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

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

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

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

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

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

Hulu subscription tiers

Hulu: Bundle to Best

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

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

What can you watch on Hulu?

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

Here's what you get:

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

Hulu television

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

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

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

The future of Hulu

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

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

Original story from Brian Barnett.

Gears of War is officially making its way to PlayStation. Yep, you read that correctly. Gears of War: Reloaded is a remaster of the first Gears of War game, featuring 4K resolution, up to 120 FPS in multiplayer, and cross-play. It's now available to preorder in a physical format for PS5. Unfortunately there's no physical release for Xbox, but you can preorder a digital copy of it right now which we've listed below.
Both the physical edition of Gears of War: Reloaded for PS5 and the digital versions for PS5 and Xbox are listed for $39.99. It's set to release this year on August 26, so head to the links below to secure your copy before it drops.

Gears of War: Reloaded – Physical (PS5 Only)

Gears of War: Reloaded - Digital Edition

• Get it for Xbox Series X|S
• Get it for PS5
• Get it for PC (Steam)

For those who opt to preorder a digital copy of the game instead, you get a little bit extra to go with the preorder bonuses above. By preordering a digital version of Gears of War: Reloaded, you'll get access to the Exclusive Multiplayer Beta alongside the character skins above. To learn more about when the multiplayer beta is taking place, Xbox Wire has a helpful post up with everything you need to know

Gears of War: Reloaded Will Be on Game Pass

Gears of War: Reloaded Is Free for GoW: Ultimate Edition Owners

It's also worth noting that Gears of War: Reloaded will be "a free upgrade for players who purchased the digital version of Gears of War: Ultimate Edition," before the remaster was announced, per Xbox Wire. That's a wonderful little bonus for long-time Gears fans.

Gears of War: Reloaded Preoder Bonus

This physical release comes with a nifty little preorder bonus as well. By preordering Gears of War: Reloaded for PS5, you'll get two character skins, Adam Fenix and Anya Stroud, to use in multiplayer.

What Is Gears of War: Reloaded?

Gears of War: Reloaded is a new, upgraded version of the original game, which launched for Xbox 360 in 2006. Below you can find a list of all the upgrades brought to Gears of War: Reloaded as well, from that same Xbox Wire post:

• 4K resolution
• 60 FPS in Campaign
• 120 FPS in Multiplayer
• High Dynamic Range (HDR)
• Dolby Vision & Dolby Atmos
• 7.1 3D Spatial Audio
• Variable Refresh Rate (VRR)
• 4K assets and remastered textures
• Enhanced post-processing visual effects
• Improved shadows and reflections
• Super resolution with improved anti-aliasing
• Zero loading screens during Campaign

It's been a very busy kickoff to summer, between new game announcements and the release of the Switch 2. If you're still trying to keep up with everything, have a look through our breakdowns of everything announced at the Xbox Games Showcase, Sony State of Play, and Summer Game Fest to see what's coming down the pipeline.

More Preorder Guides

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

Now here’s an interesting filmmaker-studio twist. The Witch and Nosferatu maestro Robert Eggers is being eyed to helm a remake of A Christmas Carol at Warner Bros., and he has his sights set on none other than Willem Dafoe to play his Ebenezer Scrooge.

According to a report from Variety, no talent — that means Eggers nor Dafoe — is attached to the project at this stage, but Eggers is being considered and he has interest in having his longtime collaborator take up the leading role. The film is currently in development at the studio, so it would be a while before this would come to fruition anyway.

Eggers is currently set to write and direct Werwulf, a period horror film he has in the works at Focus Features, ahead of anything else. So it stands to reason that this project would come after that, and maybe would be ready to shoot just as Eggers finishes with his 13th century nightmare. But wrenches can always be thrown in the mix, so who knows.

The filmmaker previously called Werwulf “the darkest thing” he’s written “by far,” so it’s interesting to think what he might do with a classic story like A Christmas Carol. He could continue on that streak we now know him so well for, or he could lighten things up a tad — but something tells me he might take the darkness of A Christmas Carol to its logical extreme. And that’s really exciting.

Werwulf was co-written by Sjon, with whom Eggers wrote The Northman and will write the upcoming Labyrinth sequel, and currently has a Christmas 2026 release date on the books. It remains to be seen when we’ll see an official announcement on A Christmas Carol, but if they aim for a 2027 release, it might not be as far off as we think.

Photo by Richard Baker / In Pictures via Getty Images.

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

The five-year mission of the USS Enterprise under the command of Captain Christopher Pike is coming to an end. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds has been renewed for its fifth and final season, Paramount+ announced Thursday.

Production on the final season begins later this year; Season 4 is currently in production.

The first two episodes of Season 3 premiere on Paramount+ on July 17. After that, new episodes will drop weekly on Thursdays, with the season finale premiering on September 11. IGN recently exclusively debuted the season’s latest trailer at IGN Live.

“From the very beginning, Strange New Worlds set out to honor what Star Trek has always stood for — boundless curiosity, hope and the belief that a better future is possible,” said executive producers Akiva Goldsman, Henry Alonso Myers and Alex Kurtzman in a statement.

“We’re deeply grateful to Paramount+ for the chance to complete our five-season mission, just as we envisioned it, alongside our extraordinary cast and crew. And to the passionate fans who’ve boldly joined us on this journey — THANK YOU.

With three more spectacular seasons ahead for you to see and enjoy, this adventure is far from over.”

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Season 3 stars Anson Mount, Rebecca Romijn, Ethan Peck, Jess Bush, Christina Chong, Celia Rose Gooding, Melissa Navia, Babs Olusanmokun and Martin Quinn, along with guest star Carol Kane and special guest star Paul Wesley.

The series is produced by CBS Studios, Secret Hideout and Roddenberry Entertainment.

For more Star Trek coverage, boldy go read our op-ed on why the TNG-era holodeck appearing in Season 3 of Strange New Worlds doesn't break continuity and our Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 2 review, which we hailed as "another must-see season of Star Trek."

With Deltarune chapters 3 and 4 out last week, players have been eagerly mining the new episodes for more of Toby Fox's characteristic secrets and mysterious plot threads. In the process, they've found an absolutely fascinating bit of dialogue that's almost impossible to get, as it requires beating all four chapters of Deltarune on PlayStation without earning a single trophy.

Warning: While this article won't spoil any of the major plot moments of Deltarune, it will talk in vague terms about some of the more common and low/no-spoiler trophy achievements. If you're someone who doesn't want to know a single piece of information about Deltarune before going in, probably better skip this one!

As shared by Reddit user millsbuddy, there's a special, hidden bit of dialogue that appears in Deltarune Chapter 4's credits sequence if, and only if, the player has completed all four chapters without earning a single trophy. This allegedly checks the player's PSN account, so if you try to get this text, fail by accidentally getting a trophy, delete your file and try again, no luck. You still have the trophy, so it won't appear.

This is an even more ridiculous task than it sounds on its face, as some of the achievements are so laughably easy to get that you're almost certainly going to get at least a few by accident just through playing normally. There are achievements for taking damage a certain number of times, for using or equiping items, for getting a Game Over, equipping armor, opening too many treasure chests, interacting with chairs, and a lot more. Some achievements have multiple possible triggers. There are also four achievements simply obtained by completing a chapter, but you can avoid getting those by finding a certain secret item in each chapter that will nullify the achievement.

Trophies were added to Deltarune with the addition of Chapters 3 and 4 last week, but they're PlayStation-exclusive. Fox noted in a newsletter that this was because trophies were a requirement to shipping a paid game on PlayStation, and alluded to the challenge of finding this special text in his announcement:

"We were required to have TROPHIES! This time, they give rise to a pretty hard-core challenge. But - and PLEASE listen - I make no endorsement that you actually attempt it! Even knowing of its mere existence will only bring you frustration and anguish! Honestly, it may be one of the worst ideas I've ever had. Perhaps no one will even try. Maybe that's for the best after all... I think it will be too late for most of you anyway..."

For the vast majority of us who either aren't playing on PlayStation or like retaining our sanity, here's the text that appears when you accompish this. WARNING: If you consider this text a spoiler, don't keep reading below the trailer!

INTERESTING.

YOU FAILED

TO ACHIEVE

ANY MARKS.

WHAT

ARE

YOU?

"(playername)"

I VERY MUCH

LOOK FORWARD

TO THE NEXT.

This text seems to be spoken by the same voice that addresses the player in the opening of the game and in a few other places, as well as the same voice that speaks in the end credits with a different message if you finish under any other conditions. Fans, of course, have plenty of theories on who this is, but we'll leave that to the community for now.

With chapters 3 and 4 finally out, we've reviewed Deltarune so far, giving it a 9/10 and saying that its "incredible story is already bursting with hilarious charm, unforgettable characters, and an iconic soundtrack that make it worth investing your time in," even though its story is only halfway done.

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

MindsEye’s troubled launch has continued with reports that the developer is canceling sponsored streams last minute, and some players are securing refunds. The developer has now issued a statement, saying it is "heartbroken" over the game's difficulties.

Build A Rocket Boy’s debut title came out on June 10 across PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S, and PC via Steam. On Valve’s platform, it currently has a ‘mixed’ user review rating, with most of the complaints revolving around performance issues, bugs and glitches, broken AI, and game crashes.

Some players have reported gaining refunds — even from the notoriously stubborn Sony — rekindling memories of Cyberpunk 2077’s disastrous launch back in 2020. CD Projekt's game was eventually pulled from sale on the PlayStation Store, but there is no indication yet that MindsEye will suffer a similar fate.

PlayStation is allowing refunds for MindsEye https://t.co/zzaHbNt3ET pic.twitter.com/KclpMTwSJi

— Wario64 (@Wario64) June 12, 2025

Meanwhile, streamers are saying they received requests to postpone their sponsored MindsEye livestreams, some last minute. As spotted by Kotaku's Ethan Gach, popular streamer CohhCarnage revealed this happened to him just as he was about to begin a sponsored MindsEye livestream:

MindsEye dev canceled Twitch streamer CohhCarnage's playthrough of the game seconds before it was supposed to start.

He said it was the first time that had ever happened in his streaming career. pic.twitter.com/KOjyQ8ml21

— AmericanTruckSongs9 (@ethangach) June 11, 2025

“For the first time in my streaming career, I changed my title for a sponsored stream, I put in a profile button, I put in the command, that was at eight o'clock sharp — my sponsored stream was supposed to start at eight — I opened up MindsEye, and as it was loading, my management contacted me and said, ‘The sponsor does not want to do this right now, they would like to reschedule.’ And I said, ‘Oh, that’s a first.’ So the sponsor decided not to do the sponsorship for now, and honestly, it sounds like for MindsEye that was the right decision.”

Another streamer, DarkViperAU, couldn't even make it through their sponsored MindsEye livestream without breaking down in tears of laughter.

Sponsored MindsEye streamer can't keep it together when telling viewers where they can buy the game. pic.twitter.com/kdR3EuGims

— AmericanTruckSongs9 (@ethangach) June 11, 2025

In response to the chaos of the past 24 hours, Build A Rocket Boy issued a statement on its Discord, addressing MindsEye’s community and the game's various issues.

“We are heartbroken that not every player was able to experience the game as we intended,” the statement began. “Our priority is optimizing performance and stability so that every player, across every device, can enjoy an equally high-quality experience.

“Our teams have worked tirelessly throughout the night to solve many of these issues, and we have now identified that the vast majority of crashes were caused by a memory leak. This impacted roughly 1 in 10 of our players. We have developed a hotfix that addresses this issue (alongside other issues that our players have highlighted), which we are working hard to deploy as soon as tomorrow on PC and on consoles once it passes certification with PlayStation and Xbox.

“We are fully committed to ensuring all our players have a great experience, and we will continue to provide frequent and transparent updates. We will do our best to respond to all your comments and feedback.

“Thank you for playing MindsEye. Thank you for your understanding and continued support – it truly means the world to us. We’re grateful and blessed to have you on the journey with us.”

Build A Rocket Boy then outlined the hotfix schedule for the coming weeks. By the end of June, it said, players can expect ongoing performance and stability improvements, a rebalanced ‘hard’ difficulty setting, animation fixes, and AI improvements.

It remains to be seen whether Build A Rocket Boy can turn MindsEye around following this troubled start. While Steam concurrent player numbers do not paint the whole picture of a game's success, particularly single-player games, they do provide us with an idea of a game's popularity on Steam's platform. On Steam, MindsEye has a peak concurrent player count of 3,302.

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.

During Summer Game Fest last week, you’d be forgiven for having overlooked Towa and the Guardians of the Sacred Tree. It’s a brand new rogue-like that got a very, very brief trailer and little in the way of other information or fanfare. But its unusual development story may make Towa one of the most interesting games that appeared during the show.

I spoke with Daisuke Nagaoka, producer at Bandai Namco on Towa, and Shuhei Yamashita, game director at developer Brownies, following the announcement of the game and some hands-on playtime, which you can read here. The two started by catching me up on the history of Brownies, a studio with a fascinating pedigree.

Brownies evolved out of Nintendo-owned Brownie Brown Inc, a Tokyo-based company founded by Mana series veterans Shinichi Kameoka and Kouji Tsuda. As Brownie Brown, the developer co-developed a number of beloved games such as Sword of Mana, Heroes of Mana, Super Mario 3D Land, and Fantasy Life. But then, in 2012, the company announced that it would officially become a Nintendo support studio, and change its name to 1-Up Studio. When this happened, Kameoka departed, and with other former Brownie Brown developers formed Brownies.

Ever since, Brownies has made a name for itself with games like Fantasy Life Link!, the Egglia series, and co-development on Doraemon Story of Seasons, which Bandai Namco published. Nagaoka explains that this existing relationship had gone well, so as the teams were finishing up Doraemon, Bandai decided it wanted to work with Brownies again. “Their creativity was so wonderful as such, that we wanted to create something original and we decided to work together.”

But Bandai Namco didn’t end up getting exactly what it ordered. Yamashita explains that Bandai Namco originally came to Brownies asking for an original RPG “with a Japanese flair, Japanese taste.” It’s a sensible request, given Brownies’ past work. But Yamashita, who was a big fan of roguelites and roguelites, had a different idea. He counter-pitched Bandai Namco on a genre of game the company had never published before.

So why did Bandai Namco say yes?

“There are three things,” Nagaoka says. “First is this roguelite genre, when you look at the worldwide market, there is a big customer base. So from the business perspective, that is a good direction. And secondly, Bandai Namco, we thought this is worth a challenge, because we haven't done anything like this before. So we were ready to take on this challenge.

“And the third point is that RPGs are based on good stories, but there aren't that many roguelite games that have a solid storyline. So we wanted to create something that has a good storyline with the roguelite, and by doing that, we thought we could differentiate ourselves.”

There was one roguelite, however, that did have the kind of story and elements Brownies and Bandai Namco were looking for: Hades.

“That's a game that’s really comfortable to play,” Yamashita says. “The playability is good. So that was something I wanted to achieve with this game as well.”

Bandai Namco did get its way, however, in that Towa is certainly a game with a “Japanese flair.” It’s inspired heavily by Japanese and more broadly Eastern motifs, says Yamashita, even though he adds that there’s no specific piece of folklore or myth that’s directly retold in the game. The characters, for instance, all cover a different motif, such as a shiba, a koi, and a samurai. Brownies originally came up with 24 different characters, all with unique silhouettes and personalities, and an internal competition narrowed the field down to just eight.

But this is where Towa differs from Hades and other games of the genre. Instead of playing one character at a time, players control two: one carrying a sword, and another in a support role carrying a staff. Each character has different abilities depending on which role they’re playing, and both can be controlled independently using the left and right sticks and different buttons. It’s a configuration that took some getting used to (as I wrote in my preview), but ultimately proved to be an interesting twist on what I was used to from games like Hades.

“There are two benefits to having these two characters,” Yamashita says. “Initially... Well, in 3D games the right stick is for maneuvering the camera. So this type of game, when you're looking down, I thought that this mechanism would allow being able to operate or to maneuver having two characters. So that was our thought.

“And then secondly, having two characters from the story point of view, having the relationships or the connections between these characters and having conversations, that would give more depth to it. So we thought that there would be a benefit to have these two characters.”

Towa and the Guardians of the Sacred Tree is out on September 19, 2025 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series consoles, PC via Steam, and Nintendo Switch. You can catch up on our brief experience hands-on with the game here.

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

The Nintendo Switch 2 is the fastest-selling Nintendo hardware in the U.S. in the four days following its release, according to a statement obtained by IGN from Nintendo.

Additionally, Nintendo Switch 2 sales in all regions were approximately twice those of the Nintendo Switch 1 across both consoles' first four days on the market.

This news comes on the heels of Nintendo's announcement yesterday that the Nintendo Switch 2 was also the fastest-selling Nintendo hardware globally, reaching over 3.5 million units sold in its first four days. For comparison, the Nintendo Switch 1 sold 2.74 million units globally in just less than a month on sale. Nintendo is projecting 15 million sales globally of the Nintendo Switch 2 for its fiscal year ending March 31, 2026.

High sales are being attributed to high available stock at launch, something that isn't always guaranteed at a console launch. Nintendo of American head Doug Bowser previously assured that Nintendo would have enough Switch 2 units to meet demand in the U.S.

In the UK, the Nintendo Switch 2's sales were still lower than those of the PS4, PS5, and Xbox series consoles in the same period. The UK has historically been a more challenging market for Nintendo when compared to its competitors.

Meanwhile, in Japan, the Nintendo Switch 2 is in such high demand that parody listings are popping up on online marketplaces for "Switch 2"... that are just light switches.

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

Konami had a big announcement ready for its Konami Press Start Live showcase: a Silent Hill 1 remake.

The Silent Hill remake is officially in development at Bloober Team, the developer that handled the well-received Silent Hill 2 remake.

There's not much to go on, unfortunately, but we did get a brief tease during the showcase that included the Silent Hill logo and its iconic music. No release date was mentioned. For more, check out everything announced at Konami Press Start Live June 2025.

In February, Bloober Team announced it had signed a deal with Konami to make a new game based on the Japanese company’s IP, following the successful release of the Silent Hill 2 remake. Now we know it was for a remake of the first Silent Hill game.

Silent Hill exploded onto the scene in 1999 on the PlayStation as a Resident Evil rival from Konami. It established the series’ trademark fog-filled visuals, third-person viewpoint, and the eerie town of Silent Hill itself. It sees Harry Mason searching for his missing adopted daughter, Cheryl — and all manner of horrible things along the way.

The Silent Hill 2 remake has sold 2 million copies, so it’s no surprise to see Konami greenlight another remake in the series. And it is no surprise to see the first game get the remake treatment next. In an IGN poll, over 61% of the 20,000 voters picked Silent Hill as the Silent Hill game Konami should remake next.

Here’s the official blurb from Bloober CEO Piotr Babieno, issued back in February:

Konami, a legendary name in the gaming industry, sought a partner who could breathe new life into one of its most iconic franchises — Silent Hill. Bloober Team was selected for their expertise in horror and atmospheric storytelling, and in 2021, both companies signed a partnership agreement. In October 2022, during the official Silent Hill Transmission livestream, it was announced that Bloober Team was working on a remake of Silent Hill 2, widely regarded as one of the best psychological horror games in history.

The success of the remake proved that Bloober Team had perfectly captured the atmosphere and depth of the original while introducing crucial innovations. The game was well-received by players, earning an 86/100 rating on Metacritic and an 88/100 on OpenCritic, along with numerous awards, including Game of the Year 2024 from IGN Japan and Best Horror Game of the Year from the IGN Community Awards.

The trust built upon the success of Silent Hill 2 laid the foundation for signing another agreement for a new project. The deal aligns with Bloober Team’s strategic plan to expand its internal development division within a first-party framework.

Our collaboration with Konami has been incredibly fruitful, and the success of Silent Hill 2 speaks for itself. By sharing knowledge and experience, we have been able to create high-quality production together. Of course, we can't reveal too many details at this time, but we are confident that fans will be just as excited about our collaboration as we are. We can't wait to share something truly special with players when the time is right.

Silent Hill 2 remake went on sale on PlayStation 5 and PC via Steam on October 8, 2024 (there’s no word on an Xbox Series X and S version yet), and just a few days later had sold 1 million copies. This was thought to have made Silent Hill 2 remake the fastest-selling Silent Hill game ever, but Konami has yet to rubber stamp that potential record.

IGN’s Silent Hill 2 remake review returned an 8/10. We said: “Silent Hill 2 is a great way to visit – or revisit – one of the most dread-inducing destinations in the history of survival horror.”

The sales success of the Silent Hill 2 remake has clearly strengthened Konami’s plans for the franchise, which have ramped up significantly in recent years. Silent Hill f and Silent Hill: Townfall are both still in the works. Now we have Silent Hill remake. There's a film adaptation of Silent Hill 2 coming, too.

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.

There’s no arguing against the fact that digital streaming is convenient. Not only can you cry laughing at the latest season of The Righteous Gemstones with the press of a button. You can also speedily swipe over to The Last of Us and start crying from sadness, too. Even so, when you don’t own the content you watch, it can be ripped from its digital home in an instant, or worse, unceremoniously shifted to another, more expensive streaming service that you can’t stomach subscribing to. As such, when it comes to your favorite content, the best thing you can do is invest in physical renditions that are yours to own forever, or at least until they get scratched.

When shopping for the precious disc version of those important movies and shows, you may be wondering: what’s the difference between 4K and Blu-ray? And, does it matter which I pick? Our guide will run through the differences between the two terminologies and demystify which option is best for you.

What Is Blu-ray?

Blu-ray first made its appearance in 2005 (and was released in 2006), offering budding cinephiles and couch potatoes alike a premium alternative to the then-popular DVD format. It gets its name from the blue-ish colour of the laser used to read the disc, which in turn enabled data to be stored at a higher density than its predecessor. As such, the ability to store more content subsequently enabled distributors to provide higher quality viewing experiences on disc — though this boost did come with some hardware caveats.

To play a Blu-ray disc, you need to have a player that supports Blu-ray content. Thankfully, nowadays, you likely already own one without even knowing it. If you play games on a contemporary gaming console, like a PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X, you’ll already have the means to play your Blu-ray discs. It goes without saying, but you will need the versions of these consoles that come with a disc drive. Similarly, most external players are Blu-ray compatible as a standard, though it’s worth checking your specific device with the manufacturer before spending big on physical media.

Blu-Ray content regions and what they mean for you

Aside from having an actual player, the next hurdle when it comes to playing Blu-ray discs is ensuring the disc’s region matches the region of your player. Different machines will offer different levels of compatibility, and so it’s important to check the manual for your specific machine. Blu-ray discs are split into four region codes:

• Region A – North America, South America, U.S. Territories, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and other areas of Southeast Asia
• Region B – Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Australia, and New Zealand.
• Region C – Russia, China, India
• Region A, B, and C – Considered "region-free," this includes all regions from A, B and C

You can find the code for the disc on the case for the disc, though some region-free Blu-Rays may not feature a specific denotation. While it’s unlikely you’ll find the wrong region when shopping retail in your area, we still recommend being diligent when shopping second-hand.

What Is 4K?

So you know what a Blu-ray disc is and how to play it – what’s the 4K prefix all about? Put simply, 4K refers to the resolution at which your chosen content will be displayed. While Blu-rays typically offer an admirable 1920x1080 or 1080p resolution, 4K Blu-rays offer a much higher 3840 x 2160 or 2160p resolution. As such, a 4K Blu-Ray will offer sharper and clearer content. As you might expect, there are additional hardware requirements needed to play 4K Blu-ray discs.

Firstly, your player will need to be compatible with 4K or Ultra HD formats. As we mentioned, most modern players and consoles will provide this feature as standard, though we still recommend verifying this detail prior to investing in 4K Blu-rays. Secondly, your TV or monitor must be able to deliver a 4K resolution. And, finally, the HDMI cable linking it all together will need to be an HDMI 2.0 cable, too. If you have all those moving parts working, then all you need to do is pop in your 4K Blu-ray, grab your popcorn and get to watching.

Sarah Thwaites is a freelance tech and gaming writer at IGN, with bylines at GameInformer, TrustedReviews, NME and more.

Konami is bringing back Metal Gear multiplayer with Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater, but don’t expect it to play like Metal Gear Online.

Metal Gear Online is the fondly remembered multiplayer spin-off bundled with 2008’s Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. Its servers shut down four years later, in 2012.

With this August’s release of Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater, the remake of 2004’s Metal Gear Solid 3, Konami will rekindle Metal Gear multiplayer with Fox Hunt, although it said its gameplay is completely different than MGO’s.

In a new video, Konami revealed snippets of Fox Hunt gameplay, which show a soldier controlled from a third-person perspective using camo tech to blend in with their environment. For more, check out everything announced at Konami Press Start Live June 2025.

Our passionate team of developers take us on an extended look into the creation of METAL GEAR SOLID Δ: SNAKE EATER and its bonus content 🐍 ❗#KonamiPressStart pic.twitter.com/aIhW4HIAVM

— KONAMI UK (@KONAMIUK) June 12, 2025

Yu Sahara, director of Fox Hunt mode in Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater, said this new online multiplayer mode takes "camouflage and hide-and-go-seek to the next level,” using the “back and forth tension of staying hidden or searching out the enemy” to create something unique.

“Fox Hunt is a completely original online multiplayer mode,” Sahara said. “Although it shares the same world with Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater, the gameplay is completely different.

“When we say Metal Gear multiplayer, many fans will probably think of Metal Gear Online, but Fox Hunt will be its own new type of mode. We very much appreciate all the long-time fans of MGO who have always wanted to see it make a comeback, but the landscape of multiplayer games has changed a lot since MGO. It took a lot of careful consideration to think about what a new online mode should look like.

“Based on the iconic stealth and survival elements of the Metal Gear series, we are taking camouflage and hide and go seek to the next level. We challenged ourselves to make something unique that is more than just a shootout. We’ve used that back and forth tension of staying hidden or searching out the enemy to create an online experience unique to Metal Gear.”

Meanwhile, the video showed off more of Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater, as well as its PC and PlayStation 5 Ape Escape crossover mode, Snake vs Monkey, and Xbox Bomberman crossover mode, Snake vs Bomberman.

Yuji Korekado, creative producer, said of the main game: “While the basic gameplay of the boss battles remains the same, we’ve made some updates to the AI and animations, and rebalanced some things.”

Secret Theater also returns, but in the remake, the original Secret Theater videos can now be found as collectibles in-game. There are new Secret Theater videos made for Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater, secretly carried by enemy soldiers.

In April, IGN reported on Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater’s ESRB listing, which mentioned the game includes suggestive and sexual content such as the Peep Demo Theater unlockable extra feature found in the Subsistence and HD Collection versions of the original Metal Gear Solid 3.

Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater launches across PlayStation, Xbox, and PC on August 28, 2025.

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.

Amazon Prime Video has found three new cast members in Andrew Richardson, Zubin Varla, and Adam Young for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 3.

The mega company’s entertainment wing announced the additions today, saying that the newcomers join a production which recently began filming at Shepperton Studios in the UK. Details about which characters from Middle-earth the trio will be playing have yet to be revealed.

Richardson is best known for his roles in shows like The Last O.G. and Extrapolations but will soon expand his resume with Peacock’s Ponies. Varla has appeared across television in roles for series like Holby City and Strike Back while also showing up for a few episodes of Disney’s Star Wars spinoff, Andor.

Finally, there’s Young, who has spent time on TV in Netflix’s The Witcher: Blood Origin and Set Education, though he also played a role in 2021’s Don’t Breathe 2. Amazon says Richardson will be featured as a series regular in The Rings of Power Season 3, with Varla and Young both set to appear as recurring characters.

Amazon confirmed The Rings of Power would return to Prime Video for Season 3 in February of this year. It was news that meant viewers would see more from The Lord of the Rings spinoff story following the shocking conclusion delivered with the Season 2 finale in October 2024.

Shortly after its Season 3 renewal, Amazon announced its first batch of new cast members: Jamie Campbell Bower (Stranger Things, The Twilight Saga) and Eddie Marsan (The World’s End, Happy-Go-Lucky). Bower is joining as a series regular, with Marsan on board in a recurring role.

Amazon has yet to announce a release date for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 3. While we wait for more news, you can learn more about the Season 2 finale and how it sets up the next season.

Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He's best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).

Developer Berry Bite and publisher HypeTrain have announced Humblets, the upcoming cozy co-op adventure for PC set in what looks like an absolutely delightful procedural world full of colorful locations, adorable pets, and a magic deck of cards to challenge friends and NPC foes alike.

Humblets allows you to customize both your character and your tent that you bring everywhere you go. You can even combine tents with friends to create huge homes while you're out adventuring. You'll craft, explore, decorate, and share campfires with friends. Check out the announcement trailer above and the first screenshots in the gallery below.

No release date/window has been given for Humblets as of yet, but you can wishlist it on Steam if you're interested.

Ryan McCaffrey is IGN's executive editor of previews and host of both IGN's weekly Xbox show, Podcast Unlocked, as well as our monthly(-ish) interview show, IGN Unfiltered. He's a North Jersey guy, so it's "Taylor ham," not "pork roll." Debate it with him on Twitter at @DMC_Ryan.

Smoke premieres Friday, June 27, on Apple TV+. New episodes debut through August 15.

Taron Egerton has played many heroes in different guises over the last decade. Hoodlum-turned-spy. A TSA agent living out his wildest John McClane fantasy. Elton John in the 1970s. But his best opportunity for saving the day and showing off his dramatic chops arrived with Dennis Lehane’s limited series Black Bird; in the new Apple TV+ drama Smoke, Egerton reunites with Lehane to bring down yet another dangerous criminal. But the duo is not in danger of retreading old ground: For example, Egerton is tracking two criminals in the role of arson investigator Dave Gudsen. Though Smoke’s storytelling is bumpier and more abstract than Black Bird’s, Lehane has brought Egerton another role he can thrive in: a self-aggrandizing man with a deep desire to be a savior, whose ambition is hard to extinguish or contain.

Whereas Black Bird saw Egerton playing an incarcerated ex-football phenom tasked with getting a serial killer to confess his crimes, here he’s heading an investigation into two serial arsonists plaguing the fictional Pacific Northwest town of Umberland. Dave was a firefighter who moved into his current line of work after a near-death experience on the job; we get his perspective on the event – and fire in general – in some flowery voiceover. Though director Kari Skogland brings Dave’s walking nightmare to life, the cheesiness of the narration is jarring. This feels like bad screenwriting, until we learn that Dave isn’t just mining his past to aid the case – he’s also writing a novel based on his career. The book expands what I thought would be a standard mystery into an exploration of masculinity, identity, desire, and heroes that ties to the biggest question: Why set fires in the first place?

After months of dead ends, police detective Michelle Calderone (Jurnee Smollett) is brought on board to assist Dave. Their first scenes together are lousy with cop clichés: Michelle is emotionally closed off thanks to a fiery childhood trauma that still haunts her, and her messy personal life is a catalyst for her new assignment. Meanwhile, Dave is reluctant to accept her help or expertise, and it seems like their power struggle might spill over into an affair, aided by more clunky dialogue. (“I quit, but me and nicotine go way back” is but one early howler). No spoilers, but I was pleasantly surprised by how this partnership actually evolves, following a path that intentionally plays on our first impressions of the pair.

The push-pull between them is there from the jump, as they investigate one arsonist who lights stores on fire while they’re open and another who lights milk jugs full of accelerant on the porches of unsuspecting victims late at night. There’s a slipperiness to Dave and Michell’s interactions as each tries to figure out the other, allowing Egerton and Smollett to play with perception and perspective. Some of this mistrust is fueled by ego, some by vulnerability, and both push the parameters of their authority in the pursuit of the truth.

Considering Egerton’s previous leading man roles that embrace action – such as the recent Netflix movie Carry-On and the Kingsman franchise – it isn’t a leap to think Dave is another character who’ll tick those daring boxes. The opening scene takes place in a blazing inferno, cranking up the sense of danger with real flames and Egerton himself taking on the burn-stage stunt. It’s an intense introduction to this character, whose arrogance masks insecurity. Playing confidence comes easily to Egerton, but he’s always doing more than the bare minimum to convey it. Smoke takes this a step further as the story progresses, with Egerton deftly switching his physicality and mannerisms as Dave’s heroic identity begins to unravel. His toothy grin is a Hollywood smile in some scenes, a potential creepy threat in others.

While one of Dave and Michelle’s cases is more of a whodunnit, the other fits the “howcatchem” model of Columbo and Poker Face, revealing the culprit early on: a socially awkward fry cook named Freddy (Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine). Having two different storytelling frameworks keeps things varied throughout, but also adds to the disconnect between the two arson threads – even if they ultimately overlap. Smoke dives into the psychology of an arsonist, including how upbringing and circumstances might contribute to a firebug’s pathology. While the intent is there, it takes too long for Freddy to be given a backstory and personality. Still, Mwine sells Freddy’s pain, even when the script doesn’t always give him much to work with.

Likewise, Egerton and Smollett are both terrific, as is the ensemble around them, which includes the reliably great Greg Kinnear, Rafe Spall, John Leguizamo, and Anna Chlumsky. Leguizamo and Chlumsky help stabilize Smoke late in the series, their characters – he a rival from Dave’s past, she a mid-investigation addition to the team – teaming up just as the story begins to sag. As Michelle’s police captain, Spall shifts his demeanor between the first episode and the rest of the series, underscoring his range in a role that’s worlds apart from his lead performance on Apple TV+’s parenting comedy Trying. The character is aggressive and short-fused, but brings more to the dynamic than dick-measuring with Dave – though there is also plenty of that. One standout moment between the two men comes during a rendition of Bonnie Tyler’s “Holding Out For a Hero” that comes across more like a warning than a celebratory refrain during a party being held in Dave’s honor. Another great sing-along (this time a solo in his car) allows Egerton to show off his Sing- and Rocketman-honed pipes to the perfectly timed tune of Michael Bolton’s “When I’m Back on My Feet Again.”.

Unfortunately, the twisty material in Smoke doesn’t always land; I found myself beginning to second-guess the characters’ interactions, particularly when the tone shifts dramatically and the material swings between grounded and heightened. Horrifying reality clashes with the fantastical, making it hard to trust what we’re seeing. Even if it’s an intentional choice, it sometimes took me out of the story. Still, whenever I worried Smoke was getting too lighthearted or frivolous, there was a reminder of the occupational hazards Dave and crew face. There are several that I still can’t shake from my head.

Smoke is undoubtedly ambitious; it gets even more destabilizing and, for lack of a better word, weird, as it goes on. Watching something so unpredictable is exciting and whiplash-inducing. One moment it’s echoing Mindhunter by showcasing a task force profiling a criminal; the next, it’s taking a page from the glossy, Sutton Foster-poses-as-a-20something publishing-industry dramedy Younger. While giving a safety demonstration, Dave says that fire is akin to chaos, and the same parallel could be drawn for any given episode of Smoke. Ambiguity is welcome, but by the end of the ninth episode, I had more questions than answers, and the lack of resolution for some characters is bewildering. I’m all for showing a range of flawed figures who wear masks to hide their fears and sins, but a tenth episode would have been welcome.

The different story threads in Smoke are like dancing embers flitting between fantasy and reality. Some are quickly extinguished, others slowly smolder, and some ignite into a larger flame, burning through plot hot and fast. Even though the ending falls short, it’s still a solid summer TV offering that tips into a pulpiness that the wannabe novelist at its center can only dream of achieving.

Metal Gear Solid publisher Konami is back with a bang, and to prove it, it hosted a livestream showcase on June 12 called Konami Press Start Live.

The half-hour-long livestream featured game updates and appearances from Konami developers and producers, introducing us to the "creative minds behind some of Konami's most iconic franchises," as well as giving us an extended look at Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater, Silent Hill f, and more. Here's what was revealed…

Metal Gear Solid 3 Delta: Snake Eater

Surprising no one, it’s Solid Snake who kicked off the show. Producers Noriaki Okamura and Yuji Korekado shared an extended teaser from its upcoming Metal Gear Solid 3 remaster, Metal Gear Solid 3 Delta: Snake Eater, and reminded us that the Snake vs. Monkey minigame is on the way for PS5 players, with a Bomberman variant for Xbox consoles. And the Secret Theater, of course, but I don’t suppose any of us have forgotten about that.

Even though boss fights should feel very familiar, we can expect AI and animation improvements for boss fights. There’s also the Sneaking DLC Pack, which includes costumes that are “unique in appearance,” with some boasting special effects. You’ll also find items, weapons and uniforms in-game.

Finally, we were introduced to Fox Hunt mode. It is a completely original, online multiplayer mode and though it shares a world with Metal Gear Solid 3 Delta: Snake Eater, the “gameplay is completely different.” It’s not just a reskinned Metal Gear Online, however; expect it to be “its own, new type of mode” based on the series’ trademark stealth and infiltration mechanics. Expect more details soon ahead of its release on August 28.

Darwin’s Paradox

The BBC has announced a new Doctor Who spin-off series set to debut on UK children's channel CBeebies, amid a turbulent time for the broadcaster's flagship sci-fi show.

Details of the new series are scarce, and it's clear the project is currently still in its early planning stages, with the BBC currently seeking a "passionate production company" to step on board and help take the idea forward.

Word of the BBC mounting a new animated series immediately brings to mind Disney, which co-financed the Doctor Who's recent two seasons, and which also funded the upcoming live-action spin-off The War Between the Land and Sea. Doctor Who's most recent season even featured an episode where the title character was transformed into an animated character.

Curiously, however, the BBC has made clear today that Disney will not be involved in this new animated project, as fans wait to hear if the company has pulled out of financing new episodes of Doctor Who altogether.

Indeed, today's announcement sparks a galaxy of questions for the future of Doctor Who, whose recent run landed to mixed reviews and a huge degree of uncertainty over its future. The show's most recent finale saw the exit of star Ncuti Gatwa, during a reworked ending added in via reshoots.

The BBC has yet to confirm if and when a new season of Doctor Who show will enter production, or even make clear whether returning actor Billie Piper, who viewers saw Gatwa tranform into, is indeed playing a new incarnation of The Doctor, or some other, mysterious temporary replacement.

All of this leaves today's animated spin-off announcement, which comes without any details of its planned cast or setting, looking particularly odd. Who will play The Doctor within it? Will the Doctor even appear? A statement by the BBC today suggests so, but does not confirm it.

"Everyone is welcome at CBeebies, including the Doctor," said Patricia Hidalgo, BBC Director of Children's and Education. "This much-loved franchise entertains millions around the world, so it is only right that our younger audience get to experience the wonder and the magic of the Doctor in a brand new format."

Surely to experience the magic of the Doctor, the main character themselves will turn up? But, if so, there's no mention of which Doctor this might be.

"This is an extremely exciting opportunity, and we are looking forward to welcoming companies to pitch for this new project," Hidalgo continued, making clear the series won't be debuting imminently, "as we continue our commitment and investment in the UK's animation industry."

The BBC has a history of Doctor Who spin-offs, including the more adult-focused Torchwood, teen-orientated Class, and previous children's series The Sarah Jane Adventures. None of these featured The Doctor as a primary character, though the Time Lord did put in an appearance in the latter series as a guest star.

Perhaps this animated series doesn't need a new Doctor, then, and perhaps now is the perfect time to mount such a project. Fans believe that, even if new episodes of Doctor Who were confirmed now, scheduling, filming, and post-production work would mean the series will likely be off-air until 2027 regardless.

So, what could this new animated spin-off focus on? A return of animated villain Lux from Doctor Who's most recent season is possible, considering the medium, although might be deemed too creepy for the young CBeebies audience. More age appropriate, perhaps could be an animated continuation of Space Babies, Doctor Who's divisive recent episode which featured a spaceship piloted by toddlers. Could this be where pram-inhabiting Captain Poppy returns? Whatever the show's focus may be, considering its early production status, Doctor Who fans likely have another wait on their hands until more is announced.

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

This week’s new Superman trailer revealed lots of fresh footage, including a brief shot showing Superman himself holding a weird, alien-looking baby.

The identity of the baby has yet to be officially revealed, and DC Universe steward James Gunn has yet to confirm anything about the character. But it turns out we knew who it was all along thanks to a recently released children’s book.

Warning! Spoilers for Superman follow.

The Superman: Friends and Foes! book includes synopsis for the various characters set to appear in the film, and one of those is for Joey Mason.

Baby Joey, as he’s called, is Metamorpho’s toddler son. “When Joey is taken, Metamorpho must choose between working with Superman or Lex Luthor,” the book reveals.

Baby Joey:

“Baby Joey is Metamorpho's toddler son.
When Joey is taken, Metamorpho must choose between working with Superman or Lex Luthor.”

Raptors:

“Lex uses his highly advanced soldiers, called raptors, to fight Superman and advance his criminal schemes.” pic.twitter.com/2PbJQflefd

— DCU PRIME TV (@DCUPRIMETV) June 3, 2025

That’s not much to go on, but it makes sense in the context of the shot we see in the trailer. Here, Superman is tangled up in Metamorpho in some strange area. Perhaps Superman saves Baby Joey, returns him to his father, thus turning Metamorpho to his side in the coming battle.

Let’s remember, Metamorpho has the power to transform his body into any element, which could pose a serious threat to the all-powerful Superman.

Nintendo has deployed an update for Splatoon 3, improving how it looks and runs on Nintendo Switch 2.

As well as increasing the resolution of images stored in the Switch 2 album, Update 10.0.0. brings smoother on-screen movement in Splatsville, Inkopolis, Inkopolis Square, and Grand Festival Grounds, as well as improved animations for certain characters like jellyfish, and the Salmonid when there's a large number of them in the stage in Salmon Run.

In additional to these performance and visual improvements for Switch 2, you also get 30 new weapon kits from the Barazushi and Emberz brands (the Splatlands Collection), and the return of the Urchin Underpass stage from the original Splatoon game on Wii U.

Nintendo said its next update will "focus on multiplayer balance based on analysis of changes to the situation that come with these weapon additions."

Splatoon 3 update: Ver. 10.0.0 (Released June 11, 2025)

Added Features and Game Content Changes

• Made it so that the screen displays in more detail.
• Made on-screen movement smoother in the following areas.
  • Splatsville
  • Inkopolis
  • Inkopolis Square
  • Grand Festival Grounds
• In Salmon Run, smoothed Salmonid animations even when there’s a large number of Salmonids in the stage.
• Smoothed animations for certain characters, such as jellyfish.
• Changed the animation that displays in the bottom right of the screen when switching scenes.
• Increased the resolution of images stored in the Nintendo Switch 2 Album when screens are captured using Photo Mode or the Capture Button on the controller.

• Made it so that certain elements outside the stage and unrelated to battle do not display when battling in Splat Zones/Tower Control/Rainmaker/Clam Blitz modes.
  • This change is to reduce differences in game operation speed as much as possible when compared with Nintendo Switch 2.
  • In Recon Mode, all elements will display as they have up to this point.

All other changes below apply to both Nintendo Switch 2 and Nintendo Switch.

Changes to Multiplayer

• Added a new stage, Urchin Underpass.
• Added 30 new weapons as part of the Splatlands Collection - Barazushi / Emberz.
  • These weapons will be available in the shops after applying the update.
    Splatlands Collection - Barazushi
• Added a Series Weapon feature to Anarchy Battle (Series) for Rank S and higher.
  • In Anarchy Battle (Series) for Rank S or higher, Series Weapon Power will be measured for each weapon players equip. They will be matched with other players whose Series Weapon Power is similar to theirs for the currently equipped weapon.
  • Series Weapon Power is the same for all four modes.
  • Players can check their current Series Weapon Power for each weapon by pressing the ZL Button on the Equip screen to display the weapon's details.
  • Series Weapon Power resets each time the season changes, but the highest value players have achieved will be recorded in SplatNet 3.
• In Anarchy Battle (Open), increased the amount of change in Rank Points per battle by approximately 2.5x.
• Made it so that call signs, which are automatically determined using factors such as equipped gear, will display in X Battles in place of nicknames.
  • After the battle ends, you can check players’ actual nicknames and IDs (the string of numbers and letters starting with #) on screens for checking results, such as the match menu and the lobby terminal.
  • For X Rankings, players’ actual nicknames and IDs will display.

Changes to SplatNet 3

• Players’ Best Nine will now display.
  • “Best Nine” indicates the nine weapons with the highest Series Weapon Power out of all the weapons a player owns.
• Best Nine rankings will now display.
  • Best Nine rankings are rankings where players compete for total Series Weapon Power for their Best Nine.
• Notifications from SplatNet 3 will now display in the notifications box within the Nintendo Switch App.

Other Changes

• Increased the maximum value for weapon Freshness to 10★.
  • Players can earn new badges for weapons by achieving Freshness 6★ to 10★.
  • Once the update has been applied, weapons that had received XP beyond the maximum value before applying the update will have their Freshness increase after one battle by an amount proportionate to the amount of XP received up to this point.
• Added new badges players can acquire based on the number of weapons with Freshness ★★★★ or higher.
• Made it so that other players a player has battled with in Anarchy Battle (Series) and Splatfest Battle (Pro) will not display in the Users You Have Played With system feature of Nintendo Switch/Nintendo Switch 2 consoles.

As a bonus update, in this update we added weapons and a stage, increased the maximum Freshness, implemented a Series Weapon feature for Anarchy Battle (Series), added a call sign feature to X Battles, and performed optimization of operations on Nintendo Switch 2.

For Anarchy Battle (Series), we implemented a new Series Weapon feature targeted toward players Rank S or higher.

With this feature, the Series Weapon Power will be measured for each weapon currently equipped, and players will be matched up against others with similar levels of power.

We implemented this feature in hopes that players will enjoy battling using a variety of weapons, including the Splatlands Collection - Barazushi / Emberz weapons added in this update.

Additionally, we made balance changes to multiplayer battles.

For S-BLAST ‘92 and S-BLAST ‘91, we have made adjustments to give players fighting against them more room to counter because, from the opponent's point of view, there seemed to be no openings at any distance.

For the Crab Tank, we lowered the maximum damage of the cannon to decrease the frequency that the person being attacked is defeated without any opportunity to evade. We also made it easier for other special weapons to fight against the Crab Tank.

For Toxic Mist, we have reduced the amount of ink consumed to make it easier to fight in combination with main weapons. On the other hand, we have simultaneously extended the time before ink begins to recover so that this change does not lead to tactics where players simply continuously throw their sub weapons.

This week, Nintendo announced Splatoon Raiders, a brand-new Splatoon spin-off exclusive to the Switch 2. The surprise reveal was made with a trailer that was released first on the Nintendo Today! App. Nintendo failed to announce a release window, but said to keep an eye out for more information in the future.

Vikki Blake is a reporter for IGN, as well as a critic, columnist, and consultant with 15+ years experience working with some of the world's biggest gaming sites and publications. She's also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.

Hey, do you have any regrets in your life? The Alters knows that you do, and that’s why its sci-fi story about morally and ethically questionable cloning on a wildly inhospitable alien planet hits home. It’s comparable to a playable Black Mirror episode (no, not that one) that envisions technology run amok, where science has granted us the ability to talk to versions of ourselves who took the road we didn’t travel. It then asks: what if some of those people hate your guts? Also, what if this is all the product of a mad scientist and/or corporate exploitation? Combined with a simple but effective resource harvesting and base management balancing act, as well as the constant specter of approaching death by a scorching sun, it’s an effective pressure cooker of both personal and environmental hazards.

When Jan (pronounced Yon) wakes up to find he is the only survivor of a crash landing on an uninhabitable planet, The Alters immediately sets an isolating and eerie tone. This planet is remarkably otherworldly – barren and gray with jagged rock formations, but splashed with shimmering colors from oily-looking water and distortions created by this universe’s brand of Unobtainium, called Rapidium. Soon there’s a striking feature on the horizon: the expedition’s mobile base, which is a distinctive towering wheel that suspends its habitat in the middle.

There’s a palpable urgency as you scrape together enough resources to survive and get the base moving before the sun comes up and broils the surface. It’s not difficult to extract enough organic resources to feed Jan and fuel the base – you simply gather chunks from the surface, build mining machines, and then network them back to your base with powerline towers in a light version of resource games like Satisfactory – but you have to keep an eye on the clock to make sure you’re not overworking him or exposing him to too much nighttime radiation. The planet’s surface is also littered with radioactive anomalies that are initially all but invisible until you’re right on top of them, so navigating the maze-like map has a fair bit of tension to it even though there are no aliens actively trying to eat you. You do soon develop tools to make those anomalies easier to deal with by zapping their moving cores with what feels like a Ghostbusters proton pack, reducing them to rolling balls of resources. However, new and unexpected types are soon introduced that mess with your perception and make you approach them in different ways to keep you on your toes.

When you enter the base, The Alters shifts perspective from over-the-shoulder third-person to a diorama-like view, and you move around like a 2.5D sidescroller. It instantly gave me XCOM vibes, except you can actually run around as a character within it, moving between floors with elevators. Laying out the base with the new room types you unlock is a flexible puzzle that usually has very low stakes: there’s no build time when you place a new social room or refinery or store room, you can freely move almost anything around to make the best use of your limited space at no cost, and you can delete rooms for a full (or very generous) refund of resources at any time, provided you have the storage space to accommodate the materials.

That’s fun to mess around with (for a bit I was moving rooms I needed to access right next to me rather than walking to them) but it does get disorienting: running around wondering “now where did I put that communications room?” got old quickly. You can zoom out to see everything, but can’t move while in that ant farm perspective, so I ended up trying to minimize how much I shifted things around so that I could memorize what was where. It eventually becomes a little tricky as you expand the base and cram in more large rooms and storage, working around an immovable block in the middle, and it can be convoluted to reach an essential room when you need to. But being able to basically start from scratch whenever you want means it’s never too frustrating.

One of the first and most important rooms you’ll build is The Womb, which fuzzy communications with your ethically questionable corporate middle managers tell you to set up to kick off The Alters’ big experiment. Combined with Rapidium and a quantum computer that reaches into a map of Jan’s formative memories and simulates the life he would’ve had if he’d made different choices, it creates clones of him with different specialties and philosophical differences. All of them share an abusive father, but where they go from there is drastically different based on choices like if they left home, went to school, sold their house, met their wife, and other pivotal moments. It’s a little silly at times in that each version of Jan has different hair and a different way of speaking – the gruff, blue-collar Miner and the nerdy Scientist being the product of a few different life choices seems a bit far-fetched – but it’s a fun idea to think about and a great and novel way to explore these characters. Alex Jordan, the actor who plays all the Jans, is clearly having a good time finding ways to set them apart from one another – it reminds me of Tatiana Maslany playing clones in Orphan Black.

I eventually created six clones across the 30 hours it took me to complete the third act, which is not all of the possibilities – you’ll have to play through at least a couple of times to meet the rest, and I’m looking forward to another run where I know all the goals in advance and can optimize my approach to gathering resources and unlocking new technologies. This turns The Alters into a management game that reminds me of Fallout Shelter, where you’re assigning your team of specialists to tasks according to their strengths, but rarely have enough people to do everything you want to as efficiently as you’d like, so you’re forced to come up with the best solution you can. Some of them are essential for every playthrough – you need the Scientist to unlock any new technologies, for instance – but most, like the Doctor or the Guard (who I have yet to create) are optional and will make playthroughs at least a bit different with their unique production bonuses and personality. I do wish the menu for selecting a crewmember to work a job would list where they’re currently working, though. I frequently had to back up a step to make sure I wasn’t taking someone away from an essential role, then go back into the menu and reassign them.

Managing your relationships with your Alters is partially about satisfying their basic needs with good food, enough rest, and some entertainment (such as gathering to watch a series of legitimately funny live-action sketch comedy videos and a simple skippable beer pong minigame), but it’s also a game of getting to know which Jans value compassionate responses and which will thrive with some tough love and bluntness. Some of them have self-destructive tendencies that need to be kept in check – they’ll work fewer hours if they’re unhappy, and can permanently die if they’re abused or left to their own devices. In the first act of the story it’s easy enough to keep the peace, but naturally that can’t last. As wrenches are thrown in the gears of your plan to escape this planet with a stockpile of invaluable Rapidium, you’re forced to make legitimately tough moral decisions that some of your Alters will strongly disagree with. There may well be a way to get through it optimally, but from what I’ve seen it’s very much a Kobayashi Maru: a test of how you deal with a no-win scenario.

The Alters certainly cuts corners in how it tells its story – anything that isn’t a one-on-one conversation between Jan and an Alter is shown as a storyboard with voiceover rather than an animated cutscene, and the few characters who aren’t clones are obscured by static in the transmission from Earth so we only hear their voices. Some voice lines are recycled often, like when you present an Alter with a personal item you’ve found among the wreckage of the crashed ship to butter them up. But it does a lot with a little in that respect, and very effectively gets across the moral dilemmas, relationships, and mood. There’s even a musical performance where all the Jans collaborate on a song, and it’s only a little bit cheesy.

Every time you move the base to stay ahead of the sun you come to a new map, and each of them is a visually distinct alien landscape and a maze of interconnected pathways to explore in order to open the way forward. There are obstacles to clear and work around, which means unlocking new tools and spending your suit’s limited energy and resources to grapple up high cliffs or vaporize rocks in your path. It’s not difficult, but some of the puzzles you have to solve to gather essential resources for high-level research unlocks require you to uncover and follow a winding trail around the map that can be time-consuming enough to span multiple in-game days. The fast-travel system is a clever way to let you cover more ground and avoid too much backtracking by building out your tower network like breadcrumbs as you explore, and there are special pylon types you can place that are specifically for teleporting around.

The mechanic for uncovering deep resource veins to place a mining machine on is a chore, though. You’re required to create polygonal shapes by placing probes, which lets you look through the ground. It’s not hard, but it feels pointless and fiddly because you can just gather your probes and try again if you miss. (I suspect that at one point in development you had to spend resources to make them but that idea was scrapped and the cost was removed.) All it consumes is time, which is a precious resource, and it isn’t a very entertaining use of it.

There are other hostile environmental hazards that can mess you up, too: The Alters very quickly reminded me of developer 11Bit’s other recent game, Frostpunk 2, with its occasional magnetic storms that make venturing outside for resources all but impossible and force you to rely on your stockpiles while you race to repair escalating damage to the base. Things like that keep the pressure on and force you to consider taking measures like making your team work overtime hours, and prevent you from putting too much of management on autopilot even as you unlock more automated resource extraction tools. Multiple times, gathering enough resources to move the base came down to the wire – I had to be ready to go before the sun caught me, and I made it out by hours, not days.

Orlando Bloom has discussed the possibility of reprising his iconic role as Legolas in Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, and has a clear idea of how the character would work.

The Hunt for Gollum, due out December 17, 2027, is confirmed to see star and director Andy Serkis reprise his role as Gollum, as the title suggests. This time, we’ll get to see what Gollum was up to in the years between The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.

But could other Lord of the Rings actors follow suit? In an interview with MovieWeb to promote his new film, Deep Cover, the 48-year-old Bloom discussed the possibility of Legolas returning for The Hunt for Gollum. Apart from very much being into the idea, he said that Legolas would have to be the same age as he was in the original trilogy, and to achieve that, the filmmakers would have to use AI-powered de-ageing technology.

“I think first of all, I’d like to see [Legolas] the same age as he was [in the original trilogy],” Bloom said. “So, AI would have to come into play. I think I’d like to see him lithe and breezy and warrior-like so AI would have to come into play.

“And I think if they asked me, I would say, ‘Absolutely!’ It would be so fun just to go back to New Zealand and spend however long they want me there for. Because honestly, if you want to be anywhere in the world right now, New Zealand is the place.”

Bloom played Legolas first in 2001's beloved The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, aged 24. 24 years later, is a Legolas return realistic? We do know Hunt for Gollum is set to see a number of famous faces return, including Gandalf. The 86-year-old Sir Ian McKellen, who played Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings, has said he'd be open to returning as the wizard so long as age didn't catch up to him. Aragorn actor Viggo Mortensen is also open to returning.

This week, Serkis touched on the tone fans can expect from The Hunt for Gollum, and issued an update on when filming will begin. Warner Bros. has said The Hunt for Gollum is in fact the first of two new Lord of the Rings feature films from Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, and Philippa Boyens based on J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth, as the company aims to make more of the franchise.

Amazon has of course kept the Lord of the Rings fire burning with its Prime Video series The Rings of Power. Season 3 is in the works. Elsewhere in Tolkien's world sits The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, the animated film that came out in December.

Photo by Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic.

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.

Sealed Pokémon TCG products at an actual discount? Yep, it happened. So did one of the best Humble Choice months to date, featuring the brilliant Warhammer 40K: Boltgun alongside the nostalgia-stuffed Soul Reaver 1 & 2 Remastered collection. In the market for a new monitor? Samsung has you covered with up to $300 in store credit and $100 off their upcoming Smart AI Monitor line. Nice.

TL;DR: Deals For Today

Need more grim-dark in your life? The new 40K book, Era of Ruin (The Horus Heresy: Siege of Terra), takes Games Workshop books back to the beginning of the Chaos Faction and the crippling of the God Emperor. Warhammer 40K is also in a wave of physical game discounts thanks to Space Marine 2 on PS5, which also includes some Switch 1 games with free Switch 2 performance upgrades. Let's get into it:

Grab $300 Samsung Credit and $100 Off Samsung Smart AI Monitor Preorder

Gears of War: Reloaded (PS5) Preorder

Physical Game Discounts

If you're planning to grab a Switch 2, now is a smart time to stock up on discounted Switch 1 games, especially the heavy hitters. All of them are expected to run at a minimum of 1080p 60FPS on the new hardware, with some titles getting boosts up to 4K depending on the upgrade. Tears of the Kingdom is getting a paid update, but it's free if you have a Switch Online plus Expansion Pack membership. Super Mario Party Jamboree, Super Mario Odyssey, and Super Mario 3D World plus Bowser’s Fury will all benefit from faster load times and sharper visuals. These are already great games, and on Switch 2, they'll play even better.

Humble Choice

Era of Ruin (The Horus Heresy: Siege of Terra)

Gwent: The Legendary Card Game

MTG Final Fantasy And Spider-Man Preorders

It's mad how Final Fantasy and Spider-Man products are still available to preorder after the initial pre-sale flying off digital shelves. My take on these sets is to preorder whilst you can, the pricing on these sets are only going to go above MSRP on release day.

MTG Final Fantasy: Best-Selling Presale Cards

I usually share immensely cool Cloud and Sephiroth cards that belong in a slab in someones collection, but all of these cards are what MTG players are going for right now. Looking to build a deck instead of collect MTG Final Fantasy? Snap these up before other players realise how playable they are.

Pokémon TCG Stock Updates

Another day of ridiculous pricing on Amazon for Pokémon TCG sealed products, but keeping an eye on it so you all have options is still important. If you can't find other sealed products for a decent price, I can almost guarantee the market value on TCG Player is cheaper right now.

Destined Rivals: The Most Valuable Cards

On a more positive note, Destined Rivals top chase card prices are stablising, making it a great time to snap some up. Team Rocket's Mewtwo ex SIR has been going for anything over $450 since release, but is starting to settle on a more respectable $370.

Apple AirPods Sale

The big sell with this AirPods sale is the free AppleCare+, with some decent savings on the hardware itself for good measure. They're all solid choices, but i'd personally snap up AirPods 4 as they're currently the same sale price as their third generation variant.

Beats Earbuds and Headphones Sale

No, I didn't forget about Dre thanks, and neither did Amazon. If you want Apple quality without the basic white branding, Beats are the way forward. They all come with AppleCare+ or AppleCare for headphones too, with the exception of a $25 Amazon Gift card for Beats Fit Pro.

Samsung and Sony Ear Buds

Samsung and Sony are two personal audio brands you can set your smart watch too, and I'm seriously tempted to sink some money into Sony WH-1000XM5 whilst they're on offer. The noise cancelling is best-in-class, and those cans pack some serious punch.

4K Blu Ray Sale: Buy 2, Save 50% on 1

Amazon is at it again with a cracking promotion on Blu Ray, 4K Blu Ray and DVDs with a Buy 2, save 50% on 1 deal. There's currently over 1000 qualifying items here, but here's some of my favorite picks. Seeing the Lord of the Rings trilogy in this is a banging deal, but this offer is also a great way to get your physical media collection off to a healthy start without burning your bank card out.

Woodkid for Death Stranding 2: On the Beach 2LP Vinyl

IGN Live Game Bundle

The PC version of Stellar Blade only launched yesterday, June 11, but it's already Sony's biggest single-player Steam launch ever.

Right now, the concurrent player peak is almost 105,000, but that's the seventh all-time peak the game has set since I started writing this story. There's no doubt player numbers will continue to climb, especially as we move into the weekend.

By comparison, Ghost of Tsushima topped out at 77,154 players, God of War peaked at 73,529, and Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered sports a peak of 66,436 players. In fact, the only Sony-published game to have a higher concurrent record than Stellar Blade is Helldivers 2, which is, of course, a multiplayer game.

PC-specific features include AI upscaling via Nvidia DLSS 4 and AMD FSR 3, an unlocked framerate, Japanese and Chinese voiceover, ultrawide display support, higher resolution environment textures, and DualSense support for haptic feedback and trigger effects.

The PC version was originally region locked in 100+ countries, but is now available in "over 250 regions." And yes, there are mods. Dozens and dozens have popped up, with modders making all kinds of tweaks and buffs since the demo dropped a few weeks ago. Not all of them are safe for work, though...

Stellar Blade has done so well for developer Shift Up that a sequel is already confirmed. The Sony-published action game launched to a positive response back in April 2024, with players saying its gameplay mixed elements of NieR: Automata and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice.

IGN's Stellar Blade review returned a 7/10. We said: "Stellar Blade is great in all of the most important ways for an action game, but dull characters, a lackluster story, and several frustrating elements of its RPG mechanics prevent it from soaring along with the best of the genre."

Vikki Blake is a reporter for IGN, as well as a critic, columnist, and consultant with 15+ years experience working with some of the world's biggest gaming sites and publications. She's also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.

The composer behind HBO's smash-hit The Last of Us TV show has revealed there'll be "at least two more seasons," strongly suggesting Season 4 is on the way.

"There’ll be at least two more seasons, no question," Jake Staley said in an interview on The Last of Us: Savage Starlight podcast. "At least. That’s all I’m gonna say."

This isn't a complete surprise, of course; just last month, showrunner Craig Mazin indicated a fourth season would be pretty much essential for the series, as in order to wrap up The Last of Us’ story from the two Naughty Dog-developed video games, Season 3 "would take forever." So, while there's a "decent chance" Season 3 will be longer than Season 2, at the end of the day, Mazin suggested "there’s no way to complete this narrative in a third season."

HBO has hailed the success of The Last of Us Season 2, saying an "influx" of viewers had raised the series' global audience to over 90 million since Season 1 ended, but insisted the Season 2 finale suffered low viewing levels because of the Memorial Day holiday weekend. Mazin and Neil Druckmann also recently let us in on a little secret: they don't yet know "how much, or rather how little" some of our favorite characters will be around in upcoming seasons.

The team behind the HBO series stopped by IGN Live over the weekend to break down some of the most pivotal moments of the game to TV show adaptation and expand on what it took to create scenes like Joel's death, the horde attack, the planetarium, and more.

Vikki Blake is a reporter for IGN, as well as a critic, columnist, and consultant with 15+ years experience working with some of the world's biggest gaming sites and publications. She's also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.

The first part of the Final Fantasy 7 Remake trilogy may have just been announced to be coming to Xbox, but for the time being, the second chapter, Rebirth, is one of the best games only available for PS5 and PC.

If you’ve not yet picked it up, however, you can save 50% on the ambitious open world entry in the saga thanks to Amazon-owned retailer Woot.

Save 50% on Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth

Although it launched on June 5, the Nintendo Switch 2 is still only being sold via lottery in Japan, which means you can’t just walk into a store and buy one. This huge demand has prompted a flood of Switch 2 consoles to hit online marketplaces like Mercari Japan over the past week.

Although price gouging and scalping have been widely criticized, Switch 2 listings and the frantic comments they attract from users desperate to get their hands on Nintendo’s latest console have attracted parody listings of... light switches.

It is not clear who had this “bright idea” first, but light switch-themed “Switch 2” listings have been popping up on Mercari Japan since last week. These feature wall-mounted double light switches, which can be loosely referred to as “Switch 2-ko” (literally “2 switches”) in Japanese — hence the joke. One troll made such a light switch from cardboard, listing it for 67,000 yen (approx. $465) under the title “Nintendo Switch 2 (Domestic/Japanese language version) Console,” and quipping in the description: "I have no idea how you are supposed to play it.”

It's official — the video game voice actor and performer strike is over.

The Screen Actors Guild - American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) confirmed it had reached a "tentative agreement" on the interactive media contract earlier this week, potentially bringing to an end almost a year of industrial action across the video game industry. Now SAG-AFTRA has formally suspended strike action as of noon PT yesterday (June 11).

The SAG-AFTRA video game strike was instigated back in July 2024 after the union and the major game companies — Activision, Blindlight, Disney Character Voices, Electronic Arts, Epic Games, Formosa Interactive, Insomniac Games, Take 2 Productions, and WB Games — that sit on the board failed to agree on AI provisions. Over 98% of members subsequently voted to strike.

While the union hasn't quite signed everything off — there's a special meeting later today, June 12, to consider the agreement — if all goes well, the paperwork will then be sent out to the union's membership for ratification.

Ever looked at the bulky helmets and garb of Elden Ring Nightreign's Nightfarers? Well, wonder no more, as one YouTuber has taken the mask off and shown the little details hiding underneath the coverings of Elden Ring Nightreign's cast.

YouTuber Zullie the Witch posted a behind-the-mask look at Nightreign's cast on June 5. All of them have distinct models, with some surprising details under the hood.

Some are just little curiosities, like Ironeye's face being fully modeled from the front. Zullie also notes that the Nightfarers' eye colors change depending on their skin. Other characters have some fun ties to other FromSoftware games, like the Duchess' similarity to Dark Souls 3's Firekeeper.

Revealing the face of characters like Ironeye or Executor is neat, but the real question I'm sure you're asking is whether the avian Guardian is truly a bird, or if he has a human face underneath? Well, the answer is that yes, he is truly a bird. The Revenant also hides a skull beneath her porcelain facade, though, so there are still some surprises in store for those who haven't seen them in-game yet.

While there aren't any profound lore discoveries to be made here, they do add a little extra character to each of the Nightfarers, and show off FromSoft's attention to detail, even down to the tiny things that would probably go unnoticed in most players' runs of the game.

The one strange note is Wylder, who does not seem to have a face model at all. This might just be a design quirk, but it's interesting to imagine there might be some deeper lore reason for his under-armor presence remaining a mystery.

Elden Ring Nightreign players are slowly getting to grips with the game, and some are already completing impressive challenges. This week, IGN reported on one player who used the Wraith Calling Bell clear the final boss of Elden Ring Nightreign.

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

Eric is a freelance writer for IGN.

While Netflix’s FUBAR is certainly a vehicle for Arnold Schwarzenegger to reach back to his gun-toting, one-liner-slinging, world-saving onscreen heyday, what makes the action-comedy worth watching is the interpersonal drama of its main cast – it’s a show that works best when it centers on the relationships between father-daughter CIA operatives Luke and Emma Brunner (Schwarzenegger and Monica Barbaro) and the rest of its ensemble. Unfortunately, the newly released second season doesn't fully capitalize on that quality. Instead, it leans on subpar action and awkward subplots between new characters, resulting in an entertaining batch of episodes undercut by some thematic missteps.

Picking up months after the first season’s cover-blowing cliffhanger, season 2 finds Luke and Emma living in a safe house alongside their family, friends, and a handful of “associates.” It’s an odd predicament that affords a few laughs, with trained agents living side-by-side with civilians who don’t quite understand why they're attacked every time they leave the premises. (In one misguided trip, a birthday party at a Chuck E. Cheese-esque family fun center comically ends in bloodshed and destroyed animatronics.)

Yet despite a premise that lays a strong foundation for some high-stakes hijinks, it’s often the weaker aspects of the plot that get emphasized. The overarching, potentially world-ending dilemma that forces Luke’s team out of hiding is interesting, and the conflicts that erupt between missions are occasionally funny, but they’re overwhelmed by FUBAR’s yawn-inducing shootouts and underwhelming fight sequences. Season 1 set the bar for action extremely low, and season 2 trips right over it. The same can be said for the near-constant mishaps that plague the characters. Predictable or not, most of Luke’s explosive blunders have lost their luster this time around.

But that’s nothing compared to the various love triangles that crop up this season, beginning with the arrival of Greta Nelso (Carrie-Anne Moss), an ex-East German spy and Luke’s former lover. Moss does her best to ham it up opposite Schwarzenegger, and it works in parts, namely whenever they’re commiserating on how old they’ve both gotten. But because much of the plot hinges on Greta attempting to woo Luke away from his no-longer-quite-so-ex-wife Tally (Fabiana Udenio), most of their exchanges are awkward, packed with cringe-inducing dialogue. During these scenes, the pacing drags to a halt; for a season that ends with a reflection on the importance of family and life-long friendship, there’s too much time spent on this dead-end courtship.

The real fun lies within the confines of the crowded CIA safe house. Being cooped up with antsy co-workers and emotionally distraught family members is rough. That’s to say nothing of the weird dynamic between Emma, Tally, and their respective exes Carter (Jay Baruchel) and Donnie (Andy Buckley). Baruchel’s depiction of a kindhearted school teacher who’s totally out of his depth in the world of international espionage is amusing. Meanwhile, Buckley’s apathetic line delivery and off-putting mannerisms really sell Donnie’s post-breakup, mid-sequestration blues. It makes sense that he’d grow somewhat antisocial: He has to listen to Luke and Tally rekindle their romance through the house’s hilariously thin walls. His reluctance to bathe, eat cereal with milk (he’d rather use beer), or wear pants during tense moments presents an entirely different level of standoffish behavior. Yet, Buckley’s deadpan approach to this despair provides the humor, especially in his scenes with Baruchel.

Though a lot of the season’s humor comes from the characters not getting along, moments showcasing their willingness to work together are just as engaging. Schwarzenegger and Barbaro’s dynamic resonates thanks to a shift in tone: While Luke and Emma still clash from time to time, their newfound sense of trust and mutual respect for one another makes for some pleasantly meaningful interactions. It's nice to see them take down random mercenaries together, too. There may not be anything particularly impressive about the way that taking down is shot or staged, but Barbaro's spry and sure-footed athleticism complements Schwarzennegger's more "seasoned" (read: a lower level of intensity befitting the now 77-year-old Terminator) approach to combat. Fortune Feimster and Travis Van Winkle still entertain as CIA agents Roo and Aldon, though due to circumstances that force them apart, they don’t share as much screen time together as I would’ve hoped. And Milan Carter’s Berry continues to be a charming guy in the chair, his devotion to the group leading to some of this season’s most heartfelt moments.

Want codes for Flashpoint: Worlds Collide? In this article, you'll find the latest active codes so you can earn cash, experience, suits, and more fast. IGN has you covered for when new ones are released and updates when they expire. This article also explains how to redeem codes if you're not sure!

Working Flashpoint: Worlds Collide Codes (June 2025)

Here are all the current active codes for Flashpoint: Worlds Collide and the rewards you'll get for redeeming them:

• Velocity9 - 1 V9
• 50kinterestednext? - 10,000 Cash, 10,000 EXP
• holymolywehit150klikes - 5,000 Cash, 5,000 EXP
• getthegameto100klikesformorecoolcodes - 1,000 Cash, 100 Ignition, 5,000 EXP
• 100klikes!! - 5,000 Cash, 500 Ignition, 5,000 EXP
• 15kplayers - 1,000 Cash, 100 Ignition, 3,000 EXP
• 20kplayers - 1,000 Cash, 100 Ignition, 5,000 EXP
• UPDATESOON!! - 1,000 Cash, 100 Ignition, 3,000 EXP
• wallywestgoat - 2 V-X
• 14kPlayers - 1,000 Cash, 100 Ignition, 3,000 EXP
• 69kLikes - 1,000 Cash, 100 Ignition, 3,000 EXP
• N3G4T1V3 - Negative Flash (Rebirth)
• jldownfall - The flash [SSKTJL]
• clicksteryt - Clickster Suit
• MartyZealousTooQuick - Marty Zealous Suit

Expired Flashpoint: Worlds Collide Codes (June 2025)

Unfortunately, these codes have expired and will no longer work:

• UnderneathTheTree
• walnut
• sub2varisyt

How to Redeem Flashpoint: Worlds Collide Codes

Before you can redeem codes for Flashpoint: Worlds Collide you'll need to follow a few simple steps. Make sure you do these before trying to claim any in-game:

1. First, join the Varis Studios Roblox group.
2. Launch Flashpoint: Worlds
3. Press the "CODES" button on the left side of your screen.
4. Enter your code here and press the Redeem button to get your rewards.

Why Isn't My Flashpoint: Worlds Collide Code Working?

There are two main reasons why a code usually doesn't work in any Roblox game and the same goes for this experience:

• The code is expired
• The code has been entered incorrectly

If a code has been entered incorrectly or has expired, you'll see a message that says, "Not an active code!" To stop this from happening, we recommend copying and pasting the code directly from this article. We check and test each code before we add them to our article. However, when copying them, you can sometimes accidentally include an extra space somewhere. This is why you should always double-check that there aren't any additional spaces!

Where to Find More Flashpoint: Worlds Collide Codes

We'll update this article when new codes are added so you can always check back here and keep up-to-date with the latest codes. Flashpoint: Worlds Collide has its own dedicated Discord server where codes are announced, as well as game updates. Certain codes may require going to specific YouTuber channels to find them as well.

What is Flashpoint: Worlds Collide in Roblox?

Flashpoint: Worlds Collide is a Roblox experience that revolves around Flash from the DC Universe. Players can speed through the city as their own avatar or wear one of many outfits as they fight criminals and earn money doing it.

As you stop crimes, you'll gain experience so you can upgrade your skills and become faster. Which you'll need to do if you want to beat other players in races where speed is all that matters. Or you can put more of your skill points into stats like health and damage so you're an even stronger crime fighter. Become the super hero that you want to be.

Jeffrey Lerman is a freelance game journalist for IGN who has been covering games for over a decade. You can follow him on Bluesky.

These days, streaming services are a dime a dozen. Disney+ offers some of the best value in relation to the exclusive content it has available, as you'll not only have access to dozens of Disney and Pixar films and TV shows, but the entirety of the collected Marvel Cinematic Universe and every Star Wars project pre- and post-acquisition. Depending on the subscription tier or bundle you pick, you can also experience Hulu and ESPN content as well, making this the best bang-for-your-buck streaming services around.

But did you know you can give a Disney+ subscription as a gift? Just in time for Father's Day, we've got the skinny on how to give a subscription out to your loved ones and how the process works.

How to Give Disney+ As a Gift

The best way to go about giving a Disney+ subscription as a gift is through a gift card. You can choose values anywhere between $25 and $200 to load onto the card, so figure out what your gift recipient likes and plan accordingly. One month of Disney+ is $10.99 for example, so the base $25 is good for two months.

Here's how it works:

1. Determine the amount you want to load on the card, from $25 to $200.
2. Visit disneyplus.com/giftcard to purchase. You can also get physical cards at any Disney-owned store or other major retailers like Target or Walmart.
3. Get a nice card and write a heartfelt message!
4. When your loved one is ready to redeem, they can do so by visitng the disneyplus.com/commerce/gift.
5. Enter the gift card number, security code, and ZIP and they're ready to go. If they're a first-time subscriber, they'll have to create an account.
6. Select the desired Disney+ or bundle plan.

Does a Disney+ Gift Card Work With Streaming Bundles?

There are a handful of different Disney+ bundles available, and luckily the gift cards work towards these as well. So if you're wanting to grab Hulu, ESPN, and HBO Max to bundle and save, you can do so to save a few bucks. Our explainer guide on how to get or switch to one of these bundles is a useful tool for how to decide what to pick.

How Much Should You Gift?

Like I mentioned previously, you can load the gift card with values ranging from $25 all the way up to $200. Some folks like to pay up front for their longterm subscriptions so they don't have to worry about it later, so a gift card of $100+ is a great route to take if you're planning on binging the entirety of the MCU or catch up on Andor. Check out our Disney+ bundle price guide for more info, or look at a quick TL;DR below so you can get a good idea of how much to give as a gift:

• Disney+ Basic: $9.99 monthly
• Disney+ Premium: $15.99 monthly, $159.99 annually
• Disney+, Hulu bundle - Basic: $10.99 monthly
• Disney+, Hulu bundle - Premium; $19.99 monthly
• Disney+, Hulu, ESPN+ bundle - Basic: $16.99 monthly
• Disney+, Hulu, ESPN+ bundle - Premium: $26.99 monthly
• Disney+, Hulu, ESPN+ bundle - Legacy: $21.99 monthly
• Disney+, Hulu, HBO Max with ads: $16.99 monthly
• Disney+, Hulu, HBO Max without ads: $29.99 monthly

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

If you're seeking the absolute best of the best in PC gaming performance, look no further. Dell has just dropped the price of its flagship Alienware Area-51 prebuilt gaming PC, equipped with the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 graphics card to $4.949.99 with free shipping. This is a competitive price - especially for an Alienware computer - compared to the similar off-the-shelf prebuilts on Amazon. The RTX 5090 is undisputedly the most powerful graphics card on the market and is pretty much impossible to find for under $3,000 by itself.

Alienware Area-51 RTX 5090 Gaming PC for $4,949.99

Looking to pad your collection without flattening your wallet? Today's gaming discounts span all corners of the digital landscape, from creature-collecting epics to emotionally loaded indies and big-name brawlers. Whether you're gearing up for couch co-op or hunting your next solo obsession, there’s something here worth slotting into your library.

This Day in Gaming 🎂

In retro news, I'm celebrating the 16th birthday of Ninja Gaiden II. While the 2004 revival of Ninja Gaiden was lauded for being exceedingly hard, I remember this follow up was more largely known for being excessively gory. Death by dismemberment was all the rage, thanks to Obliteration Techniques that would put limb-reduced enemies into an even greater world of pain. Pretty standard stuff nowadays, though.

Aussie bdays for notable games

- Ninja Gaiden II (X360) 2008. Redux

- Metal Gear Online (PS3) 2008. eBay

- Kid Icarus: Uprising (3DS) 2012. eBay

Contents

• Nintendo
• Xbox
• PlayStation
• PC
• PC Gear
• LEGO
• Headphones
• TVs

Nice Savings for Nintendo Switch

Nintendo Switch kicks things off with No Man’s Sky at 60% off. The game’s Switch port runs on its own custom-built engine which allowed Hello Games to squeeze the entire universe into just 3.1GB. Meanwhile, Pokémon Legends: Z-A offers a rare early discount. Though info’s still tight, it marks Game Freak’s first fully urban open-world concept, rumoured to draw inspiration from Paris' arrondissements.

• No Man’s Sky + S2 Ed. (-60%) - A$31.90
• Pokémon Legends: Z-A (-13%) - A$78
• Dragon Ball Fighterz - Leg. (-75%) - A$41.20
• Persona 3 Portable (-50%) - A$14.90
• Mortal Kombat 1 (-67%) - A$19.70

Expiring Recent Deals

• Suikoden I&II HD Remaster (-24%) - A$57
• Hogwarts Legacy (-29%) - A$64
• FC 25 (-62%) - A$34
• Bravely Default II (-21%) - A$63.10
• Biomutant (-40%) - A$36
• Octopath Traveler (-56%) - A$39.90

Or gift a Nintendo eShop Card.

Back to top

Exciting Bargains for Xbox

• Xbox Controller Robot White (-36%) - A$58
• Seagate 1TB Expansion (-33%) - A$205
• GTA V (-60%) - A$24
• 40K: Space Marine 2 (-37%) - A$68
• Monster Hunter Wilds (-23%) - A$88
• Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2 (-11%) - A$249

Xbox One

• Middle-earth: Shadow of War (-85%) - A$8.20
• The Crew Motorfest (-48%) - A$51.80
• TopSpin 2K25 (-81%) - A$23

Expiring Recent Deals

• Xbox official Controller (-24%) - A$75.60
• Kingdom Come: Deliverance II (-23%) - A$88
• Metaphor: ReFantazio (-57%) - A$49
• Grand Theft Auto V (-53%) - A$28
• Star Wars Outlaws (-64%) - A$40
• TopSpin 2K25 (-81%) - A$23
• Red Dead Redemption 2 (-74%) - A$23
• FFXII: The Zodiac Age (-51%) - A$39.10

Or just invest in an Xbox Card.

Back to top

Pure Scores for PlayStation

• Rise of the Ronin (-53%) - A$59
• Astro Bot (-31%) - A$75
• DualSense Edge (-25%) - A$249
• PS Portal - Midnight Black (-9%) - A$299
• PS5 Pro Console (-13%) - A$1,049
• God of War: Ragnarok (-57%) - A$54

PS4

• Sea of Stars (-32%) - A$36
• Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales (-55%) - A$42.40
• God of War (-40%) - A$15
• The Last of Us Rem. (-32%) - A$17

Expiring Recent Deals

• Lego Horizon Adventures (-35%) - A$71.20
• Split Fiction (-23%) - A$54
• Elden Ring (-43%) - A$57
• Tales of Arise (-68%) - A$32.20
• Grand Theft Auto V (-53%) - A$28
• Need for Speed Unbound (-77%) - A$25
• GTA Trilogy – The Def. Ed. (-77%) - A$23
• Red Dead Redemption (-52%) - A$36
• Red Dead Redemption 2 (-74%) - A$23
• Watch Dogs: Legion (-86%) - A$13.60

PS+ Monthly Freebies
Yours to keep from May 1 with this subscription

• Ark: Survival Ascended (PS5)
• Balatro (PS5/PS4)
• Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun (PS5/PS4)

Or purchase a PS Store Card.

Back to top

Purchase Cheap for PC

• Forza Horizon 5 (-50%) - A$44.90
• This War of Mine (-95%) - A$1.40
• Ori and the Blind Forest: Def. (-80%) - A$5.90
• Mortal Shell (-95%) - A$2.20
• RoboCop: Rogue City (-83%) - A$12.40
• Watch Dogs 2 (-87%) - A$10.50

Expiring Recent Deals

• Dragon's Dogma 2 (-58%) - A$45.30
• Disco Elysium – The Final Cut (-75%) - A$14.20
• The Outer Worlds (-67%) - A$14.80
• Resident Evil Village (-75%) - A$14.20
• Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga (-80%) - A$13.90

Or just get a Steam Wallet Card

Laptop Deals

• Apple 2024 MacBook Air 15-inch (-12%) – A$2,197
• HP Laptop 15.6" 15-fd0233TU (-20%) – A$799
• Lenovo ThinkPad E14 Gen 5 (-36%) – A$849
• Lenovo Yoga 7i 2-in-1 14", Gen 9 (-41%) – A$1,229

Desktop Deals

• Lenovo neo 50a G5 27" AIO (-47%) – A$1,379
• Lenovo neo 50q G4 Tiny (-35%) – A$639
• Lenovo neo 50t G5 Tower (-20%) – A$871.20
• Legion Tower 5i G8 (-29%) – A$1,899

Monitor Deals

• Samsung QE50T 50" (-31%) – A$596
• ARZOPA 16.1" 144Hz (-55%) – A$159.99
• Z-Edge 27" 240Hz (-15%) – A$237.99
• Gawfolk 34" WQHD (-28%) – A$359
• LG 27" Ultragear (-42%) – A$349

Component Deals

• MSI PRO B650M-A WiFi Motherboard (-41%) – A$229
• AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D (-7%) – A$876
• Corsair Vengeance 32GB (-35%) – A$82
• Kingston FURY Beast 16GB (-30%) – A$48

Storage Deals

• Seagate One Touch Portable HDD (-24%) – A$228
• Kingston 1TB USB 3.2 SSD (-17%) – A$115
• SanDisk 128GB Extreme PRO (-63%) – A$29
• SanDisk 32GB Ultra SDHC (-53%) – A$9.90

Back to top

Legit LEGO Deals

• JP T. Rex Skull (-40%) - A$41.90
• Harry Potter Aragog (-40%) - A$17.90
• Rocket & Baby Groot (-34%) - A$59
• Super Mario Yoshis' Egg-cellent Forest (-33%) - A$10
• Millennium Falcon UCS (-29%) - A$929
• Krusty Burger [NEW] - $329

Expiring Recent Deals

• Technic Ducati Panigale (-45%) - A$169
• Technic Porsche GT (-40%) - A$150
• Captain America vs. Red Hulk (-34%) - A$59
• R2-D2 Model Kit (-30%) - A$139

Back to top

Hot Headphones Deals

Audiophilia for less

• Bose QuietComfort Ultra Wireless (-38%) – A$399.95
• Soundcore by Anker Q20i (-43%) – A$68.79
• Sony MDR7506 Professional (-30%) – A$169
• Technics Premium (-46%) – A$299
• Bose SoundLink Flex (-31%) – A$171
• JBL Charge 5 - Portable Speaker (-28%) – A$144
• JBL Flip Essential 2 Waterproof Speaker (-26%) – A$96
• Sony SRS-XB100 Travel Speaker (-41%) – A$84.15
• Ultimate Ears Boom 3 Portable Speaker (-41%) – A$134.95
• Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Pro (-26%) – A$259.29
• Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless (-46%) – A$275

Back to top

Terrific TV Deals

Do right by your console, upgrade your telly

• LG 43" UT80 4K (-24%) – A$635
• Kogan 65" QLED 4K (-50%) – A$699
• Kogan 55" QLED 4K (-45%) – A$549
• LG 55" UT80 4K (-28%) – A$866
• Prism+ Q75 Ultra 75" 4K QLED (-47%) – A$1,229
• Gaimoo Mini Projector 1080p w/ 4K (-33%) – A$119.99
• GooDee 4K Projector (-58%) – A$169.99
• VOPLLS Mini Projector 4K (-19%) – A$168.99
• XuanPad Mini Projector (-36%) – A$128.99
• LG S70TY Q Series Sound Barn*-22%) – A$546
• Sony HTG700 Atmos Soundbar (-15%) – A$594
• Yamaha NS-SW050 Subwoofer (-13%) – A$270

Smart Home Deals

• Arlo Video Doorbell 2K (-53%) – A$107.76
• Google Nest Doorbell (-44%) – A$183
• Ring Battery Video Doorbell Plus (-40%) – A$149
• TP-Link Tapo Smart Doorbell (-20%) – A$183
• XTU Doorbell Camera Doorbell (-40%) – A$59.99
• D-Link DCS-8302LH Wi-Fi Cam (-62%) – A$75
• Google Nest Cam (-25%) – A$247
• Ring Spotlight Cam Pro Battery (-43%) – A$187
• Swann 4 Channel DVR with 4 x 4K Cams (-34%) – A$399
• WUUK 2K Outdoor Cam (-32%) – A$249.99

Back to top

I have read more than my fair share of LitRPG books, but Dungeon Crawler Carl has been a contender for overall favorite new series since book one. It's a fast-paced adventure that has everything you could ever need in a book. It's basically an ongoing story about a man and his sassy cat's descent into the madness of an apocolyptic space game show. The author, Matt Dinniman, has a writing style that perfectly blends outrageousness with intrigue in a way that makes it hard to put down once you start reading.

If that's enough to pique your interest, then I'd recommend picking up a copy to read and just diving right in. Amazon is having a buy one, get one 50% off sale on books right now that includes the hardcover editions, but the series is also free with a Kindle Unlimited subscription.

Dungeon Crawler Carl Books are Buy one, Get One 50% Off at Amazon

There are a total of seven books in the series so far, but only six have gotten a hardcover release. You can read all of the books digitally by either purchasing the eBook or via a Kindle Unlimited subscription. The latest book in the series, The Inevitable Ruin, is also getting a hardcover release, but not until September 2025. Because of that, it isn't currently included in the buy one, get one free sale at Amazon.

I've listed all of the books in their correct reading order in the carousel above, but here's a quick chronological list below as well. There's also an eighth book in the series that is currently expected to arrive later this year.

Dungeon Crawler Carl Reading Order

1. Dungeon Crawler Carl
2. Carl's Doomsday Scenario
3. The Dungeon Anarchist's Cookbook
4. The Gate of the Feral Gods
5. The Butcher's Masquerade
6. The Eye of the Bedlam Bride
7. The Inevitable Ruin
8. Carl's Book of Boom (Expected November 2025)

Is It Worth Getting Into LitRPG?

If you aren't already familiar with the genre, LitRPG is pretty much exactly what it sounds like. LitRPG stands for literary role-playing game, which essentially means that the story features some sort of RPG element that is similar to what you'd find in a video game. In some cases this means the main character literally gets pulled into a video game and starts leveling up, but the genre is a lot more expansive than that.

The Dungeon Crawler Carl series is a good example of how LitRPG can blend perfectly with the fantasy and sci-fi genres. The main character starts out as a regular guy on Earth only to be forced down into a dungeon controlled by alien invaders. The actual LitRPG elements of the story are introduced seamlessly via an unhinged AI that grants dungeon participants power and levels. So if you like more modern, fast-paced fantasy and sci-fi stories, you're probably going to like Dungeon Crawler Carl.

This series is a great entry point into the genre overall because it doesn't necessarily throw a bunch of stat sheets and complicated magic systems in your face. It leads with fast-paced action and some generally fantastic dialogue you'll really enjoy. The overarching story and interplay between the galactic audience and the Earth survivors also makes for a really interesting concept that never really gets old.

Jacob Kienlen is a Senior SEO Strategist and Writer for IGN. Born and raised in Portland, Oregon, he has considered the Northwest his home for his entire life. With a bachelor's degree in communication and over 8 years of professional writing experience, his expertise is spread across a variety of different topics -- from TV series to indie games and popular book series.

Star Wars fans, don't miss out on this incredible video game deal. Walmart is currently offering Ubisoft's Star Wars Outlaws game for Xbox Series X for just $20. This game normally retails for $59.99 and the lowest price I've ever seen for it was $39.99 during last year's Cyber Monday sale. The game is a physical copy that's sold and shipped by Walmart itself, not a marketplace vendor. You'll need to get your order total to $35 in order to get free shipping, or choose free in-store pickup where available.

Star Wars Outlaws (Xbox) for $20

If your couch is the most comfortable seat in the house, why game or work anywhere else? A lap desk makes that possible, offering a large, flat, and secure surface to set up your gaming keyboard and mouse, laptop, tablet, or even your new Switch 2's Joy-Con to play in mouse mode.

Lap desks come in all shapes and sizes, so you can find one that fits your needs exactly. The most common options have desk surfaces with well-padded bottoms that rest directly on your legs without adding too much strain or causing discomfort. Others place legs around your body or next to it while holding a large tabletop for devices, delivering a bit more wiggle room and less pressure, letting you focus on what really matters: winning the game... or meeting a work deadline.

TL;DR – The Best Lap Desks:

Some lap desks incorporate cable management, USB hubs, and even drawers for a tidier setup. If you’re using a gaming laptop, which can get pretty toasty added ventilation could a major consideration when shopping. No matter what you’re after, we’ve found a great lap desk. Once you realize the stability and comfort these little tabletops bring to working or gaming from a couch or bed, you’ll never go back to just using your lap.

Additional contributions by Georgie Peru

1. Couchmaster Cycon³

Best Overall Lap Desk

2. Couchmaster Cybot

Best Laptop Lap Desk

3. Xdesk Flex

Best Couch-Side Standing Desk

4. Songmics Laptop Desk

Best Lap Desk for Working from Home

5. LapGear Lap Desk

Best Padded Lap Desk

6. Arlo Skye Lap Desk 19

Best Lap Desk for Bed

7. Saiji Laptop Lap Desk

Best Lap Desk for Nintendo Switch 2

8. Uncaged Ergonomics WorkEZ Adjustable Laptop Stand

Best Ergonomic Lap Desk

9. AboveTEK Adjustable Laptop Lap Desk

Best Portable Lap Desk

We've seen the official Nintendo Switch 2 case and it could be better for the price. It fits the console well enough, but the build quality and protection is lacking and it looks boring for a $40 case. If you want something that protects your Switch 2 while looking a lot nicer and still maintaining a slim profile, I'd suggest getting the tomtoc Slim Nintendo Switch 2 Carrying Case. In fact, it currently costs $36.99 on Amazon, which is a few dollars cheaper than the official case.

tomtoc Slim Nintendo Switch 2 Carrying Case for $36.99

If you’ve been waiting for the right time to build up your anime collection, I have some good news (well, maybe not for your wallet). Crunchyroll is running a home video sale through June 24 that overlaps with Amazon’s ongoing “Buy One, Get One 50%” sale on Blu-rays. Between the two sales, there’s quite a few deals on individual anime seasons, movies, and even collector’s editions. Here’s a look at some of the highlights.

Blu-rays Hitting Their Lowest Price at Crunchyroll

Crunchyroll is best known as one of the most popular anime streaming sites, but for those who like to get their hands on something physical, the Crunchyroll Store also offers tons of DVDs, collectibles, and general anime merch.

The current Crunchyroll sale is knocking 40-55% off some older classics like Ouran High School Host Club (potentially my favorite shoujo anime of all time), and more recent home video releases like The Apothecary Diaries. I personally checked that these DVDs and Blu-rays were at their lowest price at Crunchyroll right now:

While a Crunchyroll subscription isn’t required to make orders on the site, it does offer the benefit of additional discounts on certain items. Also keep in mind as you peruse the two sales that Crunchyroll only offers free shipping on orders over $75.

Anime Also Included in Amazon's "Buy One, Get One 50% Off" Deal

Amazon is also running a “Buy One, Get One 50% Off” sale on Blu-rays, books, and even board games. At a glance, the Amazon sale includes more classics like Sailor Moon and Pokémon as well as Studio Ghibli movies like Kiki’s Delivery Service. I'm definitely picking up my personal (and incredibly mainstream) favorite anime movie, Makoto Shinkai’s Your Name.

Unlike Crunchyroll, the Amazon sale isn’t just limited to anime. You can mix and match across genres and even grab a book (or manga volume) as your second product. To get the deal, you just need to add two eligible items to your cart and a 50% discount will be automatically applied to the cheaper item. As my colleague Chris Reed explains in his breakdown of the Blu-ray sale, "Please note that Amazon uses super confusing language that makes it look like you have to buy two items to get one half off, but that’s not the case. It’s buy 1, get 1 half off." You can check out the full sale here.

Blythe (she/her) is an SEO Coordinator at IGN who spends way too much time in character customization screens and tracking down collectibles.

As much as we all love LEGO and the endless amount of available builds, not every set sticks around forever. Most LEGO sets eventually "retire", meaning they won't be able to be purchased from most retailers. Luckily, Amazon still has a handful of these retired sets for sale, but stock is limited, so now's the perfect time to pick up some great sets you may have almost missed out on. Many of these are even being sold at a small discount, giving you even more incentive to pick them up now and avoid mark-ups from resellers.

There are countless ways to buy LEGO sets in 2025, but retired sets can be hard to find at major retailers. Below are some of the recently retired sets that you can still nab from Amazon before they're gone forever.

Retired LEGO Sets Still Available to Buy From Amazon

There's always something for folks of all ages when it comes to LEGO. From kid-friendly playsets to display models, the retired sets available at Amazon offer a fairly wide variety. I'm partial to the Star Wars R2-D2 (75308) as both a massive Star Wars and LEGO fan; this super detailed model is perfect as a display piece in a game room or on your book shelf. Then we have the Technic Porsche 911 (42096), another adult-friendly car model that's almost one-to-one to the actual car. Finally, the LEGO Brickheads line has always been a fan-favorite, and the retired Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings figures are on sale and still available to purchase on Amazon.

A great way to keep track of retired sets and upcoming retirees, we'd recommend checking out the Brick Economy website. This is a third-party site that tracks all of these sets, and you can check out the full list to see what's next.

Which LEGO Sets Are Retiring Soon?

If you're out of the loop, it can be a bit confusing to figure out which LEGO sets are retiring soon and when. Luckily, if you go to LEGO's official website, there's a "Last Chance to Buy" page with all the info you'll need and is updated regularly. They do not, however, post the exact date the set will be retired, so if you're interested in a specific set that will be off store shelves soon, the beginning of the month is the best time to check.

Below I've aggregated some of the coolest sets that'll be retired soon, from Marvel and Super Mario sets to a sweet F1 McClaren race car.

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

Elden Ring ran extremely well on the Asus ROG Ally X, but with the release of Nightreign, handheld gaming PC nerds (like me) are desperate to know if it continues the trend. After all, Shadow of the Erdtree was more demanding than the original, and that was an expansion built into it. Considering Nightreign is a standalone title, it has the potential to take things up a notch. But I have great news: It runs even better than Elden Ring.

That seems surprising, but it shouldn’t be: Elden Ring Nightreign is limited to a small map called Limveld, meaning there’s far less on the screen at any time. It helps that the environment is based on Limgrave rather than anything from Shadow of the Erdtree, which came out two years later and had more complex visual effects that gave my Ally a run for its money.

Can the Asus ROG Ally X Handle Elden Ring Nightreign?

I tested the game primarily in the castle at the center of Limveld. It's the largest set piece on the unaltered base map, where giants can throw enormous pots of magic at the player. This is where my framerate consistently dips to its lowest points, so I’m using it as a baseline for performance. I also started a new match between each graphics preset (as recommended by the game).

I set my ROG Ally X’s Operating Mode to Turbo (30W) and plugged it into an outlet, allowing it to output the maximum amount of watts into performance. I also allocated 16GB of RAM to the GPU to get the most of its hardware, which is a unique advantage of the Ally X, as it’s built with 24GB of RAM. Most other handheld gaming PCs feature 16GB of RAM and can only allocate 8GB to the GPU. These settings allow the Asus ROG Ally X to run at its best.

The game runs well on the handheld, but Elden Ring Nightreign can struggle when there are a lot of enemies and visual effects at the same time, especially in more open areas. So, if you’re being ganked by several blood-infused enemies set to self-destruct on your position, all while overlooking Limveld from the top of ruins, the frame rate will take a massive hit. However, in enclosed spaces, like a dense forest, the game fares much better, particularly if you strategically point the camera towards the ground.

My ROG Ally X maintained an average of 30 fps at 1080p on the Maximum preset, with occasional drops down to 27 fps (usually after being bombarded by magic pots). The only other preset that dipped below 30 fps was 1080p on High. It hit an average of 35 fps, but dropped to 28 fps a few times when battling atop the castle. Otherwise, no other graphics preset dipped below 30 fps once. 1080p at Medium settings came in at an average of 39 fps. Low averaged at 43 fps, with a low of 39 fps.

The game runs much better at 720p, even reaching 60 fps occasionally. Maximum at 720p averaged 41 fps, with a 1% low of 38 fps. High came in with an average of 44 fps, with 40 fps at the worst. Medium and low look crunchy, but yield excellent performance.

Elden Ring Nightreign Is Perfect on the Asus ROG Ally X

Nightreign looks great at 1080p with Maximum settings, and plays decently enough. I enjoyed sessions from start to finish on this preset, and while occasional stutters were bothersome, it’s pretty smooth otherwise and often hovered over 30 fps. 30 fps isn’t enough for everyone though, and those willing to take a hit to resolution will likely find a better balance playing at Maximum graphics and 720p, which hovers around 41 fps, hitting a midpoint between smoothness and quality.

Players clamoring for 60 fps on their Asus ROG Ally X will have the best luck at 720p, but you’ll have to reduce the graphics presets to Medium or Low. Even then, the machine cannot maintain an average of 60 fps, and only reaches that high during less demanding encounters, like in enclosed spaces. It doesn’t look great, though, as Limveld appears flat on Low especially. The island loses its complex shadows, and each structure is low-poly.

Claire finds joy in impassioned ramblings about her closeness to video games. She has a bachelor’s degree in Journalism & Media Studies from Brooklyn College and seven years of experience in entertainment journalism. Claire is a stalwart defender of games as an artform and spends most days overwhelmed with excitement for its past, present and future. When she isn't writing or playing Dark Souls, she can be found eating chicken fettuccine alfredo and gushing about handheld gaming PCs.

Hasbro has revealed its exclusive Marvel Legends set for San Diego Comic-Con 2025, and '90s X-Men fans will be pleased. The Marvel Legends Series: Gamerverse Marvel Snap Savage Land 3-Pack features brand new figures of iconic heroines Rogue and Shanna the She-Devil, as well as the fearsome mutant villain Sauron.

Check out the slideshow gallery below for a closer look at this stunning new set:

This set gets the Gamerverse branding because it's technically based on a series of unlockable cards in the mobile game Marvel Snap. But it also has plenty of nostalgia factor, hearkening back to artist Jim Lee's run on Uncanny X-Men in the late '80s and early '90s.

The Savage Land 3-Pack includes 15 different accessories, such as spears, alternate heads and hands, and even a hypnosis effect for Sauron. All three figures are designed in the usual 6-inch Marvel Legends scale.

The Marvel Legends Series: Gamerverse Marvel Snap Savage Land 3-Pack is priced at $89.99 and will initially be sold only in person at Hasbro's SDCC booth (#3213). Limited quantities will then be made available on the Hasbro Pulse website after SDCC ends.

Will you be adding this Marvel Legends set to your collection? Let us know in the comments below. And stay tuned for plenty more collectibles coverage as the build-up to Comic-Con continues.

In other Marvel Legends news, Hasbro recently teased a new line of figures inspired by the Marvel vs. Capcom games. You can also check out the many Marvel collectibles available on the IGN Store.

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