Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is out, and as porters worldwide begin trekking across Hideo Kojima’s newest adventure, all sorts of little secrets and discoveries are being uncovered. While much attention will be paid to the grand, cinematic experience on display, Kojima also went ahead and stuffed Death Stranding 2 to the gills with little flourishes and details, some obvious, some very, very hidden.
We’ve compiled a list of all the little details that help bring the world of Death Stranding 2 to life, from easter eggs to ingenious gameplay we can’t believe Kojima Productions thought to even add in the first place.
1. The best part of Death Stranding 2 is seeing how the natural world interacts with Sam, or how Sam interacts with the natural world. Given that this is a game about traversing the different biomes of Australia, Sam will naturally get dirty, and this will be reflected on Sam’s character model. He’ll be covered in dirt, snow, and sludge after long journeys, which will require you to take showers to clean off.
2. It’s not limited to just the elements, either. After an intense fight, Sam will also become covered by the blood of his enemies. While this might make him look very battle hardened, it probably isn’t how Sam wants to present himself when he’s on deliveries, so be sure to clean off the blood in the shower too.
3. When not covered in grime, even just exposure to the sun can affect Sam’s appearance. He’ll turn redder as he gets more and more sunburnt, to the point where he can start resembling a cherry tomato in the face. Taking a shower will heal these burns, so bathe regularly.
4. However, if you decide to take off your backpack before showering, you’ll find that while you become clean, your backpack will stay dirty. Why you'd take your pack into the shower is beyond me, but it's better than carrying around a dirty pack, I suppose.
5. If you can’t make it to a shower, hopping into a lake or river will clear off some of the dirt up to the point you submerge yourself. Meaning if you only dip your shoes into the river, your boots will be clean, but the rest of you won’t be.
6. There are all sorts of different weather conditions in the world of Death Stranding 2, all of which will hit in real-time.
7. The earliest natural event you encounter is the sandstorm, which severely impairs Sam’s visibility, forcing you to rely on your Odradek scanner to scope out the terrain. When the storm gets particularly bad, you’ll lose stamina and will need to hide behind large structures to shield yourself from the storm.
8. Other natural disasters include blizzards that, like a sandstorm, will impair Sam’s vision and slow him down. Plus, when Sam’s too cold, his stamina will deplete faster than normal.
9. Lastly, thunderstorms will also strike Sam when he’s out and about. The rain in Death Stranding 2 is known to degrade Sam’s cargo and equipment faster than usual so be sure to find shelter fast to prevent your packages from getting damaged. And watch out for lightning strikes. While I haven’t seen anyone get hit by one yet (unlike in The Legend of Zelda), they can strike awfully close to Sam if he’s not careful.
10. What’s more, you can even see these weather events in real-time from afar. Meaning if there’s a blizzard happening on a mountaintop, you can see it from the base of the mountain.
11. Dust, rain, snow, and even chiral creatures build up on the screen when you spend too long in them, which adds to the immersive and cinematic approach Kojima takes with his games.
12. If you’re in the high heat of the desert too long you’ll begin to see mirages of rivers flowing through the sands. But as you get closer you’ll realize there’s no water there. Sorry.
13. Depending on which biome you’re in, whether it’s the hot desert or freezing mountaintops, Sam will take either a cold shower to cool off, or a hot shower to warm up.
14. As you and other porters begin carving paths through the world of Death Stranding 2 to make deliveries, you’ll find that regularly used paths become roads by themselves from being worn down, making them easier to traverse over time.
15. Rivers will also rise and fall with the rain. Some rivers become flooded under heavy rainfall, making them more difficult to traverse than under dry conditions.
16. The iconic image of Death Stranding as a series is Sam carrying a stack of boxes on his back. That’s because his porter job is inspired by the Japanese Bokka porter who transport boxes to homes that aren’t reachable by trucks or cars. There are references to the Bokka in dialogues with other porters and even a Bokka skeleton for Sam, which make it easier for him to traverse difficult terrain like rivers, inclines, and snow.
17. One of the most useful vehicles is the Pickup Off-Roader, which lets you haul tons of packages across long-distances. Depending on how and where it’s parked, Sam changes the way he climbs into the driver’s seat.
18. Ramps are invaluable when it comes to getting your vehicle across large gaps. But depending on what vehicle you use to jump the ramp, whether it’s on a vehicle, your floating carrier you ride like a skateboard, or even just using a skeleton on your legs, you can even do some cool skateboard and acrobatic tricks off the ramp.
19. Some Pickups aren’t driveable because they belong to specific shelters. Weirdly, Pickups that aren’t owned by Sam or Drawbridge feature the logo of Yamato Transport, a real-life Japanese delivery company.
20. There are numerous monorail lines you can build across Death Stranding 2 at set points, much like the roads you can build in Death Stranding 1 and 2. But they’re not just for trains as you can use a zip line to attach yourself to a monorail pole and travel that way.
21. But if you’re inclined to travel on foot, always remember to wear shoes! Walking barefoot too long will eventually cause Sam’s feet to bleed, which leaves a trail of blood behind. While you'll still be able to get around without shoes, Sam will refuse to run given how uncomfortable it is on his toes.
22. If you choose to give Sam a rest while on the road, or leave your controller idle for too long, Sam will have a nice sit down to catch a breather, at which point a floating Lou will appear over Sam’s head as he dreams about her.
23. While it might be fun to see how high you can stack boxes on your back, be careful of your surroundings as tall stacks of boxes won’t fit through certain doors and will instead topple over if they hit the ceiling, forcing you to pick them up again.
24. There are also special timed events set to specific dates, just like in the first Death Stranding. At the beginning of the game you’re asked to input your birthday. And if you boot up the game on your special day a unique cutscene will trigger where all your friends (and enemy) will wish you a happy birthday.
25. More than that, if you go out into the world and use the call out feature, other NPC porters will wish you a happy birthday too.
26. Your birthday isn’t the only special day. Playing Death Stranding 2 on Christmas day will add Christmas Tree holograms to shelters and give NPCs little Santa hats to wear to celebrate the joyous occasion. If you don’t want to wait for Christmas or your birthday, changing your PS5’s internal clock to the correct date will trigger these events.
27. While Death Stranding 2 isn’t purely about combat, there are a ton of ways to fight the BTs. Sam’s blood already has anti-BT properties making Blood Grenades lethal to BTs, but shooting a normal bullet through the blood cloud left behind the grenade will make them deadly against BTs too.
28. Guns aren’t your only weapons in a fight. If you unlock the secret cutscene for the Pizza Chef (played by Ghost in the Shell director Mamoru Oshii), you’ll unlock an entire new martial arts fighting style based around the delicious meal.
29. One of your constant companions on the road is Dollman, who you can throw up high into the air to do reconnaissance on enemy bases. But you can also throw him straight at an enemy to temporarily stun them.
30. Unlike other weapons, Dollman is a living being and he will eventually get mad at you if you throw him at too many enemies, or let him drop to the ground after a recon trip. If he’s upset, he won’t let you throw him for a while.
31. Bandits in Death Stranding 2 are often equipped with stun rods that blast waves of electricity. However, if you have the Electric Shock Absorber add-on for you backpack, you can turn their electric attacks into power for your battery.
32. Boss fights return in Death Stranding 2, and while you should have all the weapons and tools to get through them, some are incredibly tough and can cause you to die repeatedly. If a fight is too annoying, the game will trigger a “Pretend You Won” option to skip the fight in exchange for a small impact to your overall mission score.
33. Death Stranding 2 is populated by a ton of survivors, many with familiar faces, and if you make enough deliveries to them they might give you some unique items. The Data Scientist, who is a famous Vtuber named Usada Pekora, will give you a bunny hood that makes Sam say “Peko” after each sentence, similar to Pekora’s verbal tic. Peko.
34. The Peko hood is only one of a variety of hoods and hats you can earn in Death Stranding 2 with others giving Sam unique abilities. The camel hood will protect Sam from the heat of the desert and refill his water for stamina, and the seal hood returns which lets Sam safely float across rivers. One gooey looking Chiral Roden hat will even ward away Chiral Creatures.
35. Shelters house different survivors, and depending on their real-life counterpart, will have little nods to their identities. The Adventurer and his son who are played by RRR director SS Rajamouli and SS karthikeya, for example, their holograms outside their shelter has them doing an iconic pose from their hit film.
36. Another shelter in Australia is an animal sanctuary overseen by members of a conservationist group, played by the music group CHVRCHES. If you rescue animals and send them to the sanctuary, the group will send you social media pics of the animal living happily in their new home.
37. However, you have to be careful when traveling because you can accidentally run over and kill these poor creatures if you’re not paying attention. Which is one way to earn dislikes in the world of Death Stranding 2. While a lot of what you do in the world will get you likes from your fellow porters and shelter dwellers, there are ways to have likes taken away, and accidental animal killing is one of them.
38. There are also a ton of scares in Death Stranding 2. During certain times, Sam will get nightmares while sleeping aboard the DHV Magellan, which trigger some frankly terrifying cutscenes, including one notable one that features a mannequin doing some freaky stuff.
39. There are scares out in the world too. One mission revolves around a Ghost Track haunted by Headless Bikers. Find them and you’ll trigger a unique boss fight.
40. There is also a haunted monorail train that only appears at night. You can sometimes see it as it passes by you while you're riding the monorail, or you can see it flying through the sky on its own. It gives a sinister red glow as it passes by and triggers your odradek, implying the train is full of BTs.
41. It’s not all scares and monsters though. There are plenty of pleasant experiences to be found aboard the DHV Magellan and elsewhere. On the ship, one crewmate, Rainy, will give Sam intermittent trivia quizzes with some special prizes for getting the correct answer.
42. Dollman, who hangs out with you in your cabin, will not only talk with you whenever you want, but playing ‘Horizon Dreamer’ by Daichi Miura while chatting triggers a fun dance from him.
43. Sam is also apparently an avid reader given the stack of books in his cabin. If you pick up a copy of Frankenstein, Dollman will mention a movie about the fictional doctor starring Elle Fanning, the actor of Tomorrow.
44. The Pizza Chef, who is a fountain of many little surprises, will eventually make Sam a Pac-Man shaped pizza that, once eaten, turns Sam’s world map into a minigame of Atari classic.
45. One very special item you can receive is an instant camera that unlocks a unique photo mode. Unlike the default photo mode, this camera can only be used aboard the DHV Magellan and can be used to take photos of Fragile, Tomorrow, and Rainy. These photos can then be given to crewmates or used to decorate your room, and the photo you take yourself will even appear in a cutscene towards the end of the game.
Today’s deals are the definition of variety. We’ve got 4K steelbooks, heat-busting neck fans, noise machines, and some wild savings on Prime trials. Fancy catching up on classics like The 40-Year-Old Virgin in ultra-high def, or diving into Geralt’s world with The Witcher book set? There’s plenty here to pad your cart without draining your wallet (much).
TL;DR: Deals For Today
Amazon’s running early Prime Day offers, and if you’re 18–24, you can still snag six months of Prime for free. Audible’s back with the 99-cent triple trial, and Kindle Unlimited is doing three months free for Prime members too. Meanwhile, eBay’s pushing big-name refurb deals from Bose, Dyson and Roborock, all with bonus AllState warranties. Let’s break it down.
The 40-Year-Old Virgin - Limited Edition Steelbook
Steve Carell’s awkward charm now comes in steelbook form with The 40-Year-Old Virgin, now upgraded to 4K Ultra HD. This release bundles both the theatrical and unrated cuts, letting you relive all the cringe, chaos, and unexpected sweetness with stunning clarity. From laugh-out-loud bad advice to genuinely touching moments with Catherine Keener, it’s a classic comedy that still delivers.
The Witcher Boxed Set
This is the core of Sapkowski’s epic—Blood of Elves, The Time of Contempt, Baptism of Fire, The Tower of Swallows, and Lady of the Lake—finally bundled in one set. If you’ve only seen the show or played the games, this is where the real magic lives. The writing is sharp, the world-building deep, and Geralt’s story hits harder on-page.
FrSara Neck Fan
The FrSara neck fan is down to $26.99 and it’s built for real heat relief. It’s bladeless, quiet, and pushes air from both sides with a 360° flow that cools you fast. The 5200mAh battery lasts up to 16 hours, so it won’t quit halfway through your day. It’s comfortable, won’t tug your hair, and the three speed settings give you full control.
Dreamegg Portable White Noise Machine
This Dreamegg portable white noise machine is down to $16.15 with the on-site 15% coupon, shaving nearly a quarter off the list price. It’s small enough to fit in your palm but loud enough to drown out hotel noise, snoring, or busy office chatter. With 16 nature sounds, a beefed-up 1000mAh battery, and USB-C charging, it’s a smart little travel buddy. The nubbed button makes it easy to use in the dark, and the memory function keeps your settings locked in. For sleep, focus or baby naps, it punches way above its size.
Amazon Prime Day Is Coming
We're all over Prime Days 2025, and some deals are going live now. For more information about the event and an inside scoop on hot deals and top tips, check out our Prime Day hub.
6 Months Free Amazon Prime For Young Adults
This one is a no-brainer. If your 18-24, snap up this 6-months free deal for Amazon Prime. It includes the free and fast delivery Amazon is known for alongside unlimited streaming, free delivery on GrubHub+, free Prime games every month and loads more.
Assassin's Creed: Shadows Limited Edition (PS5)
Assassin’s Creed Shadows finally delivers the long-awaited leap into feudal Japan, and it doesn’t waste the opportunity. This Amazon-exclusive Limited Edition includes the full game plus the Sekiryu Character Pack, and it's now down to $49.99—29% off the original $69.99 price. You’ll switch between Naoe, a nimble shinobi, and Yasuke, a powerhouse samurai, across a moody and expansive Sengoku-era Japan. We praised the game’s dynamic environments, more focused pacing, and demanding combat. It doesn’t reinvent the series, but it smartly trims the bloat while offering rich stealth and action-driven storytelling. At this price, it’s a sharp buy for any AC fan.
3 Months for $0.99 Audible Deal
Audible’s doing that 99c a month deal again for Premium Plus, and it’s a steal. Amazon Prime Members get three months free, so make sure to check for an active subscription before looking for this deal. You get three audiobooks to keep, full access to the big library, and it works even if you’ve had a sub before as long as it’s not active now. I just logged in, saw the banner, and grabbed it. Sunrise on the Reaping is already in my library, and I’m eyeing that massive new Sanderson one next. Less than three bucks for all that? Easy win.
3 Months Free Kindle Unlimited
I’ve never really stuck with audiobooks before, but this Kindle Unlimited deal finally got me into them properly. Right now you can get three months free if you’ve got Prime, and it works on your phone or tablet, not just a Kindle. I gave it a go, downloaded a couple of books, and now I’ve actually started finishing them while I’m out walking or doing stuff around the house. It’s made getting through my backlog way easier and I didn’t have to pay a thing to try it. If you’ve been on the fence, this is a solid excuse to dive in.
Prismatic Evolutions Super-Premium Collection
Prismatic Evolutions Super-Premium Collection is going for $195 right now, beating Amazon by 6%. You’re getting a full-art foil Eevee ex promo card, a plushy-soft Eevee deck box, and a matching playmat with all the Evolutions. 15 Prismatic Evolutions booster packs and 65 themed card sleeves round out the box.
Certified Refurbished Bose products from the official Bose eBay store are a smart way to save. You’re getting gear that’s been tested, cleaned, and backed by a full 1-year warranty—plus an extra 2-year AllState warranty. It’s the same great sound, just way cheaper.
Roborock Q Revo Robot Vacuum and Mop
Roborock robot vacuums are packed with smart features and often come in cheaper than Roombas, without sacrificing performance. I've used both brands, and my current Roborock has outlasted and outperformed every Roomba I've owned. The official Roborock eBay store sells certified refurbished models from across their lineup, all backed by a 6-month warranty.
Dyson V11 Torque Drive+ Vacuum Cleaner
Dyson gear rarely comes cheap, but the official Dyson eBay store makes it a lot more affordable. They’ve got certified refurbished vacuums, fans, and beauty tech with big discounts. Vacuums and fans come with a 6-month Dyson warranty, and beauty products get 12 months.
Coke Zero Sugar 12 Pack
Even if you change your mind and don't want to subscribe and save, you can still get this great deal on Coke Zero when you purchase. It's Coke with zero sugar, and there's 12 cans that you can drink out of and recycle (thumbs up).
George R. R. Martin's A Game of Thrones 5-Book Boxed Set
The full A Song of Ice and Fire box set (Don't blame me for the listing name) brings together George R. R. Martin’s five epic novels in one heavyweight bundle. Game of Thrones, Clash of Kings, Storm of Swords, Feast for Crows and Dance with Dragons form a world of brutal politics, ancient threats and unforgettable characters. If you've only watched the show, you're missing huge layers of intrigue and detail the books lay bare.
Humble Choice
Humble Choice is bringing the heat this month with a killer lineup for just $14.99. You’ll snag Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader, Daemon X Machina, Cat Quest III, Death’s Door, and more including a free month of IGN Plus. That’s over $200 in games ready to drop into your library. Every month you stay subbed, you get exclusive discounts and new indie gems in the Vault. Oh, and 5% of your sub supports charity too.
Symphonic Journeys Pokémon Red & Blue Vinyl
his one’s a real collector’s gem. Symphonic Journeys: Pokémon Red & Blue is getting the orchestral treatment, and the exclusive IGN variant presses it to Fire Red vinyl. It ships September 2025, but you can lock in your pre-order now for $34.99. Nolan Markey leads the score with full performance by Budapest Scoring, reimagining everything from Pallet Town to the Champion Battle.
M3GAN 2.0 - Limited Edition Steelbook (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital)
M3GAN 2.0 dials up the chaos and trades in some of the original’s horror flair for a louder sci-fi action vibe. The Limited Edition Steelbook packs in 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and Digital formats for $37.99, with a pre-order guarantee that locks in the best price. While we noted the sequel stumbles trying to balance satire and spectacle, M3GAN still steals the spotlight with her savage wit and unpredictable presence. It may not reinvent the killer robot genre, but if you’re in for stylish carnage and sharp-edged commentary, this edition delivers plenty of polished personality for the price.
WOWBOX 32 PCS Clear Plastic Drawer Organizer Set
For $15.99, this 32-piece WOWBOX drawer organizer set is an easy win for cutting clutter across any room. You get four sizes of clear black bins, perfect for separating everything from office supplies to cosmetics and kitchen tools. The plastic is sturdy enough to handle daily use without cracking, and the stackable design lets you double your storage without taking up more space.
Tunise Rechargeable Portable Neck Fan
It's a fan that you don't have to hold because it sits comfortably around your neck. This is such a cool and handy product for under $15, especially if you're like me and get warm at the thought of some sunshine.
The Silmarillion Deluxe Illustrated by the Author
I can't describe how much I need this work of art. This edition of the Silmarillion arrives in a deluxe stamped clothbound hardcover edition housed in a custom slipcase and lavishly illustrated with over 50 color pieces by J.R.R. Tolkien himself. This collector's version presents the complete text in two-color print and includes exclusive extras like two fold-out maps of Beleriand, a booklet on the making of The Silmarillion by Christopher Tolkien, and a collectible art card. From the crafting of the Silmarils and Morgoth’s theft, to the fall of Númenor and the forging of the Rings of Power, this volume captures the vast mythological backdrop of The Lord of the Rings. Beautifully quarterbound with foil-stamped black cloth boards, silver-edged pages, and a ribbon marker, it’s a definitive edition for Tolkien devotees.
Pokémon TCG Price Comparison
Some of the pricing here by Amazon is insane, but there's some deals to be had when comparing these products to TCG Player. For example, Prismatic Evolutions Super-Premium Collection was a massive 56% below market value, but TCG Player is coming in cheaper now at $195. On the other end of the scale, TCG Player has Cynthia’s Garchomp ex Premium Collection at a massive 48% below Amazon's current price, which is very close to MSRP. I've compared all the prices in the carousel above, but another pro tip is clicking through to eBay to see if there's any new bargains to be had.
This Weeks Pokémon Card Crashers and Climbers
I’ve been keeping a close eye on the Pokémon TCG market this month, and we’re seeing two very different stories unfold. On one side, Surging Sparks cards are going through a steep correction.
On the other hand, Crown Zenith cards are showing early signs of what could be a long-term value surge. The bottom line? If you're a collector or investor, now is the time to buy into both.
I’m picking up what I can from both sets. The current dip in Sparks is a glimmer of hope for long-suffering 2024-2025 collectors. And Crown Zenith is a train I want to be on before it leaves the station.
Pokémon TCG Classic
The Sam's Club Pokémon TCG Classic deal is back, and it's massively undercutting other big box retailers and the secondary market. Just for comparrison, the top four cards from this set, Charizard, Blastoise, Venusaur and Mewtwo, are worth the same price as this discounted offer. This deal is well worth it and should be snapped up as soon as possible.
Mega Evolution Pokémon Cards Are Climbing
I can't believe the X Y era of Pokémon cards came out 12 years ago, but it was an amazing era for the TCG introducing the Mega Evolution mechanic. Mega's will be returning later this year with the start of the Mega Evolutions era and the end of Scarlet and Violet, so snapping up these top Mega cards before prices go even higher is a wise move. We know how it'll play out, no one will be able to grab the new sets at launch, then the nostalgia will kick in and these cards will skyrocket. Just the Charizards and Rayquazzas alone are worth a look.
Magic: The Gathering Price Comparison
MTG doesn't seem to be struggling to keep up with demand despite it being one of the biggest trading card games on earth, but that doesn't stop big box retailers getting cheeky when they notice a peak in demand. Like with Pokémon TCG, i've gone through the majority of MTG stock on Amazon and compared their pricing to market values on TCG Player. The Theros Beyond Death booster made me spit out my tea. Amazon is listing a single booster for $378.08, but these can be picked up any day of the week for $5.59 on TCG Player. Go figure. Another big difference is Marvel's Spider-Man - Play Booster Box. Amazon has their preorder price guarantee on this, but it's still 17% cheaper to preorder on TCG Player.
This Weeks MTG Crashers and Climbers
As we covered in our recent synergies feature, Harmonic Prodigy gives double Wizard triggers – nice! That means it's gone up by 118.70% in the past month (246.76% in three) – not so nice!
That's good for those that own the card, not so good for those who are looking to pick it up standalone. Still, market is still just $12.75 right now, so it could be a lot worse.
Moving away from Vivi, Tifa’s getting some love from Bristly Bill, Spine Sower. This Outlaws of Thunder Junction card can help power up our martial artist heroine, but at a cost of almost $40 now.
Another nifty synergy that's climbing is Perch Protection. This Instant has climbed from a dollar to almost $6, since it handily ties into Chocobo decks.
If you’re sensitive to light while sleeping, this 3D contoured eye mask from WAOAW might be worth trying. It’s designed with deeper eye cavities so there’s no pressure on your lids, and the wide, adjustable strap helps it stay put without pulling at your hair. The material is soft and breathable, and it comes with earplugs and a travel pouch, which makes it a handy option for travel or quick naps.
Christian Wait is a contributing freelancer for IGN covering everything collectable and deals. Christian has over 7 years of experience in the Gaming and Tech industry with bylines at Mashable and Pocket-Tactics. Christian also makes hand-painted collectibles for Saber Miniatures. Christian is also the author of "Pokemon Ultimate Unofficial Gaming Guide by GamesWarrior". Find Christian on X @ChrisReggieWait.
Where Winds Meet, the upcoming open-world action Wuxia action adventure from Everstone Studios, is a PlayStation 5 console exclusive for at least six months.
Confirmation comes via a new video published to the PlayStation YouTube channel (the multiplatform version of this trailer is below). As well as offering a peek into the game's story, the end of the teaser revealed that Where Winds Meet is a PS5 console exclusive for "at least six months." It's also coming to mobile and PC.
As for a release date? I'm afraid we're given no more than a vague "coming 2025" for now, but publisher NetEase has confirmed its final test is set to launch on July 25 on PC and PS5, which includes a brand-new urban region, Kaifeng, which hasn't previously been available. If you're interested, you can join via the official registration link. No pre-order incentives have been offered as yet, but players are welcome to wishlist from today.
Where Winds Meet was first released on PC in China at the end of 2024 and was ported to mobile in 2025. It's set in the Ten Kingdoms Era during a battle between rival dynasties, where the player takes the role of a swordsman who will influence the conflict in different ways depending on their choices. It's influenced heavily by Wuxia, a Chinese fiction genre where ancient Chinese fighters are depicted with superhuman abilities.
In a Where Winds Meet preview from August 2023, we went hands-on, getting a taste of its mix of Zelda and The Witcher gameplay and the seemingly massive amount of systems, choices, and possibilities at play.
As for Sony, it's on the hunt for a repeat of the enormous success of Black Myth Wukong, which launches on Xbox Series X and S this August a year after it came out on PC and PS5.
Vikki Blake is a reporter for IGN, as well as a critic, columnist, and consultant with 15+ years experience working with some of the world's biggest gaming sites and publications. She's also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.
Younger Americans are spending 25% less on video games today than this time last year.
That's according to a report by The Wall Street Journal, which used data from market research company Circana to analyze the spending habits of young Americans.
While spending was down 13% across the board from January to April 2025 for 18- to 24-year-olds — particularly on accessories, technology, and furniture, which fell by 18%, 14%, and 12%, respectively — video game spending saw the largest fall. This is not a trend observed in older age groups.
Spending also dropped in the categories of prestige beauty, clothing and apparel, and sports equipment.
The WSJ posits that "a combination of economic challenges is driving the decline," with graduates struggling to find employment and credit card delinquency rates highest for 18- to 29-year-olds.
"Young grads are having a much tougher time finding jobs," the report reads. "Student-loan payments are restarting for millions of borrowers. Over roughly the past year, credit-card delinquency rates have risen to their highest points since before the pandemic, and are highest for those 18-29, according to the New York Federal Reserve."
It's worth noting that the time period featured in the study does not include the June launch of the Nintendo Switch 2, which will boost the figures. And next year's launch of Grand Theft Auto 6 is expected to set records for consumer spending not just on video games, but all of entertainment.
Meanwhile, the cost of gaming has gone up, with some publishers moving to $80 for video games, consoles rising in price, and in-game monetization becoming more aggressive. Circana's Mat Piscatella took to social media to say people are still turning up to play video games, "but engaging more with free-to-play on devices they already have access to."
The report comes at a time of great instability across the games industry despite record profits. Around 2,800 game devs have lost their jobs in the first half of 2025 alone, on top of 14,600 cuts in 2024, and 10,500 in 2023.
In the same message that informed staff about the cuts, Xbox boss Phil Spencer said that he "recognize[d] that these changes come at a time when [Xbox] have more players, games, and gaming hours than ever before."
Photographer: Ariana Drehsler/Bloomberg via Getty Images.
Vikki Blake is a reporter for IGN, as well as a critic, columnist, and consultant with 15+ years experience working with some of the world's biggest gaming sites and publications. She's also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.
Romero Games, the studio founded by Doom co-creator John Romero and Brenda Romero, has said it has been left "heartbroken" after discovering that funding for its next project has been pulled, reportedly as part of Microsoft's latest cuts, leaving the game and its team at risk.
In a statement, studio director Brenda Romero said the company's publisher and financial partner confirmed last night it was walking away from the project "along with several other unannounced projects at other studios."
A separate post on social media, a now-former Romero Games employee stated that they are now out of work at the developer "due to the recent Xbox layoffs." IGN has contacted Microsoft for comment.
The news comes just hours after Microsoft's latest round of mass layoffs impacted numerous internal Xbox studios, resulting in the cancellation of multiple projects including Everwild and Perfect Dark, as well as other, unannounced titles that Microsoft had been funding.
"This was a strategic decision made at a high level within the publisher, well above our visibility or control," Romero stated. "We deeply wish there had been something, anything, we could have done to prevent this outcome."
Romero suggested that the publisher's decision had come as a surprise, as Romero Games had "hit every milestone on time, every time, consistently received high priase, and easily passed all our internal gates".
For now, Romero Games said it was "currently evaluating next steps and working quickly to support our team", and asked for anyone with "any opportunities or ways you can help our incredible team" to "please reach out."
"These people are the best people I've ever worked with," John Romero himself said, sharing the news via social media. "I'm sorry to say that our game and our studio were also affected."
Romero Games' recent projects include 2019's Sigil and its 2023 sequel Sigil 2, as well as mafia strategy game Empire of Sin, launched in 2020.
"It's a new dawn for Romero Games," the studio said at the time. "We're working with a major publisher to develop John Romero's next shooter: an all-new FPS with an original, new IP."
Image credit: Shane Anthony Sinclair/BAFTA/Getty Images for BAFTA.
Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
Warcraft Rumble was a high-profile attempt by Blizzard to bring the Warcraft universe into the lucrative mobile space. Development began in 2016, with the game itself releasing in 2023 as a free-to-play tower defense RTS inspired by the likes of Clash of Clans. The PC version launched late last year.
In a blog post, Blizzard admitted Warcraft Rumble “struggled to find its footing relative to our ambition for its long-term success,” and that recent attempts to improve the popularity of the game weren’t enough to sustain development.
The news comes as part of a bloodbath at Microsoft that saw 4%, or just over 9,000 staff, cut from the company. While the majority of those layoffs were outside the gaming business, Xbox studios were hit hard. Rare’s Everwild, for example, was canceled, as was the Perfect Dark reboot. The Initiative was closed.
Alex Apple, client engineer at Blizzard, took to LinkedIn to say they had been laid off “along with the entire Warcraft Rumble team.” Other developers on the game reported similar.
In its blog post, Blizzard said Warcraft Rumble will remain playable but will only receive updates focused on regular, systemic in-game events and bug fixes.
Dear Warcraft Rumble Community,
We have an important update on the future of Warcraft Rumble. After much deliberation, we’ve arrived at an extremely hard decision. Moving forward, we'll continue supporting Rumble with updates focused on regular, systemic in-game events and bug fixes, but no new content.
Warcraft Rumble began development nine years ago as a love letter to Azeroth and launched back in 2023, reflecting input from enthusiastic players around the globe and the effort of a passionate team — some of whom continue to support Rumble or other Blizzard games, and some we’ve had to sadly part ways with. Since launch, Rumble has struggled to find its footing relative to our ambition for its long-term success, and for some time now the team has been listening to player feedback, refocusing in certain areas, and exploring different options. Some of that work showed signs of progress, but ultimately wasn’t enough to put the game on a path to sustainability.
During this transition, we are focused on supporting our teammates. We’re deeply grateful to everyone at Blizzard and in the community for helping bring Warcraft Rumble to life and embracing the joy that makes this game so special. Your enthusiasm and feedback mean the world to us.
Fans of the game reacted with disappointment to the news, but there is little surprise given how the game has gone over the last two years. Most players are now waving goodbye to Warcraft Rumble and its community, while sending messages of support to the affected developers.
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
Ryan Coogler, director of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and executive producer of its spin-off Ironheart, has said he knows "jack s**t" about when the latter's characters will now return.
Ironheart wrapped up its brief two-week release schedule on Disney+ a couple days ago, with several major cliffhangers that leave its characters' next steps uncertain. But when asked by Variety where Ironheart heroine Riri Williams might next appear — for example in the upcoming Black Panther 3, which Coogler himself is now writing — the director claimed he had no idea.
"I don't know jack s**t. I just did an all-nighter writing X-Files," Coogler said, referencing yet another upcoming project of his that's currently in the pipeline, an X-Files TV reboot.
"I'm here for whatever Chinaka [Hodge, Ironheart head writer]'s got coming at us next; whatever Kevin [Feige]'s got coming at us next, you know what I'm saying," Coogler continued. "I think the audience is going to take to that ending and I can't wait to see those characters again."
Warning! Spoilers for Ironheart follow:
Ironheart's finale sees Williams defeat Parker Robbins, played by Anthony Ramos, but also make a Faustian bargain with Mephisto, played by Sacha Baron Cohen, to save a dead friend. Robbins suggests his next move will be to hunt down the MCU's Sorceror Supreme for presumably nefarious reasons, Williams is seen slowly being corrupted by Mephisto's magic, while the devil himself remains very much at large.
"I'm hoping for all work in Hollywood right now," Hodge said. "Yes, a second season, a third season, a fourth season. Yes!"
For now, Marvel has said nothing of any future plans for Riri Williams, let alone Robbins or Mephisto, and the response to Ironheart itself has been mixed. "A cynical addition to the MCU as science and magic collide in Chicago," IGN said of the series in our Ironheart review.
VOID Interactive has responded to player backlash after it made changes to the PC version of its controversial shooter Ready or Not in order to secure a console release, citing "misconceptions and misinformation" about the amendments.
At the time, VOID insisted the changes were "small enough that most people here wouldn't notice if we didn't say anything," but it "wanted to be transparent" with its players. The news has caused Ready or Not's Steam user review rating to hit "mostly negative" for recent reviews, although overall the review rating remains "very positive." Most of the negative reviews complain about "censorship."
Now, in a new statement, VOID set out "full visibility" into what has, and has not, changed, including before-and-after screenshots. It insisted "the effects of gore and violence have not been toned down."
"We recently shared that Ready or Not’s PC version underwent minor content changes to support stability and align with policies enforced by global platforms and age rating bodies," the statement began. "These adjustments were made to ensure a smooth global launch across platforms — while fully preserving the game’s tone, themes, and intensity.
"Unfortunately, we’ve seen misconceptions and misinformation circulating around the scope of these changes. We want to ensure our entire community has full visibility into what has — and has not — changed. We’re including before-and-after visuals to show that the game’s tone, atmosphere, and graphical impact remain intact. The effects of gore and violence — key to the game’s immersive realism — have not been toned down."
VOID stressed that missions such as Elephant, Neon Tomb, and the infamous Valley of the Dolls "remain unchanged," adding it has "always believed in creative freedom and the right to build experiences that push boundaries in the service of immersion and realism. That will not change."
"At the same time, we operate in a global ecosystem of platform standards, age rating boards, and local legal restrictions," the studio added. "While we may disagree with how some content is treated, we’ve only made changes where absolutely required, and only to the letter of the regulations — no further. As a hyper-realistic tactical FPS, Ready or Not faces different scrutiny than more stylized or fictional games. That’s a reality of the world we publish in — not a change in our creative vision or values."
Warning! Potentially distrubing images of Ready or Not follow:
The team then outlined specifically what the "six targeted visual changes" entailed:
Twisted Nerve: The girl is now depicted as sleeping instead of convulsing
A Lethal Obsession: Nudity involving the ghillie suit suspect has been adjusted
Hide and Seek: Female hostages now wear underwear
Narcos: Police informant hostage now wears underwear
23 Megabytes a Second: ‘Photo of Minors’ objective model was revised, also to better connect narratively with the later ‘Sinuous Trail’ mission
Post-mortem dismemberment has been disabled (note: dismemberment for living characters remains unchanged).
"It's not about the specifics, it's a matter of principle," wrote one respondent in the comments. "Any amount of censorship is too much." Another said: "great, so you're saying you're hearing us, but refusing to listen." "Yeah, damaging the vision of the game just because of console port?" added someone else. "Get a grip, at least put a slider in the settings. What is this?"
While most of the 1,200+ comments continue to complain about censorship, not all players are aggrieved: "Honestly, not that big of a deal as long as overall map atmosphere stays good," said another.
Vikki Blake is a reporter for IGN, as well as a critic, columnist, and consultant with 15+ years experience working with some of the world's biggest gaming sites and publications. She's also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.
NACON has shared the official gameplay overview trailer for RoboCop: Rogue City – Unfinished Business. The trailer shows two minutes of gameplay footage. So, if you’re interested in the game, you should check it out. Unfinished Business is a stand-alone sequel to RoboCop: Rogue City. Just like the first game, it’s being made with Unreal … Continue reading RoboCop: Rogue City – Unfinished Business Gets Gameplay Overview Trailer→
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 got its hotly anticipated Siege Mode update last week, and while fans are enjoying it, crashes and disconnects have marred the experience.
Siege Mode is Space Marine 2’s take on the classic video game Horde mode. It sees teams of three players fight against increasingly difficult waves of Tyranid and Chaos enemies for exclusive rewards.
Players have responded to Siege Mode and its accompanying Patch 8 well, and Space Marine 2 has seen a surge of players on Steam at least, where player data is public. But connection problems are on occasion ruining the experience, especially when they arrive deep into the waves.
“I just spent almost three hours in a Siege round. FINALLY got some good brothers who know what they are doing. Most epic experience I had in a long time. So looking forward to the rewards and feeling of accomplished, finally beating it. BUT NO MID FIGHT LAST ROUND BEFORE EVAC THE SERVERS JUST GIVE UP. NO MONEY, NO EXP, NO SKINS AND NOT EVEN AN SATISFYING END TO THE GLORIOUS FIGHT THAT ME AND MY BROTHERS HAD. I had fun, yes but essentially I just got robbed almost three hours of progress. That feels so incredibly insulting, I can't man…
“Please anybody in charge I know you're working already on it, with great haste too probably... BUT STILL, BY THE EMPEROR, WHAT THE WARP.”
In response, Space Marine 2 developer Saber Interactive and publisher Focus Entertainment have released the 8.1 hotfix, which is now live on every platform. It fixes various crashes and connectivity issues, as well as a bug preventing the reward for completing 25 waves in Siege Mode to unlock.
The hope is this hotfix stamps out the Siege Mode problems reported by the likes of poor old Justusowesme like a Space Marine stomping on the head of a xenos, but it’s early days yet.
Looking ahead, there’s a lot of exciting content coming to Space Marine 2. While Patch 9 will focus on balance changes only, Patch 10 adds a new Chaos vs Chaos PvP mode, the new Power Axe melee weapon, and the new Techmarine class. Check out all the Space Marine 2 Patch 10 details here.
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 8.1 hotfix patch notes:
Fixed several crashes
Fixed several issues causing disconnects
Fixed Siege Mode rewards from wave 25+
Lots of small fixes to Siege Mode map geometry
Fixed bug that was causing random enemies to get stronger much faster in infinite waves, causing one shot deaths randomly (Note: enemies are still going to get stronger but it will be not random and more consistent)
Fixed a bug in Siege Mode that occurred when a player would join a game in progress, the game would not apply difficulty modifiers correctly.
Fixed a bug in UI that was causing inability to change colour presets
Minor localization fixes
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
This latest patch doesn't specifically deal with end-game issues this time, but does make some QoL improvements, such as being able to interact with vehicles more easily, spawning on Trading Posts, and hiding empty loot containers if they're empty for the player who picked up the corpse.
You'll also now find that Sandworms linger a little around recently harvested spicefields, Harkonnen attacks on certain Atreides bases will happen less frequently, and the team has "closed" several vulnerabilities that "could lead to increased combat damage."
A handful of exploits have been addressed, too, including one where you could repair all items to full durability, one where you could duplicate resources, and another that used to let vehicles pass through Pentashields unauthorized, but doesn't anymore.
Here's the full list of changes. Brace yourself — it's a doozy!
Dune: Awakening update 1.1.10.00 patch notes:
Highlights
Sandworms now linger for a bit around spicefields that have been recently harvested from.
Reduced the frequency of Harkonnen attacks on certain Atreides bases (and vice versa) in Hagga Basin.
Main menu “Play Now” button has been set to filter out private servers.
When streamer mode is active, map creator name is hidden if the player created the sinkchart. In addition, while in streamer mode, sector name in the Deep Desert is now hidden as well.
In the exchange, items can now be listed from and claimed to the vehicle inventory of your Ornithopter.
Improved interaction with vehicles. It should now be easier to enter them from different angles.
We closed several vulnerabilities that could lead to increased combat damage.
Fixed an exploit where you could repair all items to full durability.
Fixed an exploit where a player could duplicate resources.
Fixed an edge case issue allowing vehicles to pass through Pentashields unauthorized.
FEATURES AND CHANGES
Technical and stability:
Main menu “Play Now” button has been set to filter out private servers.
After dying due to Coriolis Storm while offline, players now get moved to Hagga Basin so that the respawn menu shows all respawn points in Hagga Basin.
Trading Post checkpoints can now be used as a respawn point while in different maps.
Updated the minimum required version of Intel GPU driver to 32.0.101.6793 to prevent sand surfaces displaying a triangular mesh pattern when using an Intel Arc graphic card.
Removed false positive warnings about minimum hardware specification and driver version for GeForceNOW users.
Resources, Building, and Crafting:
Moved The Atreides Decorations away from Asmara Efendi (Harko Village Weapons Vendor) and onto Ormunda Laaks (Harko village Structure vendor).
Loot containers dropped after picking up NPC corpses are now invisible if they’re empty for the player who picked up the corpse.
Added three unique weapon schematics to Asmara Efendi.
Vehicle Backup Tool and the Solido Replicator can now be crafted in the Survival Fabricator. The Vehicle backup tool can be found in the Utility Tools category, and the Solido Replicator can be found in the Building Tools category.
Armor in the main menu will now use the correct armor swatches applied to your character in-game.
Range info added to the Welding Torch info card.
Removed the Hawkeye Scanner Module MK5 Unique schematic from Landsraad rewards due to it being an old item not intended for use.
Combat:
Visual improvements to buff and debuff icons for legibility.
Changed the Sentinel ability’s action text from “Detonate” to “Deploy”.
Added range information to Weirding Step’s info card.
Added duration information to Suspensor Pad’s info card.
New VFX created to indicate the way sword parrying staggers multiple targets.
Updated dagger slow blade animations to make the stab connect better.
Correct VFX should now be played on receiving side if shielded or otherwise damage immune.
Underslung weapons can no longer be used while in a passenger seat of a vehicle.
New VFX created to indicate the way sword parrying staggers multiple targets.
We closed several vulnerabilities that could lead to increased combat damage.
Abilities:
Suspensor Dash will now cost 20% of maximum power instead of a flat cost of 75. This allows the perk to be more usable across all tiers of power packs while also making it more costly in high pressure combat situations.
Reduced Poise Damage Resistance of Thrive on Danger to 34% from 50% to avoid scenarios where poise resistance could go over 100% when combined with other effects.
It is no longer possible to jump while under the effect of Crippling Strike.
Updated the description of Center of Mass and Marksman Techniques to indicate that body damage also affects damage dealt to shields.
Performing melee attacks within Gravity Fields will now cause the player to play exhausted attack animations as they strain under the increased gravity.
Updated description of the ‘Ranged Damage’ passive ability. It increases damage with all ranged weapons, not just darts!
Clarified description of poison tooth activation to better convey how it works.
Vehicles:
Tweaked the buggy turret camera to improve overall visibility while operating.
Minor tweaks to the camera when boosting with a vehicle.
Improved interaction with vehicles. It should now be easier to enter them from different angles.
Ground vehicles now have a failsafe system against being stuck in flipped state.
Improved ground vehicles’ behavior when flipped or kicked by the Sandworm.
Scout Ornithopter Thruster modules have seen an increase in speed when using Vulture Mode. Players opting to forego Inventory (or other modules) in favor of a boost Thruster should now have a speed advantage.
Balancing:
Updated anti gravity fields to allow for stationary targets to get out of them rather than be locked into their initial 0 velocity.
Rusher NPCs now animation cancel out of their melee attack finishers when their target moves out of melee range.
Worldbuilding and Exploration:
Sandworms now linger for a bit around spicefields that have been recently harvested from.
Reduced the frequency of Harkonnen attacks on certain Atreides bases (and vice versa) in Hagga Basin.
Improved collision in the room of the Proteus where you encounter your first shielded enemy.
Miscellaneous journey step improvements.
Replaced an incorrect Pardot Kynes’ hologram in an O’odham Testing Station.
A salvagable Buggy in Imperial Testing Station no 10 has been replaced by a broken Buggy.
Respawn Beacons are now removed upon account or player deletion.
Story, Journey and New Player Experience:
Improved journey auto tracking to address edge cases where journey system sometimes did not track the next appropriate journey card.
The Journey step “Complete Contract “The War Profiteer”” will now complete in the Journey even if players have canceled the contract, but continued in the faction story with Thufir Hawat.
User Interface:
Added individual keybinding for “Take” (quick loot), “Exit climbing” (same as CROUCH by default) and “Exit vehicle” (same as PRIMARY INTERACT by default).
Updated colours for the Pinned Recipes display.
Added support for unfavoriting items in the inventory loadout by pressing the [T] key again whilst hovering the favorite item. An input hint on the info card will also show for this.
Updated icons for a Maula vest variant.
Updated the colors used for online status.
Updated the icons for the Slaver Stillsuit.
The Compass shows a consistent coloured line representing which zone the Player is in.
Navigation icons from the Crafting, Journey and Customization menus are animated when switching between them.
While in the expanded Building UI with an active tutorial popup, pressing ESC now correctly closes the tutorial popup instead of collapsing the Building UI.
While in streamer mode, map creator name is hidden if the player created the sinkchart.
While in streamer mode, Sector name in the Deep Desert is now hidden.
Added an additional step to the delete character progress, to make sure deletion is intentional.
In the trade UI, when changing something on the offered items inventory, or the Solaris offer, both players are now set as “not ready”.
Updated the Sub-fief Console icon in the building menu.
Updated the party UI in players menu tab to show accurate amount of slots available in a party.
In the exchange, items can now be listed from and claimed to the vehicle inventory of your Ornithopter.
Improved the text of the dialogue message you get when choosing to visit a friend on another server.
Graphics, Animations, and VFX:
Added and updated another batch of animations in various cinematics, NPC lip-sync during dialogs, and cloth simulation for various outfits.
Optimization improvements on lighting for Wreck of the Hephaestus.
Performance pass on VFX assets for Wreck of Hephaestus cinematic.
New surface hits for LMGs to improve visuals.
Update unique surface hits VFX for Disruptor and Power LMG to improve visuals.
Adjusted brightness of staking unit VFX to make it more grounded.
Softened the lighting transition in an Imperial Testing Station in the Deep Desert.
Audio:
The sound effects indicating an active Blood Purifier has been improved
Re-balanced audio levels on Sandstorms, to make the audible experience better.
Made improvements to melee audio.
Minor audio mix polish tweaks.
Added new sounds for spice bloom geysers.
The headphone mix preset and weapon tails in enclosed spaces are increased to be louder.
The volume of the Ornithopter engine start and engine loop have been lowered.
Voiceover for House Vernius representative at Helius Gate has been added.
Replaced placeholder radio show sound effects with an actual radio show.
FIXES
Technical and stability:
Text chat notification indicating when a player is muted has been localized.
Fixed issue that would cause a server to become unresponsive to logins.
Fixed multiple issues in Deep Desert that caused server crashes.
Addressed cases where players moving across servers would result in a soft locked client.
When the player has no other sub-fiefs on the map and builds one, it will be set as a default respawn location on that map.
The message to make the vehicle you drive/pilot a default vehicle spawn location will no longer show when crossing borders in the Deep Desert.
Respawn menu now appears after the character dies while the game is disconnected.
The death location marker now appears after the character dies while the player is offline.
Fixed an issue that caused the player to sometimes enter loading screen when exiting vehicle in the Deep Desert.
Fixed a rare server crash caused by the permission system.
Fixed an issue causing the service alert notification to block mouse / virtual cursor interactions.
BattlEye has been updated in order to fix some rare crashes.
Fixed an exploit where you could repair all items to full durability.
Fixed an exploit where a player could duplicate resources.
Resources, Building, and Crafting:
Loot bags dropped on placeables should no longer fall inside them.
Fixed an issue sometimes preventing highlighting of placeables with the construction tool.
Fixed an issue that would make a sub-fief consoles projection linger after it has been destroyed.
The favorites hint in the construction tool should now be hidden if all favorite slots are full.
Fixed a bug causing the building menu icons to sometimes show the number 3 on the left corner.
Fixed an issue making it possible to place a wall intersecting a pentashield projection.
“Remove Sub-Fief Console” prompt no longer appears when you try to demolish a sub-fief owned by someone else
It should now be possible to highlight and demolish pentashields that lack power.
Harkonnen prudence doors should now play a pass-through sound effect.
The diagetic UI for large pentashields should now show up properly if the player aims at the center of them.
It should no longer be possible to place large water cisterns slightly inside walls.
Fixed some visual artifacts on the base shields power on animation over the pentashield surfaces.
Fixed an issue causing wind turbines to disappear at shorter distances compared to similar placeables.
Pentashield placement now shows if it is overlapping with something else instead of saying that it can’t snap to sockets.
Fixed being able to build placeables through ceilings and walls.
Placeables with a projection effect should only show up when built, and not as projections.
Fixed an issue where the positioning of a pentashield surface will get stuck overlapped with an existing pentashield surface.
Fixed an issue that caused cancelling crafting requests to sometimes not refund the water cost.
Removed blue rays on corners of pentashield surfaces.
Fixed an issue making it impossible to move melee weapons into some placeables storage.
Fixed the secret doors on imperial testing stations showing an extra error message on interactions.
Visually upgraded the Communinet Transceiver device.
Made Choam Modular Couch slightly larger to fit the player character better.
Tweaked Harkonnen Modular Bench to avoid clipping with player character.
Fixed an issue where you couldn’t take items from a loot container using Take All when they were available.
Fixed an issue where the Take Item prompt in the loot preview of a loot container wouldn’t be updated when you could no longer take that item.
Repair icon in the repair station is properly hidden once an item is repaired.
Fixed an issue where item types and durability amounts to restore weren’t shown in the Recycler or Repair Station menus.
Combat:
Fixed problem in swordmaster “afterimage” effect that allowed it to see through environmental vfx.
Fixed the sideways root motion on the staggers that had it.
Fixed an issue where Rusher NPCs could travel too far from their spawn location when in combat.
Gas clouds now fade out instead of instantly disappearing.
Centered the lightning effect on Energy Capsule so it is no longer offset from the character.
Fixed an issue that caused Blade Damage passives to give the incorrect amount of increase for Long Blade weapons.
Fixed edge case where “The Sentinel” would attack an allied “Solido Decoy” clone.
Fixed issue where player can sometimes experience rubber banding issue when attempting to move through other players in social hubs.
Can no longer move civilian npcs in non combat zones using Knee charge.
Fixed an issue where weapon reloading resumed automatically after switching or holstering and unholstering a weapon.
Fixed an issue where melee execute sometimes missed.
Fixed an issue that caused Second Wind to activate when an enemy NPC would die.
Fixed an issue that could cause block to be unusable if a melee weapon was equipped while aiming down sight was blocked due to being too close to geometry.
Melee attacks can no longer critically hit targets.
Fixed an issue that could cause the character to be unable to perform any action other than moving, if they attempted to revive a player while also executing them.
Fixed an issue that could cause a melee attack to become a block or vice versa in some rare perfectly timed situations.
Fixed a rare server crash in the weapon aiming system.
Assault NPCs should now run to regain sight of a Target they’ve lost sight of, and start shooting again once they find the Target.
Fixed an issue that could cause the melee soft lock system to disengage if an attack was initiated in the middle of a weapon swap.
Fixed an issue where assault NPCS were not shooting while picking a new position. Now they will run to regain sight of a target they’ve lost sight of and will start shooting again once they have acquired the Target.
Abilities:
Fixed an issue where sometimes the player would lose the ability to swap weapon after using the Poison Capsule ability.
Fixed a desync that could happen when using “Weirding Step”, causing the player to be stuck in place.
Adjusted the cooldown that you get when equipable abilities fail. It is now a universal ~2.5 seconds.
Players will no longer lose 1 skill point when respeccing their skill tree.
Vehicles:
Fixed bounding box issues for better hit feedback and replaced hit VFX with the correct one.
Harkonnen light ornithopter interior mesh no longer clips through outer hull.
Fixed an issue where players could get trapped inside another player’s ornithopter if it landed on them.
Fixed some collision issues related to the Sandworm.
Fixed issue related to boost functionality and input behavior.
Fixed some LOD issues on some vehicles.
Fixed collision on transport Ornithopter to avoid having players be able to get inside the vehicle.
Fixed an issue where a character exiting a vehicle could appear seated on the ground for other players.
Fixed an issue that would sometimes lead to a crash when a seated character received damage.
Fixed an issue causing the “Out of Fuel” warning notification to sometimes appear briefly when entering a Vehicle.
Players can no longer enter a vehicle that is currently pending travel, meaning the vehicle pilot has a travel confirmation popup open.
Fixed an edge case issue allowing vehicles to pass through Pentashields unauthorized.
When the player character gets blocked inside vehicle collision, it’s now possible to get out.
When the Welding Torch is in Customize Mode vehicle modules now get highlighted properly.
Worldbuilding and Exploration:
The player will no longer fully lose radiation on log out. Any gained radiation will be retained until it can decrease again when logging back in.
Fixed rare crash with exploding barrels.
Player can no longer move on Overland Map while being in loading screen.
Fixed sudden Ornithopter altitude changes near on the Overland map, particularly near Arrakeen and Water Fat.
Fixed camera twitching while mouse panning on the Overland Map.
Fixed issue that prevented repairing a vehicle with passengers in them.
Landing a flipped Carrier Ornithopter in vulture mode will not result in the vehicle continuously sliding afterwards.
Vehicle cameras are now a bit less likely to clip through terrain.
For players in the same party, damage will be reduced to 25 % when shooting with Ornithopter rockets at each other.
Fixed an issue where the sandworm threat indicator could get stuck at max in the deep desert.
An issue with planar lock toggle for Ornithopters when crossing server boundaries in the Deep Desert was fixed.
Fixed a potential camera issue that could happen after being eaten by the giant Ringmouth sandworm in the Deep Desert.
Fixed an edge case issue causing the Landsraad to get stuck.
Fixed a floating island in Deep Desert.
Fixed an issue where a duplicate delivery window would appear when delivering a certain journal to Jocasta Cleo.
Improved respawn behavior of target NPC in contract “The Price of Rejection”.
Adjusted the position of a couple of objectives in contract “Looking for Leaders”.
Fixed an issue where some Maas Kharet ambushers in the O’odham would instantly appear at ground level rather than drop down from above.
Fixed an issue where the cuttable hatches on small shipwrecks could appear misaligned.
Fixed an issue where contract “Making a Martyr” would resolve when killing an unrelated and completely innocent Maas Kharet assassin.
Performed an optimization pass on the entrance of the Imperial Testing Station in O’odham.
Walking through a passage at the Hand of Khidr is now smoother, and players will no longer get caught on a ledge.
Extended a pipe inside CHOAM Mineral Facility #7 in Hagga Rift, so that it now connects to the rock wall.
Addressed some minor collision issues on assets in Atreides Fortress.
Addressed some minor collision issues on assets inside CHOAM Mineral Extraction Facility #5.
Fixed a visible gap in a wall in Imperial Testing Station No. 76 in Jabal Eifrit Al-Janub.
Fixed floating asset issues in several Hagga Basin locations.
Adjusted collision on building pieces and set dressing in Imperial Testing Stations in Hagga Basin.
Addressed collision issues on multiple locations in Hagga Basin.
Added a sand mound under a scaffolding structure where the player could get stuck in Eastern Vermillius Gap.
Addressed gaps in the landscape in multiple Hagga Basin locations.
Fixed small gaps in the ceiling of Imperial Testing Station no 163 in O’odham.
Removed wrong textured sand mounds under an NPC outpost in Eastern Shield Wall.
Fixed collision issues on Harkonnen Fortress where players could unexpectedly interact with invisible surfaces. Collision has been updated to better match the shape of the building, improving movement and preventing unintended blockages.
Replaced scrap metal with a more appropriate asset to improve visual consistency and prevent clipping with a nearby metal pipe. Also adjusted surrounding asset placement for better alignment and overall fit and added an additional metal piece to conceal minor clipping issues.
Adjusted color of sand mounds and sand decals on main building of Mysa Tarill.
Addressed misplaced assets in different locations around Hagga Basin.
Smoothed out steep landscape angles a bit in order to address textures looking stretched.
Fixed a clipping issue between secret bookshelf and walls in Imperial Testing Station no 29 and also did an optimization pass.
NPCs should no longer walk through and get stuck in cliff walls of their camp sites.
Adjusted textures of sand and rock surfaces across Hagga Basin.
Fixed a spot behind some mining machinery in Hagga Rift where players could get stuck.
Updated the mesh of an arch inside Mysa Tarill landmark to improve collision.
Removed abundant assets and collision on assets and did an optimization pass on the Wreck of Hephaestus.
The hatches on the side of the small crashed shipwrecks should now always be above sand and therefore cuttable.
Fixed several issues with the cuttable panels in the Wreck of Hephaestus.
Fixed an issue where players could lose the Ceremonial Damasteel Sword permit key item when dying.
Fixed an issue that caused Copper-tier Light Armor worn with a Stillsuit to not provide Heat Protection or allow catchpockets to gather water.
Fixed a rare issue where Thufir Hawat would fail to recognize Minimic Film deliveries from Zayn De Witte and hence block contract completion.
Fixed an issue that caused exchange terminals to not be available in some servers.
Story, Journey and New Player Experience:
Debug text should no longer be appearing in subtitles of certain Shigawire Reels.
Added correct 21:9 aspect ratio setup for cinematic scenes that did not yet have this.
Ariste should no longer look to the side, but at the player, in the Star Door dialogue in The Sietch.
Fixed issue where an incorrect camera would show during the assassination of the Water Shipper
Camera should no longer be twitching during Harkonnen Pledge cinematic.
Addressed issue where ‘Add a sandbike inventory Mk1 to your Sandbike’ substep of ‘A Backup Plan’ journey was not retroactively completable.
Addressed issue where certain decorations did not complete ‘Construct a Decoration from a CHOAM furniture Set’ journey step.
Addressed issue where Dew Reapers would not continuously harvest water between dewfield patches.
Addressed issue where fire visuals were missing from portion of New Player Experience.
Addressed edge case issue where player could inadvertently get stuck in New Player Experience environment.
Subtitles in the intro movie now match the style of the regular subtitles and respect the accessibility settings.
Fixed an issue where players could complete a Journey step without triggering a key cinematic at the Introduction of the Assassins Handbook.
Fixed an issue that could block player progression in The Assassination Journey.
User Interface:
The UI panels for the Journey menu no longer overlap the Social Button
Player name now fits correctly into the space limit in the Social Menu and if not, will auto-scroll.
While in the expanded Building UI with an active tutorial popup, pressing ESC now correctly closes the tutorial popup instead of collapsing the Building UI.
Fixed an issue when using virtual keyboard with controller which would submit the text even when just closing the virtual keyboard by any means.
Fixed a bug that could cause the Inventory tabs to get out of sync and overlap each other
Fixed an issue with several discovery toasts appearing more than once.
Fixed some layout issues with tab buttons with long texts.
Fixed an issue where the favourite icon on the inventory loadout item would remain on the item when dragged into the backpack.
Fixed an issue where activating the Spice Prescience ability caused certain UI elements (such as the Heat Bar, Sandworm Bar, and Party Info) to disappear.
Fixed an issue where the ‘Cancel Contract’ button would disappear after switching away from and back to the Contracts tab.
Fixed positioning issue with XP notifications.
Fixed a bug where the Solaris icon appeared broken after the trading complete popup.
Fixed an issue where respeccing your skill tree whilst in a vehicle would incorrectly clear the vehicles abilities and not auto equip your starting ability.
Fixed an issue where learning an ability in your skill tree whilst in a vehicle would not auto equip the ability to a valid empty slot.
Fixed issues where switching from the survey probe launcher while doing a survey would break the survey UI and not cancel the survey.
Fixed a bug where the HUD showed incorrect steps or progress for active “Untwisted Questions” advanced trainer contract.
Fixed an issue that caused an inaccurate controller prompt for scroll right button in building and welding menus.
Fixed an issue with the notification system that could potentially cause a crash when travelling to and from the Overland map.
Fixed an issue where the View button on gamepads and the TAB key on keyboards became unresponsive after a notification appeared.
Fixed an issue causing reset of keybinds to defaults not persisting.
Fixed an issue that caused the Mentor description box to get overlapped by dialogue options in character creation.
Fixed a bug where in streamer mode, the player name wasn’t hidden if the player was the reason of their own death.
Fixed an issue where certain Map Marker types would disappear after a Coriolis Storm on Hagga Basin and Social Hubs, causing the Survey Report to become incorrect, and important information to be lost.
Fixed an issue where the crafting progress bar could get desynced on the player’s UI.
Primary Source for Welding Torch in Tech Tree should now say “Imperial Testing Station”, which matches the icon to the right of the label.
Tooltip when hovering the Continue button in the Main Menu was fixed to show target server player will be teleported to instead of the Home server. Travel dialog when clicking the Continue button in the Main Menu was also fixed to show target server instead of the Home server.
Inaccurate controller prompt for scrolling right button has been fixed.
Fixed an issue where the scrollbars in the Contracts menu were not functioning correctly
Fixed issue where privacy policy could be automatically accepted due to skipping cinematic.
Trying to talk on party or guild chat without being in a party or a guild, now correctly appears as a generic error.
Fixed confirm button input not working correctly on the edit guild description and Sub-fief console edit name popups.
Fixed a bug causing friends pending acceptance to be shown on the “Add permissions” menu.
Inviting another player to join a guild through the Inspect menu now provides feedback if the the invite succeeded or failed.
Removed “Player joined guild” chat broadcast message for the player that created the guild.
Numerical input fields no longer move the caret to the end on every edit.
Fixed guild disband popup opening twice if triggered using the keyboard.
In the Keybind Settings, keys that are symbols are now represented as such instead of their name, i.e. ‘[‘ instead of ‘Left Bracket’.
Fixed an issue where certain map markers would disappear after a Coriolis Storm in Hagga Basin and the cities, making the Survey Report incorrect and lacking important information.
Fixed an issue where gamepad input was still processed even when the game window lost focus.
Improved behaviour where Landsraad victory and decree popups on the Landsraad UI screen would appear again after traveling or relogging.
Graphics, Animations, and VFX:
Fixed an issue causing weapon to flicker when aiming with and holstering a scoped rifle.
Fixed the dark gray and gray lipstick color position in the character creator and corrected their color.
Fixed character LOD issues in cinematics.
Fixed minor clipping issues on Choam Light Armor.
Fixed an issue where the landscape would render “blurry tiles”.
Fixed issue where personal map marker in Deep Desert was placed not under the cursor.
Fixed issue in Deep Desert where survey information was shown for wrong zone.
Fixed issues with NPC’s dissapearing on rotating camera in Arrakeen.
Fixed incorrect settings on several lights to address flickering and bloom issues
Added missing lighting for several dialog scenes.
Fixed Medium Chemical Refinery missing VFX when crafting.
Fixed colour of vehicle dust trails to fit better Red Desert.
Fixed rocket launcher vfx being misplaced for Buggies.
Improved muzzle flashes visuals to fit various viewpoints.
Update Cinematics campfire to use final assets for cutscenes.
Shooting the compactor to a campfire now will remove the light from said campfire.
Fixed vehicle explosions to scale properly.
Fixed Sardaukar Cape silk shading being disabled.
Replaced a doorframe in the shipwreck of the Second Trial of Aql.
Replaced placeholder radio show SFX in Arrakeen with actual radio show.
Fixed an animation issue causing weapon to briefly stick out through the player character’s chest if aiming during weapon unholstering or while mantling a ledge.
Fixed an issue causing the Sandbike Big Moment aspect ratio to flicker.
Fixed issues with T-posing and camera offsets that affected The Fourth Trial of Aql.
Fixed an issue where a frame was missing camera, making an unintended scene flash for a second.
Player pose and animation should now be consistent during the “Awaken Prescience” cutscene of the Fourth Trial of Aql.
Fixed an issue causing GPU crashes related to memory corruption from camera shake
Fixed an issue that made the Trial of Aql failed test VFX not always work.
The Water Shipper boss no longer stands in T-pose at the end of the assassination cinematic.
Polished visuals of a rope present in cave area of first tutorial.
Lighting exposure balance has been done for the Carthag cinematic.
Audio:
Removed unintended SFX on the black screen of the New Player Experience cinematic.
Fixed an issue that muted the death sound when falling into the large fan from Carthag.
Vikki Blake is a reporter for IGN, as well as a critic, columnist, and consultant with 15+ years experience working with some of the world's biggest gaming sites and publications. She's also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.
Gregg Mayles, the veteran Rare designer and director, will reportedly depart the studio following yesterday's sweeping cuts of Xbox staff and projects that included the long-in-development Everwild.
Mayles' departure, as reported by VGC, ends an influential career at Rare stretching back more than 35 years, to the studio's origins developing games like Battletoads for NES and through its N64 heyday, during which Mayles helped design characters such as Diddy Kong.
Perhaps best known as the director of N64 classic Banjo-Kazooie, Mayles more recently served as creative director on hit pirate game Sea of Thieves. Over the last four years, however, Mayles has been overseeing Everwild, Rare's long-gestating fantasy follow-up that will now no longer see the light of day.
Everwild's cancellation, now confirmed by Microsoft, comes six years after the game's initial public announcement, and after around a decade of work by Rare on the project overall. Louise O'Connor, who had been serving as the game's producer, will also reportedly leave Rare, after more than two decades.
IGN has contacted Microsoft for comment.
The last Everwild trailer, released in July 2020, carried the following description: "Everwild is a brand new IP from Rare. A unique and unforgettable experience await in a natural and magical world." Back in February this year, Xbox boss Phil Spencer said he had recently visited the studio to catch up on the game's progress. "It’s nice to see the team with Everwild and the progress that they’re making," Spencer said at the time.
"We have made the decision to stop development of Perfect Dark and Everwild as well as wind down several unannounced projects across our portfolio," Booty wrote.
"As part of this, we are closing one of our studios, The Initiative. These decisions, along with other changes across our teams, reflect a broader effort to adjust priorities and focus resources to set up our teams for greater success within a changing industry landscape.
"We did not make these choices lightly, as each project and team represent years of effort, imagination, and commitment."
Image credit: YouTube.
Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
Microsoft has insisted Xbox boss Phil Spencer isn’t retiring “anytime soon,” amid rumors over the executive’s future at the company following yesterday’s mass layoffs.
Elsewhere, Candy Crush maker King suffered significant layoffs, as did Bethesda’s European operations. An unannounced MMO from The Elder Scrolls Online developer, ZeniMax Online Studios, was canceled and its development team cut. Matt Firor, the veteran boss of ZOS, stepped down. Reports indicate Forza developer Turn 10 and various Call of Duty development studios suffered layoffs, too.
Amid the bloodbath, Call of Duty leaker @TheGhostOfHope claimed Spencer, who has come under fire for the layoffs that have plagued Microsoft’s gaming business ever since its $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard, was set to retire from his role as CEO after the launch of the next generation Xbox, with current Xbox president Sarah Bond set to take his place.
However, Microsoft issued a statement to press that suggests Spencer will remain in his role for some time to come. Speaking to The Verge, Kari Perez, head of Xbox communications, said: “Phil is not retiring anytime soon.”
It’s worth noting that the language used in Microsoft’s rebuttal is vague and does not directly address the claim. “Anytime soon,” is an undefined period of time. Does “soon” mean this year? Next year? 2027?
Speaking to IGN in June 2024, Xbox boss Phil Spencer said: "I have to run a sustainable business inside the company and grow, and that means sometimes I have to make hard decisions that frankly are not decisions I love, but decisions that somebody needs to go make."
Where does Microsoft go from here? All games shown during the June 2025 gaming showcase are reportedly safe for now, as are the studios making them. The company has announced a strong presence at gamescom in August, where it is expected to show off its upcoming slate.
Image credit: Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg via Getty Images.
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
If you're a fellow games and tech connoisseur who loves low prices, Amazon Prime Day 2025 is our Christmas in July. The sale officially takes place between July 8-14 (the longest PD we've seen Down Under). However, eagle-eyed deal hunters like me can already spot a flurry of early markdowns across gaming, tech, and more.
Welcome to my own personal living list of standout offers that’ll be updated daily as fresh bangers roll in. Whether you're padding your pile of shame or just looking to finally grab that wishlist item on the cheap, check back often because the best stuff moves quick!
This Day in Gaming 🎂
In retro news, I'm celebrating the 33rd birthday of the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. Truth be told, I was a Mega Drive kid, though I lived opposite a SNES guy, so I had the benefit of both worlds (until I caved and bought one inside of a year anyway). While I had the goods on him with some of "our" exclusives, I can recall being mighty envious of his Street Fighter II ports, Donkey Kong Countries, Super Star Warses, and the value of that jam-packed Super Mario All-Stars cartridge was immense. If you didn't grow up with one and feel out of the loop, here are the 100 best games ever made for the SNES, truly, one of gaming's greatest machines.
Let’s kick things off with Nintendo, where NieR:Automata End of YoRHa Edition is slashed to a cheeky A$21.90. Originally released as an afterthought port, this version is a surprisingly polished showcase of PlatinumGames’ artistry and existential dread. Then there’s Octopath Traveler II, a sequel that refines HD-2D visuals into a playable diorama and features a secret boss that ties both timelines together.
Over on Xbox Series X, Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree Edition makes a showing with its newer Nightreign packaging, now dipping to A$44. George R. R. Martin’s lore notes shaped this world, though the dev team famously kept his pages under lock and key. Meanwhile, Inscryption flips card games into psychological horror, penned by the same mind behind Pony Island.
PS5 fans can grab Judgment for under thirty bucks. This gritty Yakuza spin-off once featured a lead actor pulled from Japanese TV, only to be nearly scrubbed over agency disputes. Or grab Returnal, a bullet-hell roguelike that’s actually using your controller’s mic to simulate Selene’s breathing.
And on PC? Civilization VI is four bucks. That’s less than a servo sausage roll for an empire-builder that once got Gandhi nuking everyone due to a coding bug.
This review is based on the first four episodes of a 12-episode season that will stream on Crunchyroll starting July 6, 2025.
Appropriately timed for a zombie movie revival led by 28 Years Later, Nyaight of the Living Cat is a parody anime that is as adorable as it is fun to watch. Yes, this show is hilarious, and is clearly made by people who are fans of not just the zombie genre, but horror – with several references to classics like The Thing and Alien, but with cats.
That's the key to the premise: it is not about how long our protagonists Kunagi, Kaoru, Tsutsumi, Tanishi, and Gaku can simply avoid the creatures hunting them, but rather if they can resist the temptation to embrace doom and pet a cat again. That's because this particularly absurd apocalypse is brought upon by a plague transmitted by cats that turns everyone they come in contact with into more cats. As a zombie story, this is brilliantly inventive, as each character is heartbroken by the prospect of having to run away from the animal they love most. Likewise, Nyaight of the Living Cat uses knowledge of cats and cat lovers to create a new set of zombie rules for the show: using water to evade the infected animals, catnip to distract them, or even using an allergy as a way to detect nearby felines.
Like any good zombie story, Nyaight of the Living Cat has a good blend of thrills and emotions, with each of the first four episodes focusing on one character’s backstory, their relationship to cats, and how the furry apocalypse is impacting them. There's a healthy amount of emotion that makes it easy to feel for them before they face their fate. There is also a mystery element to the story, with some mythology choices that make this apocalypse more than just a funny gimmick. Particularly, the character of Kunagi and his amnesia makes for the start of a fascinating plotline – now we just have to see if it pays off.
Like any good zombie story, Nyaight of the Living Cat has a good blend of thrills and emotions.
Granted, this is by no means an actual horror show, so don't expect terrifying jump scares as much as the surprise sight of a delightful kitten (and about a dozen others behind it). In a way, Nyaight of the Living Cat does work as a traditional zombie show, with the ambient sense of danger, the survivors grouping up before being killed off one by one, the person who does something stupid and dies, inept militaries, and just about every other cliche you could name. Still, seeing all of those played out but with cats instead of rotting corpses is an effective novelty that doesn't lose steam – at least, it hasn’t in the first four (out of a total of 12) episodes I’ve seen so far.
There's a fantastic scene in the third episode straight out of Shin Godzilla, in which we see a boardroom meeting of military and political leaders trying to come up with a plan against the zombie plague, only to get derailed by gushing about how much they love cats and how perfect they are. There’s even a tough army dude describing them with such praise it sounds like Ash from Alien describing the xenomorph. There is nothing the people in power can do, not because there are more zombies than soldiers, but because no one would dare hurt a cat, rendering all weapons moot.
Legendary director Takashi Miike’s style can be felt throughout.
Legendary director Takashi Miike’s style can be felt throughout in how he employs campiness and cartoonish animation for the sake of accentuating the weirdness or the fantasy of the story. It works rather well in this show, with the close ups of the hordes of cats shot like they're both absolute monsters but also the greatest work of art, adding to the humor.
Unfortunately, the quality of the animation itself does leave something to be desired, with Apothecary Diaries studio OLM using bad computer animation for showing groups of cats that lessens the impact of their hordes, and the fact that the cats are sometimes hand-drawn when in smaller numbers makes the change between styles quite jarring and immersion-breaking.
Director James Gunn called upon a Guardian of the Galaxy to play Jor-El in his Superman movie.
Rocket Raccoon voice actor Bradley Cooper plays the biological father of Kal-El, Gunn revealed during the L.A. press junket for the film. Rumors of Cooper's casting first surfaced earlier this year.
“Really, Bradley’s just doing me a favor,” Gunn told Jake’s Takes (via ComicBook). “He’s a friend. We’ve stayed in close contact since the Guardians movies, and I admire him greatly as an actor and as a director.”
“I just said, ‘Hey, will you do me a favor? Come down, go to England, we’re going to shoot you in a 3D environment, make a hologram of you, and you can play Jor-El,’” Gunn said. “He was like, ‘Okay.’”
A holographic Jor-El makes sense as Gunn has previously said his Superman is not an origin film, and there’s past precedence for a holographic Jor-El in past Superman films.
Cooper voiced Rocket Raccoon in Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy as well as in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame.
Other past Gunn collaborators who pop up in Superman include those who voice the robots in the Fortress of Solitude. Pom Klementieff was Mantis in the MCU, Michael Rooker played Yondu in the Guardians trilogy and Gunn’s The Suicide Squad, Gunn’s wife Jennifer Holland stars in Peacemaker, and Alan Tudyk voiced various characters in Creature Commandos.
Gunn's brother Sean Gunn, who was also in the Guardians trilogy, is also in Superman as Maxwell Lord.
Look for IGN’s interview with Gunn and the cast of Superman closer to the film’s release.
eBay Marketplace has kicked off its own eBay 4th of July Sale with a limited time 20% off coupon code "JULYFINDS" that works on hundreds of products across tech, home, apparel, and more. eBay is one of the best places to score great deals on both new and used products and even outpaces the Amazon Memorial Day sale on tons of items. Just because you're leery of buying from a private seller doesn't mean you should shy away from this marketplace. Most of the major retailers that you've heard of - including Dyson, Bose, Roborock, and Ecoflow - as well as authorized resellers have their own seller accounts and offer discounts that you can't find elsewhere else.
Bose 4th of July Deals on eBay
The best Bose headphones and soundbars offer exceptional sound quality through a range of in-ear and over-ear headphones as well as best-in-class active noise cancellation. Paying extra attention to aesthetics, comfort, build, and audio, Bose is the go-to headphone brand if you want immersive sound that will block out external distractions. The official Bose eBay Store carries certified refurbished products with the same 1 year warranty as buying new as well as an additional 2 year AllState warranty that runs concurrently.
Roborock 4th of July Deals on eBay
Roborock is one of the largest robot vacuum brands in the world. Its products offer more features than Roomba at a more attractive price point. That doesn't mean they are lower quality. I've owned both Roborock and Roomba models and my current Roborock has lasted longer, performed better, and costs less to maintain than any of the Roombas I've owned in the past. The Roborock eBay Store carries certified refurbished units of their entire lineup of robot vacuums and mops, They carry a 6 month warranty, which is less than the 12-month warranty for new units. Fortunately, eBay is also offering its 2 year Allstate warranty that runs concurrently.
Dyson 4th of July Deals on eBay
Dyson is one of the most well known household brands around, and its name is synonymous with quality, but usually that quality comes at a premium price. Fortunately, Dyson has its very own Dyson eBay store with huge markdowns on their certified refurbished products. Dyson offers a 6 month warranty on refub vacuum cleaners and fans and a 12 month warranty on their refurb beauty products and eBay also includes a 2 year AllState warranty that runs concurrently.
Ecoflow 4th of July Deals on eBay
Ecoflow is one of the largest and most well-known manufacturers of portable power stations. Their products are solidly built with a lot of practical features at an affordable price point. Product support after the purchase is generally pretty good, and firmware and software updates are consistently rolled out. Ecoflow sells certified refurbished power stations through its official Ecoflow eBay store. It offers the same warranty on refurbs as brand new products, which is anywhere from 24 months to 60 months depending on the model you choose.
4th of July Gaming Monitor Deals on eBay
Take advantage of some big discounts on some of the best gaming monitors, from high-end monitors with OLED panels, up to 480Hz refresh rate, and 4K resolution to perfectly capable 1080p 144Hz gaming monitors that fall well within the tightest of budgets
4th of July Samsung The Frame TV Deals on eBay
Samsung's "The Frame" TV itself apart from all other TVs with its seamless aesthetics. It features an Art Mode that showcases your choice of fine art so that your TV looks more like a frame piece of artwork than a big blank TV screen. You can display art purchased from the Samsung Art Store or your own personal collection of NFTs, personal photos, and artwork collection. The built-in motion sensor allows the TV to display art only when someone is nearby. Several 2024 and 2025 models are on sale with the 20% off Memorial Day coupon. Buydig is an authorized Samsung reseller.
Eric Song is the IGN commerce manager in charge of finding the best gaming and tech deals every day. When Eric isn't hunting for deals for other people at work, he's hunting for deals for himself during his free time.
Changes include adjustments to 'thopter speed and those annoying antigravity bubbles, plus it's now easier to jump into a vehicle when you're panicking.
The original Backbone One controller launched in 2020 and ushered in a new era for mobile gaming controllers, providing a console-like experience from your phone. With the more recent release of the Backbone Pro, players now have a premium option to consider. Below, we'll break down the main differences between the Backbone One and Backbone Pro, including price, features, and more.
Specs and Features
Both the Backbone One and Backbone Pro share a similar form factor: two independent controller grips that bookend an expanding central area designed to fit most iPhone and Android devices. It's a design that resembles the Nintendo Switch a bit, and one that has become the standard for most mobile phone controllers these days.
While the layout of the offset thumbsticks and face buttons is the same across both devices, the Backbone Pro features larger, full-size Alps thumbsticks and customizable rear buttons that are great for competitive games or games with many inputs. The Pro also has upgraded triggers with Hall Effect sensors for increased responsiveness and durability.
The Backbone Pro's larger, more ergonomic grips are more comfortable for longer sessions, but make the device significantly bulkier than the Backbone One, which makes it a bit less portable. Part of what makes the Backbone One such a great device for casual play is its small size, easy to toss in a bag or store in your pocket until you're ready to go.
Both devices connect to mobile phones via the attached USB-C connector, which provides zero lag thanks to its direct connection. There is also a Lightning-enabled edition of the Backbone One designed for iPhone 14 and earlier that use the Apple Lightning connector.
The Backbone Pro added built-in Bluetooth connectivity that allows it to connect to more than just your phone. You can use the Backbone Pro as a standalone controller for a variety of devices including PCs, tablets, Meta Quest headsets, and even select smart TVs that support game streaming. This added functionality makes it a more compelling option if you play more than just mobile games.
Because of the native Bluetooth connection and its wireless capabilities, the Backbone Pro features a built-in rechargeable battery. While its 40 hours of battery life should be more than enough for a handful of mobile gaming sessions, you will have to remember to keep it charged, something that you don't have to worry about with the Backbone One controller.
Price Comparison
As expected, the standard Backbone One is the less expensive controller. It retails for $99, but can occasionally be found on sale during major events like Amazon Prime Day for as low as $69. This includes both the special PlayStation Edition and Xbox Edition models with unique colors and buttons to match the respective console.
The newer Backbone Pro is priced a bit higher than the base model at $169, but includes additional features, buttons, and redesigned ergonomics to support the premium price.
Which One Should You Buy?
These are two of the best phone controllers available, so you can't really go wrong with either one. The decision largely comes down with what kind of mobile games you play and where.
Because the Backbone One is aimed more at casual mobile game players, it's probably the best option for most people as it includes a simple plug-and-play solution that works with the vast majority of mobile games.
However, if you're into competitive mobile shooters or games that require quick reflexes, the Backbone Pro is maybe the better fit as its remappable back buttons, larger thumbsticks, and better grips are better suited for those kind of games.
If you play games across multiple devices and want to simplify your controller setup, then the Backbone Pro is the obvious choice. It can function as a phone controller as well as a Bluetooth controller that can connect to a variety of devices for gaming on the TV or computer.
Matthew Adler has written for IGN since 2019 covering all things gaming, tech, tabletop games, and more. You can follow him on the site formerly known as Twitter @MatthewAdler and watch him stream on Twitch.
While Amazon’s Prime Day sale officially begins July 8, some exclusive deals for Prime members are already live. One of the best discounts I've found so far knocks 50% off the Amazon Fire HD 10 tablet, making it only $69.99. That’s the lowest price yet for the latest model of the Fire HD 10, even beating out Black Friday savings.
The Amazon Fire HD 10 might not be as powerful and feature-rich as the latest iPads, but it’s a highly capable tablet for about one-fifth the cost of Apple’s offering. Whether you’re looking for something perfect for streaming and web browsing or reading and video learning, it’s ready to tackle all your lighter everyday tasks. Looking to get a jump start on back-to-school shopping? It’s the perfect budget-friendly option to get students connected.
The latest model of the Amazon Fire HD 10 came out in late 2023, offering some notable upgrades over its predecessor. Performance is boosted by about 25%, thanks to an octa-core processor and 3GB of RAM, making for a smoother experience loading and using apps. It still runs on Fire OS, which is a fork of Android that focuses on the Amazon ecosystem. While app selection may be more limited than the Google Play Store, all the basics are available. The 32GB of base storage is plenty of space for those apps, but if you’re looking to download lots of videos and books for offline use, a microSD slot allows for a simple storage boost.
With a 13-hour battery life and a surprisingly light yet durable build, the Fire HD 10 is an ideal tablet to take on the go. Content is easy to view on the sharp 10.1-inch Full HD display, and it even offers stylus support for note-taking and sketching. This tablet may not be a multitasking maven or gaming powerhouse like some of its Android and iPad brethren, but the Amazon Fire HD 10 is a great value for casual users, especially given it's only $69.99.
Additional Fire Tablet Deals
Want a different Amazon Fire Tablet? The Fire HD 10 isn’t the only Amazon tablet discounted ahead of Prime Day. The more compact Fire HD 8's price has been slashed by $45, while the larger and more powerful Fire Max 11 is almost 40% off. However, the Fire HD 10 is still the best deal we’ve seen from Amazon’s tablet lineup.
More Ways to Save on New Amazon Devices
Amazon offers a unique trade-in deal, which allows you to score an additional 20% off a range of Amazon devices, including the Fire HD 10. You don’t even need to trade in an Amazon product or even a tablet for that matter, as a range of items made by Apple, Microsoft, Google, Bose, Sony, Netgear, and more can qualify you to score additional savings. Find out more about Amazon’s trade-in deal here.
Should You Wait for Prime Day?
Chances are good that there won’t be a better deal on the Amazon Fire HD 10 than the one right now. Still, you can expect plenty of savings on a range of products during Amazon’s biggest sale of the year, which expanded to four days this year.
Amazon even revealed a sneak peek of Prime Day deals, and while it didn’t spill too many juicy details, we’ll likely see LEGO sets, TVs, kitchen appliances, Apple products, school supplies, and more discounted. If you’re looking to stock up on books, including some ebooks for your new Fire HD 10, Amazon already has surprisingly good early Prime Day book deals.
Danielle is a Tech freelance writer based in Los Angeles who spends her free time creating videos and geeking out over music history.
If you're on the hunt for the best Android phone, you're diving into a wide world of options that go well beyond just iPhone alternatives. You can find folding behemoths that blur the line between smartphone and tablet, like the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6, or find devices that go all-in on gaming performance and features with extra buttons and air-cooled components. The Android market is still where some of the most experimentation is being done, and there's no shortage of compelling phones – including the new Galaxy S25 lineup that's available to order. Quite a few of these phones can even prove fairly competitive on value, so you don't have to spend upwards of $1,000 just to get a great phone.
TL;DR – These Are the Best Android Phones:
I've personally been using Android phones since 2012, when I picked up what was both my first Android phone and first (and not my last) 3D phone. Since then, I've used and tested Android phones for years, going hands-on with the ultimate budget options, the first 5G phone (a Motorola model with an attachment that turned it into a 5G phone), gaming phones with wild gimmicks and some with tamer features, folding phones, flipping phones, and even twisting phones.
I've tested what Samsung and Google consider some of their best, and I've seen what some of the lesser-known alternatives have done to keep pace or surpass them. All this is to say: I've been around the block with Android phones, as have many of my colleagues here who have contributed their fair share of first-hand testing. So if you're looking for a great Android phone, we've got you covered.
What you'll find here are not just the best Android phones, but some of the best smartphones around. You can go with the best of the best, topping out features and quality, or find a budget score that goes above and beyond for a device at its price. And if nothing quite fits the bill, be sure to check back often. After all, the Android market moves fast, so you won't be left waiting a year to see what the next round of devices offers (unlike iPhone users).
OnePlus has long been a contender on the side of the mainstream Android market. It delivered interesting devices that did some of what the competitors did, but it often cut a few corners to deliver its products at a lower price. Occasionally, its would price creep up so it could bring even more to the table, but often it would fail to match the quality of its rivals. With the OnePlus 13, the company has found a winning formula.
The phone is elegantly designed, offering visual intrigue without ostentation. You can find a bold white design, a unique combination of silver frame and bold blue vegan leather, or a sultry black color scheme that sees wood grain etched into the back glass. OnePlus protects the inside of the phone from dust and water to a high degree, even blocking out hot water jets.
The display on the OnePlus 13 is top-notch. It’s a big, bright, and fast OLED display that looks gorgeous whether you’re gaming, watching movies, or just scrolling away on the internet. Whatever you’re doing on the phone, it’ll do it fast. The Snapdragon 8 Elite chip inside is a performance monster. It zips through basic operations, and is ripping fast in benchmarks, even giving the iPhone 16 Pro Max a thrashing in 3DMark. While the OnePlus 13 doesn’t quite keep up with gaming phones for sustained performance, it holds its own quite well for an everyday device. Plus, it’s 6,000mAh battery helps it go for the long haul.
OnePlus’s cameras are also making the grade. The OnePlus 13 may fall just a little behind the Pixel 9 Pro and Galaxy S25 Ultra where zoom is concerned, since it offers just a 3x optical zoom compared to the 5x of those other phones. But the look and feel of its photos is competitive, and even though it doesn’t capture fine detail at a distance well, it manages to provide something that still looks good.
OnePlus’s operating system is a clean, customizable version of Android that offers a good amount of flexibility without leaning into overload. It may not be as much of a Swiss Army Knife as Samsung’s flagships, but it’s also not as constrained as a Pixel. And while the OnePlus 13 may not get the seven years of OS updates Samsung and Google are promising, it will see four years of OS updates and six years of security patches, which should help stretch its lifespan out.
With so much on deck, the OnePlus 13 is really set up for success. But when you consider that you’re getting all of that for $899 (plus 256GB of base storage), the OnePlus 13 lands as a smash hit, providing excellence and value in equal measure.
2. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6
Best Foldable Android Phone
Large and in charge, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 we reviewed is a beast of a phone with dual natures. Folded up, it offers a tall but thin 6.2-inch display. Flipped open, it provides a 7.6-inch screen with a 4:3 aspect ratio, so you can go from smartphone to tablet in a flash. Both displays use AMOLED panels, so they look simply gorgeous with vibrant colors and deep contrast.
With the kind of productivity you can tackle on the Galaxy Z Fold 6, Samsung didn’t hold back on performance. This phone packs the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, offering a big step up in performance over its predecessor (as much as 22% in our testing). Whether you’re trying to multitask with a split-screen setup, run the phone like a desktop using DeX, or want to enjoy the latest games like Wuthering Waves or Zenless Zone Zero, the Z Fold 6 has the performance to keep up.
The Z Fold 6 is no slouch in the camera department either. It offers a 50MP main shooter, an ultra-wide sensor, and a zoom lens with a 5x optical magnification and the ability to go up to a 30x digital zoom. Like the S24 Ultra, the Galaxy Z Fold 6 can also tap into Samsung’s AI tools to edit photos. And if you grab an S Pen, you can get similarly fine editing capabilities on the Z Fold 6’s internal display.
The range of things you can do with the Z Fold 6 makes it a shoe-in for the best folding Android phone. Though don’t forget: Samsung also has a smaller option in the Z Flip 6 we also reviewed, which may make some trade-offs on camera and multitasking abilities for a cuter design and compact footprint.
Poco is no stranger to budget smartphones, and it’s always a surprise to see just how much the company manages to pack into its devices while keeping the price down. The Poco X5 5G I personally reviewed was a killer bargain when it launched in 2023 for about $220, and it’s still a surprisingly good value at the price.
The star of the show on the Poco X5 5G is undeniably its display. While other brands might have you settle for basic LCD displays on their budget phones, Poco fitted the X5 5G with a 6.67-inch AMOLED display offering a crisp 1080x2400 resolution and 120Hz refresh rate. What this means in practice is you get excellent contrast and color for all sorts of content and smooth visuals for games all on a reasonably big screen.
Inside, a Snapdragon 695G SoC beats away, driving the performance of the X5 5G. While the chip isn’t the fastest, falling behind even the Tensor G2 found in the Pixel 7a, it’s a worthy performer for a phone at this price. It could even run Genshin Impact at medium settings rather smoothly. Its large 5000mAh battery also helps it keep chugging along for hours on end. Even with the screen brightness maxed out, it was ready to stream Netflix for nearly 20 hours.
The Poco X5 5G also comes with a few features you don’t often see on phones in the US. On the top edge of the phone, there’s an IR blaster that lets the X5 5G fill in for a universal remote control. There’s also a 3.5mm headphone jack!
Naturally, there are some downsides to budget devices. The Poco X5 5G is unlikely to get long-term software support. It launched with Android 12 and has since been updated to Android 14, but there's no saying how many years it'll continue to get updates. The phone also has lackluster cameras. But if you just need a device that’s got a good screen and sufficient performance for you to enjoy content, navigate the web, and keep in touch with friends and family, the Poco X5 5G delivers.
4. RedMagic 10 Pro
Best Gaming Android Phone
There are plenty of phones that are better rounded, but in my review, I found that the RedMagic 10 Pro really sets itself apart for superb gaming performance. For one thing, this phone has the new Snapdragon 8 Elite chip inside it, and the thing is a beast. Then there’s the fact that RedMagic is actively cooling that chip to give it better sustain than you’ll see elsewhere. Almost every phone (except a select few gaming phones like this) rely on passive cooling, and sometimes that just can’t remove heat fast enough. By contrast, the RedMagic 10 Pro’s cooling is on another level. Over long gaming sessions, this means more stable frame rates even at max settings. You can pretty much ignore those warnings mobile games give you that the settings are too high.
The RedMagic 10 Pro also provides a great piece of hardware to game on. Its 6.85-inch display is large and looks great. It uses a bright AMOLED panel that’s sharp and fast at 144Hz, and the selfie camera is completely hidden away underneath the screen, allowing for an uninterrupted view of your games. The phone includes two capacitive shoulder buttons as well, letting you gain more control over your games by setting them up to handle in-game actions. In an FPS, that means moving, aiming, and shooting all at the same time, which can be a huge advantage. Plus the touchscreen has an enhanced polling rate, so it’ll register inputs promptly.
The RedMagic 10 Pro doesn’t have as dazzling cameras as some of its competitors here, and it doesn’t get as many promised software updates as Samsung, Google, or even OnePlus for that matter. But it’s bringing a truly powerful package at an impressive price, starting at just $649. With the amount you’ll save on the phone, you can invest in a quality mobile phone controller and give even the Steam Deck a run for its money.
5. Google Pixel 8
Best Mid-Range Android Phone
We know the Pixel 8 isn’t the latest of the bunch; I even reviewed the Pixel 9 myself. But here’s the thing: It’s still a great phone, and the fact that it’s a year older means it’s easy to snag at a much lower price than it started with. There’s little reason to consider the Pixel 8a, for instance, when you can jump up to the real McCoy for just $100 more.
Google brought some great upgrades with the Pixel 8, including the new Tensor G3 SoC, which ran faster and (critically) cooler than its predecessor. Google also shrunk down the phone slightly, making it a bit more friendly for folks who appreciate a more pocketable device for easy one-handed use. It’s a great little phone.
The 6.2-inch display means business. Small though it may be, it offers a smooth 120Hz refresh rate and boasts a 2,000-nit peak brightness. Games, movies, and just about anything else look great on the display, and it’s matched by a decent set of stereo speakers.
Perhaps the key thing making the Pixel 8 an exceptional value is that it comes with seven years of updates to the operating system, security patches, and features. It may not get every new feature that Google launches in the future, but it will at least not be left with the security vulnerabilities that can plague outdated devices.
A key highlight of the Pixel 8 is its camera system. It offers an excellent main sensor that can tackle dark environments and make the most of quality lighting by providing sharp, richly colored photos. The ultra-wide isn’t quite as impressive, but had a very wide field-of-view, letting you capture a lot in one shot. Getting any great cameras on a phone for $500 is a pretty good deal, so getting one backed by a modest ultrawide doesn’t hurt.
What About the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge?
Samsung may have recently introduced one of the thinnest phones we’ve seen in a while, but that doesn’t make it a shoe-in for this list. I just finished testing the Galaxy S25 Edge, so keep an eye out for that review. The long and short of it is that the S25 Edge simply had to make too many sacrifices to pretty important things in order to get so thin and it still costs more than many flagship phones.
The S25 Edge only gets two rear cameras, it has a smaller battery than many rivals, and it runs into thermal throttling quickly when faced with a proper load. That’s a rough spot to be in when many devices around the $1,000 point come with three great cameras, have big batteries, and offer some form of cooling that can keep up with their powerful internals better. The OnePlus 13 is a solid example of this, and it costs $200 less than the S25 Edge. If that couple of millimeters Samsung managed to shave off the S25 Edge were a bit more tangible in everyday use, maybe it would feel like a more worthwhile thing to chase.
What We’re Looking Forward to:
Lovers of folding phones have got something to get excited about. Samsung’s next Galaxy Unpacked event is set for July 9 and should come with the announcement of its newest foldables. We’re expecting the Galaxy Z Flip 7 and Galaxy Z Fold 7 to make their debut at the event (and you can already reserve one).
Samsung has already teased a bit of what we can expect from the new phones. As PCMag has reported, Samsung made a few statements in early teases, including: “Meet the Next Chapter of Ultra,” “The newest Galaxy Z series is the thinnest, lightest and most advanced foldable yet,” and “Your Smartphone Camera Now Gets What You’re Looking At — and Responds.” This makes it pretty clear Samsung is pushing for thinner phones in this lineup, likely pushed by the progress of Chinese foldables. The note about the camera sounds a lot like Google’s Gemini Live, though Samsung may be offering its own takes on multi-modal AI. The mention of “Ultra” is a little less clear on what it could be, but a camera experience that lines up more with the Galaxy S25 Ultra would certainly be a welcome change to the Z Fold line.
What to Look for in an Android Phone
Making the final decision on a phone purchase is not easy, so we've helped narrow down what to look for.
Storage space on phones is crucial. If filming videos, playing games, or downloading loads of music is important, only a few (and increasingly fewer) phones come with a Micro SD slot to expand storage. That means you'll have to spend more to get more, and that's if a phone offers it. Some of our picks have up to 1TB of storage, which should suit most people. Of course, you can always store files to different cloud services, opening more space on your phone.
RAM is crucial to a phone’s operating system. Having more RAM means you can run more applications at the same time. For standard operation, 4GB RAM is enough, but additional RAM is necessary for heavy gaming and app use. All of our picks have at least 6GB of RAM, so you can get to gaming and scrolling with little worry.
Finally, the phone’s processor is essential for your device to run smoothly. The number of cores and clock speed generally determine how quickly a phone can run processes and functions. Snapdragon processors are often used in Android phones. All of our picks use them except for the Google Pixel devices, which use Google’s Tensor chips. Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 and Tensor G4 are currently the best processors out there.
Best Android Phones FAQ
What is the difference between an Android phone and a smartphone?
Android phones are just a type of smartphone. Ever since the iPhone started the 'smartphone' trend back in 2007, Google has been competing with its own smartphone OS, Android. An Android phone is just a smartphone that's running Google's Android operating system, and with a few exceptions, anything that's running Android is also a smartphone.
Mark Knapp is a contributing freelancer for IGN covering everything electronics and gaming hardware. He has over 10 years of experience in the tech industry with bylines at PCMag, Reviewed, CNET, and more. Find Mark on BlueSky at @Techn0Mark.
Smartphones aren’t exactly the most exciting gadgets to splash out on. Glass rectangles that most people use to message their friends, watch YouTube videos, scroll social media, and snap photos – they might be essential for day-to-day living, but cost a pretty penny if you want the latest and greatest. That’s why we’ve picked out the best smartphones to buy by seriously weighing the value against price.
TL;DR – These Are the Best Smartphones:
Of course, what everyone finds valuable is different. Some people will want excellent photo quality from their phone. Others will want to get extreme performance for gaming on the go. If you watch a lot of TV and movies on your phone, it’s natural to look for a phone with a stunning display. Fortunately, we’ve tested phones that cover all the bases.
Here, you’ll find phones that let you do a bit of everything, from the best Android phones and iPhone alternatives to the latest and greatest from Apple. Some may prioritize certain aspects over others, but you won’t find a phone that’s practical garbage or one that makes too many sacrifices just to hit a low price. You also won’t be looking at just the newest phones. Every now and then, the advantage an older model has from price reductions makes it all the more valuable, helping it to undercut newer alternatives. So, keeping in mind what you want out of a phone, have a look at the best options across the market.
Samsung makes some of the best smartphones, and while I can’t deny that the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra is a great phone, it’s also just a little too boring this year to stand out, especially when it sells at such a premium price. Between that and OnePlus truly hitting its stride this year, the OnePlus 13 lands a huge victory in 2025. It delivers on design, performance, and value for a trifecta that helps it stand above the crowd.
On the face of the OnePlus 13, you’ll find a display that’s ready to rival the best around. The 6.82-inch OLED display offers everything you’d expect from a high-end phone: a sharp resolution, a fast and variable refresh rate, and a staggering peak brightness, which OnePlus claims hits 4,500 nits. While I couldn’t verify the exact degree of brightness, I can confirm it’s a gorgeous and dazzling display that doesn’t struggle with visibility.
Inside, the OnePlus 13 makes the most of the Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset. This comes with a powerful CPU and GPU combo that rivals the best iPhones and runs circles around them in 3DMarks’ graphics benchmarks. Whether it’s everyday performance or gaming brawn, the OnePlus 13 has it in heaps. Plus, the phone comes with 256GB of storage as a baseline, providing plenty of room for games and apps, and the 6,000mAh battery helps the phone run longer.
Circle around back, and you’ll find a triple-camera array. Each sensor offers a 50MP resolution for clear details. The sensors work together wonderfully, offering great colors, tons of flexibility, and even powerful video capture. The OnePlus 13 may not be quite as adept at zooming in, since it relies on a 3x telephoto sensor instead of the 5x you’d find in the iPhone 16 Pro, Pixel 9 Pro, or Galaxy S25 Ultra. But in just about every other aspect of photography, the OnePlus 13 is competitive with these other flagship phones.
All of this quality is packed into a phone that looks and feels great. OnePlus offers a few different styles, going beyond just changing colors and actually swapping out materials and textures. The exterior protects the guts of the phone with robust ingress protection that can keep out water when submerged or hit with pressurized jets.
Getting all of this in a phone is what you should expect from the best phone any given year. But OnePlus 13 really pulls a fast one by delivering it all for $899. The Pixel 9 Pro XL is the next closet phone that can compete reasonably, and that still costs $1,099 and has just half the storage. The iPhone 16 Pro Max and Galaxy S25 Ultra cost even more. It’s this lower price that really juices the value of the OnePlus 13 to push it to the top.
2. Google Pixel 9 Pro
Best Camera Phone
The Google Pixel 9 Pro is a brilliant phone when it comes to photography. It offers a triple-camera system on the rear that provides a ton of flexibility, and each sensor in the stack snaps quality photos, whether you want to punch in on a distant subject or zoom way out to capture a landscape. Even the selfie camera snaps vibrant, sharp photos.
The phone itself is no less pretty than the photos it takes. Google has refined the design of its Pixel line again, and the Pixel 9 Pro benefits greatly. It’s still somewhat tame with aluminum and glass, not opting for the titanium of Apple’s and Samsung’s flagships. But it comes together elegantly.
Thin bezels wrap around a modest 6.3" display, which is a bit of a star. It’s reasonably sized without making the Pixel 9 Pro an unwieldy behemoth like the iPhone 16 Pro Max or Galaxy S24 Ultra, though you can go that route by upgrading to the Pixel 9 Pro XL. The display is also excellent, with a super-bright OLED panel, smooth refresh rate, and poppy color.
The Pixel 9 Pro may not be the fastest phone on the market, as its Tensor G4 chip lags well behind the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 and Apple’s A18 Pro, but it’s plenty peppy for everyday use and works quickly with AI applications. And it still runs games reasonably well too. Google is also backing the phone up with longer-term software support than you’ll find on a lot of Android devices.
3. Apple iPhone 16 Pro
Best iPhone
Apple’s iPhone 16 Pro is a well-rounded powerhouse starting off at $999. It has a staggering amount of overlap with the Google Pixel 9 Pro, right down to its display size, camera count, price, and weight. While I found the cameras more reliable on the Pixel 9 Pro, I won’t discount the excellent quality the iPhone 16 Pro is capable of with some tweaks (particularly for the ultra-wide and selfie sensors).
This year, the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max get the same camera systems, so you can really think of them as the same phone at two different sizes. That’s good news if you’ve got smaller hands and want all the best capabilities but in a smaller phone, as I found the Pro Max hard to manage with one hand despite being a large person. Despite its smaller dimensions, the iPhone 16 Pro still gets a 6.3" display thanks to extra slim bezels. The Pro Max bumps that up to a beefy 6.9" display.
Performance is excellent on the iPhone 16 Pro. Its new A18 Pro chip easily keeps up with everyday operation and can smoothly run demanding games like Wuthering Waves without breaking a sweat. And with a 120Hz OLED display, gaming performance can come in handy.
It would be nice to see more storage in the base model, as 128GB is a little slim when it comes time to load up games and take advantage of the high-resolution photos and videos that iPhone 16 Pro can capture. On the bright side, the iPhone 16 Pro uses a USB 3.0 Type-C port that can help you back up your files more quickly to your computer in order to free up space.
4. Google Pixel 8
Best Mid-Range Smartphone
The Pixel 8 might not be the best of the best or a new model in 2025, but it’s still got a lot to offer. The Tensor G3 chip inside improved on the G2 not only with increased performance but, critically, with better thermals. Since heat is the enemy of most phone components, being able to avoid it will help the longevity of the device.
The other big get for the Pixel 8 is that Google promised seven years of OS, security, and feature updates when it launched. That means it still has a long life ahead of it. Thanks to its age, the price of the phone has dropped considerably though. So you can snag the Pixel 8 for a mid-range price of $500. While many people may think the Pixel 8a is the smart mid-range option, the full-fat Pixel 8 at just $100 more is a smart pick thanks to the superior design, which includes Gorilla Glass Victus on the front and back, improved water resistance, and better cameras.
On the note of cameras, the Pixel 8 boasts an excellent 50MP main camera that snaps great shots in light or dark settings. The ultra-wide sensor is solid in daylight, but struggles in the dark. And the selfie camera is nice and sharp with a wide field of view. The Pixel 8 may not offer the best cameras out here, but it’s great for the price.
5. Poco X5 5G
Best Budget Smartphone
If your budget is tight, you can still get a surprisingly good phone with the Poco X5 5G. While it launched in 2023, it’s still offering a lot for just $220. It’s even received updates to Android 14 since its launch. That kind of support isn't always a given on a budget device. That said, there’s no saying how many more updates it might get going forward.
The Poco X5 5G immediately sets itself apart from other budget phones with its display. You’ll get a large, 6.67" display on the front, and it’s not really compromising on quality. That screen offers a sharp 1080x2400 resolution good for 395ppi. Better still, it’s an AMOLED panel running at 120Hz, making for smooth and punchy visuals. It may not be as bright an AMOLED panel as some flagship phones out there, but it’s great for the money.
The Poco X5 5G also runs a competent SoC in the Snapdragon 695 5G. It’s not winning any speed awards, but when I tested the phone, it kept up with everyday operation and even some gaming in Call of Duty Mobile. It also had enough memory to tackle some multitasking. With insufficient memory being one of the quick ways to end up with a device that doesn’t stand the test of time, it’s good to see Poco opted for a 6GB base.
Unfortunately, some corners had to be cut, and the cameras on the Poco X5 5G are simply not the best. The main sensor does OK in bright conditions, but the ultra-wide is seriously lacking. At least the selfie camera is half decent.
6. RedMagic 10 Pro
Best Gaming Smartphone
While most of the phones on this list have respectable gaming performance, the RedMagic 10 Pro goes above and beyond as I found in my review. It not only made the jump to the Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, which provided a considerable performance boost, but it also makes the most of that chip with its cooling performance. Since the RedMagic 10 Pro has an active cooling fan, effectively pulling air through a duct across that Snapdragon chip, it can let the processor run at extreme speeds for longer without running into as much thermal throttling as the competitors.
In my benchmarking, the RedMagic 10 Pro had some of the absolute fastest results of any phone I’ve tested, especially where gaming is concerned. And even if it was occasionally beaten in a single benchmark run, the RedMagic 10 Pro’s ability to sustain its performance ultimately makes it better suited to gaming. Factor in the stunning 7,050mAh battery, and this phone is geared up for gaming like very few others.
The 6.85-inch display on the RedMagic 10 Pro is also brilliant. It’s large, high-resolution, fast at 144Hz, and completely uninterrupted from corner to corner. That is to say, there’s no visible selfie camera cut out to interfere with your view of your games. The selfie camera is cleverly hidden underneath the display, and while that does reduce its quality, everything is secondary to gaming on this phone.
As a proper gaming phone, the RedMagic 10 Pro also has some enhancements for the experience. It features boosted touch responsiveness on the display so inputs are detected faster. It includes two remappable, capacitive shoulder buttons that are incredibly convenient to have while gaming, so you can move and aim with your thumbs and handle skills with your index fingers. For select games, the phone also supports upscaling and frame interpolation, effectively letting your game look sharper and smoother even if the game itself doesn’t natively run at higher resolutions and frame rates.
All of this comes packed into rather respectable hardware. The phone’s build and design are sturdy and elegant, not too gaudy for a gaming phone. You get quality stereo speakers and even a headphone jack. And RedMagic packs in a case with the phone. You don’t get the best cameras in the world, and network support won’t be a match for mainstream phones like the iPhone and Samsung’s Galaxy S lineup, but if gaming is your focus, RedMagic stands apart. It’s all the more mind-blowing that the RedMagic 10 Pro costs just $649.
7. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6
Best Foldable Phone
If you want the best foldable smartphone on the market – and one that unfolds into something resembling a tablet – the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 is probably your best bet. When the phone is folded up, you get an admittedly narrow 968x2376 AMOLED display, but open it up, and you get a gigantic 7.6" 2160x1856 AMOLED display. These are both absolutely gorgeous, with bright colors and deep blacks, thanks to the OLED panels.
Luckily, it's also powered by the extremely capable Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor, which is easily able to keep up with any mobile game, including heavyweights like Zenless Zone Zero and Wuthering Waves. And while it may not be the fastest smartphone with the Snapdaragon 8 Gen 3, it's definitely faster than the previous model, by as much as 22% in my testing.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 also a fantastic camera, snapping incredibly detailed photos, even from far away, thanks to its 30x digital zoom and 50MP main sensor. The front-facing selfie cameras aren't quite as good, but you should still be able to get some snazzy selfies out of it.
The only thing that really holds the Galaxy Z Fold 6 back from greatness is weird aspect ratios. Thanks to its unique form factor, the Z Fold 6 has a 4:3 display when unfolded, which can make content look a little weird. For instance, if you're playing a game, it'll either crop the output down to the right aspect ratio, or will have massive blank spaces, like watching a widescreen movie on an old CRT TV.
What About the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge?
My review of the S25 Edge is on its way, but I can already tell you that the S25 Edge won’t be joining the ranks of the best phones on the market. While it is a surprisingly thin phone, I wouldn’t go so far as to call it impressively thin. Phones have been this thin in the past, and I think there’s a reason they’ve gotten thicker over the years. The S25 Edge makes sacrifices to get that thin. It has a smaller battery than comparable phones. It may offer the speedy Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset powering other great phones, but it quickly runs into thermal throttling when trying to take full advantage of that chip. And the S25 Edge only gets two rear-facing cameras when it’s priced like a phone that should have three or four quality cameras to offer. All of those trade-offs to shave a couple millimeters from the device just don’t work out in this phone’s favor.
What We’re Looking Forward to:
We’re just a few days away from finding out more about Samsung’s latest foldable smartphones. Samsung has scheduled its next Galaxy Unpacked event for July 9, and it is expected to show off the next generation of the Galaxy Z Fold and Galaxy Z Flip smartphones: the Z Fold 7 and Z Flip 7, for those who are counting. Per PCMag’s reporting, Samsung has teased the event with the statements: “Meet the Next Chapter of Ultra,” “The newest Galaxy Z series is the thinnest, lightest and most advanced foldable yet,” and “Your Smartphone Camera Now Gets What You’re Looking At — and Responds,” giving some hints at the kind of improvements we can expect to see from the new phones.
Even though the Z Fold series has sat at the top of Samsung’s stack in terms of price, it has still lagged behind devices like the Galaxy S25 Ultra where durability and cameras were concerned. Perhaps this new generation will help level out the capabilities a bit more. The new phones should be thinner and more durable, with Samsung leaving little doubt about that. Trimming some of the thickness of the foldable should make them even more pocket friendly, as prior models could be a bit thick when folded up. Samsung has already shown it knows how to trim a phone down, as it showcased with the Galaxy S25 Edge. Finally, we can expect even more AI integration, with Samsung seeming to just hype an AI camera feature that just sounds like Google’s Gemini Live.
How We Picked the Best Smartphones
The mobile phone industry relies on upselling. It tells consumers time and again their phone needs replacing with the flashiest new release, or that their standard model pales in comparison to the Pro, Max, or whatever other upgraded version has just hit shelves. To an extent, this is true. Those pricier versions always bring a clutch of useful new features. But for many people, those features will go unused.
I picked out the smartphones at a variety of budgets that offer the best value for money. Unless you’re a wannabe influencer, hobbyist photographer, or enthusiastic gamer, you probably don’t need all the snazziest features that are being sold your way, and can find a more suitable pick from the selection here. Additionally, I also opted for phones that are durable and hard-wearing, and guaranteed to receive ongoing software support from their manufacturers, extending their lifespan. You can also learn more about how we test phones here.
Best Smartphones FAQ
Is Samsung better than Apple for smartphones?
Not necessarily. Both Samsung and Apple have earned a reputation for producing high-quality, feature-rich premium phones that leave more than a dent in your wallet. Both the and Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra are fast, sleek, sport excellent cameras that are capable of capturing crisp images in both high and low light, and are guaranteed software updates for years to come. More important is how familiar you are with their different operating systems: Android versus iOS.
Are iPhones better than Android phones?
For all the effort that Apple has put into cultivating a popular perception of itself as an unrivaled premium brand, modern iPhones are strikingly similar to premium Android alternatives. Any obvious lead that Apple once possessed has now all but diminished. Android and iOS operate similarly, are designed to fulfill almost identical functions, and are updated to new versions yearly. More important than which one you should pick is which you’re currently familiar with. iPhones sync with other Apple products more easily, while Android phones pair better with Windows devices.
Which Android phone is the best value for money?
The Google Pixel 8 is a superb phone for its price. It may be a little older, but it has potent performance, an elegant design, and gets one thing that most budget-friendly devices don't: long-term software support. At $500, it'll be really hard to do better. And going lower than this, you'll end up giving up a lot.
Mark Knapp is a contributing freelancer for IGN covering everything electronics and gaming hardware. He has over 10 years of experience in the tech industry with bylines at PCMag, Reviewed, CNET, and more. Find Mark on BlueSky at @Techn0Mark.
Choosing a tablet is tough, we know. Apple’s side alone has a variety of options, and it’s not always clear what’s so different between them. Unless you’re versed in all the jargon, the difference between a "Liquid Retina display" and a "Ultra Retina Tandem OLED with Pro Motion" isn't immediately obvious. There are also major differences under the hood, with Apple currently offering devices featuring an older A16 chip at the low end and an exceedingly fast M4 chip at the high end.
The Android tablet market only widens the field that much more. Where Apple tends to trim off the older tablets in its stable, the Android tablet market will still readily show you devices you shouldn’t have bought when they were new, let alone years later. And just like Apple’s devices, there’s a considerable range of hardware options that go from severely underpowered to total overkill — at which point a Windows tablet could make more sense. What makes Android tablet shopping even more complicated is the software support. Apple keeps its tablets running on the latest operating systems for a long time, but how long any given Android tablet will stay up to date is a much harder question to answer.
After looking at the market, considering the iPad and Android tablets we’ve tested, and weighing what actually makes sense when purchasing a tablet, we’ve narrowed down a handful of the best options that strike the right balance.
Apple has made finding the ideal iPad for most people quite easy over the years with its base-tier iPad generally being quite affordable while offering excellent performance and build quality. Even against competition from the Android side of the market, which has generally struggled with decent low-cost tablets, the base iPad stands out. And with the most recent 11th generation, Apple keeps the simplicity of choice going.
This new model is a very minor iteration on the 10th Gen iPad we had recommended previously. It makes very simple changes, like the shift from a 10.9-inch display to an 11-inch one, though the resolution remains unchanged. The display also continues to be a 60Hz one with a 500-nit peak brightness. Fortunately, none of this makes it a bad display. It even supports the Apple Pencil, albeit the same first-generation Apple pencil that the earlier model supported.
The internal upgrades are better. For one, the 11th Gen iPad finally does away with 64GB of base storage. It now starts with 128GB, providing a huge boost to the space you’ll have for apps, games, media, and digital creations. The chip inside also gets a bump from the dated A14 Bionic to the more recent A16 (though Apple is currently on the A18).
In all, the 11th Gen iPad brings a bigger screen, more storage, and a more recent CPU all packed into a tablet that hasn’t changed its physical footprint. Better still, it hasn’t changed price either. This updated model comes at the same $349 price of its predecessor and is still available in the same fun colors. I’ve even seen it going for $299 on sale already.
I’m not convinced there’s any Android tablet worth spending $1,000 on – sorry, Samsung, but at that price you can get a competent 2-in-1 Windows machine that will have clearer longevity (like the Asus ProArt PZ13). And many of the cheaper options out raise a lot of concerns. But the OnePlus Pad 2 is neither a shoddy budget Android tablet nor an unreasonably expensive one, and it brings a ton to the tablet. It pulls on its flagship-killer roots to provide a tablet that won’t leave you wanting for much more.
First, it comes packing a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, which was the flagship chipset from Qualcomm for mobile devices until very recently and has yet to be supplanted in tablets. This gives the OnePlus Pad 2 excellent performance. 12GB of memory also helps it better keep up with the multitasking you’re liable to get up to on a tablet, which has a bigger screen better up to the task.
Speaking of screens, the OnePlus Pad 2 packs in a sizable 12.1" display with a 2120x3000 resolution. It may only be an IPS panel, but it offers a 900 nit peak brightness and 144Hz refresh rate. That makes for easier visibility and smoother motion across the board. That 144Hz refresh rate can also help in the inking experience, as the OnePlus Pad 2 works with a stylus (that also charges while magnetically attached to the tablet – take a note, Apple).
The OnePlus Pad 2 even gets decent treatment where software is concerned. OnePlus launched on Android 14 and promised three years of OS and four years of security updates. In a market of tablets launching on outdated operating systems with next to no promise of updates, it’s refreshing to see an option that’s not destined to be outdated right out of the gate.
While the OnePlus Pad 2 launched at $550 and still proved a good value at the price, it has more often been running for $450 from OnePlus lately, and can include a free accessory, like the keyboard case.
3. iPad Pro (M4, 2024)
Best Tablet for Creative Work
When I first opened the iPad Pro, I wasn't sure what to make of it. Apple was branding it as a permanent workstation replacement, but it still wasn't running Finder or the desktop applications I would want in that kind of device. However, after a month of using the iPad Pro, it's become one of my go-to daily devices. The Tandem OLED display alone is enough to get most people hooked, even if the price tag makes you wince a bit.
The iPad Pro with an M4 is quite simply the most powerful tablet on the market right now. The M4 that powers the thing is packed with an 8-core CPU clocked at 3.49GHz, which is accompanied by a 10-core GPU that will make easy work of any game you throw at it. Just keep in mind, however, that the amount of RAM you get depends on the storage configuration you go with. As long as you get a 1TB model, you're getting a respectable 16GB of RAM, but the 512GB and 256GB models will have to make do with half the memory. If you're not planning to use the iPad Pro for heavy creative workloads, this is going to be a non-issue. After all, iPadOS isn't exactly known for being super memory-intensive. If you're doing a lot of work in Photoshop or Premiere, you're going to feel it, though.
Artists will also want to pair this tablet with the Apple Pencil Pro, or one of the myriad Apple Pencil alternatives out there. With a stylus in hand, the iPad Pro becomes an incredible creative powerhouse, even with the limits that come with working with what's essentially a souped-up version of iOS.
4. iPad Air (2024)
Best Thin and Light Tablet
Apple put together a wonderful little package with the 2024 iPad Air. It upgraded from its predecessors with a thinner design, a selfie camera upgrade, and a newer chip under the hood. You can snag the iPad Air with either an 11" or 13" display, and beyond a corresponding adjustment to resolution, most of the specs of the two tablets otherwise remain the same. Either option gets you an Apple M2 chip backed by 8GB of memory. In our testing, we found this provided ample performance for everyday uses, like streaming movies and browsing, and it even held up for extended gaming sessions in Zenless Zone Zero. The thin design of the tablet can result in some heat build-up though, so be mindful of that if you’re looking to do serious gaming.
The new design of the iPad Air trims its depth down to just 6.1mm, which is even thinner than an iPhone 16. Between that and the tablet weighing just a hair over 1lb, it’s exceptionally portable, which you should want from your tablet. It’s also boasting a quality build with an aluminum frame and back – not that I’d expect any less from Apple.
The display on the iPad Air isn’t as bright as some of its competition, hitting 500 nits, but it offers a wide color gamut that looks great for TV and movies. It also works well with the Apple Pencil Pro, providing smooth inking for drawing and note taking. And, for those looking to incorporate the tablet into a broader device ecosystem, you’ll get the benefit of a USB-C 3.1 Gen 2 port on the bottom of the tablet, supporting faster data transfers and DisplayPort output.
Apple may have moved onto better things, but the 9th Gen iPad is still floating about in the market. Its A13 Bionic processor isn’t the hot new thing and its 64GB of storage may be limiting for some. It also has an older style that’s not liable to excite techies who chase the latest devices. But it’s still a serviceable little machine that can run the latest version of iPadOS.
If your needs from the tablet are light, it might fit the bill. It should still be more than up to the task of browsing the web, reading comic books, watching videos, and having FaceTime calls with friends and family where people’s heads aren’t the size of your fingertip. But here’s the catch: Apple is driving a really strong bargain on the 11th Gen iPad, which comes with a bunch of upgrades and costs just $349. This model exists in a gray area for the units still available on the market, and there’s no firm price to work with. If you see this 9th Gen iPad going for $250 — which it occasionally does — then consider it a worthy budget alternative. But if it’s anywhere over $300, go for the 11th Gen iPad instead.
What About the OnePlus Pad 3?
The OnePlus Pad 3 is one hell of a machine, but it may be flying a little too close to the sun to earn a solid recommendation. The sun in this case being full-fat PCs. To get just the OnePlus Pad 3 on its own, you’ll be looking at a $699 price tag — already in laptop price territory. On top of that, OnePlus has its keyboard cover going for $199 and stylus going for $99. You’re looking at $1,000 to get the full OnePlus Pad 3 experience, which – I can’t stress enough – is still Android running on a tablet. Looking over at the Windows PC market, you’ll find no shortage of quality laptops under $1,000, and Asus even offers a 2-in-1 tablet fully loaded with keyboard cover and stylus with the Asus ProArt PZ13, and I’ve frequently seen it going for $849.
I’m generally a fan of Android, but it can still be pretty limited, especially in the quality of its game library. The OnePlus Pad 3 may be running the Snapdragon 8 Elite chip that has been a hit in other phones, but it’s so powerful it can almost feel wasted here. It ought to be running games with sharper graphics than some of the low-res titles I come across on Android. Maybe we’ll see some strong emulation in the future that makes the chip’s capabilities more valuable. But as it stands, the OnePlus Pad 2 isn’t absurdly far behind this one, and it’s cheaper.
What We’re Looking Forward to:
Android tablets are getting a little extra love in the gaming realm. Lenovo recently introduced the new Legion Tab 3, a compact gaming tablet with potent internals. And RedMagic, the maker of our favorite gaming phone, has the Astra tablet on its way. Both of these tablets offer a smaller, more portable footprint that could let them better compete with gaming handhelds like the Steam Deck. Crucially, both also run on recent Snapdragon chips. The Legion tablet uses the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 found in many 2024 flagship phones, and should still be plenty powerful for gaming while still offering a value-minded price. Meanwhile, the Redmagic Astra tablet steps up to a Snapdragon 8 Elite chip and uses some active cooling for what should be truly impressive performance if the brand’s reputation holds.
How to Choose the Right Tablet for You
The first step when deciding on a tablet is determining a budget. Looking to just stream shows and scroll socials? A cheap slate should suffice. However, you'll need to up your spending if you’re after a productivity tool that performs similarly to a laptop. You can even slap a keyboard onto some tablets, essentially turning them into detachable laptops, albeit with the limits of their hardware and operating system.
Next, design. You'll want an option that’s lightweight but still durable for on-the-go use. A sizable, crisp, and responsive display ensures the best user experience, while OLED panels are a more premium option with deep blacks and richer colors over their LCD counterparts.
Of course, the internal components are just as important; you don’t want a sluggish device that leads to you reaching for your smartphone or laptop instead. To prevent that from happening, a solid processor and at least 4GB of RAM is a must. For gaming or creative work, upgrading those specs can make a world of difference. Beyond that, you’ll want to ensure your software is up to date. Android OS is in its 15th generation, while iPadOS 18 is Apple’s latest.
Other features like long battery life, great-sounding speakers, crisp cameras, and stylus support can help improve your experience on a tablet. You may even want to consider getting a 5G tablet that can connect to your cellular network when you’re not on Wi-Fi.
Tablets FAQ
Are iPads better than Android tablets?
No. Both types of tablets have plenty of solid models to choose from; it’s more a matter of personal preference. If you already have an iPhone and/or MacBook, it makes sense to grab an iPad for seamless integration into your Apple ecosystem, including the ability to double as a second screen for a MacBook. iPads are known for their smooth user experience along with their wealth of apps and games, but the pricing is more restrictive.
Tablets running on Android OS come from various manufacturers using a wide variety of components and different versions of the Android operating system, meaning performance and the experience is all over the place. But there’s a wider selection of slates, from ultra-cheap to high-end. It’s just important to do your research, as there are some duds. The selection of apps optimized for an Android tablet is also more limited. Still, almost all Android apps should function fine, just not as well as on your phone.
Should you buy a tablet with cellular network support?
Most will find that a tablet with cellular network support is unnecessary unless you’re constantly on the go with no way to connect via Wi-Fi. Adding that extra line to your cellular plan can be expensive, and your smartphone can usually work as a Wi-Fi hotspot for your tablet when you’re in a pinch. However, should you decide you’d like cellular network support, many of our picks come in 5G versions; just know you have to make that decision up front.
Jackie Thomas is the Hardware and Buying Guides Editor at IGN and the PC components queen. You can follow her @Jackiecobra
Sonos has discounted its lineup of certified refurbished soundbards and speakers even more as part of its 4th of July Sale. Sonos certified refurbished products go through rigorous testing; they come with all accessories, manuals, and documentation and are reshipped in "pristine" packaging. Most importantly, Sonos stands by their refurbs enough to grant them the same 1-year warranty as buying new.
Featured in this article
You can quickly browse through all of the listed products on sale above. For more information on each product and why they are worth your consideration, read through below.
Sonos Era 100
The Sonos Era 100 is a direct successor to the Sonos One. Sound quality is equivalent to a Sonos Move, which isn't surprising considering they have similar internal components: two tweeters, a mid-woofer, and three class-D digital amps. The Era 100 also supports Dolby Atmos when it is paired with an Arc or Beam soundbar. It has a built-in microphone and can be voice controlled; it can also be used as a smart speaker for both Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant.
Sonos Ray
Thanks to its diminutive 22" length, the Sonos Ray soundbar fits just about anywhere with just about any size TV. Despite its compact size, it still pumps out room-filling audio with its two tweeters and two woofers. The Sonos Ray has built-in WiFi so it can double up as a home audio speaker through the Sonos app, Apple AirPlay 2, Spotify Connect, and more. Note that the Sonos Ray does not have built-in smart functionality.
Sonos Arc
The Arc is Sonos' flagship product. This is a premium soundbar and it shows. This 45" soundbar houses eleven precisely engineered internal speakers, including two dedicated height channels. It's Dolby Atmos ready, and there's enough power here that you can probably get away without a subwoofer. However, the Sonos Arc can be wirelessly paired up with other Sonos speakers and subs to add even more sound distribution. The Arc has a built-in mic so it can accept voice commands and is Amazon Alexa compatible. The Arc SL is the same speaker but with no microphone, so it doesn't accept voice commands and isn't smart assistant apable.
Sonos Beam (Gen 2)
The Sonos Beam is a smaller 26" soundbar that houses four elliptical midwoofers, one central tweeter and three passive bass radiators. It's also Dolby Atmos ready. Unlike the Arc SL, the Beam is equipped with microphones, so it can function as a smart speaker that supports both Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant.
Sonos Sub 3 Wireless Subwoofer
If you want to add ground-shaking bass to your Sonos setup, there's still nothing better than a separate standalone subwoofer. The Sub 3 boasts plenty of power in the form of two 5"x8" woofers and a ported design that allows for a louder and deeper low-end. It simply can't be emulated by a standard bookshelf speaker or soundbar alone.
Why is Sonos so popular?
If you're looking for an easy solution to add great sound to your home, then you've probably already heard of Sonos. Sonos speakers are very easy to set up, don't take a large amount of space, and most importantly, offer distortion-free room-filling audio. We picked Sonos as our best soundbar of 2024.
Sound quality vs size
Despite the fact that Sonos products are compact and don't take up much space in your house, they offer surprisingly loud and distortion-free audio. They're definitely pricier than budget options, but the sound quality is more akin to audio products that cost hundreds more or take up much more space.
Easy setup
Sonos devices are usually simple plug and play. All you have to do is plug in a power cable (if even that's necessary) and one connection to your TV (if even that's necessary), download the Sonos app, and you're done. Generally a receiver isn't required; the soundbars are designed to plug right into your TV and the speakers are designed to work wirelessly. For something like a 5.1ch home theater setup, you don't have to deal with a mess of cables. Individual Sonos speakers can pair with your soundbar and be used as rear satellites, and the subwoofer is also wireless so it can be positioned virtually anywhere in your room.
Communication between devices
Practically all Sonos speakers can communicate with each other. That means you can pair different Sonos speakers in different rooms for multi-room capability. Or you can pair two speakers for stereo output. Or you can pair speakers to your soundbar to be used as a 5.1ch setup. It's all seamlessly done through the app.
Eric Song is the IGN commerce manager in charge of finding the best gaming and tech deals every day. When Eric isn't hunting for deals for other people at work, he's hunting for deals for himself during his free time.
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