Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has officially been named Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2025, alongside multiple other wins. If that winning sweep has you jumping in for the first time (or returning for another playthrough), IGN has you covered with guides, explainers, and wikis to help you get started for your journey across The Continent.
What Is Clair Obscur: Expedition 33? Should You Play It?
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a turn-based RPG (it's kind of like Final Fantasy VII... kind of) set in the world of The Continent. It follows a group called Expedition 33 on a mission to destroy The Paintress, a mysterious figure who wipes out anyone over a certain age in a yearly ceremony called the "Gommage."
Alongside extremely unique turn-based combat, which emphasizes various skills and parries to deal damage to bosses with "tells" and plenty of secret weak points, you and your party explore various different areas, encountering enemies, finding treasure, and discovering what happened to other Expeditions that ventured out to beat the Paintress - and failed - before. You also can also build your team to deal ridiculous combo-based damage, something that hardcore players have come to love about Expedition 33.
If you're an RPG fan but don't have time to sink 100+ hours into them, Expedition 33 may be perfect for you. If you solely focus on the main story, you can expect to roll credits in around 28 hours. With side quests, this increases to 45 hours. If you're set on completing everything, it'll take roughly 65 hours. And if you want to beat a bunch of optional bosses with crazy builds, you can do that, too. Oh and we gave Expedition 33 a great score in our review if you want a more in-depth take!
How Combat Works in Expedition 33
As mentioned previously, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 features turn-based combat, which means that everyone in battle, including enemies, attacks one at a time, rather than everyone at once - think classic Final Fantasy, Persona, or Baldur's Gate 3.
You don't just wait for enemy attacks to hit you, though. Here, one of the main selling points is the ability to parry, dodge, and jump to avoid and counter attacks. When an opponent uses a move, you're able to press a button that, when timed right, either dodges, jumps, or parries to avoid damage completely or deal damage back to them.
When it comes to your own skills, these are powered by Pictos and Luminas. Pictos are special pieces of equipment that you equip to characters to grant special benefits and increase stats. Luminas, working hand-in-hand with Pictos, are special skills that unlock after you've won a battle with a Picto four times, and can be carried over and used with every member of your party.
Builds are a crucial part of combat in Expedition 33, and you'll need to pay mind to not only your Pictos and Luminas, but weapons and attributes. No matter the character, we've got Build Guides to help you plan, so you're always suited up in the best gear and stats.
If all this sounds confusing or overwhelming to you, head to our Combat Guide that explains everything you need to know about Expedition 33's battle system in more detail, including the more intricate mechanics we haven't covered here. For more combat and party-adjacent Game Help, check out:
After you set off on your journey to defeat the Paintress, you'll arrive at The Continent, which is essentially a giant overworld. Not only is this how you travel to new areas during the main story, but there are also enemies that roam around, waiting to be defeated (or avoided).
In addition, The Continent is home to various collectibles to find, Optional Bosses to take down, and Side Quests to complete. If you're a completionist, you can spend hours just on The Continent overworld alone, tracking down every item, Secret, and Easter Egg possible.
Our Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 interactive map is the perfect companion tool to aid you in exploring The Continent. Not only does it lay the entire area out to help you plan your next move, but it also tracks essential locations, such as new areas, side quests, collectibles, and bosses, so you always know where to go to meet your objective.
We have plenty of Game Help available to help you in exploring and collecting everything that The Continent has to offer, including:
Released as a thanks to the community, the free Expedition 33 "Thank You" update was surprise-dropped during The Game Awards on December 11, 2025. It added new content, such as Luminas and weapons, bosses, Photo Mode, and a new environment to explore, plus a handful of improvements and bug fixes.
We'll have a full walkthrough of the new content soon, which we'll link here when available. For now, you can check out everything that was added on our Update 1.5.0 Patch Notes page.
Meg Koepp is a Guides Editor on the IGN Guides team, with a focus on trends. When she's not working, you can find her playing an RPG, getting Victory Royales in Fortnite, or cuddling her corgi.
Amazon just kicked off an excellent VR gaming deal for the holiday season. It's offering $100 in bonus Amazon digital credit when you purchase a Meta Quest 3 VR headset for $499.99 and apply coupon code "QUEST30". Order it now and you'll receive it before Christmas, even with the free shipping option for non-Prime members. The Meta Quest 3 is the best standalone consumer-oriented VR headset and is a significant upgrade compared to its cheaper Quest 3S sibling.
Buy Meta Quest 3, Get $100 Amazon Credit
The Meta Quest 3 costs $200 more than the Quest 3S at retail, and for good reason. Although the two share several similarities - they have the same Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 processor, Touch Plus controllers with inside-out tracking, and mixed reality passthrough - the Quest 3 features far superior optics. The Quest 3 adopts a new pancake lens design that's slimmer, has a higher resolution (30% more pixels), wider FOV display, and a bigger "sweet spot". The Quest 3 also starts with more storage. I own it myself (and I reviewed it for IGN) and have logged over a thousand hours in Beat Saber alone.
TL;DR:
Quest 3 has sharper resolution (2064x2208 vs 1832x1920)
Quest 3 has better lens array (pancake vs fresnel)
Quest 3 has wider FOV (104°/96° vs 96°/90°)
Quest 3 has higher storage capacity (512GB vs 128GB)
Same Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 processor
Same Touch Plus controllers
Same 120Hz refresh rate
Same Mixed reality passthrough functionality
Same tetherless and tethered functionality
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.
Through its (near-)consistent excellence, innovation, and longevity, Resident Evil games have earned their crown as the king of survival horror. Capcom debuted its world of mutants and mercenaries in 1996 and has since grown Resident Evil into a multimedia franchise that spans over two dozen console games, six films, two recent Netflix series, novels, comics, and even stage plays.
It can be an exciting franchise to explore given the amount of content it houses, though for the same reason, it can be an equally daunting series to approach in 2025. With the upcoming launch of Resident Evil: Requiem, this article focuses exclusively on video games and cuts out the convolution by presenting two ways to play only the most narratively significant and accessible Resident Evil games in order.
There are 10 core Resident Evil games: RE 0-7, Village, and Code: Veronica. However, the total number of Resident Evil console games — including spinoffs and remakes — sits around 30. That number rises near 60 when accounting for mobile and pachinko games.
Which Resident Evil Game Should You Play First?
Our overall suggestion for where to begin is with Resident Evil 4 Remake. It's the most visually/technically impressive RE remake to date and, thanks to its masterful mix of action and horror, arguably the best overall Resident Evil game in the franchise's nearly 30-year history. It's a largely self-contained story that doesn't require you to play each game that came before it.
However, if you prefer first-person horror, we recommend starting with Resident Evil 7: Biohazard. It's the beginning of the Ethan Winters storyline and an excellent game that uses the more immersive first-person camera to heighten the horror.
How to Play the Resident Evil Games in Chronological Order
For this list, we’re focusing on 12 Resident Evil games: all 10 core entries and the two Revelations spinoffs. While many others are considered canon, this is not an exhaustive chronology, but rather an approachable guide to entering and enjoying the world of Resident Evil video games.
Missing from this list are mobile and pachinko games, light gun and Wii shooters (Resident Evil Survivor, Survivor 2, Dead Aim, Umbrella Chronicles, Darkside Chronicles), and non-canonical/non-consequential/difficult to access spinoffs (Resident Evil Gaiden, Outbreak, Outbreak: File #2, Mercenaries 3D, Operation Raccoon City, Resistance, Umbrella Corps, Re:Verse)
With series newcomers in mind, the brief plot synopses below contain only mild spoilers such as broad plot points and character introductions.
1. Resident Evil 0
Resident Evil 0 is the fifth game released in the series but the first chronologically. It takes place just before the events of Resident Evil, with Special Tactics and Rescue Service (S.T.A.R.S.) medic Rebecca Chambers and former marine Billy Coen discovering a train full of zombies in the Arklay Mountains (home to the Spencer Mansion). Billy and Rebecca uncover valuable information related to series villains Albert Wesker and William Birkin. We also learn more about the origins of the sinister Umbrella Corporation and its deadly T-Virus. The game wraps with Rebecca headed toward the mansion, where she’d serve as a supporting character in RE 1.
2. Resident Evil
The first Resident Evil came to PlayStation in 1996, though for those coming to the franchise in 2022, you’ll want to play the 2002 remake (or its more recent HD remaster), as it improves gameplay and expands on the story.
RE 1 picks up right after RE 0. You play as one of two S.T.A.R.S. agents — Chris Redfield or Jill Valentine — who come to the Spencer Mansion while investigating a series of murders in the woodlands outside of Raccoon City. Chris/Jill encounters the murderous, mutated victims of the T-Virus and uncovers key information about Umbrella and its biological experimentation.
3. Resident Evil 2
Taking place two months after RE 0 and 1, Resident Evil 2 introduces two new protagonists — rookie cop Leon Kennedy and Claire Redfield (Chris’s sister) — each with their own connected yet distinct campaign. RE 2 also introduces the recurring character Ada Wong and the iconic Tyrant enemy.
We learn more about William Birkin and his work on an even more threatening virus called the G-virus. Leon/Claire uncover more disturbing details about the clandestine work of Umbrella, as well as its ties to the Raccoon Police Department.
The chronology gets dicey with Resident Evil 3, but for the sake of simplicity, we recommend playing it after 2. The first part of RE 3 takes place before the events of RE 2; the second part takes place after. You could play halfway through 3, pause, play through 2, then return for the second half of 3. However, playing RE 3 after 2 won’t detract from the experience or your understanding of the story. We chose to place it fourth on this list seeing as its conclusion progresses the overall narrative beyond RE 2.
You begin RE 3 as Jill Valentine, still coping with her experience from RE 1, trying to escape from an overrun Raccoon City. For part of the game, while Jill is indisposed, control shifts to her mercenary ally Carlos Oliviera. RE 3 also introduces Nemesis and reveals the fate of Raccoon City.
5. Resident Evil: Code – Veronica
Resident Evil: Code – Veronica advances the timeline by a couple of months and sees Claire Redfield continue the search for her brother Chris that began in RE 2. This time Claire’s search takes her to an Umbrella facility in France, where she escapes captivity and follows the trail to the southmost region of Earth.
Chris Redfield, one of the protagonists from the original game, returns as a second playable character in Code Veronica. Chris, like Claire, is looking for his sibling, and the search results in a meeting with series antagonist Albert Wesker.
6. Resident Evil 4
Resident Evil 4, arguably the series' most beloved entry, puts players back in the shoes of Leon Kennedy six years after his time in Racoon City during RE 2. Leon travels to a rural village in Spain on a mission to rescue the U.S. president’s daughter.
There, Leon encounters a cult and explores its ties to a mind-controlling parasite. The story that unfolds weaves together the narratives of two characters from Resident Evil's past: Albery Wesker and Ada Wong.
Resident Evil Revelations is set between the events of RE 4 and 5. It explores another consequence of Umbrella’s bioweapon development and introduces players to the Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance (BSAA).
Jill Valentine and Chris Redfield are now BSAA agents, with Jill serving as the game’s primary protagonist. The duo head to the Mediterranean to combat the use of T-Abyss, a new variant of the T-Virus.
8. Resident Evil 5
Resident Evil 5 is set five years after RE 4. Chris Redfield, as part of the BSAA, flies to Africa with his partner Sheva Alomar to prevent the black market sale of a bioweapon. The people of Kijuju, however, have already been infected with an enhanced version of the mind-controlling parasite seen in RE 4.
It’s a larger-scale story than past Resident Evils, though Chris also embarks on the more personal mission of finding his long-lost partner, Jill Valentine. We also learn of Albert Wesker’s latest nefarious plot.
Unlike past games in the series, RE 5 can be played cooperatively; the second player controls Sheva.
9. Resident Evil Revelations 2
Resident Evil Revelations 2 is set between RE 5 and 6. It brings Claire Redfield back into the spotlight for the first time since Code Veronica. The game is split into four episodes, with each episode divided into two parts: a past sequence with Clarie and Moira Burton and a present sequence with Barry Burton (Moira's father) attempting to locate them. The story introduces another antagonistic Wesker.
10. Resident Evil 6
Resident Evil 6 is an action-heavy adventure that tells an even more sprawling (and convoluted) tale than that of RE 5. It weaves together four campaigns starring Leon Kennedy, Chris Redfield, Ada Wong, and a mercenary named Jake Muller.
The BSAA introduced in Revelations plays an important role in 6, as the quartet of protagonists work to squash the bioterrorist group Neo-Umbrella and prevent the spread of yet another mutant-creating virus (the C-Virus).
11. Resident Evil 7: Biohazard
With Resident Evil 7: Biohazard Capcom reinvented the franchise in several ways: It’s RE’s return to mass acclaim and fandom following the largely disappointing fifth and sixth entries, it introduces a new protagonist in Ethan Winters, and most notably it switches the series’ longrunning perspective from third-person to first-person.
Despite all these changes, RE 7 still exists on the series canonical timeline, presumably taking place in the modern-day sometime after RE 6. The game is set in rural Louisiana, with the first part taking place in the home of the wonderfully insane Baker family. Its ties to past RE games are rather loose, though many of the series staples are here: clandestine human experimentation, bioweapons, and toward the end, a familiar face.
12. Resident Evil Village
Resident Evil Village is a continuation (and the conclusion) of Ethan Winters’s story, set three years after the events of RE 7. Biohazard and Village stand on their own as a duology of games. Though Village includes a few more ties to the series’ past, including a more prominent role for the aforementioned “familiar face” and further information about the origins of Umbrella.
A post-credits scene extends the timeline even further. We’ll save the details, but those curious can read on to the next section for a bit more context.
Bonus: Shadows of Rose DLC
Picking up shortly after Village’s post-credits scene (16 years after the main story of Village), Shadows of Rose progresses the Resident Evil timeline further than any game before it. Assuming the events of Village take place in 2021, Shadows of Rose brings the franchise into the near future of 2037.
The 3-4 hour DLC stars Ethan’s daughter Rose, who attempts to rid herself of the unwanted powers inherited from her father.
How to Play the Resident Evil Games by Release Date
Resident Evil (1996)*
Resident Evil 2 (1998)*
Resident Evil 3: Nemesis (1999)*
Resident Evil: Code – Veronica (2000)*
Resident Evil 0 (2002)*
Residet Evil 4 (2005)*
Resident Evil 5 (2009)*
Resident Evil: Revelations (2012)
Resident Evil 6 (2012)*
Resident Evil: Revelations 2 (2015)
Resident Evil 7: Biohazard (2017)*
Resident Evil Village/Shadow of Rose (2021/2022)*
*Mainline Resident Evil games
The Future of Resident Evil Games
There's plenty to look forward to from this iconic horror series. In late 2023, Capcom confirmed they're working on more RE remakes, and some reports suggest Resident Evil Zero and Code Veronica are up next.
Capcom isn't just looking to previous games, however. The studio confirmed that Resident Evil 9 was in development last year, and a full reveal trailer for what is officially titled Resident Evil Requiem was presented at Summer Games Fest.
Helmed by Resident Evil 7's director Koshi Nakanishi, the first trailer showed Raccoon City after it was destroyed in an attempt to contain the virus. The trailer also introduced Grace Ashcroft, an FBI analyst and daughter of Alyssa Ashcroft.
While some theorists were early to believe the game would feature none other than Leon Kennedy, Capcom initially outwardly denied those rumors with an interesting justification. Then, of course, Leon was revealed as the game's second protagonist at the 2025 Game Awards. Grace's gameplay will place greater emphasis on story and survival, while Leon will bring the good ol' actoin.
An RTS mobile game allegedly developed in close collaboration with Capcom, titled Resident Evil Survival Unit, is also set to hit Android and iOS in late 2025. In the meantime, Capcom's social media has presented Leon with a particular strong threat: the Duolingo owl.
Jordan covers games, shows, and movies as a freelance writer for IGN.
When it comes to fantastical book series that shaped our childhoods, Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson and the Olympians is one of the best. With season two of the Percy Jackson Disney+ series now available to stream, we're here to lay out what makes the books so special and the order you need to read the books in to make the most of the series. Below we've outlined the full timeline to help guide you on your reading journey.
Imagine a world where modern Greek gods have children with the powers of demigods. That's the fantastical concept at the center of the Percy Jackson and The Olympians book series. Created by Rick Riordan, the stories begins following the titular son of Poseidon as he traverses the secret world of mythical gods, goddesses, and their superpowered offspring. Over the original series and two sequel series The Heroes of Olympus and The Trials of Apollo, the world has expanded massively bringing new characters and new generations of fans to the Greek-myth inspired universe that has been enchanting readers since 2005.
How Many Books are in the Series?
There are a total of 18 books in the Percy Jackson universe, which are spread across three different series. The original Percy Jackson and the Olympian series features 7 books as of 2025 with the release of Wrath of the Triple Goddess just last year.
Percy Jackson Book Sets
If you're looking to add a collection of books to your shelves at home, there are a few box sets available. Below are links to both the paperback and hardcover versions for each series:
Percy Jackson and the Olympians Books in Order
Below is how to read the Percy Jackson series chronologically. There's a bit of a time jump between The Last Olympian and Chalice of the Gods, but the timeline is further explained on Rick Riordan's website if you need more info.
1. The Lightning Thief
In the original novel that sparked off the series, Percy Jackson, discovers that his normal life is not what it seems. Rather than being a normal 12 year old trying to get through school with ADHD and Dyslexia, he's actually a demigod! His life is turned upside down when he's accused of stealing Zeus' lightning bolt. It's not just that he's accused of being a thief though, as he also learns that he's the son of none other than the god Poseidon. Soon he's swept away to a summer camp for demigods known as Camp Half-Blood where he must solve the mystery of Zeus' stolen master bolt and find his way as the son of a god that he's never known.
2. The Sea of Monsters
After discovering Camp Half-Blood and his new life in the first book, in The Sea of Monsters Percy and his friends have to come together to save the place they first met. When the magic that protects the camp begins to fail the crew must head to the titular ocean in order to find a powerful artifact. But they don't have much time and in case you didn't realize the Sea of Monsters is filled with just that. Many, many dangerous creatures fill the pages of this epic adventure, as Percy navigates rough seas and family secrets as he tries to save the day.
3. The Titan’s Curse
As the title hints, this story pushes the Greek mythology of Percy Jackson into the realm of the legendary Titans. When Percy is enlisted to help his old friend Grover he knows something dangerous must have happened, but not even he can guess what's coming. New demigods are on the horizon and with them comes the threat of one of the oldest beings in the world Kronos who hasn't forgiven the teens for besting him. That's not all though as there's also the matter of a massively powerful ancient monster, and the titular curse to keep them busy.
4. The Battle of the Labyrinth
Though he's starting freshman year, things are far from normal for Percy Jackson. With the war between the Titans and the Gods threatening to spill over into every part of life he can barely catch a break, so when demon cheerleaders show up at school he can't believe his bad luck. Reimagining the classic Greek Myth of Daedalus and the Minataur, Percy and his Camp Half-Blood buds have to venture deep into the depths of the Earth to defeat the challenges of an intricate maze in order to stop the destruction of all that they hold dear.
5. The Last Olympian
It's a race to save the legendary Mount Olympus as Percy and his friends must come together in order to defeat the Titans. Luckily they've been training all year for just this but as Kronos starts his attack on New York, can the young demigods actually stand against him? This is the epic finale to the battle that began long ago in The Lightning Thief and throws the mythical world of Camp Half-Blood onto the streets of Manhattan for a world-changing fight of the ages.
The Heroes of Olympus Books in Order
1. The Lost Hero
Introducing a new roster of young characters to root for, this book centers on a demigod named Jason who loses his memory on a school trip and ends up becoming entangled in the world of the Olympians. After revealing his powers and being taken to Camp Half-Blood, Jason and his friends must help find the now missing Percy Jackson. But as they undertake their quest they discover some shocking truths about Camp Half-Blood and come up against its rival Camp Jupiter. This super fun expansion of the Percy Jackson universe melds Greek and Roman mythology to set up a whole new series of Olympian adventures!
2. The Son of Neptune
Fans were desperate to know what happened to Percy and in the second Heroes of Olympus book they got an insight into his new status quo. Just like Jason, Percy has lost his memory and in a shocking twist finds himself on the run in California with nowhere to turn. Helped by Roman deities and new friends, Percy manages to reach Camp Jupiter discovering that Camp Half-Blood isn't the only demigod training ground in America. As always Percy ends up wrapped up in a mythological battle with huge stakes but this time he's surrounded by Roman gods!
3. The Mark of Athena
What should have been a celebratory reunion for Annabeth and Percy is overshadowed by the threat of war as Camp Jupiter prepares to face down a foe of mythological proportions. The young Demigod takes center stage in this epic seafaring adventure that sees our young heroes travel to Rome in order to connect with the Demigods there, all the while Annabeth tries to work out her place in the story as the daughter of Athena and hero of Olympus.
4. The House of Hades
It's a quest to escape the underworld when Annabeth and Percy find themselves there after the events of Mark of Athena. In their journey to find the Doors of Death, the duo and their friends who are still in the mortal world will have to work together in order to survive. As if Hades wasn't enough to contend with someone trying to raise the Greek iteration of Mother Earth, Gaea, which the kids also have to stop. Who said it would be easy being a Demigod?
5. The Blood of Olympus
In the final novel from The Heroes of Olympus series, Percy and Annabeth have to battle the horror of Gaea along with their crew in order to stop the deities' horrific plan. As the title suggests she needs the blood of Demigods to truly rise but luckily the Demigods have each other, though they'll have to solve the brewing tension between Camps' Half-Blood and Jupiter before they can really come together and solve their Titan sized problem.
Bonus: The Demigod Diaries
Although not directly connected to the Heroes of Olympus series, The Demigod Diaries includes additional short stories set in the Percy Jackson universe. Also included is new artwork and some games.
The Trials of Apollo Books in Order
1. The Hidden Oracle
In the second spin-off of the Percy Jackson and the Olypians series, Zeus is back to his old terrible father shenanigans as he transforms his son — the god Apollo — into a teenager and banishes him to New York City. Once on Earth he has to enlist the help of a Demigod named Meg and of course the heroic Percy Jackson to save the day and earn the forgiveness of his father. This means he'll have to wrangle control of the Five Oracles which will take the crew on another mythologically charged adventure through Riordan's fantastical world.
2. The Dark Prophecy
Continuing the story of Apollo and his quest to find the Oracles in order to take his place as a god once again. Alongside his Demigod buddies, Apollo must venture across America in order to free the next Oracle, all the while battling against mythical creatures and the mysterious Triumvirate Holdings, along with one of its leaders Commodus. Expanding the new lore introduced in The Trials of Apollo this is a gripping continuation of the Percy Jackson series.
3. The Burning Maze
Apollo's battle against the evil emperors of Triumvirate Holdings takes center stage here as he comes up against multiple mythological creatures and famed historical figures. You'll catch appearances from Caligula, Madea, Strix, and even Caligula's favorite horse Incitatus. This is another epic adventure that pits Apollo against fearsome foes and tragic losses as he unravels the Triumvirate's shocking plans and tries to regain his immortality while keeping his friends safe. And trust us when we say that's not an easy set of responsibilities to juggle.
4. The Tyrant’s Tomb
The penultimate book in the Trials of Apollo series takes Apollo and friends to the edge as they find themselves up against the brutal Caligula and his followers. In order to help protect Camp Jupiter from the onslaught of Triumvirate Holdings, Apollo and his crew must venture into the ancient tomb of a terrifying tyrant that will put them in more danger than ever before. It'll also lead to the final trial of Apollo, which will define and seal his fate forever.
5. The Tower of Nero
In the final Trials of Apollo book the stage is set for an epic battle back in New York City. It's all been leading to this as the young god and his demigod buds have come up against their biggest foe yet. It's an epic finale with massive stakes as mythical families are reunited, friendships are tested, and Apollo finally learns whether or not he's done enough to return to his place on Mount Olympus. But if you're desperate for more stories in this universe, don't despair as there's one more standalone novel that ties into the world of Percy Jackson.
6. The Sun and the Star
Bringing two fan favorite characters to the forefront of their own story, The Sun and the Star centers on Nico di Angelo and Will Solace who were introduced in earlier Percy Jackson novels. Nico is the son of Hades which means that life is far from easy for him, and as the son of Apollo, Will has had his fair share of adventures too. But when Nico starts hearing a voice calling him to the depths of the underworld the pair are tested like never before, in this story that will sate the appetites of Percy Jackson fans everywhere, especially those who miss Camp Half-Blood.
What's Next for the Percy Jackson Series?
Following the recent release of Wrath of the Triple Goddess, Rick Riordan will be adding a final book to this trilogy. He stated this clearly in a November 2024 update where he confirmed he "will be writing the third and final ‘Senior Year Adventure’ about Percy Jackson’s quest to get into college". We don't yet know the name of the upcoming book, but we know it will somehow involve Percy acquiring his final recommendation letter. Once that book wraps up, the future of the Percy Jackson books is unclear. Rick Riordan did mentione in a recent interview with IGN that he has dozens of unfinished novels, but it's unclear if those will ever become part of the Percy Jackson universe.
As for the TV show, we already know that season 3 of the series has begun filming. The third installment of the show will be adapting the third book, The Titan's Curse. Whether or not the show gets renewed for more seasons will likely be dependent on how well season 2 does on Disney+ this year.
Rosie Knight is a contributing freelancer for IGN covering everything from anime to comic books to kaiju to kids movies to horror flicks. She has over half a decade of experience in entertainment journalism with bylines at Nerdist, Den of Geek, Polygon, and more. Rosie is a published comics author who has written titles including Godzilla Rivals vs. Battra and The Haunted High-Tops. She co-hosts the weekly Crooked Media pop-culture podcast X-Ray Vision. When she's not writing, you can find her playing Dragon Ball FighterZ or rewatching weird old horror and martial movies in her free time. She loves making comics and zines as well as collecting VHS and reading much manga as humanly possible. You can find her on social at @rosiemarx.
Nobody Wants This fans, Kristen Bell is about to do you one better than season 2. Netflix is adding Bell’s best-known role to their platform very soon — none other than Veronica Mars. However, there’s an interesting caveat to the whole situation.
Veronica Mars will land in its new streaming home on January 14, 2026… but it’s only the first three seasons of the show that will live on Netflix. The 2014 standalone film can only be found streaming on HBO Max and the fourth and final season of the series is available to stream on Hulu. So, while you can’t stream the entire franchise on Netflix, you can catch the original three seasons there and find the rest on neighboring services.
It’s kind of a confusing setup, but it’s mostly just a logistical hangup. Streamers sign contracts for designated time periods during which they have full streaming rights to a movie or show, so it appears both the 2014 Veronica Mars movie is just still under contract with HBO Max. There’s certainly a chance that Netflix will try to acquire it once that contract concludes, but the fourth season is Hulu production, so there is a chance they’ll hold onto the project indefinitely on their platform. That said, Netflix has been known to ditch original programming years after it was added to the platform, so you never know what might happen in the future for Hulu’s Veronica Mars.
In short, eventually you may be able to watch all of Veronica Mars in one place, but today — or January 14, technically — is not that day.
Veronica Mars premiered on UPN in 2004 and ran until its cancellation in 2007, with its last season airing on The CW. The film premiered in March 2014 to a positive response — but the fourth revival season of the show five years later was quite divisive. The ending, which doesn’t exactly give Veronica the happy ending she deserves, had fans torn and it effectively put an end to the franchise as a whole. But fans can relive the glory days on Netflix next month.
Lex Briscuso is a film and television critic and a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. You can follow her on Twitter at @nikonamerica.
If you, like me, still have visions of last night's grotesque trailer for a new Divinity game from Larian Studios burned into your head, then you'll be delighted to know there's already a whirl of fan theories as to what it all meant. Specifically, some fans think they've worked out who the man burned alive inside the wicker man is, or at least, who he's supposed to represent.
I'm going to get into some spoilers for basically all the other Divinity games here, so if you intend to play through some of those in advance, read on at your own risk.
So, there are a few possibilities being floated for who that guy in the fire is. The first, and most probably, is Lucian, the human player character of Divine Divinity and a recurring figure throughout the Divinity games. There's a ton of history behind Lucian, but what you probably need to know is that he was at one point worshipped as the "Divine", chosen by the Seven gods of Rivellon. He stands in opposition to a force known as Chaos, the source of Rivellon's demons which seeks to invade and consume Rivellon, but he also at one point adopted a baby named Damian who was known to serve as a vessel for the Lord of Chaos, which goes about as well as you can imagine.
Lucian is also the founder of The Divine Order. If you've played Original Sin 2, you'll remember those guys as the folks rounding up Source users, but also will recall that at the time of the game, Lucian had already passed away...or so everyone thought. The end of the game has you discover him hiding in his tomb, having faked his death and is quietly working to purge the Source from Rivellon entirely. Depending on your actions when you meet him, Lucian might end up dead, or alive and still Divine. Sort of.
Which leads to the theories that the guy in the fire is Lucian. In the ending of Original Sin 2 where you allow all the world's Source to be purged, Lucian is reinstalled as Divine ruler. However, unbeknownst to most, he doesn't possess Divine powers anymore. He's just a dude. One theory being floated is that somehow the people of Rivellon have figured out that Lucian is powerless and the gods are dead (you actually kill all seven of the world's gods in Original Sin 2) or otherwise gone. Lucian's committed a lot of pretty atrocious crimes over the years against a lot of people in the name of the greater good, so it's not shocking that folks would be pissed and turn on him as soon as it was clear he had no real power. But even just beyond the lore, look: the guy looks like Lucian!
He's the right age, he's got the beard and the bushy eyebrows. He's wearing a crown, suggesting royalty. And most importantly, check out the star-shaped scar on his chest. As pointed out in the Reddit post above, it matches the star on the end of Lucian's staff pretty well.
Of course, it's not totally certain that this is Lucian. Some other possibilities floated are that this isn't Lucian himself, but an annual ritual where some other guy is tortured and killed as a stand-in for Lucian, who would already be long-dead at the time this is happening. There are other suggestions that this isn't Lucian, but Damian, the kid Lucian adopted. Damian is a vessel for Chaos, so him being executed for that reason and Chaos bursting out of him when he dies would make a lot of sense. And both the Lucian and the Damien theories work with the game's promo text shared yesterday: "The gods are silent. Rivellon bleeds. New powers stir."
But then we've got folks elsewhere pointing out that the presence of a Blood Rose suggests ties to the former tyrannical Source King, Braccus Rex, who's also theoretically dead by this point but has come back from the dead twice now.
Of course, that's all assuming this game takes place after all the other Divinity games. There are plenty of folks suggesting it takes place somewhere in the middle of the timeline, or even as a precursor (given its name), and others reminding us that Larian's Divinity lore hasn't always been consistent.
There's a lot to unpack here and it's going to take some serious Divinity lore nerds to understand it all. Or, Larian might just tell us in a few months. Maybe they'll make it easy. If you still want to unpack it a little further, we have an explainer on what exactly we do know about this new Divinity game so far, especially in relation to the kinds of games Larian Studios has made up til now.
Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.
Here’s some good news for RPG fans. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, the surprise blockbuster that swept The Game Awards this year has a new physical edition that is still available for PS5. It’s called the Mirror Edition, and it comes with some new physical goodies. It’s only available at Amazon (see it here), with a price tag of $59.99 and has already sold out for Xbox. Read on for a rundown of everything you get with Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Mirror Edition while its still avaialable.
Where to Buy Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 - Mirror Edition
This is the only version of the new Mirror Edition. Alternatively, you can buy a physical version of the standard edition (see it at Amazon). That edition is available now and has an MSRP of $49.99. Either one of these would make for an excellent gift for gamers this year.
In addition to the game on disc, the Mirror Edition also includes the following items:
Collectible Cards - includes 3 of 10 possible cards
Exclusive steelbook - featuring Verso and Alicia
Tuckbox
Regarding the collectible cards, there are 10 available, but you get three random cards included with your copy. The only three cards shown on Amazon’s listing page feature Gustave, Maelle, and Lune.
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Chris Reed is a commerce editor and deals expert for IGN. He also runs IGN's board game and LEGO coverage. You can follow him on Bluesky.
The Game Awards gave us a new trailer for The Seven Deadly Sins: Origin with a look at exploration and co-op gameplay, as well as a possible hint at the return of a fan-favorite character.
For those who aren’t already aware, The Seven Deadly Sins: Origin is an open-world action RPG that takes place in Britannia from the world of The Seven Deadly Sins manga and anime. It stars Tristan, prince of Liones, in a multiverse narrative that tells its own original story. Tristan finds a pendant called the Book of Stars that has the power to connect timelines but also awakens a new darkness that must be defeated.
It being a new story involving alternate timelines means it can feature just about any character or enemy from the manga and anime series. And we got a taste of that in this trailer, which included a brief tease of Escanor, the beloved member of the titular Seven Deadly Sins. Fans of the series know all about him and what happens to him, but the latest trailer includes a brief glimpse of his distinctive Lion Sin of Pride tattoo, possibly hinting that he’s back to show off his daylight-powered strength.
While Escanor is the most notable character in the trailer, he’s far from the only familiar face. We see several well-known characters — including Meliodas, Elizabeth, and Diane (more on her in a minute) — fighting alongside a player-controlled party against three massive bosses, giving us our most detailed look yet at the size and scope of multiplayer battles.
We’ve known for a while that you can have up to four characters on your team at a time and can switch between them on the fly with one button press. But in the trailer’s battle against the Ancient Dragon, you can tell from the UI that that’s still the case even while the player is joined by friends in co-op.
So even when fighting multiplayer battles, you’ll still be able to swap between your full team. And speaking of the UI, you can also see that each character has an elemental-aspected ultimate ability that lights up when it’s available to use, even if that character isn’t currently on the field, helping you plan your strategy and when to switch characters.
We also get a look at a multiplayer battle against a boss named Warden Orgot. And in the cases of both the warden and dragon, you can get a sense of the power and range of some of their abilities. Red zones show where an AoE attack will land, and some of those zones take up a massive amount of space, so you’re clearly going to have to stay on your toes during these chaotic battles.
The final boss battle featured in the trailer was only shown briefly, but it’s still notable because of who it is: a giant version of Diane. And that fight is accompanied by quest text that says “Episode 8: Diane on a Rampage.” So … what exactly is going on there? I guess we’ll just have to wait to find out. The Ancient Dragon, Warden Orgot, and Giant Diane are all new bosses that weren’t featured in the game’s recent closed beta test, so even people who got to play the game already have something to get excited about.
The rest of the trailer showed that fighting giant bosses isn’t the only thing you can do with your friends. We got a glimpse of co-op exploration, both in a dungeon and in the open world, which included seeing everyone in the party riding flying mounts through the air together. So the implication is you’ll have the freedom to travel with your friends throughout the world.
The new trailer is just the latest to be featured at some of gaming’s biggest events this year. There have been trailers or playable builds at Summer Game Fest in June, gamescom in August, Tokyo Game Show in September, G-STAR 2025 in November, and now The Game Awards.
It’s all been building up momentum toward the worldwide January 28, 2026 release date on PC, PlayStation 5, iOS, and Android. The Seven Deadly Sins: Origin is free-to-play with cross-play across all platforms, and you can pre-register right now on mobile or by using your email.
The heroes in your party will be recruited using gacha mechanics, but if you pre-register through Google Play or the App Store you’ll be guaranteed recruitment of Tioreh, who is new to the series. You’ll also get draw tickets, hero upgrade materials, and healing dishes, which will help give you a head start at the beginning of the game. If you use your e-mail to pre-register on the official website, you’ll get the Skyborne Gale Duel Swords weapon, weapon upgrade materials, and gold.
Console and PC players can also wishlist the game on PS5 or Steam now. To keep up with the latest news and updates, you can follow the game on its official Discord, Twitter, and YouTube channels.
Season two of the Fallout TV show is getting ready to drop next week, and if its return has you itching to jump back into the games, Microsoft can set you up with the proper gear for a replay. The company is releasing a brand new Pip-Boy Edition Xbox wireless controller, which is now available to preorder at both Amazon and at the Microsoft Store for $82.97.
Thankfully, you won't have to wait too long to have it in your hands. Microsoft is set to release the controller on December 16, the day before the return of the Fallout TV show on December 17, while Amazon is releasing it a little bit later on January 7, 2026. Head to the links below to preorder this fun new controller for your next journey to the Wasteland.
Preorder Xbox Fallout Pip-Boy Edition Controller
The design of this controller is, as its name suggests, inspired by the Pip-Boy devices worn by the vault dwellers in Fallout. It features the Vault Boy outlined in the center against a green background that looks like a screen, with black around the edges of the controller and bright green on the back. There are even graphics that label each of the buttons to say what they do in Fallout, like V.A.T.S on Left Bumper and move/look on the sticks. It also features black analogue sticks, face buttons, and D-pad that stand out against the green.
Frankenstein director Guillermo del Toro has discussed his now-cancelled plans for the DC universe, which included two years of work on a Justice League Dark screenplay, and the suggestion he could have helmed Superman movie Man of Steel.
Speaking on Josh Horowitz's Happy Sad Confused podcast, del Toro was open with his ideas for Justice League Dark, which he worked on between 2013 and 2015. The director has spoken in the past about his plans to feature John Constantine, Swamp Thing, The Spectre and Deadman in the team-up movie, which at one point would have been part of the now-defunct DC Extended Universe.
Now, del Toro has revealed more about the project — which would have featured Constantine as its star, and seen his crew call on a certain Bruce Wayne for backup.
"[The lead] was Constantine, and the plot made absolute, perfect sense," del Toro said. "I really loved how they got tangled into the Floronic Man as one of the villains, Swamp Thing was really fleshed out."
"I was not casting yet," del Toro continued when asked who he'd wanted to play Constantine. At one point, the project had been planned to feature Constantine TV series star Matt Ryan reprising his role, though it was previously reported that this idea fell through when the show was not renewed for a second season.
"I knew I wanted Doug Jones to be Deadman," he continued, referencing the DC superhero capable of possessing other people's bodies, "only because I knew physically he could do the suit, I knew his mannerisms." Jones would of course go on to star in del Toro's The Shape of Water instead.
Discussing his favorite planned setpiece from the movie, del Toro said it would have featured a chase sequence where Deadman is seen "jumping from one body to the next. It would have been an 80-year-old lady in Central Park, running after the antagonist and then jumping into a traffic cop, or mounted cop... it would have been a thrilling thing."
How else might Justice League Dark have tied into the DCEU? Well, in a surprising admission, del Toro revealed he had planned for the film to also feature a Batman cameo.
"There was a moment where Batman came in briefly," del Toro revealed. "[The team] said, 'We need a plane,’ and [Deadman] said, 'I know a friend of mine has a plane.' And then you were in Bruce Wayne's office. You know I would have loved to have done that, but now I wouldn't, you know."
Still, perhaps the most startling moment of the whole interview comes as del Toro is asked about the long-standing suggestion he was once in the frame to direct Superman movie Man of Steel (a job that ultimately went to Zack Snyder). When the question is asked, del Toro pauses for a very long time, before ultimately breaking the moment's tension by simply saying: "Next."
This isn't the first time del Toro has been questioned about being offered the job. Back in 2010, in an interview with Deadline, del Toro was asked about a couple of Warner Bros. projects he was apparently offered, including a new Wizard of Oz movie and the job of resurrecting Superman.
"I came out of The Hobbit, and it was the biggest heartbreak I've experienced as a filmmaker, because I will never know what that movie would have been," del Toro answered back in 2010, referencing the period where he was once set to direct The Hobbit before The Lord of The Rings director Peter Jackson came on board instead. "I was very mindful that I didn't want to have a rebound movie, as happens sometimes when somebody comes off a long romance." He concluded: "There were very big, lucrative, beautiful projects on the table." What might have been...
Image credit: Lia Toby/Getty Images for Netflix.
Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
In the sneak peek — which is part of HBO Max's overall 2026 teaser — Zendaya’s character, Rue Bennett, can be seen dancing with a group of women before kneeling down in a church pew and looking up at the altar. “There’s no turning back,” she says in the clip. Next, we see her running for dear life, turning her head to look behind her for someone or something on her tail (knowing Rue, this is probably drug money related).
From there, we see a car driving recklessly in the desert before it cuts to Lexi (Maude Apatow) shmoozing with a table full of men at a fancy party, Maddy (Alexa Demie) putting on makeup, Nate (Jacob Elordi) dancing in front of a living room TV with his button-down shirt open, Cassie (Sydney Sweeney) beaming in an animal costume, and Jules (Hunter Schaefer) sighing and leaning her head back on a chair. “A few years after high school, I don’t know if life was exactly what I wished,” Rue explains over the visuals.
Then, we see Rue and a new character driving recklessly once again in that aforementioned car. In a separate shot, the new character — a man in a cowboy hat who is sitting between two beautiful women — tells Rue, “You walk up into my house and you don’t even introduce yourself.” It seems like he's probably a bad dude, but who's to say just yet.
There’s definitely going to be a bit of a time jump here — and frankly, how could there not be with how much time it’s taken to produce Season 3, over four years since Season 2 premiered — so it’ll be interesting to see how the show tackles that inevitability, especially considering how many new storylines and characters it’s going to give us. It’s a lot, so we’re curious to see if the show falters or continues to fly.
Season 3 of the once beloved series doesn’t yet have an exact release date but, as of now, it will be arriving in April of next year.
Image credit: HBO Max.
Lex Briscuso is a film and television critic and a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. You can follow her on Twitter at @nikonamerica.
Gainax, the animation studio behind influential anime including Neon Genesis Evangelion, FLCL, and Gurren Lagann, officially shut down on December 10, 2025. This was revealed by Evangelion creator Hideaki Anno in a statement published on the website of his company Studio Khara, in which the anime director shared his personal thoughts on what he described as a “truly disappointing end” to Gainax’s “nearly 42 years’ of history.”
Anno was one of a group of university students who founded Gainax back in the early 1980s. The company would experience huge success with 1995’s Neon Genesis Evangelion, which became popular worldwide. Evangelion suddenly brought in massive profits for Gainax, however money management issues followed, with then-Gainax president Takeshi Sawamura arrested for tax fraud in 1999. A series of other scandals followed, including Gainax selling off rights to anime series without permission, non-repayment of loans, unpaid royalties, and Gainax representative director Tomohiro Maki’s arrest for sexual harassment of a teenage voice actress in 2019 (Kyodo News). In July 2024, Gainax filed for bankruptcy, which led to the company being dissolved this December.
Although Anno himself left Gainax in 2007 to found his own company Studio Khara, Khara would become Gainax’s largest creditor. Speaking about Gainax’s dissolution in his recent statement, Anno said: “as one of the people who remained there for over 20 years after the company’s founding and remained a shareholder until today, it’s a truly disappointing end, but I accept it quietly.”
In his statement, Anno thanked all of the companies and staff who, since Maki’s 2019 arrest, had worked hard for nearly six years on Gainax’s liquidation. “Thanks to their cooperation, we were able to safely return the rights to each work, as well as various production materials and documents to their rightful owners via proper procedures,” Anno said.
However, Anno added that the investigation into Gainax revealed “a lack of respect” for production materials, creations, and staff. “After we (Studio Khara) had provided an emergency loan during Gainax’s financial distress, we witnessed firsthand Gainax's lack of integrity regarding repayment," he said. He also alleged that during the investigation, he learned of various misrepresentations made by former Fukushima Gainax representative director Yoshinori Asao, as well as Hiroyuki Yamaga and Yasuhiro Takeda, whom “I had thought were my friends since our university days.” Anno said he learned that Yamaga, who was president of Gainax at the time, allegedly made hostile statements against Studio Khara, tried to come up with ways to avoid repayment of Khara’s loan, and told Gainax employees to say he was in hospital whenever anyone from Studio Khara called.
Anno is referring to a loan of 100 million yen (approx. $641,000) that Gainax’s Yasuhiro Takeda asked Anno’s Studio Khara for in 2014 to prevent Gainax from going under. However, not only did Gainax not pay back the loan as agreed, it apparently also sold off the rights to Gunbuster, Diebuster, and FLCL without permission from the creators and began to sell off production materials (storyboards etc.) of past works to raise money. As reported by Anime News Network, Anno said at the time: “I could have shrugged off the loan that never got repaid, but we were anxious to preserve the production materials we had poured blood, sweat, and tears into.” Anno’s Studio Khara sued Gainax for 100 million yen in 2016, winning the case. In the recent statement, Anno also mentioned that Studio Khara filed a separate lawsuit in 2023 regarding issues with rights transfers and a lack of transparency on Gainax’s part.
“I have come to realize that we can never return to the relationship we once had, and I feel deep disappointment from the bottom of my heart,” Anno said of the former university friends with whom he founded Gainax.
However, Anno finished by thanking one university friend. Yasuhiro Kamimura was Gainax’s latest representative director, and Anno expressed gratitude to him for dealing with the fallout left by the former management. The Evangelion director praised Kamimura for sincerely dealing with creditors and working hard to prevent any losses of rights or materials.
Image credit: Netflix.
Verity Townsend is a Japan-based freelance writer who previously served as editor, contributor and translator for the game news site Automaton West. She has also written about Japanese culture and movies for various publications.
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