Grow a Garden has released its Summer update 1.11.0, propelling the Roblox game to comfortably the highest recorded concurrent player count in video game history. The patch notes are below.

The microtransaction-fueled free-to-play farming simulator had already shot past Fortnite’s concurrent peak of 15.3 million players, achieved during the Marvel-themed season finally back during Covid-era 2020, with an incredible 16.4 million concurrent players. At the time of this article’s publication, with players logging in for the Summer update, Grow a Garden was at an astonishing 21.3 million concurrents.

Minor spoilers follow for the opening scene of 28 Years Later.

At the turn of the millennium, a low-budget British production suddenly became an international hit. Its small gang of characters making their way in an eerily empty world resonated with millions, propelling their story into the zeitgeist, where it remains decades later.

That story is not 28 Weeks Later, although the lo-fi zombie thriller, which returns to the forefront of popular culture this weekend with the release of a long-awaited sequel, certainly fits the bill. But in this case, the British export we’re talking about is none other than Teletubbies, the delightfully weird kids’ show that makes a surprising cameo in 28 Years Later.

In the process, director Danny Boyle’s new horror movie may have inadvertently confirmed something that some Teletubbies fans have known all along: This children’s program about four humanoid creatures with TV screens where their stomachs should be is downright terrifying.

The 28 Years Later/Teletubbies Connection

Teletubbies only makes a brief appearance in 28 Years Later, but it’s a memorable one. In the movie’s opening scene, which takes place during the early days of the zombie-like Rage Virus outbreak that kicks off the entire franchise, we see a group of children huddled together in one room. They’re watching Teletubbies, but they don’t seem pleased about it — not necessarily because they dislike the show, but because a bunch of infected are about to burst into the house and murder everyone inside.

Moments later, that’s exactly what happens, as a gaggle of infected breaks down the door and overwhelms the children. Boyle thankfully spares us from watching it happen, but the blood splattered across the TV as the Teletubbies continue their adventures is all the confirmation we need. The movie mostly moves on from Teletubbies after that, as it jumps forward 28 years to tell its post-apocalyptic story, but the kids’ show does get one more nod in the final scene of 28 Years Later, which we won’t spoil here for anyone who’s still waiting to see the film for themselves.

But while there is plenty to say about how Teletubbies may explain where 28 Years Later is headed next in a planned trilogy of new movies, there’s even more to say about the Teletubbies themselves, and the nefarious truth behind their cold, empty eyes.

Theories of the Teletubbies

A quick rifling through the internet reveals endless theories about what Teletubbies is really about. The Teletubbies are all atoning for their sins in Purgatory, or perhaps they’re biogenetically engineered slaves, or human prisoners using a shared delusion to survive their incarceration. As for the Baby Sun that opens and closes each episode, it’s actually god — or maybe a demon. (These are all actual fan theories that people have posited about Teletubbies, most of which were rounded up by the good people at TV Tropes.)

In 2023, one disturbing theory, which claims the Teletubbies were inspired by a Bulgarian children’s mental facility where four patients died, went viral on TikTok. That theory has since been debunked, and, as far as we can tell, the facility in question never even existed. Still, the fact that Teletubbies inspires unsettling ideas like that clearly says something about the show itself.

A (Colorful) Post-Apocalypse

The most common Teletubbies fan theory centers on the idea that the show takes place in a post-apocalyptic setting, and the evidence is pretty compelling.

For one thing, there’s the bunker the Teletubbies call home. The structure, which also resembles the Hobbit houses in The Lord of the Rings, is built into the landscape. But unlike those Hobbits, the Teletubbies’ home appears to go much deeper underground. It’s also technologically advanced, with various panels, buttons, and levers lining the interior walls. It looks like the kind of thing one might build if they needed to be able to survive underground for long periods of time.

Then there are the Voice Trumpets, essentially megaphones that emerge from the ground like periscopes. The Voice Trumpets give the Teletubbies their orders (and sometimes narrate the events of the show), but who controls them? Could it be surviving humans hiding even deeper below the surface of the Earth?

As for the Teletubbies themselves (Tinky Winky, Dipsy, Laa-Laa, and Po), they’re clearly not human. So what are they? The television sets in their stomachs suggest some sort of robotic design, while their human-looking faces could be the result of mutation — possibly caused by whatever destroyed their world in the first place.

But whether the Teletubbies are robots, mutants, or something else entirely, their purpose is likely the same. As the theory goes, these creatures have been sent up to the surface of their post-apocalyptic world to repair it for the humans surviving deep underground. Based on the state of things in Teletubbies, it seems like their mission is already well underway. But the distinct lack of life (aside from some plants and the occasional rabbit) suggests there’s still plenty of work to be done.

So what does all of this have to do with 28 Years Later? On the surface, not much, but the deeper you go into Teletubbies fan theories, the clearer it becomes that something evil is lurking beneath. Whether Danny Boyle meant to or not, his new movie gives a boost to those theories by using one post-apocalyptic story to reinforce the existence of another.

What are your thoughts on the 28 Years Later/Teletubbies connection? Let's discuss in the comments...

With both director Danny Boyle and writer Alex Garland returning the the infected fold, continuing the 28 Days Later franchise they started over 20 years ago with 28 Years Later, we're diving into the best apocalypse movies of all time.

Or post-apocalypse movies. Or, you know, just movies where civilization is either on the verge of collapsing, actually collapsing, or has already collapsed. Whatever stage of apocalypse you're after, we've got you covered.

The only true rule here is that the world has to actually end in some meaningful, impactful way. None of that "the Empire State Building got blown up!" or "an asteroid fragment just took out France!" mass destruction. We're talking nature batting last. Humanity is, for all intents and purposes, wiped out. No close calls here. So sorry to ID4, Armageddon, and others of that disaster movie ilk. Be better. And by that we mean be more cataclysmic.

You'll find almost every flavor of world-ending peril here: from zombies to plagues to Lovecraftian demons to the tried-and-true nuclear wipe-out. Let directors like John Carpenter, Stanley Kubrick, George Miller, Alfonso Cuarón, and more take you through our worst nightmares. You know, for fun!

10. Melancholia (2011)

Part of auteur Lars von Trier's (apropos) Depression Trilogy, Melancholia is insightful, existential, and emotionally raw. Sure, it involves Earth's impending impact with a rogue planet, but instead of being a giant action spectacle, it's a beautiful, honest, difficult-to-watch story about two sisters -- played by Kirsten Dunst and Charlotte Gainsbourg -- who are affected dramatically differently by the world's oncoming end. It's a devastating movie that also vibrates with sensitivity and tranquility.

9. In the Mouth of Madness (1994)

Part of what horror master John Carpenter refers to as his Apocalypse Trilogy (preceded by The Thing and Prince of Darkness), In the Mouth of Madness stars Sam Neill as an insurance fraud investigator who's sent to find a missing best-selling horror author (think this world's Stephen King). What he unravels instead is a Lovecraftian New England town where a true madman has ushered in the End of Days thanks to his pact with the Old Gods. It's a meta exploration of the effects of horror on readers and consumers (that old pop culture-causes-violence chestnut) with a mix of paranoia, insanity, and a stubborn skeptic getting his unholy comeuppance.

8. Miracle Mile (1988)

Imagine you get a heads-up about nuclear armageddon. A 70-minute head start to get the eff out of dodge. The lucky stars align and someone in the group you're with has a clear, easy exit plan. The only hitch? You just found the love of your life and can't leave them behind.

That's the premise of the underrated white-knuckle '80's gem Miracle Mile, in which Anthony Edwards' character has to take, what he hopes is, a slight detour to rescue his new gal, played by Mare Winningham. Will he make it to her in time? And, if so, will the two of them make it out of LA without being disintegrated? You think Los Angeles traffic is bad now? Yeeesh.

7. 12 Monkeys (1995)

Is Bruce Willis a frazzled convict who time-travels back from a grim post-apocalyptic future to stop the mysterious Army of the Twelve Monkeys from unleashing a killer man-made virus that wipes out most of the world?

Or is he just insane?

Remaking French short "La Jetee," director Terry Gilliam coaxes a heartbreaking performance out of Willis -- one of the finest of his career -- as he stumbles between institutionalized anarchist Brad Pitt and sympathetic doctor Madeleine Stowe. Complex, emotional and rewarding, this dystopian mystery demands to be watched on repeat.

6. Dawn of the Dead (1978)

It was hard to grab just one zombie flick for the list, and while 2004's Dawn of the Dead remake is a vicious, terrifying journey, we're heading back to the '70s for George Romero's original.

What Romero began in 1968's Night of the Living Dead expanded into horrific proportions with Dawn of the Dead, as the zombie outbreak that seemed to last only one night in the original now transformed into an unending zompocalypse with no reprieve in sight. During the hellacious hysteria of death and carnage, survivors barricade themselves inside a mall, hoping for the calamity to blow over. With landmark makeup effects, social commentary about materialistic modern society, and an unrelenting brutality, Dawn of the Dead is where it's at.

5. Threads (1984)

In the early to mid '80s there were a handful of movies that dealt with the horrors of nuclear war and radiation fallout in ways that shocked the world -- like Special Bulletin, Testament, One Night Stand, When the Wind Blows, and more.

More effective, simply because of how many people TV was able to reach back then, were two TV movies. America had The Day After, which was bone-chilling, while England (and Australia) had Threads. Threads is a scary, rattling reminder of how easy it would be for a few people to wipe out everything we know and love. It's a visceral cautionary tale of what it might be like if the bombs fall, ushering in misery and death to all. Quite literally Hell on Earth. This is not for the faint of heart.

4. Children of Men (2006)

Exploring a different avenue than most apocalyptic dystopias is Alfonso Cuarón's Children of Men, where world-wide infertility has basically doomed the human race to die out within the next 60 to 70 years. Because society must now slowly watch its numbers dwindle, as everyone spirals toward inevitable extinction, civilization is in chaos and the world's become a morose, fading empire.

Children of Men is a pivotal drama, a technical marvel, a violent thriller, and a sophisticated look at a world ending in a whimper. Clive Owen plays a former activist tasked with transporting a very special package (the first pregnant woman in 18 years), leading to a possible glimmer of hope for humanity. But is this one miracle enough to hold back the tide of doom?

3. Dr. Strangelove (1964)

Stanley Kubrick's Cold War slapstick masterwork, Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb is also one of the most original, daring and best apocalypse movies ever made.

Paranoid loony General Jack D. Ripper initiates a plan to nuke the Soviet Union. General Buck Turgidson, US President Merkin Muffley, and Soviet ambassador Alexei de Sadeski bicker in the War Room. The drunken Russian president threatens to unleash a Doomsday Machine device that will automatically destroy life on Earth. The film is funny ("Gentleman! You can't fight in the War Room!"), absurd (Slim Pickens rodeo-riding his way to mass destruction) and chilling (Vera Lynn's end-credit song over the mushroom clouds). Sometimes laughing through the End Times (This Is the End, Shaun of the Dead, etc.) is the only way to go.

We'll meet again, my friend.

2. The Road Warrior (1981)

Though there have been some jokes over the years about whether or not the economic and environmental house of cards collapse that creates the Mad Max Wasteland may only actually be in Australia, no other movies have influenced, and changed the course of, post-apocalyptic movies like the Max movies.

What began as a demolition derby Ozploitation sensation with George Miller's Mad Max evolved into a whacked-out, carnage-filled every-man-for-himself death ride in the sequel, The Road Warrior.

Decades later, after the original Mad Max Trilogy, George Miller even returned to the Wasteland, going bigger, bolder, and bronzer with Mad Max: Fury Road and Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. It was between Fury Road and Road Warrior for this spot on the list and while Fury Road is a modern action masterpiece that builds out the world of Max like never before, we're gonna sit pretty here with Road Warrior given how much it changed the entire '80s movie landscape.

1. The Road (2009)

Based on the acclaimed Cormac McCarthy novel, The Road is an unyielding, haunting look at the remnants of humanity carrying on... just to keep carrying on. It's never explained how the world ends, though it's clear some environmental cataclysm has occurred (one that's observable in a flashback from a window) that's coated the globe in death. Everything is either dead or dying off, people have turned to murder and/or cannibalism, and it will only be a generation or two before humans gasp their final breath.

A father and son, played by Viggo Mortensen and Kodi Smit-McPhee, travel down the Eastern coast, hoping to find better, warmer living in Florida. The Road is as apocalyptic as you can get. Just a dire, bleak trek through exponential decay, where one clings to hope just for the sake of sanity.

Well, that was grim! How are y'all feeling? What's your personal favorite apocalypse movie? Vote above and let us know below...

Jane Austen's work has been widely celebrated for its social commentary, wit, and overall exploration of a very specific era. Her most famous book, Pride and Prejudice, has been adapted into various films and tv shows as well as repurposed for modern audiences. As the book that inspired the hit Netflix series, Bridgerton, it isn't hard to see just how far the work of Jane Austen has spread into our culture.

Now LEGO is taking it one step further by creating the first ever Jane Austen set. The tribute is the current gift with purchase you can get directly from the LEGO website, and it will only be available until June 27 or while supplies last.

LEGO Tribute to Jane Austen's Books Set

Jon Bernthal will reprise his role as Frank Castle, aka The Punisher, in Spider-Man: Brand New Day.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Bernthal has been cast in the Destin Daniel Cretton-directed Sony/Marvel film. Shooting begins in England this summer.

It remains to be seen how Bernthal’s ultra-violent vigilante Punisher will quite fit into the MCU’s PG-13 Spidey franchise.

While other actors have played Punisher in feature films before, this is the first time Bernthal’s incarnation will be on the big screen after appearing in both the Netflix and Disney+ Daredevil series as well as his own solo streaming series.

The Punisher's ally Matt Murdock, aka Daredevil, previously made the leap to the big screen in Spider-Man: No Way Home.

Bernthal and Spider-Man star Tom Holland previously acted together in the 2017 movie Pilgrimage. Bernthal recently explained the advice he gave Holland at that time as they were both auditioning for their respective Marvel roles while making Pilgrimage.

Before they reunite for the MCU's fourth Spidey film, Tom Holland and Jon Bernthal will next be seen together in Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day will also bring back Zendaya’s MJ and Jacob Batalon’s Ned, while also introducing Sadie Sink to the franchise in an unknown role (although rumor has it she’s playing the X-Men’s Jean Grey).

The Bear’s Liza Colón-Zayas has also been cast, which has fans speculating that she might be playing Miles Morales’ mom, Rio.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day opens in theaters on July 31, 2026, which means it’s now opening before the recently delayed Avengers: Doomsday.

In the future, the human race has been divided into 14 different color castes that determine every individual's role and placement in the hierarchical structure of society. This underlying idea is at the core of Pierce Brown’s epic science fiction series, Red Rising, and tells the story of one man, Darrow of Lykos, and his mission to tear it all down.

First released in 2014, the first title, Red Rising, introduces us to the series' protagonist, Darrow, a Red Helldiver of Mars and the lowest of the citizens. Events out of Darrow’s control put him on a path that will see him go from the bottom of society to the top, becoming a symbol and legend that strikes fear into his enemies and inspires hope in his allies. Unlike many other science fiction series, Red Rising isn’t a tale of a utopian society that has spread out amongst the stars. Instead, it is a world of war, betrayal, and uneasy alliances, where some of the worst societal practices have flourished and evolved. Yet it is still a universe where hope still finds a way to survive, and joy and love can still be found, even in the darkest and most profound places.

Compared to other series, like Brandon Sanderson’s Cosmere or George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire, reading through the Red Rising series is a straightforward affair. The series is divided into two arcs, with the first three novels - Red Rising, Golden Son, and Morning Star- being referred to as the “Red Rising Trilogy”. The second half, which takes place 10 years later, being the “Iron Gold Quadrilogy” and consisting of the remaining novels. Despite being a science fiction series, this series deals with mature themes and graphic violence, and isn’t advised for younger readers.

How Many Books are There in the Red Rising Saga?

Pierce Brown’s Red Rising series will comprise seven books in total, but currently, all but the final book have been released. The first three titles, composing the Red Rising Trilogy, are told strictly through the viewpoint of the character, Darrow. In contrast, the rest of the books, the Iron Gold Quadrilogy, are told through multiple characters' viewpoints.

Red Rising Trilogy Reading Order

Red Rising

Iron Gold Quadrilogy Reading Order

Iron Gold

The Colors of the Society, Explained

In the world of Red Rising, humanity is divided into distinct castes, each associated with a specific color, with individuals born with both a sigil and eye color that correspond to their class. Ruled over by golds, this “Society” has been in charge for over 700 years by the start of the first book. Here is a breakdown of all 14 colors and their respective roles within the Society.

The High Colors

• Golds
  • Rules over all other colors.
• Silvers
  • Composed of business owners
• Whites
  • Members of the clergy and judges
• Coppers
  • The lawyers, administrators, and bureaucrats of the Society

The Mid Colors

• Blues
  • Pilots and the bridge crew of ships
• Yellows
  • Doctors and scientists
• Greens
  • Programmers and techs
• Violets
  • Artisans and creatives
• Oranges
  • Mechanics and engineers
• Grays
  • Infantry, police, and security

Low Colors

• Brown
  • Janitors, cooks, and groundskeepers
• Obsidians
  • Large soldiers bred for war
• Pinks
  • Pleasure workers and slaves
• Reds
  • Miners and laborers

Russell Crowe is set to reunite with his Man of Steel co-star Henry Cavill for the upcoming remake of Highlander.

First details on what is no doubt a major addition to the cast come from Collider, which says the 61-year-old Gladiator star is now onboard in a key role for John Wick creator Chad Stahelski’s new reimagining. Fans can expect to see him serve as Cavill’s mentor in the film, providing a new version of the part played by Sean Connery in the 1986 original (via Deadline).

How the Highlander remake will update the story for modern audiences, as well as additional casting information, remains under wraps for now. However, Stahelski previously told Collider: "We’re bringing it forward from the early 1500s in the Highlands to the beyond present-day New York and Hong Kong. There’s big opportunity for action… and it’s a bit of a love story — but not how you think.”

IGN Store has partnered with Bethesda Softworks and world-renowned artist Dave Rapoza to create Hellwalkers - the latest piece in IGN’s exclusive museum-quality IGN Artist Series.

Available only on IGN Store, Hellwalkers - IGN Artist Series 004 vividly captures the menace and power of the legendary Doomslayer, as made possible by the equally legendary artist Dave Repoza, a lifelong Doom fan himself.

IGN Store has 400 premium weight art prints ($70) and 100 premium acrylic art prints ($275) - both measuring a bold 18 x 24 inches. These pieces are brutal, iconic, and highly-collectible.

Each print is individually numbered and signed by Dave Rapoza and the acrylic print is truly fine art, backed on gator board and featuring a Certificate of Authenticity (laser-etched on the Doomslayer’s Shield Saw).

Id software has proven for more than 30 years that Doom truly is eternal. Since its world-shaping debut in 1993 to the epic, weighty, powerful play style of The Dark Ages, the Doom franchise’s Doomslayer has stood at the forefront of gaming as an immortal icon. This IGN Artist Series is a must-own for any serious Doom fan, and will not be reprinted once it is gone. The piece is destined to become a collector’s item, and is a perfect edition to any Doom fan’s wall.

Dave Rapoza is a self-taught artist who grew up in Carver, MA. For nearly 20 years his stunning artwork has been turning heads. Rapoza’s artwork has graced Marvel Comics covers, Magic: the Gathering, Paizo Publishing projects and a huge range of others. He has also contributed art to Diablo IV, League of Legends and the Witcher 3, among many other games.

"My first experience with Doom was playing the original in my neighbor’s kitchen on their ancient computer—it made a big impression on me, especially the music and definitely helped spark my love for games,” Repoza said. “Whenever I take on something like this, I try to tap into what made me a fan in the first place and boil that down into a single image. It’s a fun challenge, and I’m proud of how this one turned out. Hope you enjoy it!

The IGN Artist Series is IGN’s love letter to the pop culture icons we all love to watch, play, and discuss. Available for under a day, IGN Artist Series 001, 002, and 003 was produced in partnership with Bethesda and Amazon Prime Video and featured Fallout’s The Ghoul, Maximus, and Lucy MacLean, from artist Kevin Tong.

Wizards of the Coast took to MagicCon Las Vegas 2025 to show off its Magic: The Gathering (MTG) and Avatar: The Last Airbender collaboration, revealing a sneak peek at the art and abilities featured on the Avatar Aang and Aang, Master of Elements cards.

Aang’s introduction into the MTG universe was unveiled with a time-lapse showing how some of that shiny new, hand-drawn art was created. The first of the two new cards is the all-encompassing Avatar Aang, a Legendary Creature – Human Avatar Ally. It reads, “Whenever you waterbend, earthbend, firebend, or airbend, draw a card. Then if you’ve done all four this turn, transform Avatar Aang.”

Coming November 21, 2025https://t.co/Iu2diNITry#MTGxATLA pic.twitter.com/G1Q4Az3bSC

— Magic: The Gathering (@wizards_magic) June 20, 2025

Meanwhile, there’s the very space-y Aang, Master of Elements, Legendary Creature – Avatar Ally card. While Avatar Aang sees the titular character in his all-powerful Avatar state, this one shows Aang connecting to his power in another way. It reads, “At the beginning of each upkeep, you may transform Aang, Master of Elements. If you do, you gain 4 life, draw four cards, put four +1/+1 counters on him, and he deals 4 damage to each opponent.”

A closer look at the Magic: The Gathering and Avatar: The Last Airbender collaboration will arrive August 12, 2025. The set will then see its full launch come November 21, 2025.

Each Magic: The Gathering collaboration marks a major moment for Wizards of the Coast and fans alike. Its most recent crossover introduced a set of Final Fantasy cards into the mix, including appearances from locations and names from across the series, including Cloud, Moogles, Tidus, Sephiroth, Noctis, and more. It’s been such a hit that many cards have been subjected to significant price increases.

For more on the world of Magic: The Gathering, you can see read up on all of the other expansions dropping throughout 2025. This includes the long-awaited Marvel’s Spider-Man set, which fans got a closer look at in March.

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

Last week, Microsoft unveiled what we all suspected was coming: an Xbox handheld. And while the ROG Xbox Ally X isn’t the true “handheld Xbox” some people probably wanted, it has the chance to bring handheld PC gaming into the mainstream in a way we haven’t seen since the Steam Deck launched back in 2022.

If Microsoft and Asus are able to nail the details, particularly around the operating system and the price, the Xbox Ally could be the first glimpse at Microsoft’s next generation of “consoles.” But there’s a catch: Handheld gaming PCs are by their very nature exercises in compromise. Microsoft did say that every shiny game it showed off at its summer games showcase would be "playable" on the Xbox Ally X, but it’s a little more complicated than that.

I have no doubt the Xbox Ally X, with its Z2 Extreme SoC (system on a chip), will be more than powerful enough to run AAA games. But the real star of the show is going to be the less demanding indie games that Microsoft quietly adds to Game Pass every month – and that might be the point.

Limited Power?

The AMD Z2 Extreme was announced back at CES 2025. But six months later, there’s still not a single handheld you can buy on a store shelf that’s powered by this chip. Meanwhile, the forthcoming Xbox Ally X isn’t just using the Z2 Extreme – it’s using the AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme, which is basically the same, but with a 50 TOPs NPU stapled onto it. Still, we have no idea how well it will actually play games, just that it’ll at least be faster than the Z1 Extreme.

Even with the added performance, you should temper your expectations, especially when it comes to AAA games with high-end graphics effects. The highest-performing handheld I’ve used, the Lenovo Legion Go S with the Z1 Extreme and SteamOS, still struggles to run games like Cyberpunk 2077 at higher settings at its native resolution – and that game came out nearly five years ago.

Cyberpunk is a bit of an outlier, as it’s still capable of pushing even the RTX 5090 to its limits, but as games get more demanding on the high-end, system requirements are only going to go up. So while the Xbox Ally X will technically be able to run this upcoming crop of AAA Xbox games, it’s going to be at low settings, and likely a lower frame rate.

That shouldn’t discourage you, though. I’ve spent the last two years obsessing over these little handheld gaming PCs, and out of my hundreds of hours playing on them, I can tell you that very little of that was playing games like God of War or Cyberpunk. Instead, indie games like Hades 2 have consumed my life.

Indie Games are Magic

When the Nintendo Switch came out back in 2017, I initially thought games like Breath of the Wild were the point – and maybe they were. But as I grew continually sick of poor performance in games that were trying to be huge AAA console experiences, my Switch settled into its role of being a second place, after Steam, for me to buy my favorite indie games to play in bed or on the train. Then the Steam Deck came out.

Handheld gaming PCs were around before the Steam Deck, mind you, but they were niche products that were fiddly to use, especially without some kind of keyboard attachment. Now that we’re living in this post-Deck world, though, computer manufacturers like Lenovo and, yes, Asus, have found ways to make handheld gaming PCs genuinely excellent. And I don’t have to buy indie games a second time to play them, either.

Instead, if I want to put some time in Hades 2, I just log into Steam and I’m good to go – my save even carries over. The beauty of the Windows-based handhelds is that applies to all the PC game storefronts, whether I’m playing games on Game Pass or even the Epic Games Store.

For me, this has resulted in a sort of multi-tiered PC gaming setup. I still play beautiful AAA games like Doom: The Dark Ages on my desktop, where I can pump the settings up to max and enjoy high frame rates. I don’t even try to install that kind of game on my handhelds anymore, instead, they give me a chance to dive deeper into games like Rift of the Necrodancer or Slay the Spire. Before handheld gaming PCs blew up, those were the types of games I’d play for a few hours to see what the hype was about before I inevitably went back to playing World of Warcraft.

I’m not alone in this either. Earlier this week, I polled my colleagues here at IGN, and I was surprised to find that most aren’t using their handhelds to play blockbusters. Instead most are using their handheld to play indie games and JRPGs, the latter of which tend to be much less reliant on a high frame rate to be enjoyable.

The compatibility that’s inherent to Windows PC gaming handhelds is a great way to make indie games a much bigger part of your gaming diet. But for that wider compatibility (read: playing a game from something other than Steam), either I have to fiddle around with Linux on SteamOS or deal with the headache of using Windows on a handheld. But that’s why the prospect of a handheld-friendly version of Windows 11 is so exciting.

By removing the friction it takes to get into games from third-party launchers on Steam Deck, while also hopefully maintaining the benefits of a streamlined, gaming-centric operating system, the ROG Xbox Ally X has the chance to be the best of both worlds. After all, Asus markets both its existing Ally X and the upcoming Xbox Ally X with the hashtag "#PlayAllyourgames.” Now, hopefully this team-up makes that happen without the touch screen-induced headache I get from existing Windows handhelds.

Jackie Thomas is the Hardware and Buying Guides Editor at IGN and the PC components queen. You can follow her @Jackiecobra

Netflix’s Castlevania and Devil May Cry showrunner Adi Shankar has turned his attention to the Duke Nukem series after acquiring the screen rights from Gearbox Software.

The animated adaptation creative lead teased his next project during an interview with Esquire. Although projects like Devil May Cry Season 2 are currently top of mind, it sounds like something based on the legendary tongue-in-cheek first-person shooter franchise is currently in the works.

“I'm being approached with different IPs and companies that want to work with me,” Shankar said. “I bought the rights to Duke Nukem. Not the gaming rights, but I bought it from Gearbox.”

Duke Nukem is an unmistakably ‘90s video game franchise that got its start in 1991, but it wasn’t until 1996 that it would find its FPS footing with Duke Nukem 3D. Although a laundry list of sequels arrived throughout the 15 years that followed, its 2011 entry, Duke Nukem Forever, was heavily criticized by critics and fans alike. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360-era title did so much to damage the blond, buzzcut hero’s reputation that there has not been a new Duke Nukem installment since.

Shankar is already cooking up ideas for what a present-day take on Duke Nukem could look like. It’s unclear if fans can expect to see an animated Duke Nukem show in the vein of Shankar’s other projects, a movie, or something completely different, but it’s clear Shankar is trying to put together a project of some sort behind the scenes.

“It's a middle finger to everybody,” Shankar said when describing his vision for Duke Nukem. “When Duke Nukem blew up, a bunch of people sat around trying to turn it into a brand, when it's just a middle finger. Duke Nukem can't be made by a corporation, because the moment a corporation makes Duke Nukem, it's no longer Duke Nukem. I don't intend on having anyone tell me what to do on this one.”

We’ll have to wait to see what Shankar has in store for the ‘90s icon. For now, no casting, plot, or release date details for the Duke Nukem show have been revealed. It's unclear how the recent rights aquisition will impact the Legendary Entertainment Duke Nukem movie reported on in 2022.

For a better look at what to expect, you can read up on his other Netflix projects. We gave Season 1 of Devil May Cry an 8/10 in our review, with Castlevania Season 1 earning an 8.1/10 from us upon its release in 2017. Shankar is involved in other Netflix projects, too, including the Castlevania: Nocturne spinoff series, an Assassin’s Creed series, and even an animated PUBG show.

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

Amazon has recently dropped the price on the 2TB SK Hynix P41 Platinum PCIe 4.0 M.2 NVME solid state drive (SSD) to only $129.99 shipped. The SK Hynix P41 Platinum is one of the fastest PCI-E 4.0 SSDs available, has DRAM cache, and is considerably less expensive than other comparable SSDs like the Samsung 990 Pro ($168) and the WD SN850X ($154). This is an excellent SSD for either your PlayStation 5 console or gaming PC.

SK Hynix P41 Platinum 2TB M.2 SSD for $129.99

Need codes for Anime Rising? We've got all the latest active codes so you can earn mythical fragments, tokens, and more. You can rely on us for when new ones are released and updates on when codes expire. And if you're not sure how to redeem codes, we have a quick explanation for that too.

Working Anime Rising Codes (June 2025)

These are all the current active codes for Anime Rising that you can redeem for a variety of rewards:

• DUNGEONREWARDS - 10 Quirk Tokens, 3 Arise Luck Boosts, 3 Summon Move Speed Boosts, 5 Class Quirk Tokens, 8x 1 Hour Quick Income, 5 Random Chests, 25 Mythical Fragments, 2 Altar Summons, 3 Shiny Luck Boosts, 3 Player Move Speed Boosts (NEW)
• UPTUESDAY - 10 Quirk Tokens, 6 Arise Luck Boosts, 6 Summon Move Speed Boosts, 1 Class Quirk Token, 2x 1 Hour Quick Income, 5 Random Chests, 25 Mythical Fragments, 2 Altar Summons, 6 Shiny Luck Boosts, 6 Player Move Speed Boosts
• THANKYOU - 1 Hour Break Orbs, 3 Arise Luck Boosts, 1x 1 Hour Quick Coins, 3 Shiny Luck Boosts, 5 Revive Scrolls, 1x 1 Hour Quick XP, 1 Class Quirk Token, 1x 1 Hour Quick Income, 5 Random Chest, 25 Mythical Fragments, 2 Altar Summons, 3 Player Move Speed Boosts, 3 Summon Move Speed Boosts
• RISEUP - 10 Quirk Tokens, 6 Arise Luck Boosts, 4x 1 Hour Quick Coins, 6 Shiny Luck Boosts, 5 Revive Scrolls, 4x 1 Hour Quick XP, 1 Class Quirk Token, 2x 1 Hour Quick Income, 5 Random Chests, 25 Mythical Fragments, 2 Altar Summons, 6 Player Move Speed Boosts, 6 Summon Move Speed Boosts

Expired Anime Rising Codes (June 2025)

There aren't currently any expired codes for this Roblox experience but if that changes, we'll be sure to update this section with them.

How to Redeem Anime Rising Codes

Redeeming codes in Anime Rising doesn't require too much effort unlike some other Roblox games. Fortunately you don't have to reach a certain level or join a specific group. Here are the quick simple steps to redeeming them:

1. Launch Anime Rising
2. Press the green "Store" button on the left side of your screen
3. Then press the "Codes" button of a blue bird near the bottom right.
4. Enter your code here and press the blue Redeem button to get your rewards.

Why Isn't My Anime Rising Code Working?

If you're having trouble redeeming a code, there are two main reasons why one usually doesn't work. Here's what you need to know:

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

If a code is entered incorrectly or doesn't exist, you'll see a message that says, "Invalid code". To avoid running into this problem, we recommend copying and pasting directly from this article. Just make sure you don't accidentally end up with an extra space in your code when copying one. This is why it never hurts to double-check before redeeming a code.

Where to Find More Anime Rising Codes

You can always check back here for whenever new codes are added since we try to update as often as we can. However, if you want to search for Anime Rising codes yourself, there is a dedicated Discord server where they're announced. The in-game window for codes mentions each developer's Twitter account but they don't seem to post any on there.

What is Anime Rising in Roblox?

Anime Rising is a collector game that seems to be inspired by Solo Leveling. You can defeat all sorts of enemies and then resurrect them to fight for you. Over time, you'll amass a large squad of teammates to help you complete quests. Using free summons from the codes in this article, you can also get characters heavily inspired by other popular anime shows too.

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

Lenovo has finally released the latest and best model of the Legion Go S. It comes with SteamOS pre-installed, plus the powerful AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme processor, along with a whopping 32GB RAM and a 1TB SSD. That kind of power doesn’t come cheap (it’s $829.99 exclusively at Best Buy), but it’s certainly a killer handheld gaming PC. It’s so good that it became our new pick for the best handheld gaming PC.

Alma & the Wolf is now playing in select theaters and available on digital.

Alma & the Wolf is a frustrating type of movie to talk about, in part because it’s really more like two types of movie pressed together. On the one hand, it’s an intentionally schlocky horror movie about a town being terrorized by a supernatural threat – a bit of a creature feature blended with a dash of the ol’ Wicker Man folk-horror. On the other, it’s a more psychological, unreliable-narrator yarn about a cop (Ethan Embry) trying to find his missing estranged son. For a while, both movies are pretty compelling, with director Michael Patrick Jann relying on his deep comedy background to walk the tonal tightrope of laughs and scares in Abigail Miller’s screenplay. But despite their best efforts, and those of Embry and Sinners breakout Li Jun Li, this curious hybrid topples over during a conclusion that cheapens much of what comes before it.

Our cop, Deputy Ren Accord, is actually the main character, first glimpsed in the rather striking image of Embry standing in a field holding a red balloon. As you might expect, he’s not a particularly good dad: He drinks a bit too much and he’s almost late for his son’s critical baseball game. The titular Alma enters the picture a little earlier; we first see her covered in blood and cradling a mysterious bundle. Anyone entranced by the badass, vampire-fighting mom Li played earlier this year will still recognize her here, though she transforms herself into a meek, traumatized presence for Alma’s introduction. She also has a bit of a drinking problem that’s known to the whole town of Spiral Creek, Oregon, which means Ren isn’t exactly keen to believe Alma when she says a giant wolf attacked her and her dog.

As the pair forms a tentative relationship, Ren’s own sanity comes into question, and Alma & The Wolf begins weaving together the threads of its various genres. Jann, who got his start with influential sketch troupe The State before directing the cult classic Drop Dead Gorgeous, maintains a slightly off-kilter tone and sense of humor, best represented by material like a running joke about wolf hunting being a Class-C felony in Oregon. But that also means that it’s hard to figure out exactly what kind of movie we’re watching: Does that wolf suit look intentionally low-rent, or is it a result of the low budget? Is the dialogue, delivered by comedy pros like Jann’s State mate Kevin Allison and fellow Reno 911! alum Mather Zickel, knowingly corny and awkward? Miller’s script entertains well enough to suggest it’s aware of and capitalizing on this dissonance, and combined with Jann’s direction, it actually begins to gel together with all the dream sequences and surreal fakeouts and possible gaslighting orchestrated by the people of Spiral Creek. You may even forget for a bit that Li is disappointingly absent for long stretches of time.

The thing is, Alma & the Wolf does eventually have to decide what kind of movie it is, and the result is a third act that lets the wind out of the sails. It’s not so much that it’s an out-of-nowhere twist or that it’s stupid; in fact, the most frustrating part is that taken on its own, it’s actually quite suspenseful. The climax breaks out some impressively gnarly FX, and feels like it’s delivering the cult werewolf freakout promised by the rest of the movie.

Unfortunately, when the waning runtime forces Miller and Jann to come down on one side or the other, their decision ends up feeling a little obvious and cheap in a way that reverberates back through the preceding scenes. The characters just aren’t drawn well enough for it to be emotionally devastating or hit at a some deeper thematic level. That’s not helped by the way Alma & the Wolf goes out of its way to show us “the truth” about what’s really going on for 90 minutes and change. It dampens the blow, but it in a way that feels mildly defensive – like it needs to cross the “t”s and dot the “i”s so people don’t get mad. The final scene itself seems to come from an entirely different movie – and the thing is, that movie would’ve been great. It’s a testament to all involved that there’s something to appreciate in Alma & the Wolf even when you just wanna say “Man, come on” to it all.

The Switch 2 has quickly become the fastest-selling hardware in Nintendo history. With upgraded graphics and new enhanced games, it's an overall great follow-up to the original Switch console. But unless you were able to wrangle a preorder before it came out on June 5, it has been incredibly difficult to find any Switch 2s in stock anywhere.

Thankfully, we are finally starting to get some updates about when we can expect more consoles to be available. Walmart has recently confirmed that it will have more Switch 2 stock starting on Wednesday, June 25. The only catch is, Walmart+ members are getting a full one-hour head start to buy one before everyone else.

Walmart Switch 2 Restocks on June 25

Whatever your budget may be, there's an AirPods for you. Apple's newest AirPods are all on sale including our favorite earbuds for iPhone, the AirPods Pro. The second generation model with USB Type-C charging has dropped to $169 from $249 after a 33% off instant discount. The next step down, the Apple AirPods 4 with ANC (active noise cancelation) is down to $148 (normally $179). Finally, the value-packed AirPods 4 without ANC drops to $99.99 (normally $129).

Apple AirPods Pro for $169

Are you wondering if 28 Years Later has any post-credits scenes? We’ll tell you right here: No, it does not. That said, the ending is a doozy, and we’re here to fill you in on what it all means.

Full spoilers follow from here!

Stock up on your survival supplies, horror fans, because 28 Years Later is now in theaters. The long anticipated follow-up to 28 Weeks Later comes from original 28 Days Later creative team Danny Boyle and Alex Garland, who return to directing and screenwriting duties respectively. This has led to the latest entry in the pseudo-zombie series receiving stellar reviews as it heads into its opening weekend, including a 9/10 rave from IGN. We also know that we’re receiving a direct sequel in 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple from director Nia DaCosta of Little Woods, Candyman, and The Marvels fame, which was shot back-to-back with its predecessor and is set to debut on January 16, 2026. A third film, with Boyle prospectively returning to direct, is also planned… depending on how 28 Years Later does at the box office.

Since the franchise seems to be sticking around, let’s take a look at how the new film sets the stage for future sequels. Specifically, we want to look at 28 Years’ ending, which has left many early viewers flabbergasted. Join us as we dive into all the spoilery details of 28 Years Later.

A Small-Scale Apocalypse

Stop us if you guessed this one already: This movie takes place 28 years after the last one. After a small flashback to the original outbreak, the opening text reveals that the Rage virus that transforms humans into mindless monsters was contained to the United Kingdom. Although this detail may come across as a light retcon of the ending of 28 Weeks Later, which showed the infected spreading to Paris, Boyle has debunked the idea that 28 Weeks didn’t happen, instead telling Inverse that “somehow the French had managed to drive the virus back across the channel to its origin in the British mainland.” This serves two purposes: to dial back the scale so the film can focus on a small handful of characters, and to evolve the franchise so it can speak more to contemporary culture.

In a similar way to how the modern Planet of the Apes movies focus on specific, smaller scale emotional stakes over abstract, world-ending ones that would be common in the sci-fi genre, 28 Years Later feels like a direct continuation of 28 Days Later’s narrative sensibilities. Both movies have a tiny cast we spend a lot of time with, with the larger apocalyptic science-fiction setting providing a catalyst for the character journeys instead of being the main course. Besides, plenty of zombie media has already depicted a global downfall. 28 Years does something different, and arguably more realistic (as realistic as movies with viruses that turn people into bloodthirsty monsters can be, anyway) by confirming the world didn’t stop progressing once the Rage virus was quarantined to the British Isles.

In the time since 28 Days Later’s release, we’ve seen isolationism and disassociation become the order of the day in response to real world traumatic events. From Britain formally withdrawing from the European Union, to the COVID pandemic, to the global ramifications of climate change, and to the ongoing violence in the Middle East, the response from much of society to events of such magnitude has been to just pretend they’re not happening if they’re not directly in front of you. Boyle confirmed that Brexit was an inspiration for the film in an interview with IGN, saying that he considers films like 28 Years Later “not lectures or anything like that, but they do reflect or there is a reflection in them of where you are and what’s happened to you really as individuals and as people.

“Certainly in terms of Brexit, it's unique,” he continued. “There's a couple of things that have happened to us in the intervening period since the first film that you thought, ‘Well, this is the opportunity to look at that.’”

In 28 Years, we meet a Swedish navy trooper named Erik (Edvin Ryding) who has a smartphone and talks about delivery app drivers and the internet, things a whole generation of children born in post-outbreak Britain, represented here by 12-year-old main character Spike (Alfie Williams), have never heard of. Outside of navy patrols to enforce the quarantine, the rest of the world has long since stopped caring about what happens to the Rage-infested UK. It doesn’t just help keep the focus on the primary cast as Spike goes on a quest to find a doctor to help his ill mother Isla (Jodie Comer), but it’s also a potent parallel to how much we compartmentalize horrific tragedies in today’s landscape. Yet that somber, meditative tone is subverted in the film’s final moments, in a way we’re having trouble wrapping our heads around.

28 Years Later Ending Explained

After Spike has to say goodbye to his mother, who doctor Ian Kelson (Ralph Fiennes) consensually euthanizes after diagnosing her with cancer, he returns a newborn baby recovered from an infected mother (the baby is uninfected because of the way the placenta works) to his island village. He also leaves a note for his father Jamie (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), where he explains that he’s going to keep exploring the mainland and may return home someday. Spike has become more assertive and independent over the course of the film, and at the end we see him hunting for his own food and battling infected with his bow and arrow. But when he’s pursued by a larger group, Spike is saved by what we can only describe as a parkour ninja gang (PNG?) led by a man named Jimmy (Sinners’ Jack O’Connell), an older version of the only child to survive the film’s grisly prologue. Boyle told IGN that the Jimmy character is a “hugely significant figure” in the upcoming second film.

It’s hard to overstate just how tonally inconsistent this last scene is with the rest of the movie. What had up to this point been a fairly depressing and atmospheric film suddenly drops in a bunch of tracksuit-wearing gangsters killing infected with kick flips and golf clubs. It feels like something from an entirely different movie, but according to Boyle, it’s a deliberate lead-in to the next film: “It’s the epilogue or an end theme at the end of the first film that gives you a handover to the second film.” The tonal shift seems to indicate that The Bone Temple will be a more humorous and off-kilter affair, with new characters and factions that Spike encounters as he explores more of the mainland having found different ways of existing among the infected.

We’d be remiss not to mention that Jimmy and his gang appear to be an homage to Jimmy Savile, a figure who may not be familiar to people outside the UK. Savile was a media personality who made many appearances on British television, particularly in children-oriented programs. He died in 2011, and afterwards was revealed to have been a prolific sexual predator, accused by hundreds of victims. It seems that in the universe of 28 Years Later, Savile’s predatory behavior was never revealed to the public (since the outbreak happened before his death), hence this gang that seems to exist in tribute to him. It’s hard to evaluate this as a creative choice since it’s a thread that will be expanded upon in the next film, but it’s certainly an odd one.

Either way, the ending of 28 Years Later proves that the franchise will continue to keep fans guessing as we wait for the upcoming sequels.