I found plenty of great deals to kick off the month of June. Pick up an inexpensive screen protector to protect your soon-to-arrive Nintendo Switch 2 console for under $5. If you're a PS5 gamer, the Sony Days of Play Sale is under way with some big discounts on DualSense controllers. That includes the striking Chroma series and even the pro-grade DualSense Edge. Also check out deals on power banks, a fast SSD for your PS5 or gaming console, big 14TB hard drive for local storage, Roku-ready and Dolby Atmos soundbar for under $100, and more.

Inexpensive TechMatte Switch 2 Cases and Screen Protectors

65" Panasonic W95 4K Mini-LED Fire TV for $597.99

Other sizes also on sale

Panasonic is back in the TV game, and this time it's focusing on only offering higher-end Mini-LED and OLED models. Amazon is offering big discounts on the Panasonic W95 series TVs, which feature Mini-LED technology and local dimming. In a Mini-LED panel, the LEDs are smaller and more numerous, which allows for finer control of brightness levels within the same scene. The W95 is also a great candidate for playing games on a PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X console because it's equipped with a native 144Hz panel that can run games in 4K at up to 144fps over HDMI 2.1.

Eric Song is the IGN commerce manager in charge of finding the best gaming and tech deals every day. When Eric isn't hunting for deals for other people at work, he's hunting for deals for himself during his free time.

One of the best budget laptop deals we found during the HP Memorial Day Sale is available for a little while longer. Right now, you can pick up an HP Omen 16 GeForce RTX 4060 Gaming Laptop for only $959.99 shipped ater you apply 20% off coupon "LEVELUP20" in your shopping cart. Nowadays it's getting harder to find a competent gaming laptop for under $1,000, but this laptop should serve you well with its Intel Core i7 CPU and RTX 4060 GPU.

HP OMEN 16 RTX 4060 Gaming Laptop for $959.99

Over the past few console generations with built-in storage, gamers were typically stuck with however much space that came with the console. With the PS5, Sony made a surprising move by including an internal M.2 PCIe slot to install an off-the-shelf SSD to supplement the internal storage. Given that this is the same company that paired the PS Vita and PSP with ludicrously expensive memory cards, this was a welcoming change of pace, especially given the paltry 825GB of storage you have to work with. Now you can install high-end PC SSDs like the Corsair MP600 Pro LPX, our No. 1 pick, to load even more games nearly as fast as the extra-special drive that's built into the console itself.

TL;DR - These Are the Best SSDs for PS5:

There are a few restrictions. First, you need a PCIe 4.0 or Gen 4 drive or better. This interface allows for SSD speeds up to 7,500MB/s, which is a huge improvement over the 3,500MB/s for Gen 3 M.2 SSDs. You're also going to need an M.2 drive. The actual physical size of the drive doesn't matter, with the PS5 having screw holes for every size of M.2 drive on the market right now. However, most of the time you're going to want to stick with an M.2 2280 drive – they're the most common M.2 drives on the market.

We also recommend getting an SSD with a built-in heatsink. There are size restrictions on the heatsink itself, it can't be taller than 11.25mm. Luckily, there really aren't many SSDs out there that won't fit. Your PS5 SSD needs a heatsink because PCIe 4.0 SSDs have a tendency to create a lot of heat when under load, and the little cubby where the SSD slot is located isn't exactly ideal for passive airflow over the drive itself. So, you'll need a heatsink just to make sure your drive doesn't overheat and throttle its performance. You can either get an SSD with a built-in heatsink, or get a seperate heatsink – either way will work just fine.

As for capacity, choose however much storage you think you'll need. Most people will probably be fine sticking with a 1TB drive to supplement their system. This will essentially double your available storage, and can store a ton of games, or at least allow you to install Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and, like, two other games. You can, of course, splurge for a giant 4TB drive and create a huge archive of games, just be aware that these capacious drives have a much higher price tag.

• If you're an Xbox owner, see our roundup of the best SSDs for Xbox Series X

Contributions by Danielle Abraham and Callum Bains

PS5 SSD Basics

A healthy amount of SSDs are available that pair perfectly with the PS5’s M.2 slot. Given there’s more competition in the space than even just a couple of years ago, you’ll find plenty of high-speed, low-cost drives for a sub-$100 price tag. If you’re looking to amp up storage, you’ll find the price of these drives rises exponentially; bigger drives, like the 8TB SSD from Western Digital, will run you well over $500.

You’ll want to ensure you install an NVMe PCIe 4.0 SSD with maximum dimensions of 110mm x 25mm x 11.25mm or 4.33" x 0.984" x 0.442", including the heatsink. Clearly, the PS5 has some cramped, shallow quarters, leading to high temps, rendering a heatsink necessary to prevent bottlenecking or damage to the drive. Luckily, most drives come with an optional heatsink, but if you need to venture out on your own to grab one, be sure it fits height requirements of under 8mm above the SSD or 2.45mm below.

Beyond size requirements, you'll need at least a PCIe 4.0 SSD, that can reach sequential read speeds of 5500MB/s or faster. Most SSDs will have a rated sequential read speed and write speed advertised, so you can get a pretty good idea of how fast it'll be by looking at the box. When you go to install a PS5 SSD, it will run the drive through its own speed test, which will tell you definitively if it's fast enough to run PS5 games. In my experience, this speed test peaks at around 6,500MB/s, so drives that are significantly faster than this aren't really worth getting for the PS5. These days, most PCIe 4.0 drives are rated for aroun 7,000–7,500MB/s, so you'll be spoiled for choice.

Another thing you're going to want to take a look at is the warranty of the drive. This is more than just marketing hype, most SSDs will be rated for an amount of time, usually five years, along with an endurance rating, measured in TBW. This stands for 'Terabytes Written' and measures how much data can theoretically be written to the drive over its lifespan before it fails. This doesn't mean that a drive rated for 700TBW will fail after you fill it 700 times, but instead that it should last at least until that point.

You'll also want to look at the type of NAND memory the SSD is built from. There are three types of NAND that are typically used: QLC, TLC and MLC. The main difference between the three are endurance, with QLC lasting the least amount of time, and MLC being the most durable. Of course, this will also affect the price of the drive, with QLC drives usually being the most affordable drives on the market, with MLC NAND typically found on the most expensive SSDs on the market, and are generally meant for creative professionals, rather than gamers. All of the drives on this list are using TLC NAND, which naturally falls somewhere in the middle.

Given the PS5 only offers 825GB of space and the PS5 Slim has 1TB, you’ll more than likely want and/or need more storage. Games like Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and Baldur’s Gate 3 take up well over 100GB each when installed, so your storage will fill up quickly. The M.2 expansion slot lets you add 250GB–8TB of speedy internal storage. 1TB seems to be the sweet spot between capacity and price, but if you’re looking to put your massive gaming library on one console, you’ll want even more space. Luckily, most mainstream PCIe 4.0 SSDs come in capacities up to 4TB, so you can really build up a library if you have the budget for it.

Beyond an internal SSD, which should be your preferred storage option, you can use an external hard drive. Some external SSD offerings hit relatively high speeds. You can’t run PS5 games on them. However, it will save you the hassle of redownloading larger games, and PS4 titles can be played right on the drive.

Looking for assistance in installing your PS5 SSD after puchase? Be sure to check out our guide on how to upgrade your PS5 storage. Luckily, you don't need to be hardware aficionado to figure it out.

1. Corsair MP600 Pro LPX

Best PS5 SSD

2. Crucial T500

Best Budget PS5 SSD

The Crucial T500 is the best-value SSD around, with nice performance bump from P5 Plus, which previously held this spot. For just over $100, it's a drive offering 1TB of storage with a heatsink attached – only $15 more than the non-heatsink model – and is perfectly sized to slot into the cramped quarters of the PS5. Not only does this drive double the storage on the console, but the hassle of finding and spending extra cash on an absolutely necessary heatsink that fits can be avoided.

Afraid of losing fast speeds with such a great-priced SSD? Don’t be, as the T500 keeps up with the best high-performance drives thanks to the Micron TLC 3D NAND flash memory – a solid step up from the QLC NAND seen in many budget SSDs. Max read speeds of up to 7,300 MB/s can be expected from the 1TB drive. Write speeds aren’t shabby either, hitting up to 6,800MB/S. So, everything from game boots and saves to transferring massive gameplay clips will be fast and seamless.

If 1TB doesn’t seem like enough storage, bumping up to the Crucial T500 2TB SSD sees a big increase in storage space and even faster speeds. The TBW rating is also doubled to 1,200 compared to the 1TB drive, though it still offers the same five-year warranty found on most SSDs. Unfortunately, a 4TB option isn’t available for the biggest game library.

3. Samsung 990 Evo Plus

Best PS5 SSD Without Heatsink

While you can spend a lot of cash on a PS5 SSD, I’ve always preferred drives that deliver excellent performance without a bloated price tag. That’s essentially what the Samsung 990 Evo Plus provides. It does have a lower endurance rating than the more expensive 990 Pro, but that’s not something you really have to worry about if you’re plugging an SSD into a console. Plus, the 2TB drive I tested is still rated for 1,200 TBW, which is more than most gamers will ever actually use.

What’s more important is speed. While the drive is rated for up to 7,250MB/s sequential read speeds, the PS5 storage test that runs when you install a new drive rated it at 6,137MB/s. That’s still more than fast enough for PS5 games to run on it, and in my testing, it loaded Metaphor: Refantazio in just 4.37 seconds, a bit faster than the native drive at 4.47 seconds. That’s just a 10ms difference in loading time, but hey, at least you know it’s not going to load your games slower, right?

One thing to keep in mind is that the Samsung 990 Evo Plus is a DRAM-less SSD, which means lower peak performance in pro workloads. However, while it does mean this drive has lower peak performance than it would with a dedicated DRAM cache built-in, the PS5 can’t take advantage of its full rated speed anyways, so it really doesn’t matter. What does matter, though, is Samsung doesn’t currently sell the Samsung 990 Evo Plus with a heatsink attached, which means you’re going to need to pair it with one of your own. Luckily, SSD heatsinks are generally just a few bucks on Amazon, and you could probably get away without one, too.

4. Samsung 9100 Pro

The Overkill PCIe 5.0 SSD for PS5

5. WD_Black P40

Best External SSD for PS5

PS5 SSD FAQ

Is an SSD worth it for PS5?

A good chunk of the PS5’s internal 825GB SSD is taken up by system files, leaving you with a little over 650GB of usable storage space. The PS5 Slim adds a bit more storage, and the PS5 Pro further increases the storage up to 2TB. If you dedicate yourself to only a few games at a time, those smaller storage amounts should probably be enough. But if you like having several games on the go, or are a fiend for live service games that tend to balloon in size as more updates and content packs are added, you’ll soon find yourself hitting the limits of the PS5’s storage. At that point, get yourself an SSD. It's one of the best PS5 accessories you can invest in.

What speed SSD should I get for PS5?

You’ll need an SSD that’s rated with a read speed of at least 5,500MB/s. In practice, it’s difficult not to find a PCIE 4.0 drive that ticks that box. The higher the speed the better, but keep in mind that the PS5 only really supports speeds up to 6,500MB/s. Getting a faster drive than that certainly won't hurt anything, but the system will bottleneck faster drives, especially PCIe 5.0 SSDs that can have read speeds that reach 14,700MB/s or more.

When is the best time to buy a PS5 SSD?

PS5 SSDs are a surprisingly expensive add on to any PS5 console purchase. Prices have dropped pretty signicantly over the years, but if you're hoping to save as much money as possible, there are a few different times that are best for buying an SSD. The first big one is Amazon Prime Day, which usually takes place in July every year. After that, Black Friday and Cyber Monday are an excellent time to find big discounts on PS5 SSDs online.

Are PCIe 5.0 SSDs worth it for the PS5?

Not really. The PS5 supports PCIe 4.0, and though PCIe 5.0 drives are backward compatible with PCIe 4.0 and PCIe 3.0, the console can’t take advantage of the full read and write speeds of the latest drives. That means it’s not worth the extra money, especially when you can often find PCIe 4.0 SSDs for far less.

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

Let's face it, we don't all have a $1,000+ to spend on a new laptop. If you're looking for a notebook that offers the best bang for your buck, I'm here to help. I've done the research and testing for you, so if you're looking for a quick decision you can feel confident in, this is the guide for you. These are the best budget laptops of 2025 so far.

TL;DR - The Best Budget Laptops at a Glance:

If you don't know where to look or what to look for, it's easy to assume you'll need to spend upwards of $1,000 to get a good laptop. While that might have been true in years past, it's simply no longer the case anymore. As long as you find a laptop that combines a good processor with enough memory and storage, like the Asus VivoBook S 15, my top pick, performance will likely be more than sufficient for work, school, or even web browsing and some entertainment.

In most cases, there are trade-offs you need to consider and balance against what you need from your laptop of choice. Often, this comes down to the quality of the screen or the build quality of the chassis. But even those aren't givens anymore. As technology has advanced, you can get more PC for less money as long as you know what to look for.

I have been reviewing PCs, laptops, components, and peripherals for more than a decade and regularly at IGN since 2019. I know the ins-and-outs of what makes a PC or notebook great, and what most benefits different types of users. If you're on the hunt but aren't sure what the best pick may be, fear not. I've got the right pick for you.

1. Asus Vivobook S 15

The Best Budget Laptop

When I first tried the Asus VivoBook S 15 at CES this year, the similarities to the more expensive ZenBook S 16 were hard to ignore. The spokesperson for the company confirmed as much to me, verifying that the VivoBook S 15 is intended to bring very similar levels of performance and features to a more affordable price point. Having now tested both myself, I can say with confidence that Asus succeeded wholeheartedly.

While $1,000 stretches the concept of budget, when you look at what you're actually getting here, that price point becomes all the more reasonable. It has a great screen, an ultra-portable, lightweight design, as well as powerful hardware to drive the experience. Simply put: This laptop competes with more expensive laptops at a fraction of the price.

Starting with the form factor, the S 15 drops the cerealuminum lid of the ZenBook series and instead goes for a more traditional metallic finish. It looks more traditional, but still feels robust and well-made. Other qualities, like its great keyboard, generous connectivity options (for an Ultrabook), and ultraportability remain the same.

At 3.13lbs and 0.63 inches at its thickest point, this is a laptop made to be carried through the day. When I tested it, I wouldn't have guessed I was carrying a laptop if I hadn't packed it away myself. It doesn't take up unnecessary space and never once left my shoulder sore at the end of the day.

The screen is one of the best available at and below the $1,000 price point. Asus opted for an OLED display that runs at a fast 120Hz refresh rate. Scrolling webpages and spreadsheets, and even streaming games, feels more fluid and natural than most others available at a budget. And because it's OLED, the HDR experience is exceptional, even without being able to hit a full 1,000 nits of peak brightness.

Just as importantly, the hardware driving the experience is top-notch. It comes ready with 16GB of LPDDR5X memory and a fast 512GB SSD. If you work with large files, you'll want to invest in an external hard drive or cloud storage. But for normal work and school, it's enough to last a good long time.

The biggest change with this release comes with the processor. Instead of opting for an AMD or Intel CPU, the VivoBook S15 uses a Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus X1P processor. This chip is built on a different architecture known as ARM, which has been prominent in mobile phones, smartphones, and tablets until now.

If you're worried about performance, you can lay those fears to the side. The Snapdragon X Plus is fast and well-suited to productivity and even creative applications. And thanks to the efficiency of its Snapdragon processor, it's able to offer excellent battery life of 15+ hours of regular use.

Because of its different architecture, however, support for every app is not a given. I recommend checking the Windows on ARM website and referencing its updated compatibility list to be sure that applications you use are fully supported. That said, just about every major application for productivity and student use, as well as day-to-day computing, is supported thanks to emulation. Gaming, however, just doesn't work well. So if you want to play some games in your downtime, you'll need to look toward streaming services.

Still, for a budget laptop, the Asus VivoBook S 15 offers so much that even at $1,000, it feels like a darn good value. You won't regret picking this up if you want a responsive and reliable computing experience anywhere you need it.

2. Lenovo IdeaPad 5X

The Best 2-in-1 Budget Laptop

Looking to combine your laptop and tablet experiences into a single device? Look no further than the Lenovo IdeaPad 5X. I've personally seen this one on sale for as low as $550, but even at its normal MSRP (around $850, but is frequently priced less), it's a great value and well worth considering.

There's no shortage of 2-in-1 laptops at budget prices, but I'm going to let you in on a little secret: Many of those 2-in-1 laptops aren't very good. That's because hitting budget price points while offering the advanced hinges and displays that allow for a great 2-in-1 experience just isn't easy to pull off. Something's got to give, and too often it's the performance of the PC itself.

And that's exactly why I was so pleasantly surprised when I tested the IdeaPad 5X. It's driven by the Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus X1P, like my top pick for this list, and 16GB of DDR5 memory. This combination alone is enough to ensure that Windows 11 runs smoothly, even when you are multitasking with multiple tabs and applications at one time. I personally spent many hours bouncing between browser windows, Adobe Acrobat, Photoshop, and Google Docs, with nary a slowdown. That's just not something I can say for most other 2-in-1s around the 5X's price point.

In addition, it also comes with an OLED touchscreen. That's a particular high point and allows its display to be much more vibrant and to offer wider dynamic range, thanks to its per-pixel brightness adjustment.

Now, there are some sacrifices to keep in mind. First off, the IdeaPad 5X really doesn't concern itself with being the thinnest and lightest 2-in-1 you can find. It's essentially the same thickness as a normal laptop, but the screen flips backwards so you can write on it or carry it like a tablet. The overarching design is run-of-the-mill, so no one is going to confuse your system with the latest MacBook anytime soon (though it looks perfectly fine, akin to any other productivity laptop).

Also, if you're planning on using it for presentations, you should be aware that the speakers aren't very good, so I would invest in a larger Bluetooth speaker for the best experience.

But for its low cost, what you're getting is a true hybrid between a tablet and a laptop with above-average screen performance and battery life that runs anywhere between 13 and 16 hours based on my testing. That's a steal, and its benefits are easy to notice, even if you're not well-versed in tech.

3. HP OmniBook 5 16-Inch Next Gen AI PC

Best Budget Laptop for Work and Productivity

The HP OmniBook 5 offers a lot if you're in need of a new laptop for the office or productivity in general. It made my top spot for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that it includes a full number pad – something you often need to look toward larger laptops to find – for dialing in those numbers. It's also slightly more spacious than a typical mid-sized laptop, while still being very thin and lightweight enough to easily carry throughout your workday.

A great laptop for work really needs to nail the fundamentals. Even the screen itself is conducive to work thanks to its 16:10 aspect ratio, which allows for more vertical space, perfect for reading, writing, and taking in large amounts of data. Now, it's not an OLED and only runs at 60Hz, but since you're not looking at this for gaming, those aren't the most meaningful drawbacks (even though I would love to see the OmniBook 5 with an OLED option around the same price).

It offers plenty of memory and storage, too, with 16GB of DDR5 memory pre-installed into a 512GB NVMe SSD. You'll be able to multitask and store files with ease. Depending on your work, an external hard drive or cloud storage solution may come into play at some point in the future, but for a good while, most people will find that it offers ample performance and storage capabilities.

We live in the age of AI, and that's another reason why the OmniBook 5 is a good choice for work. It features an AMD Ryzen AI 5 340 processor. If you have begun or contemplated using AI to get more efficient in your workday, this processor can be an especially useful choice.

A bigger screen and wider keyboard run the risk of weighing the whole laptop down, but HP clearly put a lot of effort into keeping the OmniBook 5 as thin and lightweight as possible. Weighing in at only 3.97lbs and measuring 0.7 inches thick, it's highly portable and a perfect workplace companion.

4. Acer Aspire 14 AI

Best Budget Laptop for Students

5. Apple MacBook Air M4 (Early 2025)

Best Budget Laptop for Creatives

Apple's MacBook lineup needs no introduction. It's one of the most well-known and well-loved laptops ever made, and for good reason. This year's MacBook Air features the company's new M4 processor to deliver the best performance of any MacBook Air to date in the series' classic, minimalist, and completely silent style.

While I didn't review this one personally, our very own Jackie Thomas did and praised its refinement of the classic MacBook Air traits. Its metal design feels as robust as ever, and at only 2.7lbs, it can be carried through the day with nary a hindrance.

Featuring a metal frame has the benefit of making the laptop feel more premium (amongst a number of other qualities), but it's also an important element to its design. The MacBook Air is completely fanless, which means it's also completely silent and has a seamless appearance that's unbroken by vents. While every other laptop on this list is audible at some point or another, the Air's constant silence gives it a unique identity that's easy to fall in love with.

Apple's new M4 chip is also high performance, though you shouldn't expect MacBook Pro levels of speed here. Still, the system is snappy under pressure and is more than up to the task for creative work like photo and video editing. And because of Apple's long history among creative professionals, there are a number of applications only available on macOS (Logic Pro is a personal favorite).

When it's not on sale, the base model MacBook Air with the M4 chip retails for $1,000. It's certainly not cheap, but within Apple's lineup, it does manage to be relatively affordable. This version only gets you 256GB of storage, however, which feels criminally low. Upgrading that to 512GB will set you back an additional $200.

Apple also offers a number of other upgrades, including a 10-core version of the M4 chip, up to 32GB of memory, and, if that single step to 512GB isn't enough, up to 2TB of storage. You can opt for higher-performance 35W or 70W power adapter upgrades for faster charging, and even pick up licenses for popular creative apps, Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro, right at checkout. All of these upgrades come at an additional cost that rapidly pushes it out of anything resembling budget.

If you've followed Apple for any length of time, this shouldn't surprise you, but is certainly worth bearing in mind. Still, for creative applications, an entry point of $1,000 is great to see and is an on-ramp that creatives should certainly consider.

6. MSI Thin AI 15

Best Budget Gaming Laptop

Gamers, rejoice! The MSI Thin A15 is a sub-$1,000 gaming laptop with solid specs to deliver a great gaming experience. It's not what I would consider thin and isn't quiet when running demanding games, but for this price, it's simply one of the best values in affordable gaming laptops out there. Bonus points: For students studying game design or digital arts, this is a great way to fill your course laptop requirements without taking out a separate loan.

With this machine, MSI obviously put performance first. It comes with a high-spec AMD Ryzen 9 8945HS processor. It's an 8-core, 16-thread beast that's able to achieve a peak clock speed of 5.2GHz. In real-world terms, this processor is a perfect choice for heavyweight applications, multitasking, and earning higher fps in games thanks to that clock speed.

The processor is only half of the equation. The other half is its dedicated Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 graphics card. While many laptops around this price come with older generations of cards or tap out with an RTX 4050, the MSI Thin A15 takes it that one step further for higher frame rates in games and extra performance-enhancing gaming features. Add in its 16GB of DDR5 memory and large 1TB SSD, and you have an impressive collection of hardware that's more than capable of driving games at medium to high settings.

Opting for the RTX 40-series also means that you'll be able to take advantage of Nvidia's AI-enhanced Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS) upscaling technology and frame generation. DLSS by itself can offer major improvements to in-game frame rates. Frame generation takes that a step further by using the graphics card's neural engine to create frames all on its own, pushing that frame rate even higher. Should you not want these features, they are also completely optional and can be turned off at any point.

Pushing high frame rates is especially important on this laptop, however, because it comes equipped with a 15.6-inch 1920x1080 144Hz display. While the RTX 4060 usually wouldn't be able to drive games to 144Hz outside of esports, DLSS and frame generation make it a real possibility without needing to turn down the resolution or settings. This results in smoother gameplay, improved motion clarity, and better responsiveness within games.

In pushing performance as much as it has, MSI did need to leave some other qualities on the table. As I mentioned earlier, it's not the thinnest laptop, and when it's loading games, it can definitely get a bit noisy. It's not a machine you'll want to use in a quiet library if you're trying to sneak in a match of Call of Duty between classes. It also tends to run a bit hot, so I suggest pairing it with a laptop cooling pad. Even so, the level of performance you're getting here is impressive and well worth investing in if you're a gamer that wants to keep a reasonable budget for their PC gaming hobby.

How to Choose the Best Budget Laptop in 2025

If you're not already well-versed in the world of computers, shopping for a new laptop can be a confusing experience. There are definitely key things to look for and some things to look out for that are even more important when you're on a limited budget. These are the things to consider when shopping for one of the best budget laptops.

• Display: Your laptop's display, or screen, is one of its most critical qualities. A great screen can elevate your user experience, while a poor one can leave you squinting or wondering why the brightness won't go higher. At affordable prices, you will typically be looking at IPS displays, though there are some OLED models which can offer improved visuals. After you settle on the size you want, these are some things to look for in the display.
  • Resolution: Resolution refers to how many pixels make up the screen itself. Full HD, or FHD, is 1920x1080 pixels (though you will sometimes find this at 1920x1200 if the laptop uses a boxier 16:10 aspect ratio). As long as you aren't planning on running games, it's safe to look to higher resolutions if it fits your budget. A higher resolution is harder to run, but outside of gaming, you won't notice a big difference and will be able to enjoy crisper picture quality.
  • Refresh rate: Refresh rate is how many times the screen flashes its picture per second. The average laptop will run at 60Hz, or 60 times per second. Higher-end screens will increase this. In the affordable space, it is typically around 120Hz to 144Hz, especially if you're looking at a budget gaming laptop. Higher refresh rates result in smoother motion, which is beneficial for scrolling web pages and spreadsheets, but offers the most benefit by smoothing out motion in video games.
  • Brightness: The brightness of a laptop screen is measured in candela per meter squared (cd/m²) or nits. Outside of specialized laptops, like those designed for high-end gaming, brightness of around 500 nits is considered great. For budget laptops, I recommend trying to find a pick that offers at least 300 nits for indoor use. While some come with 250 nit ratings and are still usable, they have a tendency to look a bit dull.
• Processor: A laptop's processor is its main component and, in combination with the RAM, dictates how responsive the laptop feels to use. There are two mainstay brands to choose from, Intel or AMD, as well as a "new" entrant, Qualcomm, with its Snapdragon line. Though newer to the PC space, it has been an industry leader in the smartphone and tablet space for a number of years. For Intel and AMD, avoid laptops with less than 6 cores and opt for those with 8 or more if possible. This will help to ensure that whatever laptop you choose is able to deliver the satisfyingly fast experience you expect.
• Memory: You can think of your computer's memory, also called RAM, in a similar way to a human's working memory. It's how much it can hold for rapid access and is directly related to how responsive your computer feels to use, especially when you have multiple things open at once. If it's too limited in capacity, your computer will slow down or even freeze. Choose a laptop that has at least 16GB for day-to-day productivity use. For gaming or heavier workloads like video editing, you can choose a laptop with higher capacity, but this often comes at a significantly higher cost.
• Storage: Storage is how much data your computer can hold. It is measured in gigabytes (GB) and terabytes (TB, roughly 1,000GB). Many affordable laptops come with 512GB storage capacities, which should be enough for the majority of users that aren't storing masses of large files like high-resolution photos and videos. Some budget laptops still come with 256GB or less, and if you plan to store your files mainly in the cloud, this 256GB may even be enough. It is considered quite limited by modern standards, however, so I always suggest making 512GB your minimum unless you know you don't need that much.
• Graphics: A laptop's graphics are responsible for everything you see on its screen. They're available in two forms: integrated and dedicated (also called discrete). Integrated graphics are built into the processor and help to extend battery life. For day-to-day use, including productivity, web browsing, and other less graphically intensive tasks, it's a good solution. If you plan on gaming or taking on heavier tasks like video editing or rendering 3D models, you would be better served with a discrete graphics card. Note that this often results in a significantly higher price and a bigger, heavier laptop.
• Portability: The final, but no less important, consideration is how portable the laptop is. While technically all laptops are portable, thinner and lighter laptops are easier to carry throughout the day. A five-pound gaming laptop might not look like much on paper, but if you're going to be carrying it around for extended periods of time, every ounce counts. Thankfully, affordable laptops are widely available in very thin and light form factors.

Budget Laptop FAQ

How long do budget laptops last?

Compared to desktop computers, all laptops typically have a shorter lifespan. A great laptop might last five or six years if it's purchased with high-end specs at the time. Since budget laptops usually fall in the lower tiers of performance, it stands to reason that they will have a shorter usable life. That said, it depends on what you're using it for and how well it's treated. A well-cared-for laptop that's only being used for basic productivity and web browsing can last a very long time with proper care. In general, you should plan on upgrading your budget laptop in around three years.

Do budget laptops perform well?

For many years, the words "budget" and "laptop" added up to equal sluggish performance. That's not necessarily the case anymore as notebook components have advanced. In fact, for basic productivity use, you may not even notice much of a difference between an affordable laptop and one that costs hundreds of dollars more. The differences more frequently shine through when you're looking at heavier workloads like gaming and extensive multitasking where slowdowns might occur. Pricier laptops often include more luxury features like OLED screens or customizable RGB keyboards and usually have higher performance hardware.

For the average user that's browsing the web, working on productivity tasks, or doing other comparatively "lightweight" work, those higher performance and cost components usually won't make a big difference anyway and are the first place I look to scale back for shoppers on a budget.

Are budget laptops worth it?

More than ever before. Because of the above, the fact that laptop components have advanced so much that they can perform quite well for the average user, there's less to sacrifice than in years past. If you want the most stylish, thin, light, and highest performance designs, you'll still need to look into pricier models. But if what you're looking for is a smooth computing experience for day-to-day use, productivity, light artwork, or even streaming movies and games, a budget laptop can be an excellent choice... when you find the right model for your needs.

Christopher Coke has been a regular contributor to IGN since 2019 and has been covering games and technology since 2013. He has covered tech ranging from gaming controllers to graphics cards, gaming chairs and gaming monitors, headphones, IEMs, and more for sites such as MMORPG.com, Tom’s Hardware, Popular Science, USA Today’s Reviewed, and Popular Mechanics. Find Chris on Twitter @gamebynight.

Zynga has officially shuttered Echtra Games, the development studio behind Torchlight 3, which had been working on an unannounced cross-platform ARPG in the four years since its acquisition.

IGN can confirm the San Francisco-based studio will be shut down by the end of the month. While we don't have an exact number of individuals impacted, LinkedIn has 61 people who list their current job at the studio.

Zynga has provided the following statement to IGN:

Zynga has made the difficult decision to cease operations at its Echtra studio, ending development on future titles and reducing roles. This decision is part of a strategic realignment of the company's resources and priorities. We will work closely with impacted employees so they are treated with the utmost respect and consideration as we navigate this difficult process.

Echtra Games was founded by Max Schaefer, one of the co-founders of Torchlight developer Runic Games, and formerly a co-founder of Blizzard North and co-creator of Diablo. Schaefer left Runic after his fellow co-founders similarly departed the studio, and founded Echtra under investor Perfect World to work on a Torchlight MMO. Over time, the game's vision shifted, eventually becoming Torchlight Frontiers and later Torchlight 3. In 2021, Echtra Games was acquired by Zynga, leaving Torchlight 3 in the hands of Perfect World and starting work on "a new, yet to be announced RPG for cross-platform play" alongside CSR Racing and Star Wars: Hunters developer NaturalMotion.

Unfortunately, Echtra Games' RPG was never announced or shown. It is unclear precisely why Echtra was shuttered, though its closure comes just three months after Zynga announced it will shut down NaturalMotion-developed Star Wars: Hunters later this year — a decision that was itself announced just nine months after the game launched. Notably, Zynga is a subsidiary of Grand Theft Auto publisher Take-Two Interactive, which slowly dismantled and then sold off its Private Division publishing label earlier this year. The publisher also laid off around 5% of its workforce just over a year ago and canceled multiple projects.

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.

It’s June, which means a new batch of LEGO sets is available for one and all. This happens to be a stacked month for LEGO fans, with new sets ranging from The Simpsons to Bluey to Disney to Fortnite. There’s a lot of ground to cover this month, so let’s get right down to it.

Featured in this article

No time for blurbs? Scroll through this bad boy and you'll see our picks for the best new sets for June 2025.

LEGO Ideas Disney Pixar Luxo Jr. Lamp

The Simpsons: Krusty Burger Is Available Now (for Insiders)

New LEGO Book Nooks Are Available

New LEGO Fortnite Sets

New LEGO Disney Sets

New LEGO Harry Potter Sets

New LEGO Minecraft Sets

New LEGO Star Wars Sets

New LEGO Jurassic World Rebirth Sets

Minifigure Vending Machine Is Out June 4

More New Sets for June 2025

The question of whether or not Cillian Murphy would return as Jim, his 28 Days Later character (and survivor!), in the third film in the series, 28 Years Later, has bounced around online quite a bit, particularly since the film's trailer last December revealed an "infected" character who some folks thought was played by Murphy.

It turned out that wasn't Jim at all, and in January one of the film's producers, Andrew Macdonald, confirmed to EW that Murphy, who is serving as an executive producer on 28 Years Later, would not return to the series in an onscreen capacity... yet. But now director Danny Boyle has outlined the plan for IGN regarding Jim, Cillian, and the new series of films that starts with 28 Years Later.

"Well, it's three films, a trilogy of films which have connecting characters," he says, adding that Spike, the 12-year-old boy played by Alfie Williams in 28 Years Later, is central to the new story. "He will run right way through the films. We've shot the first two back-to-back, and that was for logistical reasons, actor availability reasons, and for story reasons as well. They're literally continuous."

The second film in this new trilogy is 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, which was directed by Candyman and The Marvels' Nia DaCosta and produced by Boyle and Alex Garland, who has written each film in the series so far (aside from 2007's 28 Weeks Later). The Bone Temple is scheduled for release on January 16, 2026, so just seven months after 28 Years Later.

"There's a coder... it's not a coder, it's the epilogue or an end theme at the end of the first film [28 Years Later] that gives you a handover to the second film," explains Boyle. "Although each story completes itself, there's a handover section to the next film as well. So it's very ambitious. We haven't got the money for the third one yet. It will depend how the first one does, I guess. But hopefully if we do ok, they'll give us the go-ahead for the money and for the third one. Everybody's standing by for that, really. Including Cillian."

So Murphy would be in the third film of the current cycle (the sequel to The Bone Temple) if and when that happens. But Boyle also confirms that the Oscar winner is in The Bone Temple as well, though it remains to be seen how much he's in it.

"He is in the second one," says Boyle before smiling. "I shouldn't give away too much. I'll get killed."

As for whether or not he'd come back to direct the third movie, Boyle says "100%."

"I would love to, yes. God willing, etc., your health maintaining and all that kind of stuff," he laughs. "But also it depends how the first film does. You might not want me to. You never know. You've got to realize that there are plenty of alternatives."

Ultimately Boyle wants the series to keep pushing the boundaries of the genre that 28 Days Later did 23 years ago.

IGN Live is less than a week away and is on track to be a truly epic fan event. Featuring exclusive reveals, unique panels, hot new games, and one-of-a-kind fan screenings, IGN Live will be a huge celebration of gaming and entertainment for audiences of all ages.

But there’s more. Much, much more. Not only will IGN Live 2025 showcase some of the biggest celebrities, coolest games, and most anticipated sneak peeks of the summer, but we’re handing more than twice the prizes and giveaways as last year to in-person attendees. That’s right, ticket holders to this year’s event will have the chance to take home more than 20,000 freebies featuring everything from t-shirts and exclusive collectibles to gaming peripherals and even consoles and gaming PCs.

Highlights include an Xbox Series S console with 3 months of Game Pass, Playdate, handhelds, exclusive collectibles from Jazwares, McFarlane, SEGA, WizKids, Bandai Namco, Capcom, and Funko, limited edition Starfield headsets and controllers, and much more.

Tickets are still on sale, so be sure to get yours now and check out the event June 7-8 at the Magic Box in Los Angeles for your chance to take home some epic SWAG.

Here are just some of the more than 20,000 giveaways you could snag at IGN Live this year:

• Xbox Series S including a 3 month Game Pass subscription
• Intel Gaming PCs
• Nintendo Switch 2s
• Limited edition Starfield controllers
• Limited edition Starfield headsets
• Limited edition Forza Horizon 5 controllers
• Xbox x North Face backpacks
• Envision Pro & Reflex FPS controllers
• Playdate handhelds
• An exclusive Sonic the Hedgehog statue
• Death Stranding 2 SWAG
• WizKids exclusive figurines
• Yeti tumblers, koozies and stickers from Polar Beverages
• Funko POPs featuring fan-favorite characters and IPs
• Street Fighter Figurines
• Tekken 8 Jackets and Hats
• Mumba grips, chargers, and carrying cases,
• Arcade 1-Up deluxe arcade machines
• Lexar SSDs
• AGON by AOC monitors
• PureArts exclusive Assassin’s Creed Shadows and Cyberpunk 2077 collectibles
• McFarlane exclusive Batman replica cowls
• Turtle Beach Wireless headsets and controllers
• More than 250 free game codes from studios like 2K and Capcom
• Gwent: The Legendary Card Game Deluxe Edition
• Magic: The Gathering cards
• Daggerheart starter kits
• Cool giveaways from Lovesac
• Exclusive Alien: Earth pins from FX
• Tons of t-shirts, hats, and more from the IGN Store
• And tons more!

The Alienware 18 Area-51, Alienware's new for 2025 flagship gaming laptop, is currently on sale. You can pick up a stacked configuration featuring an Intel Core Ultra 9 HX processor and Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080 mobile graphics for $3,150 with free shipping. This replaces the m18 as the most powerful and feature-rich laptop in Alienware's arsenal and brings to the table a host of upgrades including a sleeker redesign, current generation components, and better cooling potential.

Alienware 18 Area-51 Gaming Laptop Starting at $3,149.99

If you're shopping for a large amount of inexpensive local storage, this is one of the best deals available right now. For a limited time, Amazon is offering the WD Elements 14TB USB 3.0 Desktop Hard Drive for $199.99 with free shipping. That averages out to just $14.29 per TB of storage. This hard drive is sold and shipped by Amazon, not a marketplace vendor.

WD Elements 14TB External Hard Drive for $199.99

It’s hard to know where to start with “The Reality War,” a finale so bloated and scatterbrained it feels like it’s held together with spit, tape, and a vague memory of decent television from 20 years ago. It lurches from one half-formed idea to the next, villains are discarded like empty props, the emotional payoffs land with all the weight of a soft breeze, and the story builds to a regeneration that feels less like a triumphant handover and more like a disconcerting shrug.

If there’s one real flicker of life buried beneath the chaos, it’s Jodie Whittaker. Her brief return as the 13th Doctor is effortlessly charming, a reminder of the presence and heart she brought to the role, even when the material didn’t rise to meet her. In just a few minutes, she brings more clarity and personality than much of the episode manages with its actual lead. That contrast stings. Ncuti Gatwa has the charisma and range to define a whole era of Doctor Who, but across the show’s latest short season, he’s been handed little more than fragments to work with, despite there still being plenty of bright sparks along the way. Here, he’s shuffled off with all the ceremony of an underwhelming CW character written out mid-season. For an actor as good as Gatwa, it’s hard not to see it as a total waste.

And yes, it all comes down to that regeneration. A clumsy, hand-waved transformation that sees a return of series star Billie Piper, awkwardly composited into frame wearing a remarkably bad wig and playing like a muddled teaser that wandered in from the early 2000s. While it seems unlikely that Piper really is the 16th Doctor – it feels like her cameo is a hastily thrown-together pause button while the future of Doctor Who gets quietly reshuffled – that doesn’t make it feel any less hollow. This isn’t the only big swing that lands like an afterthought in the finale, either. Omega finally turns up after being teased last week, only to look like a PS3 end boss and get obliterated before he can finish a few sentences. The Rani, whose return had heaps of potential, is even more squadered here than in “Wish World” and erased with the same casual indifference. Belinda, once one of this era’s more promising new additions, is shoved into a literal containment box and rewritten as a one-note protective mother, completely out of nowhere. It's not just lazy, it’s a borderline insulting mistreatment of the show’s characters… again! And it’s not because the ideas are inherently awful, but because they’re so painfully rushed, flattened, and treated with so little conviction.

And hiding behind all that noise is something worse: the creeping sense that Doctor Who doesn’t know what it wants to be anymore. The big blue laser climax, the over-designed CGI villains, the endless cameos and callbacks, they’re all straining to be something. Maybe it’s Marvel. Maybe it’s Star Wars. But it’s not Doctor Who. This was a show that once wore its wobbly sets and rubber masks like a badge of honour. It didn’t need scale to have soul. Now it’s all Avengers-level threats that are about as interesting as a puddle, and there’s a real sadness in that. Because buried beneath the fan-service fog and production panic is a brilliant actor (maybe two, if you count Whittaker) who deserved better.

Gatwa’s Doctor had flashes of brilliance: warmth, vulnerability, wit. All the makings of a defining era. But with short seasons, inconsistent writing, and an exit that feels hastily stapled together, it’s hard not to feel like he’s been short-changed. “The Reality War” should have been a coronation, or at least a proper goodbye. Instead, it’s a confused, crowded mess that treats its lead like a footnote and its own history like a toybox to be dumped out and sifted through.

After five years away from the role, Tom Cruise retuned as special agent Ethan Hunt for Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One. With The Final Reckoning now showing in theaters, it's the perfect time to watch or rewatch the spy movie saga so far.

Scroll down for our quick guide on how you can watch all of the previous Mission Impossible movies online right now in 2025.

Where to Stream the Mission Impossible Movies Online

The Pokémon card market is an ever-changing beast, and this week is no different. While last week saw some big changes to X and Y promos, alongside Prismatic Evolutions, the new Scarlet & Violet expansion Destined Rivals will be the focus for most trainers, at least for now.

That's reflected in some of the biggest crashers and climbers of the week for single cards in the new expansion, including some huge changes once again for hotly sought-after chase cards like Team Rocket's Mewtwo ex SIR or Ethan's Ho-Oh ex SIR.

Pokémon Card Crashers

The LEGO Botanicals collection features some incredible plant and floral sets, from smaller bouquets you can put in a vase to slightly bigger builds that can be set up on display around your home. The brand new Japanese Red Maple Bonsai Tree (see at LEGO Store) from the collection falls into the latter, boasting vibrant red and orange leaves in a little green pot that fits perfectly on a shelf or table. Coming in at 474 pieces, it's a fairly easy set to put together and looks lovely once it's all finished.

Alongside the pretty build itself, the instruction booklet provides some nice background information on the tree. It states that the Japanese red maple is native to Japan, China, and Korea, and while it's a tree that grows slowly, its colors really flourish in spring and autumn. It can even live for over a century, giving people plenty of time to take in its beautiful colors.

Whether you're buying for an experienced LEGO builder or someone who's brand new to the hobby, the LEGO Japanese Red Maple Bonsai Tree is a nice fit for all ability levels. It comes with six bags that make up the green plant pot, the trunk of the tree, and the colorful leaves.

Starting from the bottom of the display, the first bag is focused around building the Japanese red maple's plant pot. There's 36 steps in this process, which provide the pot with a sturdy build that has smooth, rounded edges for a clean look. I think the color of the pot is a great choice as well. The dark green is a nice contrast to the bright orange and red coloring of the leaves.

It's from here that you start to build upward. Bag two focuses on filling out the base of the plant pot, constructing the trunk of the tree, and adding a couple of branches with some of those colorful leaves. The base of the plant pot features a variety of LEGO pieces in different shades of green, adding a bit more shading and texture around where the tree's trunk will be. From here, the trunk is built separately and fitted into the middle.

With the trunk fitted in place, the next steps are to build out the branches. As seen in the photo above, the first big branch jutting from the main tree breaks off into separate sections: one twig points up, while the other splits into a Y shape, with each end featuring a ball joint. These will eventually hold two sets of leaves, allowing you to move them around to find a good position for them later on.

Speaking of leaves, these are next on the agenda, and they have a really nice layering to them. Starting with the lighter orange leaves at the bottom, they are built up to feature darker red leaves on top which makes for a great gradient across them. There are three different sets of leaves that are pieced together and placed on both the two grey ball joints of the Y-branch and the branch pointing upward.

Before filling out the rest of the branches, the third bag provides more pieces to afix to the base of the model. These mainly focus around the trunk of the tree and add some more roots at the base. This is a nice way to add a little extra texture around it. With that done, you'll then focus on building out more branches around the tree. Bags four, five, and six largely focus on the remaining branches and leaves, so you'll find a lot of familiar patterns as you piece the rest of it together.

Once you've fitted the last set of leaves to the very top of the tree, the final product will look like the photo below. Again, this is a really lovely display with some beautiful coloring on the leaves. I absolutely love the gradient effect as the leaves transition from the lighter orange color at the bottom into the darker red near the top. It may be summer right now, but this set has me itching for fall colors already.

Per LEGO's website, this set measures over 9.5 in. (24 cm) high, 8.5 in. (22 cm) wide and 10 in. (26 cm) deep once finished. It's a really great option to set up on a bookshelf, table, desk, or any other surface around your home or office that needs a little splash of color. This set only took a couple of hours to finish, too, so if you're looking for a simple and sweet build to add to your collection this year, I think the LEGO Japanese Red Maple Bonsai Tree is well worth picking up.

More LEGO Flower Sets We Recommend

Hannah Hoolihan is a freelancer who writes with the guides and commerce teams here at IGN.

For a limited time, Amazon has brought back one of its most popular power bank deals. The Anker Zolo 10,000mAh 30W USB Power Bank is back down to only $12.93 after a 50% off instant discount. This is a great price for an Anker-branded 10,000mAh power bank that can fast charge a Nintendo Switch console at its maximum rate. The Zolo is compact and boasts some uncommon but practical features, like a built-in USB Type-C cable and a digital display. You can also choose from four different colors to customize your look, including pastel blue and pink.

Anker Zolo 10,000mAh USB Power Bank for $12.93

UPDATE: Jonathan Joss's spouse Tristan Kern de Gonzales has posted a statement to Facebook about their husband's murder, saying the actor was the victim of a hate crime:

"My husband Jonathan Joss and I were involved in a shooting while checking the mail at the site of our former home. That home was burned down after over two years of threats from people in the area who repeatedly told us they would set it on fire. We reported these threats to law enforcement multiple times and nothing was done. Throughout that time we were harassed regularly by individuals who made it clear they did not accept our relationship. Much of the harassment was openly homophobic.

When we returned to the site to check our mail we discovered the skull of one of our dogs and its harness placed in clear view. This caused both of us severe emotional distress. We began yelling and crying in response to the pain of what we saw. While we were doing this a man approached us. He started yelling violent homophobic slurs at us. He then raised a gun from his lap and fired."

You can read the full statement here.

Our original report is below.

King of the Hill and Parks and Recreation actor Jonathan Joss has died aged 59 after a shooting in Texas.

The San Antonio Police Department and eyewitnesses reported seeing Joss and his neighbor get into an argument yesterday, June 1, 2025. As shared by TMZ, the tense conversation is said to have escalated to the point the neighbor shot several bullets into the actor before leaving in his vehicle.

Paramedics arrived to aid Joss but were unable to save him. Police have since apprehended suspect Sigfredo Alvarez-Cega, who has been charged with murder, with bond set at $200,000. The topic of the argument remains unclear.

Jonathan Joss, known as the voice of King of the Hill's John Redcorn and recurring character Chief Ken Hotate on Parks and Recreation, has been fatally shot at 59. pic.twitter.com/Wf2xqkkuZj

— IGN (@IGN) June 2, 2025

Joss’ history in entertainment stems back to the ‘90s, where he appeared in episodes of Walker, Texas Ranger, The Wild Thornberrys, and more. He went on to lend his talents to live-action projects like True Grit and Ray Donovan but also provided voice work on video games such as Cyberpunk 2077, Wasteland 3, and Days Gone.

Joss may be best known for his work on Mike Judge and Greg Daniels’ classic animated comedy series, King of the Hill, where he played John Redcorn. One of the show’s many familiar faces, John Redcorn maintained a presence on King of the Hill from its early days up to its end with Season 13 in 2009 (though Joss only took over for the part starting in Season 2).

It’s a new month, which means a new batch of arrivals on all of your favorite streaming services. With a decent spread of Disney, Marvel, and National Geographic (sorry, no Star Wars this month), Disney+ is staying true to its word of having something for everyone. Let’s take a look at what’s coming to the Disney-owned service in June 2025.

New Series

Pupstruction Season 2 - June 4

As the hub of family-friendly entertainment, Disney+ is consistently streaming new children’s shows. The second season of Disney Junior’s puppy construction series arrives on June 4.

Phineas and Ferb Season 5 - June 6 (Premiere)

The big reboot, known simply as Phineas and Ferb Season 5. This was one of my favorite shows back in the day, and here’s to hoping the new season captures some of the heart (and music) that made the original so enjoyable. The first ten episodes will stream on June 6, a day after the series premieres on the Disney Channel.

Underdogs - June 16

A National Geographic series narrated by none other than Ryan Reynolds. According to ABC, Underdogs will get “up close and personal with the outcasts of the animal kingdom.” The five-episode series will air on Nat Geo and stream on Disney+ in batches.

Ironheart - June 24 (Premiere)

A new live-action MCU series inspired by the comics of the same name, Ironheart follows Riri Williams after the events of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. The first three episodes arrive on Disney+ on June 24, with subsequent episodes released weekly on Tuesdays.

New Films

Ocean with David Attenborough - June 8

The legend returns. I am personally one of those people that’s terrified of the ocean, but David Attenborough may be the one person who can soothe my fears and help me appreciate the beauty.

Sally - June 17

A celebration of the first American woman in space narrated by Sally Ride’s partner of 27 years, Tam O’Shaughnessy. The National Geographic documentary explores the astronaut's personal journeys and lands on Disney+ on June 17.

Frozen: The Hit Broadway Musical - June 20

Remember Frozen? Probably, I guess that was pretty recent. What started as a (massively successful) Disney movie quickly turned into a (also massively successful) franchising operation. The musical adaptation got its turn on Broadway from 2018 to 2020, and you can watch the full performance online starting on June 23. Perfect for the kiddos and Disney princess connoisseurs.

What’s Coming to Hulu, ESPN+, and HBO Max?

If you have one of the Disney+ streaming bundles, you’ll be seeing more than just the above popping up on your homepage. New additions to Hulu this month include all of the existing Alien movies (June 1), Predator: Killer of Killers (June 5), and a new season of The Bear (June 25). HBO Max will be getting all of The Hunger Games movies (June 1) and A Minecraft Movie (TBA). Meanwhile, ESPN will be streaming live sports events, including UFC 316 (June 7) and 317 (June 28).

IGN's Summer of Gaming is back for its sixth year and there is so much to look forward to, including the return of IGN Live, exciting gaming livestreams like the Xbox Games Showcase, Summer Game Fest, Day of the Devs, and so much more.

While the full scope of all the summer festivities has yet to be set in stone, we wanted to start gathering all the biggest gaming events in one place to ensure you don't miss a thing!

When Is Summer of Gaming 2025?

IGN's Summer of Gaming kicks off June 1 and runs through June 30, and features all the big showcases from across the games industry! There are still a lot of unknowns for the big gaming events this summer, but the picture gets clearer eac and every day, so be sure to check back often to stay up to date!

Is IGN Live Returning for 2025?

Yes! IGN Live is back in a big way from June 7 - 8 for a multi-day celebration of video games and entertainment, filled with playable demos, new announcements, panels, contests, stage shows, giveaways, meet-and-greets with IGN personalities, and so much more.

While there will be two days of livestreams for IGN Live, we'd also love you to join us in Downtown Los Angeles at the Magic Box @ The Reef for a ton of exciting opportunities like watching our show live, getting hands-on demos of games and possibly even the Switch 2, photo ops and exclusive merch, gaming stations and tournamnets, food trucks and lounges, and more.

For more info and the link to buy IGN Live tickets, click here!

Summer of Gaming 2025 Schedule and What to Expect

You can find the current schedule for IGN's Summer of Gaming below, but we do want to note this list will be updated regularly with new shows, details, dates, and so much more!

Tuesday, June 3

• The MIX Summer Game Showcase - 9am PT/12pm ET
  • The MIX Summer Game Showcase, which was formerly known as the Guerrilla Collective, will be highlighting some of the best indie games in the world, both online during its showcase and in-person for those able to get to the Grammy Museum Rooftop in Los Angeles.
• State of Unreal - 6:30am PT/9:30am ET
  • The State of Unreal 2025 is set to share what's next for Unreal Engine and the Epic ecosystem, and this will be the first year the show will take place at Epic's own Unreal Fest. Last year was a big year for State of Unreal, as that was where we got our first real look at Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra.

Thursday, June 5

• Green Games Showcase - 1pm PT/4pm ET
  • The Green Games Showcase has a very important mission - showcase how the "world's most exciting games are driving real-world change." Furthermore, it has a mission to raise $300,000 by June 30 to help with habitat restoration in Timor-Leste through its Gold Standard-certified partner, WithOneSeed, to help "protect endangered species and regenerate forests."

Friday, June 6

• Summer Game Fest - 2pm PT/5pm ET
  • Geoff Keighley and his Summer Game Fest are back again for 2025, and the show promises to unveil a glimpse of the exciting and bright future of the video game industry. While we don't know what secrets will be revealed, you can check out what games were featured in last year's show to get an idea of what to expect.
• Day of the Devs - 4pm PT/7pm ET
  • Another Day of the Devs is on its way this summer and will once again showcase some of the best games from indie developers around the world. Last year's show was highlighted by such games as UFO 50, Zoochosis, and Cozy Grove 2, and we have a feeling there will be even more homeruns this time around.

Saturday, June 7

• IGN Live - Day 1 Livestream - 12pm PT/3pm ET
  • Along with our in-person IGN Live event downtown LA, our big IGN Live livestream kicks off on June 7 and it will be a show you won't want to miss!
• Wholesome Games - 9am PT/12pm ET
  • Tune into the Wholesome Games show to see a "vibrant lineup of artistic, uplifting, and emotionaly resonant games from developers of all sizes from around the world!" For context, feel free to check out the 15 games from last year's show that we absolutely loved.
• Women-Led Games - 10am PT/1pm ET
  • Women-Led Games returns for its second show this year with 39 games from incredible women-led and majority women studios across the games industry.
• Southeast Asia Game Showcase - 12pm PT/3pm ET
  • Games developed in Southeast Asia take the spotlight in the aptly named Southeast Asia Game Showcase, which will feature exclusive reveals, new trailers, and updates from over 45 games developed in the region.

Sunday, June 8

• IGN Live - Day 2 Livestream - 12pm PT/3pm ET
  • The second day of our IGN Live livestream takes place on June 8 and we'll reveal more exciting details soon about what fans can expect both in-person and online.
• Xbox Games Showcase - 10am PT/1pm ET
  • Xbox's big games showcase takes place on June 7 and will be immediately followed by The Outer Worlds 2 Direct. As for the Xbox Games Showcase, it will include a loook at games from Xbox's first party studios and creative partners around the globe. Last year, the show has the gameplay reveal of Fable, a big look at Doom: The Dark Ages, State of Decay 3, and Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, and much more.
• The PC Gaming Show - 12pm PT/3pm ET
  • Check out The PC Gaming Show for a preview of over 50 games playable on PC, Steam Deck, Linux, and MacOS alongside world premieres, exclusive announcements, in-depth developer interviews, and much more. Oh, and it was confirmed the first partners for the show are Ubisoft, Devolver Digital, Failbetter Games, and Astra Logical.

Monday, June 9

• Black Voices in Gaming - 9am PT/12pm ET
  • Black Voices in Gaming will be back with another show that celebrates Black game developers around the globe, and you can check out the stream from last year to see what you can expect.

Where to Watch Summer of Gaming Livestreams

Below, you can find all the places to watch the events, including IGN.com, YouTube, Twitch, Facebook, Twitter, and more:

• IGN.com (homepage)
• IGN’s YouTube Channel
• IGN's YouTube - ASL version
• IGN's Twitch Channel
• IGN's Facebook Channel
• IGN’s Twitter
• The IGN Fan Fest 2025 Steam Page
• IGN's iOS App
• IGN's Android App
• IGN's PlayStation 4 App
• IGN App for Android TV
• IGN for Amazon Fire TV
• IGN 1 on Amazon Fire TV
• Pluto TV

Don't Miss Out On More Fun

Tune in to IGN’s Summer of Gaming as we discuss the new original series, FX’s Alien: Earth. From creator Noah Hawley and Executive Producer Ridley Scott, comes the first television series inspired by the legendary Alien Film franchise premiering August 12th on FX and Hulu.

Presented by Alien: Earth

See gamers “get good” — or at least get better at one oddly specific thing — with some training montages and by using the Lenovo Legion 7i gaming laptop. Its Intel® Core™ Ultra 9 processor, NVIDIA GeForce RTX™ 50 Series graphics, and PureSight OLED display will carry these gamers from mediocrity to borderline respectability (depending on who you ask).

Presented by Lenovo

IGN’s Daemon Hatfield, Brian Altano, Max Scoville, and Kim Horcher got to go hands-on with the Nintendo Switch 2 and play some Mario Kart World. Stay tuned to Summer of Gaming to see it in action, get a look at some of the features of both the game and the Switch 2, and why all our hosts found it distractingly fun.

Presented by Nintendo

We've got you covered on all the biggest announcements and reveals during Summer of Gaming, presented By PlayStation Days of Play. This is also the time to take advantage of summer sales. With PlayStation's Days of Play, you can get the PlayStation 5 Digital console with Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 bundle starting at $399.99. While supplies last.

Presented by PlayStation

How to Train Your Dragon is one of my favorite animated movies of all time. With the new live-action version of the movie hitting theaters later this month, I'm unsure how to feel about yet another animated movie from my youth getting the reboot treatment. That being said, I am very glad that the new movie is the cause of the very first LEGO How to Train Your Dragon set.

Toothless, the Night Fury himself, is about to be immortalized in LEGO bricks. The new How to Train Your Dragon set is set to release on July 1, 2025 and is meant for adult builders specifically. At 784 pieces, LEGO Toothless is a mid-range build with a mid-range price tag of $69.99. It's currently available to preorder at the LEGO store right now ahead of its release date.

Preorder LEGO Icons How to Train Your Dragon: Toothless

Hulu has been around for a while and, for our money, it's one of the absolute best streaming services available. From great movies like Anatomy of a Fall and Prey to excellent television series like the Golden Globe-winning Shogun, The Handmaid's Tale, and The Bear (which returns with season four on June 25), there is always something awesome to watch. We've also got the highly-anticipated Alien: Earth series on our radar this year, which premieres its first two episodes on August 12 on Hulu at 8pm ET, and on FX and Disney+ at 8pm PT / ET.

Below, we've detailed all of the best Hulu deals and bundles so you can get started on your streaming adventures with its library right away. This includes the Hulu, Disney+, and Max streaming bundle, which starts at just $16.99/month and is currently the best value available for the streaming services following the Disney Plus and Hulu price hikes. To see even more streaming deals, make sure to check out our roundups of the best Disney Plus deals and the best Max deals.

How to Get The Disney Plus, Hulu, and Max Streaming Bundle

The Disney Plus, Hulu, and Max streaming bundle can be purchased on any of the three streaming services and starts at $16.99/month for the ad-supported tier or $29.99/month for ad-free access across all three platforms. If you're looking to cut down on streaming costs and currently own all three of these, this is an excellent bundle to invest in. It'll save you quite a bit compared to what you'd pay for the three of them separately per month - 43% on the ad-supported plan and 42% on the ad-free plan.

Hulu deal for students — Get Hulu (With Ads) for just $1.99/month

If you're a student enrolled in a university (a US Title IV accredited college or university, per Hulu's website), you can sign up for Hulu (With Ads) for $1.99 a month. That's an excellent deal if you're a student, saving you $8 on the usual monthly price.

Hulu subscription tiers

Hulu: Bundle to Best

If you want a more affordable option when it comes to a Hulu subscription, you can't go wrong with a bundle, and Hulu has several to choose from:

• Hulu + Live TV (With Ads) — Hulu + Live TV (With Ads) is $82.99/month and includes Disney+ and ESPN+. It also gives you access to more than 75 channels with live TV and unlimited DVR functionality. The Hulu + Live TV plan also has a three-day free trial to test out the service.
• Hulu + Live TV (Ad-Free) — The ad-free version of Hulu+Live TV is $95.99/month and comes with ad-free versions of Hulu and Disney Plus, although ESPN still shows ads.
• Disney+, Hulu Bundle Basic — This is the most economic bundle. It will set you back $10.99/month and comes with subscriptions to Disney+ and Hulu. It lets you stream on multiple devices at once and comes with ad-supported versions of both Disney+ and Hulu.
• Disney+, Hulu, ESPN+ Bundle Basic — This bundle adds ESPN+ into the mix alongside Disney+ and Hulu, bumping up the price to $16.99/month. You can also download and watch select content on ESPN+ at this level.
• Disney+, Hulu, ESPN+ Bundle Premium — This bundle is $26.99/month and comes with ESPN+ (with ads) and ad-free versions of Disney+ and Hulu. You can also download select content across all three streaming services.

What can you watch on Hulu?

There is a bonkers amount of shows and movies you can watch on Hulu. Let's start at the top and simply talk about the verticals on offer with the base subscription, because if we also talk about what is available via Disney+, ESPN+, or live TV, we'll be here forever. (You can also sync up Hulu with Max to gain access to things like The Last of Us and House of the Dragon.)

Here's what you get:

• Network and Hulu Original television shows (AMC, Adult Swim, ABC, A&E, FX, etc.)
• Movies (HBO, Hulu Originals, anime films, etc.)
• Sports (NHL, Soccer, MLB, Auto Racing, NFL, College Football, PGA, Tennis, etc.)
• News (ABC News Live, Good Morning America, World News Tonight, 20/20, The View, etc.)

Hulu television

Hulu has some amazing shows, both those that are finished and many which are ongoing. For comedy, there are plenty of options to choose from, including New Girl, It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia, What We Do In The Shadows, Modern Family, Cougar Town, Broad City, Abbott Elementary, and so much more.

There are also some big Hulu originals to watch, including The Bear, The Old Man, The Handmaid's Tale, and Only Murders In The Building. With an FX partnership, Hulu is also home to those shows, including the drama miniseries, Shogun, and the upcoming Alien: Earth series.

As far as animated fare, there are modern adult classics like Rick and Morty and Bob's Burgers, as well as Futurama, Family Guy, and King of the Hill. Anime staples like Cowboy Bebop are also available. And if you want to bring more youth-friendly fun, Gravity Falls, Steven Universe, Adventure Time, and Curious George are just a small sample of what Hulu has available.

The future of Hulu

Hulu isn't going anywhere. Beyond it being awarded the best streaming service by us, it also received a 9/10 in our updated Hulu review. Writer Rosie Knight said, "Hulu's ease of use, solid UI, and ever- expanding catalog has moved it ahead of top competitor Netflix to secure our highest score for a streaming service."

Hannah Hoolihan is a freelance writer who works with the Guides and Commerce teams here at IGN.

Original story from Brian Barnett.

Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel’s annual World Championship is fast approaching, which means the Road to Worlds campaign is underway. There are free log-in rewards, and you can compete in qualifying events for the opportunity to represent your region at the World Championship in Paris.

If you don’t know about Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel, we can give you a quick rundown. It’s a free-to-play digital version of the popular Yu-Gi-Oh! trading card game, with more than 10,000 cards and including the evolutions the game has made over its more than 25 years of existence. It’s available across nearly all platforms — iOS, Android, PC, PS4/5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S — and has cross-platform play, letting you Duel players of varying skill levels from all over the world.

If that sounds intimidating, don’t worry. If you’re a new player or haven’t played in a while and need a refresher, there are in-game tutorials that teach you the basics of the game. Once you finish those tutorials, you get a base Deck to get started and can collect new cards as you progress through the game. The game also provides visual cues to let you know when you can execute combos and chain effects or respond to your opponent’s effects, helping make sure you don’t miss anything while you’re learning the game.

You can continue practicing and getting better through Solo Mode, where you play through storylines and learn more about the lore behind the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG. As you probably already know, the Yu-Gi-Oh! franchise extends across several pieces of media and is a big reason for the international popularity of the TCG. That combined with the competitive nature of the game has also made it popular with professional athletes, which you can see NBA player Grant Williams and professional football players Kris Jenkins and Ryan Hunter discuss in the videos below.

Once you’ve gotten more comfortable with the game, you can move on to face your fellow Duelists. And now’s the time to jump in, since there will be free log-in rewards during the Road to Worlds event that can help you build up your Deck before taking on the qualifying events

From now until July 3, you can get a series of daily rewards for a total of 1,000 gems, a profile icon, and a Red Supernova Dragon Card. You can get additional gems and rewards if you take part in the World Championship Qualifiers, which anyone can enter starting June 3.

The initial qualifying round will last until June 12, with Duelists beginning at a different level depending on what rank they reached in May’s Season 41. But don’t worry, even if you didn’t take part in Season 41, you can still compete in the qualifiers, you’ll just start from Duel Level 1. Winning Duels will see you rise through the ranks, to a max of Duel Level 20. Anyone who reaches Duel Level 20 will then move on to Regionals between June 12–15, where the goal is simply to get as many points as possible by defeating other qualifying Duelists.

The top performers in each region earn an invite to the World Championship in Paris, where they’ll compete for the grand prize. While the qualifying rounds and Championship are all single-player matches, the players who win and move on to Paris will also get the chance to team up with two other Duelists to take on the defending champions from the United States.

There will be hundreds of thousands of Duelists of all skill levels from around the world competing during the Road to Worlds events. With so many active players and easily attainable in-game rewards, there won’t be a better time to start your journey in Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel. The game is free-to-play and there’s no entrance fee for the qualifying events, so there’s nothing stopping you from building a Deck and giving it a shot.

For more information about Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel, including several tutorial videos to help you understand card types and strategies, you can visit the official website. For more details about all the events leading up to the World Championship, you can check out the Road to Worlds page. To keep up with news and updates, you can follow Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel on Twitter and Instagram.

Nintendo has just released a short clip of footage from Pokémon Scarlet and Violet running on Nintendo Switch 2 at 60fps and... okay, sure, that does look a lot better.

The footage was released via the Nintendo Today! app. It's not much, just over 30 seconds of clips of the main character running through the world, but it does show off what seems to be a significant improvement over the Nintendo Switch 1 version of the game.

Official footage of Pokemon Scarlet & Violet running on Switch 2 at 60fps pic.twitter.com/HRVsardqUg

— Switch 2 Stock Alerts (fan account) (@Switch2Stock) June 2, 2025

At 60fps, many of the issues with characters popping in and out at a short distance seem to be alleviated, and more Pokémon are able to appear on screen, at further distances, at a time. In particular the main city, Mesagoza, looks a lot better in the brief glimpse we get, and being able to see more Pokémon from farther away helps the world look a touch less empty.

Of course, at just half a minute of official, curated footage, it's not really possible to say how this impacts the experience holistically. In our review of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet at launch, we noted that the fps was really just one issue of many. At the time, Scarlet and Violet were riddled with bugs ranging from harmless visual goofiness to game crashing, and features such as raid battles seemed to be broken by design. Multiple DLC releases didn't alleviate most of those issues, either.

It will be interesting to see how much of a difference a Nintendo Switch 2 makes to Pokémon Scarlet and Violet when the upgrade patch releases on June 5 alongside the console. Its improvements will likely be a harbinger of what's to come with the imminent release of Pokemon Legends Z-A this October, too.

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.

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach includes an unconventional melee weapon, according to its ESRB rating.

Warning! Potential Death Stranding 2 spoilers follow:

The U.S. Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) has once again dropped an unsolicited clue about an unreleased game, this time confirming in Death Stranding 2's rating summary that as well as the anticipated "open-world landscape to deliver various goods and packages" as a courier "attempting to reconnect society in a post-apocalyptic world," players will be able to bash stuff to death with a guitar.

This may not be the first time you've heard of this unique weapon — interestingly, Higgs literally shreds in the announcement trailer posted over a year ago now — but at the time, fans weren't sure if that was just something Higgs got to indulge in. Now it seems we'll either get to rock out as Sam with a guitar weapon of his own, or we'll get to play as Higgs and use his. It's not clear which. It could be both!

"This is an action game in which players assume the role of a courier (Sam Porter Bridges) attempting to reconnect society in a post-apocalyptic world," the ESRB summary reads.

"From a third-person perspective, players traverse an open-world landscape to deliver various goods and packages. Along the way, players can engage in combat against human soldiers, battle androids, and ghostly apparitions. Players use melee weapons (e.g., battle guitar) and firearms (e.g., machine guns, sniper rifles) to kill enemies."

Players can expect realistic gunfire, blood, and slow-motion effects, as well as stealthy takedowns "to incapacitate soldiers discreetly." There will also be further sequences with "additional acts of violence and/or gore," including some dude losing his hands and legs to a robot samurai, another who's cut in half by an unspecified giant machine, and a man set alight "in a fantastical manner."

Death Stranding 2 is, as you'd expected, rated Mature 17+.

Death Stranding 2 is out on June 26, 2025. Hideo Kojima is also working on a live-action Death Stranding film with A24, and we recently learned that a Death Stranding anime is also in the works. He's also working on a PlayStation exclusive action espionage project called Physint, and called the upcoming Xbox-published OD "a game I have always wanted to make."

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.

Downton Abbey is finally coming to a close with Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale. The trailer for the upcoming film, which is set to put the story’s 15-year run to bed once and for all, was just released by Focus Features.

The Grand Finale marks the third film in the Downton Abbey franchise and the final conclusion to the story of the Grantham family, which originated with the 2010 ITV series. The final film will follow Michelle Dockery’s Lady Mary “as she navigates London high society, while Lord and Lady Grantham (Hugh Bonneville and Elizabeth McGovern) oversee the Yorkshire County estate.”

The place we'll always remember. The family we'll never forget. Everything has led to this.

Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale is only in theaters September 12. Watch the teaser trailer now. pic.twitter.com/FdlfDVPc1m

— Downton Abbey (@DowntonAbbey) June 2, 2025

The film concludes both the film trilogy and six seasons of the television series, and because it’s such a major event, The Grand Finale will bring back many famous faces who have appeared in the Downton Abbey-verse in the past. That includes Paul Giamatti, Dominic West, Penelope Wilton, Phyllis Logan, Joanne Froggatt, Brendan Coyle, and Jim Carter. The movie will also feature Arty Froushan, Simon Russell Beale, Alessandro Nivola, and Joely Richardson, who are all newcomers to the Downton Abbey world.

The first footage from the film debuted at CinemaCon this year back in April as part of Universal’s presentation of upcoming projects.

The first Downton Abbey film was released in 2019, with the second movie, Downton Abbey: A New Era, coming shortly after in 2022. Simon Curtis, who directed A New Era, returns to helm the third film from a script by series creator and main writer Julian Fellowes, who also wrote the previous two films.

Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale is set to arrive in theaters on September 12, 2025.

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

A new, single-player Dungeons & Dragons action adventure is on the way from Stig Asmussen, the director behind Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor and God of War 3.

The currently-untitled D&D project was announced today by Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast, and is set to launch on PC and unannounced consoles "at a later date."

Asmussen's new studio Giant Skull is on development duties for the upcoming D&D project. Founded last year following Asmussen's departure from Respawn Entertainment, the Los Angeles-based Giant Skull was previously announced as making a new AAA single-player game built using Unreal Engine 5.

"Our talented and experienced team at Giant Skull is built on creativity and curiosity," Asmussen said in a statement today. "Our goal is to craft a rich new Dungeons & Dragons universe filled with immersive storytelling, heroic combat and exhilarating traversal that players will fully embrace."

The announcement of Giant Skull's project adds to a portfolio of games set to be published by Wizards of the Coast over the coming years, after the hugely-successful Baldur's Gate 3 from Larian, another D&D game, helped raised the profile of the franchise globally.

Another D&D action adventure game is already in development at Invoke Studios, the team behind Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance. Wizards of the Coast is also set to publish Exodus, the promising-looking sci-fi RPG from Archetype Entertainment, a developer founded by a collection of former Mass Effect veterans.

As for the Baldur's Gate series, it's expected that another game will eventually materialise, though not from Baldur's Gate 3 studio Larian, which has now moved on to something new. Instead, Wizards of the Coast is expected to announce plans to continue the franchise with a different developer.

"We're kind of working out our plans for the future and what we're going to be doing with that," Hasbro gaming boss Dan Ayoub told IGN back in March this year. "And actually, in pretty short order, we're going to have some stuff to talk about around that."

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

Considering what it offers, Disney Plus is one of the best streaming services on the block. From classic Disney animated films to the latest Marvel shows and Star Wars movies, excellent kids' programming like Bluey, and so much more, Disney Plus puts an incredible range of high-quality viewing options at your fingertips. And with so much to check out - including Captain America: Brave New World - you'll want to find a plan that best suits you. We're here to help.

At the moment, one of the best Disney Plus bundle deals available is the massive Disney Plus, Hulu, and Max streaming bundle. This starts at $16.99/month to get you all three streaming services with ads. It's one of the best bundles available at the moment, but we've included more Disney Plus bundle deals worth exploring below. If you're looking for more streaming deals from other services, check out the best Hulu deals and bundles and the best Max deals.

How to Get the Disney Plus, Hulu, and Max Streaming Bundle

The Disney Plus, Hulu, and Max streaming bundle can be purchased through any of the three streaming services and starts at $16.99/month for the ad-supported tier or $29.99/month for ad-free access across the three platforms.

If you currently own all three and want to cut down on costs, this is a great way to bundle them together and save big on what you'd pay for them separately per month – 43% on the ad-supported plan and 42% on the ad-free plan.

What Is the Paid Sharing Plan on Disney Plus?

In an effort to crack down on password sharing, Disney has added a paid sharing plan for individuals outside of your household. Basically, anyone using your account that's not within your household will have to be added as an "Extra Member" to your account. This costs an additional $6.99/month for the ad-supported Basic subscription and $9.99/month for the Premium ad-free plan, and only one Extra Member slot is available per account. You can learn more from Disney's paid sharing explainer here.

What Are the Different Disney+ Subscription Tiers?

Disney+ is available in a couple of different tiers. You can get the least expensive option (called Disney+ Basic) for $9.99/month, which gives you access to everything except the ability to download select shows to watch on the go. This tier is ad supported. If you want to get rid of ads and be able to download certain shows, you can spring for the $15.99/month or $159.99/year Disney+ Premium package.

What Are the Different Disney+ Bundles?

Want a way to save on your Disney+ membership? Bundles are a great, affordable way to go. As far as bundles go, there are two ad-supported bundles and two ad-free bundles. Here's the breakdown:

• Disney+, Hulu Bundle Basic is $10.99/month and comes with subscriptions to Disney+ and Hulu. This plan lets you stream on multiple devices at once and comes with ad-supported versions of both services.
• Disney+, Hulu Bundle Premium is $19.99/month and comes with Hulu and Disney+ with no ads. It also includes Disney+ Premium features like the ability to download shows to watch on the go.
• Disney+, Hulu, ESPN+ Bundle Basic adds ESPN+ (With Ads) to the mix alongside Disney+ (With Ads) and Hulu (With Ads), bumping up the price to $16.99/month. You can also download and watch select content on ESPN+ at this level.
• Disney+, Hulu, ESPN+ Bundle Premium is $26.99/month and comes with ESPN+ (With Ads) and ad-free versions of Disney+ and Hulu. You can also download select content across all three streaming services.

Disney+ Gift Cards

If you want to help someone out and give them a gift that will keep on giving, gifting a one-year Disney+ card is a great way to go. It provides all the great things Disney+ offers and it costs a fraction of what it would take to buy even a small sampling of those movies physically.

What Can You Watch on Disney+?

There is a bonkers array of shows and movies you can watch on Disney+. Let's start at the top and simply talk about the verticals on offer here with the base subscription.

Here's what you get:

• Disney
• Pixar
• Marvel
• Star Wars
• National Geographic

Disney on Disney+

On the Disney front, you have awesome classic movies like The Sword In The Stone, Robin Hood, 101 Dalmations, Hercules, and Sleeping Beauty, modern classics like The Princess & The Frog, Tangled, and Frozen, and a wide range of animated shows, including Phineas & Ferb.

You also gain access to a ton of vintage content like Escape to Witch Mountain, The Apple Dumpling Gang, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes, The Love Bug, and a whole lot more. The Disney Junior section is home to absolutely top tier animated shows like Bluey (which, for my money, is worth the price of admission on its own).

There's way more on offer, too, including a ton of Muppet movies, new live-action films and adaptions, nature programs, documentaries, Pirates of the Caribbean, and musical programs featuring Taylor Swift (like her wildly popular The Eras Tour), Elton John, Ed Sheeran, and more.

Pixar on Disney+

When it comes to computer generated films, Pixar stands alone. Kicking off the revolution with Toy Story, Pixar has consistently put out fantastic films, and they are all here. From the Toy Story series to Finding Nemo, Cars, and more recent hits like Inside Out 2, there is a ton to love.

Beyond even that, there are incredible shorts like Bao and Party Central, as well as a wide range of originals and series based on major films, such as Dory's Reef Cam, Forky Asks A Question, Cars On The Road, and more.

Marvel on Disney+

The MCU has become a true juggernaut, and there are many viewers who subscribe to Disney+ purely for access to nearly the entire MCU lineup of films and shows.

Whether you are a fan of the blockbuster action films, you are an appreciator of the classic 90s runs of "Saturday morning" cartoons like X-Men, or you are currently vibing to the funky theme of the 1981 Spider-Man series, there is a ton of Marvel to enjoy on Disney+. And with new movies and shows being added to the MCU all the time, including most recently Deadpool & Wolverine and Captain America: Brave New World, there is always more coming.

Star Wars on Disney+

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, there was a film that changed everything. The original Star Wars is a seminal sci-fi fantasy work that inspired generations of creators, but there is still nothing quite like that far away galaxy. Disney+ grants access to all things Star Wars, including the remastered versions of the original trilogy (hopefully some day they'll add the theatrical cuts, too), as well as the prequels and sequels.

You can also stay up-to-date on all the latest shows, including The Mandalorian and the critically-lauded Andor, which just wrapped up its second and final season. There are also fantastic short series like Star Wars Visions, and longer-form series like The Clone Wars, The Bad Batch, Young Jedi Adventures, and a whole lot more.

Take a look at our list of Disney+ alernatives for additional streaming services. To play while you watch, see our roundup of the best LEGO Disney sets. For more deals, dive into our Daily Deals page.

Hannah Hoolihan is a freelance writer who works with the Guides and Commerce teams here at IGN.
Original story from Brian Barnett.