s&box, the "spiritual successor" to Garry's Mod, launches on Steam April 28th with a "sustainable" model for paying developers.

"We don't have to fire 1,000 people to keep it working": https://80.lv/articles/s-box-to-launch-on-steam-with-sustainable-payout-for-devs

Your 3D models can become nostalgic sprites with RetroRender, a handy tool for Unity created by awtdev.

Check out this flexible add-on: https://80.lv/articles/make-sprites-from-your-3d-models-to-create-old-school-look-for-your-game

NodeMonkey's Inertia lets you streamline physics animation in Blender with a few clicks, instead of manually keyframing everything.

Available in both free and paid versions: https://80.lv/articles/this-blender-tool-lets-you-animate-physics-in-just-few-clicks

The PC version of Sparseal's 3D texturing tool Wafer, built for stylized and hand-painted assets, is now available.

Purchase for Windows: https://80.lv/articles/sparseal-launches-3d-texturing-app-wafer-for-pc

Rayen Bahri from Saved Pixel studio unpacks the gradient texturing technique, the friction of the manual process, and how turning that process into a single ecosystem makes it a robust pipeline standard for stylized 3D art.

Read here: https://80.lv/articles/elevating-gradient-texturing-to-a-standard-workflow-in-blender

Big news! Valve has confirmed that the Steam Controller will cost $100 and it's launching next week.

New details: https://80.lv/articles/steam-controller-could-be-launching-soon-for-usd100

Valve is "hard at work" on Steam Deck 2 with a focus on performance upgrades, but there's no release date yet.

When do you think it will launch? - https://80.lv/articles/valve-is-hard-at-work-on-steam-deck-2-focused-on-performance-upgrades

Pablo Garcia shared a breakdown of the Viking Settlement and Mad Max V8 Interceptor Fan Art projects, talking about how he learned to use Substance 3D Designer to create the first one.

He also explained how he achieved the worn look in the Mad Max fan art: https://80.lv/articles/3d-environment-prop-artist-on-creating-different-environments-props

We went behind-the-scenes with Devsisters, the team behind CookieRun, to learn how they built a franchise with long-term appeal and 300M players.

Read more: https://80.lv/articles/how-to-build-a-game-to-retain-300-million-players-with-long-term-appeal

Valentin Erlenbusch, Founder of designmatic, joined us to talk about the Ayna: Shattered Truth game, discussing the tools and software they used to create it, how they solved the challenges of creating a 3D world, and sharing some of the things players will find in the game.

Read the interview: https://80.lv/articles/designmatic-founder-on-creating-the-metroidvania-game-ayna-shattered-truth

Check out Cages: Hidden Worlds, an immersive first-person puzzle escape game where every sound, shadow, and mechanism pulls you deeper into mystery. Solve intricate machines and uncover the secrets hidden within.

Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/4232550/Cages_Hidden_Worlds

Developer MortMort showcased a WIP wall-running and grinding system, reworking his earlier project.

The developer drew inspiration from games such as Mario and Sonic Adventure 2: https://80.lv/articles/check-out-this-wip-wall-running-grinding-system-in-action

Take a look at this stunning animation created by Animator Ronald Toes with Maya and a free Baqir rig from the Agora community.

More artwork: https://80.lv/articles/artist-shows-a-cinematic-combat-animation-made-in-maya

PlayStation support confirms that you'll have to go online to verify games you purchased after the March 2026 update every 30 days as part of its new DRM system.

Here's what we know about it: https://80.lv/articles/playstation-allegedly-confirms-you-ll-have-to-verify-your-game-licenses-every-month

You can now parry a giant excavator with your tiny chainsaw in MOTORSLICE. Because why not?

Get ready for the May release: https://80.lv/articles/parry-giant-excavator-in-post-apocalyptic-parkour-platformer-motorslice

Studio Genki shared a sneak peek at a stylized top-down action RPG, MythicTale, that echoes beloved classic pixel-art games.

More about the game: https://80.lv/articles/upcoming-action-rpg-blends-pixel-art-anime-style-combat

OctaneRender 2026.3 has been released, featuring support for network rendering with virtual textures, along with other improvements and fixes.

Details: https://80.lv/articles/octanerender-2026-3-is-out-now

Lucas Camargo showcased a cute dinosaur drawing with its hand-head in a charming stylized shader experiment.

We called it a Handsaurus. What are your ideas?: https://80.lv/articles/charming-stylized-handsaurus-drawing-in-fun-animation

Check out one of the cute NPCs Studio Pixel Punk is making for its new Metroidvania, ABYSS X ZERO.

Prepare for stylish combat: https://80.lv/articles/colorful-low-poly-metroidvania-showcases-stylish-npcs

Check out this impressive water rendering that Developer KAIJIUUUUU created for their upcoming sandbox craft game Direland.

Technical details: https://80.lv/articles/this-wip-sandbox-craft-game-has-impressive-water-rendering

Have a look at this fascinating mechanical Möbius strip created in 3D by Alexander Kovalevsky using Maya, Houdini, and Redshift.

The artist shared a breakdown of how it was made: https://80.lv/articles/fascinating-procedural-m-bius-strip-created-with-houdini