Best of Gaming — April 2026

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    Article
    Avatar of xda-developersXDA Developers·6w

    I switched from HDMI to DisplayPort and fixed PC gaming bottlenecks I didn't know I had

    Switching from HDMI to DisplayPort on a gaming monitor can unlock higher refresh rates and variable refresh rate (VRR) support that HDMI versions may cap or block. A monitor with HDMI 2.0 may be limited to 144 Hz at 1440p, while DisplayPort 1.4 on the same panel can reach 180 Hz with full VRR. DisplayPort also avoids signal conversion latency when used via USB-C and supports daisy-chaining for multi-monitor setups. However, DisplayPort isn't universally better — TVs lack DisplayPort ports, and newer HDMI standards like 2.2 are narrowing the gap.

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    Article
    Avatar of 80lv80 LEVEL·5w

    How a Small Team of Developers Created the Coding Game Net.Attack()

    ByteRockers' Games shares the development story behind Net.Attack(), a node-based coding roguelite inspired by Vampire Survivors. A team of five built the game around a modular block system where players connect nodes to create custom attacks. Key insights include their deliberate choice to prioritize player creativity over strict balancing, their use of a database tool to manage 190+ nodes, GPU offloading for performance, and a community-first approach featuring early demos, Discord, and daily challenges. The team also embedded hidden 'hacking' easter eggs to drive community engagement.

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    Article
    Avatar of itsfossIt's Foss·7w

    Even in 2026, Linux Is Still Adding Support for Sega Dreamcast’s GD-ROM from the '90s

    The Linux kernel is adding a patch to fix support for the GD-ROM driver used by Sega's Dreamcast console from 1999. This reflects Linux's long-standing tradition of supporting legacy and niche hardware driven by open source community enthusiasm. The post highlights how FOSS philosophy enables developers to maintain support for obscure hardware with minimal user demand, and touches on Linux's broader retro gaming ecosystem including RetroArch and RetroPie.

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    Article
    Avatar of gamesindustryGamesIndustry.biz·7w

    Evil Landfall is the latest publishing label from an indie developer

    Landfall Games, the studio behind Peak and Content Warning, has officially unveiled Evil Landfall, its publishing arm that has been operating quietly for about three years. Led by CEO Kirsten-Lee Naidoo, the seven-person team is now opening up to external developers, offering project-based funding of up to $1 million per game. Unlike traditional publishers, Evil Landfall takes a hands-off approach: no IP ownership, no 100% recoup clauses, and developers retain control over how involved the publisher gets. The label focuses on short-cycle, physics-based, co-op games similar to Landfall's own titles, inspired by Peak's success (estimated 17 million units sold). Evil Landfall has already quietly invested in studios like Semiwork (REPO) and has publicly revealed an investment in How To Fish by Dazed Games.

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    Video
    Avatar of galaxies_devSimon Grimm·5w

    How Hard Is It To Run a Mobile Game Alone?

    A solo developer shares the reality of running a mobile game (Tiny Harvest) after launch. While coding is only about 20% of the weekly workload, the rest involves bug triage, game balancing, customer support, marketing, App Store optimization, and TikTok outreach. Three major challenges are highlighted: the ongoing technical grind (endless bugs, balancing issues, players breaking things), the invisible full-time job of wearing 5-10 hats simultaneously, and the mental toll of sole ownership — including monetization guilt, slow days, and taking every criticism personally. A near-fatal moment came during a full game engine rewrite that took three stressful days with heavy AI assistance. Despite the hardships, the rewards of player engagement, creative fulfillment, and skill growth make it worthwhile.

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    Video
    Avatar of webdevcodyWeb Dev Cody·6w

    Pivoting my game into an MMO Action RPG

    A developer pivots their wave-based multiplayer survival game 'Survive the Night' into an MMO Action RPG, using AI coding agents (Cursor Composer) to implement major changes. The session covers adding user authentication requirements, a persistent XP/leveling system backed by PostgreSQL, open-world zombie spawn points with respawn timers, inventory system refactoring to unify resource bags and inventory slots, and removal of ~6,000 lines of legacy code including wave systems, game modes (Battle Royale, infection), and environmental events like lightning and toxic gas. The developer runs multiple concurrent AI agents to handle different tasks simultaneously and reflects on the workflow of using AI agents for game development.

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    Article
    Avatar of hackadayHackaday·6w

    Original PlayStation Brought Up To Date

    A detailed walkthrough of restoring and modernizing an original PlayStation console. The project covers cleaning a grimy shell, reversing previous piracy mods and region hacks, installing a PicoStation ZeroWire SD card loader, adding an HDMI output mod via a flex PCB soldered to the video chip, replacing wired controllers with a Bluetooth adapter board, and swapping the original AC power supply for a USB-C PD unit. The build is finished with a custom 'dev kit blue' respray referencing the PS1's original announcement color.

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    Video
    Avatar of randyprimeRandy·4w

    I spent 500 days making a Steam game from scratch

    A solo developer chronicles 500 days of building Terra Factor, a factory-automation survival game released on Steam, entirely from scratch without a game engine. Starting as a simple 2-week Stardew Valley clone, the project evolved into a multi-age open-world survival crafting game featuring conveyor belt automation, an infinite procedurally generated wasteland, a day/night cycle with enemies, and a unique 'spatial tesseract' mechanic that lets players nest factories inside cubes to manage complexity. The devlog covers the full journey from a basic window renderer to a feature-complete Steam release including tech trees, boss fights, and an alchemy system.

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    Article
    Avatar of gamedeveloperGame Developer·5w

    Peak co-developer Landfall might finance your next indie game

    Landfall, the studio behind Content Warning and Peak, has formally launched Evil Landfall, a publishing label open to external indie developers. Led by CEO Kirsten-Lee Naidoo and based in Stockholm, the seven-person team can invest up to $1 million in a few games per year, focusing on silly, physics-based, socially-oriented titles with short development cycles. The label offers project-based funding and advice while retaining no IP rights, keeping arrangements hands-off. It has already quietly backed titles like REPO, How To Fish, and Voidigo. The announcement follows a similar move by Innersloth with its Outersloth label.

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