Lauren Morton
Lauren started writing for PC Gamer as a freelancer in 2017 while chasing the Dark Souls fashion police and accepted her role as Associate Editor in 2021, now serving as the self-appointed chief cozy games enjoyer. She originally started her career in game development and is still fascinated by how games tick in the modding and speedrunning scenes. She likes long books, longer RPGs, has strong feelings about farmlife sims, and can't stop playing co-op crafting games.
Latest articles by Lauren Morton
![Palia - a giant frog plush looms over a player looking up at it](https://cdn.statically.io/img/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Xi3PPrHmBKg63YTQwRRGPg-320-80.jpg)
Palia welcomes new players with a startlingly large stuffed frog for its Steam launch
By Lauren Morton published
News Palia has launched on Steam today with a game update that makes good on that giga Frogbert plush promise.
![An image of Astarion watching the player sleep, while wearing a grinch-like smile that hides his top lip.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/5qSWUtKGfpPa3S8zCtL7j7-320-80.png)
Larian originally wanted Baldur's Gate 3 to have multiple narrators, also Astarion was a tiefling
By Jonathan Bolding published
News Which perhaps would have made him too devilish a rascal.
![The main character, Grace, of musical RPG Stray Gods.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/4btbDF8826hNz3Qw7Ye5WV-320-80.jpg)
If working overtime on AAA games with giant budgets is the only way to succeed, 'then maybe the industry deserves to die,' says RPG veteran David Gaider: 'There is another way to be'
By Lauren Morton published
News Summerfall Studios co-founder David Gaider speaks in favor of industry unionization and his studio's four day work week.
![Swen Vincke](https://cdn.statically.io/img/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/NCHqKsgM3CPm3EhF2iwrAB-320-80.jpg)
Larian is finished with Baldur's Gate: 'We're going to move away from D&D and we're going to start making a new thing'
By Andy Chalk published
news Larian boss Swen Vincke said the studio's ambitions are too big, and life is too short, to be making Baldur's Gate 3 expansions.
![Images of developers at the GDScream event at GDC 2024](https://cdn.statically.io/img/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/RzJeMUSBVAeQxbEZpXcTZ-320-80.jpg)
Watch a bunch of game developers screaming in a public park to protest the state of the industry: 'It feels hard to be here and pretend like everything is fine'
By Andy Chalk published
news Amidst the excitement of GDC, dozens of developers shared a moment of pure catharsis.
![](https://cdn.statically.io/img/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/WSyif2jjMkfpFTnegZW7xe-320-80.jpg)
The best deals in the 2024 Steam Spring Sale
By Tyler Wilde published
deals We've combed the first big Steam sale of the year for the best deals on new games and older favorites.
![Reka - A young witch in a twilight woods pets a deer](https://cdn.statically.io/img/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/7RSGXMaENkaSjLatxD2gMf-320-80.jpg)
Even 'cozy' gaming's biggest fans can't decide on its definition, but they aren't worried: 'There's a whole lot of grey area, and that's what makes it interesting'
By Lauren Morton published
Cozy Consensus As the cozy game genre grows, it remains one of the most challenging to define.
![Creatures of Ava - a human player hugs an alien deer creature in a forest](https://cdn.statically.io/img/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/F6AdS8HRi7Tb3JXGxcxzMn-320-80.jpg)
Creatures of Ava is the cozier version of Palworld: A 'creature saver' co-written by Rhianna Pratchett
By Lauren Morton published
News Creature collecting is cozy again.
![Sims 5 - Everything we know](https://cdn.statically.io/img/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/3oEPBGatmjRwWnnnkbTWNj-320-80.jpg)
The Sims 5—Everything we know about Project Rene so far
By Lauren Morton last updated
Next Generation The Sims 5 is still years away, but Electronic Arts has committed to showing off features as it develops.
![The Sims 4 - a sim looks sadly upwards](https://cdn.statically.io/img/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/wwYMJbcTeCSmdSzVXRbLPh-320-80.jpg)
Sims 4 players hate its obtrusive new store button so much that a modder has already removed it
By Lauren Morton published
News The DLC purchase tooltips are getting a bit incessant.
![The Sims 4 Crystal Creations](https://cdn.statically.io/img/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/4y68iD9AbhAHPiPpRzXJ3D-320-80.jpg)
The Sims 4's new Crystal Creations DLC basically gave me craftable cheat codes for boosting my mood, love life, and defying death
By Lauren Morton published
Gem Goddess Is this what we mean by toxic positivity?
![Palworld - a pink cat pal Cattiva holds its arms out harvesting a farm](https://cdn.statically.io/img/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/4thtSQAMAwZZNYF24VjUiE-320-80.jpg)
The Palworld breeding bug that was causing all Cattivas to be born cowards, and other species trait dominance, has been fixed in a new patch
By Lauren Morton published
News Let the coward Pals breed in peace.
![In a side-on underwater setting, a giant crab looks out over small crabs worshipping it](https://cdn.statically.io/img/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Tto7YsQpHwZqwLu4M2nfu8-320-80.jpg)
Side-scuttling strategy game Crab God will let you amass a crustacean congregation
By Lauren Morton published
News This enormous crab also has aspirations for real world activism.
![Tales of Seikyu - a woman with dark hair holds the face of a player with red hair](https://cdn.statically.io/img/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/7ZjGUd8NF2jr69Ao8eBAzm-320-80.jpg)
Finally, a farm sim that will let me date hot demons and also collect capybaras
By Lauren Morton published
News Tales of Seikyu is a yokai shapeshifting farm sim planning to launch this year.
![Palia - four frog plushies of increasing size, nearly as tall as a house](https://cdn.statically.io/img/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/D4bumQLyAsFPWgSGUKoo2n-320-80.jpg)
Cozy MMO Palia is threatening players with an increasingly enormous stuffed frog if they keep wishlisting it on Steam
By Lauren Morton published
News To celebrate Palia's launch on Steam next month, Palia is rewarding players with "Giga Frogbert."
![An image of a knight with horrible rot growths spiking out of their back in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/yLGZAhYvcdtmdPEau7AD4i-320-80.png)
6 reveals from the Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree DLC trailer that had us shaking in our greaves with excitement
By Harvey Randall published
SHADOWS LIFTED It's finally here, weary tarnished.
![Minecraft cheats - Herobrine stands in a pool of lava on fire holding an enchanted diamond sword in front of a ruined portal.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/iAoePxG4EMKijbLmBqSJP5-320-80.jpg)
Minecraft just launched add-ons, which are mods, not to be confused with the previous add-ons that were also mods, and won't replace mods for Minecraft Java
By Lauren Morton published
News Minecraft Bedrock now has community-made mods to download in the Minecraft Marketplace.
![Nightingale - A character in a white and gold mask with an elaborate collar .](https://cdn.statically.io/img/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/YJHB4vxAQHPVux9x3bRfFG-320-80.jpg)
Survival games are having another viral moment, making PC players the tastemakers once again
By Lauren Morton published
Survivor Bias The genre that just can't stop producing hits is still entirely the territory of PC gaming.
![A quartet of posing Zenless Zone Zero proxies.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ooHEpDkmCyhghSRVtibPAQ-320-80.jpg)
Zenless Zone Zero: here's what we know about HoYoverse's next action game
By Lauren Morton last updated
More HoYo HoYoverse is slowly teasing Zenless Zone Zero's characters and factions and we've got them all here.
![Palworld - A Sweepa and Gumoss stand together in a breeding ranch](https://cdn.statically.io/img/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/jrsca3q3Ki7T8iJMUfuwvP-320-80.jpg)
Palworld breeding guide and the best breeding combos
By Sean Martin last updated
Matchmaking Learn how to combine your most powerful Pals.
![Islands of Insight - a player looks at an interactable logic grid puzzle while in an open world](https://cdn.statically.io/img/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/vUaUMZREir2teAsbn5nWeS-320-80.jpg)
Islands of Insight has a great gauntlet of logic puzzles that overshadows its beautiful but aimless world
By Lauren Morton published
This shared world puzzle game is a little too open-ended to feel compelling.