Naughty Dog has released a free background on PlayStation 5 as it prepares to celebrate The Last of Us Day 2026.

The studio behind Sony's exclusive post-apocalyptic video game franchise took to social media to tease some of what it has planned for this year's festivities. While September 26 is technically the day it's chosen to serve as its Cordyceps-breakout holiday, Naughty Dog won't share any The Last of Us announcements with fans until Monday the 28th, but that doesn't mean there's nothing to fawn over today.

PS5 owners can now head to their consoles to download a special The Last of Us-themed background for PlayStation's Welcome Hub landing page. It's a free option featuring both the younger and older versions of Ellie from both mainline games, with no download required to enjoy it. Although it's far from the kind of dynamic themes or wallpapers fans have begged Sony to bring back, the animated background does add some flavor for fans still hoping to see the series get a proper return in games.

We'll be celebrating #TLOUDay on Monday, but we do have a fun surprise for you today. 🧡🩵

For the first time ever, a The Last of Us-themed background is being added to the PlayStation Welcome Hub. Log in to your PlayStation account and download it to see how our team has… pic.twitter.com/aK6F85FM2I

Those who want to spice up their PS5 backgrounds need only to navigate to the Welcome Hub, select the Change Background button in the top corner of the screen, and then select The Last of Us background in the Games tab. It's nothing much, but we'll only have to wait a few more days to hear more about The Last of Us Day celebration.

In a separate post, Naughty Dog promised September 28 will bring even more reveals for the franchise. While it doesn't sound like something like The Last of Us Part 3 will be discussed, the team did promise to share a "partnership announcement, a very cool collaboration, digital surprises, and more." There will also be a No Return charity stream on Twitch.

Another surprise announced today was the news that The Last of Us Season 3 on HBO has picked up some new and familiar faces: John Goodman, Laura Bailey, and Ian Alexander. Goodman, a series newcomer and award-winning actor, will play a new character named Joey. Bailey, who played Abby in The Last of Us Part 2 and a nurse in The Last of Us Season 1, will play a Seraphite leader named Elizabeth, while Alexander will play a currently unnamed character after first appearing as Lev in the second game.

We'll have to wait to see what Naughty Dog has planned for The Last of Us Day 2026. While Sony has yet to confirm a The Last of Us Part 3 as work on its Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet continues, fans are hoping an announcement will arrive sooner rather than later. One comment from creator Neil Druckmann sparked theories about a third chapter in Ellie's story in March of this year.

Minecraft World got two announcements at Minecraft LIVE today: the world’s first official Minecraft hotel, and the name of the first ever Minecraft rollercoaster.

Minecraft World Hotel and the Escape the Nether rollercoaster are confirmed for the Minecraft experience at Chessington World of Adventures Resort, and are set to open their doors at some point next year, Merlin Entertainments and Mojang Studios announced.

Check out all the new Minecraft World images and photos in the slideshow below.

Concept art already released for Minecraft World features wooden houses, Creepers, TNT blocks, and even a Nether dining area. Expect interactive adventures, blockbuilt playscapes, and themed retail.

For more, check out everything announced at Minecraft LIVE.

Nintendo has published a short clip that shows a closer look at Ganondorf in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake.

Those who have the Nintendo Today! app downloaded on their mobile devices were treated to more footage from the upcoming reimagining yesterday. The video in question is, crushingly, only 16 seconds long, but it reveals an extended look at how The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake is reincarnating one of video games' most iconic villains for Nintendo Switch 2.

"A man from the Gerudo, a tribe in which men are said to be born only once in a hundred years," official text shared by Nintendo said. "He harbors a grand ambition to obtain the Triforce, a sacred relic rumored to grant the wish of any individual who touches it."

GANONDORF IN THE NEW SNEAK PEAK FOR OCARINA OF TIME??? holy shit he's so cool pic.twitter.com/Q85Im9XA6Y

We first saw how Ganondorf would fit into the remake's divisive art style when Nintendo unveiled gameplay during its dedicated Direct earlier this month. The new footage expands on the updated dream sequence shown previously, showing the evildoer riding on horseback as voiceover says, "And now… An evil has appeared, yearning after that power."

While technically a scene players have already been looking at for decades, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake will alter the moment with more than just shiny new graphics, even if the changes are small. As highlighted in the Nintendo Today! post, while the extended clip shows that the Switch 2 version of the scene is running in slow motion, the original Nintendo 64 and 3DS remake versions show Ganondorf moving like normal.

Again, it's an extremely small change, but it's also yet another sign that the November reimagining will come with a few tweaks to a classic that fans may want to prepare themselves for. It all arrives as fans continue to be torn about some of the promised tweaks, just as a dedicated jump button, while Nintendo chose to intentionally retain the loading screens from the original experience.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake launches for Switch 2 November 5, 2026. For more, you can read about the time Ubisoft reportedly scrapped a Zelda spinoff with Ganondorf as the protagonist. You can also learn about how Shigeru Miyamoto's love for puppetry may have influenced the remake's art style.