Netflix has just released its 2026 slate and it’s pretty stacked. What’s more, it isn’t even the full list, as the studio is planning to add more to its lineup as the year progresses. After all, 2026 has only just begun. Happy New Year to us, indeed.

Here’s a look at the highlights of Netflix’s new 2026 slate, alongside all the new images the streamer released to coincide with its announcement, starting with its series offerings. Check the full list below.

Avatar: The Last Airbender Season 2

Season 2 of the live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender series will hit the streamer this year, but no word yet on exactly when the next part of the saga will be released. That’s definitely something to keep your eyes peeled for in the coming months, but for now, Netflix has given audiences a new exclusive photo to keep them sated until the official drop. It joins several other first-look photos released from the second season, all of which feature Aang, the series’ protagonist who is known as the last surviving Airbender.

Beef

You read that right. The beef is finally back — and no, we’re not talking The Bear. Season 2 of Beef, the breakout hit dramedy starring Steven Yeun and Ali Wong from 2023, will finally air this year on the streamer, and we’ve got a release date for the new chapter of the series: April 16. In case you forgot, Yeun and Wong won’t be returning this season, but only because the show is more of an anthology style series where each season features a new story. This time, Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, Charles Melton, and Cailee Spaeny are in the hot seat, presumably hanging out the side of their best friends’ rides trying to holler at each other, or something like TLC’s prophetic words.

Bridgerton

The queen is back in town, and the ton is, we can only assume, on fire with romance new and old. Bridgerton is back for Season 4, which will be split into two parts, and the streamer has released a new exclusive photo from the new chapter. The new image features Golda Rosheuvel as the inimitable Queen Charlotte looking devastatingly stylish, which means we’re bound to get some great moments this coming season from the series’ best character. Yeah, I said it. The upcoming season, which is set to follow the exploits of Luke Thompson’s Benedict, will air its first half on January 29 and the second part will arrive about a month later on February 26.

Man on Fire

A new drama series called Man on Fire will make its debut on Netflix some time in 2026, and with a cast stacked like this one, it’s hard not to be stoked for it. The adaptation, which is based on A.J. Quinnell’s book series, will be seven episodes long and stars Yahya Abdul-Mateen ll, Bobby Canavale, and Scoot McNairy. So you know it’s gonna be intense — especially considering it's about a former special forces mercenary struggling with PTSD and to get his life back on track when he’s forced back into the game. No word yet on an exact release date, but Netflix has debuted a sneak peek photo of Abdul-Mateen toting a gun, so like I said, it’s gonna be intense!

Sweet Magnolias

Sweet Magnolias is back for its fifth season, and we’ve got a release date! I know all you Serenity residents have been waiting with bated breath, but you only have to wait until June 11. It’s not tomorrow, but at least the season 5 premiere date is now in sight. The streamer also released a first-look photo for the new season, which features stars JoAnna Garcia Swisher, Heather Headley, and Brooke Elliott, who play a group of lifelong best friends on which the series focuses, embracing against a beautiful outdoor landscape. Is it June yet?

Virgin River

Season 7 of Virgin River is on its way and it’ll be here before you know it. Netflix has announced the release date for the next chapter in the saga based on the best-selling book series by Robyn Carr: March 12. Fans will be able to revisit Alexandra Breckenridge’s Melinda Monroe and her frest start in the town of Virgin River again very soon, but to keep everyone happy until then, the streamer also debuted a first-look image from the season alongside the release date. The picture features Breckenridge’s Melinda standing with costar Martin Henderson as her husband, Jack Sheridan.

Netflix has several major film releases on its slate for 2026 as well. Here’s the skinny on what’s to come.

Enola Holmes 3

Netflix previously announced a third installment in the Enola Holmes film series, which stars Stranger Things breakout Millie Bobby Brown, but they’ve now given fans a new sneak peak photo to get them excited ahead of the film’s summer release. The picture features Brown as Enola sitting on a bed with Louis Partridge as Tewkesbury, Enola’s love interest, holding some sort of small flower in front of her. We don’t have an exact release date yet for the film so it seems some things about this third installment will stay mysterious for a little while — but rest assured, she’s coming to investigate.

Tyler Perry’s Joe’s College Road Trip

Tyler Perry has a new comedy coming to Netflix this year, and the streamer has revealed exactly when fans can expect it to drop, and it’s actually pretty soon: February 13. Other than that, we still don’t know a ton about the project, which is, of course, written and directed by Perry. He also stars alongside Jermaine Harris and Amber Reign Smith. Unlike most of the other projects on this slate, we don’t have any first-look images for the film, so the synopsis will have to suffice for now: “In an effort to teach him about the real world, Joe takes B.J. on a cross-country college road trip where tensions get high but life-changing lessons are learned.”

Little Brother

John Cena and Eric Andre are teaming up to make us laugh with an all new comedy coming to Netflix sometime this year called Little Brother, in which, you guessed it, an accomplished guy’s weirdo younger brother comes back into his life and shakes things up. Cena is seemingly playing the straight man in this one, with Andre taking on the younger brother role, at least that’s the vibe the first-look photo the streamer has just released. Alongside Cena and Andre, Michelle Monaghan, Chris Meloni, Ego Nwodim, Sherry Cola, and Caleb Hearon star. Matt Spicer, who directed the hilarious Ingrid Goes West, takes the helm on this project, which comes from a screenplay by the guys who wrote Yes Man, Jarrad Paul and Andrew Mogel. No release date just yet here, but we’ll be waiting.

Remarkably Bright Creatures

Where the Crawdads Sing director Olivia Newman is back with a new drama called Remarkably Bright Creatures, which Netflix has announced a release date for. The movie, which is based on the best-selling book, will be dropping on the platform on May 8. It will star Sally Field, Lewis Pullman, and Colm Meaney in a story about an elderly woman who befriends an octopus at the aquarium where she works and has no idea that very same octopus is dead set on solving a mystery that will change her life. There’s no imagery available for the film just yet, but the synopsis is more than enough to keep us excited for the upcoming release.

Swapped

Nathan Greno, co-director of Tangled, has a new animated adventure on the way called Swapped, formerly titled PooKoo. It’s already an exciting upcoming animated offering knowing it's a buddy comedy with Michael B. Jordan and Juno Temple voicing the aforementioned buddies, a woodland creature and a bird, who end up body swapping. But now, Netflix has announced that Tracy Morgan and Cedric The Entertainer will star in the film alongside Jordan and Temple. The streamer has also released new images of both of their characters, respectively: Boogle, a fish voiced by Morgan, and Caloo, a prairie dog-style creature voiced by Cedric. There’s no release date for this film just yet, but it’s coming some time this year.

War Machine

Patrick Hughes, director of The Hitman’s Bodyguard, is back with a new sci-fi action experience called War Machine. The film — which follows an elite team’s training exercise gone wrong during the final stages of US Army Ranger selection — has received a release date from the streamer, which will debut it on the platform on March 6. The movie, which Hughes wrote alongside James Beaufort, will star Alan Ritchson, Dennis Quaid, Stephan James, Jai Courtney, Esai Morales, Blake Richardson, Keiynan Lonsdale, and Daniel Webber. No first-look images for this project yet, so it seems we may have to wait the two months to see inside this fight for survival.

Everything announced as coming to Netflix in 2026:

2026 SERIES AND LIVE RELEASE DATES

⬥ HIS & HERS

On Netflix January 8, 2026

⬥ THE BOYFRIEND S2

On Netflix January 13, 2026

⬥ AGATHA CHRISTIE’S SEVEN DIALS

On Netflix January 15, 2026

⬥ THE UPSHAWS, PART 7

On Netflix January 15, 2026

⬥ CAN THIS LOVE BE TRANSLATED?

On Netflix January 16, 2026

⬥ STAR SEARCH

LIVE On Netflix January 20, 2026

Tuesdays & Wednesdays at 9pm ET / 6pm PT

⬥ WWE: UNREAL S2

On Netflix January 20, 2026

⬥ QUEER EYE S10

On Netflix January 21, 2026

⬥ FINDING HER EDGE

On Netflix January 22, 2026

⬥ FREE BERT

On Netflix January 22, 2026

⬥ SKYSCRAPER LIVE

LIVE On Netflix January 23, 2026 at 5pm PT / 8pm ET

⬥ MIKE EPPS: DELUSIONAL

On Netflix January 27, 2026

⬥ BRIDGERTON S4 PART 1

On Netflix January 29, 2026

⬥ FORMULA 1: DRIVE TO SURVIVE S8

On Netflix February 2026

⬥ GLITTER & GOLD: ICE DANCING

On Netflix February 1, 2026

⬥ IS IT CAKE? VALENTINES

On Netflix February 4, 2026

⬥ THE LINCOLN LAWYER S4

On Netflix February 5, 2026

⬥ LOVE IS BLIND S10

On Netflix February 11, 2026

⬥ THE NIGHT AGENT S3

On Netflix February 19, 2026

⬥ STRIP LAW

On Netflix February 20, 2026

⬥ BRIDGERTON S4 PART 2

On Netflix February 26, 2026

⬥ BEASTARS FINAL SEASON PART 2

On Netflix March 2026

⬥ THE ACTOR AWARDS PRESENTED BY SAG-AFTRA

LIVE On Netflix March 1, 2026 at 5pm PT / 8pm ET

⬥ ONE PIECE: INTO THE GRAND LINE

On Netflix March 10, 2026

⬥VIRGIN RIVER S7

On Netflix March 12, 2026

⬥ STEEL BALL RUN JOJO’S BIZARRE ADVENTURE

On Netflix March 19, 2026

⬥ TYLER PERRY’S BEAUTY IN BLACK S2, PART 2

On Netflix March 19, 2026

⬥ MLB OPENING NIGHT LIVE

On Netflix March 25, 2026

⬥ JO NESBØ’S DETECTIVE HOLE

On Netflix March 26, 2026

⬥ DINOSAURS

On Netflix Q1 2026

SPRING 2026

⬥FULL SWING S4

On Netflix April 2026

⬥BEEF S2

On Netflix April 16, 2026

⬥DEVIL MAY CRY S2

On Netflix May 12, 2026

SUMMER 2026

⬥ SWEET MAGNOLIAS S5

On Netflix June 11, 2026

⬥ MLB T-MOBILE HOME RUN DERBY

LIVE On Netflix July 13, 2026

⬥ MLB FIELD OF DREAMS GAME

LIVE On Netflix August 13, 2026

FALL / Q4 2026

⬥ LUPIN S4

On Netflix Fall 2026

⬥ WIN THE MALL

On Netflix Fall 2026

⬥ SIX KINGS SLAM

LIVE On Netflix October 2026

⬥ NFL CHRISTMAS GAMEDAY

LIVE On Netflix December 25, 2026

COMING SOON [ALPHABETICAL]

⬥ 3 BODY PROBLEM S2

On Netflix 2026

⬥ A DIFFERENT WORLD

On Netflix 2026

⬥ AGE OF ATTRACTION

On Netflix 2026

⬥ ALLEY CATS

On Netflix 2026

⬥ AMERICA’S SWEETHEARTS: DALLAS COWBOYS CHEERLEADERS S3

On Netflix 2026

⬥ AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER S2

On Netflix 2026

⬥ BAKI-DOU: THE INVINCIBLE SAMURAI

On Netflix 2026

⬥ BIG MISTAKES

On Netflix 2026

⬥ BEING GORDON RAMSEY

On Netflix 2026

⬥ BLACK DOVES S2

On Netflix 2026

⬥ THE BODY

On Netflix 2026

⬥ THE BOROUGHS

On Netflix 2026

⬥ BOYFRIEND ON DEMAND

On Netflix 2026

⬥ BRAZIL 70

On Netflix 2026

⬥ CALABASAS CONFIDENTIAL

On Netflix 2026

⬥ THE CHESTNUT MAN S2: HIDE AND SEEK

On Netflix 2026

⬥ THE DIPLOMAT S4

On Netflix 2026

⬥ EAST OF EDEN

On Netflix 2026

⬥ THE EAST PALACE

On Netflix 2026

⬥ EMILY IN PARIS S6

On Netflix 2026

⬥ THE EMPRESS S3 (Final Season)

On Netflix 2026

⬥ THE FOUR SEASONS S2

On Netflix 2026

⬥ THE GENTLEMEN S2

On Netflix 2026

⬥ THE GOLDEN TICKET

On Netflix 2026

⬥ HOLLYWOOD ARTS

On Netflix 2026

⬥ HUMAN VAPOR

On Netflix 2026

⬥ THE HUNTING WIVES S2

On Netflix 2026

⬥ I WILL FIND YOU

On Netflix 2026

⬥ KYLIE

On Netflix 2026

⬥ LEANNE S2

On Netflix 2026

⬥ LET’S MARRY HARRY

On Netflix 2026

⬥ LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE

On Netflix 2026

⬥ LONG STORY SHORT S2

On Netflix 2026

⬥ LOVE ON THE SPECTRUM S4

On Netflix 2026

⬥ LOVESICK

On Netflix 2026

⬥ MAN ON FIRE

On Netflix 2026

⬥ MATING SEASON

On Netflix 2026

⬥ MILLION DOLLAR SECRET S2

On Netflix 2026

⬥ MIS MUERTOS TRISTES

On Netflix 2026

⬥ MONSTER: THE LIZZIE BORDEN STORY

On Netflix 2026

⬥ MY BRILLIANT CAREER

On Netflix 2026

⬥ MY LIFE WITH THE WALTER BOYS S3

On Netflix 2026

⬥ NEMESIS

On Netflix 2026

⬥ NOBODY WANTS THIS S3

On Netflix 2026

⬥ NORTH OF NORTH S2

On Netflix 2026

⬥ ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF SOLITUDE PART 2

On Netflix 2026

⬥ OPERATION SAFED SAAGAR

On Netflix 2026

⬥ OUTER BANKS S5 (Final Season)

On Netflix 2026

⬥ PERFECT MATCH S4

On Netflix 2026

⬥ PRIDE AND PREJUDICE

On Netflix 2026

⬥ RAFA

On Netflix 2026

⬥RUNNING POINT S2

On Netflix 2026

⬥ SESAME STREET

On Netflix 2026

⬥ SOMETHING VERY BAD IS GOING TO HAPPEN

On Netflix 2026

⬥ STRANGER THINGS: TALES FROM ‘85

On Netflix 2026

⬥ SURVIVAL OF THE THICKEST S3

On Netflix 2026

⬥ TEMPTATION ISLAND S2

On Netflix 2026

⬥ TIRES S3

On Netflix 2026

⬥ THE ULTIMATUM: MARRY OR MOVE ON S4

On Netflix 2026

⬥ UNACCUSTOMED EARTH

On Netflix 2026

⬥ UNTITLED KEVIN HART COMPETITION SERIES

On Netflix 2026

⬥ UNTITLED NEWFOUNDLAND PROJECT

On Netflix 2026

⬥ UNTOLD

On Netflix 2026

⬥ VLADIMIR

On Netflix 2026

⬥ THE WITCHER S5 (Final Season)

On Netflix 2026

⬥ THE WONDERFOOLS

On Netflix 2026

⬥ XO, KITTY S3

On Netflix 2026

2026 FILM RELEASE DATES

WINTER 2026

⬥ PEOPLE WE MEET ON VACATION

On Netflix January 9, 2026

⬥ ONE LAST ADVENTURE: THE MAKING OF STRANGER THINGS 5

On Netflix January 12, 2026

⬥ THE RIP

On Netflix January 16, 2026

⬥ KIDNAPPED: ELIZABETH SMART

On Netflix January 21, 2026

⬥ COSMIC PRINCESS KAGUYA

On Netflix January 22, 2026

⬥ MIRACLE: THE BOYS OF '80

On Netflix January 30, 2026

⬥ QUEEN OF CHESS

On Netflix February 6, 2026

⬥TYLER PERRY’S JOE’S COLLEGE ROAD TRIP

On Netflix February 13, 2026

⬥ WAR MACHINE

On Netflix March 6, 2026

⬥ PEAKY BLINDERS: THE IMMORTAL MAN

On Netflix March 20, 2026

SPRING 2026

⬥A GORILLA STORY: TOLD BY DAVID ATTENBOROUGH

On Netflix April 17, 2026

⬥ APEX

On Netflix April 24, 2026

⬥ LADIES FIRST

On Netflix May 2026

⬥ REMARKABLY BRIGHT CREATURES

On Netflix May 8, 2026

SUMMER 2026

⬥ 72 HOURS

On Netflix Summer 2026

⬥ ENOLA HOLMES 3

On Netflix Summer 2026

⬥ THE WHISPER MAN

On Netflix Summer 2026

FALL / Q4 2026

⬥QUASIMODO

On Netflix Fall 2026

⬥ NARNIA

On Netflix December 2026

COMING SOON [ALPHABETICAL]

⬥ 11817

On Netflix 2026

⬥ A DOG’S PERFECT CHRISTMAS

On Netflix 2026

⬥ ANIMALS

On Netflix 2026

⬥ BEST OF THE BEST

On Netflix 2026

⬥ DON’T SAY GOOD LUCK

On Netflix 2026

⬥ GOOD SEX

On Netflix 2026

⬥ TYLER PERRY’S THE GOSPEL OF CHRISTMAS

On Netflix 2026

⬥ GUARDING STARS

On Netflix 2026

⬥ HEARTSTOPPER FOREVER

On Netflix 2026

⬥ HERE COMES THE FLOOD

On Netflix 2026

⬥ IN A HOLIDAZE

On Netflix 2026

⬥ LITTLE BROTHER

On Netflix 2026

⬥ MÉXICO 86

On Netflix 2026

⬥ THE MOSQUITO BOWL

On Netflix 2026

⬥ OFFICE ROMANCE

On Netflix 2026

⬥ POSSIBLE LOVE

On Netflix 2026

⬥ RAY GUNN

On Netflix 2026

⬥ ROOMMATES

On Netflix 2026

⬥ SATURN RETURN

On Netflix 2026

⬥ STEPS

On Netflix 2026

⬥ SWAPPED

On Netflix 2026

⬥ ’TIS SO SWEET

On Netflix 2026

⬥ UNABOM

On Netflix 2026

⬥ VOICEMAILS FOR ISABELLE

On Netflix 2026

⬥ TYLER PERRY’S WHY DID I GET MARRIED AGAIN?

On Netflix 2026

Image credit: Netflix.

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

Lenovo is offering an excellent price on one of its highest end laptops to start off the new year. For a limited time, you can score a Lenovo Legion Pro 7i Gen 10 gaming laptop, equipped with a 16" OLED display and RTX 5080 GPU, for just $2,412.99 after you apply coupon code "EXTRAFIVE". That's over $1,100 off in total savings.

Lenovo Legion Pro 7 Gen 10 RTX 5080 Laptop for $2,412.99

Apply code: "EXTRAFIVE"

The Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain (IWGB) has asked a judge to grant the fired GTA 6 developers interim relief at a preliminary employment tribunal hearing held in the UK this week. Rockstar Games, which also attended the hearing, has issued a response to the claims, denying a number of points made by the union.

Rockstar has insisted the employees it fired late last year were dismissed because they leaked game features for upcoming and unannounced titles in Discord, not because they were trying to unionize. 34 members of staff at Rockstar were dismissed, 31 in the UK and three in Canada, sparking protests outside the office of GTA 6 developer Rockstar North in Edinburgh, Scotland, and outside parent company Take-Two’s office in London.

The IWGB, which is representing the affected staff in the UK, has refuted Rockstar’s claim, saying that the workers "only communicated in private and legally-protected trade union channels."

On Monday, January 5, a preliminary hearing at the Glasgow Tribunals Centre in Scotland saw the IWGB represent the fired Rockstar workers and make a case for why they should be granted interim relief.

Interim relief is a legal mechanism that can provide workers with support while they wait for a full hearing. This week’s tribunal will decide whether or not the workers will receive the interim relief while awaiting a date for a full trial. If the interim relief is granted, the workers will be put back on Rockstar’s payroll and have their work visas reinstated where necessary.

The IWGB told IGN today that it is hopeful the judge will see it their way, but insisted that if the interim relief is not granted, that doesn’t mean Rockstar will not be found guilty of breaking the law if and when the case goes to trial.

“We hope this week’s tribunal will grant urgently needed relief to the workers whose lives were turned upside down by Rockstar’s brutal union-busting, leaving them and their families without incomes, without secure futures, and in some cases without even the right to remain in the country they have made their home,” the IWGB said in a statement issued to IGN.

“However, no matter the outcome of this interim hearing, we remain confident in the strength of the case we have brought against Rockstar Games. We reiterate our firm belief that Rockstar broke the law when it summarily dismissed 31 of our members, and we look forward now to the day we face them in court for a full and substantive tribunal hearing.

“Rockstar hoped to quickly and quietly wipe out a group of workers who were organising for better conditions. Instead, their dismissal of 31 union members captured the world’s attention and ignited an unprecedented uprising of global solidarity. This case is not just about the suffering of the 31 people who lost their livelihoods in the blink of an eye. This is about the arrogance of a company like Rockstar thinking that its size and profitability grant it an unlimited licence to abuse its workers, and to do so with impunity.

“Whether or not interim relief is granted this week, we will continue fighting in the courts and on the streets until we see justice, for the fired Rockstar workers and for workers everywhere fighting for a fairer future.”

A Rockstar Games spokesperson issued IGN with the following statement on this week’s hearing. In it, the company addressed many of the union’s claims, and claimed the organization lacks any evidence to justify emergency interim relief.

“Rockstar categorically denies the claim being heard in today’s hearing,” the Rockstar spokesperson said.

“We have consistently made clear that we took necessary action against a group of individuals across the UK and Canada who discussed highly confidential information, including relating to game features from upcoming and unannounced titles, in an insecure and public social channel. This was a breach of long-standing and well-understood confidentiality policies.

“This channel contained at least 25 non-Rockstar employees, including employees of competitor game developers, a video games industry journalist, as well as dozens of anonymous, unidentifiable members.

“Meanwhile, employees who posted union-supportive messages, but who did not breach confidentiality policies, were not dismissed.

“We regret that these dismissals were necessary; however, confidentiality is fundamental to everything Rockstar Games does. Global interest in our games is unparalleled. Even the smallest leak of any information relating to our products and practices can cause major commercial and creative damage — as we have seen in the past — and damage the experience of our loyal players and dedicated team. This was never about union membership. We have always taken a zero-tolerance approach to unauthorized releases of information — and we always will.”

Rockstar has indicated to IGN that it believes the IWGB’s claim of “union-busting” is baseless, and that the union has no evidence to support its statements. Rockstar has also denied having a “blacklist” of union members, stressing that at the time of the dismissals, the company did not know whether the claimants were union members, so could not have targeted them.

And, as it has said before, Rockstar employees themselves raised concerns to the company and granted representatives access to the “social” channel, not the Discord channel used for official union organizing. It maintains that this social Discord channel was not private or for employees only, and indeed contained hundreds of users, including employees of competitor game developers, a video games industry journalist, and dozens of anonymous, unidentifiable members. As IGN has also reported, Rockstar has claimed that the union channel mods didn’t know who was in the channel, and that it posed a leak risk.

What about this alleged leaked information? Rockstar believes it to be significant and related to game features around GTA 6. This includes specific game features, comments on the progress of GTA 6 development, and timelines to launch.

Rockstar believes that if the comments in question were leaked they would have been big gaming news and might even have affected Take-Two’s share price. When Rockstar officially announced that GTA 6 would be delayed by six months to November 19, 2026, the market value of Take-Two plummeted $3.75 billion in a single day.

And Rockstar has pointed to its well-established zero tolerance approach to leaks, highlighting that it dismissed a Rockstar employee in Lincoln, UK in April 2025, who it alleged disclosed confidential information about GTA 6 to a third party who published the information to social media, and dismissed an employee in the U.S. in November 2023 and another in India in November 2025 for two separate acts of information leaking.

The hearing comes after UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer called the case “deeply concerning," and pledged that ministers would investigate. The layoffs were raised by Rockstar North's local MP Chris Murray in the UK's Parliament during a session of Prime Minister's Questions that took place late last year.

"The video games company Rockstar in my constituency last month fired 31 employees without providing evidence or union representation," Murray told the Prime Minister. "The [Independent Workers Union of Great Britain] IWGB alleges union busting. Having met Rockstar they failed to reassure me they are following employment law and I share concerns about union busting.

"Given this government is responsible for the biggest increase in workers rights in a generation," Murray continued, "does the Prime Minister agree all companies regardless of profit size must follow UK employment law and all workers have the right to join a union?"

"It's a deeply concerning case," Starmer replied. "Every worker has the right to join a trade union and we're determined to strengthen workers rights and ensure they don't face unfair consequences for being part of a union. Our ministers will look into the particular case that he [Murray] raises and will keep him updated."

Union busting has consequences! UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer says the government will look into @RockstarGames's dismissal of 31 union members. pic.twitter.com/4EEM9NvcR7

— IWGB Game Workers (@IWGB_GW) December 10, 2025

In a statement sent to IGN at the time, MP Chris Murray shared detail of his attempts to discuss the matter with Rockstar itself, including a joint meeting alongside fellow Edinburgh MPs Tracy Gilbert and Scott Arthur at Rockstar North's offices, which began with a standoff over the need to sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA).

"The meeting began with us as MPs refused entry unless an NDA was signed, a request they eventually withdrew after being made clear this would not be signed," Murray said.

He continued: "The meeting only entrenched my concerns about the process Rockstar used to dismiss so many of their staff members. I was not assured their process paid robust attention to UK employment law, I was not convinced that this course of action was necessary, and alarmingly, I did not leave informed on exactly what these 31 people had done to warrant their immediate dismissal."

IGN recently questioned Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick on the matter, who answered by defending the company's culture and saying that Take-Two was "incredibly proud of our labor relations."

Photo by Lesley Martin/PA Images via Getty Images.

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.

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 Bear, and Alien: Earth, there is always something awesome to watch.

Given recent news that Hulu will soon be fully integrated into the Disney+ app, now's a great time to check out a bundle that includes both Hulu and Disney+. On the other hand, both services have gotten price hikes, making it worth doing some research before locking in a new subscription. 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.

Our Top Pick: The Disney+, Hulu, and HBO Max Streaming Bundle

Details of Fortnite's highly-anticipated South Park crossover have popped up online, with a leaked trailer revealing a first in-game look at Stan, Kyle, Kenny, Cartman and Butters.

All five of the characters will be available as skins, albeit in mech-like suits similar to how Fortnite has previously included other characters of shorter stature (Bart and Lisa Simpson were handled similarly, as was Rick from Rick and Morty).

The trailer also shows off a variety of South Park items available to wield, such as The Stick of Truth and a box of Cheesy Poofs, which look to be a health consumable. An area of the current Fortnite Chapter 7 battle royale Island has also been reskinned, with the existing Wonkeeland theme park now remodelled as "Cartmanland."

FULL SOUTH PARK FORTNITE TRAILER

(via @imscouterr) pic.twitter.com/Jnl4g3I2tS

— Shiina (@ShiinaBR) January 7, 2026

One final addition to the trailer is the reveal of Towelie, who looks set to be the latest in Fortnite's growing line of pet-like Sidekicks. The absorbant accessory follows previous licensed Sidekicks such as Groot and Spongebob Squarepants.

The trailer concludes with a player picking up the Stick of Destiny — something that prompts a lightning bolt-like effect. Previous leaks have suggested this item will allow players to control the shape of Fortnite's battle royale storm, though this currently remains unconfirmed.

Another unknown element is how this crossover will be monetized. Unconfirmed leaks have long pointed to the event featuring its own premium mini battle pass — something that Fortnite has offered previously, though not recently. (In particular it'll be interesting to see if this mini battle pass is offered free to Fortnite Crew subscribers, since the membership has previously boasted of including every battle pass within its cost.)

What else might be included in this South Park crossover? Will Satan turn up? How about Donald Trump and his baby? For now, all Fortnite has officially confirmed is that the event will begin this Friday, January 9. Stay tuned for more 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

Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 4's Ork campaign is chronologically the first of four, kicking off our explosive return to the planet Kronus. And we're kicking off a month of very orky IGN First coverage with their opening cinematic (watch it above), setting the stage for a load of krumpin'. You gotta respect the boyz for knowing what they're about and living their truth, even if their truth is largely mayhem and murder. They never pretend to be anything they're not, you know.

The action starts with an Ork assault on one of the last battle barges of the Blood Ravens chapter of Space Marines. The long-time protagonists of the Dawn of War series, the red-clad Astartes are in a bad spot at this point in the 42nd Millennium, with the chapter barely clinging to life. And their return to Kronus hasn't gone unnoticed, with their perennial rival in the warboss Gorgutz meeting them head-on. It's the biggest and meanest we've ever seen him, trivially snapping a Primaris marine in half with his Mega Armor exoskeleton.

As the surviving Blood Ravens try to escape their doomed ship – led by returning heroes Commander Cyrus and Chief Librarian Jonah Orion – Gorgutz orders his Ork Rok (basically just a big asteroid full of orks with rockets built in) to crash on the planet and pursue the beakies. But the Ork campaign won't just be about his story, as there's a native warboss on Kronus already who isn't eager to bend the knee to this Nob from the sky.You'll get to learn a lot more about him, and the Ork campaign and battle mechanics, all month long as part of IGN First. So keep an eye out for our interviews with the creative director for Dawn of War 4, a demonstration of the new synced melee animation system, and a hands-on preview of the first several campaign missions.

For now, don't miss our first preview of the upcoming RTS sequel, and stay tuned for our exclusive new coverage all January long! And you can wishlist Dawn of War 4 on Steam if you're interested.

The Humble Bundle January lineup has officially arrived to kick off 2026, and if you've been hoping to stock up on some new PC games to keep you busy, it's offering up a great selection. Leading the pack this month is Sonic Frontiers, Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered, and Hunt: Showdown 1896, alongside five others and a free month of IGN Plus. All of these - which you can see in full list form below - can be yours to keep forever with a Humble Choice membership, which will set you back $14.99 per month.

Humble Choice January 2026 Game Lineup

The developer behind Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has acknowledged leaving some completionist fans who wanted a "challenging" final boss fight "disappointed" at its difficulty.

Speaking to Edge magazine (via GamesRadar), Clair Obscur lead game designer Michel Nohra said he regretted not making it clearer that the game's final boss should be fought as soon as possible to experience the battle at its optimum level of challenge.

Nohra noted complaints from some completionist players who found themselves wanting more of tougher fight, having continued to level up by mopping up all the game's side content. But this was something Clair Obscur's team hadn't expected, Nohra explained, as they weren't sure if players would enjoy the game to the extent that they did.

"The only thing I regret is not making it clearer that if you want the intended difficulty for the boss, you have to go beat it now," Nohra said.

"Often, people don't want to finish the game, so they do all the side content before finishing it, because once the story is over, you're usually less motivated to do the side content. And that's something I underestimated, which made people that wanted a challenging end boss fight feel a bit disappointed. I don't regret doing it the way we did it, but [we could have] had more explanation about your choice [in Act 3]."

By way of an explanation, lead programmer Tom Guillermin said it had been "a surprise for us [that] people were doing every single thing there is to do in the game before going to the final dungeon," having previously been unsure how long players would stick around in the game's world once the ability to go beat the final boss became available. "We're happy about that," Guillermin added, "but we didn't see it coming."

For players seeking even tougher challenges, the game's final DLC added a fresh area full of the hardest fights in the game — and players have been having fun with their own creative ways to make these even harder. Last month, one intrepid expeditioner spent eight hours notching up 10,000 parries against one of the DLC's toughest new bosses in frankly ridiculous conditions.

As for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33's huge popularity and success, its recent sweep at The Game Awards 2025 speaks for itself. So what's next? Well, with work on Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 now complete, fans are already speculating what might come next, as the game's developer has teased that Clair Obscur was a "franchise name" and Expedition 33 was just one story within its universe. In the meantime, you can catch up on the full patch notes for Expedition 33's final update here.

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

Considering what it offers, Disney+ is one of the best streaming services on the block. From classic Disney animated films to the latest Marvel shows, Star Wars movies, and so much more, Disney+ puts an incredible range of high-quality viewing options at your fingertips. There's tons to watch, but after another round of price hikes, you might want to revisit your streaming subscriptions. We're here to help.

At the moment, one of the best Disney Plus bundle deals available is the massive Disney+, Hulu, and HBO Max streaming bundle. This starts at $19.99/month (after a recent price hike) to get you all three streaming services with ads. Bundles are definitely worth considering, especially following the news of Hulu eventually fully integrating into the Disney+ app.

How to Get the Disney Plus, Hulu, and HBO Max Streaming Bundle

Ubisoft has shut down its Halifax Studio, just weeks after 61 of its 71 workers voted to unionize.

The publisher shared this news in a statement to IGN today, confirming that 71 positions had been impacted and claiming this move was part of its wider two-year effort company-wide to "streamline operations, improve efficiency, and reduce costs." "We are committed to supporting all impacted team members during this transition with resources, including comprehensive severance packages and additional career assistance," the company added.

This comes three weeks after 61 of Ubisoft Halifax's employees voted to unionize with the Game & Media Workers Guild of Canada, which is itself part of CWA (Communications Workers of America) in Canada. The union was officially certified six months after employees announced their intentions to unionize, and after 74% of eligible employees consisting of producers, programmers, designers, artists, researchers, and testing voted in favor. It marked the first Ubisoft union in North America.

Ubisoft has claimed that the closure of Ubisoft Halifax is unrelated to the union, and is instead a part of its larger restructuring and cost-saving efforts, as well as declining revenues from Assassin's Creed: Rebellion, which will also be winding down operations as part of this decision. The publisher has been undergoing significant cuts, laying off employees in batches over the last few years, shutting down studios, and canceling multiple projects amid a series of disappointing releases and falling revenues. Last year, Ubisoft turned outside the company for assistance, creating a new business entity to manage Assassin's Creed, Far Cry, and Rainbow Six with a 25% stake from Tencent.

IGN reached out to Ubisoft Workers of Canada: Halifax and CWA for comment, and received the following: "We're devastated that this is happening, especially so soon after we unionized. We're looking into all avenues to fight for the rights of our members."

Ubisoft Halifax began as a branch of Longtail Studios, which was founded in New York City in 2003 by Ubisoft co-founder Gérard Guillemot, with branches in Quebec and Halifax being added in later years. It was best-known for its work on the Rocksmith series, as well as various early mobile and Nintendo DS games. In 2015, Ubisoft acquired Longtail and renamed it Ubisoft Halifax, putting it to work on mobile games such as Assassin's Creed Rebellion and Rainbow Six Mobile.

Two years ago, we told the story of a 2008-2009 unionization drive that took place at the Quebec Longtail studio that was ultimately unsuccessful due to what our sources claimed were fairly open union-busting efforts by its management, including mass layoffs attributed to economic conditions. Both Longtail Halifax and Quebec were ultimately folded into Ubisoft in subsequent years.

Photo Illustration by Mateusz Slodkowski/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images.

Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.

The Stranger Things 'Conformity Gate' theory has — as expected — turned out to be nonsense, leaving conspiracy theorists facing the cold, harsh reality that Season 5 really is the end of the show.

In the wake of Stranger Things Season 5’s divisive finale, the so-called ‘Conformity Gate’ theory spread like wildfire across social media, especially TikTok. It posits that the lengthy epilogue we saw in the final episode was an illusion created by villain Vecna, who remains alive and well.

Some fans spent a great deal of time and energy assembling “clues” that pointed to the shadowdrop of an “Episode 9” of Season 5 that would reveal the true ending today, January 7. Alas, that failed to materialize. It turns out that any “clues” pointing to something happening today were in fact related to Netflix making a song and dance of upcoming projects, with a flashy trailer teasing TV shows and movies to come in 2026.

The ‘What’s Next?’ tagline for this trailer is about what’s next for Netflix, not Stranger Things. And Millie Bobby Brown’s appearance in the promo as Enola Holmes for this year’s Enola Holmes 3 isn’t helping dismayed Stranger Things conspiracy theorists move on with their lives either.

"So is Chapter 9 coming or not for Stranger Things?" pic.twitter.com/kZnZ0s3DSN

— Hajedan | WolfSwap.app (@Hajedan) January 7, 2026

Mike & Eleven finally got their happy ending? pic.twitter.com/5cZmUu0dHR

— BOB (@bobussyy) January 7, 2026

Stranger Things fans rn holding onto their theory rn be like😭 pic.twitter.com/CmrK3ulFv9

— Hajedan | WolfSwap.app (@Hajedan) January 7, 2026

I swear to god if I see a single comment saying this confirms the secret finale of ST ... pic.twitter.com/arIPJ3vMeY

— Hajedan | WolfSwap.app (@Hajedan) January 7, 2026

So yes, Stranger Things is really done and dusted. And don’t expect a sequel either. The Duffer Brothers have ruled out a Stranger Things sequel that would check in on the characters years later, saying it would be “a gross cash grab.”

But all is not lost for Stranger Things fans. Netflix actually has two announced Stranger Things spinoffs in development, the first of which is Stranger Things: Tales From ’85, a new animated series due out at some point this year. This is set in the same universe between Seasons 2 and 3, and follows the original characters as they “fight new monsters and unravel a paranormal mystery terrorizing their town.” The second spinoff is an unnamed live-action series. And if you’re really desperate for more, there’s a making-of documentary due out on Netflix on January 12.

“The show ended guys. It’s over,” said one fan on the Stranger Things subreddit. “I understand you weren’t happy with the ending… I wasn’t either. But believing a secret episode is dropping just makes no sense. Not only that but the posts about it, which are nonstop and all I need at this point in the discussion of the ending and it clogs up all the space for actual discussion of the actual ending. If you want to play pretend with the ending there are several fan fiction websites to go to. I really hope today is the end of all the secret episode nonsense.”

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.

Perhaps you've heard rumors about the death of physical media. Those rumors are greatly exaggerated. Tons of 4K UHD and Blu-ray movies and TV shows hit the shelves each month. And with all the streaming services raising their prices seemingly every other month, physical media keeps on looking better and better. Whether you want to watch your favorites regardless of what streaming services you subscribe to, or you just enjoy the act of collecting, it's good to know when the newest releases are coming out on 4K UHD and Blu-ray. Below, you'll find a full rundown of release dates and buy links for all the upcoming home releases you're likely to care about.

Biggest New and Upcoming 4K UHD and Blu-ray Releases

If you want a TL;DR of the biggest upcoming home movie and TV show releases, look no further than the list above. We keep it updated and change out the featured items regularly. Below, you'll find all the notable upcoming release sorted by release date.

January 2026 4K and Blu-ray Releases

January 6

• Shameless: The Complete Series - Buy It
• Under Siege (4K) - Buy It

January 13

• 1408 (4K) - Buy It
• Bringing Out the Dead (4K) - Buy It
• Evil Dead Rise (4K) - Buy It
• Thunderheart (4K) - Buy It

January 20

• Captain Blood (Criterion 4K) - Buy It
• The Dead (Criterion 4K) - Buy It
• End of Watch (4K) - Buy It
• Knock Off (4K) - Buy It
• Lionheart (4K) - Buy It
• One Battle After Another - Buy It
• Roofman - Buy It
• Snakes on a Plane - Limited Edition (4K) - Buy It
• Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere - Buy It
• Wicked: For Good - Buy It
• Wicked 2-Film Collection - Buy It
• The Woody Woodpecker & Friends Golden Age Collection - Buy It

January 27

• Arcane League Of Legends: Season One (4K) - Buy It
• Birth (Criterion 4K) - Buy It
• Castlevania Nocturne: Season 2 - Buy It
• Cheap Thrills (Limited Edition) - Buy It
• The Garbage Pail Kids Movie (4K)- Buy It
• Ordinary People (Blu-ray) - Buy It
• World War Z (4K Steelbook) - Buy It

February 2026 4K and Blu-ray Releases

February 3

• Friday the 13th (4K) - Buy It
• Friday the 13th Part 2 (4K) - Buy It
• Wicked: For Good - Gift Set

February 10

• Cruel Intentions - 25th Anniversary - Buy It
• Lawrence of Arabia (4K) - Buy It
• Seven (4K) - Buy It
• Westworld (1973) (4K) - Buy It

February 17

• All the President's Men (4K) - Steelbook | Standard
• A Beautiful Mind (4K) - Buy It
• Ben-Hur (4K) - Buy It
• The Carpenter's Son - Buy It
• Child's Play 2 - Steelbook (4K) - Buy It
• Double Impact (4K) - Buy It
• Five Nights at Freddy's 2 - Buy It
• Mean Girls (4K) - Buy It
• Nightcrawler (4k) - Buy It
• Now You See Me: Now You Don't - Steelbook | Standard
• Ray (4K) - Buy It
• Scream (4K) - Steelbook
• Small Soldiers (4K) - Buy It
• Trick 'r Treat (4K) - Buy It
• Wrath of Man (4K) - Buy It

Februrary 24

• The Man Who Wasn't There (Criterion 4K) - Buy It
• Mimic (4K) - Buy It
• Network (Criterion 4K) - Buy It
• True Romance (4K) - Buy It

March 2026 4K and Blu-ray Releases

March 3

• The Running Man (2025) - Steelbook | Standard
• Star Trek: Strange New Worlds - Season 3 - Buy It

March 10

• The Devil's Advocate - Collector's Edition (4K) - Buy It
• Rango (4K) - Buy It

March 17

• The Birthday (4K) - Buy It
• The Boy and the Beast - Buy It
• Solo Leveling: Season 2 - Buy It

March 24

• Hail, Caesar! (4K) - Buy It
• Killers of the Flower Moon (Criterion 4K) - Buy It

March 31

• Little Nicky (4K Steelbook) - Buy It
• Outbreak - Collector's Edition (4K) - Buy It
• Salem's Lot (4K) - Buy It

May 2026 4K and Blu-ray Releases

May 5

• The Gilmore Girls: Complete Series - Buy It
• IT: Welcome to Derry - Complete First Season - Buy It

TBA 4K and Blu-ray Releases

• Anaconda - Steelbook
• The Housemaid - Buy It

Want more release dates? Check out our mega-post of all the biggest video game release dates to see what's coming to consoles and PC this year and beyond.

What's the Difference Between 4K and Blu-ray?

The distinction between 4K and Blu-ray is mostly about resolution. A standard Blu-ray disc will usually offer 1080p resolution whereas a 4K disc will offer 2160p resolution. And while all Blu-ray players will be able to play those 1080p discs, not every machine is equipped for 4K.

Best 4K TVs

If you're looking to buy a new TV that will make your 4K movies shine, you'll definitely want to take a look at our favorites. Our tech editors have selected the best 4K TVs for gaming, which will also work great for movie-watching. And since both the PS5 and Xbox Series X have 4K Blu-ray play-back built in, you'll probably be doing plenty of gaming on them as well.

LG C5 OLED Smart Gaming TV

When asked why he wanted to climb Mt. Everest, famed British mountaineer George Mallory famously offered the simple reply, "Because it’s there.” After several hours playing through an exclusive, hands-on demo of Cairn, the upcoming climbing-survival sim from The Game Bakers, I’m beginning to understand what ol’ George was on about. My time on the mountain was filled with arduous climbs punctuated with periods of quiet reflection, life-or-death battles against the elements, and a combined sense of victory and wonder as I reached higher and higher. Tape those fingers, chalk your hands, and get ready to dig in; this climb will be a test of wits and endurance.

Get a Grip

I stand at the base of a stone wall as small cracks and ledges pockmark the surface. I tentatively reach up a hand to grab a chest-high hold, and begin to slowly hoist myself up the face of the cliff. I’m working slowly and cautiously through the day and into the night, fearful to make a wrong move and plunge to my death. There are a few tense moments as my arms begin to shake, a telltale-sign that they are ready to give out, but, with a carefully placed belay for safety, I make it to the top. There, under a canopy of stars, I see Mt. Kami in the distance, a towering and ferocious summit as yet untamed by mountaineers, and our goal on this climb.

The deliberate, highly-manual control of climbing reminds me a bit of Manual Samuel, or even QWOP, where the challenge lies in your ability to precisely control each limb. However, while games like that ratchet up the struggle as you fight with your intentionally obtuse and flailing character, in Cairn, Aava is your partner, and a highly skilled one. While the majority of control is in the player's hand, she makes the connection to the cliff itself, and seems to be smart about her grips. Place one of her hands on an outcropping and she will grab on, slide a leg towards a narrow crack and she will wedge her foot in as best she can. It feels like a 90-10 sharing of responsibility, and as I ascended up the face of Mount Kami, I couldn’t help but feel a level of trust with Aava that grew with each leg of the climb.

There’s an ebb and flow to the climbing. Sometimes, clear hand and footholds make for a fast and controlled ascent. Often, though, the path isn’t so clear or friendly, and I have to make due with wedging a foot against a flat surface, or gripping around the outside corner of a rock, taking advantage of Aava’s crushing grip strength when there’s no edge to take hold of. These work temporarily, but exertion quickly expends energy. Small shakes in limbs giving way to tremors and audible sounds of distress indicate these grips are about to break. Maybe you can buy time by shaking out an exhausted hand or leg, but you will ultimately need to get to a firm and sustainable position, or risk losing hold entirely, and joining the untold number of climbers that never made it back from their attempt to scale Mount Kami.

A core promise of Cairn is that you can essentially climb anywhere, that all of the rock face is your playground. However, you don’t just stick to surfaces like a tree frog the way Link does in Breath of the Wild; picking your route is essential to ensure you have the cracks and other holds necessary to make headway. Calling the climbing a puzzle would be reductive, it’s more like a toybox filled with puzzles for you to choose from. There’s no yellow paint to mark the path, but you can pull the camera out for a wide view to help with the decision making (and enjoy the gorgeous vista while you are at it.) Sometimes it’s a straightforward choice, like a slower, but easier route, or a faster, but more challenging course. But often it’s more complex than that, with options that mix tough segments in different orders, or appear easy overall save for a section that doesn't have a clear path, and you’ll just need to figure it out when you get there.

Fortunately, Aava has more than just her physical prowess to assist with her climb. Climbot is her trusty robot companion, following close behind and carrying an end of Aava’s climbing rope. By driving a piton into the rock, she can build a belay, loop the rope through the piton to the bot, catching her if she falls, and allowing her to lean off the cliff to rest, or rappel down. There’s a limited supply, but once you reach a flat section, Climbot can collect the piton to use again. These are really handy for saving progress on long climbs, and can be literal life savers, especially if used before heading into particularly tricky sections. They do take a bit of time to set properly, though, which I learned the hard way when I realized too late that I was going to lose my grip and hadn’t secured myself to the mountain.

Live to Climb Another Day

I’ve reached the top of a few cliff faces now, and am growing more confident. I’m climbing faster, and reading the surface of the mountain more clearly, making better choices about which routes to take. As I near the top of another climb, I spot some scribbles on the wall, a drawing and message from a young climber who came this way. I pull myself up and prepare to make camp when another Climbot, similar to mine but badly damaged, drags itself into view before breaking down entirely. Its solo descent from some untold altitude, with no sign of its owner, tells the grim story of what likely transpired. A short while later, I come around a bend near a waterfall, and find the remains of a climber. Aava kneels down over her fallen comrade, telling them gently, “Sometimes you come for the mountain. Sometimes the mountain comes for you.”

Mt. Kami is a dangerous place, particularly for a solo climber. As you climb you face the ever-present threat of a deadly fall, but that’s not all the mountain has to throw at you. Cold weather can sap your strength and health, rain can erode your grip, while storms and nightfall rob you of visibility. You’ll also need to stay fed and hydrated to survive, and tend to physical wear and tear of Aava’s hands.

Thankfully, this mountain isn’t all sheer walls and rocky outcroppings. Long climbs are punctuated with terraces, flat areas part way up the mountain, and caves offering a respite from the ascent. Here, temporary campsites called Bivouacs offer a place to save and pitch your tent. Nestled in her shelter, Aava is protected from the elements, and can cook meals on her stove, sort through her pack, and catch up on some much-needed rest to restore her health. This is also a good time to prepare for what’s next by taping up bloody fingers and preparing warm food and drink to better endure dropping temperatures.

This is a long climb, and will take more resources than can fit in a single backpack. While you can occasionally grab edible plants mid-climb, it’s these terraces and caves where scavenging opportunities really present themselves. Streams, waterfalls, and ponds can refill your canteen, while local flora and fauna, like dandelions and fish, afford a chance to gather things to cook or eat. Bear-proof boxes or abandoned supplies might be right in front of you, other times you need to stray off the beaten path and explore.

Call of the Mountain

I’m now four days into this ascent, and I feel like I must be thousands of feet above where I started. I’m climbing extremely well now, finding narrow footholds and recognizing more ways to maintain my grip, but there’s something going on with Aava. I can’t quite put my finger on what, but there’s more to it than just trying to be the first to tame Mount Kami. Her agent has called a few times via Climbot, but she’s ignored him enough times that it seems less funny, more intentional. She was cheery enough following a message from friends with some well wishes, but when the smile faded, she looked more pained than pleased. I keep thinking back to a moment after Climbot plays back a message from Aava’s partner, some innocent updates about the going-ons back home. The way she turns to her mechanical companion, no offer of thanks or a smile, instead rebuking it with, “Happy now robot? You’ve ruined everything.” Something isn’t right, and I don’t know what.

While Cairn seems to be about the journey and struggle of the climb, don’t take that to mean that story takes a back seat. The Game Bakers have been clear that we might see some other climbers on our ascent, and, while what I’ve seen has mostly been the focused solitude of one person’s fight against gravity, the bits of dialogue from Aava and audio playback from Climbot have contributed enough pieces to the narrative mosaic in my three hours or so that I’m starting to get a better sense of who Aava is, and that whatever is driving this death-defying climb is something she’s willing to risk her life for. But I don’t know why, and every time I pull myself farther up the mountain it’s with the hope that it’s pulling me a bit closer to finding out.

The same can be said for Mount Kami itself. These often sheer, jagged cliffs give off an unmistakable hostility, but the waterways and greenery give it an undeniable serenity at times too. There’s a complex identity and history to this mountain, one that’s uncovering the further I climb. At one point in my demo I came across cave-dwellings that had been carefully sculpted into multiple homes and common areas, with a few abandoned writings that helped understand the people who lived there, and a bit of their relationships with the adventurers who came through. Later, a covered shelf acting as a platform for some abandoned tents, with journals wondering about the presence of bears, gives me a sense of dread about why they are abandoned and what might be waiting ahead. A broken cable car and toppled-over vending machine (with some convenient snacks) help fill in the story told of a place that was once more accessible and open to the world, but has since become more closed off.

As my time with the Cairn demo comes to an end I find myself thinking more about Mount Kami, about how I could approach every area I climbed differently the next time, and what awaits farther up. I’m invested in the story, but just as intrigued in the idea of talking to friends about their routes and watching others take on the mountain, especially those brave enough to challenge the piton-less, permadeath Free-Solo difficulty. Fortunately, I won’t need to wait much longer to test the mountain again, Cairn plants its flag on PS5 and PC on January 29th.

Netflix has provided a first look at Enola Holmes 3, the murder mystery sequel starring Millie Bobby Brown as Sherlock Holmes’ younger sister and Henry Cavill, who plays Sherlock Holmes himself.

Enola Holmes 3, due to hit Netflix this summer, sees detective Enola Holmes travel to Malta, where “personal and professional dreams collide on a case more tangled and treacherous than any she has faced before.”

“You’ll have to wait and see what brings her there — but once she’s arrived, Enola is flung into a nest of vipers,” Netflix said. “As the private detective juggles a new case and the next stages of her relationship with Tewkesbury (Louis Partridge), the game is truly afoot.”

The first-look photo, below, shows Tewkesbury down on one knee presenting Enola with a flower. The question is, will she say yes?

If you think it's okay to share spoilers of a 26-year-old game, you may want to think again after Square Enix made it clear that anyone willfully spoiling Dragon Quest VII Reimagined may be "temporarily or permanently banned."

According to the company's usage policy, and reported by Automaton, anyone sharing details of the plot — be it from the demo, the original story, or the new story elements in the remake, which releases next month — must use spoiler tags. This means players cannot share images, videos, or even livestreams of any gameplay past the Malign Shrine: Throne Room's boss battle before the February 5, 2026 release date.

"No spoilers please," the publisher stressed. "In order not to spoil other players' enjoyment, you must mark all content that includes details of major plot developments with a clear spoiler warning.

"Please refrain from livestreaming or posting videos/images of gameplay after the boss battle in the Malign Shrine: Throne Room until February 5 2026."

While that may sound fair enough, don't forget that the digital deluxe edition provides players with two days' early access, which players and streamers won't be able to share their experience from before the release date. Anyone sharing images or videos should also attribute copyright to Armor Project, Bird Studio and Square Enix, and failure to adhere to any of these rules may result in temporary or permanent suspension of your game access.

"You must immediately comply with any request from Square Enix to remove Materials from any shared content, regardless of whether Square Enix provides a reason for the request," the notice adds. "Square Enix reserves the right to require or seek removal of any content incorporating the Materials that it deems to be inappropriate in its sole discretion. If you do not adhere to these Guidelines, Square Enix may, in addition to objecting to your use of the Materials, temporarily or permanently suspend you from using the Game."

Dragon Quest VII Reimagined is set to release on February 5 on PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and both Nintendo Switch and Switch 2. Announced in September's Nintendo Direct, it lets you rediscover a tale of plucky companions brimming with joy and heartbreak as you discover the truth behind why your kingdom is the only remaining island in the world. The game features a new art style that blends diorama visuals with Akira Toriyama’s iconic character designs, as well as a streamlined main story.

"While many aspects of Dragon Quest VII Reimagined are still a mystery, all of those special little qualities and personalities that have kept this series going for almost 40 years are still on display," we wrote in IGN's Dragon Quest VII Reimagined preview, shared towards the end of last year.

"I am eager to see all that this new version has to offer and just how the removal of some story beats and addition of new ones impacts the overall campaign, along with what the new gameplay mechanics bring to the Dragon Quest DNA. 2026 may just be the year that the rest of the world really sees what has made Dragon Quest VII the best-selling entry over in Japan, giving it the stage to finally shine."

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.

A major highlight of the Fallout TV show is seeing items from the video game being given live-action form, and the series' iconic power armour is certainly the highlight. But so far, we've only seen knights clad in the T-60 armour, first introduced in Fallout 4. That is, until this week. Fallout Season 2, Episode 4 finally gives physical form to what many would consider the iconic power armour: the T-45, which adorned the front cover of Fallout 3.

Of course, that's not the only cool video game detail to appear in this week's episode. We’ve been digging into each and every episode and picking out everything we’ve noticed that relates to the source material. You can check out everything we found in episodes one, two, and three, and read on to see every video game easter egg and detail we spotted in episode four of Fallout Season 2, from the T-45 armour to boxes of mac and cheese, classic casinos, and a nod to V.A.T.S.

Characters and Factions

1. During the episode’s cold opener, we’re introduced to the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), the military forces of China’s Communist Party. The force was America’s enemy during the Sino-American War, a conflict that raged for more than a decade, starting in 2066 and only concluding with the nuclear apocalypse in 2077.

2. The PLA squad is butchered by a deathclaw, one of Fallout’s most iconic monsters. Deathclaws were genetically engineered by the US government, designed to be deployed as part of high-risk, search-and-destroy missions. This particular beast is a male, identified thanks to its fully grown horns. We see another deathclaw in the episode’s final moments, which again is a male, and its dark colouring may potentially point to it being an alpha – a notably long-lived deathclaw.

3. Lucy and The Ghoul bump into the Kings at the entrance to the New Vegas strip. In the show, they have succumbed to becoming feral ghouls, but in the game, set 15 years earlier, the Kings are a human faction of Elvis Presley impersonators. None of the street gang members actually know who Elvis was – their only understanding of the man they call “The King” is gleaned from their HQ, the King's School of Impersonation, located in the Freeside area of New Vegas.

4. When Chet looks through Steph’s belongings, he discovers that she is from the United States Annexed Territory of Canada, rather than being a US citizen. During the Sino-American War, the US annexed Canada as part of its military operations and exploited the country’s resources. The US eventually dissolved Canada as a sovereign nation, a move that naturally provoked tension and riots among the Canadian population.

Locations

5. The episode’s opening takes place on The Alaskan Front, the territory that was the stage for the Battle of Anchorage. A major part of the Sino-American War, the Chinese invasion and occupation of Anchorage saw the US use Canada as a tactical corridor to mobilise its forces and defend the territory – eventually leading to the annexing of Canada. A simulation of this pivotal battle is the basis for Fallout 3’s Operation: Anchorage DLC.

6. This week, we see the exterior of the soda factory that Thaddeus had taken over in the previous episode, and its massive bottle statue confirms that it is indeed the Sunset Sarsaparilla headquarters from New Vegas.

7. Lucy and The Ghoul’s interaction with the Kings takes place at The Strip North Gate, the northernmost entrance to the New Vegas strip. In the game, this is the main fast travel point for the strip itself. Entrance usually requires passing a credit check of 2,000 caps or having a passport, but that isn’t an issue for our duo in the show due to the distinct lack of security.

8. We don’t get to visit any major locations from New Vegas in this episode, but when Lucy and The Ghoul enter the strip, we can see the signs and facades of many iconic New Vegas buildings. There’s the Gomorrah Hotel and Casino, known for its prostitution and sleazy dealings, identified by the silhouettes of two women that flank its main logo sign.

9. The deathclaw emerges from Brimstone, the bar attached to the Gomorrah.

10. Then there’s The Tops Hotel and Casino, which is considered the most “classic” of New Vegas’ gambling offerings.

11. The Lucky 38 Resort and Casino, identified by its towering needle-like design that echoes the style of the real-life Strat building, was Mr. House’s headquarters on the New Vegas strip in the days before the nuclear apocalypse.

12. The Ultra-Luxe Las Vegas Resort is the strip’s most elite venue, home to a gourmet restaurant, and run, at least during the period of the New Vegas game, by the upper-class White Glove Society.

13. Vault 21 was, as its name suggests, a Vault-Tec subterranean nuclear shelter, and functioned akin to the other vaults we’ve seen for close to two centuries. After a deal with Mr. House, though, it was opened up to the public, converted into a hotel, and made part of the New Vegas strip.

Items and Iconography

14. In the opening flashback, Cooper Howard and Charlie Whiteknife are both wearing West Tek T-45 series power armor. This is the iconic power armor, featured on the front cover of Fallout 3 and available to wear across all of Bethesda’s games. As detailed in both Fallout lore and a conversation between Cooper and Bud Askins in season one, the T-45 featured numerous design flaws that made the otherwise powerful suit a liability.

15. Lucy is revived from her crucifixion ordeal via a drip of Buffout. This drug has been a mainstay of the video game series since the original Fallout, and is a steroid that increases strength, reflexes, and endurance. It’s typically dispensed in a bottle of 50 tablets, so this liquid drip version used in the show is a new format for the chemical.

16. You can spot a SPECIAL poster in the background of Reg’s inter-breeding social club. SPECIAL is the ruleset that governs player-made characters in the Fallout games (it is an acronym made up of the primary statistic: Strength, Perception, Endurance, Charisma, Intelligence, Agility, and Luck.) Variants of this poster can be seen in the games’ many vaults.

17. Norm’s gang of clueless Vault-Tec managers can be seen eating packets of Blamco Mac and Cheese, scavenged from an abandoned truck. Blamco’s cheesy packet pasta is a food source frequently found in the games.

18. As noted previously, when Lucy and The Ghoul arrive at the New Vegas strip’s North Gate, they encounter no security. In the game, the entrance is defended by five Securitron gatekeepers. By the events of the show, they have been destroyed – The Ghoul spots their shattered remains through his spyglass.

19. Lucy’s shootout with the ghoulified Kings ends with a stylish slow-motion shot, in which the camera follows a bullet on its journey to blasting a hole through a ghoul’s skull. This replicates the slo-mo cinematic kills of the games’ V.A.T.S mechanic.

20. Maximus can be seen using a laser pistol during his attempt to assassinate Quintus. It is the AER9 model, introduced in Fallout 4.

21. Quintus responds by pulling out a 10mm pistol, which is also based on the design featured in Fallout 4.

Music

22. The scene that depicts Reg’s snack-happy social club features “Rum and Coca-Cola” by the Andrews Sisters, recorded in 1944. The song has not featured in any Fallout game so far, although other Andrews Sisters songs have – namely “Civilization”, “Pistol Packin’ Mama”, and “Straighten Up and Fly Right.” If you do recognise this tune, it may be because you remember it from Mafia 2. Or your own house – maybe you’re into retro tunes beyond their use in video games.

23. Lucy’s shootout with the King ghouls is set to “Cocaine Blues” by Roy Hogsed, recorded in 1947. This has not been featured in the games, despite a Johnny Cash cover of the song being part of a (not very) “official” Fallout New Vegas playlist on Spotify.

24. The closing credits use the song “He’s a Demon, He’s a Devil, He’s a Doll” by Betty Hutton, released in 1950. You may recognise this one from Fallout 4, as its broadcast on Diamond City Radio.

And that’s everything we spotted in the fourth episode of season two of the Fallout TV show. Did we miss anything? Let us know in the comments. For more Fallout, check out our review of this episode, and stay tuned next week for all of episode five’s easter eggs.

Matt Purslow is IGN's Executive Editor of Features.

David Harbour has dropped out of an upcoming movie starring Pedro Pascal, Eva Victor, Olivia Wilde, and Matthew Lillard, allegedly to rest after feeling “overwhelmed” by the wrapping up of Netflix show Stranger Things.

Harbour, who plays Jim Hopper in Stranger Things, has exited Behemoth!, the drama from Rogue One writer and Andor creator Tony Gilroy, Variety confirmed.

Variety said “multiple insiders familiar with the project said Harbour was overwhelmed by the series wrap of Stranger Things — a monthslong episodic rollout and global water cooler moment with intense press scrutiny — and stepped away from the project to rest.”

It is not known who will now play David Harbour’s recast character.

Stranger Things came to an end on New Year’s Eve with a 2-hour finale that saw Hopper and the rest of the characters finally defeat Vecna. It closes the door on a show that began on Netflix nearly a decade ago, with the weight of expectation of a huge online fandom that has spent years digging through every detail.

In June last year, Harbour indicated that he was ready to be hanging up the badge. "You get to a certain point where you’re like, 'How much more story is there?' You’re having to play a lot of the same beat," Harbour told Scarlett Johansson during a conversation for Interview Magazine. "And there’s a feeling where you’re like, 'I want to take a risk. I want to do something that people haven’t seen me do before.' So yeah, after 10 years, it’s like, 'Okay.'"

Two years prior, Harbour said he didn’t want to be tied to the Netflix show forever, and even suggested he’d give up TV acting altogether once Stranger Things wrapped up.

He said: "It’s a funny position I’m in, which I never thought I would be in. The first year of Stranger Things, I remember having a discussion with a publicist and her saying: ‘maybe you don’t want to be associated with the show so much.'

"I was like, ‘Why? I love this show. I love the character.’ And I do love the show. And I do love the character. But I don’t want to be just that character. I don’t want to be just that guy."

Harbour compared himself to George Clooney during his time playing Doug Ross on medical drama series ER, saying the now incredibly successful and famous film star was once just "the guy from ER.”

"I'm trying to navigate some of that, and it’s tricky because you don’t want to s**t on the people that love you for this thing that you did that you also love," Harbour added.

"But at the same time, you kind of want to leave the nest. I got more in me. I got different stuff in me, and I want you guys to see that. I don’t want people yelling ‘Hopper’ on the street every five minutes the rest of my life."

The most expensive Pokémon card in the world has been put up for sale by Logan Paul, the wrestler and influencer who previously paid $5.3 million for it.

Paul's mint condition, PSA 10-rated Pikachu Artist holds the Guinness World Record as the most expensive Pokémon trading card in existence — but it seems like the card could now be sold for an even higher amount.

If you have a few million dollars spare to make a bid, Paul has said he'll add to the card's value by throwing in a bejeweled chain (which he says is worth another $75,000) and hand deliver it to the auction's ultimate winner. Paul wore the card and chain during his WWE debut at WrestleMania 38, and again for his bout against Anthony Joshua in Miami last month.

Now Stranger Things has come to an end, fans are wondering what’s next from the wider Stranger Things universe. Some have speculated that a sequel of sorts could be in the works, one that checks in on the main characters maybe a decade after the events of the Season 5 finale.

But the Duffer brothers, co-creators and showrunners of Stranger Things, have ruled a sequel out, saying making such a thing would come across as a “gross cash grab.”

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Matt Duffer explained why the Season 5 finale works as the definitive end for the story.

“Mike’s closing the basement door,” he said. “We’re closing the door on the story. That’s one reason we had the closing credits the way we did, because it was a way of saying: ‘this is finite. This is the end of their story. It’s the end of the story of Mike and Eleven and Joyce and Hopper. So, no, there’s no plan or intention to tell the story because it’s a coming-of age story. Ultimately, that’s what it’s supposed to be. That’s what the show always was. When he closes the door to the basement, he’s closing the door on his childhood and he’s moving onto adulthood.”

Matt Duffer went on to wonder out loud about the prospect of a sequel that revisits the characters years later, but ultimately ruled it out.

“I mean, I guess a sequel could be about a midlife crisis,” he said. “That just sounds really uninteresting! (Laughs.) Grandpa Hopper? I don’t know how that would read as anything but a gross cash grab to me. I wish I could talk a little bit more about the [live-action] spinoff, but I’m not allowed to yet. But Ross and I are really excited about exploring new characters and a new mythology, but still very much are interested in telling a story in the spirit of Stranger Things. It feels like with this final season, we finished saying everything we wanted to say about these characters, this story and the Upside Down.”

While details on the live-action Stranger Things spinoff are thin on the ground, we do know one thing about it: it will answer what’s inside the briefcase we see in the Season 5 finale, as well as other loose threads.

“The spinoff is going to delve into that and explain that, and you’re going to understand it,” Matt Duffer said of the briefcase rock. “But it’s a completely different mythology. So it’s not a deep exploration of the Mind Flayer or anything like that. It’s very fresh and very new, but yes, it will answer some of the loose threads that are remaining.”

The Duffer brothers are working on the spinoff as we speak, and described it as a “clean slate.”

“Completely new characters, new town, new world, new mythology,” Matt Duffer said, adding: “No common characters.”

Netflix actually has two announced Stranger Things spinoffs in development, the first of which is Stranger Things: Tales From ’85, a new animated series due out at some point this year. This is set in the same universe between Seasons 2 and 3, and follows the original characters as they “fight new monsters and unravel a paranormal mystery terrorizing their town.” The second spinoff, which the Duffer brothers are referring to above, is an unnamed live-action series. And if you’re really desperate for more, there’s a making-of documentary due out on Netflix on January 12.

Image credit: Netflix.

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.

Southern California police are investigating a wave of similar burglaries involving trading card businesses in a bid to establish whether they are linked.

Thieves made off with thousands of dollars' worth of trading cards over the weekend, targeting a trading card store in Simi Valley, California, in the early hours of Sunday morning, January 4.

As reported by KTLA, the thieves targeted rare Pokémon and sports trading cards at Simi Sports Cards, making off with "almost every card" in just three minutes. You can see the robbery take place in the Instagram footage, below.

Owner Jake Miller said: “They took single cards from our show cases [after] busting them open. We have five display cases in here, and they were all full — almost every card was stolen. It’s several hundred cards, as well as some sealed boxes."

The store isn't certain of the exact amount taken, but Miller estimates it'll cost around $50,000 to put things right and upgrade the store's security systems.

"Card stores in greater Los Angeles and Ventura County are being hit RELENTLESSLY and we were once again victim this weekend," reads the Instagram post. "Sunday morning at 3:30am we were broken into by a group of 5 thieves who stole most of our singles inventory. Simi Valley was once known for law and order, what is happening?"

The Simi Valley Police Department said it was aware of similar burglaries involving trading card businesses that occurred over the weekend in surrounding communities. "SVPD Property Crimes Detectives are working closely with neighboring law enforcement agencies to determine whether these incidents may be connected," it said in a statement published online.

That's a reference to a man who reportedly purchased a rare Pokémon card "worth six figures" from a store in LA's Sawtelle neighborhood and, that same day, was tracked to his vehicle and robbed at gunpoint. It's unclear whether the two incidents are related, or indeed if either crime is connected to the same thieves who targeted a different store in Burbank just last month, stealing $100,000 in merchandise.

NEW: Burglars ransack card shop and steal $100,000 worth of rare Pokémon and sports cards

The owner believes the thieves knew exactly where the merchandise was and planned the job ahead of time

They got away with about $100,000 in merchandise

Police believe the same crew may… pic.twitter.com/zMIurJ86U9

— Unlimited L's (@unlimited_ls) December 6, 2025

This recent spate of thefts is just the latest example of how Pokémon cards are now considered high-value goods by thieves. In December 2024, it was reported that Japanese crime syndicates were now using Pokémon cards to launder money. And in the U.S., this is just the latest incident similar to many others over the past 12 months. Until Pokémon's popularity fades — and there's no sign it'll do that anytime soon, with a big new wave of games expected next year — it seems likely this will continue.

Anyone who may have information related to the burglary or who observed suspicious activity in the area is encouraged to contact the Simi Valley Police Department: 805-583-6950.

Image credit: Simi Sports Cards Instagram.

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.

A day on from the official reveal of LEGO Smart Brick, the company has responded to concerns that its big announcement poses a risk to its core basis in physical play.

Speaking to IGN, LEGO exec Federico Begher, SVP of Product, New Business, said that the impending arrival of smart elements in LEGO sets was a huge moment for the company, and one it had been working towards for a long period. At the same time, however, Begher was keen to respond to some of the technology's less-enthused early reactions, which have questioned whether LEGO was risking its core principals as a physical toy company.

"It's a big part of the future," Begher told IGN. "[But] I mean, it's very important to be clear that this does not mean that we're leaving our core proposition behind, which is some of the questions and concerns I've heard, like, 'are you leaving what's been successful in the massive move into this?'"

There is a mysterious countdown timer on Amazon’s official website for its Fallout TV series that is set to unlock when the Season 2 finale comes out — but fans think it might also signal the shadowdrop of a Fallout 3 or New Vegas remaster.

The countdown is live now on a website designed to look like a Fallout map. On it are locations in the Fallout map style which, when accessed, lead you to behind-the-scenes information on the show. For example, The Vault 33 outer door, from which Lucy first steps foot into the wasteland, is on the south of the map. The Caswennan, the airship that serves as a soaring fortress for the Brotherhood of Steel, is to the east. And up there in the top right is the locked point of interest alongside the timer, which points to February 4.

The Stranger Things final battle was inspired by Baldur’s Gate 3, the Duffer Brothers have revealed.

Warning! Spoilers for Stranger Things Season 5, Episode 8, The Rightside Up, follow:

In the finale, our heroes travel to The Abyss for a final showdown against Vecna, whose base of operations turns out to be the Mind Flayer itself. The final battle involves our heroes taking on the Mind Flayer from various positions and using various weapons, while a smaller strike team heads inside to face off against Vecna himself and rescue the kidnapped children.

It turns out Matt Duffer, co-creator and co-showrunner of Stranger Things, was playing Baldur’s Gate 3 when he and his brother, Ross Duffer, were working out how the final battle would go down, and Larian’s much-loved party-based role-playing game influenced how it would play out.

In an interview with Variety, Matt Duffer pointed to D&D and Baldur’s Gate 3 (Baldur’s Gate 3 is of course an official D&D video game, using its rules for combat and set in its universe).

“We were thinking about D&D, and I was playing Baldur’s Gate 3 at the time, and we felt it was very important that the only way for them to defeat it was for the entire party to work together,” Matt Duffer explained.

“Everyone had fully realized — either through self-acceptance or they’ve resolved all their various issues — moving into that final battle, they’re absolutely primed. They’re the ultimate team, and it’s the party working all together to defeat this thing. And they each have their own individual skills, right? And that’s where I go back to Dungeons & Dragons, and something like Baldur’s Gate. Because that’s how you take down these monsters that seem otherwise unstoppable. Lots of video game references were applied to that final battle.”

In Baldur’s Gate 3, players control not only their created character, but its now-famous companion characters in combat. The likes of Shadowheart, the half-elf Cleric, Astarion, the high elven Rogue, and Karlach, the Tiefling Barbarian, all bring different skills to the table, and finding ways to make the most of them in tough boss fights is part of the fun.

Similarly, the heroes of Stranger Things bring their own skills to bear in the final battle. Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) uses her powers to carve a path inside the Mind Flayer and battle Vecna. Meanwhile, Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) suggests the others spread out, flank it on all sides, “Just chip away at its hit points.”

Nancy Wheeler (Natalia Dyer), doing her best Rambo impression, uses her gun skills to get the Mind Flayer’s attention, while the rest of the team ambush it from above. Jonathan Byers (Charlie Heaton) uses a flame thrower, while others throw molotov cocktails and other bombs. Steve and Dustin strike from below using melee weapons. Then Will comes in with his powers to help finish the job.

Following the Duffer Brothers’ revelation, Larian boss Swen Vincke took to social media to say, “That’s pretty cool.” Larian publishing director Michael Douse added: “Damn now I really should watch Stranger Things…”

Still, some fans have taken issue with the Stranger Things final battle, wondering where all the Demogorgons were when Vecna needed them most. The Duffer Brothers have an explanation for that. We’ve also got the first details on the live-action spinoff, an explainer on the Stranger Things 'Conformity Gate' theory, which is currently doing the rounds on social media, and Sadie Sink's interpretation of Eleven's ending.

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.

With Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 Season 1 Reloaded just around the corner, we're starting to get a better idea of what to expect when the new update goes live on January 8.

Although we don't yet have all the details, we should expect four multiplayer maps for Black Ops 7 at launch, plus new POIs on Haven's Hollow Resurgence and Verdansk maps in Warzone. There's also some updates for Zombies, including the Astra Malorum Round-Based Zombies map and Exit 115 Survival map, plus "reward-filled weekly challenges," new weapons, modes, camos, events, and more.

While pre-load is not live yet across all platforms, it is available for players on Battle.net, where it looks like it's a 175GB download (redownloading the game), although that will depend on what game modes you have/want installed. On Xbox, the download looks to be around 170GB, so whatever you're playing on, it may be worth double-checking how much space you have ahead of time.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 Season 1 Reloaded start times:

Depending on where you are in the world, Season 1 Reloaded is set to go live on:

Thursday, January 8, 2026:

PST (San Francisco):

• 9am

CST (Mexico City):

• 11am

EST (New York):

• 12pm

GMT (London):

• 5pm

CET (Paris):

• 6pm

Friday, January 9, 2026

JST (Tokyo):

• 1am

CST (Beijing):

• 1am

AEST (Sydney):

• 4am

NZST (Wellington):

• 6am

Maps

Players will fight across a suite of new core Multiplayer maps with Season 1 Reloaded, including the high-rise, neon-soaked rooftops of Yakei alongside the return of two of the most iconic maps in Black Ops history: Meltdown and Fringe.

Zombies, on the other hand, will see the Zarya Cosmodrome location from Ashes of the Damned become a Survival map, and a Directed mode has been added to the Astra Malorum map, so buddies can now jump and help each other complete the main story quest.

Campaign

Two new world events have been confirmed, but we only have details of one: the Wraith Wing world event. This advanced Guild aircraft appears to have cloning capabilities with lethal consequences as this squadron seems hell bent on eliminating as many JSOC Operators as it can. Disable it, fire at the exposed aircraft, and down that bird.

Weapons

So far, we only know of two new weapons unlocking in Season 1 Reloaded:

• Hawker HX (Sniper rifle, FKA Ballista sniper)
• Sturmwolf 45 (submachine gun, FKA UMP45)

Fallout Collab

Okie dokie - stay focused, stay alive ☢️@FalloutonPrime is coming to Call of Duty in Season 01 Reloaded 💥 pic.twitter.com/uyFl3mRDkG

— Call of Duty (@CallofDuty) December 17, 2025

Yes, it's true — Microsoft is bringing two of its hottest gaming franchises together for a Fallout Season 2 and Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 crossover event. While details remain sparse, we've seen a brief video teaser which shows silhouettes of Fallout TV series characters The Ghoul, Lucy, and Maximus in the smoke of war, with bullets whizzing by in the background.

"Okie dokie — stay focused, stay alive," the text on the post reads. "[Fallout TV show] is coming to Call of Duty in Season 01 Reloaded."

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.