Evening Reading – December 5, 2025

Hello, Shacknews. We’re getting closer to the holiday, but before we get there, here’s another round of news, memes, and entertainment. This is the Friday edition of Evening Reading.

In case you missed it at Shacknews:

Your weekly reminder to check out Shackmaps, our growing collection of video game maps to help enhance your gameplay experience!

And, because it’s the weekend, go find yourself something to play!

Around the Gaming Horn

Here’s some rapid-fire news to wrap up your week.

Here’s a look at the next big update for Final Fantasy 14 Online.

Take a look at the next DLC for Digimon Story Time Stranger.

Learn more about The Winter Ball update for Disney Dreamlight Valley.

And here’s what’s ahead for Season 21 of Rocket League.

And now… Other Stuff From The Internet!!!

Today in Bubbletron

Be sure to play Bubbletron today!

Bear & Bird ride again

This re-creation of Mumbomania for Dreams is so good that even Rare tipped its cap to the creators.

Nothing but the Hotfix

It’s always about going fast, so here’s a handful of Sonic games.

GDQ’s Hotfix shows air every week and you can catch them all at the Games Done Quick Twitch account.

This week in Shaqnews

Can we get this guy in the dunk contest next year?

IT’S STILL REAL TO ME, DAMMIT!

It’s not wrestling in December without Santa Claus.

Tonight in video game music

FamilyJules takes us across the ages with an epic 24-minute medley.

That’s it for the first Friday Evening Reading for December! Be sure to keep the spirit of the classic Evening Reading alive by jumping into the comments about whatever you see here or whatever randomness you’d like to discuss. Join the conversation and dive into the Shacknews Chatty comment thread below. If you want to go new school and find different ways to leave your feedback or talk about whatever, join us in the Official Shacknews Community Discord. I’ll see you all next week!

Ozzie has been playing video games since picking up his first NES controller at age 5. He has been into games ever since, only briefly stepping away during his college years. But he was pulled back in after spending years in QA circles for both THQ and Activision, mostly spending time helping to push forward the Guitar Hero series at its peak. Ozzie has become a big fan of platformers, puzzle games, shooters, and RPGs, just to name a few genres, but he’s also a huge sucker for anything with a good, compelling narrative behind it. Because what are video games if you can’t enjoy a good story with a fresh Cherry Coke?