Arc Raiders developer Embark Studios has said players who spawn late don’t realize they “economically profit way more” than players who don’t.
In an interview with GamesRadar, design lead Virgil Watkins discussed the extraction shooter’s divisive late spawn system, which can see players join games with around 20 minutes left to go. The feeling from some is that this can be a frustrating experience because it gives late joiners less time to complete objectives, and there isn’t as much loot around. But Watkins suggested the data tells a different story.
“We 100% acknowledge the whole thing of, 'Man, I came in to do that trial and now I clearly don't have enough time to do that, and that sucks, so I'm just going to leave,' or whatever. That aspect is definitely not great,” Watkins admitted.
"But similar to the perception of free kits versus what they do, the perception around late joining and what it affords you has been quite interesting. Players are like, 'The loot's all gone,' or whatever else. But players who late join economically profit way more than people who aren't. The session, when they are fresh, does eventually get quieter, and very often they come across the remnants of fights or can maybe take out bigger drones or hit high-ticket areas more readily than other players. So that's been a very interesting thing to look at."
So what is the goal behind the late join system? According to Watkins, it helps mitigate deserted raids. Indeed, Embark distributes loot in such a way so “there should be plenty of stuff for players to do” even if they join late.
It will be interesting to see if Watkins’ explanation here turns sentiment on late spawns around. Since Arc Raiders’ explosive launch, its late spawn system has come under fire from some who feel it needs to be overhauled. There’s frustration on both sides, with those who have to face late spawns having been in a game from the start also expressing concern.
“It's crazy that my team can clear a section of Stella Montis, place traps near the popular entrances, and start looting... only to have a full team of three, heavy shield, volcano running players spawn 50 FEET AWAY from us in a random room in the corner of the area... spawning basically on top of us, at 15 MINUTES REMAINING,” said one fan last month. “There is no counter, there is no chance of winning, they bypassed our traps as they spawned in the room next to me.
“The ONLY players who should be spawning in five minutes into the raid or later are FREE LOADOUTS. Tarkov got that system down with the player Scavs, and it works very well. The initial spawn should be player loadouts only, then free loadouts come in at 25, 20, and 15 minutes remaining. Does that sound reasonable?
“I'm not crazy right? I've spawned literally on top of players who were looting and have gotten extremely unfair free kills because of it. Even reworking the spawning mechanic wont fix it, as you shouldn't have to worry about a random full geared 3-man at 15 minutes remaining after 5 minutes of silence after your team wiped out 12 players.
“Spawning in a 20 with gear sucks. Most of the PVP is gone, half the loot is already extracted. It sucks for everyone else too, they are low on meds, shields are nearly broken, and now 3-9 completely fresh, geared players have arrived at unexpected locations you just cleared.”
This week, Embark released a new patch for Arc Raiders that stamped out some infamous out-of-bounds exploits – but players said "rats" still live in the walls of Stella Montis. If this has tempted you into giving Arc Raiders a try, check out our guide to the best settings, find out what skills we recommend unlocking first, and see how to earn loot by delivering field depot crates... or you can just wait for the inevitable TV show or movie adaptation, although the team says it hasn't been swayed just yet.
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
Surprise! Nintendo has released an unexpected free update for Donkey Kong Country Returns HD, adding Dixie Kong and a new Turbo Attack mode for the game on both Switch and Switch 2.
The Switch 2 version of Donkey Kong Country Returns HD gets additional improvements, meanwhile, with improved loading times, higher resolution visuals, and the ability to play in co-op with a friend who doesn't have the game themselves via GameShare.
Swapping out Diddy Kong for Dixie allows you to benefit from her higher, further jumps. Turbo Attack, meanwhile, tasks you with clearing levels at breakneck speed and within a tough time limit. In other words, Nintendo seems to have added something here for both new players and veterans.
A free update is rolling into #DonkeyKong Country Returns HD!
— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) January 21, 2026
Swing into action as Dixie Kong in both single-player and two-player local co-op, and race through high-speed versions of each level in Turbo Attack. Plus, players on #NintendoSwitch2 can enjoy enhanced resolution,… pic.twitter.com/k66mpkhaOC
While today's update has dropped out of the blue, Nintendo has been updating its many games originally released for Switch with fresh features, and improvements for those now playing on Switch 2. Some of these have included paid upgrades — such as last week's Animal Crossing: New Horizons update — while Donkey Kong Country Returns HD's new additions are free.
Today's full Donkey Kong Country Returns HD patch notes lie below.
The following updates have been made when playing the game on Nintendo Switch 2 and Nintendo Switch:
The following updates have been made when playing the game on Nintendo Switch 2:
Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
Dragon Ball Genkidamatsuri will be held on January 25 as part of the 40th anniversary celebrations of the manga that kicked the franchise off in 1984. However, that’s not all. The free event (set to be livestreamed) this Sunday will bring fans exciting new announcements for a franchise whose future has been in limbo since the death of creator Akira Toriyama back in 2024. A new video game reveal has been confirmed.
The first Dragon Ball anime started in 1986, but it was Dragon Ball Z (1989-1996) that was many overseas fans’ entry point to the series and played a major role in popularizing Japanese anime abroad, especially in the U.S. At home, the influence of Dragon Ball could be felt in subsequent shonen series like One Piece, Naruto and Bleach. Dragon Ball is also known for its video games, letting players perform their favorite Saiyans’ flashy attacks. Almost every major console since the NES days has had at least one Dragon Ball game, even if not all of them made it outside Japan.
However, the future of Dragon Ball has been uncertain since the death of its creator, legendary manga artist Akira Toriyama (who is also known for his character design work for games like Dragon Quest and Chrono Trigger). Toriyama passed away in 2024, leaving many saddened that we will never experience any new Son Goku adventures from the pen of the original creator.
Dragon Ball’s 40th anniversary event will not only celebrate the franchise’s iconic characters but will also reveal what’s next for Toriyama’s beloved creations. Dragon Ball Genkidaimatsuri’s main event will be held at Makuhari Messe near Tokyo on January 25, 2026. The in-person event will feature several exhibitions, a whole host of merch booths, game areas and more. For those who can't make it, the main stage announcements, talk shows and performances will be livestreamed on YouTube by Toei Animation.
The event will kick off with some exclusive announcements from Son Goku’s Japanese VA Masako Nozawa and Dragon Ball series executive producer Akio Iyoku. It’s possible that this could be a new anime series or OVA. Dragon Ball Daima aired in Japan in 2024, but Toriyama’s death made it unclear whether the series would get a follow-up. Rumors of a Dragon Ball animated movie, set to release in 2027, have also been circulating around fan communities for a while, and Sunday’s event might finally show if there is any truth to this gossip. Given the international success of films from anime series like Demon Slayer and Chainsaw Man in recent years, now could be a good time for a Dragon Ball movies announcement.
What we do know for certain is that Dragon Ball is getting a new video game, something that has been teased since late last year. At 11am (JST) on January 25, Dragon Ball games producer Masayuki Hirano, Sparking Zero! producer Jun Furutani and others are set to reveal the new game. The most recent games in the franchise are team fighting game Dragon Ball Sparking Zero! (which kamehameha’d onto consoles in 2024) and FTP mobile title Dragon Ball: Gekishin Squadra (2025). Although Sparking Zero! was praised upon release for its huge cast of over 180 playable characters (delivering a big nostalgia hit which truly allowed fans of even the most obscure characters to make their dream team), the game has unfortunately suffered with balancing issues, bugs and online mode instability.
Although many Dragon Ball titles have been fighting games, the series has also flirted with other genres such as strategic card games (2024’s Dragon Ball Super Card Game Fusion World), card-based RPGs (Dragon Ball Z: Harukanaru Densetsu on the DS) and even a MMORPG (2010’s Dragon Ball Online) in the past. It’s possible that the new game might explore a different genre (perhaps an open-world RPG?), or it could be a fighting game set in a different arc of Dragon Ball, possibly featuring the chibi cast of Dragon Ball Daima.
Sunday January 25 will certainly be a big day for Dragon Ball, and diehard fans won't want to miss the livestream.
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.
Ben Macauley, an environment artist who has worked at Infinity Ward, Codemasters, and Wargaming, has remastered Half-Life 2’s trainstation intro in Unreal Engine 5. As such, this video will give you an idea of what a modern-day remaster of Half Life 2 could look like. Macauley has worked on many big games, including Call of … Continue reading Infinity Ward and Wargaming artist remasters Half-Life 2’s trainstation intro in Unreal Engine 5 →
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This review contains spoilers for Fallout Season 2, Episode 6, “The Other Player,” which is available to stream now on Prime Video.
After Mr. House boldly predicted that there was “another player at the table” last week, it was inevitable that this week’s sixth episode of Fallout Season 2 – titled “The Other Player” – would lift the veil on who that mystery agent is. Naturally, fans had already put together an accurate guess: The Enclave, the faction of scientists that have been a major antagonist force across the Fallout games. But while that’s an exciting reveal, it arrives as part of a scattershot chapter that rapidly runs between storylines in an effort to re-spin this season’s many plates, add new pieces to the board, and shift the gears. It’s a transition episode that demands a little extra patience, and while it certainly achieves the heavy lifting it needs to, it does feel like a minor stumble after last week’s dramatic stunner.
Frances Turner was promoted to series regular this year, but across the first five episodes of the season there was no significant change to Barb’s position in the show, despite her direct involvement with Vault-Tec’s plans. That changes this week – she even gets her own title card! – with an episode that reveals why a dedicated family woman would be so keen to see her child’s future go up in a mushroom cloud. The pivotal scene, in which Michael Emerson returns as Dr. Wilzig, is an uncomfortable, claustrophobic minute. Trapped in an elevator, her family at metaphorical gunpoint, Barb has no choice but to agree to The Enclave’s demands and put the apocalypse into motion at that fateful board meeting. Turner, who conducts the scene almost entirely in silence, communicates Barb’s fear and reluctant submission through her eyes alone. It’s the true highlight of her tenure on the show so far.
I will admit that I’m slightly disappointed that Barb and Vault-Tec aren’t behind the bombs, if only because her villainous turn was so unexpected. The Enclave, on the other hand, is a predictable shadowy figure, but I’m willing to concede considering the faction’s fascist, power-hungry, destroy-everything-that’s-not-us nature makes it a more logical option. And this reveal doesn’t override Vault-Tec’s “annihilation in search of profit” plan, a perfect skewer of American capitalism, as for all we know the company will still go through with it, even if the strings are being pulled from elsewhere.
But what of Barb’s Cold Fusion deal with Mr. House? She pulls the diode out of a drugged Hank’s neck and, considering the episode's big reveal, it would seem that she and Cooper could now work together to foil those who want to tear them (and the world) apart. But we know House will eventually get his hands on Cold Fusion, if only because Vault-Tec has The Automated Man mind-control devices in its New Vegas vault, the tech that House offered in exchange for it. I expect there’s still more than a few twists left in Barb’s tale, and I’m excited to see how her actions will usher both House and The Enclave into the bigger picture.
Talking of The Automated Man devices, the curtain is finally pulled back on Hank’s “civillization” project: using House’s microchips to turn the wasteland’s entire population into polite, courteous, productive citizens – the very picture of an idealised Vault-Tec commercial. While this is an amusingly creepy and undeniably sinister agenda, it is a little… soft as far as this season’s reveals go. It’s certainly fitting that chirpy, family-first Hank’s evil plan would be to turn everyone as nice as all-American apple pie, but it’s too straightforward to be genuinely interesting. Perhaps all that will change when we learn just who Hank is truly working with – that thread from all the way back in Episode 1 is yet to be connected.
Much more fascinating in these scenes is Lucy. Holding Hank at knifepoint, she decides to take him back to Vault 33 to stand trial. In the face of all the violence she’s witnessed in the wasteland, she still abides by the rules of the society she was born into. Lucy has, of course, struggled to hold onto herself during her travels with The Ghoul, but it’s unclear if her reluctance to impose a harsher punishment on Hank is a case of her reclaiming her own morals, or emotional trauma causing her to default to Vault-Tec’s facsimile of pre-war societal norms. It’s most likely a bit of both – when faced with the NCR and Legion troopers who threaten to tear each other to pieces, she opts to turn on their control chips to halt the violence, despite understanding the technology is a fate more sinister than death. It’s clear that she struggles to do the right thing in a world that doesn’t abide by the simple rules of her vault.
It could be argued that Lucy’s actions here show a lack of growth. Despite all her new experiences, she’s still the naive woman from Vault 33. But that would be to ignore the emotional complexity of dealing with her own father. I expect there’s more to come here, and that, in time, Lucy will make the right choices. She did, of course, make the surprising decision to punch The Ghoul through a window after he betrayed her, and that was after she’d been cured of her drug addiction.
On the other side of that punch and now impaled on a lampost, The Ghoul once again uses a period of incapacitation to reflect on his own humanity, which is rapidly slipping away from him now he’s unable to take the drugs that prevent him from turning feral. The memory of his family is the only thing that anchors him to Cooper Howard, and it’s tragic to see him muttering the name of his daughter as he succumbs. Thankfully he has a savior in an unnamed hulking super mutant, yet another Fallout icon that fans have been waiting to see, voiced by none other than the games’ narrator, Ron Perlman.
The super mutant’s arrival is undeniably cool in concept, but there’s unfortunately not much to celebrate – he’s little more than a big green face atop a hulking mass of rags, and so isn’t a triumph of CGI and practical filmmaking in the same way as the deathclaws were. Nor is he particularly interesting, merely a prophetical mouthpiece announcing that a war with The Enclave is on the horizon. More interesting is the information we’re denied; the mutant is keen to work with The Ghoul – does he know our gunslinger by reputation, or did they know each other in former, more human lives? And with The Ghoul’s refusal to be recruited, what is the consequence for both himself and the wasteland’s upcoming conflict? I suspect The Ghoul will eventually have no choice to make a stand, but as to if Perlman’s mutant returns in a more satisfying role, that remains to be seen.
Finally, another disappointment: after interesting questions were finally posed about Vaults 32 and 33 in the previous two episodes, this week’s return to Reg’s Inbreeding Social Club and their reckless water guzzling feels like time wasted on a joke wearing thin rather than a funny catalyst for something bigger. That feeling may be eventually proven wrong as there are some breadcrumbs – Barb’s flashback reveals that Vault-Tec knew the water chips would fail, and so it seems like Vault 33 is at the mercy of an experiment. But breadcrumbs are not building blocks, and this storyline has greatly suffered from both not providing new bricks each week, and failing to build atop the very few it has delivered. Is this water shortage and the inevitable rioting it will cause connected to the Forced Evolutionary Virus experiment that Norm discovered last week? There’s no evidence of that this week, and there’s just two episodes left to do anything with that knowledge. I’m all for a slow burn, but the structure of this storyline is more akin to the showrunners constantly blowing out and relighting the fire, rather than letting it gently crackle.
SEGA has announced that a PC demo for Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties will be released on Steam later today, and revealed its PC requirements. To be more precise, the demo will be available 7:00 AM PT/10:00 AM ET. In other words, it will be available in 8 hours from now. Yakuza Kiwami 3 … Continue reading Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties Gets PC Requirements & PC Demo →
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A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms showrunner Ira Parker doesn’t think his prequel show will get ahead of George R.R. Martin’s stories the way Game of Thrones did, as Martin has provided him with unpublished story material should the HBO series extend beyond three seasons. (Season 1 of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms adapts “The Hedge Knight”, the first of three entries in George R.R. Martin’s novella series Tales of Dunk and Egg,)
“Even though we don’t have the ins and outs of every story, we know canonically the major beats of Dunk and Egg throughout their lives. So we wouldn’t necessarily run into the same trouble as the flagship did,” Parker informed The Hollywood Reporter.
“George has outlined 12 more of these stories that he’s shared with me. These stories take them all the way through their lives,” Parker said. “Some of these are just a paragraph, but they give you a sense of where they’re going to go and the people who come back in and out of the story.”
Martin has stated his intent to write more Dunk and Egg novellas in the future, though they wouldn’t be published until he completes The Winds of Winter, his second-to-last entry in his saga A Song of Ice and Fire. Speaking of which, Martin still hasn’t finished writing The Winds of Winter, and has no contingency plan should he die before he can finish writing it.
As much as Ira Parker would love to make more seasons of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms – “I would do 12 of these,” he said – the showrunner conceded that “I would say HBO’s plan is for us to do the three novellas, and that’s it.”
With the series premiere now behind him, Parker shed light on Season 2 of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, which is now in production. If anything, Parker said, Season 2 – which adapts the second Dunk and Egg novella, “The Sworn Sword” – could potentially be smaller in scope than Season 1.
“It’ll still be six episodes. I think the scope will be same, maybe even smaller. The budget has stayed the same, but everything is more expensive due to inflation. Plus, book two takes place in a drought, so we can’t shoot exteriors in Belfast,” said Parker.
“We have to go to a sunny location with no water, which costs money — that’s a major expense that we did not have in season one. I’m having a lot of fun season two. It’s going to be a different season, and, I hope, for the better.”
For more coverage of all things Westeros, read our spoiler-free A Knight of the Seven Kingdom Season 1 review and then our spoiler-filled A Knight of the Seven Kingdom Episode 1 review.
Also be sure to find out why George R.R. Martin didn’t think the first episode’s poop scene was necessary and about Martin’s "abysmal" working relationship with House of the Dragon showrunner Ryan Condal.
Looking for a decent pair of noise canceling headphones for under $30? That's not impossible. For a limited time, Amazon is offering the Baseus Bass BH1 Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones for just $27.99 after you apply coupon code "BFBH1NC1". Even better, you do not need to be an Amazon Prime member to get in on this deal. Don't be fooled by the low price tag; the Baseus Bass BH1 has just about every feature you'd want in a quality pair of ANC headphones.
The Baseus Bass BH1 is an over-ear style headphone packed with an impressive feature set for its price. The earcups each house 40mm dynamic drivers with bio-cellulose diaphragms capable of producing great sound quality even at higher volumes, and SuperBass 2.0 digital processing helps simulate a rich and punchy low end. The headphones incorporate a four-layer active noise cancelation technology that suppresses background noise by up to 45db. That sounds impressive.
The Baseus BH1 features the latest Bluetooth 6.0 protocol with Multipoint connection, which allows you to pair to up to two devices simultaneously for fast switching. The earcups are padded with memory foam and upholstered in vegan leather for long term comfort. The battery lasts up to 80 hours on a single charge (55 hours with ANC on) and a ten minute charge over USB-C will give you ten hours of playtime. For the price, these headphones are definitely worth trying out, especially since Amazon offers a super easy 30 day return policy if you end up not liking them.
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.
Here's your chance to score an outstanding deal on one of Samsung's biggest and boldest monitors. For today only, Woot! (which is owned by Amazon) is offering the second generation 55" Samsung Odyssey Ark 4K Mini-LED gaming monitor for a low, low price of $1,199.99. Amazon Prime members get free delivery, otherwise pay just $5 for shipping. This is a brand new monitor with full 1 year Samsung warranty. It currently sells for $2,700 retail at Samsung direct. I've seen it for as low as $1,500 a few years ago during Black Friday, but this deal absolutely trounces it.
The Samsung Odyssey Ark is truly a one of a kind monitor. It boasts a gigantic 55" screen size with an aggressive 1000R curve, native 4K (3840x2160) resolution, 165Hz refresh rate, and 1ms gtg response time. The quantum dot mini-LED panel features 1,056 local dimming zones, Quantum HDR 32X technology, HDR10+ support, and 95% DCI color gamut.
A gimmicky yet nonetheless very cool feature is cockpit mode. Basically, you can pivot the monitor to portrait mode where the screen literally curves over your head in a super immersive "cockpit-like" experience. It could be useful in certain types of gaming scenarios but not something you'd taking advantage of on a daily basis. Did I mention it looks very cool?
Other features include an impressive 2.2.2ch 60W sound system that consists of four corner speakers and two central woofers, HDTV-like smart functionality, integrated KVM, and an external control pad. At the retail price of $2,700, this wild monitor would be a pretty tough sell. At $1,200, however, this could be a steal.
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.
Any game built around gacha mechanics needs to have a certain hook to keep things interesting in the long term, especially if there’s potential to invest your hard-earned dollars into it. For all their systemic sins, Game of Thrones: Kingsroad and Persona 5: The Phantom X at least piqued my interest by expanding on already-revered lore, allowing me to intertwine myself in their beloved worlds. The much more enjoyable Zenless Zone Zero, on the other hand, pulled me in with a mix of high-octane combat, endearing character development, and Y2K flair. Arknights: Endfield is the latest competitor in this genre’s fierce attention economy, offering not only an engrossing sci-fi open world to explore, but another mechanically moreish addition: base building and automation. After approximately twenty hours of Endministrating, it’s clear there’s a lot more to uncover here beyond its sticky login loop, but crucially, I’m keen to expand my horizons in search of character motives, upgrades, and ultimately rewarding depth.
In Arknights: Endfield, you play as the Endministrator (or Endmin for short) who, after a 10-year absence and an unfortunate case of amnesia, returns to the world of the living to reinhabit the planet of Talos-II. Taming the wilds is no small task, though, and on top of trying to remember who you were before your big sleep, you’ll also face off against a range of evil entities, including leather-clad maurauders, shifting zoomorphic creatures, and other mythic, well-dressed baddies. It’s an intriguing premise, unfortunately told through an exposition-heavy opening with awkward stop-and-start pacing. Still, if you brave its dialogue-dense beginning, Arknights: Endfield eventually opens up, delivering visually enticing battles and a captivating atmosphere that help make up for it.
Your job primarily involves adventuring with your team to the surface of Talos-II to hunt for resources, solve simple environmental platforming puzzles, and eventually clear out whole areas which you can access in the metagame to build and automate machinery. To do this, you’ll use a team of up to four Operators who, under your control, fight and collect items to push the lengthy story ever onwards. Early on, you’ll have a limited pool of story-specific characters to play as, like the masked Endmin, the empathetic mission-oriented Perlica, and the spirited Chen Qianyu, though eventually you’ll be able to use a specially earned gacha currency to pull new characters, too. It’s not the most imaginative gameplay, with many of the puzzles involving finding and pressing a few buttons on a small map to find success, or trawling through the same few groups of bad guys to push through an area. Still, this is all set against a striking cyberpunk backdrop that makes it surprisingly easy to sink hours into.
As you can imagine, there is an eye-watering array of currencies to consider here — a painful staple of the genre. On top of the usual gacha pulling, which allows you to randomly unlock unique characters and weapons, there’s also a paid Battle Pass that rewards you with resources that can be filtered into systems that help speed up progression, that is, if you can figure them out. It’s hard to say from only the week I’ve spent with it so far whether this feels balanced or not, but I’ve not run into any significant roadblocks that would encourage me to pull out my wallet in the early game – though only time will tell, and based on what I’ve seen so far, I’m not overly confident I won’t eventually find a few.
While my humble crew was more than enough for me in the beginning, once I’d earned the currency needed to try out the character lottery firsthand, my feelings began to shift. In my first pull, I drew Estella, an adorable beanie-wearing warrior who compelled me with their nonchalant attitude and stylish techwear garb. Soon after that, I fell in love with Da Pan, a hungry panda whose leather jacket and belt combo gave him the aura of a dad navigating a midlife crisis. I’d like to say I stopped becoming attached to the characters as I kept pulling more. Alas, the range of unique designs, alongside their quippy one-liners, was effective enough to tug on my heartstrings. While I wouldn’t pay for currency with my own money beyond what is provided organically, I was happy to see that, if I did, developer Hypergryph has put a lot of effort into its worldbuilding and character design.
It helps that a character’s personality also tends to shape how they move in battle, and throughout my time with Arknights: Endfield, the flashy combat quickly became my favourite aspect. Hits are delivered with vibrant visual payoff, so much so that even my silly mistakes looked like intentional moves. As you explore, you’ll encounter groups of various enemies camped out, like violent blobs of possessed water or sword-wielding bandits, all of which feature level indicators hovering above their heads. Once ready to engage, you run directly at them, weapons brandished, and start swiping away.
Instead of controlling the Edmin alone, you switch between all the members of your team in battle, applying button-mashing combos that feel engaging in motion. Each character has a dodge, a light attack, and a special attack that string together nicely, delivering well-choreographed combos. Once you knock back an enemy and start to juggle them, you can call in your compatriots to deliver electrifying blows that feel slick – the Endmin’s sword slashes away with golden strikes, while Da Pan delivers belly bounds and butt slams with his towering form.
Outside of combat, the rest of your time is spent investing in the infrastructure of your base. Unlike the complex, automation-based gameplay of beloved factory management simulators Factorio and Satisfactory, Arknights: Endfield’s base building is much more tame, at least early on. And, thanks to lengthy explanations delivered by NPCs, it’s a process that ensures even the most build-averse players can learn how to create a functioning base of operations.
First, you’ll plant electric pylons and connect them with relay towers to supply electricity to the area. Though soon enough, you’ll also be able to implement mining as well as machinery that can refine and process raw materials. As someone who hasn’t always enjoyed the intense, efficiency-focused approach of similar automation games, Arknights: Endfield provides a friendly alternative that’s ripe for community collaboration – something I hope develops post-launch.
There’s still so much to see before I deliver my final score, like expanding the factories, fully automating my production, and leveling up my team and gear – and that’s before I uncover the truth behind the Endmin’s amnesia. So far, though, I’ve found myself comfortable in its world, and I’m keen to get stuck in and see how far I can push before I hit an inevitably uncomfortable grind.
Jim Butcher has been writing The Dresden Files books for over 25 years now. I first started reading this series back in the early 2000s and found myself immediately enamored with story and overall vibe. It's got magic, it's got mystery, and it's all wrapped up in a neat little detective format that is hard to put down. If you're looking for some contemporary fantasy to binge read, I highly recommend diving into this series.
As of January 20, 2026 The Dresden Files has 18 novels in the series. The latest title, Twelve Months, has finally arrived almost six years after the previous entry.
I would consider myself a Dresden fan, but I'll be the first to admit that I don't really remember what happened back in book 17. This six year gap between books is the longest break we've ever had and it has me seriously considering starting the series all over again before reading Twelve Months. Whether you're new to the series or just diving back in after a while, here's a quick rundown of the reading order so far:
Unfortunately, The Dresden Files books are not currently available as part of a Kindle Unlimited subscription.
For those who don't remember where exactly we are in Harry Dresden's story for Twelve Months, you can check out the official synopsis from the Penguin Random House website:
"One year. 365 days. Twelve months.
Harry Dresden has been through a lot, and so has his city. After Harry and his allies narrowly managed to save Chicago from being razed to the ground, everything is different—and it’s not just the current lack of electricity.
In the battle, Harry lost people he cared about. And that’s the kind of loss that takes a toll. Harry being Harry, he’s doing his level best to help the city and his friends recover and rebuild. But it’s a heavy load, and he needs time.
But time is one thing Harry doesn’t have. Ghouls are prowling Chicago and taking out innocent civilians. Harry’s brother is dying, and Harry doesn’t know how to help him. And last but certainly not least, the Winter Queen of the Fae has allied with the White Court of vampires—and Harry’s been betrothed to the seductive, deadly vampire Lara Raith to seal the deal.
It’s been a tough year. More than ever, the city needs Harry Dresden the wizard—but after loss and grief, is there enough left of Harry Dresden the man to rise to the challenge?"
Although we had to wait almost six years for book 18, it's looking like there's going to be less of a wait for book 19. We don't yet have a release date for the next entry in the series, but we do already have a title from the author himself. According to the upcoming works section of Jim Butcher's website, the next title in the series is Mirror Mirror. The Goodreads page for the book says it's expected at some point in 2027, which may mor may not be accurate.
That's currently all that's planned for this series as of right now. As much as I'd like a redo of the absolutely terrible Dresden Files TV show that came out back in 2007, it doesn't seem like any such thing is in the works.
Sony's InZone Buds have a lot going for them: they're good-looking, lightweight and designed to deliver immersive sound when gaming on PlayStation 5 and PC. These Buds aren't cheap, typically priced from $150 to $200 a few years after launch, but that could be worth it for a great pair of cross-platform, low-latency and truly wireless in-ears. Unfortunately, there are some (small) red flags here too - including restrictive Bluetooth support that prevents use with some popular phones and a charging case that lacks some creature comforts. The overall package is competitive, though, and these Buds still rank among the best gaming earbuds we've tested.
They're very Sony, aren't they? Their shiny white coating, overengineered corners and severe angles could only belong to gaming earbuds, and while I don't adore the aesthetic I admire the boldness. They're made for using at home, so why play it safe?
The case is chunkier than for most earbuds but given they're gaming buds you shouldn't be transporting them every day, and they will still fit in your pocket when needed.
It feels disappointingly cheap: the buds and receiver dongle wiggle even after they've snapped into place inside the case, and the lid is a bit wobbly, as if the hinges need tightening. Nothing fell out, and it won't open of its own accord, but I'd expect something sturdier at this price.
The same applies to the USB-C transmitter dongle, which you plug into your PC, PS5, Switch or Steam Deck. It worked wonderfully for low-latency audio and it never dropped connection (more on that later in the review), but it feels thin and flimsy.
When plugged in it will move side to side if you nudge it, and I was constantly scared I'd accidentally knock into it and snap it. That's less of an issue if it's plugged into your PS5, but could be a problem on handheld consoles or on a PC that's not tucked out of the way.
Thankfully, the InZone Buds redeem themselves when you put them in your ear.
The fit is slightly looser than most earbuds because they don't extend far into your ear canal, but they never felt like they were going to fall off, and it makes them comfortable. The tips never irritated my ear, even when I took them off and put them on repeatedly. I wore them constantly, including for six hours at a time, without once needing a break – an excellent sign.
The whole point of these buds is low-latency audio when you're gaming, avoiding the normal delays of Bluetooth. They deliver wholeheartedly: I couldn't notice a delay, even a small one, between what happened on screen and my ears. It's something of a novelty to have low-latency wireless audio, and for me that novelty doesn't wear off.
The buds never dropped connection to the USB dongle, and always paired instantly.
And these earbuds sound great whether you're gaming or listening to music. The audio is balanced and rich: on music and podcasts, vocals sounded natural and nothing was overemphasized. Bass thumps without overwhelming you.
They house the same drivers as the Sony WF1000XM5, some of the best-sounding earbuds money can buy – if I'm picking nits, then these buds sounds slightly less precise and immediate because of the looser fit in your ear, but it's a negligible difference. You won't get the same immersive soundstage as high-end over-ear headphones, but they're more than good enough for most people.
I played Arc Raiders and Fortnite on PC to test directionality and clarity, and both Astrobot and Ghosts of Tsushima on PS5, to see how cinematic they sounded while gaming.
No matter what I was playing, I loved what I was hearing: in Arc Raiders, explosions were deep and booming, and I could easily distinguish between multiple sets of footsteps, door breaches, and gunshots happening at the same time. The cutesy plink-plink of Astrobot's sound effects was lively and crisp, and the background music of Ghosts of Tsushima was urgent, enveloping, atmospheric.
I was particularly impressed with their directionality in shooters: in Arc Raiders I could always tell exactly where a nearby enemy was from their footsteps.
The active noise cancelling was just fine. It blocked out quieter sounds around my house, like the hum of my dishwasher. The looser fit, however, allows more sound to passively leak in compared to, say, Sony's E9 In-Ear Monitors, which I recently reviewed. But ultimately I only noticed when I was wearing them with no sound, and it didn't make me enjoy the InZone Buds any less because when I loaded a game and turned the volume up, I felt like I could slip into my own world.
The ambient sound mode – a transparency mode – is supposed to let in background noise, which to me is more important than noise cancelling for at-home earbuds. When I'm gaming I might want to listen for the doorbell, or hear somebody call for me in the next room. But even when I turned ambient noise up to maximum using the InZone Hub, I couldn't hear somebody talking 10 feet from me when I was playing a game at 50% volume.
It's annoying but, on balance, a minor gripe in the context of the excellent low-latency audio.
These buds' battery life is one of their biggest strengths. Sony advertises 12 hours before they need to return to the case and I got close to that, hitting more than 11 hours each time. In wireless earbuds terms that is a marathon, longer than every other device on our best gaming earbuds list.
They lack both fast and wireless charging, and the case itself holds less charge than competitors – but the single-charge lifespan makes up for it. Whenever I finished a long session, I plugged in the buds and knew they'd last as long as I needed them to next time.
For software, the InZone Buds are supposed to work with two different programs: the InZone Hub on PC and the Sound Connect app on smartphones. I say "supposed to" because I couldn't get the app to work on my phone.
The buds connected to my Android phone via Bluetooth LE fine, and I enjoyed watching YouTube and listening to music, but for whatever reason Sony's app couldn't find them, so I couldn't adjust EQ levels or tweak any settings. I reinstalled the app and reset the buds with no joy. Sony's online support isn't much help and it's all badged with "Headphones Connect" – a previous name for the app, which doesn't give me much confidence.
And as I mentioned in the intro, regular Bluetooth is not supported, so they'll only connect to your phone if it supports Bluetooth LE. They also won't connect to your Switch or Steam Deck without the dongle, which is annoying: I'm fine playing more casual games, such as Balatro, with a bit of Bluetooth latency, but that's not an option with the InZone Buds.
The PC-only InZone Hub is intuitive and packed with options, giving you more customization than most earbuds. The equalizer presets seem smart (I mainly used one that boosts footsteps and gunshots), and you can tweak the dynamic range to make quieter sounds easier to hear.
The "Spatial Sound" is designed to give you a 3D effect and I played with it on at all times. I felt it gave me a slight advantage knowing where my opponents were, without compromising the audio quality.
Sound field personalization and sound tone personalization tune your audio through hearing tests and photos of your ears. For me they sounded different, but not noticeably better – although I can't begrudge Sony layering more customization onto buds that are already generous in their settings.
Lastly, you can adjust your microphone volume and even let it adjust automatically based on what else is happening. The mic was loud by default and all my teammates could hear me clearly, but my voice was slightly cracklier than with a dedicated microphone. That's to be expected with earbuds.
Sadly, you cannot use the InZone Hub anywhere other than PC, which makes them feel like PC-first earbuds, although the default set-up still sounded good on my PS5, Steam Deck, and Switch.
Samuel is a freelance reporter and editor specializing in longform journalism and hardware reviews. You can read his work at his website.
Ever consider replacing your gaming headset with a pair of earbuds? Here's a chance to do so on the cheap. For a limited time, Steelseries has dropped the price of its blemished box Steelseries Arctis Gamebuds for PlayStation 5 or PC to just $125.99 with free shipping (normally $200 new) after you apply a 10% off coupon code "EXTRA10". This is lowest price I've seen for the best dedicated gaming earbuds of 2025, even beating out Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals.
I don't see as many gaming-specific earbuds as I do gaming headsets. In fact, this is Steelseries' first product release in the category. The package includes a wireless 2.4GHz USB-c dongle that you plug into your PC or gaming console for reduced latency compared to using standard Bluetooth earbuds. Each earbud contains a 6mm neodymium magnetic driver that can simulate bass and spatial audio effects. No headset is complete without a built-in microphone, and the Gamebuds has a decent one, although not nearly as good as an extendable boom mic.
Previously, only PC gamers could take advantage of custom audio presets through the Steelseries GG software, but now console gamers can do the same through the Steelseries Arctis Companion mobile app.
The Gamebuds can be used outside of gaming, of course. Like any good pair of in-ear buds at this price point, the Gamebuds features Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity and active noise cancellation. Three different sized eartips are included for a more customized fit. The battery lasts about 10 hours and the charging case extends it to 40 hours.
I have a pair of these myself and quite like it. I prefer these over standard headphones on hotter days, because my ears sweat profusely when I use traditional over-ear headsets. Not so with these Gamebuds.
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.
It's been another big year for Netflix. Stranger Things, KPop Demon Hunters, Frankenstein, Wake Up Dead Man, and a lot more kept audiences glued to the streaming service in spite of price increases and the addition of ad tiers. It was enough to draw even more new subscribers to Netflix by the end of 2025, up 23 million from the last data we got from Netflix a year ago, when the subscriber numbers were at 302 million.
Netflix reported its full-year earnings for the 2025 fiscal year today, reporting $45.2 billion in revenue for the full year (up 16% year-over-year), and with ad revenue rising over 2.5x to over $1.5 billion. View hours were up 2% year-over-year, and total subscribers were at 325 million.
It's especially notable to be getting subscriber numbers of any kind, as Netflix announced it would no longer be reporting these numbers beginning with fiscal 2025, and we haven't heard updates since last January. But it's clear that Netflix has a lot to brag about this year, given that its strategy of price hikes and ad tiers seems to have, annoyingly, worked out well for them.
This comes as Netflix prepares to, pending approvals, acquire Warner Bros. Discovery for $82.7 billion. As discussions proceed, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos has pledged to keep Warner Bros. films exclusively in theaters for 45 days, saying, “When this deal closes, we will own a theatrical distribution engine that is phenomenal and produces billions of dollars of theatrical revenue that we don’t want to put at risk. We will run that business largely like it is today, with 45-day windows. I’m giving you a hard number. If we’re going to be in the theatrical business, and we are, we’re competitive people — we want to win. I want to win opening weekend. I want to win box office.”
Also as a part of the Netflix numbers today, we learned that the company has been amping up its AI use internally, implementing AI systems for subtitle localization, ad customization, and more. It's an unsurprising move after Netflix already announced it would implement AI-generated ad breaks this year, and after its co-CEOs remarked in 2024 that audiences "don't care much" about what technology delivers their TV and film.
Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.
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