A big welcome back to all Loot Happens subscribers. Loot Happens is a weekly newsletter that is emailed and posted on LootHappens.com.
It's important to note that for premium subscribers, game offerings and in-game content, every week is different. Sometimes it's in-game codes, Steam keys, and giveaways, but premium members will always get something special every mailing. We also occasionally get mind-blowing early access or premium games that pay for an entire year's subscription.
Each newsletter is generally structured as Premium Loot > Free Sub Giveaways > Game Feature > Game discounts.
We just want to take a moment to wish you a Happy Thanksgiving (largely for U.S subscribers of course). We want to thank each and every one of you for supporting LootHappens.com. This passion project has been growing slowly month by month and we owe it all to you.
Key Giveaway For Premium Subscribers - Choose Your Game!
Machinika Museum
Machinika Museum feels like being locked alone in a gallery after hours, left with a collection of alien relics that hum, twist, and whisper secrets the moment you touch them. Each device is a self-contained riddle — gears that rotate with impossible precision, panels that slide open to reveal stranger machinery, and symbols that hint at a story no one bothered to explain. The atmosphere is quiet, eerie, almost reverent, pushing you to lean closer and decipher what these artifacts want from you. As the puzzles unravel, so does the sense that someone sent these machines for a reason… and that the museum isn’t telling you everything. It’s a compact, beautiful mystery where every solved mechanism feels like brushing against another civilization’s ghost.
-———OR---------
I am not a Monster: First Contact
I Am Not a Monster: First Contact, plays like a pulpy sci-fi serial brought to life — all chrome corridors, panicked passengers, and lizard-skinned invaders lurking behind every blast door. You command a rotating cast of quirky heroes, juggling abilities and positioning as you sweep through mission after mission trying to reclaim the Albatross one firefight at a time. The strategy is tight: rescuing civilians, covering angles, and uncovering the mystery behind the reptilian takeover while chaos erupts around you. Each level feels like a cliffhanger episode, complete with last-second saves and heroic nonsense.
Megabonk: Key Giveaway For Free Subscribers
Megabonk hits like a sugar-fueled panic attack, hurling you into swarms of monsters and daring you to survive long enough to become an unstoppable mess of upgrades and explosions. Every run is a slot machine of random skills, busted synergies, and weapons that turn entire screens into particle-effect confetti. Characters unlock fast, items stack into absurd combos, and the difficulty spikes so hard it feels personal — in a fun, slightly unhinged way. It’s the kind of roguelike where you start weak, end godlike, and forget how many hours disappeared in between. Monke wasn’t lying: play too long, and Megabonk might ruin your life… but you’ll be smiling the whole time.
If you would like to be in the running for a key, hit reply and just put 'bonk'. We will pick a winner and send over the key in 48 hours
Baby Steps: Key Giveaway For Free Subscribers
Baby Steps drops you into Nate’s aimless life, then forces you to crawl, wobble, and face-plant your way toward something resembling purpose. Every step is manual — a clumsy dance between gravity and intention — turning the simplest hike into a slapstick pilgrimage through fog-drenched valleys and quiet mountain paths. The physics aren’t just a gimmick; they’re the whole joke and the whole journey, making every stumble feel both humiliating and strangely profound. As Nate learns to move forward one shaky foot at a time, the world opens up in ways he never has.
If you would like to be in the running for a key, hit reply and just put 'baby'. We will pick a winner and send over the key in 48 hours
Historically Low Prices
This section of Loot Happens tracks historical discounts right now on games and throughout the industry! Our tireless web crawlers scour the web daily, sniffing out the best deals across the gaming landscape.
These aren't just any games – they're titles we adore and highly respect. And right now, you can grab them at prices we've never seen before!
SpongeBob SquarePants: Titans of the Tide [Steam]
How do you stop the two biggest egos of the Seven Seas from fighting?$̶̶46.33 $26.37
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 [PS5]
Treyarch and Raven Software are bringing players the biggest Black Ops ever.$69.99 $59.49
DEATH STRANDING 2: ON THE BEACH [PS5]
Embark on an inspiring mission of human connection beyond the UCA.$69.99 $49.69
Stellar Blade [PS5]
The future of humanity is balanced on the edge of a blade.$69.99 $39.89
Featured Game Review: Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 Multiplayer
There’s a particular rhythm Call of Duty hits when everything aligns: fast lanes, fast kills, fast adjustments, and Black Ops 7 finds that groove almost immediately. After a few dozen hours of camo grinding, prestiging, and getting repeatedly humbled in the “Wild West” of non-SBMM lobbies, it’s clear this year’s multiplayer is firing on most cylinders. The new omnimovement update breathes new life into firefights, the maps feel energized rather than recycled, and the option to choose between traditional matchmaking or SBMM is a surprisingly liberating twist. It’s not flawless, but the fun far outweighs the frustration
Build on freedom and versatility
The biggest shift this year is simple on paper but massive in practice: you can finally choose between low-consideration matchmaking or full SBMM. It changes everything. Traditional lobbies feel like stepping into a storm — one match is a free buffet of easy wins, the next drops you into a killzone with players so skilled your reflexes barely register. It’s chaotic, occasionally miserable, but undeniably refreshing knowing you can always swap back to SBMM when you need structure. And that option alone makes this year's system the most flexible CoD has offered in years.
Weapons sit in a similar “good but unpredictable” space. Nothing emerges as a clear meta favorite, which makes experimenting genuinely fun, even if it means the standout categories from past entries — especially SMGs — are surprisingly underwhelming. The MK.78 LMG, M8A1 marksman rifle, and Shadow SK sniper are early favorites thanks to range, accuracy, and ease of use, but the broader takeaway is that everything feels solid. Not spectacular, not iconic — just reliably fun, which is its own kind of victory
Maps and movement elevate the experience
Black Ops 7’s maps feel built for spectacle and control at the same time. The expanded omnimovement — wall running, wall jumping, and more fluid prone play — doesn’t disrupt firefights; it enhances them by opening new angles and escape routes without ever tipping into chaos. The highlight is how natural the system feels. Maps like Imprint and Blackheart weave in vertical lanes and clever geometry that reward creativity, and despite the added mobility, the fundamentals of positioning and timing still matter most.
Modes land with varied success. Overload is the standout, turning objective play into frantic, heroic sprints that feel straight out of an action movie. Classic offerings like Domination, Hardpoint, and TDM continue to shine, while Skirmish feels scattered, and Gunfight remains divisive. Even so, the overall match flow stays engaging thanks to the synergy between map design and movement. When everything lines up — sharp rotations, clean wall-jumps, chaos controlled by teamwork — Black Ops 7 delivers the multiplayer highs longtime fans crave.
Verdict
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7’s multiplayer delivers a confident, highly enjoyable package anchored by great maps, smartly expanded movement, and one of the most player-friendly matchmaking structures the series has ever attempted. Weapon balance is wide but stable, SMGs are the only letdown, and the overall consistency across loadouts, modes, and maps is impressively high. Not every experiment lands — Skirmish feels unfocused, and non-SBMM lobbies can spiral fast — but the core gameplay loop remains unmistakably excellent. Black Ops 7 doesn’t reinvent CoD multiplayer; it just plays to its strengths with clarity and swagger. And this year, that’s more than enough.
Next Week
Every newsletter has a lot to look forward to, and we are in active communication with several developers and studios. More to come next week!
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