The brand new Mega Evolution Pokémon TCG preorders are up at Best Buy today. See the links below to secure the various sets, including Elite Trainer Boxes, just below.

At the time of writing, only ETBs, Booster Boxes, and Booster Bundles are available to preorder, with single boosters, three-pack boosters, and collector tins still not available to buy.

With the upcoming release of Pokémon TCG: Mega Evolution in September, following Japan’s Mega Brave and Mega Symphonia on August 1, the return of Mega Evolution is now in sight.

Best Buy is also putting restrictions in place for those looking to preorder, so make sure to check the following on your Best Buy account, as well as every other retailer:

• Make sure you have an account set up and logged in.
• Confirm your location and address for store pickup or shipping.
• Add the item to your cart as soon as you can for account verification and inventory checks.
• Make sure to follow on-screen prompts and not refresh or close your browser window.
• Don't try and use multiple devices to secure stock, retailers usually track your IP Address (Sometimes bypassing VPNS).
• Complete the purchase as soon as possible when adding to basket.

With Pokémon Legends: Z-A on the horizon and new Mega cards like Mega Lucario ex and Mega Gardevoir ex already revealed, it’s clear the TCG is about to re-enter one of its most collectible formats ever.

Top Mega Evolution X-Y Era Cards To Buy Right Now

Collectors who were around during the XY era already know the visual firepower and competitive edge Mega cards brought to the game. But for new players or investors entering the space, now is the time to act.

Pre-release allocations for the new sets are expected to be limited, premium boxes are already creating hype in Japan, and classic Mega cards from Flashfire, Ancient Origins, and Phantom Forces are being swept off the market.

This article is still developing...

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

This article includes contributions from Christian Wait.

Director Rian Johnson's days "arguing on the playground about Star Wars" helped him process the backlash to The Last Jedi, the filmmaker has said.

Johnson, also director of Looper and Knives Out, said the polarised reaction to his Star Wars movie made him remember his previous feelings to the franchise's prequel trilogy — and the "ruthless" discussions he'd had when younger.

Reaction to The Last Jedi remains divided, with some fans appreciating its unexpected narrative turns, elevation of several new characters, and democraticisation of the Force. But others see it as too much of a diversion — and apparently Lucasfilm agreed, as some of Johnson's biggest story changes were unsubtly reverted in the Skywalker Saga's finale, The Rise of Skywalker.

"Having grown up a Star Wars fan ultimately let me contextualize it and feel at peace with it in many different ways," Johnson told Rolling Stone, discussing the wave of displeasure towards The Last Jedi from some of the franchise's loudest fans. "Just remembering, going back on one level to arguing on the playground about Star Wars as a kid.

"I was in college when the prequels came out," he continued. "My friends and I were Prequel Hate Central. Everyone was ruthless at the time.

"Now the prequels are embraced. I'm not saying that as a facile, 'Oh, things will flip around in 20 years, you'll see!' It's more that this push and pull, and this hatred to stuff that seems new, this is all part of being a Star Wars fan. Culture-war garbage aside, I think that essential part of it is a healthy part."

Johnson's views on the Prequel trilogy have evolved over the years, and in 2020 he described them as a "gorgeous seven-hour-long movie for children about how entitlement and the fear of loss turns good people into fascists", while praising Star Wars creator George Lucas for embracing "every technical sea change in modern filmmaking" while making it.

But how does he feel about J.J. Abrams' Rise of Skywalker — the film which reverted Johnson's plans for Rey's parentage, sidelined some of his key characters, and brought back a zombiefied Palpatine to tie-up the saga in yet another nod back to the past?

"When I saw the movie, I had a great time watching it," Johnson said. "In my perspective, J.J. did the same thing with [Rise of Skywalker] that I did with [The Last Jedi], which is not digging it up and undoing — just telling the story the way that was most compelling going forward. That means not just validating what came before, but recontextualizing it and evolving and changing as the story moves forward.

"I didn't feel resentful in some way. But you're talking about a movie made by my friends, with my friends in it. I sit down to watch a movie, and it's a Star Wars movie. It's all stuff I love. I'm not the one to come to for a hard-hitting critique. You can go to YouTube for that."

Next up for Star Wars is the likely more straightforward success of The Mandalorian and Grogu , a big-screen outing for the popular Disney+ duo due out in 2026. Star Wars: Starfighter, Shawn Levy's Star Wars movie starring Ryan Gosling, is due out in 2027. After that, Lucasfilm is headed beyond its Star Wars sequel trilogy with a film centered on Rey, as she looks to rebuild the Jedi Order roughly 15 years after The Rise of Skywalker.

Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty Images

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

IGN's Grow a Garden wiki guide has been updated to cover everything new in the Pet Mutation Update. Each week, GaG releases new content, and Saturday July 12, 2025 was no exception. This time, the Pet Mutation Event launched, so if your pet hits 50+, you can throw it in the mutation machine and see it returned to you with a new ability from 12 possible variations!

Pet Mutations

The record-breaking Nintendo Switch 2 continues to power through the summer, and while the console is now available at Amazon, some fans have been finding it tricky to find a compatible microSD card that's in stock, or even just at a reasonable price.

Thankfully, Walmart has come through with the goods this week. While we’ve seen 256GB that can double your Switch 2’s storage, this 512GB option is in stock at $78, which is the best price we’ve found for a card of this size that you can buy right now.

Amid an increasingly bitter row over a $250 million bonus, Krafton has now chosen to confirm a leaked Subnautica 2 development document purportedly criticizing the highly-anticipated sequel is, in fact, real.

But first, some context. Krafton acquired Unknown Worlds in October 2021 and at the time, said the Subnautica studio would continue to operate as an independent outfit. Last week, however, former Striking Distance CEO, Steve Papoutsis, joined Subnautica 2 developer Unknown Worlds as CEO. The shock announcement confirmed that the previous leadership team — Ted Gill, Charlie Cleveland, and Max McGuire — were replaced "effective immediately." In a subsequent statement, co-founder Cleveland responded to what he called the "shock" decision to replace the leadership team, saying that "after all these years, to find that I’m no longer able to work at the company I started stings." The statement also intimated that while the former leadership team considered the game ready for early access release, Krafton did not.

Then, last week, reports came to light that Subnautica 2 had been delayed to 2026 just months before Krafton was due to pay a $250 million bonus to the development team. Bloomberg said the delay was “against the wishes of the studio’s former leadership,” and that the $250 million bonus would have kicked in if Unknown Worlds hit certain revenue targets by the end of 2025. Now, without Subnautica 2 coming out this year, that bonus wouldn’t be paid out.

In a statement to IGN, Krafton insisted the decision had nothing to do with “any contractual or financial considerations.” Instead, Krafton claimed, the delay was about responding to feedback from playtests, and delay talks were already under discussion before Cleveland, McGuire, and Gill were outed. Shortly after this statement, the former leadership team revealed they were filing a lawsuit against Krafton.

And now the drama continues, with the leak of an internal review document that shares a less-than-stellar mid-cycle review. Rather than deny the leak, however, Krafton has authenticated it, saying: "Given these circumstances, Krafton has determined that transparent communication is necessary and has chosen to confirm the authenticity of the document."

The leaked images themselves show two pages of a development review, and appear to be photographs of a PC monitor. They show the disconnect between where Krafton expected development to be versus the as-is position. While we don't know who or which company authored the report, it's clearly critical of Unknown Worlds, recommending Subnautica 2 should "launch with an MVP-level build that allows players to experience the core loop at a high level of quality," but adding that, as it currently stood, the game "lacks the level of polish and market impact required to drive IP growth and expansion."

"It is recommended to enhance the content volume and level of polish before launching so that it can appeal to a broader market from the [early access] release stage," the report says. "While the game includes a variety of content, it currently lacks the freshness and volume expected of a sequel.

"In addition, it falls short of meeting the high expectations of the OWSC and the Asian market."

It is currently unclear how the leaked document began circulating publicly online.

"Krafton is issuing the following statement in response to growing speculation surrounding the development of Subnautica 2," Krafton said in a statement to Eurogamer. "This statement aims to offer clarity and context regarding the current situation.

"The document that has been circulating on social media and reported by various outlets is indeed part of an internal milestone review conducted as part of the Subnautica 2 project. Krafton has confirmed that portions of it have been leaked and are now being widely shared across online platforms and within the fan community. Krafton recognises the confusion this has caused.

"Given these circumstances, Krafton has determined that transparent communication is necessary and has chosen to confirm the authenticity of the document," the publisher added. "Krafton believes that minimising speculation and ensuring accurate communication with players must take precedence.

"Milestone reviews are conducted regularly in collaboration with Krafton's creative studios across all projects. These reviews help assess development progress, define clear objectives, and ensure that each project aligns with Krafton's standards in both creativity and quality. This process is central to Krafton's commitment to delivering polished, high-quality games at the right time.

"Krafton will continue working closely with Unknown Worlds to ensure that Subnautica 2 meets the expectations of players who have supported the franchise over the years," the statement concluded.

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.

Donkey Kong Bananza spoilers are being spread online, after early copies of the game have turned up in the hands of several fans.

Story details that players will want to keep as a surprise for themselves are now circulating on the internet, as seen by IGN — though we will not be sharing them here.

Instead, we'd strongly advise Nintendo fans be careful where they click over the coming days, in the run-up to Donkey Kong Bananza's official launch date this Thursday, July 17.

While it may seem odd to raise a note of caution over story spoilers for a Donkey Kong platformer, this new blockbuster title from key members of Nintendo's Super Mario Odyssey development team is shaping up to be something special.

There has already been intense speculation over whether Bananza is some kind of Odyssey prequel, based on the inclusion of key character Pauline, and Nintendo's unusual decision to detail her age in the new game.

Indeed, when IGN asked Bananza's producer Kenta Motokura and director Kazuya Takahashi specifically about these points, the pair said that these were questions players should be considering as they played the game.

"Certainly because a lot of team members also worked on Super Mario Odyssey, there are some similarities in terms of how they think about the setting of the characters for both games," Takahashi told IGN.

"But it's something we really can't explain all of for now because we need to leave something for people to consider as they're playing the game," he continued. It's probably better you find out by playing it, then, rather than on a random internet forum!

We spoke to Motokura and Takahashi about a number of topics related to Bananza, including how the game was first conceived and the necessity of releasing on the Nintendo Switch 2. You can read our entire interview in full right here, and check out our hands-on preview of the game here.

And in other Donkey Kong news, a Nintendo copyright notice has been spotted for an unannounced Donkey Kong film — something which fans suspect may arrive as a spin-off from the blockbuster Super Mario Bros. Movie and its upcoming sequel.

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