What are we all playing this weekend?

Reader dear, it's almost here, the most wonderful time of the year, the day we've all been waiting for: Cyber Monday. I am planning to once again celebrate cyberpunk, hackers, internauts, and all things cyber by mulling Jolt Cola and singing Front Line Assembly carols around a burning barrel of AOL free trial CDs. Plus I'll have some special Cyber Monday posts for y'all to read with your nearest and dearest. But first, what are you playing this weekend? Here's what we're clicking on!

Alice Bee
I have to finish Pentiment. I've done the second act and I am, like, 100% sure I know who the baddie is, although I can't tell you who and why because that would be a spoiler. This is like when I nailed The Mousetrap in the interval all over again (yes, I am bragging). Also, there's much more Elden Ring to be done still. I don't think I will ever finish it. But we persevere.

Alice0
I am enjoying the Warhammer 40,000: Darktide beta a lot, stomping and shouting as an ogryn with weapons including a grenade launcher whose primary function is bludgeoning and a single-shot shotgun which loads a shell the size of a can of beans. Some serious dakka. It is too bad that the absolute garbage time-wasting progression system from Vermintide is here too. It's a great game; I wish it had enough confidence to not lean on number-biggening trash to capture long-term attention. I'm here, and I'll be here, please just let me play.

CJ
This weekend is the big panto finale for my eldest, so we'll be there supporting her for that. Gaming wise, I'd like to find a moment to give Dune: Spice Wars a go now it's on PC Game Pass. I think my kids would probably appreciate rabbity platformer Lapin, so that's also on the to-do list. If I get a chance then I'm hoping to jump into Warhammer 40K: Darktide's beta, too.

Ed
A quieter weekend means I might get back into Lost Judgment on the PS5. I have high school robotics club to join! A dance class to teach! And a murder mystery to solve, but that's not important.

Hayden
It's a long weekend for me, so I'm hoping to chip away at some more God Of War Ragnarok, while also drifting over to Pentiment. I should probably take a break from the screens at some point, though, so I'm hoping to gather some friends for a few games of Magic. I'll probably lose! But there might also be pizza stuffed in my mouth, so it sounds like a win regardless.

James
I've found myself in the Warhammer 40K: Darktide beta, playing a basic shooty gun man because I have no imagination. In my defence I did not get on with Vermintide's melee focus, and choosing the token Bloke With Rifle class has meant I'm enjoying this more. Even if I do sometimes covet my neighbour's Ogryn build.

Katharine
I'm playing something top secret for review this weekend, but I'm hoping to squeeze in some more Pentiment around the edges if I can!

Liam
This week, I'm not just playing a game. I'm living a game. The most beautiful game, in fact. Yes that's right, the World Cup is back, which means it's time for me to pretend to be into football for a bit because all my pals get really excited about it and I don't want to feel left out. I don't get football at the best of times, so the world cup is particularly fascinating. Its host country is only selected based on underhanded deals, right? This is a known thing that I hear grown adults mumble about over their pints, but then it doesn't matter because it's potentially coming home? I went to school with England's goalkeeper, but I have to support Belgium because it was drawn for me as part of a pool I sort of bumbled into being a part of. I might win £100 from all this. I think football is really boring but I do quite like being a part of something. I'll reflect on the reasons behind that at another time. For now, it's all about pints of Neck Oil and watching some lads kick a ball around on a big TV. Cheers.

Ollie
I've been having an absolute blast playing Cosmoteer in my spare time over the past couple weeks. It's got bits of FTL, bits of Oxygen Not Included, bits of Elite. I've recently taken a bold step and created my second spaceship from scratch - a mining vessel which I can send on asteroidal excursions while my flagship flitters across the star system defeating pirates and claiming bounties. I've also realised that when my ship's storage is full of Steel, I can create a new "ship" that's just a solid sphere of armour plating to use as a stockpile, and then when the time comes I can dismantle it all and get all that Steel back. As a result, there are a few rather ominous giant balls floating around the local star. Can't help but wonder what a species millennia down the line might make of these giant spherical monuments.

Rachel
I've honestly gotten pretty tired of playing God Of War Ragnarök so it's time for a break. I bought The Forgotten City in this year's Steam Autumn Sale since I've been meaning to play it for years. Pity I missed it when it was on Game Pass but my game backlog had other ideas.

Rebecca
After arriving quite late to the Strange Horticulture party, it's quickly become one of those "where did the evening go, oh well, if I get up early tomorrow I can play more before work" types of games. I've also been testing my sanity with the multiple loops through Doki Doki Literature Club Plus required to unlock the secret "good" ending. And miraculously I seem to have reached somewhere past the halfway point of The Devil In Me without getting anyone 'orribly murdered yet, a state of things that I can't imagine will be allowed to persist much longer.

But you, reader dear, what are you playing this weekend?