Michael J. Fox and Gibson have officially launched a search for the guitar Marty McFly played in the Enchantment Under the Sea dance scene in the beloved film Back to the Future.

“We need your help, we’re trying to find the guitar I played in Back to the Future,” Fox told fans in a video released on YouTube to support the search. “It’s somewhere lost in the space-time continuum, or it’s in some teamster’s garage.”

Gibson, which made the Cherry Red ES-345 guitar Fox played in the 1985 blackbuster, also released a “wanted” style poster that asks: “Have You Seen This Guitar?”

The Nintendo Switch 2 is officially being released into the world tomorrow, but if you didn't already secure a preorder, you're likely going to have a hard time finding one available on launch day. Many retailers have stated that they will have some consoles available after the initial release date, but Nintendo has already started shipping out official "Out of Stock" signs ahead of the launch.

If you already have a Nintendo Switch and are looking to upgrade to the new console, you may have to wait a little bit longer to do so. But if you don't currently own a Switch console and want to start playing Nintendo games, there's no reason you can't still buy the older model and be happy about your choice.

The First Switch Is Still Great

Personally, I opted to not even try to preorder a Switch 2. I plan to wait at least a year before I buy one, simply because I'm still perfectly happy with my existing console setup. I think the actual hardware of the Switch 2 seems great and Mario Kart World looks really fun, but right now, it's not enough to convince me to immediately upgrade. I first purchased a Nintendo Switch back in 2018, it was an absolute game changer for me. Since then, it has become my primary gaming device and I've amassed quite the collection of both physical and digital games. There are multiple reasons the Switch is one of the best-selling consoles of all time, but I love it for the games.

Blue Mammoth Games' popular free-to-play fighting game Brawlhalla may be notable for its many pop culture guest stars, but the game also has a mythology and cast of characters all its own. One of those characters now takes the spotlight in Brawlhalla Tales: Nix, an original graphic novel spinoff.

Head down to the slideshow gallery below for an exclusive 10-page preview of Brawlhalla Tales: Nix:

Brawlhalla Tales: Nix is written by Brawlhalla veterans R.J. Jost and Matt Woomer, with Jost also handling the art. The creative team also includes colorist Roshan Kurichiyanil and letterer Lucas Gattoni.

Here's Dark Horse's official summary of the graphic novel:

Nix, a freelance angel of death and the finest reaper of the Underworld, misses her mark at the hands of a rogue Valkyrie – and she never misses! She travels across the nine realms to Valhalla to reclaim her bounty, but the afterworld is not as she expected. Nix discovers strange enemies, stranger friends, and tougher fights than she ever imagined. Now begrudgingly teamed up with an unlikely partner, Nix will need to win Odin’s tournament of heroes if she wants to keep her job and, more importantly, her soul.

Brawlhalla Tales: Nix is priced at $19.99 and will be released on June 17. You can preorder the book on Amazon.

Last year, we picked Brawlhalla as one of the best free-to-play games available on the Nintendo Switch.

Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on BlueSky.

Magic: The Gathering (MTG), the world's premier trading card game, is as popular as it's ever been. Aside from the cards themselves, longtime Magic players (like me!) know that there are countless accessories and other goodies to enhance your experience.

With Father's Day coming up soon (June 15), I've compiled a list of great MTG gifts, from playmats and card sleeves to dice and merch, for that special Magic player in your life.

As a competitive player of 10+ years, these are products I've had and would buy for my personal use, so rest easy knowing that these suggestions aren't without extensive trial and error.

TL;DR - Best Magic: The Gathering Gifts

Magic has been around for over 30 years, but thanks to the recent crossover sets with other IPs, what Wizards of the Coast (WoTC) has dubbed Universes Beyond, its audience has grown monumentally.

Properties like The Lord of the Rings, Fallout, Assassin's Creed, and more have all received the MTG treatment, with Final Fantasy being the next crossover in June.

There's even a full Spider-Man set coming later this year. So there's plenty of great sets to choose from now, and incoming in the near future as well.

Sealed Product

Magic: The Gathering sets are released every few months, and with them come various sealed products to help supplement your collection.

You have booster boxes, collector boosters, starter kits, commander decks, the list goes on. I recommend starting with bundles of the most recently released sets, or looking ahead to expansions like Edge of Eternities.

They make great gifts, as they include nine booster packs, an alternate-art promotional card, extra land cards, a spindown life counter, and the box itself is a great storage solution for extra cards.

Card Sleeves

You have all these fancy new cards, what are you supposed to put them in? Card sleeves are the perfect solution not only for protection but for easily shuffling.

Ultimate Guard and Ultra PRO are some of the best MTG accessories brands around, but Dragon Shield sleeves are my go-to recommendation as a gift for dad.

The Ultimate Guard Katana sleeves are great, too. The matte sleeves are crisp and feel great in your hands. No matter what you pick, make sure you get standard size sleeves, not Japanese card size -- Yu-Gi-Oh! cards are much smaller than Magic cards!

Deck Boxes

Your cards are now sleeved up and ready for battle. Now you need a reliable deck box. Here, you can't go wrong with Ultimate Guard's sturdy options.

I'm a big fan of the Flip 'n' Tray myself, as it can hold a fully sleeved deck, sideboard, and tokens, along with a built-in dice compartment.

For larger storage solutions, there are massive boxes that can hold up to 500 loose cards. All Ultimate Guard options come in a handful of different colors, and the Ultra PRO boxes sport some great official MTG art.

Playmats

Playmats are a must-have for any Magic player, since playing without one can make it hard to pick your cards up off the kitchen table.

Usually made of the same material as a standard mousepad, many people (myself included) like to use mats featuring art of their favorite cards or of their proudest Magic accomplishments.

You can even buy blank white playmats if you find yourself at a Magic Con and want to commission your favorite artist to make it look snazzy!

Dice and Counters

Keeping track of Planeswalker loyalty, +1/+1 counters, or Finality counters are a massive headache without an efficient way of doing so. Luckily, a set of D6 will set you right.

Some more unique cards, like Qarsi Revenant, give other creatures ability counters that are hard to keep track of, so I highly recommend a set of ability counters to go along with your accessories arsenal.

Binders

If you have rare or valuable cards you don't want to store in a bulk storage box, binders are the way to go to keep them nice and pristine.

You can get various sizes and colors from both Ultimate Guard and Ultra PRO, but the Zipfolio from Ultimate Guard is my go-to for expensive singles. These fit great in your backpack for when you're heading out to your local Friday Night Magic

Other Accessories

These suggestions are just scratching the surface of what these accessory makers have to offer. There are countless other sleeves, boxes, and mats to pick from, so pick your favorite Magic player's favorite for a great gift.

Other accessories I recommend are lifepads; some Magic player prefer to write their life totals down and take notes instead of using the MTG Companion app or a spindown counter.

Dry erase tokens are great for cards with copy abilities. A playmat tube is a great storage solution to keep your mats dry and safe, and the Ultra PRO land station is a good way to sort your basic lands or have lands ready for your booster draft night.

Merch

Did you know that the IGN store has some awesome Magic: The Gathering merch? We have a handful of t-shirts, a crewneck sweater, and even a 17oz stainless steel water bottle for sale.

These make great gifts if you aren't quite sure what cards, sets, or formats your favorite Magic player enjoys!

Myles Obenza is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Bluesky @mylesobenza.bsky.social.

Over the last eight years, the Nintendo Switch has become one of the most successful and influential consoles of all time – so it’s incredibly exciting that the Nintendo Switch 2 is finally starting to magnetically snap into the hands of millions. Unfortunately, we did not receive a Switch 2 ahead of its worldwide launch on June 5, so we don’t have a review of Nintendo’s new hardware ready for you right out of the gate.

That said, we will be working as fast as we can to tell you all about it once it arrives, as well as all the games and accessories that accompany it. I’ll be the one reviewing the console itself, and the plan is to have a review in progress up sometime Friday with my initial impressions, then a final, scored review ideally by the end of the following week, once I’ve had time to take it to some rooftop parties and the like. And that’s in addition to coverage of all its biggest games.

If you are looking for some very early impressions right now, you can check out our hands-on preview from a couple months ago, as well as a final previews of both Mario Kart World and Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour from our very own Logan Plant this week (who will also be doing the full review of Mario Kart World). In the meantime, if you’re wondering why I’m going to be the one to review the full system, let me tell you a bit about myself.

My name is Tom, and I’m the Executive Reviews Editor for games at IGN. I’ve been here for eight years next month and have reviewed quite a few Nintendo games in that time, including The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. I also served a stint as a regular on our Nintendo Voice Chat podcast. The keen-eyed among you may also notice that this isn’t the first time I’ve reviewed a Switch, either: I did both our 2018 updated review of the base Switch, taking a look at the system after a year of regular use, as well as our review of the pocket-sized Switch Lite in 2019.

After all of that I’m extremely familiar with Nintendo’s original hybrid system, and while I truly love that console, I’m also very aware of its shortcomings, from performance woes to joystick drift. Because the Switch 2 feels like more of an iterative successor that doesn’t set out to flip the table on what Nintendo was already doing, I am going to be taking an eye toward those longstanding issues and how well they have been addressed (although, for something like drift, we likely won’t have a clear answer for many months to come).

I am also extremely curious how its new flagship features are going to work outside of the controlled environment of a preview event – most of all, its mouse controls. If that option works as well as I hope, it could be a massive gamechanger in terms of what kinds of games can be comfortably played on a console. But if it is poorly implemented or uncomfortable to use for whatever reason, it’ll just be the latest in a long line of gimmick control schemes that we hope aren’t awkwardly forced into every first-party game (I’m looking at you, motion controls).

Speaking of games, alongside the system review and reviews of the two all-new launch games, Welcome Tour and Mario Kart World, we’re also planning check-ins on major games that are getting Switch 2 revisions. That includes Cyberpunk 2077, Breath of the Wild/Tears of the Kingdom, and Civilization 7, as well as games with less flashy updates like Pokemon Scarlet and Violet.

Needless to say, we’ll be covering this console launch from every possible angle, and we are excited to dive in alongside everyone else.

Hi, everyone. I have a message for you, from one Elden Ring: Nightreign player to another: please stop beelining chapels at the start of each game to collect flask charges.

I'm not the only one saying this! Fellow Nightfarers in the community have been sharing this PSA over the last few days to express frustration at what's becoming an annoyingly common habit when queuing with random players in Nightreign.

Essentially, what's happening is this: in Nightreign, every map is riddled with a handful of small churches or chapels that contain a free upgrade to your healing flask, adding an extra charge. This is genuinely great! It's good to go after these! However, as players have gotten more comfortable with the gain and learned about this guaranteed, free reward, more and more people have developed a weird habit of beelining directly from chapel to chapel while doing literally nothing else, skipping camps of monsters and other rewards in favor of sprinting for five minutes, getting a charge, sprinting for five more minutes, repeat until it's nighttime.

Why is this bad? Well, largely because collecting flasks is all well and good, but it's not helpful to be able to repeatedly heal yourself if you're getting one-shot by Wormface. Good Nightreign play is a balancing act: you have a limited amount of time before night falls and the big boss arrives, so you need to spend it wisely by fighting increasingly difficult monsters, raiding camps, collecting better weapons and items, and leveling yourself up. If you're not at least level five or six by the time the first night falls, the boss is just going to smash your face in with one shot — the extra flask won't help you.

Therefore, an ideal strategy is to spend as little time running across the map as possible, and instead try to flow easily from place to place in close proximity to one another, grabbing flask charges where it makes sense in between raiding camps and fighting sub-bosses. And yet, in spite of this, every three or four times I queue, I end up with someone who keeps aggressively dropping map pins on chapel after chapel and running off on their own when we don't agree with the plan to spend half the game in a footrace across the map for a flask charge. Bud, I'm playing Recluse! I don't have any HP to heal in the first place!

So yes. It's good to go to church and get right with our lord Marika. But it's also okay to have other, non-religious hobbies, like beating the snot out of this Abductor Virgin in the courtyard so we can get the map at the top of the tower and I can grab a new staff off the rack next to it. Thank you for your consideration on this matter.

We’ve got plenty of Nightreign tips and tricks to help you take down all the eight Nightlord Bosses, and if you’re wondering how to unlock the two locked Nightfarer Classes, check out How to Unlock the Revenant and How to Unlock the Duchess, plus How to Change Characters.

Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. You can find her posting on BlueSky @duckvalentine.bsky.social. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.

After months of anticipation, Nintendo’s Switch 2 console has launched. While some might be hoping to walk into a store on June 5 and snag Nintendo’s next-gen offering, customers in Japan are disappointed to find that physical stores are holding off selling Switch 2 on launch day.

Ahead of launch, Japanese manga and anime news outlet Futaman (via Yahoo News Japan) asked some of Japan’s biggest retailers about their plans for selling the Switch 2 in stores. Bic Camera, GEO Holdings, Toys R Us Japan, and Don Quijote all said they will only be selling Switch 2 consoles to lottery winners on launch day. Major electronics retailer Bic Camera will have a “hands-on” event at its Ikebukuro store in Tokyo from June 5-8, but customers won’t be able to buy the console there and then (source: ITMedia).

“We honestly can’t say anything about over-the-counter sales on June 5 and onwards at this time,” said a Bic Camera representative, quoted by Futaman. According to its official X post below, Bic Camera Ikebukuro will be selling Mario and Kirby merch, not consoles, at its Switch 2 launch event.

Nintendo Switch 2
発売記念イベントまであと1⃣日🎮

1階店頭イベントブースでは
Nintendo Switch 2 発売記念イベント仕様に✨

マリオやカービィなどのキャラクターグッズを販売しております😊

Nintendo Switch 2 の体験会は明日より4日間開催😍
ぜひお見逃しなく🏃 https://t.co/F6V1iDcK8v pic.twitter.com/y9jpcgP6s9

— ビックカメラ池袋本店【公式】 (@bicikebukuro) June 4, 2025

Another big Japanese electronics chain, Yamada Denki, also has no plans for launch day Switch 2 sales, but will hold lotteries when supply allows. Don Quijote has plans to hold another Switch 2 lottery later this month.

But what about Nintendo’s own official bricks and mortar stores? Gamers are out of luck there too. On June 4, Nintendo Japan issued a statement saying it will not be selling Switch 2 consoles and accessories at its physical shops in Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto “for the time being.”

This move was likely made to prevent people lining up outside the stores, as well as possible overcrowding. At the time of writing, it is not known when Nintendo will stock Switch 2 products at its stores in Japan.

For a limited time, Amazon is offering the lowest price I've ever seen on one of the best Windows-based gaming handhelds. Right now you can pick up a Lenovo Legion Go with an AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme APU and 512GB of storage for only $499.99 shipped after a 30% off instant discount. The Legion Go boasts a larger and sharper display, detachable controllers, and a larger battery compared to the Asus ROG Ally.

30% Off Lenovo Legion Go 512GB Gaming Handheld

As players dive deeper into Elden Ring Nightreign's launch content, more discoveries are being made and Nightlords felled. Some Nightfarers would like a little bit of assistance, though, when it comes to knowing what's dropped on the ground.

One post on the Nightreign subreddit that picked up a bit of traction is asking for more weapon info when items drop on the ground. Clearing a camp or point-of-interest in Nightreign tends to result in a decent amount of loot to sort through, and so the idea is that you'd like some more details to quickly scan over.

As commenters have pointed out — and I went in to verify with a quick run — you are able to see a weapon class type by hitting R3 for details. This also provides info on Weapon Arts and passives, which helps a ton. You can still get confused by an item name in the heat of the moment, but otherwise, you'll need to pause for a moment and read over.

It still doesn't account for scaling, though, and while commenters note scaling is incorporated into the overall damage number on a weapon, sometimes seeing scaling can help. For example, knowing a raw damage number only tells you the damage of one hit, not how fast you can swing it. It's uncertain whether that incorporates split damage weapons, either.

In another, potentially more controversial post, one Redditor suggested loot names on the drops, in colored text. This one honestly got a mixed reaction from me, as I don't know that seeing a bunch of cluttered names littered on the ground would help that much. I also like the stress of picking an item up off the ground and debating its merits, pit against the ticking clock and urgency of the Night closing in.

Still, in this thread, others are asking for the same clarity in the previous one. While scaling and other details can be found in the sparring grounds, through the equipment chest, that does mean internalizing a lot of knowledge or having a wiki handy. There's some desire for even a few extra tidbits of info, to help make those swift calls and decisions.

It's an understandable desire, even if I'm not sure that any of the suggestions yet have looked like the right implementation. FromSoftware is clearly paying attention to player feedback though, as evidenced by its quick patch to nerf solo player difficulty and the commitment to adding a Duos mode. We'll see if this is an area FromSoftware feels like it needs to fine-tune, or if it's left as-is. Either way, some study time in the sparring grounds could ultimately do every Nightfarer some good, in their quest to take down the Nightlord.

We’ve got plenty of Nightreign tips and tricks to help you take down all the eight Nightlord Bosses, and if you’re wondering how to unlock the two locked Nightfarer Classes, check out How to Unlock the Revenant and How to Unlock the Duchess, plus How to Change Characters.

Eric is a freelance writer for IGN.

Summertime is right around the corner, and that means Summer of Gaming is here to kick off the sunny season. While we eagerly wait to see what Xbox has in store this Sunday during the Xbox Games Showcase, there are plenty of great Xbox deals to check out in the meantime. Some of our favorites at the moment include discounts on Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, Space Marine 2, and Resident Evil 4, but these just scratch the surface of what's out there.

If you're looking to stock up on new Xbox games or accessories, we're here to help. Here are the best Xbox deals available right now.

Best Xbox Game Deals

If you're looking to stock up on new Xbox games, there are quite a few on sale right now that are worth checking out. Some of our favorite discounts are on Space Marine 2, Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, and Resident Evil 4, but there are so many more to look through. You can check out those deals and more of our favorites right now above.

Best Xbox Accessory Deals

Outside of games, there are a few different Xbox accessory deals that are worth your time and money as well. Walmart's offering some nice discounts at the moment on both the standard Xbox controller and the Elite Series 2 controller, while Amazon's got the 1TB Seagate Storage Expansion Card and SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro headset on sale.

When Should I Buy an Xbox?

In general, it is advisable to keep an eye out for sales and restocks throughout the year, as availability has improved since the initial launch of the console. Unlike the Nintendo Switch, there is no specific recommendation to wait for a sale regardless of the time of year. Instead, it's a good idea to monitor various retailers and online platforms for restock announcements and promotional offers.

However, certain events like Black Friday or other holiday seasons may bring about unique bundles, discounts, or promotional deals specifically for the Xbox Series X. These bundles may include additional games, accessories, or exclusive limited editions. While quantities for such promotions might be limited, they can provide an opportunity to get more value for your purchase.

It's worth keeing in mind that Xbox recently increased console prices as well, which you can read more about here.

Xbox Series X or Xbox Series S?

Choosing between the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S ultimately depends on your gaming preferences, budget, and specific requirements. Let's compare the two consoles to help you make an informed decision:

1. Performance: The Xbox Series X is the more powerful option, offering native 4K gaming, higher graphical fidelity, and faster loading times. It has more advanced hardware, including a larger storage capacity. On the other hand, the Xbox Series S targets a lower price point and offers a less powerful performance, targeting 1440p resolution gaming and upscaling to 4K.

2. Price: The Xbox Series S is more affordable compared to the Xbox Series X. If budget is a significant factor for you, the Xbox Series S provides a cost-effective option while still delivering a next-generation gaming experience. For example, the Series S can play Starfield at 1440p 30fps (vs 4K 30fps on Series X).

3. Storage: The Xbox Series X comes with a larger internal storage capacity, allowing you to store more games directly on the console. The Xbox Series S, however, has a smaller storage capacity, which means you may need to manage your game library more actively or rely on external storage solutions.

4. Disc Drive: The Xbox Series X includes a disc drive, enabling you to play physical game discs and enjoy a wider range of media options, including Blu-ray and DVD playback. The Xbox Series S, in contrast, is a digital-only console, meaning you can only play games downloaded from the digital store.

5. Graphics and Performance: While both consoles support ray tracing, the Xbox Series X provides a more immersive and visually impressive experience due to its superior hardware capabilities. If you prioritize cutting-edge graphics and want the best performance available, the Xbox Series X is the preferable choice.

Consider your gaming preferences, budget, and whether you prioritize top-of-the-line performance or cost-effectiveness. If you have a 4K TV, want the most powerful console, and are willing to invest more, the Xbox Series X is the recommended option. If you have a lower budget, a 1080p or 1440p TV, and don't mind sacrificing some performance, the Xbox Series S offers excellent value for money.

With how expensive gaming is getting in 2025, we're trying to save you as much money as possible on the games and other tech you actually want to buy. We've got great deal roundups available for all major platforms such as Switch and Xbox, and keep these updated daily with brand new offers. If you're trying to keep costs down while maintaining your favorite hobby, stay tuned for more incredible discounts.

Robert Anderson is a deals expert and Commerce Editor for IGN. You can follow him @robertliam21 on Twitter.

Deltarune, the multi-chapter sequel to 2015's indie smash hit Undertale, is currently blowing up on Steam thanks to the release of Chapter 3 and Chapter 4 this morning after years of anticipation.

The game itself has been out in some format since 2018, when creator Toby Fox posted a series of cryptic tweets before dropping an innocuous download entitled "SURVEY PROGRAM." That download turned out to be the first chapter of a new game, Deltarune, the name of which is an anagram for Undertale. After a cryptic introduction, the player controls a teenager named Kris who, with their school bully Susie, is dropped into a mysterious Dark World and tasked with saving its citizens by a goat-child named Ralsei.

Deltarune's second chapter manifested in 2021, revealing something like an adventure-of-the-week format where Kris and Susie repeatedly visit the Dark World in each chapter, meet a new villain, defeat them alongside Ralsei, and return home. In total, the game is expected to have at least seven total chapters, and we've known three and four were coming today since Fox announced it in April.

Deltarune, like Undertale, is a turn-based RPG with bullet hell mechanics, and features a cast of both new and returning characters from its predecessor. However, its connection to Undertale itself is mysterious — the characters themselves have key differences from their Undertale versions, no one seems aware of the events of Undertale, and yet the game frequently winks and nods to Undertale's events in a way that players of both will recognize, even if its in-universe cast doesn't.

While the game itself is beloved for its zany humor, lovable characters, unique combat, and fantastic soundtrack, much of what fuels the nearly-rabid online interest is related to the mystery of what, precisely, Deltarune is, and how it will ultimately connect with or solve some of the latent mysteries of Undertale.

At the time of this writing, Deltarune already has over 100,000 players on Steam and is the 10th most-played game on Valve's platform. It's already surpassed the peak Steam player count of the free Deltarune Chapter 1 and 2 demo, despite costing $25. It's the top-selling game on Steam right now by revenue, ahead of the likes of Counter-Strike 2, Elden Ring: Nightreign, and Dune: Awakening. But its true popularity will be much bigger, given Deltarune is also out on PlayStation 4 and 5, and Xbox Series consoles now, and its Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2 versions launch tonight at midnight when the Switch 2 officially releases.

Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. You can find her posting on BlueSky @duckvalentine.bsky.social. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.

In typical dad fashion, it turns out that Hollywood legend Arnold Schwarzenegger was just as shocked as all of us were to see his son, Patrick Schwarzenegger, showing off his body on Season 3 of The White Lotus.

“I’m watching your show, and I’m watching you with your butt sticking out there,” the 77-year-old Schwarzenegger explained during his recent Actors on Actors session, captured in the Variety tweet below, with his son.

“And I see the weenie, and I said, ‘What is going on here?’ This is crazy! And then I said to myself, ‘Well, Arnold, hello, you did the same thing in Conan and in Terminator and all those films. You were naked, so don’t complain about it.’ But it was kind of like a shock to me, that you would follow in my footsteps that closely.”

Arnold Schwarzenegger jokes about seeing Patrick naked on screen: "I saw your weenie!" #ActorsOnActors https://t.co/blmS1nx28P pic.twitter.com/9L1Lx4trpe

— Variety (@Variety) June 3, 2025

Patrick arguably made his breakout with his role on Season 3 of The White Lotus, but he’s been on the scene for a while. He previously appeared in the 2022 miniseries The Staircase and 2024’s American Sports Story.

As for movies, his best role so far (in my humble opinion) is the 2019 psychological horror film Daniel Isn’t Real, in which Patrick plays the imaginary friend of a damaged young man played by Miles Robbins. He’s proven himself quite a few times over the years to be a solid actor with his own set of strengths that are separate from his father’s.

Arnie first appeared on-screen in the 1970 film Hercules in New York and is perhaps most famous for his stint as The Terminator in the Terminator films. He hasn’t been in any movies since 2019 — though he has been starring on the Netflix series FUBAR since 2023 — but will appear in two upcoming films: Kung Fury 2 and The Man With the Bag.

Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Planet Hollywood.

Lex Briscuso is a film and television critic and a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. You can follow her on Twitter at @nikonamerica.

June's Humble Choice lineup has dropped, and if you're looking for some exciting new games to add to your PC library, it's full of great picks. Leading this month is Warhammer 40K: Boltgun, Legacy of Kain Soul Reaver 1&2 Remastered, and Nobody Wants to Die, but there are 5 more games in this bundle as well. You can keep them all forever for just $11.99 per month when you sign up to become a member. Not to mention, this bundle also comes with one month of IGN Plus for free, which is a nice little treat on top of the eight games.

Humble Choice Games for June 2025

Epic Games has detailed its technical specifications for the new version of Fortnite coming to Nintendo Switch 2, and revealed that mouse support would arrive in an imminent patch.

As you'd expect, this fresh version of the hit battle royale will arrive with an improved frame-rate (now 60FPS) and better resolution (2176x1224 when Switch 2 is docked, or 1600x900 undocked).

The new Nintendo console also allows for a greater draw distance, so you can pull off more of those sweet long range shots, as well as clothing physics and higher-quality textures, shadows and water rendering.

Replays, which are not available in the Switch 1 version of Fortnite, will finally be available for you to peruse and see which horrible person killed you. The game's original Save the World portion will still not be available, however, as it has never been sold on Nintendo platforms.

The next main Fortnite update, version 37.00, will add mouse controls when Epic makes it available to download this Saturday, June 7. As you'd expect, by default your mouse will replace the right analog stick and allow you to look using the Joy-Con 2's optical sensor instead.

Mouse controls will be unlocked for all major Fortnite modes (Battle Royale, Zero Build, Team Rumble, Reload, Reload - Zero Build, Fortnite OG and Fortnite OG Zero Build). You'll also be able to use mouse controls in menus.

Mario Kart World joins a storied history of Nintendo-developed games available on launch day of a brand new console or handheld, many of which went on to become some of the most cherished and respected games in video game history. But which were the best first-party Nintendo games to ever launch on a new Nintendo system?

While this task is like making your favorite childhood memories fight, we’re up for the challenge. We agonized over this list, and in the end, came up with our 10 best Nintendo launch games of all time.

10. Luigi’s Mansion (2001, Nintendo GameCube)

Luigi’s Mansion was the first solo game for Mario’s pluckier, lankier brother, opting to do something completely different by giving him a vacuum cleaner that hunts ghosts in a big house that he won in a contest. On paper, everything about Luigi’s Mansion is utterly bizarre, especially as the flagship launch title for the GameCube. But once players started moving Luigi around with the GameCube controller — a dual analog, candy colored input device with pressure sensitive shoulder buttons - things made sense immediately. Luigi could explore each room at his own pace, sucking up coins, dollars, and spooky cartoon ghosts as players used the left stick to move him around and the right stick and shoulder buttons to trap silly phantasms Ghostbusters style.

And while twin-stick controller games don't seem particularly novel in this modern era, this was a first for Nintendo in 2001. More importantly, though, Luigi’s Mansion was the first game to truly give Luigi his own personality traits instead of just making him a taller palette swap of his far more famous brother. As Luigi tiptoes around the mansion he gets increasingly paranoid, ranging from mumbling incoherent, vaguely Italian psychobabble to full on screaming in panic, a stark contrast to Mario’s heroic and confident “wahoos” and “let’s a go’s!” Luigi’s Mansion led to increasingly better sequels, a full on Nintendo 3DS remake, and a spooky mansion themed stage in Mario Kart and Smash Bros. Luigi’s hilariously scaredy cat personality first seen in Luigi’s Mansion has become a permanent staple for him, featuring in the majority of his appearances since, most notably when it was perfectly brought to life by It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia actor Charlie Day in the 2023 Super Mario Bros. Movie.

09. Nintendo Land (2012, Nintendo Wii U)

While the Nintendo Wii U ended up being Nintendo’s least successful home console by pretty much every metric, that didn’t mean it didn’t get a ton of great games, most of which went on to become huge hits when they eventually got ported to the much more popular Nintendo Switch. Nintendo didn’t do a great job explaining to people that the Wii U wasn’t a peripheral for the original Nintendo Wii but rather a brand new standalone console needed to play exclusive games. Launch game New Super Mario Bros. U — a sequel to the Nintendo Wii New Super Mario Bros — added a single letter to the title and some meager and forgettable Wii U GamePad support, so it’s not hard to see why the average customer passed on the system.

The launch line up did have something significantly more innovative, though. Nintendo Land demonstrated exactly how the Wii U GamePad could be used for fun and unique gameplay possibilities in ways that New Super Mario Bros. U couldn’t. Nintendo Land was a freebie launch game that gave us a playable glimpse of what a Nintendo theme park could look like, nine years before Nintendo and Universal joined forces.

Obviously, Nintendo Land wasn’t enough to save the Wii U, but it established its place as one of the best and most unique games on the console. And though it never made its way to Nintendo Switch, you can probably thank it for planting the seeds for the actual Nintendo theme parks we now get to explore in real life.

08. StreetPass (2011, Nintendo 3DS)

The Nintendo 3DS’s first party launch library wasn’t Nintendo’s greatest. Once players got past the first hurdle of the little 3D handheld’s sticker-shocking launch price (which ended up getting a hefty price cut months later) they were left with games like Pilotwings 3D and Steel Diver, games that made good use of the system’s features but nothing really revolutionary. But pre-loaded on every 3DS was one of the system’s most definitive features, one that benefited greatly from its pocket portability. Nintendo StreetPass — specifically StreetPass Mii Plaza — isn’t exactly a game as much as it's a collection, one that only increased and improved as the 3DS system lifespan went on. By passing by or interacting with other 3DS players walking around in the wild, their user data would visit your system in Nintendo Mii form, bringing gifts and becoming a playable character to compete in a library of minigames

StreetPass was an ingenious concept that rewarded you for doing something you were already doing — taking your 3DS with you when you went places — and seeing your system light up with a Street Pass notification was one of the most delightful feelings Nintendo has ever delivered. The 3DS StreetPass Mii Plaza app was best known for its puzzle swap game as well as its Find Mii bite-sized RPG and occasionally got updated with additional mini-games centered around things like cooking, gardening, slot car racing, and zombie battling.

07. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (2006, Nintendo Wii)

When the Nintendo Wii launched in 2006, the only game on Nintendo fans' minds was The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. Sure it had been in development as a GameCube game for years, but who cared? The Wii version featured motion controlled sword slashing, pointer controlled arrow aiming, and a Wii Remote that actually talked to you. All we wanted to do was play Twilight Princess, and after waiting hours for our grandparents to get tired of playing Wii Bowling, it was time to take on the role of the legendary hero of Hyrule like we never had before.

Twilight Princess was a massive, sprawling game that put the Zelda franchise on a scale and scope it had never seen before. It was the first time a Nintendo console launched with a brand new Zelda game. Nintendo Wii owners could now play as Link on launch day, just as soon as they got through that annoying goat herding mini-game. The sword slashing, while rudimentary, was still satisfying even dozens of hours later, and hearing Midna speak to you through your controller added a level of immersion not previously experienced in a Zelda game. Link’s design became a staple for Nintendo, making his way into official key art, amiibo toys, and Smash Bros. games for years to come.

06. Super Mario World (1996, Super Nintendo)

If you weren’t around when it happened, it’s kind of hard to explain how big a leap Super Mario World was compared to the trilogy of NES games that preceded it. Vibrant, sixteen bit graphics, Mode 7 visual effects that allowed enemies and boss sprites to rotate and shrink, an incredible midi orchestrated soundtrack, a new spin jump, a cape feather power up, and dozens of huge, gorgeous levels with hidden exits that opened up secret worlds… You just had to be there. The Super Nintendo launch also featured the Nintendo published futuristic racing game F-Zero, an awesome visual showcase and great game in its own right, but Super Mario World easily takes the lead here. Even though it was a pack-in game, Super Mario World went on to become one of the most beloved Super Nintendo games and also really good leverage for kids trying to convince their parents to buy them a console that came with a free game.

Unlike the original NES game which was downright revolutionary, Super Mario World felt more like a maturation and refinement of every platforming game that came before it. It also introduced Yoshi for the first time, an adorable and charismatic dinosaur mount that went on to star in plenty of great games of his own.

05. Tetris (1989, Game Boy)

Every now and then a video game breaks through and reaches a whole new stratosphere of people who never even thought they’d be addicted to a video game. Tetris is not just one of those games, it’s arguably the game. When Tetris launched in 1989 on the original Game Boy - Nintendo’s first dedicated handheld with swappable cartridges — AA batteries all over the planet wept in fear. Millions and millions of Game Boys flew off the shelves, and while the other launch day offerings like Super Mario Land, Baseball, Alleyway, and Tennis were solid, shrunk down versions of popular NES games, it was the Nintendo’s take on Alexey Pajitnov’s addictive block dropping puzzle game that truly was synonymous with the system, at least until the first Pokemon games launched seven years later.

Tetris played to the Game Boys' strengths — and weaknesses. It was packed in with every Game Boy at launch, giving people immediate and portable access. It didn’t require flashy graphics or color coordinated elements, it was simply about fitting blocks together in clever ways, meaning the Game Boy’s fuzzy, puke green screen didn’t hold it back in the slightest. Tetris was a global obsession, capturing the attention spans of kids and adults alike for hours and hours a day, leading to the medical shorthand term “Tetris Effect” for people who played the game too long and claimed to see falling blocks in their thoughts. Tetris is one of those games that people who don’t play video games can explain to you, part of the pop culture fabric that defines our species. It takes something truly special for that to happen and it’s all because it was a launch game on the original Game Boy.

04. Super Mario Bros. (1985, Nintendo Entertainment System)

Super Mario Bros. effectively invented the platforming genre as we know it. With just a run and a jump button players had a level of control and freedom not seen in games before, thanks largely in part to its revolutionary (and first of its kind) scrolling level design. Super Mario Bros. introduced the world to the Super Mario that we still know and love, along with Bowser, Princess Peach, Goombas, Koopas, and many other other iconic video game characters. Super Mario Bros’. simple but hard to master design philosophy effectively taught people how to play platforming games for the first time. As soon as the game began and players started walking, they came face to face with a Goomba. If they walked into it, they died, so they learned to push a button and jump over it and generations of muscle memory was formed. Decades later, World 1-1 is one of the most instantly recognizable video game levels ever conceived.

Super Mario Bros. was not only bundled with the Nintendo Entertainment System on day one but also got rereleased on NES carts with other classic games like Duck Hunt and Track & Field, not to mention the dozens of times it was rereleased on subsequent Nintendo systems. Perhaps most importantly, though, Super Mario Bros. on the NES is largely cited as being responsible for resurrecting the industry after the fabled video game crash of 1983, meaning you can argue that every other game on this list wouldn’t have existed if it wasn’t for this one. Is it a better 2D Mario game than Super Mario World? Well, that’s up for you to debate, but it’s undeniably more important.

03. Wii Sports (2006, Nintendo Wii)

Nobody could have possibly predicted that the unassuming baby blue disc tucked amongst the wires and packaging of the Nintendo Wii console would go on to become one of the most successful Nintendo games of all time, especially considering it was not only a sports game — something Nintendo wasn’t exactly famous for — but a sports game with zero official licensing from any actual sports leagues.

Wii Sports was an absolute monster, a cultural juggernaut, and a massive breakthrough for Nintendo’s “blue ocean” strategy of reaching both lapsed gamers and people who had never played a video game before. Once people got a Wii remote in their hand and threw their arm backwards to simulate rolling a bowling ball, they were completely hooked, assuming they didn’t launch the controller into their ceilings or televisions first.

Wii Sports took over college dorms, kid’s birthday parties, and retirement homes everywhere. Millions of people who didn’t traditionally sit down to press buttons on a video game controller stood up to simulate goofy but utterly endearing versions of tennis, baseball, bowling, and more, all complete with their custom designed Mii avatars. It not only caused dozens of video game publishers to chase the trend with their own Nintendo Wii motion controlled games, it also inspired Nintendo’s direct competitors PlayStation and Xbox to quickly pivot internal strategies and fast track their own motion controlled video games, resulting in PlayStation Move and the Xbox Kinect, two valiant efforts that ultimately couldn’t compete with Nintendo’s motion control dominance. Meanwhile, Nintendo’s motion controls live on in the Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2 Joy-Con controllers along with the hit game Nintendo Switch Sports that has gone on to sell over sixteen million copies, but none of this happens without that beautiful blue pack-in disc that started it all.

02. Super Mario 64 (1996, Nintendo 64)

Super Mario 64 quite literally changed the way we play video games. After Nintendo’s first 3D platforming game was available on day one on Nintendo’s first 3D capable console, controlling characters in a 3D space was never the same again. Once Mario jumped out of the warp pipe into the Mushroom Kingdom courtyard, a big open playground that led to a castle brimming with opportunity and challenge players realized pushing the joystick just a bit could make Mario tiptoe and pushing it a lot could make him run, an entire new dimension of possibility had arrived.

Gamers old enough to play Super Mario 64 when it launched have been chasing that feeling since, constantly looking for the next “Super Mario 64 moment” a phrase synonymous with a new video game experience raising the bar so far above everything that ever came before it that things are never the same again. While many classic two dimensional video game franchises had struggled to make the jump to 3D in the ‘90s, Super Mario 64 jumped in head first and set all the rules. Mario’s incredible moveset created a seemingly endless number of ways to tackle each level and the Mario 64 speed running community is still finding clever new ways to shave seconds off of their completion times nearly three decades later. Super Mario 64 remains one of the deepest and most revolutionary Nintendo console launch games of all time and it’s still incredibly fun today.

01. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (2017, Nintendo Switch)

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is a masterpiece and a triumph in open world game design, but more importantly, altered the path of both the Zelda series and Nintendo’s hardware philosophy for years to come. After The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword the Zelda franchise’s previously successful formula was starting to see diminishing returns and both Nintendo’s console and handheld hardware divisions were in desperate need of a refresh. Breath of the Wild gave players a massive open world Zelda game they could carry with them anywhere and approach in any way they wished, allowing them to travel everywhere in real life while they did the same in Hyrule.

Discovering intimate secrets while hunched over a little portable device or coming home, docking your Switch, and experiencing grand, epic triumphs played out on your largest TV proved that the Nintendo Switch could do it all. Sure, a few Zelda series staples like dungeons and dungeon specific weapons got a bit lost in the shuffle, but the sacrifices were largely worth it for the biggest and most inspired Zelda game the world had seen, and one that helped cement the Nintendo Switch as one of the most successful video game systems ever made. It led to the even more ambitious Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and will surely lay the groundwork for the next instalment of the Legend of Zelda franchise sure to arrive on Nintendo Switch 2 at some point, a system that likely wouldn’t even exist if not for the original having one of the greatest games of all time available on launch day.

So what was your favorite Nintendo launch game of all time? Did we miss anything you loved? Let us know in the comments below.

Nintendo Switch 2 requires a day one update to unlock major parts of the console's capabilities, including the ability to play Nintendo Switch 1 games.

The new console is finally available right now in parts of the world where it is already June 5, 2025, and Nintendo has made its launch day Switch 2 update available to download.

You'll need to download that update in order to play a huge swathe of games on Switch 2, including Switch 1 games, online-only games, Virtual Game Cards, and Switch 2 physical software on a Game-key cards that requires a download.

Nintendo fans had expected Switch 2 to require such an update, and early owners ahead of today had reported the console required a sizable patch in order to properly function.

Naturally, the vast majority of Switch 2 owners should have no problem downloading the update — but it's still something to be aware of if you're looking to get playing straight away.

Why is there an update? Well, it's likely that Nintendo was still fine-tuning its Switch 2 firmware when its launch-day consoles were being manufactured, some many months ago.

And, of course, Nintendo will have been keen to keep its console under wraps for as long as possible, even as some early machines popped up in the wild. Ensuring the Switch 2's day-one update was only available today limited early looks at gameplay and system features as much as possble.

Still, it's somewhat startling to see Nintendo's Switch 2 patch notes include mention that the console can now actually... play games.

Here are the full patch notes, from Nintendo's support website.

Nintendo Switch 2 Version 20.1.1

You can now take advantage of various features of the Nintendo Switch 2, including network functions:

• Use of Nintendo Switch software
• Nintendo Switch Online
• Game Chat
• Sharing News
• Transfer all
• Virtual Game Cards
• Nintendo eShop
• Game News
• Upload screenshots and videos to the server. (You will need the Nintendo Switch App to view screenshots and videos uploaded to the server)
• With some exceptions, using network functions requires linking to a Nintendo Account
• If you want to use Nintendo Switch 2 software provided with a key card, you will need to update the console.
• If you want to use a microSD Express card, you will need to update the device.

Nintendo said that this day-one update will be prompted for you to download when first setting up your Switch 2. Alternatively, if you try to use any function from the Switch 2's Home menu — such as the eShop — you will also be prompted to download the update.

Switch 2's key launch title Mario Kart World has also received an update today, which unlocks the ability to play online and also tweaks various settings, including the ability to play as more characters right from the start.

Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social

The Nintendo Switch 2 edition of the upcoming Pokémon Legends: Z-A can now be preordered for just £52.95 at Amazon, the lowest price we’ve seen from major UK retailers so far.

The Modern Family family really was, well, family. Rico Rodriguez, who was the show’s beloved son Manny for all 11 seasons of its run, recently revealed that he got “played” into doing various tasks by Sofia Vergara, who starred as his onscreen mom Gloria, during the show’s time on air.

"It was so funny because, like, I always would be with Sofia. And, you know, I mean, it's very well known how Sofia, she sometimes goes off the rails," Rodriguez referred to Vergara’s love of improv on his former costar Jesse Tyler Ferguson’s podcast Dinner’s On Me. "And so she would go off the rails and then she would go, 'Rico, what's my line?'"

Epic Games boss Tim Sweeney believes small teams will soon be able to use AI prompts to make video games on the scale of Nintendo masterpiece The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

Speaking to IGN at Epic’s State of Unreal 2025 event (where CD Projekt revealed a stunning The Witcher 4 tech demo), Sweeney said AI prompts will be “a fundamental part” of game engines, and will result in “entirely new genres of games invented that weren't possible or practical before” without it.

With streaming prices going up and movies and TV shows hopping from one service to another without warning, it's a good time to own your favorites on physical media. Whether it's to ensure you can always watch them regardless of what streaming services you subscribe to, or you just enjoy the act of collecting, it's good to know when the newest releases are coming out on 4K UHD and Blu-ray. You know, as long as you have a good way to play them (see our list of the best Blu-ray players for help on that front). Below, you'll find a full rundown of release dates and buy links for all the upcoming home releases you're likely to care about.

Biggest New and Upcoming 4K UHD and Blu-ray Releases

If you want a TL;DR of the biggest upcoming home movie and TV show releases, look no further than the list above. We keep it updated and change out the featured items regularly. Below, you'll find all the notable upcoming release sorted by release date.

June 2025 4K and Blu-ray Releases

The entire Jurassic dinosaur series (to date) is getting new 4K steelbook editions, divided into the Park trilogy and the World trilogy. Speaking of Spielberg, Jaws is getting a big 50th anniversary release, complete with a 4K steelbook that looks phenomenal. Also out this month are Longlegs, The Monkey, A Working Man, and Minecraft.

June 3

• Brazil (Criterion) - Buy It

June 10

• 007: James Bond - Sean Connery 6-Film Collection (4K) - Buy It
• Dan Da Dan: Season One - Steelbook | Standard
• The Dead Zone (4K) - Buy It
• Dexter: Original Sin - Buy It
• Drop - Buy It
• The Friend - Buy It
• Lord of Illusions - Buy It
• The Return of the Living Dead (4K Steelbook) - Buy It
• Swordfish - Buy It
• The Wiz (Criterion) - Buy It
• A Working Man - Buy It

June 17

• Jaws: 50th Anniverary Edition - Steelbook | Standard
• Jurassic Park Trilogy (4K) - Buy It
• Jurassic World Trilogy (4K) - Buy It
• Looney Tunes: Collector's Vault Vol. 1 - Buy It
• Murder, She Wrote: The Complete Series - Buy It
• Sabrina (4K) - Buy It

June 24

• Bring It On (4K) - Buy It
• Dark City (4K) - Buy It
• Doctor Who: The War Games in Colour - Buy It
• I Know What You Did Last Summer (4K) - Buy It
• JFK: Director's Cut (4K) - Buy It
• Lethal Weapon (4K) - Steelbook | Standard
• Longlegs - Buy It
• A Minecraft Movie - Steelbook | Standard
• The Monkey - Buy It
• Mouse Hunt (4K) - Buy It
• Novocain - Steelbook | Standard
• Palindromes - Buy It
• The Peacemaker (4K) - Buy It
• Road Trip (4K) - Buy It
• Snow White (2025) - Collector's Edition | Standard
• Sonic Prime: The Complete Series - Buy It
• St. Elmo's Fire: 40th Anniversary Edition - Buy It

July 2025 4K and Blu-ray Releases

July 1

• Primary Colors (4K) - Buy It

July 8

• Abigail - Buy It
• Barry Lyndon (Criterion 4K) - Buy It
• Clueless: 30th Anniversary Edition (4K) - Steelbook | Standard
• Fallout: Season One - Steelbook | Standard
• Grave of the Fireflies - Steelbook | Standard
• See: The Complete Series - Buy It
• Sinners - Buy It
• Until Dawn - Buy It

July 15

• Fury (4K) - Buy It
• RoboCop - Limited Edition Steelbook (4K) - Buy It
• Shane (4K) - Buy It
• Wallace & Gromit: The Complete Cracking Collection (4K) - Buy It

July 22

• Carnal Knowledge (Criterion, 4K) - Buy It
• Cobra (4K) - Buy It
• Madagascar (4K) - Buy It
• Rust - Buy It
• Serenity (4K) - Buy It
• Small Soldiers (4K) - Buy It
• Strangers with Candy - Buy It
• You Can Count on Me (Criterion, 4K) - Buy It

July 29

• Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (4K) - Steelbook | Standard
• Billy Madison (4K) - Buy It
• Chainsaw Man: Season One - Buy It
• Dirty Work (4K) - Buy It
• Enter the Void - Buy It
• The Golden Child (4K) - Buy It
• Jade (4K) - Buy It
• The Jet Li Collection - Buy It

August 2025 4K and Blu-ray Releases

August 5

• 1923: A Yellowstone Origin Story - Season Two - Buy It
• Better Off Dead (4K) - Buy It
• Sunset Boulevard (4K) - Buy It

August 12

• Sleepaway Camp II: Unhappy Campers (4K) - Buy It
• Sleepaway Camp III: Teenage Wasteland (4K) - Buy It
• The Strangers - Steelbook (4K) - Buy It

August 26

• The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (4K) - Buy It
• The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning (4K) - Buy It

September 2025 4K and Blu-ray Releases

September 23

• The Last of Us: Complete Second Season - Steelbook | Standard

September 30

• The Wes Anderson Archive: 10 Films, 25 Years (Criterion, 4K) - Buy It

November 2025 4K and Blu-ray Releases

• Rick and Morty: Season Eight - Buy It

TBA 4K and Blu-Ray Releases

• To Catch a Thief (4K) - Buy It
• Final Destination: Bloodlines - Buy It
• Final Destination 6-Film Collection - Buy It
• Flow (Criterion Collection) - Buy It
• Karate Kid: Legends - Buy It
• The Karate Kid Ultimate 6-Movie Collection - Buy It
• Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning - Standard | Steelbook
• Warfare - Buy It

Want more release dates? Check out our mega-post of all the biggest video game release dates to see what's coming to consoles and PC this year and beyond.

Best 4K TVs

If you're looking to buy a new TV that will make your 4K movies shine, you'll definitely want to take a look at our favorites. Our tech editors have selected the best 4K TVs for gaming, which will also work great for movie-watching. And since both the PS5 and Xbox Series X have 4K Blu-ray play-back built in, you'll probably be doing plenty of gaming on them as well.

LG C3 OLED Smart Gaming TV

The LG G4 is currently our top pick for a gaming TV, but the price on those refelcts their quality. Which is to say they're really expensive. If you want a deal on a terrific TV in a more reasonable price range, you might want to consider picking an LG C3, which costs significantly less for the same size TV. Get the one that best fits your needs and your budget.

Chris Reed is a commerce editor and deals expert at IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @_chrislreed.

Disney's live-action Snow White will be released on Disney+ on June 11, 2025, which is a little less than three months after its theatrical debut.

This remake of Snow White premiered in theaters on March 21 and was released digitally on May 13 following a $205.5 million global theatrical run. Per Variety, the reported budget of Snow White was "north of $250 million before marketing expenses," so it didn't quite reach the heights it needed to for Disney.

While Snow White opened higher than Mufasa ($35.4 million) at $42.2 million, the Lion King prequel ended up bringing in over $722 million worldwide. Snow White is also well below the Lilo & Stitch remake, which opened with $146.0 million and has already raked in $618.7 million globally.

In our Snow White review, we said, "The best Disney live-action remake in a decade (not that that’s a particularly high bar to clear), Snow White adapts the broad strokes of the 1937 original, while fleshing out its themes of kindness. Rachel Zegler crafts a remarkable, melodic version of the classic princess who leads with her heart, even if her CGI co-stars are difficult on the eyes."

On June 11, both versions of Snow White will be available on Disney+, and we encourage you to check out our story of how a century of Disney Magic began to learn the tale of how 1937's Snow White became Disney's first animated feature.

For more in the world of Disney, check out our rankings of the Disney live-action remakes, other upcoming Disney films, and all the details on Walt Disney World's Cool Kid Summer.

Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Adam Bankhurst is a writer for IGN. You can follow him on X/Twitter @AdamBankhurst, Instagram, and TikTok, and listen to his show, Talking Disney Magic.

Mario Kart World is now available to play if you have a Switch 2, and Nintendo has just pushed live a day one update for the game.

Version 1.1.0 unlocks online play and camera support, as had been expected. Up until now, even if you physically had a Switch 2 in your hands, the device was firmly locked offline.

But Nintendo has also used today's Mario Kart World update to make several tweaks to the game itself. Intriguingly, the patch unlocks a wider pool of characters for you to play from the off. Presumably, Nintendo had originally intended for more racers to require unlocking.

"We've increased the number of characters that can be selected from the start," a line of Nintendo's patch notes confirms.

Another tweak is that there had been a time limit for deciding on a course when playing in local multiplayer, as there presumably still will be when playing online. This has also been removed, as of today's patch.

One thing this Mario Kart World patch doesn't add is 200cc mode. Instead, it seems likely Nintendo will add the tougher difficulty option to the game post-launch, just as it did in Mario Kart 8.

Today's full patch notes lie below.

Mario Kart World Ver. 1.1.0 ［2025.6.5］

General

• Added support for "Camera Play.
  " *A USB camera (sold separately) is required for "Camera Play.
  " *You can choose to turn the camera on or off for "Everyone" and "Internet.
  " *When the camera is turned on, the player's face will be displayed during the race.
• You can now play "On the Internet."
• "LAN Play" is now available.
  * On the title screen, press the L stick while pressing the L and R buttons to switch from "Local Communication" to "LAN Play."
• You can now upload/download ghosts in Time Attack.
• In “Free Run” the icons of nearby players are now displayed.
• We've increased the number of characters that can be selected from the start.
• Improved operability when playing with three or more people in "Everyone."
• The time limit for deciding on a course has been removed when playing Locally or LAN.
• The update data version is now displayed on the title screen.

Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social

Marvel has released a new The Fantastic Four: First Steps trailer that shows baby Franklin Richards for the first time and finally sees THAT line fans have been waiting for.

Much of the trailer, designed to promote the release of ticket sales for the upcoming MCU movie, we’ve seen before. But we do get a shot of Reed Richards / Mister Fantastic and Sue Storm / Invisible Woman lying in bed with baby Franklin Richards in what is our first look at the character.

Why is this significant? In a recent interview with Empire Magazine, Vanessa Kirby, who plays Sue Storm, dropped an interesting tease that set tongues wagging within the MCU fandom: “It’s not just adults that have superpowers.”

Kirby’s Storm is pregnant in The Fantastic Four: First Steps, and the trailer confirms we see Franklin at least as a baby in the film. This is a huge deal for the MCU, as IGN has explored. As we said in April:

Anyone familiar with the Fantastic Four comics will know that this is a big deal for the team. Marvel Studios is about to introduce arguably the most powerful mutant in existence. And maybe his super-genius sister for good measure? Let’s take a closer look at why Sue’s pregnancy has major implications for the MCU and the Marvel movie multiverse.

Franklin is easily one of the most powerful beings in the Marvel Universe. He has the ability to warp reality and matter at will, a power that even allows him to create entire pocket dimensions out of nothing. This power also manifests in other ways, giving Franklin everything from telepathy and telekinesis to the ability to project his consciousness across the astral plane.

Essentially, Franklin is the one being on Earth whose power is so great it rivals that of cosmic entities like the Celestials and Galactus. And he’s destined to only grow more powerful with age. The FF have met multiple adult versions of Franklin from the future, suggesting that he’ll one day grow to become an immortal defender of the entire Marvel Universe.

So, with this in mind, could Franklin age fast in the film and eventually help The Fantastic Four fend off the might of Galactus? Does this all suggest the events of The Fantastic Four: First Steps occur over the course of a year or more? Kirby’s comment certainly suggests we’ll see the character demonstrate his powers to some degree.

The LEGO Krusty Burger set feels tailored to the "Adults Welcome" mantra that LEGO promotes. (It's available for purchase exclusively at the LEGO Store.) It pairs a straightforward construction process with a formidable end result – a fully furnished fast food restaurant, with numerous insider references to classic Simpsons episodes. It comes with seven minifigures: Homer Simpson, Bart Simpson, Lisa Simpson, Farmer Krusty the Clown, Sideshow Bob, the Squeaky Voiced Teen, and Officer Lou.

Think back on the dozens of landmarks and locations around Springfield, and ask yourself, "Which one of these is the most instantly recognizable?" The first one, obviously, is the Simpsons house. After that, it's Moe's Tavern. And after that, it's probably the Kwik-E-Mart. The Simpsons house and the Kwik-E-Mart already have LEGO sets. That leaves Moe's, but instead, LEGO went with Krusty Burger.

Maybe the designers didn't want to reintroduce the LEGO Simpsons line via Moe's degeneracy. But whereas Moe's has an established, iconic layout – we can picture the pool table, the back room, and even the placement of the stools and the love tester in our heads) – the Krusty Burger is less defined. Numerous episodes (as well as the movie) use the restaurant as a setting, but not in a way establishes the location as unique; its mundane, corporate ubiquity is sort of the point.

So LEGO designer Ann Healy used numerous Simpsons episodes, across the entire series, to create the most official, canon version of the restaurant possible. She went over all of the episodes in our exclusive interview with her, but the two main ones were “Coming to Homerica” (Season 20, Episode 21), and “I'm Spelling as Fast as I Can (Season 14, Episode 12).

You begin the set by building Homer's car decked out with Krusty decorations, as seen in "Homie the Clown" (Season 6, Episode 15). This is the type of deep-cut reference this set is rife with. Elsewhere, there's a poster of the Krusty Burglar, whom Homer nearly kills in the same episode for "stealing all the burgers." There's one last reference to "Homie the Clown" on one of the cash registers, which reads $6.15 – a reference to the season and episode number.

The other cash register reads $847.63, which is what Maggie scanned as during the original opening show sequence. This amount was, at the time, the per month cost of raising a child in the United States. There's assorted posters for Krusty promotional items, including one for the Ribwich and another for the Mother Nature Burger. The order sign near the drive-thru window calls for 700 Krusty Burgers, which references "Boy-Scoutz 'n the Hood" (Season 5, Episode 8), in which Krusty builds a Krusty Burger on an oil rig.

I love the Krusty Burger's layout. Of course, there is a well-rendered dining area – with a Krusty's Kidz Zone ball pit – where most of the show's scenes have taken place. But there's also a fully-realized employee area, with a cook and prep area (with a fryer station and a broken ice cream machine, an employee bathroom, and a drive-thru where the attendant can take orders and fill the soda cups. The prep station has Krusty Burgers stacked on it, and this is a wonderful example of LEGO's minimalist ethos – how they manage to convey an idea with the bare minimum of bricks.

Outside the restaurant, the drive-thru menu area, where you place your order, is around the corner from the drive-thru window area, where you pick up your food. It's a small detail. But it's nice that this set is more than a collection of references, and that it actually 'makes sense' from a practical, workflow standpoint.

The LEGO Krusty Burger is recommended for builders aged 18+, making it one of the many LEGO sets for adults. In the past, LEGO used age range to denote difficulty and complexity; i.e. "You should be at least this old to have the fine motor control, observational abilities, and fastidiousness to build such-and-such." And for many years, builder age and LEGO skill were commensurate, with no cognitive dissonance between the theming of a set and its underlying simplicity.

But then, LEGO began marketing to adults, many who hadn't played with LEGO since they were children. And now, there is a new audience to cater to, which requires something thematically mature but technically simple. I'm an 11th grade public school teacher, and educators deal with a similar scenario regarding ELL students. A 16-year-old English learner may require simple prose. But he also requires something age appropriate; we wouldn't send him to the kiddie section of the library.

That's why today, the 18+ designation is still used to denote difficulty, but it's also used to denote area of interest. The LEGO Krusty Burger is the perfect set for its intended Gen-X and Millennial audience – easy to assemble and detailed to the last brick.

The last time LEGO sold a full-fledged, minifigure scale Simpsons set was 10 years ago (the now-retired Simpsons house debuted in 2014, with the Kwik-E-Mart following in 2015). Perhaps the intervening decade has allowed LEGO to achieve the sort of mainstream, adult popularity to make LEGO Simpsons a regular, annual release, like how the LEGO Lord of the Rings sets have been in recent years. Certainly, we would love to see more. And please, do Moe's next!

LEGO The Simpsons: Krusty Burger, Set #10352, retails for $209.99, and it is composed of 1635 pieces. You can purchase it here.

Kevin Wong is a contributing freelancer for IGN, specializing in LEGO. He's also been published in Complex, Engadget, Gamespot, Kotaku, and more. Follow him on Twitter at @kevinjameswong.

We’re a little over four months into this new generation of graphics cards, and while we would usually be waiting more than a year for cards like the Radeon RX 9060 XT, we got this one three months after the flagship, which is a blistering pace. I mean, the RX 7600 XT, the 9060 XT’s direct predecessor, launched in January 2024, more than a year after the Radeon RX 7900 XTX that headlined that generation.

That does mean the 9060 XT is launching a little sooner than it would have in previous years, but it also means it comes less than two years after the card it’s replacing. That’s going to suck if you bought a 7600 XT thinking it was going to be current-gen for a couple years, but if you’ve been on the fence about upgrading, the 9060’s on-average 40% performance uplift over its predecessor rewards your patience a bit.

Unfortunately, like Nvidia did recently with its RTX 5060 Ti, Team Red is launching two versions of the Radeon RX 9060 XT, one with 16GB of VRAM for $349 and one with 8GB for $299. AMD only sent the 16GB model for review, but you should still avoid the 8GB version – games are becoming more dependent on VRAM every day.

Specs and Features

Both versions of the Radeon RX 9060 XT are built on the RDNA 4 graphics architecture, just like the incredible RX 9070 XT. Both versions of the 9060 XT are built on the same AMD GPU, with 32 Compute Units, making for a total of 2,048 Streaming Multiprocessors (SMs). The only major difference between the two cards is the memory budget, with one 16GB model and an 8GB version for $50 less.

This makes the RX 9060 XT a substantial step down from the 9070 XT, which features double the Compute Units, or even the 9070, with its 56 CUs. The Radeon RX 9060 XT does have the same amount of VRAM as these more powerful cards, but on a much smaller 128-bit memory bus. Compared to the 256-bit bus of Team Red’s pricier cards, you get half the memory bandwidth, at 320GB/s.

Compared to its predecessor, though, the AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT basically takes the same specs of the RX 7600 XT and moves them to a new graphics architecture, along with some faster memory. Both cards have 32 Compute Units with a total of 2,048 SMs and 16GB of VRAM on a 128-bit bus. However, the memory is clocked a bit faster on the new generation, at 20GB/s, compared to 18GB/s on the 7600 XT.

What’s confusing, though, is that AMD essentially has two power budgets listed in the specs it shared with me. There seems to be both a 160W ‘base’ version of the card, and a 180W version, presumably meant for factory-overclocked versions. The card I tested peaked at 182W in my testing suite, so I obviously got the latter. There likely isn’t a major difference between these two cards when it comes to performance, it’s just that clock speeds are obviously going to be higher in a graphics card with a higher power budget. This only accounted for around a 200MHz difference in my testing, which isn’t enough to make a meaningful impact to gaming performance.

Just like the 9070 cards, AMD is not selling its own reference version of the RX 9060 XT, but the Gigabyte RX 9060 XT Gaming OC 16G I was sent had no problem dealing with temperatures. Throughout my testing, the 9060 XT peaked at just 59°C, with a hot spot temperature of 86°C. That’s thanks to this card’s triple-fan design, which leaves plenty of room if you want to try your hand at overclocking this card.

Performance

While the AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT can totally play most games at 1440p, it really shines at 1080p, especially if you like to turn on all the spiffy graphics effects in modern games. On average, I found that the 9060 XT was about 41% faster than the RX 7600 XT at 1080p – not bad considering that card is just over a year old. What’s more interesting, though, is how well it compares with the more expensive RTX 5060 Ti.

I don’t have a RTX 5060 for testing yet, so comparing instead to the RTX 5060 Ti, Nvidia’s latest mid-range card was on average about 12% faster than the Radeon RX 9060 XT, despite being 19% more expensive. The performance difference does grow to 14% when I eliminate 1440p and synthetic performance, but you’re still getting a better deal with the AMD card, assuming prices hold up. They probably won’t, of course, but I can’t tell the future.

As with all of our graphics card reviews, all testing was done on the most recent driver, to make sure all data is up to date. That means Nvidia cards were tested on Game Ready Driver 576.52, AMD cards on Adrenalin 25.5.1, and the Intel Arc B580 was tested on Intel Graphics Driver 32.0.101.6874. The AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT itself was tested on a pre-release driver provided by AMD.

While it doesn’t exactly represent real-world gaming performance, 3DMark is usually the first test I run on a new graphics card, as it shows the potential I’m dealing with. The AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT got 2,995 points in Speed Way and 3,753 in Steel Nomad. These are both DirectX 12 tests, with and without ray tracing, respectively. And while the 9060 XT did fall behind the RTX 5060 Ti in Speed Way, it essentially broke even with the more expensive Nvidia card in Steel Nomad. The 9060 XT did so well in Steel Nomad, in fact, that it beat its last-generation counterpart by a whopping 60% at a similar price point – something I haven’t seen much of this generation.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is generally considered optimized for AMD hardware, so it shouldn’t be too surprising that AMD edges out a win against the RTX 5060 Ti here, even if it’s just a slight lead. Team Red’s latest is about 8% faster than the RTX 5060 Ti in this game at 1080p, averaging 202 fps with FSR 4 and DLSS set to ‘Quality’, respectively.

Cyberpunk 2077 is basically on the opposite side of the spectrum, and in my experience performs better on Nvidia’s GPUs. Even here, though, the Radeon RX 9060 XT managed 80 fps with the ‘Ray Tracing Ultra’ preset at 1080p, with FSR set to Quality. The RTX 5060 Ti was faster, for sure, but only by 10%, averaging 88 fps with the same settings, just with DLSS. This shows how far AMD has come, too, as the RX 7600 XT gets just 46 fps with the same settings – making for a 74% performance jump.

I like to test Metro Exodus: Enhanced Edition without upscaling, simply because the game only supports DLSS. And while I do think upscaling is necessary these days, I’m not going to enable it on Nvidia cards if I can’t apply similar settings on the competing cards. But even in this ray tracing-heavy game with no upscaling, the 9060 XT hits 59 fps at 1080p, which is just 9% short of the 5060 Ti’s 65 fps.

In Red Dead Redemption 2, the Radeon RX 9060 XT averages 105 fps with all the settings cranked, compared to 101 fps from the 5060 Ti and just 73 from the Radeon RX 7600 XT. The difference between Team Red and Green’s latest cards is within the margin of error here, but considering the price difference, that’s still a win in AMD’s favor.

Total War: Warhammer doesn’t support anything in the way of ray tracing or upscaling, so it gives a clear picture of pure rasterization performance, which is especially important if you play older games. In this game, the Radeon RX 9060 XT managed an average of 125 fps, compared to 154 from the 5060 Ti and 91 from the 7600 XT. That’s a 19% lead in favor of Nvidia.

What’s fun about Assassin’s Creed Shadows is that it’s so demanding, which is a far cry from how easy Mirage was to run, especially on AMD hardware. Shadows has become one of the most demanding benchmarks in my entire suite, and the 9060 XT manages just 45 fps on average at 1080p with all the settings maxed out. Nvidia isn’t too far ahead here either, getting just 51 fps at the same settings.

Black Myth Wukong is another incredibly demanding game that has ray tracing baked into it by default. Just like Assassin’s Creed Shadows, the Radeon RX 9060 XT scrapes by with 45 fps, compared to 57 from the 5060 Ti and 31 from the RX 7600 XT.

A Budget Card?

Whenever I talk about any graphics card launching this year, pricing is the elephant in the room. Because AMD is advertising a price of $349, which is totally reasonable for what the RX 9060 XT is. However, there is a very high possibility that the price is going to be much higher when it actually lands on store shelves. I just can’t possibly predict how much the price is going to move when the card actually launches a day after this writing.

It’s entirely possible that AMD is able to produce enough of these cards to keep the price relatively stable over the next few months. Unfortunately, I have no way of accurately predicting this one way or the other.

If the AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT stays available for around $349, it’s an incredible graphics card. It’s significantly faster than its last-generation counterpart and manages to stay within grasping distance of the more-expensive RTX 5060 Ti. But if the price rises by a hundred dollars? Well, it becomes a lot harder to recommend, and that’s without the 8GB model further complicating the matter.

My advice? Pay close attention to the store listing and make sure you’re getting what you pay for. The AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT has the potential to be an awesome mid-range GPU, just don’t pay too much for it.

Jackie Thomas is the Hardware and Buying Guides Editor at IGN and the PC components queen. You can follow her @Jackiecobra

A Switch 2 Edition for No Man's Sky will be available alongside the launch of Nintendo's new console, developer Hello Games has announced.

This version will come as a free upgrade for current No Man's Sky owners, and offer a range of improvements such as full multiplayer, high-res texture support, and improvements to resolution and frame-rate.

No Man's Sky on Switch 2 also offers cross-save and cross-play, so you can pick up exactly where you left off on Switch 1 — or elsewhere.

Hello Games has said the Switch 2 version of its successful sci-fi adventure survival game is the product of 12 month's work getting to grips with Nintendo's new hardware, after receiving development kits a year ago.

This new version arrives alongside (and, unsurprisingly, also contains) the latest big update for No Man's Sky, entitled Beacons. This overhauls settlements and adds town management to the game, with some surprising new features.

Alongside new homesteads to discover, you'll be able to become mayor of multiple locations. This will let you design hangout locations such as bars or fishing ponds, defend your towns from attack, and even get involved in the lives of your settlers, welcoming them in and helping them resolve disputes.

Beacons launches as a free update on all No Man's Sky platforms today, ahead of the game's Switch 2 version launching tomorrow, June 5.

Nintendo has a swathe of Switch 2 Editions also set to arrive tomorrow, although some of these will need paying for, while others (Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom) also come included with a Nintendo Switch Online subscription.

Today, Nintendo has released an array of updates to existing Switch 1 games in readiness for them to be played on Switch 2. For some, such as Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, this means improved visuals on when running on Nintendo's new console. For others, such as Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury, this includes support for GameShare sessions.

Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social

Mario Kart 8's souped-up 200cc difficulty isn't yet included within Switch 2 launch title Mario Kart World — but Nintendo has hinted at the possibility of its reappearance via a post-launch update.

Nintendo added 200cc mode to the Mario Kart series for the first time in Mario Kart 8, though it only turned up in a post-launch patch. Could Nintendo be planning to do the exact same thing for the series' follow-up? It seems very likely.

Speaking to Rolling Stone, Mario Kart World producer Kosuke Yabuki acknowledged that 200cc had been a popular addition to the series, but stopped short of confirming anything around its return — for now.

"Some players are really happy with the addition of high difficulty modes likes this," Kosuke teased. "However, does that mean we're going to consider adding engine sizes that are larger than 150cc to Mario Kart World? I'm afraid I can't say just yet."

It's not surprising that Nintendo has not included 200cc within Mario Kart World at launch. The mode's arrival at a later date allows the game's fans to learn courses and get used to playing at the standard 150cc (or lower, if you need) before the tougher challenge of 200cc arrives at a later date.

This will likely only be more of a consideration with Mario Kart World's multiplayer-friendly gameplay, in which groups of players are encouraged to team up and explore together, their GameChat open, and cameras switched on.

Presumably, whenever Mario Kart World's 200cc update does arrive, all players will need to be playing at the same level to explore the game's map together. It's therefore better, once again, to let players get to grips with 150cc first before things step up a gear, or engine size.

Mario Kart World launches this week alongside Nintendo Switch 2, and boasts a seamless map that can be explored at will. Just don't go into this offering expecting it to be like Forza Horizon, IGN has said. And in other important Mario Kart news, IGN asked Nintendo if the game's already-beloved Cow character is really eating beef.

Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social

The Witcher 4 tech demo offered a stunning look at what CD Projekt has insisted is just that: a tech demo. As IGN has reported, it is not representative of The Witcher 4 gameplay. But it’s hard not to look at the Unreal Engine 5 tech demo set within the world of The Witcher and wonder if it gives us a clear sense of what to expect from the game, which is still years from release.

The tech demo, captured on a PlayStation 5 and running at 60 frames per second, follows Ciri as she explores the never-before-seen region of Kovir in the midst of a monster contract (CD Projekt confirmed Kovir is a playable area in The Witcher 4).

There is an incredible amount of detail in the tech demo, with fluid animations on a level we have yet to see on the current generation of consoles. Ciri and her horse Kelpie have particularly impressive movement and interactions with each other, NPCs, and the game world as they make their way through the mountains of Kovir to the bustling port town of Valdrest. At one point in the demo, CD Projekt upped the NPC count in the market scene to 300 individually animated characters. The showcase ended with a first look at Lan Exeter, the winter capital and a major port city in Kovir.

CD Projekt, of course, knows what it’s like to set expectations for one of its upcoming video games and then miss them. Just look at the disastrous launch of Cyberpunk 2077 back in 2020, which the company spent years recovering from. So, there is an inevitable question for CD Projekt: is what we’ve seen in The Witcher 4 tech demo what The Witcher 4 will look like?

That’s a question we put to Kajetan Kapuściński, Cinematic Director at CD Projekt, at Epic’s State of Unreal 2025 event. His response was as vague as you’d expect from a developer working on a game that won’t be released until 2027 at the earliest, but he did say this: the tech demo "shows our ambition."

Here’s Kapuściński’s response in full:

“So what you've seen today is a tech demo that was powered by Unreal Engine 5, and that was a project that we worked on together with the Epic team. That was a demo that we crafted so both companies can work on some technology that will be powering Witcher 4 in the future.

“So it's not gameplay of The Witcher 4 per se. What you have seen shows our ambition, our cutting edge technology that we co-developed to make the game possible to be made. And it shows our artistic direction as well, and our, let's say, how we would like to approach some things.

“But everything you saw is subject to be changed. That is a snippet of what we have now. We wanted to show it to the public, we wanted to show what we worked on together. And now having these tools, having these possibilities, we are working with the game.”

In the same interview, we asked Wyeth Johnson, Senior Director, Product Strategy at Epic Games, if the tech demo’s performance (60fps with ray tracing on a base PS5) reflects what players can expect to play on a PS5 in a released product.

“Oh absolutely. We can't lie here," he replied. “The technology that we're making has to be directly relevant for what players expect and players across the entire hardware spectrum are asking for amazing 60 frame per second gameplay.”

60fps with ray tracing in a big open-world game like The Witcher 4 on base PS5 is beyond the performance we’ve come to expect from the current generation of consoles, but Johnson said working with CD Projekt on The Witcher 4 tech demo “allowed us to push very rapidly and aggressively towards far higher performance at incredible fidelity.”

This, clearly, is beyond what we’re expecting from the five-year-old PS5. Players have become conditioned to believe that if they're playing on a PlayStation or an Xbox and they want ray tracing, it’s 30 frames per second and that’s it. But Johnson insisted the console hardware “is incredible” and there’s more performance to be squeezed out of it.

“What you have to do is you have to be clever about how you take advantage of that hardware,” he said. “And I think if you were to summarize many of the things that we did, it's to take things that normally happen serially one after another and make them go wide, make them go parallel. Much more hardware capability is harnessed when you take that approach.

“When you look at things like our new Unreal animation framework and this fast geometry streaming, letting you move through the environment at whatever speed is desired, all of these things are there to go much more wide, and that enables you to unlock the hardware a little bit more easily. And these are intrinsic to Unreal Engine going forward.

“You have to take time to understand how you can unlock all these little amazing capabilities that were handed by the hardware manufacturers. You work with it and you find the areas, you find the bottlenecks and you optimize.

“It's somewhat remarkable; if you look at some of our more early demos, you're seeing two, three, 10x improvements in performance with very, very similar visuals, and that's just you're finding the edge cases, you're finding the ways to improve, and then you go right down to the bottom and make those intrinsic to what Unreal can do. Then amazing developers like CD Project Red get to then build on top of that.”

Expectation for The Witcher 4 is sky-high, and fans want to know exactly what to expect from the game right now. On this, Kapuściński kept his cards close to his chest. But he did offer a tease of sorts:

“If you analyze the flow of the demo, you can actually pick up some elements that can show the direction that we are heading to, and the possibilities that come with our cooperation and what we've achieved so far. So for example, looking at the forest, there's this vista bit when you can see a huge forest, which is now using Nanite foliage. The ability to render such amount of trees and foliage of such fidelity, that's something that unlocks new powers.

"And also the Unreal animation framework, the optimization that comes with the amount of NPCs, so moving characters that you can see in the screen space. We have another vista moment with the huge crowd, like over 300 animated actors there. And that's something we need, and that's something that if you connect some dots that shows the direction we want to go to.”

So, huge, highly detailed forests and huge, highly detailed crowds confirmed for The Witcher 4!

One of the big questions about The Witcher 4 is target launch platforms. With this tech demo on PS5, the suggestion is it will be a cross-gen game that also runs on the next-gen consoles (PS6 and the next-gen Xbox). But if it’s due out on current-gen, does that also mean it will be available on the underpowered Xbox Series S? It’s worth remembring that Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto VI is, as it stands, also due out on current-gen consoles including the Xbox Series S. So if GTA 6 is possible on Microsoft’s cheaper console, perhaps The Witcher 4 is, too.

CD Projekt has indicated The Witcher 4 won’t be out until 2027 at the earliest, so it may be some time before we find out.

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.

Surprise! Unknown Worlds has dropped a new 10-minute Q&A about all things Subnautica 2.

The video interview between community manager Donya Abramo and creative producer Scott MacDonald gives us few more details about what's coming up in the action survival game, including confirmation that we're going back to a silent protagonist. There was also an emphasis on assuring fans that rather than being a co-op game that lets you play solo, Unknown Worlds has specifically designed Subnautica 2 to be a single-player adventure with optional co-op (yes, there is a difference!).

As for just how big Subnautica 2 will be? "The playable map size will be bigger than what we originally launched in early access on the original Subnautica, and even Below Zero's early access release," said MacDonald. "But just how big and how deep you'll be able to go over the course of early access? We're not exactly sure yet. The entire world is being handcrafted by a talented team of world designers and environment artists, and they're pouring everything into the world right now.

"We're aiming for this to be the biggest and most exciting Subnautica game ever once we hit 1.0 in a few years' time."

Not everything is coming back bigger and better, though. Apparently, the Cyclops, Seamoth, and Sea Truck will not return, but new vehicles are being developed that are "designed in the same spirit, just more suited to the brand new environment they need to navigate."

"Though a big sub won't be ready for the start of early access, know that the team is hard at work behind the scenes crafting one," added Abramo.

While we're still no closer to a concrete release date, the team did confirm an early access period will launch later this year, and it's because of that early access period that the release is limited to PC and Xbox — there is no way of releasing an early access product on PlayStation as yet. There is sadly no VR support at this time, either.

Right now, there are no plans for proximity chat, but the option is "being investigated" by the development team. In the meantime, it's recommended you connect with your pals via Discord.

The new installment in the Subnautica series accommodates up to four players, taking them to an all-new planet, complete with new environments, flora, and fauna to discover. We still don't know when it's coming, but you'll be able to dive in sometime later in 2025 on PC and Xbox Series, including on Game Pass for top-tier subscribers.

We thought predecessor Subnautica was amazing, awarding it a 9.1, writing: "Subnautica's a survival game with focus and an excellent sci-fi story, but its greatest achievement is its underwater horror." The last game in the series, Subnautica: Below Zero, similarly scored an impressive nine out of ten in its IGN review.

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.