4/6)
This stage adds storage, workbenches, utilities, and functional upgrades.
Required materials:
* Frequency Modulation Boxes x5
* Advanced Electrical Components x5
* Ion Sputters x3
* Leaper Pulse Units x3
Stage 5: Load Stage (5/6)
Instead of specific items, this stage requires credit value thresholds across several item categories. Any combination of items can be used as long as the total value meets the requirement.
Required item value:
* 200,000 credits worth of Combat Items
(Ammunition, Grenades, Traps, Weapons, Weapon Modifications)
* 100,000 credits worth of Survival Items
(Augments, Healing Items, Quick Use Items, Shields)
* 150,000 credits worth of Provisions
(Keys, Nature Items, Old World Items, Trinkets)
* 300,000 credits worth of Materials
(Basic Materials, Advanced Materials, Recyclables, Refined Materials, Topside Materials)
Stage 6: Departure (6/6)
Once all previous stages are complete, the caravan is ready to leave. When the Expedition departure window opens, you may choose to send your Raider beyond the Rust Belt permanently.
Key details at departure:
* All remaining items in your stash are automatically contributed to the Expedition
* Total stash value, including coins, determines bonus skill points for your next Raider
* 1,000,000 credits of value equals 1 bonus skill point
* Maximum of 5 bonus skill points
If you choose not to depart during the window, all caravan progress is preserved and carries over to the next Expedition cycle.
What are the rewards of the Expedition #2
Completing an Expedition in ARC Raiders grants a mix of permanent account unlocks and temporary gameplay buffs that apply to your next Raider. These rewards are designed to provide long-term progression without creating an overwhelming advantage, especially since each Expedition requires a full reset of character progress.
Permanent rewards
Permanent rewards are unlocked once an Expedition is completed and remain on your account for all future Raiders.
These include:
* Expedition-exclusive cosmetic items (Not yet announced)
* Expedition indicator icon
* Bonus skill points based on stash value at departure
* +12 stash slots
Bonus skill points are calculated using the total value of all items and coins in your stash at the time the departure window closes. For every 1,000,000 credits of combined value, your next Raider earns one bonus skill point, up to a maximum of five. These bonus skill points persist across future resets and stack with additional Expeditions.
Temporary buffs
In addition to permanent unlocks, each completed Expedition grants temporary account-wide buffs that apply to your next Raider. These buffs last until the next Expedition cycle unless another Expedition is completed.
Temporary buffs include:
* 10 percent reduced repair costs
* 5 percent increased experience gain
* 6 percent more materials received from Scrappy
These temporary buffs can stack up to three times if you complete Expeditions in consecutive cycles. However, if you skip an Expedition window and do not depart, all temporary buffs are lost, even though permanent rewards remain.
Overall, the reward structure encourages long-term engagement with the Expedition system while still allowing players to opt out without permanently falling behind.
What happens when you complete the Expedition
When you complete an Expedition in ARC Raiders, your current Raider permanently leaves the Rust Belt, and a new Raider is created to begin the next cycle. At this point, much of your character-specific progression is reset, while certain account-level progress and Expedition rewards carry forward. The reset is immediate and tied directly to your decision to depart during the Expedition window.
Most forms of progression are wiped. Your player level, skill tree, stash contents, inventory items, coins, blueprints, quests, and workshop upgrades are reset. While the workshop itself remains unlocked, it returns to level one and must be rebuilt through normal gameplay. This ensures that every Expedition restart begins from a clean economic and progression baseline.
At the same time, several key elements are preserved. Unlocked maps, workshop stations, codex entries, cosmetics, trials, active leaderboards, personal event progress, and Raider deck progress all remain available. Any bonus skill points and additional stash slots earned through Expeditions are immediately applied to your new Raider, allowing you to invest in the skill tree earlier than usual.
To reduce friction during the restart, the game skips the initial onboarding sequence after your first Expedition. All maps and base workshop access are available right away, meaning you do not need to repeat early unlock steps just to regain access to core systems. While you still begin with no gear or resources, the restart is streamlined compared to a brand-new account.
In practice, completing an Expedition resets moment-to-moment progression while preserving long-term account identity. The goal is not to erase your achievements, but to let experienced players re-enter the game loop with slightly better efficiency and fewer early-game barriers.
Is it worth it?
Whether the Expedition system is worth engaging with depends heavily on how much time a player can commit to ARC Raiders. From a practical standpoint, the immediate payoff is limited. Reaching the maximum reward of five bonus skill points requires a combined stash and coin value of 5 million credits, which represents a significant time investment. For many players, that level of accumulation takes dozens of hours, especially without focusing exclusively on high-value farming.
There is also the cost of lost progression to consider. Completing an Expedition resets all blueprints, which can be a major setback for players who have already collected most or all of them. With more than 70 blueprints available and their locations based on random spawns, rebuilding that collection can take a long time. Losing access to high-tier blueprints after a reset can slow early progression and make the restart feel repetitive rather than rewarding.
For highly dedicated players, the system makes more sense. Hardcore players who regularly invest large amounts of time can benefit from stacking temporary buffs, permanent stash space, and earlier access to skill points. Over multiple Expeditions, these advantages can compound and slightly smooth out future progression cycles. For players who enjoy optimization and long-term planning, Expeditions offer a clear, if gradual, sense of account growth.
For more casual players, however, the value is less clear. The progress wipe outweighs the benefits, especially when the rewards do not meaningfully change early-game difficulty or pacing. In its current form, the Expedition system appears better suited to long-term, highly engaged players rather than those who play intermittently or prefer steady progression without resets.
Conclusion
The Expedition system in ARC Raiders is a thoughtful attempt to address long-term progression without relying on mandatory global wipes. By making resets optional and tying rewards to preparation and commitment, the developers give players control over when and how they start over. The structure respects player choice, even if the current rewards may feel modest compared to the amount of progress that is reset.
As the system evolves through future updates and balance changes, Expeditions may become more appealing, especially if rewards are expanded or blueprint progression is adjusted. For now, it remains a feature aimed primarily at the most dedicated players, while casual Raiders can safely ignore it without falling behind.
If you are planning to invest serious time into ARC Raiders, having the right hardware can make a meaningful difference. The Acer Store offers a wide range of gaming laptops and desktops, including the Predator and Nitro series, built to handle long sessions, fast load times, and demanding combat scenarios. Whether you are grinding materials or pushing into high-risk zones, upgrading your setup through the Acer Store can help you get the most out of every raid.
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Why Rising PC Hardware Prices are Pushing Gamers Toward Cloud Gaming
PC gamers are increasingly being pushed toward cloud gaming as rising GPU and RAM prices make traditional hardware upgrades harder to justify. Graphics cards that once sat within reach of mid-range buyers now sell far above their launch prices, while memory costs have climbed just as sharply. What used to be a straightforward performance upgrade has become a much larger financial decision for many players.
The impact is being felt across the entire PC gaming market. New graphics cards often cost hundreds of dollars more than their intended price points, even months after release. At the same time, RAM prices have surged across both DDR4 and DDR5, increasing the total cost of building or upgrading a system.
For gamers who planned to refresh their hardware in 2025, the upgrade path no longer feels predictable. Instead of choosing components based on performance needs, many players are now forced to weigh rising costs against how much value an upgrade actually delivers. This shift is changing how gamers approach PC hardware and opening the door to alternatives that do not rely on expensive local components.
GPU and RAM price increases are making PC upgrades unaffordable
The combined cost of graphics cards and memory has turned PC upgrades into a far more expensive decision than in previous years. High-end GPUs have moved well beyond what most gamers consider reasonable, and even mid-range cards often sell hundreds of dollars above their intended price points. At the same time, memory prices have surged across both DDR4 and DDR5, raising the baseline cost of any new build or upgrade.
Industry data illustrates how sharp the increase has been. TrendForce reports that many DDR5 memory modules have risen by 120 to 200 percent compared with early 2025 pricing. Broader DRAM pricing indexes are up nearly 50 percent year to date, while contract prices for memory chips have increased by 30 to 60 percent in a matter of months. These costs flow directly into consumer pricing, affecting prebuilt systems and individual components alike.
When expensive GPUs are paired with sharply higher RAM prices, the total cost of upgrading can quickly exceed what many gamers are willing or able to spend. For players who once upgraded every few years, the current market makes that cycle harder to sustain.
Why graphics cards and memory prices are rising at the same time
GPU and RAM prices are rising together because both markets are being shaped by the same underlying forces. The most significant of these is the rapid expansion of AI infrastructure. Data centers that train and run AI models require enormous amounts of compute power and memory, especially high bandwidth memory used alongside advanced GPUs.
Both graphics processors and memory rely on limited semiconductor manufacturing capacity. As AI companies place long-term orders and pay premium prices, suppliers prioritize those customers. This shifts capacity away from consumer hardware, reducing supply for gaming GPUs and standard DRAM.
Memory manufacturers have also adopted tighter production strategies after years of oversupply. By limiting output and focusing on higher-margin products, they are able to maintain higher prices. At the same time, DDR4 is being phased out more quickly than planned, which tightens supply further for older systems.
The result is a market where GPUs and RAM are becoming more expensive in parallel, driven by shared supply constraints and rising demand from outside the gaming space.
How rising hardware costs are changing PC gamer behavior
As upgrade costs rise, many PC gamers are rethinking how they approach hardware. Instead of upgrading as soon as new components launch, players are increasingly delaying purchases, skipping generations, or deciding to run existing systems for as long as possible.
Some gamers are choosing to lower expectations, sticking with lower settings or relying on features like upscaling and frame generation to extend the life of their hardware. Others are opting out of upgrades entirely, especially when the cost of a new GPU and memory kit rivals that of a complete console or laptop.
This shift in behavior has broader implications. When upgrading feels financially risky, gamers become more open to alternatives that do not depend on owning high-end local hardware. That change in mindset is one of the reasons cloud gaming is gaining renewed attention as a potential stopgap, or even a long-term option, for some players.
Why cloud gaming is becoming a practical alternative for some PC gamers
As the cost of upgrading PC hardware rises, cloud gaming has started to look more appealing to a segment of the PC gaming audience. Cloud services remove the need to buy expensive graphics cards or large amounts of system memory by running games on remote servers instead of local machines.
For gamers who primarily play popular live-service titles, single-player games, or back-catalog releases, cloud gaming can meet performance needs without the upfront cost of a full upgrade. A monthly subscription often costs less than the price difference between current GPU generations, especially when memory prices are factored in.
Cloud gaming also offers flexibility. Games can be played across multiple devices, including older PCs, laptops, tablets, and even smartphones. For players who value convenience or who are unwilling to commit thousands of dollars to new hardware, this model is increasingly attractive.
Credible cloud gaming services PC gamers can use today
Several cloud gaming platforms now offer reliable access to PC and console games, each with different strengths and trade-offs.
* GeForce NOW allows users to stream PC games they already own on platforms like Steam and Epic Games Store. It offers strong performance, high resolutions, and support for modern features such as ray tracing, though queues and subscription tiers can affect availability.
* Xbox Cloud Gaming is included with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and provides access to a large rotating library of console titles. It works well for casual play and cross-platform access, though it does not replace full PC ownership for modding or competitive gaming.
* PlayStation Plus Premium offers cloud streaming for select PlayStation titles. It is primarily aimed at console players rather than PC gamers, but it remains an option for accessing exclusives without owning a PlayStation console.
* Boosteroid focuses on PC game streaming and supports many popular titles. Availability varies by region, and performance depends heavily on proximity to its data centers.
* Shadow provides users with a full remote Windows PC. This option offers the most flexibility, including modding and productivity tasks, but it is also the most expensive and depends heavily on stable, high-speed internet.
Each service addresses different needs, and none fully replaces a high-end local PC. However, for gamers squeezed by rising hardware costs, these platforms offer viable ways to keep playing without upgrading.
Why rising hardware costs may permanently change how PC gamers play
Cloud gaming is not replacing traditional PC gaming overnight, but rising GPU and RAM prices are accelerating a shift that was already underway. As hardware upgrades become more expensive and less predictable, more gamers are questioning whether local ownership still offers enough value to justify the cost.
For many players, the issue is not performance alone. It is about flexibility, timing, and return on investment. Spending thousands of dollars on a PC upgrade makes less sense when cloud services can deliver acceptable performance for a monthly fee, especially for those with reliable internet access. This is particularly true for gamers who play a smaller number of titles or who prioritize convenience over maximum visual fidelity.
That said, cloud gaming remains a compromise. Latency, image compression, and reliance on server availability still limit its appeal for competitive and enthusiast players. Local hardware continues to offer unmatched responsiveness, control, and ownership. For gamers who still want a dedicated PC experience, buying from established vendors with strong value propositions matters more than ever.
This is where options like the Acer Store become relevant. Acerās gaming laptops and desktops offer a more predictable way to enter or upgrade within the PC ecosystem, especially during periods of market volatility. For students, the Acer Storeās 15% student discount can significantly reduce the cost of entry, making local gaming hardware more accessible despite broader pricing pressures.
If current trends persist, cloud gaming is likely to remain a growing alternative rather than a full replacement. Instead of one dominant path, PC gaming may split into two clear directions: premium local hardware for those who value ownership and performance, and cloud-based access for players prioritizing affordability and convenience. Rising hardware prices are not just changing what gamers buy, but how they choose to play.
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