V Rising comes to PS5 this June alongside Castlevania special edition

By Carli Velocci May 20, 2024

Two vampire knights dueling with one leaping into the air. — Stunlock Studios

Vampire-themed online survival game V Rising is finally hitting consoles. Developer Stunlock Studios announced that the game will release June 11 on the PlayStation 5.

In a new trailer released Monday, the studio also revealed that players who preorder the game on PS5 will get early access five days ahead of time. The base game will cost $40 (or $36 with a PlayStation Plus subscription). Players can also grab the Legacy of Castlevania edition for $60, which comes with a number of Castlevania-themed cosmetics.

Then, there’s the Complete Edition for $100, which features a number of additional DLC packs. Along with the Castlevania pack, the most expensive bundle comes with the Sinister Evolution, Dracula’s Relics, and Eldest Bloodline packs. Most of these are also cosmetic, but there are various accessories and items mixed in as well.

As per usual, PS5 players will need PS Plus to play online, although playing online is optional.

All of this is to say that PS5 players will be able to buy bundles similar to what PC players on Steam already have. However, it doesn’t appear that PS5 users will be able to play with PC users. In an interview with Wccftech, a spokesperson from Stunlock (the article doesn’t specify who) said that crossplay seemed “pretty unlikely at this time.”

V Rising had been in early access for two years before the 1.0 announcement back in March. When the full version released on May 8, player count soared. It didn’t quite hit its all-time peak, but it’s been holding steady ever since among the most played games on Steam, according to SteamDB.

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Contributor, Games

Carli is a technology, culture, and games editor and journalist. They were the Gaming Lead and Copy Chief at Windows Central…

Gaming

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Set controllers to turn off automatically
Everyone needs to take a break from a gaming session sometimes. If you plan to be away from your console for a bit, you don't want the controller to remain on for an extended period of time, as that will eat through your battery unnecessarily. As such, you should head into the PS5's system settings and adjust the power-saving option so your controllers turn off automatically.
Lower the light bar brightness
Every DualSense comes with a light bar around the touchpad, which has a variety of features for letting you know certain things in a game. When multiple profiles are signed in at once, this light bar even displays specific colors to let you know which player is assigned to which controller. However, this always-on light can drain a small amount of power over time, so you'll want to go into the PS5's controller settings and reduce the brightness to improve your battery life.
Turn down the controller speaker
The DualSense offers some unique in-game feedback options via a small microphone on the front of the controller. While this can increase immersion in certain games (or even act as a microphone if you don't have a headset), it can have a minor impact on your battery life. If you're not actively making use of this somewhat niche feature, head into controller settings and turn the volume all the way down to get a little extra play time.

Reduce vibration intensity
There's no denying that the DualSense provides some of the coolest haptic feedback we've ever seen, beautifully matching the feeling in your hands to events happening on screen. But all that vibration drains more power than you'd think. You can reduce this intensity in controller settings, or turn it off altogether if you prefer.
Turn off adaptive triggers
Like the haptic feedback, the DualSense's adaptive triggers are a unique and compelling addition to gaming on a PS5, granting you tension on your triggers for immersive experiences with things like firing guns or pulling large objects in-game. But unsurprisingly, this can also have a slight effect on your battery life, so if you're not terribly interested in this feature, hop into controller settings and turn it off.
Use a wireless headset
Though the DualSense features the option to use a wired headset, anything plugged into this headphone jack is drawing power. If you can possibly do so, use a wireless headset instead to stop that small but noticeable power drain on your controller.

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PlayStation revealed its top downloaded games for May in a blog posted on Thursday for both the PlayStation 5 and 4. While it doesn't list exact numbers, the top game for the U.S., Canada, and the EU is Sea of Thieves, which made its way over from Xbox console exclusivity on April 30.

Gaming

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Horizon Forbidden West