Gaming World News: GTA 6 Soundtrack Revealed and More
The gaming world rarely stays quiet for long, and the last 48 hours have delivered another packed run of announcements, reveals and developer updates.
Bungie has stepped in to shut down claims that Marathon and Destiny are being merged, while Rockstar Games has revealed a major new piece of the GTA 6 puzzle. Meanwhile, Monster Hunter Wilds: Ascendance is bringing back a formidable Elder Dragon, and Sony has rolled out a new PlayStation 5 firmware update.
Here are the biggest stories making headlines in our latest Gaming World News round-up.
Bungie Denies Marathon and Destiny Merger Claims
Bungie has directly addressed recent rumours suggesting Marathon and Destiny could be merged into a single universe, making it clear that the supposed leak is not accurate.
The speculation circulated online following a lengthy alleged leak that claimed Bungie was considering connecting the two franchises. However, Marathon creative director Julia Nardin has now dismissed that particular claim. Nardin previously worked on Destiny projects before moving to Marathon, giving her direct experience with both franchises.
According to Nardin, the suggestion that Bungie intends to merge the two IPs is false. She explained that although Marathon and Destiny share some of Bungie’s creative DNA, they remain separate properties.
That’s an important distinction. Marathon may evolve as Bungie continues developing its future content, but there is currently no confirmed plan to transform it into an extension of Destiny.
Other claims circulating alongside the merger rumour should also be treated as unconfirmed unless Bungie addresses them separately.
For players following both franchises, Bungie’s response at least removes one major question from the equation. Marathon remains Marathon, and Destiny remains Destiny.
GTA 6 Is Getting a 34-Track Original Soundtrack Album
The GTA 6 hype machine has shifted towards music, with Rockstar Games officially revealing Grand Theft Auto VI: The Album.
The soundtrack album will feature 34 original tracks and launch on 19th November alongside Grand Theft Auto VI. Better still, Rockstar has already released six of those tracks across major streaming platforms.
The first wave features a seriously varied group of artists. Yung Lean appears alongside Future and Metro Boomin on That’s It, while Travis Scott delivers RHYNO. CA7RIEL & Paco Amoroso, PinkPantheress, Fred again.. and Etienne de Crécy join forces for Sexy Magic.
Elsewhere, Morgan Wallen contributes Last Thing You Need, Rauw Alejandro features with Macacoa 2000, and Keith Richards appears with Bright Lights, Big City.
It’s a wide-ranging line-up spanning hip-hop, electronic music, country, Latin sounds and rock.
Crucially, this is an original soundtrack album, rather than simply a collection of licensed tracks pulled from GTA 6’s radio stations. Rockstar has also confirmed that more information about the game’s dynamic score and its next evolution of in-game radio will be revealed separately.
Music has always been part of GTA’s identity. From cruising through Vice City to causing absolute chaos while the perfect song plays in the background, the radio stations help define each game’s world.
With 28 album tracks still unrevealed, Rockstar has plenty more music to unveil before launch.
Monster Hunter Wilds: Ascendance Brings Back Teostra
Capcom has given Monster Hunter Wilds: Ascendance another major reveal, confirming the return of one of the series’ most explosive Elder Dragons.
Teostra is back.
The fire-breathing monster will return as a huntable enemy when Ascendance launches in 2027. A Tokyo Game Show preview has already offered a taste of the battle, including familiar charges, flames and explosive attacks alongside new attack patterns.
However, Teostra’s return is only part of the story.
Ascendance introduces the Boost Bracer, which powers the new Boost Action system. Players can use weapon-specific enhanced attacks and temporarily strengthen certain weapon actions, adding another tactical layer to hunts.
The expansion is also introducing Master Rank, alongside new monsters, locations, story content and gameplay mechanics.
That could be particularly significant for players who felt Monster Hunter Wilds needed tougher encounters. Early hands-on impressions of Ascendance describe demanding fights, with the Teostra encounter in particular capable of quickly punishing mistakes.
Capcom is making some welcome quality-of-life changes too. Players will be able to swap weapons more quickly without using their Seikret and change equipment outside tents using the Item Box. Those improvements are also planned for the base game.
For veteran hunters, Teostra’s return should provide a familiar challenge. For newer players, it could be a fiery introduction to just how brutal Monster Hunter’s Elder Dragons can become.
PS5 Community Activity Arrives, But Player Counts Disappear
Sony has also rolled out PlayStation 5 system software version 26.06-14.00.00, bringing several changes to PS5 and PS5 Pro.
One of the most noticeable additions is the Community Activity widget, which can now be added to the PS5 Welcome Hub.
The widget includes two sections. Trending Now highlights ten multiplayer games or modes experiencing a surge in popularity. Top 10, meanwhile, displays the ten most popular games from the previous week within the player’s country or region.
However, something has disappeared along the way.
Earlier testing of the Top 10 feature displayed player counts alongside games. Those figures are missing from the final public version.
That’s a shame because public player data could have made Community Activity considerably more useful. Steam’s concurrent-player information has become an important way for PC gamers to gauge the activity surrounding multiplayer releases.
Still, Community Activity gives PS5 players another way to discover what people are currently playing.
The firmware also introduces a voice-chat speaker indicator, while PS5 Pro now enables enhanced PSSR image quality by default. Sony has included further system performance and stability improvements as well.
Gaming World News Final Thoughts
From rumours being shut down to soundtrack reveals and returning monsters, it’s been another busy couple of days.
Bungie’s response should put the Marathon and Destiny merger story to rest for now, while Rockstar’s 34-track GTA 6 album gives fans another piece of the game’s increasingly detailed world. Monster Hunter players have Teostra’s explosive comeback to prepare for, and PS5 owners have new community features to explore.
And with 2026’s release calendar continuing to move at full speed, the next major gaming headline is unlikely to be far away.
