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In the world of movies, prequels have a somewhat mixed reputation. There's the ones that enrich their existing worlds and stories, like X-Men: First Class. There's the ones that ruin the mystery, like the heinous Hannibal Rising. And then there's the ones no one can actually agree on, like the Star Wars prequel trilogy. Over in the world of games, though, prequels tend to fare better than their cinematic counterparts. Just look at the recently released Mafia: The Old Country, an enjoyable romp through the early 1900s that chronicles the formative years of the earlier games' criminal empires.

Prequel games often benefit from better technology and development tools, making them visually and technically more impressive than their predecessors. But truly great prequels aren’t just remembered for how they look or play, but by how they transform the way we experience the original games we fell in love with and add to the stories we already hold dear.

With that in mind, the following prequels were chosen not just for their technological and gameplay achievements, but because they forever changed the way we look at some of our favorite characters and worlds. That extra chance to develop and deepen what we already hold dear means some games on this list are even considered the best in their entire series. So without further ado, here are the 10 best video game prequels ever made.

10. Batman: Arkham Origins

Released in an effort to shorten the wait between Rocksteady’s Arkham City and Arkham Knight, Batman: Arkham Origins is described as a “Year Two” story, taking place on Christmas night, eight years before the events of the first game. Developed by WB Montreal, it stars a 27-year-old Batman facing off against eight of Gotham’s deadliest assassins, including Bane, Deathstroke, and Deadshot, who have all been hired by Black Mask to kill the Bat for $50 million. These events also serve as an origin story for The Joker, who makes himself known to Gotham for the first time and introduces the city to his unique brand of criminal lunacy.

At the time of release, Arkham Origins was perhaps unfairly compared to Arkham City. But this comparison was a disservice to Arkham Origins, which acts as a fantastic accompanying act to Rocksteady’s second chapter rather than one-upping it. WB Montreal took everything that made Rocksteady’s games so great, held them faithfully in place, and used them to create a compelling early story for the Arkham-specific versions of Batman and the Joker. More than that, Arkham Origins sets the stage for the main Arkham trilogy by introducing TN-1, Bane’s super soldier serum that’s eventually used as the basis for Titan, a more powerful drug that has major consequences over the events of Arkham Asylum and Arkham Knight.

9. God of War: Chains of Olympus

Despite arriving on a handheld, the PSP’s God of War: Chains of Olympus was no smaller in scale than the original home console trilogy when it came to story.. A prequel to 2005’s God of War, Chains of Olympus takes Kratos and his Blades of Chaos to The Underworld and back on a foreboding tale that sets his’ story in motion, laying the building blocks for his disdain for the Gods.

By fueling that fire of hatred, developer Ready at Dawn not only created an entry steeped in exciting God of War lore, but performed borderline witchcraft in getting a PlayStation Portable game to both look so handsome and play so responsively. Perhaps the most visually impressive release to hit Sony’s first handheld, the studio managed to translate God of War’s breakneck action and signature head-splitting combos for the tiny device, ensuring those blades felt just as satisfying to swing with abandon despite the lack of a second analog stick. It’s a short, stylish burst of ungodly violent action that could easily stand alone, but as a prequel to one of PlayStation’s landmark trilogies, it serves as a fantastic expansion of Kratos’ blood-soaked Greek saga.

8. Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island

Following the release of Super Mario World in 1990 and with the 3D revolution looming on the horizon, Nintendo needed one last, great, side-scrolling Mario platformer for the SNES. So, with Miyamoto’s blessing, Yoshi creator Shigefumi Hino received the green light to develop a game starring his popular dinosaur creation. The result was Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island, one of the greatest 2D platformers of all time.

Nintendo’s headline act is not typically concerned with timelines and canon, but Super Mario World 2 jumps backwards to tell a story about how a group of Yoshis rescued Baby Mario before they all set off to rescue Baby Luigi from Kamek. It’s a cute origin tale that explains how an infant plumber became friends with a dinosaur, but narrative is really beside the point. With Yoshi’s Island, Nintendo set out with a goal to make a more “gentle and relaxing” game that encouraged exploration over precise platforming. To do this, Nintendo removed time limits for players so they can progress at their own pace, and Yoshi’s specific moveset, like the flutter jump, made it easier to control the character in the air.

But beyond just Yoshi’s unique abilities, Super Mario World 2 is an iconic send-off to the SNES era. The beautiful, marker-like art style was drawn by hand and scanned digitally, and Koji Kondo’s Yoshi’s Island theme is an earworm so perfect you can’t help but hum along with it whenever it comes on. It may show us some of Baby Mario’s very first steps, but as a full package, it is the culmination of a 2D-platforming development team putting all of their exceptional visual, audio, and technical design experience on display.

7. Divinity: Original Sin

While Divinity: Original Sin isn’t technically the earliest point on the Divinity timeline (that would be Dragon Commander, an unusual marriage of role-playing and strategy game systems) it is the only game in the series we’d genuinely consider a prequel. Taking place over a millennium prior to 2002’s Divine Divinity, this RPG charts the early years of Rivellon, Larian Studios’ original high-fantasy world. While not an essential foundational chapter of the land’s lore, Original Sin does a fantastic job of establishing the dangers of Source magic and the motivations of those who use it. And thanks to Divinity’s immortal wizards, longtime fans get to meet much, much younger versions of characters like Zandalor and Bellegar.

But Original Sin’s story is not what makes it special. Instead, this prequel’s triumph is in how it spun the fate of the Divinity series on its head, taking it from a struggling cult curiosity and putting it on the road to becoming an all-time RPG heavyweight. Larian developed a brand new turn-based combat system for Original Sin, fuelled by an elemental approach that allows you to combine effects to produce exhilarating results; freeze liquid with an ice spell and force your foes to slip on the blood that they spill, or bolster forked lightning with the help of a little electricity-conducting rain. All this makes battle a deeply tactical, flexible affair, and the same attention to detail is afforded to the RPG elements, too. With the freedom to approach quests in almost any manner you can think of, Original Sin laid down the rules for not just its exceptional successor, Original Sin 2, but also Larian’s multiple Game of the Year-winning Baldur’s Gate 3.

6. Devil May Cry 3: Dante’s Awakening

Set several years before the first game, Devil May Cry 3 features a much younger Dante, once again sporting the cool and arrogant persona that had been lost in the moodier, more serious second game. Going back in time allowed developer Capcom to restore the personality that fans fell in love with in the first place. More than that, Devil May Cry 3 even retcons the early life of Dante’s twin brother, Vergil, ensuring a teenage version of the fan-favorite character could be alive for the events of Dante’s Awakening.

Devil May Cry 3 had the unenviable job of salvaging Dante’s sullied reputation and did so with aplomb. What’s more, while Devil May Cry 2 is still technically canon, the events of Dante’s Awakening serve as the foundations for all later DMC games, and explain important character motivations while fixing plot holes.

Beyond returning Dante to his cool roots and resurrecting Vergil, Devil May Cry 3 delighted fans by being wickedly difficult. To put things into context, Capcom famously made the Japanese version of the game’s hard mode the normal difficulty for the North American release. That posed a hurdle for some, but many fans relished the extra challenge, especially given how popular the changes to the battle system were.

While Dante was always able to mix-and-match melee and ranged weapons to chain stylish combos, DMC 3’s biggest improvement was adding different combat styles that changed the way Dante controlled. You could focus on either melee (Swordmaster), ranged (Gunslinger), dodging (Trickster), or parry (Royal Guard) styles and play using your most preferred playstyle, an overwhelmingly popular choice for a game that challenges you to chain the biggest, coolest combos.

5. Halo: Reach

For 10 years, fans journeyed alongside the silent Master Chief as he fought and ultimately defeated the alien invaders known as the Covenant. But for its final Halo game, Bungie rewound the clock to the early days of the intergalactic war, when humanity was very much on the losing side.

Set during the weeks before the events of Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo: Reach casts you as a member of Noble Team, a special-ops Spartan unit, on a fateful mission to protect the planet Reach from falling to the Covenant. The fully self-contained prequel feels almost liberated by the absence of Master Chief, with the varied personalities of Noble Team highlighting how different other Spartan soldiers can be from the series’ most famous character, despite their shared heritage.

This team’s doomed but nevertheless vital final mission sees them escort Cortana from a lab on Reach to the UNSC Pillar of Autumn ship, thereby kickstarting the events of the first Halo. It’s both a perfect send-off for Bungie and an excellent closing-the-circle moment for the Halo story. But those triumphs are tinged by tragedy; Noble Team’s actions may trigger Master Chief’s quest to save the universe, but their final mission demands heavy sacrifices. Noble Six remaining on the dying planet in a last-stand fight against the Covenant is now a legendary moment in the Halo franchise – its own Rogue One moment that arrived years before Star Wars did it – and one of the greatest final levels ever made.

4. Yakuza 0

Yakuza has long been one of Sega’s biggest Japanese series, but only relatively recently has it gained traction in the West. This surge in popularity can be traced to Yakuza 0, a prequel that reintroduces heroes Kazuma Kiryu and Majima Goro to a new generation of fans who may have missed out on the first Yakuza game back in 2005.

Yakuza 0 is set nearly two decades before the events of the first Yakuza game, and tells the curious story of a small vacant property lot that somehow drags all of Kamurocho’s biggest crime families into an unlikely turf war. To say anymore would spoil a wild story full of Yakuza bosses jockeying for power, Chinese assassins, and head-spinning betrayals. Luckily, due to its prequel nature, players need no prior knowledge of the series to jump right in.

While Yakuza 0’s engrossing story will please any fan of Japanese crime dramas, it’s the chance to see a younger Kazuma and Majima, who act quite differently in their youth compared to their later years, that delivers the game’s biggest surprises. Kazuma is more hot-headed, not yet the stoic elder gangster he eventually becomes, while Majima’s wild dog persona has yet to fully form, so the Joker-like gangster is instead more of a silent and cool protagonist. Their evolution into the characters they eventually become forms the backbone of Yakuza 0’s sprawling narrative, and makes this prequel the perfect starting point for anyone looking to get into Sega’s now massively popular series.

3. Deus Ex: Human Revolution

There’s an argument to be made that Deus Ex: Human Revolution watered down a lot of what made the original Deus Ex a landmark success. It’s less flexible and more streamlined than its incredibly freeform forerunner. Despite this, Human Revolution earns its place among the greats, in part due to how its prequel story takes a deeper, more personal look at the series’ transhuman elements.

Protagonist Adam Jensen is robbed of his arms in an early-game disaster, his limbs forcibly replaced with mechanical prosthetics. But while they save his career, they unwittingly force him into a cultural war between the world's wealthy, augmented elite and the deprived working classes. As both Jensen himself and his broken bathroom mirror tell you, he “never asked for this.” While the game’s central tale successfully takes on the conspiracy-fuelled sci-fi of the original, it’s the cultural and ethical questions posed by Human Revolution’s augmented society that really lift it high. Every character has their own take on the world’s dividing issue and, despite some slightly hamfisted racism metaphors, the story makes salient points on the dangers of unrestrained, capitalism-fuelled science.

Deus Ex’s Matrix-coded, nanotech-fuelled world was a far-fetched fictional future at the turn of the millenium, but it has only grown increasingly realistic with each passing year. Human Revolution successfully bridges the gap between the original’s almost satirical approach and something more knowingly serious, resulting in a deeply compelling cyberpunk dystopia.

2. Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater

Hideo Kojima played the ultimate prank in Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, making newcomer Raiden the surprise protagonist instead of everyone’s favorite spy hero, Solid Snake. Three years later, Kojima performed another variation of this prank by having Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater be a prequel starring Naked Snake, the man who would eventually become the series’ main antagonist, Big Boss.

We didn’t know when it was first announced, but Metal Gear Solid 3 would become arguably the most important game in the series, both from gameplay and story perspectives. It revolutionized the stealth genre by putting Naked Snake out in the open jungle and fulfilling Kojima’s dream of having a Metal Gear game take place in an expansive setting. A technical triumph, the PS2 hardware-pushing Soviet jungles were a major departure from the walled corridors of Shadow Moses or Big Shell, with a smart adaptive camouflage system replacing static hiding places like lockers. As a result of this new design, everything from stealth to boss fights is dramatically different in Metal Gear Solid 3 compared to previous games, with plenty of room to experiment with how to defeat a boss or infiltrate a compound.

But it’s not just in how you fight each boss that magic can be found, but in the story that each of them tells. The events of Metal Gear Solid 3 set the foundations for everything that came before and after it. Not only does Snake Eater reveal the origins of the Patriots, the shadow organization and ultimate antagonist of the series, but also the tragic origins of Big Boss. The aftermath of his face-off with The Boss forever changed the way we view Kojima’s iconic villain. As his mission progresses, Naked Snake transforms from CIA spy into a tragic figure, whose betrayal at the hands of his country sets him on a path that leads through every Metal Gear game, all the way to the saga’s chronological ending in Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots.

1. Red Dead Redemption 2

How do you follow up a masterpiece? Well, if you’re Rockstar Games, you simply make another masterpiece.

Taking full advantage of the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, Rockstar created one of the most breathtaking, expansive open-world games ever put on a disc with Red Dead Redemption 2. The level of detail the studio put into it is simply head-spinning, from the way new protagonist Arthur Morgan’s weight fluctuates depending on how much he eats, to how animal carcasses will decompose almost in real-time. And yes, Rockstar may have gone a bit overboard when they made it so your horse’s testicles shrink and grow depending on the temperature, but it all goes towards fully recreating a beautiful(?) vision of the Old West.

But the technical achievements almost pale in comparison to Red Dead Redemption 2’s epic story of a dying Wild West on the cusp of a new, industrial century. Arthur Morgan is a man whose time is coming to an end, not because of his criminal lifestyle, but because he’s slowly being made redundant by the rapidly changing United States as it evolves into a modern nation. Roger Clark’s performance as Morgan is frankly staggering, portrayed with equal parts confidence and vulnerability as his accomplices, lifestyle, and own body continue to betray him. Across the twilight years of his criminal career, Arthur sees firsthand how his beloved gang disintegrates due to the negligence of its leader, Dutch, and that downfall provides a strong platform for the passing of the baton from Arthur to John Marston, the original game’s protagonist.

Red Dead Redemption 2 does everything you could ever wish for from a prequel — from improving on every aspect of a series’ gameplay, to telling a story that builds out its world’s mythos to incredible effect — and is why it tops our list of the greatest video game prequels.

And there you have it, our picks for the best prequels in video games. Was your favorite included? Let us know what you think of our choices, or share your favorites in the comments below.

Matt Kim is IGN's Senior Features Editor. Additional contributions from Matt Purslow and Simon Cardy.

This year, I dove headfirst into Pierce Brown's science fiction world of Red Rising, which has quickly become one of my favorite book series out there. It wasn’t until I had finished most of the books that I discovered a board game based on these stories actually existed, but once I did, I instantly snatched it up faster than Sophocles would a jelly bean. While the board game version of Red Rising won’t make you feel like you are running with Sevro and the Howlers or taking part in an Iron Rain, it manages to do a good job of making you feel as though you are pulling off sneaky plays to increase your influence and take care of problems from the shadows.

What's in the box:

• 1 Rulebook (multiplayer)
• 1 Rulebook (solo)
• 112 character cards
• 30 Automa cards
• 6 asymmetric house tiles
• 1 game b oard
• 1 wolf-head tray and lid
• 60 Helium-3 red gem tokens
• 60 influence cubes
• 1 Sovereign token
• 1 crescent moon first-player token
• 1 custom Red Rising die
• 6 fleet tokens
• 1 scorepad (50 double-sided sheets)
• 6 reference cards

Red Rising TBG is published by Stonemaier Games and designed by Alexander Schmidt and Jamie Stegmaier. You may recognize that name from his other notable games, including Scythe, Viticulture, and his latest, Vantage, which was one of the most popular games at Gen Con this year. The Red Rising adaptation they created puts anywhere from 1-6 players in the roles of heads of various houses from the novels as they vie for power and influence in three distinct areas—the Institute, the Fleet Armada, and Helium-3 production. The houses, Apollo, Ceres, Diana, Jupiter, Mars, and Minerva, all have their special abilities that trigger whenever they manage to claim the Sovereign Token (more on this in a moment), which adds in a small sprinkling of asymmetry to the package.

Gameplay in Red Rising is rather straightforward. On your turn you play a card from your hand to one of the four rows on the game board, triggering that card’s deploy effect, then you pick up a card that from one of the three other rows adding it to your hand and triggering that rows effect, or if none of the cards look particularly appealing, you can draw blindly from the top of the deck and roll a dice, taking the action of whichever row is shown on the dice. These actions will let you advance your fleet track market, gain a Helium-3 token, add influence in the Institute, earn the Sovereign Token, and trigger your house’s bonus. The turn then passes to the next player, continuing until either: Between all players there are 7+ Helium tokens/influence at the Institute/Fleet Track or a single player has met two of those criteria, at which point scoring takes place.

While there is a good amount of strategy and planning in Red Rising, the lack of much interaction between players is a bit of a bummer. Outside of maybe snagging or banishing a card another you think may want, during my plays, I was always more concerned with my hand and where I was at in my trackers and not on my opponents. In the books, conflict is a big focus, and the board game offers a nearly complete lack of that, minus the few cards that impact another player’s hand or adjust their influence. Backroom dealings and backstabbing play a part in the novels, too, sure, but while I was playing, I just wished I could do more for the other players. Slamming down Sevro or the Howlers should feel exciting. Instead, in the Howlers card’s case, it serves to protect you from another player from trying to steal or banishing one of your cards, an act that only four other cards in the entire 112-card deck can do. This basically turns Darrow and Sevro’s elite band of soldiers into something you just want to keep in your hand, doing nothing, because it can score some decent points at the end of the game.

On the topic of scoring, I found it to be a bit of a mess. Each card in your hand has a point value that it will score at the end of the as along with a bonus effect that can net you additional points based on other cards in your hand, you will gain different points depending on how much influence you have in the three factions, bonus points if you have the Sovereign token, and then you subtract points for every card in your hand over seven you have. If the point values were just in single digits, this would be annoying to all tally up, but point values are double digits, with some being odd values like 28 or 43 just makes it more of a hassle than I want it to be.

If I’m being honest, a majority of my enjoyment from Red Rising came more from seeing artwork for my favorite characters from the books, painting a clearer picture in my mind of the world that Brown has crafted. I loved seeing the cards showcasing the larger-than-life Telemanuses (Sophocles too), being able to put a better face to the likes of Eo, Sefi, Uncle Narol, and Ragnar. There are still odd choices, though, with the characters that have been included, such as only showing Darrow as a Red Laborer card, and the fact that there is a generic “Mess Hall Cook” and “Dataport Specialist” but not a Reaper version of Darrow or any of the other notable Howlers like Screwface? Weird.

Where Red Rising excels is in its hand management and how it makes its players interact and think about the board state. Maneuvering cards around to the various rows, devising strategies that will leave their hand in the best shape possible to net those coveted bonus points while ensuring they also spread their influence to maximize potential there all feels good. The fact that the general flow of the gameplay is relatively simple as well means you can focus on crafting those strategies as well, and what results is a solid solitaire-style game. It’s a game that I wouldn’t necessarily want to play with my friends who are prone to analysis-paralysis or have to take the most optimal turns possible, so they take forever, but the mechanics are solid enough that I would be fine playing this game if someone were to bust it out at a game night.

As a Red Rising fan, however, I never really got that “Red Rising feeling” while playing it, feeling more like it was a different game with Pierce Brown’s work sort of finessed on top of it. When I imagine a board game based on these books, I picture calling down Iron Rain to wreck my enemies, making tough decisions with big ramifications, deftly moving my Howlers behind enemy lines, and putting my allies in harm's way, or even sacrificing them, for my cause. Instead, this game offers a hand-building experience that incentivizes synergy. It’s a fun enough game, but it unfortunately doesn’t use Pierce Brown’s property to the best of its ability and instead makes it come off more as just a set dressing.

Go read the books if you haven't already

Full spoilers follow for Weapons.

It’s time to hold your arms out to the side and race towards your nearest cinema, because Weapons is now in theaters. Coming courtesy of Zach Cregger, director of Barbarian and the upcoming Resident Evil reboot, Weapons is a barn burner of a horror film, standing as one of the year’s most distinctive and accomplished theatrical offerings so far. IGN’s Tom Jorgensen echoed this sentiment in his 9/10 Weapons review, saying that Cregger manages to take his “blend of unbearable tension and dark humor to a new level of razor-sharpness.” Weapons was already heavily anticipated by genre fans because of its strong marketing, but now that critics are raving, it’s sure to be among the most talked about original films of 2025.

But what makes Weapons so creatively successful? We’ve already had a handful of solid horror entries so far this year, such as Sinners, Companion, and Final Destination Bloodlines. What puts Weapons near the top of that list? The answer is that the movie has a secret, well, weapon: its ability to be genuinely unpredictable. In a genre that’s as beloved for giving fans exactly what they expect as what they might not, Weapons is carefully crafted to keep viewers uneasy by not letting what the movie’s actually doing become obvious to the audience until near the very end. By embracing both narrative and tonal unpredictability in such a widespread fashion, Weapons doesn’t just use surprise as a tool; it makes surprise its entire identity.

Weapons and a Fluid Foundation

As revealed by the film’s trailers, Weapons takes place one month after 17 children from the same classroom in the town of Maybrook disappeared into the night. The movie has an ensemble cast and regularly shifts perspectives, never truly settling on a single main protagonist (although Julia Garner as class teacher Justine Gandy is the closest) as it explores various individuals and how they’ve been affected by the situation. This kind of structure isn’t anything novel, but the way Cregger deploys the convention serves two purposes: to allow the reveal of crucial information about the central mystery to be delayed as long as possible without annoying the audience (since we’re always learning something narratively new with whichever character we’re following), and also to acclimatize viewers to the array of tonal registers the movie plans to use by indicating that we’ll be following an array of different characters.

From the moment the “Justine” title card appears on screen, we understand that we’ll be seeing events from multiple perspectives and jumping back and forth along the timeline. Subconsciously, this technique also prepares the audience for how tonally disparate the movie plans to be from scene to scene, sometimes even from beat to beat. Early on, viewers might feel a bit confused as to where the horror is in this horror film, with many scenes in the first half hour having either a somber or humorous flair. The former is to be expected with an entire town having a classroom of children ripped out of it, but the latter is the secret sauce that reveals Cregger’s true conceit: that he literally “weaponizes” the balance of solemn character drama, off-kilter humor and expected scares to ensure the audience never quite knows what the movie will do next.

This perpetual uneasiness heightens the sense of terror because it makes it much harder to predict exactly when the movie will show something terrifying. Not knowing whether the next big beat will make you squirm in, jump out of, or fall laughing out of your seat is what makes Weapons such a thrilling moviegoing experience. But there’s more to the film’s success than having this kind of feel. Many mediocre to terrible genre movies feature “random stuff happening” and severe tonal whiplash only to fall on their face. The difference is Cregger’s adept command of the technique, of knowing exactly when to deploy humor, heart, or horror without any of them undercutting each other, that proves him to be one of the most promising up and coming horror filmmakers.

A Time for Twists

Another part of Weapons’ unpredictable nature is how it takes advantage of transitions between points of view. Whenever the movie is about to shift perspectives, it tends to end on something scary and bizarre that recontextualizes the entire scenario, raising questions the audience will be chewing on during the next section. This creates anticipation for the eventual answers while also broadening the scope of the story as it moves further along. What first appears to be a mere mystery about why the kids all ran away slowly unravels to reveal greater supernatural levels that are still a danger to the characters in the present tense. This onion peel narrative structure isn’t just gratifying to watch play out, but also makes a great subversion as to the contents of the story compared to its presentation.

The ultimate answer as to what’s happening here is remarkably old school: quite literally, a witch did it. Gladys (Amy Madigan), the aunt of Alex Lilly (Cary Christopher), the one student in Justine’s class who didn’t disappear, is a witch who is behind all the dark goings-on in Maybrook. She’s taken over Alex’s house by hypnotizing his parents (and later his classmates, who she’s keeping in the basement), and seemingly needs them to rejuvenate her body, although exactly how and why is left a bit vague. What makes the witch reveal work is how it’s essentially smuggled into the structure. The opening acts indicate the movie will be something more stylistically modern, so the twist that what we’re really doing is in the dark fairy tale wheelhouse gets to play out like an actual surprise, even though this knowledge elucidates all of the unexplained idiosyncrasies that came before.

This “twist as genre clarification” technique is something Cregger also used in his 2022 film Barbarian. That movie was what I’ve referred to as a “plot twist delivery machine,” a descriptor that works both for that film and the Cregger-produced but Drew Hancock-directed entry Companion. While both of those movies are perfectly enjoyable on their own terms, Weapons is a significant upgrade because of Cregger’s more audacious script and improved formal discipline. Weapons isn’t just a slickly produced roller coaster moving from reveal to reveal; it’s a well-crafted and strikingly unorthodox picture that expands its emotional scope as it narrows its genre focus. It takes serious directorial muscle to make a horde of third-graders chasing an old woman through the suburbs like a pack of zombies and literally tearing her limb from limb simultaneously unsettling, hilarious, and dramatically satisfying, but Cregger pulls it off.

While going for the cheapest streaming option typically means settling for ads, there are plenty of lesser-known services out there that have, at least so far, avoided endless price hikes. While trying to cut back on my own streaming costs, I found a decent spread of subscriptions that offer ad-free streaming and have a monthly cost of $10 or less.

I’ll say now that more niche streaming services are exactly that - more niche. While you may not find the scope of a library like Disney+, owned by the company that seemingly owns everything, you can definitely find a reasonably-priced service tailored to the genres and even mediums you enjoy the most.

Ad-Free Streaming Subscriptions You Can Get for Less Than $10/Month

The benefit of these more specific services is that they’ll help you find something new you wouldn’t have otherwise. More importantly, you can tell your friends the silly names of the places you stream random things. At least they're cheap!

Howdy

Amazon is dipping into the past and bringing the 1989 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Playset back into circulation. The classic toy is getting a re-release and since the news about this broke, preorders for it have already taken off. The playset is set to be released on September 1, 2025 for the price of $74.99.

Prismatic Evolutions is still one of the most valuable Pokémon TCG sets out of the whole Scarlet and Violet era. Its main chase card (Umbreon ex-161/131) is commanding over $800, with lower-end SIR cards still pulling well over $100.

The difference between now and a couple of months ago is getting these insanely valuable cards for the right price instead of paying over the odds. Here's a quick look at the top 10 most valuable cards to add to your collection, or deck if you've got Pokécoins coming out of your ears.

I've gone into a bit more detail on every card, a touch more into the article, but the gist is that it's a good time to start collecting Prismatic Evolutions chase cards.

Believe it or not, prices have actually been correcting over the past two months, with some cards holding double their current value just a couple of months ago.

This is very positive, meaning players and collectors can get their chase cards for the right price and watch them climb in value as time goes on.

Prismatic Evolution: Honorable Mentions

Wait! Before we start: My favorite thing about Prismatic Evolutions is the sheer number of SIRs featuring non-Eeveelution Pokémon.

They deserve some recognition too, so I’ve put together this extra list to balance out the usual Eevee dominance. Here are my top ten honorable mentions for Prismatic Evolution, with artwork that’s arguably among the best we have ever seen.

From the fantastical pastel color busts from Terapagos ex SIR and the abract highlight work on Iron Hands ex SIR to The stained glass style of Dragapult ex SIR and the charging yet chaotic pose of Ceruledge ex SIR.

They're considerably more affordable too, peaking at just under $94. That's where the value in Pokémon TCG is for me, the overlooked cards that are fantastic showpieces.

Looking to collect Prismatic Evolutions for cards that will increase in value over time without breaking your credit rating? This is where savvy collectors need to be looking in my opinion.

10. Eevee ex - 167/131 - $112.98

In case building your own rig is too much work right now or simply not a priority for you, you can always opt for one of the best prebuilt gaming PCs. You'll miss out on the satisfaction of building your PC from the ground up, but all that time you saved skipping research, having to wait for components to arrive, building your machine, and inevitably problem-solving when something goes awry can be spent actually playing PC games.

The half-baked prebuilt systems of yesteryear are no more, cutting far fewer corners for a long-lasting gaming PC that can take on all the action you throw its way. With the latest and greatest graphics cards and processors becoming pricier than ever, you may even save money by opting for something from Alienware, MSI, or HP. Plus, most options are easy enough to open up to upgrade components down the road, including our favorite gaming PC, the Legion Tower 7i.

TL;DR – These Are the Best Gaming PCs:

Buying a gaming PC is a bit more involved than a PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X/S. You’ll need to determine the types of games you want to play and how you want to play them – even the best budget gaming PCs won’t be running Cyberpunk 2077 at the highest settings. Finding the proper processors, storage, memory, cooling, and other hardware and ensuring all the components work well together can make or break the rig. Luckily, many manufacturers take care of a good chunk of that guesswork so you don’t bottleneck the system.

Whether you're looking for something more affordable for indie games, want a compact option to save space in your studio apartment, or are after a top-tier rig to tackle the action in 4K, we’ve got you covered. One of the five pre-built gaming PCs we’ve selected will align perfectly with your needs.

Contributions by Danielle Abraham and Georgie Peru

Looking for additional savings? Check out the best gaming PC deals happening right now.

The State of Gaming PCs in 2025

Right now, we're in the middle of the next generation of PC hardware launching. Nvidia and AMD have released their respective new graphics cards, and we're still hot on the heels of the AMD Ryzen 9950X3D and 9800X3D. While we haven't had the chance to review any prebuilt gaming PCs with the new hardware – yet, at least – there are a couple things to keep in mind.

Most gaming PCs on this list have since been updated to support the new graphics cards, and even if they weren't, that doesn't mean they're not worth buying anymore. Because while the RTX 5080 is an extremely powerful graphics card, it's really just a few percentage points ahead of the RTX 4080 Super. So, if you can catch a deal on an RTX 4080 Super gaming PC, you should jump on it – all you're missing out on is multi-frame generation and an extra 10fps in some games.

Gaming PCs also remain one of the best ways to get your hands on one of the new graphics cards, too. PC manufacturers usually pay bulk prices for graphics cards, so you can usually get a full system for just a bit more than the standalone graphics card costs right now. While this sucks for anyone who just wants to upgrade their PC with a new GPU, its actually great for people who don't already have a PC to slot a graphics card into.

1. Lenovo Legion Tower 7i

Best Gaming PC

2. HP Omen 45L

Best Current-Gen PC

3. iBuyPower Trace 7 Mesh Gaming Desktop

Best Budget Gaming PC

4. Asus ROG NUC

Best Mini Gaming PC

5. Maingear Rush Artist Series

Best Boutique Gaming PC

How to Choose a Gaming PC

Prebuilts are the most surefire way of getting into gaming and arguably the most cost-effective hardware you can buy. With a system, you’re not only getting the hardware inside, but time savings of having to track down the best processor to best RAM for your system and putting it all together yourself and praying it actually boots up correctly.

That said, just like building your own PC you want to make sure you’re spending your money where it’s needed most. Firstly, you should prioritize getting the graphics card you need for the gaming monitor or the gaming TV you’re gaming on. There’s no need for anything better than an Nvidia RTX 5060 Ti if you’re just playing games on a 1080p display.

Likewise, you should only need an Intel Core i5 or Ryzen 5 processor with at least four cores to play most modern games comfortably at any resolution.

System memory and solid-state drives can be the biggest money sink for any system. Those comfortable with upgrading their system after it arrives should choose a configuration with the smallest storage and RAM capacities possible, as buying these components yourself can often be more cost-effective.

If that last suggestion resonates, perhaps a barebones system is what you seek. Those can be much cheaper since they come with all the major hardware – such as the CPU, GPU, and power supply – installed, but they usually lack storage, memory, and an operating system as a trade-off.

Lastly, if you want more control over what exactly is going into your build, go with a boutique PC builder. Origin, Maingear, DigitalStorm, Falcon Northwest, PC Specialist, and many more companies offer excellent PC building services that let you pick exactly which components go into your gaming PC. From there, they build your system with the sort of cable management some can only dream of while ensuring it all works properly out of the box.

In case this all sounds a little overwhelming to you, NZXT has its own PC building service called BLD. Instead of picking every part that will go into your PC, you chose the games you’ll actually play and the service gives you several configuration options that will be able to run the games for a smooth experience.

Similarly, iBuyPower offers an Easy Builder service that operates in very much the same fashion. Users can select games that they play from a small pool that includes Fortnite, GTA V, Apex Legends, WoW, League of Legends, Overwatch, and Battlefield V. From there, users can select whether they play at a 1080p or 1440p resolution, as well as their budget, and the system will spit back a few configurations to choose from.

Prebuilt PCs also come with several features and pieces of software you might find convenient. Many gaming PCs in this category come with some sort of overclocking support and even a one-click button to boost your system's performance. Of course, it's easy enough to download a piece of overclocking software like MSI Afterburner or EVGA Precision X. Additionally, your machine may come with system monitoring software that makes downloading and updating drivers a breeze.

Gaming PC FAQ

Should you buy a gaming PC or a gaming laptop?

Unless you’re looking for an all-in-one portable package, a gaming PC is usually better than even the best gaming laptops. With a desktop, it’s much easier and less expensive to upgrade parts, and they tend to last longer before going obsolete. For more on gaming PCs vs. gaming laptops, check out our guide.

Is it easy to upgrade your prebuilt gaming PC?

It depends. Most PC manufacturers have figured out users absolutely hate proprietary parts. While you might still find no-name motherboards installed into the heart of your PC, they should all at least fall in line with the standard size and layout of Mini ITX or Micro ATX motherboards. The best gaming PCs should allow you to easily swap out the CPU, GPU, RAM, and storage on your system with just a few simple tools or just a screwdriver.

Better yet, systems that tout tool-less upgradability don't require you to undo screws or anything to replace any of the major components. One of the things you'll likely find on most modern chassis are thumbscrews, which can be removed after a few quick twists with your fingers rather than a screwdriver. Additionally, tool-less SSD and hard drive caddies make expanding and replacing your storage just a little bit easier.

Should you buy a gaming PC or a console?

When comparing a gaming PC vs. console, there appear to be more similarities than differences these days, but one still comes out on top: the gaming PC.

Not every aspect of a gaming PC beats consoles like the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. Consoles are much easier to use. You’ll also find that even the most expensive consoles are cheap compared to a quality gaming PC with a good graphics card, although there are good budget GPUs. There are some great handheld gaming PCs and mini PCs that are more affordable, but they’re better for indie games or older cross-platform console titles.

Where a gaming PC pulls ahead is in its gaming library, peripherals, upgradeability, and overall performance. There’s no denying that there are a massive amount of PC games, and of course, a gaming PC has cross-platform compatibility with popular console titles. Beyond gaming keyboards and gaming mice, you’ll find a wealth of other peripherals, from racing wheels to controllers, that all work seamlessly with a PC. You can also enjoy better visuals and a higher performance ceiling, and it’s easy to upgrade components. That makes a well-equipped PC the clear winner.

Can you find a good gaming PC for under $1,000?

Yes, it’s absolutely possible to find a great gaming PC for under $1,000. You just need to manage your expectations. Less powerful hardware will usually come in these ultra budget-friendly desktops, meaning gaming performance is more limited. Even still, you should have no problem running many of your favorite games in 1080p or sometimes even 1440p at respectable frame rates. Your PC may struggle during more graphically intensive games running at their top settings, but the savings you enjoy might be worth the trade-off.

Should you build your own gaming PC?

Building your own gaming PC has many benefits. First and foremost, you get to customize your PC to your own specifications, including only the components you want and need. Rather than purchasing a prebuilt desktop that may not be tailored to your requirements, you can select all of the individual parts that make up a gaming PC.

However, you will need some knowledge of how to build PCs, or at least be able to closely follow an in-depth YouTube video. This is where things get a little tricky. If you’ve never built a custom gaming PC before, you will need to do some research. From understanding how each component interacts with each other, to how to hold a stick of RAM or a CPU so you don’t damage it, there’s quite a large learning curve.

If you do decide to build your own gaming PC, you will likely find that you can save some money over the long run compared to buying a prebuilt machine. Choosing your own parts means you can keep an eye on sales and offers to get the best deal possible.

But building a gaming PC isn’t for everyone. If you aren’t rigid on the specifics and don’t have a particular build in mind, it can be less troublesome to let someone else do it for you. You also get the added reassurance that the PC will be professionally built, and there’s no chance your warranty can be void.

After you've scored an awesome gaming PC, be sure to grab the best gaming accessories for the ultimate PC battle station.

Jacqueline Thomas is the Hardware and Buying Guides Editor at IGN. When she's not helping her friends and family buy computers, you can usually find her tinkering with her own PC.

Image Credit: Annalee Tsujino is a multi-disciplinary designer and illustrator. Check them out on Instagram @antsu_illustrations.

I’ll just cut to the chase: Pretty much every Studio Ghibli steelbook is on sale right now. Most of the discounts knock around 40% off the special edition Blu-rays. Despite having a smaller discount at only 18% off, Grave of the Fireflies is at its lowest price yet. It may be the least cheerful of the bunch (we even named the saddest anime of all time), but it’s definitely a worthy addition to the shelf of any Studio Ghibli fan.

Every Studio Ghibli Steelbook Is on Sale at Amazon

The Boy and the Heron and Grave of the Fireflies, the two most recent releases, both feature full art covers that wrap around the back of each steelbook. The Boy and the Heron is also the only movie with a release in 4K UHD; the rest stick to Blu-ray. (Here’s our explainer on the difference between those things, in case you were curious.)

The rest of the Studio Ghibli steelbooks, which were created in collaboration with GKIDS, feature a similar design: one flat background color tailored to the palette of the movie with a specific character or scene in the center. This consistency makes the collection especially beautiful lined up on your shelf. I personally have Howl’s Moving Castle, and think now’s a good time as any to give it some companions. I'm looking at you, Porco.

Each Blu-ray Comes Loaded With Bonus Features

One thing you’re guaranteed across the board? A solid set of bonus features that highlight, in particular, the storyboards and concept art that went into each film. Here’s what’s included in the Grave of the Fireflies steelbook, for reference:

• Feature Length Storyboards
• Deleted Scene Storyboards
• Interview with Director Isao Takahata
• Interview with Roger Ebert
• Promotional Video
• Image Galleries
• Teasers and Trailers

You can check out what comes with your favorite Studio Ghibli movie by scrolling down the Amazon listing. I’ve highlighted deals that are particularly notable, given the frequency with which these get discounts, but you can also use tools like camelcamelcamel to check individual price histories.

What’s Next for Studio Ghibli

While most of the Studio Ghibli movies are streaming on HBO Max, Grave of the Fireflies is now available on Netflix. It also happens to be next up in the lineup of Studio Ghibli Fest, which brings the studio’s movies back to theaters one weekend at a time.

While The Boy and the Heron was initially announced as Miyazaki’s final film with the studio, more recent reports have suggested the director has already moved on to his next project. What that is? Only time will tell.

If you're looking for the easiest iPad to take along with you anywhere, the Apple iPad Mini is the best choice. It may be the most diminutive tablet of the bunch, but it's actually a higher-end tablet than the standard iPad with a better display and more powerful processor. During the Back to School season, Amazon has it on sale for $379 after a $120 off instant discount. That's the lowest price so far this year and slightly ($20) less than the the best deal I saw during Amazon Prime Day. There's no better iPad to take along when you're travelling.

2024 Apple iPad Mini (A17 Pro)

DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn has stepped in to shut down rumors that Robin will appear in The Batman 2 now that writers Matt Reeves and Mattson Tomlin have finally turned in their script.

Fans first latched onto the hope that The Boy Wonder would play a part in the upcoming Robert Pattinson-led Batman sequel following a report from Jeff Sneider. At the time, Sneider claimed to have learned details about The Batman 2’s script, explaining that at least one version of Robin would show up.

Many were already skeptical about how Robin would operate in Reeves and Tomlin’s gritty take on Gotham, with Gunn now doing his best to douse the flames entirely. In a post on Threads, he calls the rumor “nonsense,” adding that only a limited number of people on the planet have even had the chance to read the newly turned-in script.

“Guys please stop believing this nonsense,” the DC head said. “I think six of us have read the script. No one knows anything about the Batman 2.”

Reeves, who is also attached as director for The Batman 2, turned in the script for his sequel June 27, 2025 – nearly three years removed from the original movie’s premiere. In other words, it makes sense that such a high-profile script has been seen by so few since being handed in a little more than one month ago. There’s no doubt Gunn and company are keeping The Batman 2’s long-in-development script and story under lock and key as it aims to begin shooting in spring 2026.

Warning! Spoilers for Superman (2025) follow.

Gunn has used his social media status to shut down DC movie rumors in the past – even if those same rumors eventually turned out to have some truth to them. In April 2024, Gunn fought off talk that his now-released Superman movie, which he wrote and directed, would feature a clone of its title character. At the time, he confirmed David Corenswet’s Superman would be going head-to-head with Nicholas Hoult’s Lex Luthor, adding, “I don’t know where all the stuff is coming from that it’s something other than this.”

Although that specific rumor stemmed from a completely different source, those who have turned up to see the film since its premiere last month were indeed met with Ultraman, a clone of Superman created by Lex Luthor. A Robin appearance in The Batman 2 sounds a bit far-fetched compared to the rumors surrounding Ultraman, but Gunn’s denial at least signals that he likes keeping his cards close to his chest until things really start to fall into place.

Following a few delays, The Batman 2 is finally scheduled to come to theaters October 1, 2027. The rest of the DC crew are also working on Batman: The Brave and the Bold, a DCU film that will include Damian Wayne, who is best known as Bruce Wayne's son and one of DC's many Robins. With so many Caped Crusaders running around, Gunn says Batman has become quite the problem for him, going as far as to call the character his "biggest issue in all of DC."

While we wait for updates on all things DC, you can read up on The Penguin star Colin Farrell’s recent comments regarding The Batman 2 and even The Batman 3. You can also check out every DC movie and TV show in the works now that Superman has finally arrived.

Michael Cripe is a freelance writer 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).

Diablo general manager and Gears of War veteran Rod Fergusson has left Blizzard.

Fergusson confirmed the news on his personal Twitter/X account:

After five years of driving the Diablo franchise forward with four big launches, it's time for me to step away from Blizzard/Microsoft, sword in hand, and see what's next. The teams are set up for success, with an exciting slate of releases ahead. I'm incredibly proud of what… pic.twitter.com/Fsh4gjmgVl

— Rod Fergusson (@RodFergusson) August 8, 2025

"After five years of driving the Diablo franchise forward with four big launches, it's time for me to step away from Blizzard/Microsoft, sword in hand, and see what's next," Fergusson wrote. "The teams are set up for success, with an exciting slate of releases ahead. I'm incredibly proud of what we've built together and looking forward to what comes next for Diablo, and for me."

Blizzard confirmed this news to IGN today as well, but declined to offer further comment as to why Fergusson has left the company, or who will run the Diablo franchise going forward.

Blizzard president Johanna Faries responded on Twitter/X, with the following:

Guiding a franchise like Diablo takes rare talent, vision, and collaboration. Thank you, Rod, for bringing all of those in spades. Sanctuary’s future is brighter because of the impact you’ve had! 🙏🏽✨ https://t.co/r479RGDkm3

— Johanna Faries (@Joh_Burg) August 8, 2025

Xbox head Phil Spencer also responded on BlueSky: "You brought strength, hellfire, and vision to one of gaming’s most iconic franchises. Playing Diablo IV with you was a blast—thanks for everything you gave to the game and the community."

Rod Fergusson joined Blizzard in 2020 after leaving Microsoft's The Coalition. Fergusson previously worked on every Gears of War game across his time at both Microsoft and Epic Games. At Blizzard, Fergusson headed up the Diablo franchise, joining shortly after Diablo 4 was first announced. Fergusson has done numerous candid interviews about his vision for the direction and future of the Diablo franchise. In April, Blizzard unveiled a roadmap for Diablo 4 for 2025 that did not go down well with fans. Most recently, Diablo 4 received the Sins of the Horadrim update with new Nightmare Dungeon updates and customizable spells.

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.

After eight years of Nintendo’s console-handheld hybrid, its successor, the Nintendo Switch 2, is finally in our hands and it's already become the all-time fastest-selling piece of gaming hardware in the U.S. While it’s a brand-new system, there are some old accessories that still work with the platform. But because of its bigger screen and the new magnetic Joy-Con, that old Switch case isn’t going to fit. You’ll need a handful of new accessories to get the most out of your next-gen Switch. From finding the best grips for your Joy-Con 2 to the easiest bubble-free screen protectors to guard that shiny new display, we have you covered in this Switch 2 accessories guide.

I’ve researched the best Switch 2 accessories you can buy right now based on direct hands-on experience with new gear and firsthand knowledge about some of our favorite Switch 1 accessory manufacturers. Of course, we’re still in the early days, and plenty of companies are still shipping their products to retailers. Some haven’t even made them available for preorder yet, so I’ll continue to update this list over time with my favorite new accessories as I go hands-on with them over the next few months.

Best MicroSD Express Cards for Switch 2 So Far

Bigger games with great graphical detail meant the Switch 2 needed a faster storage solution for your downloaded games. That means your old SD cards from the Switch 1 will not work here. You need to get a MicroSD Express card for the Switch 2, which is faster (and more expensive) than the basic model. We'll be updating our guide to the best MicroSD Express cards for Nintendo Switch 2 as we do more testing now that the console is out.

Best Switch 2 Cases So Far

The Switch 2 may be portable, but it’s not invincible. If you’re gearing up to take the 10/10 Donkey Kong Bananza, Mario Kart World, or Cyberpunk 2077 on the road, you’ll need to protect your console with a sturdy, reliable case. Again, your original Switch case is not going to fit your Switch 2, so you will need to purchase a new one. In addition to materials, construction, and form, I specifically made sure to look for extra features like comfort grips, game cartridge storage, bundles, and tested brands when making my suggestions. Of course, whether you want to go with a slim soft case like the one from Tomtoc that we reviewed and loved, PowerA's budget-friendly hard case that we also reviewed and loved, or a bulkier hard case like CoBak's, you have options for your preferences.

Best Switch 2 Screen Protectors So Far

Even though the Switch 2 has a built-in layer that acts as screen protector – don't peel that off – a good screen protector is non-negotiable for handheld devices. Since the launch of the original Switch, tons of companies have stepped up their game, offering new applicators, matte finishes, and kits to make sure your protector doesn’t trap dust or air bubbles when you apply it. Some are also built to take hits like a tank (though we’d never suggest testing this out yourself).

I use some of these brands to protect other devices I own, like my Steam Deck and Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra smartphone, and many of the same design principles are applied across different designs, including the Switch 2. Most of these also come with extra units in case your first protector gets damaged.

Best Gaming Headsets for Switch 2

The Switch 2 still has a standard audio jack, yet it’s the small but major secondary USB-C port that makes wireless gaming headsets even more useful. A majority of the best gaming headsets are compatible, and since Bluetooth isn’t the best idea for gaming (as was evident on the original Switch), I recommend checking out our picks for headsets that go particularly well with the Switch 2 rather than just using the earbuds you’re probably wearing right now.

Best Switch 2 Controllers

Unless you want to stick with the packaged Joy-Con 2, you’re going to want the new Pro Controller that we reviewed, or one of the gamepads made in its image. Especially if you’re playing more sophisticated games that demand precise controls or need something more comfortable for long sessions, a proper controller will probably be the most beneficial accessory for your Switch 2.

While you could certainly use an original Pro Controller or whatever your previous gamepad of choice was, the Switch 2 brings new features to the table – notably, a 3.5mm audio jack that allows you to use a wired headset for audio and chatting in-game without being tethered to your console. You may be interested in Switch 2’s GameChat feature, and you can seamlessly go into a video and/or voice chat room with friends with the new C button. Not every new controller has it, but licensed manufacturers like PowerA and its Advantage for Switch 2 that we reviewed do include it. Lastly, the built-in programmable back buttons on the official Pro Controller can be a game-changer, letting you map normal inputs to them, and that can improve performance or comfort across many different types of games.

If you’re just looking for a solid Pro-style controller, our favorite original Switch controllers will serve you well. Something like the Gulikit KK3 Max has programmable back buttons, Hall Effect sticks, high polling rate for smoother inputs, and is versatile enough to use on PC without trouble. Either way, you have plenty of great options.

Best Switch 2 Handheld Grips So Far

Although it promises some ergonomic enhancements from the original Switch, the Switch 2 still won’t have fully formed grips on the new Joy-Con – the likes of the Steam Deck and Asus ROG Ally X still have an ergonomic advantage that can help make long handheld play sessions more comfortable. But you already have ways of improving the ergonomics of the Switch 2 with a handful of attachments available now. The grips above are the best we could find for playing in handheld mode from reliable manufacturers.

Best Switch 2 Joy-Con Grip / Handles So Far

Even though the Switch 2 ships with a central grip to attach both Joy-Con to use like a singular controller, they’re not perfect. Especially for intense games like Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, there are more comfortable ways to play using the Joy-Con. Some companies are even starting to offer stands to help prop up your Joy-Con in the new Mouse Mode as well, which comes in handy for navigating menus and playing games like Civilization VII. Getting a proper connecting grip can be a more cost-effective solution compared to buying an entirely new gamepad, so long as you’re happy with the inputs of the Joy-Con. And many of these options will also charge your Joy-Con while they’re in use, which is a neat little cherry on top.

Best Switch 2 Joy-Con Charge Stations So Far

Nintendo has stated that the Switch 2 Joy-Con could last as long as 20 hours on a full charge, which is the same amount of time as the original Joy-Con. When looking at wireless controllers nowadays, 20 hours is fairly decent, although they still go by pretty quickly compared to other wireless controller options. It’s intuitive to just reattach your Joy-Con when they’re not in use to keep them charged, but if you plan on having multiple sets ready to go at all times, it’ll be a good idea to have a charging station on-hand. For those who often host multiplayer get-togethers, a Joy-Con charging station will make your life easier. I made sure to include models that feature as many ports as possible so you never run out of charged controllers.

Best Switch 2 Portable Chargers

The original Switch’s battery life remains one of its weak spots depending on the game you’re playing (some drain more power than others), even after a mid-gen refresh that brought some welcome improvements. It’ll remain something you have to manage by nature of using a portable gaming device especially if you’re taking the Switch 2 on long flights, trips, or car rides. That max battery life of 6.5 hours won’t always hold up and looking for an outlet is less than ideal when charge times can be quite longer than something like a smartphone.

Being able to charge in-between sessions untethered comes in clutch more often than you may expect, so having an extra battery pack to get some extra juice can be a total game-changer. I personally love Anker’s line with built-in USB-C cables, but Magsafe options like Genki’s Energy Pack are also really enticing. Either way, make sure you check the capacity and wattage of a portable charger before purchasing one you plan to use with your Switch 2 – some might simply be overkill for what you need.

Other Switch 2 Accessories Worth Considering

It feels like every new Nintendo console comes with a mountain of weird accessories. From Wii Sports-style tennis rackets to fishing rods, there’s a lot of extra and niche add-ons mixed in with the core accessories that are typically more practical. That’s not to say there aren’t some cool ideas that stretch the imagination of gaming on the Switch. Hori’s Piranha Plant camera is a fun example – while it costs $5 more than the first-party camera we reviewed, it’s a fun alternative that’s can double-up as some themed decor. (Though don't expect it to work miracles: The camera has a pretty dismal 480p resolution.) While it’s not an ideal way to play everything, the steering wheel attachment can be a fun and more accessible way for younger kids to play Mario Kart World. These accessories don’t fall into the conventional categories like controllers and cases, but they’re worth considering regardless. I’ve also thrown in a couple of "starter kits" that make for decent one-and-done purchases that include most of what you’ll want on day one.

Charlie's a freelance contributor for IGN. You can reach them via Twitter or Instagram at the handle @chas_mke.

Not found the right controller for when your Nintendo Switch 2 is docked? The Switch 2 Pro Controller is getting a rare $10 discount at Best Buy today, but there's a catch. It's exclusive to Plus or Total Tech members. The good news is you can price match with Costco and skip the membership entirely. Ergonomically, it's easily one of the best controllers out there, so if you're already eyeing the Switch 2, this one’s a no brainer.

TL;DR: Deals For Today

Over on Amazon, Apple is having a moment with some solid markdowns across iPads and MacBooks. We're seeing up to 30% off the latest iPad models, with compatible Apple Pencils starting at $69. MacBooks are also getting up to 21% off, and some even come bundled with three years of AppleCare Plus. If you’ve been waiting to upgrade your setup, now’s a good time to jump in.

Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller

Apple iPad Sale

There's some chunky discounts on various generations of iPads right now, with the majority of these models being compatible with Apple Pencil, just make sure to check which one. Apple Pencil (USB-C) is down to $69 from $79 and Apple Pencil Pro is down to $99 from $129. Apple have long held the crown for the best quality tablets on the market, and getting up to 30% knocked off one just makes this sale an easy excuse to upgrade.

Apple MacBook Sale

For anything remotely creative, it's a good idea to invest in a Mac. Yes of course Windows and Linux can do the job, but programs like Photoshop, Premier Pro, ZBrush, Logic Pro and many more industry standard applications run incredibly well. Plus if you're already in the Apple eco system, it just makes sense to have a workhorse that talks well to your iPhone, Apple Watch and more. There's up to 13% off these MacBooks, with some including 3 years AppleCare+, so there's no excuse to weigh up one of these bad boys.

A Charlie Brown Christmas 60th Anniversary Zoetrope

A Charlie Brown Christmas 60th Anniversary Holographic Foil Sleeve

Discounts on Magic: The Gathering Precons and More

Once again it's TCGPlayer and the secondary market values saving MTG players and collectors a small fortune over Amazon. Even sale pricing of the Fallout Commander Deck - Science! is $4 cheaper, with my favorite deal in this lineup being for the four pack bundle of Fallout Commander Decks.

Amazon works out at $47.07 per deck, with TCGPlayer massively undercutting here at $41.56. That's well over $10 saving per deck, with even more savings compared to Amazons single pricing overall.

Latest LEGO Preorders and Deals - Now Live

LEGO Game Boy is back up for preorder at Amazon after selling out on it's original allocation, so its a safe bet you'll miss out if you don't preorder.

I've also got three new preorders for LEGO Disney and Spider-Man alongside loads of great discounts on in-demand LEGO sets including Star Wars, Ninjago, Wednesday, Marvel and Disney. Discounts are running up to 37% off, so it's a really good time to pick up a new build.

Pokémon TCG Discounts at Amazon

Whilst there's a couple of savings on Amazon today, TCGplayer is knocking big box retailers out of the water. The White Flare binder box is a couple of dollars cheaper on Amazon, but looking at older sets like Destined Rivals show a clear gap in market value and the notorious Amazon mark ups of 2025.

Destined Rivals Elite Trainer Box is currently sat at $85 on TCGplayer, for example, which is cheaper than the Amazon sale price last week of £88.

Shining Fates Sealed Price Check

Is the Shining Fates Pikachu V Box actually worth getting? Well it's $40 on TCGplayer right now, more than $10 cheaper than Amazon, so on that fact alone yes. For me it comes down to the Pikachu V promo and jumbo card, which are going for a collective $1.90 right now.

You can also grab a full art set of four Shining Fates boosters for $37.91, which means you can get the contents of the box for $39.81. All in all there's not much difference for those looking for everything, but if you're just looking for Shining Fates boosters, it's cheaper to just buy the full art set considering a single booster is $9.99 right now.

Shining / Hidden Fates - Best Chase Cards Today

Prices for Paldean Fates and Hidden Fates Pokémon cards have shifted again this week, with big winners like Mew ex jumping 76% to $389.45 thanks to its powerful ability and incredible SIR artwork. Gardevoir ex is up 51% to $78.99, and Charizard ex continues to climb, now at $160.

Older chase cards from Hidden Fates are also rising again, including Charizard GX (up 12%) and Umbreon GX (up 19%). On the flip side, cards like Pikachu and Charmander from Paldean Fates are down sharply, while shiny favorites like Glaceon GX, Eevee, and Moltres & Zapdos & Articuno GX have also dipped. The market’s clearly leaning toward high-impact Special Illustration Rares over lower-tier shinies this week.

Baseus Laptop Portable Charger 100W

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Classic Sewer Playset

Hisense 65" Class QD7 Series Mini-LED 4K UHD Smart Fire TV

Fallout Funko Pop Preorders

Dropping throughout December 2025, these Fallout Pop Vinyls focused on the Fallout TV series should drop around the same time as Season Two. There's also chances to get a random rare variant, which is about as much Funko hype as I can handle. I've preordered Vault Boy already, but I might get the whole lineup before preorders run dry.

Mini PC Deals

Mini PCs are great for a work from home setup, a bit of light gaming or just saving some space. Both of these models have decent specs whilst being good enough to run Minecraft and your day-to-day productivity apps. Plus they're dirt cheap, so there's nothing to loose.

Christian Wait is a contributing freelancer for IGN covering everything collectable and deals. Christian has over 7 years of experience in the Gaming and Tech industry with bylines at Mashable and Pocket-Tactics. Christian also makes hand-painted collectibles for Saber Miniatures. Christian is also the author of "Pokemon Ultimate Unofficial Gaming Guide by GamesWarrior". Find Christian on X @ChrisReggieWait.

Wizards of the Coast is gearing up to release a brand-new introductory D&D set. Dungeons & Dragons Starter Set: Heroes of The Borderlands is set to release September 17, but it's now available to preorder over on Amazon. It comes with everything you need for you and your friends to get started on your first three adventures.

Dungeons & Dragons - Starter Set: Heroes of The Borderlands

Instead of another Freaky Friday reboot (Disney already did that in 2018), Freakier Friday is a worthy sequel to the 2003 version starring Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis. The movie harkens back to the early 2000s glory days while also delivering something fresh for 2025. That’s a lot to take on, but the team behind Freakier Friday wisely ups the stakes by introducing two new daughters — and therefore a whole new web of relationships — into the mix.

Set some 20 years after the original film, Freakier Friday gives us an Anna (Lohan) and Tess (Curtis) who have learned their lessons after the misadventures the daughter/mother duo experienced in 2003. Anna has transitioned from being a musician to a manager while raising her teenage daughter Harper (Julia Butters) on her own. While the two occasionally clash, their relationship is nowhere near as tumultuous as Tess and Anna’s was at that age. That is until Anna falls for Eric (Manny Jancito), a handsome English chef who just so happens to be the father of Harper’s high school nemesis Lily (Sophia Hammons).

Like in the first movie, tensions bubble over at a wedding. The night of Anna’s bachelorette party, all four of the ladies meet with a fortune teller who gives them an ominous message. And of course, the next day they wake up with all their bodies scrambled: Anna and Harper have swapped bodies, and so have Lily and Tess.

It takes a long time to get to the good stuff. The first 20 minutes of the movie are an unnecessary prequel, as we get the full backstory of how Anna and Eric met and how Harper and Lily hate each other. It's a slog, and even after the body swap happens it takes a moment for Freakier Friday to find its footing, as the characters get sent off on separate side quests. But eventually the shenanigans truly kick in and the movie gels together into a delicious delight.

Sure, some of the jokes swing too hard in the “haha, let’s just say this Gen Z word” direction. But for the most part, the humor is handled well, poking fun at both the old (Parcheesi!) and the new (pickleball!) without being too heavy-handed. There are some very good throwbacks to the original, including the return of Anna’s high school boyfriend Jake (played by Chad Michael Murray).

Lohan and Curtis anchor the film. Both of them are hilarious, each wonderfully capturing a different sort of teenager trapped in an older woman’s body. Curtis as Lily-as-Tess is dramatic and image-conscious, pretending to be more confident to hide her insecurities. She glams herself up for Tess’s passport photo, pouting with lip plumper and maneuvering a ring light, and gleefully gets behind the wheel of a fancy red convertible. Curtis’ physicality is superb and she really feels like she’s 65 going on 15.

Meanwhile, Lohan has the more subtle challenge of conveying a teenager who can’t quite understand where her mother is coming from. Harper-as-Anna has a beautiful, understated journey as she slowly begins to realize just how much her mother cares for her. Separately, they’re good, but Lohan and Curtis really shine when they’re together, feeding off each other’s energies with stellar comedic timing.

In contrast, Hammons and Butters take a little longer to warm up. Part of it is because they’re stuck in detention for their first scenes and just not given much to do. But in bigger family scenes, where all four actresses get to play off each other, they manage to hold their own. This disparity does make the movie feel a bit uneven, but it can be explained away since Tess and Anna have essentially worked out their big relationship divide and it’s Harper and Lily who really need to mend their connection.

At its heart, Freakier Friday is about the complicated relationships between four women. The movie doesn’t have the space to explore every angle to its full extent, so it focuses specifically on the relationship between Harper and her mom and between Lily and Harper. Thankfully, those two pairings are developed well and are given enough time to develop even through the constant stream of funny gags. When the big emotional moments come around at the end, they feel surprising but earned, because the relationships have slowly but steadily been building in the background of the hilarity.

Written by Petrana Radulovic

Magic: The Gathering is bringing in more and more players with its packed release calendar, and in the first half of the year alone, we’ve had a race to the death, a swarm of dragons, the return of some classic vampires, and the biggest crossover yet with Final Fantasy.

While the second half of the year includes the launch of Edge of Eternities, Marvel’s Spider-Man, and Avatar: The Last Airbender, we’ve rounded up the most valuable cards of the year so far from Innistrad to Final Fantasy. Which ones do you have?

A Word on Final Fantasy Before We Start

Look, we'll be honest - when we planned this list, we didn't expect almost every entry to be from the Final Fantasy set. We didn't want to not include them, so there's a handy roundup just above as well.

Full transparency, most of the Borderless Surge Foils Final Fantasy cards top the most expensive Magic card lists right now, and it would simply be a bit dull to only discuss those again.

We'll cover the ludicrously expensive Travelling Chocobo variants shortly, but for now, we'll keep other Final Fantasy chase cards to their own list and honorably mentioned here.

With that covered, here are the most valuable 2025 cards from Innistrad Remastered, Aetherdrift, Tarkir Dragonstorm, and the latest expansion, Edge of Eternities.

10 - Radiant Lotus (Showcase - Fracture Foil) - $193.11

Grass Wonder, one of the real-life racehorses that inspired a character in Umamusume: Pretty Derby, passed away on August 8 at age 30, prompting an outpouring of condolences from fans of Cygames’ anime horse-girl franchise.

The stallion Grass Wonder is one of the real-life Japanese racehorses Cygames turned into a character for its Umamusume: Pretty Derby anime and games. As all Umamusume’s characters are anime girls with equine ears and tails, Grass Wonder also got a sex change. In the Umamusume universe, Grass Wonder is a friendly but determined girl who grew up in America but loves Japanese culture, echoing how the real horse was American-bred but trained in Japan. The character’s light brown hair with a white dot at the front mimics the horse’s chestnut coat with a white star marking.

British indie developer Bithell Games has shed the "majority" of its full-time staff, just weeks after the launch of its time-loop action game Tron: Catalyst, after failing to land a new large-scale project.

That amounts to 11 team members being made redudant, Bithell Games boss Mike Bithell announced today in a statement posted to social media, and an uncertain future for what the studio will do next.

"It became clear leading up to the release of our most recent game that we were not immune to the challenges faced by many game development teams seeking funding partners in 2024 and 2025," Bithell wrote. "We've fortunately been able to communicate these challenges ahead of time, and work with affected staff to ease departures as much as possible via severance packages."

Bithell Games previously worked on Tron: Identity, a mix of puzzle game and visual novel that acted as a proof of concept for the studio to work with Disney on its sci-fi franchise.

Prior to those games, the studio found fame for its tactical RPG John Wick Hex, after early success with its indie darlings Thomas Was Alone and Volume.

"It’s important to state that this was an incredible team of exceptionally talented people," Bithell continued. "If you’re a developer reading this, and you’re hiring, anyone among those affected would be a great addition to your studio. Please reach out if we can help to put you in touch.

"This news will not impact the availability of our existing self-published games and ongoing support for them. We are incredibly grateful for our audience, and hope that your interest in our work follows individual team members as they head into other roles. Bithell Games was always defined and elevated by our people. Today we are less."

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

A disappointing performance from John Wick spinoff Ballerina has left TV and movie production company Lionsgate facing a $94 million quarterly net loss.

The Ana de Armas-starring film opened on June 6 to positive reviews, though failed to match the box office of the main John Wick movies.

Set between John Wick: Chapter 3 and 4, Ballerina introduces de Armas' character Eve Macarro as a dancer-turned-assassin, and features appearances by numerous John Wick regulars such as Ian McShane, Anjelica Huston, and — in his final screen appearance — the late Lance Reddick.

Ballerina even features John Wick himself, Keanu Reeves, though only in a small role. And despite this appearance featuring in pre-release trailers, it seems the actor's guest spot wasn't enough to convince the franchise's usual crowds to turn upat theaters.

Ballerina ended its worldwide box office run on $132 million, versus a reported budget of $90 million. By comparison, John Wick: Chapter 4 made $447.3 million, on a budget of $100 million.

Reacting to the company's latest financial results, Lionsgate boss Jon Feltheimer said the company was "taking a number of important steps toward returning to solid growth in fiscal 2027," with a trio of "major film tentpoles" set for the coming financial year, Variety reported, in addition to an increased number of scripted TV series.

Upcoming Lionsgate productions include a fresh Hunger Games movie adaptation based on the franchise's latest prequel novel, Sunrise on the Reaping, as well as a two-part sequel to The Passion of the Christ (no spoilers!).

As for the John Wick franchise, it remains unclear how Ballerina's performance will impact plans for its future — or the previous suggestion that the film could get a sequel.

Two additional John Wick spinoffs are already in development, including a franchise prequel and a side-story featuring Donnie Yen's character of Caine. There are also plans for a full John Wick: Chapter 5, though this still seems some way off. Last month, director Chad Stahelski said he was still trying to work out a story for the sequel, in order to work around the climactic ending of John Wick: Chapter 4.

"In spite of a slow start, Ballerina proves she belongs in The World of John Wick with fight choreography that’s every bit as creative (and fun) as anything else the series has given us and a story and character that stand on their own," IGN wrote in our Ballerina review, which returned an 8/10 score.

Image credit: Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic.

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

A brand new major patch for World of Warcraft dropped earlier this week, including new dungeons, a new raid, a new delve, lots of new story, a big (gorgeous) new zone, and more. But don't sleep on this patch's best, most important feature: the ability for your character to lean back against a wall and look brooding or nonchalant, just like you've always wished they could.

Okay, but seriously! WoW's latest patch, 11.2, Ghosts of K'aresh, adds a brand new emote to the game: /lean. It does exactly what it sounds like. Your character leans back, either relaxing against whatever wall or support is behind them or, if there's nothing, will just sort of lean in mid-air awkwardly. It's a fairly small addition, but players are already having a lot of fun with it.

One player has shared tier rankings of each race and gender's unique /lean emote, ranging from Blood and Void elves up in S-tier for having perfectly sassy leans, all the way down to D-tier which contains gnome males, draenei females, goblins and dracthyr of both genders, and several more, all of whom apparently have stiff and uninteresting poses. Another player discovered that you can hold in-game toys in your hands in ways that play nicely with the /lean emote, giving your character a casual way to check a compass or sip a beer.

Tencent has updated its Light of Motiram Steam page just days after Sony filed a lawsuit alleging the upcoming game was a "slavish clone" of Horizon.

The complaint, filed in a California court at the end of July, outlined numerous similarities, comparing various marketing screenshots from both games, as well as their descriptions.

As we explained at the time, just like Horizon, Light of Motiram takes place in a post-apocalyptic world overrun by giant robot dinosaurs who roam large, natural environments such as tropical forests, deserts, and snowy mountains. Both games even feature red-haired women protagonists that wear very similar outfits and styles, and devices similar to Aloy's "Focus" earpiece.

Sony believes that these aren't accidental similarities, either. Per Sony's complaint, Tencent allegedly began developing Light of Motiram in 2023, and approached Sony at the 2024 Game Developers Conference to ask for a licensing deal to develop its own Horizon game. Sony turned Tencent down, but Tencent seemingly continued developing Light of Motiram anyway. Sony claims it approached Tencent informally to resolve the copyright dispute once it became aware of the game, but when it did so, Tencent once again attempted to license Horizon. Tencent then allegedly pressed forward with the game's promotions and playtests.

The Game Post noted, however, that since the lawsuit went public, Light of Motriam's Steam page has been quietly updated, with a number of screenshots and trailers removed, and the cover image changed from the Aloy Alike image you see here to this less contentious image.

While a lot of the DC fandom is raving about James Gunn’s Superman movie and The Batman 2’s script being finally complete, Amazon has dropped major discounts on some of the best Batman comics around.

Vol. 2 of the Scott Snyder Batman run (covering Batman #34-52 and other issues from various Batman comics) is also on sale at Amazon for $68.92 at 45% off from $125, along with being on sale at Amazon UK for £65.94.

Whilst part of DC’s now-ended New 52 continuity, along with more recent comics like Absolute Batman taking the fandom by storm, this Scott Snyder run is a must-read if you’ve never dived in before.

It was this particular 2012 series that introduced the Court of Owls to DC altogether, presenting one of the biggest twists in Batman lore by having an ancient Illuminati-like criminal organisation run Gotham behind the scenes for generations — pushing the Dark Knight to his limits.

Even by 2025 standards, I still find it a gripping read as ever, seeing Bruce Wayne start to realise the city he’s protected for so long isn’t really his after all, as well as suddenly being way out of his depth and seeing what he’ll do to pull himself out.

Then, there’s Death of the Family, seeing a de-faced Joker (who’s stapled said face back on, because Joker), being even more unhinged than usual in seeing how far he can push both Batman and his loved ones.

For comic casuals who only follow select big-name stories in DC, Scott Snyder is also the writer behind the later-published Dark Nights: Metal series; that particular gem’s the one introducing an alternate Batman with a Joker personality.

If you’re a DC fan who loves the darker Batman stories most of all, it’s safe to say these two omnibuses covering Snyder’s earlier years will have you covered.

Speaking of Absolute Batman, though, Absolute Batman Vol 1 is also available to buy right now at Amazon from $9.99 and £8.53 at Amazon UK.

Remember Starfield? Launched to huge fanfare in 2023, Bethesda's big sci-fi hope landed to a mixed reception from players — who have since gone on to complain about the game's disappointing first expansion and lack of substantial ongoing support.

However, one bright spot on the horizon appears to be signs of Bethesda finally adding the highly-requested ability to travel in your spaceship from one planet to another — rather than what happens now, as you load up a loading screen to enter orbit, and from there load up another loading screen to get to where you're going.

Fragments of code uncovered by Starfield fans now suggest Bethesda has a more streamlined experience in the works, though potentially still with some caveats. While you may be able to travel between planets within the same system, fans say it looks like you won't be able to fly all the way between systems. Oh, and you also won't be able to fly directly from a planet's surface into orbit, like No Man's Sky. Oh, well.

References to the new offering, referred to in the game's code as "Cruise Mode," were detected by players this week and shared on reddit, though Bethesda has reportedly now issued another small patch to scrub them from view.

After another no-show at June's Xbox Games Showcase, it remains to be seen when Bethesda will get around to mentioning the game again. Last month, Bethesda said it had "exciting things" coming to the game soon — presumably referring to this. Perhaps we'll hear more in a couple of weeks around Gamescom, ahead of the game's two-year anniversary?

Earlier this month, it was reported that Starfield's second expansion and much-anticipated PlayStation 5 port will now arrive in 2026, following the poor reception to 2024 add-on Shattered Space. Bethesda boss Todd Howard had previously talked of expansions arriving annually, but perhaps Bethesda sees the addition of some form of spaceflight as something to keep players occupied until then.

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