Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer appeared on a moderated panel with Double Fine Studio Head Tim Schafer at the Paley International Council Summit in Palo Alto, California today, discussing "Big Ideas, Small Games: Creativity Beyond the Blockbuster." In the panel, moderated by Idilio CEO Gabriela Tafur, Spencer was asked about AI use at Xbox. He said that Xbox does use AI, but probably not how you might think.
"Our applications of AI today are mostly actually on the security and protection of our networks," he said, referring to voice and text chat on Xbox Live. "It's now at a scale where you can't really moderate the safety of those with just people alone. The volume is too high. So we have AI that we use to make sure that the conversation and topics that are happening, and for protected child accounts and other things and who gets to talk to those accounts to those people, is locked down by parents or guardians who are setting those controls. That's our primary use of AI inside of our organization today, which maybe isn't the most glamorous use of AI, but it's something that I fundamentally believe in."
He did, however, address the big question of AI use in the creative process of making games: "On the creative side, I really leave it up to the teams," he said. "I have found that creative teams will use tools that make their job easier when it makes their job easier, and any top-down mandate that 'Thou must use a certain tool'...is not really a path to success. I look at the teams, and we make tools available, and I kind of let it organically percolate."
"On the creative side, I really leave it up to the teams," Spencer said.
He stayed on the AI topic, but pivoted to the idea of how it might be used for game discovery. "An area that you've talked about that's interesting is discovery," he told Tafur. "How do I find the next thing that I might love? In that scenario where we are looking at some of the AI tools – it's not in practice today – but is there a way for us to use discovery based on things that you've done in the past to surface the next thing that you might not know about that might be interesting to you?
"On the production side, which I think is where a lot of people go...we don't have any goals in our model for that to happen. I think more about the pace of creativity, maybe the number of things we can try and take risks on before we decide on our next opportunity. But our AI use today is much more operational than it is in the creative space."
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Ryan McCaffrey is IGN's executive editor of previews and host of both IGN's weekly Xbox show, Podcast Unlocked, as well as our monthly(-ish) interview show, IGN Unfiltered. He's a North Jersey guy, so it's "Taylor ham," not "pork roll." Debate it with him on Twitter at @DMC_Ryan.
Costco has revealed its Black Friday schedule for 2025 and you can already check out what deals will be coming to a warehouse near you. The annual holiday shopping booklet was leaked by Costco Insider earlier this week with all of the dates, and every page is now available as an ad scan. You can expect the first round of holiday deals at Costco to kick off on Halloween, which is the same time Best Buy is planning on launching its early Black Friday sale this year. Here's a full breakdown of the Costco Black Friday schedule:
The official Costco Black Friday sale kicks off on November 17 this year, but there are more savings launching on Thanksgiving. Costco warehouses will be closed on Thanksgiving Day, but you can still start shopping online before the sale resumes in stores on Black Friday. The main sales are currently only set to run through Cyber Monday, so Black Friday weekend will be the ideal time to shop.
What Black Friday Deals to Expect From Costco
According to the ad scan, the Costco Black Friday sale is going to have discounts on just about everything. Gaming laptops, video game consoles, jewelry, furniture, TVs, and appliances are all included in this year's price cuts. You can check out the full Black Friday weekend ad scan for yourself in the Reddit thread below.
Some of the most notable discounts featured here are $120 off of PS5 consoles and savings on Apple stuff. The ad itself doesn't reveal what the actual discounts on Apple products will be this year, but the image features everything from MacBooks to AirPods. The discount on the PS5 is also noteworthy because Sony increased prices on PlayStation consoles by $50 earlier this year and it was unclear how substantial the discounts would be to offset that during Black Friday.
If you're looking to upgrade your home theater setup, it looks like Costco will also be dropping $220 off the price of the the popular Sonos Arc Ultra soundbar. The last time we saw that go on sale was during Labor Day weekend and that was only $100 off.
It's been a week where my willpower evaporated faster than dog water out in this crazy hot October heat. Between a stack of heavy hitters and cult faves going for pocket change, your cart may just fill itself before your smoko coffee can get gulped. I’ve played (and replayed) most of these gems, so trust me when I say this is a line-up worth smashing the buy button for.
In retro news, I'm celebrating the 22nd bday of the mouthful that is Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3. I remember this as arguably the best version of SMB3, with a proto-QR code mechanic that used a link cable to connect a second GBA with an e-Reader. Then, using one of 40+ specially printed cards, you'd unlock exclusive levels, demos, and basically "amiibo" yourself in-game power-ups, like the Cape Feather from Super Mario World (!!!). Mercifully, the Switch Online version just bundles all those cards in.
On Nintendo Switch, Super Smash Bros. Ult. remains an all-timer. The sheer depth of its roster still blows my mind, and it's an utter must-own. Meanwhile, Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes scratches that satisfying Musou itch with more depth than most spin-offs dare to include, and the multiple storyline routes genuinely reward replays.
Super Smash Bros. Ult. (-23%)A$69 *Low stock* A frantic party brawler that’s still the ultimate celebration of Nintendo history, packing fighters from every corner of gaming into one endlessly replayable package.
Persona 5 Tactica (-73%)A$25.50 A clever spin-off that transforms the Phantom Thieves’ stylish flair into grid-based tactics, blending humour, rebellion and flashy Persona powers with deep strategy.
Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes (-50%)A$39.90 Musou mayhem meets strategy as familiar Three Houses characters charge through massive battlefields in this fast, satisfying hack-and-slash adventure.
Dragon Ball FighterZ (-46%)A$48.90 Arc System Works’ 2.5D fighter nails the anime’s explosive look and pace, offering one of the best tag-team brawlers in years.
Yoshi's Crafted World (-27%)A$58 A charming cardboard diorama of platforming whimsy, with Yoshi waddling through handcrafted stages that ooze creativity and cuteness.
Mario Tennis Aces (-27%)A$58 A surprisingly tactical sports title that mixes power shots, trick returns, and classic Mushroom Kingdom chaos in every match.
On Xbox Series X, Alan Wake 2 proves that Remedy can still out-Twin Peaks itself with a terrifyingly meta narrative. Elsewhere, Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden blends romance and spectral combat into something hauntingly human.
Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden (-61%)A$39 A soulful supernatural action-RPG from Dontnod that balances ghost-hunting combat with emotional storytelling about love, loss, and letting go.
Hogwarts Legacy (-57%)A$47.10 A dream come true for Potter fans, letting you roam the castle, learn spells, and duel dark wizards in a lavish open-world Wizarding World adventure.
Alan Wake 2 (-70%)A$27.20 Remedy’s haunting sequel dives deep into psychological horror, blending detective work, metafiction, and unsettlingly stylish storytelling.
Grand Theft Auto V (-52%)A$29 The open-world classic remains a chaotic playground of crime, cars, and comedy that still feels unmatched in scale and polish.
The Quarry (-74%)A$29 From the creators of Until Dawn, this cinematic teen horror story is packed with jump scares, moral choices, and movie-quality performances.
Xbox One
NBA 2K26 (-42%)A$69 The latest basketball sim refines shooting and dribbling yet again, delivering slick presentation and plenty of modes for hoops heads.
Assassin's Creed The Ezio Col. (-37%)A$44 Relive Ezio’s legendary trilogy of stealth, swordplay, and intrigue in a package that chronicles Assassin’s Creed at its storytelling peak.
Assassin's Creed Mirage (-63%)A$29 A back-to-basics entry returning to stealth, parkour, and old-school assassination thrills set in a gorgeously realised Baghdad.
What's Big on the Radar? Headed out the door quick
PS5-wise, Dragon's Dogma 2 is a sprawling, unapologetic RPG where your pawns chatter more than podcasters on red cordial. Then there’s Like a Dragon: Ishin!, which finally gives Western fans the samurai saga they deserved, complete with karaoke brawls.
Dragon's Dogma 2 (-43%)A$61 Capcom’s massive open-world sequel builds on the cult classic with richer combat, smarter pawns, and sprawling fantasy adventure.
Grand Theft Auto V (-52%)A$29 Los Santos got a slick 4K makeover, with faster loading and performance options that make revisiting GTA’s crime saga worthwhile.
Armored Core VI Fires of Rubicon (-31%)A$69 FromSoftware’s mech epic delivers punishing battles, gorgeous explosions, and customisation depth that rewards tactical precision.
Like a Dragon: Ishin! (-49%)A$51.30 A historical spin-off where samurai swagger meets Yakuza mayhem, retelling 1860s Japan with stylish swordplay and political intrigue.
PS4
Batman: Arkham Col. (-59%)A$34.90 Rocksteady’s trilogy remains the gold standard for superhero action, packed with tight combat, dark storytelling, and obsessive detail.
Crysis Rem. Trilogy (-26%)A$55.90 The iconic PC shooters recharged for console, showcasing nanosuits, open combat zones, and improved visuals that finally run smoothly.
Riders Republic (-62%)A$38.40 A chaotic extreme-sports playground mixing bikes, boards, wingsuits and snow for thrill-seekers craving a multiplayer adrenaline rush.
For PC players, Persona 5 Royal remains a top-tier JRPG whose jazz soundtrack still slaps harder than most live albums. Dredge quietly became my 2023 obsession, pulling Lovecraftian horror into tranquil fishing. The less said about what lurks beneath those waves, the better.
Persona 5 Royal (-68%)A$30.30 The definitive version of Atlus’s stylish JRPG masterpiece, packed with new characters, confidants, and dozens more hours of turn-based brilliance.
Dredge (-60%)A$14.60 A quietly haunting fishing adventure where Lovecraftian horror lurks beneath tranquil waters and every catch might just stare back.
Undertale (-75%)A$3.60 The cult classic RPG that flips expectations, offering kindness or chaos in a witty, emotional journey that still hits hard years later.
Mass Effect Leg. Ed. (-92%)A$7.10 BioWare’s epic sci-fi trilogy remastered for modern PCs, reuniting Commander Shepard and crew in a saga that defined a generation.
Metaphor: ReFantazio (-51%)A$56.90 From the Persona team comes an all-new fantasy JRPG, merging turn-based strategy and surreal style in a mysterious, dreamlike kingdom.
Adam Mathew is a passionate connoisseur, a lifelong game critic, and an Aussie deals wrangler who genuinely wants to hook you up with stuff that's worth playing (but also cheap). He plays practically everything, sometimes on YouTube.
Halloween may be right around the corner, but the winter holiday season will come at us just as fast. If you're a big Zelda fan or have special someone in your life that is obsessed, Hallmark has a handful of awesome ornaments spanning the franchise's storied history you can buy right now. Ranging in price from $12 to $32, purchasing one of these won't break the bank and will last for holidays to come. If you're looking for an affordable Legend of Zelda gift to buy ahead of the 2025 Christmas season, this is a delightful option worth considering.
Legend of Zelda Hallmark Ornaments
Pretty much every era from Zelda's history is represented with these ornaments, from the NES original 8-bit Link to 2023's Tears of the Kingdom Decayed Master Sword. The Link with his sword and shield ornament is another notable inclusion, since it plays classic Zelda tunes at the push of a button. I personally would have appreciated some Twilight Princess love with this collection, but I can't complain with what's on offer here.
Each ornament is only a few inches in every dimension, so storing them efficiently in the off-season or utilizing them as year-round decor is definitely on the table. I have a game shelf that the Toon Link ornament would be right at home on. The 8-bit Link ornament is low on stock, so if you've had your eye on it, now's the perfect time to pick one up.
More Hallmark Nintendo Ornaments
Naturally, The Legend of Zelda franchise isn't the only Nintendo property receiving the Hallmark treatment. There's an Elephant Mario from Super Mario Bros. Wonder would look great on any Christmas tree, and the winter hat Rowlet is one of the cutest things I've ever seen.
Is Hallmark a Good Ornament Brand?
Hallmark isn't the only ornament brand out there, but it is certainly one of the most well-known. The main appeal of Hallmark Keepsake ornaments is that the brand offers yearly releases from popular IPs like Nintendo, Star Wars, Disney, and more. If you're looking for a little piece of your favorite movie or video game to hang on your tree, it's most likely going to be a Hallmark-branded ornament. Seeing as the ornaments are officially-licensed, they are also likely to be of higher quality than any knock-off brands you find elsewhere.
Do you remember the worst day of your life? It’s okay; you don’t have to answer. I do. I was doing something I loved, I made a mistake, and a story someone else told about it for their own purposes cost me almost everything I had. People I thought were my friends walked out of my life, doors slammed shut in my face, and everything I’d worked for evaporated. My family resorted to communication by postcard because I refused to answer the phone, and I spent the next two years contemplating suicide before finally finding some semblence of peace. Nearly a decade later, those moments, that mistake – such a little thing, really – impacts every aspect of my life. I spend a lot of time grappling with that, wondering if I’ll ever be the person I was before that moment again. I don’t know the answer.
The worst day of Clementine McKinney’s life reminded me a lot of my own, though it came inside the cockpit of a Raptor mech rather than behind a keyboard. She made a decision, one rooted in trying to do the right thing and defend people she loved, and it cost her everything she had. Clementine McKinney died that day, and Graveyard Clem was born from the ashes. Bounty Star is about who you are after the worst day of your life, about what you do when the only option is to climb back into the machine that put you there in the first place. I didn’t have a choice; neither does Clem. We don’t know how to do anything else.
Clem is a bounty hunter. Building and piloting a Raptor is all she knows, and it’s the main thing you’ll do across the roughly 15-20 hours it took me to finish Bounty Star’s story (though there is ample replayability if you want it). After her world collapses, her friend Jake Triminy, the local marshall of a post-plague future that caused the collapse of human civilization and the return of the dinosaurs, sets her up with an old workshop that has enough space to double as a farm. Nobody much trusts her after what happened, so the bounties she is offered are for small fry: local bandits and the like. You spend her money to buy food and cook it in her kitchen for stat increases before going out on a mission. The first time she gets into her Raptor after the decision she made inside one destroyed her life, she spends a long time staring at the ol’ girl, her heart beating fast. Then she closes her eyes, exhales, and gets to work. Clem sees the irony, but it might also be her only way out. Both she and I sit in that cockpit, but we are not in the same place.
Clem wears her battles on her body. There’s a nasty burn on the side of her neck, a deep scar on the right side of her face, and another on the opposite cheek. She’s not young anymore; if you leave her alone long enough, she’ll stretch and complain about the way her body is failing her, even though her physique tells the story of a woman who builds Raptors and welds steel. Her clothes are covered in engine grease and stained with sweat. Her accent bears the twang of the American South. She drinks, smokes, plays guitar, and swears like it’s going out of style – and yet, when she gets stuck on a problem, she’ll pull out a stuffed dinosaur named Jeremy and talk to him until she realizes the solution. After a completed bounty, Clem sits on her Raptor and writes down her thoughts in a small journal, a warrior poet hoping that she’ll find herself in the words she arranges on the page. She is a person, messy and flawed and glorious, and I loved her in the way you love a kindred soul, someone whose failings you understand and strengths you admire.
Clem is a person, messy and flawed and glorious.
Once you've got your assignment, it's time to outfit your Raptor and get to work. Raptors are relatively tiny mechs – think an Armored Core’s AC, but smaller, less well armed, and faster. They have melee and ranged weapons that range from chainswords and giant hammers to assault rifles and grenade launchers. You can customize them to fit your playstyle even further by popping in things like a booster for quick dodges, a burst repairer for on-the-spot healing, or a thermal computer to restore your Raptor to its base temperature faster.
There's a lot to consider: each weapon has one of three types (Blade, Bludgeoning, Boom) that operate in a rock, paper, scissors style against different types of armor. Weapons and systems also build or reduce heat. Too much or too little, and your Raptor will shut down until it comes back under control, leaving you vulnerable. But there are benefits. High heat speeds up your melee weapon swings, while a cooler Raptor fires its guns more quickly.
Some bounties are only available in the morning, afternoon, or evening. It’s cooler at night, so weapons that generate heat are more viable than they would be in the afternoon, when you'll want systems to keep your Raptor running cool. The right build takes your targets, time of day, and heat into account, and there is a joy in stepping into Clem's mind, getting under the hood, and building a smooth-running rig.
In the field, a Raptor is nimble but purposeful, a force of fury and steel. It can dodge and run to avoid fire, but when you swing that chainsword, you commit to its weight and momentum. An assault rifle will kill a man in a single shot, but it will be less effective against a Driller mech built heavy for mining and repurposed by outlaws for combat. A double-barreled shotgun will chew through an unmanned Sieger, but you'll need to be more precise against another mech. The heavier enemies – Drillers, Raptors like yours – have stability that must be reduced before your melee weapons stagger them, but once it's gone, a hammer, chainsword, or flame gauntlet will rock them to the frame, steel grinding against steel until something breaks. But be wary of counter-attacks, which can stop your offense cold and send your Raptor reeling. To compensate, you have melee and dash tricks of your own. Cancel a swing of your hammer into an evasive maneuver while leaping backward and firing your shotgun, or dash forward into a swing of a built-for-a-mech baseball bat. To fight another Raptor is to tango, two gunslingers circling until one finds an opening.
It’s satisfying, though repetition does set in when you see the same Raptor, the same Sieger, the same group of enemies again and again, especially during the Low Priority repeatable bounties you’ll do between High Priority story missions. The environments Clem navigates, clearly a loving tribute to the American Southwest, are stunning at least. Though you’ll see some of the maps several times, many of them never lose their beauty, especially at night. Variety is found in optional objectives that offer additional cash and challenge you to take no damage, use a specific build, complete a bounty quickly, destroy objects scattered around the environment, find a hidden item, and so on. And it is always worth scavenging an area to find secret chests for additional rewards like world lore, resources, or even blueprints for new weapons or recipes for Clem to whip up in the kitchen.
I found joy in the repetition of a life lived outside of the cockpit.
Between bounties, you’ll use the money Clem earns to build up her new home and improve her Raptor. Things start small. But soon enough, you’re crafting new weapons, unlocking additional slots or loadouts, producing your own fuel, making your own ammunition, growing crops, and raising chickens. As she rebuilds herself, a place she didn’t want to be becomes a home. These chores are minor – feed the chickens, water the plants, sow new seeds, make sure the fuel producing systems have enough water, cook a meal before you head out – but I found joy in the repetition of a life lived outside of the cockpit, of seeing the real, tangible progress Clem and I were making on our journeys of healing.
A I invested more time and money into the farm, I was able to do these jobs faster, more efficiently. Carrying water to each plant will get the job done. But it’s much more fun to build a firearm-activated irrigation system, to watch empty space get filled in by the work you’ve done, slowly, piece by piece. Isn’t that a life? And my Raptor was becoming fiercer, too, the bounties bigger. At the start, one feeds the other. The Raptor. The farm. Over time, they intertwine, and it’s harder to see where one ends and the other begins.
In one of her journal entries, Clem reflects on her relationship with Raptors, wondering if she should loathe them on principle as machines of war or lean into the power and joy she feels while piloting one. It’s a question not just for her, but us as the player, too. She opts for the latter, partly because she has no choice, and partly because she feels she is making the world a better place by removing bad men from it. You can thankfully take bounties alive or scare off dinosaurs with fireworks instead of killing them (and sometimes you are paid more for it), but you’re going to rack up a lot of bodies either way. The home she builds is the opposite of that. At first, she resents it, wanting out as quickly as she can find a way. But she comes to see its potential. Soon, I was making just as much money from farming as I was from bounty hunting. What was a chore became a way of life.
And as she builds a new life, other characters come to inhabit it. She befriends a reformed bandit who offers her a way to relive past battles, useful for completing optional objectives in bygone story missions; a former thief atoning for his crimes by wearing a ridiculous steak outfit and selling meat as Mr. Meat; a miner trapped inside his suit who has dedicated himself to building an ethical mine for other miners; a weapons dealer who becomes a confidant; a giant insect driven from its colony who becomes a friend (and, when fed and watered, a weapon to be mounted on a Raptor).
Each is a mirror that offers Clem a chance to reflect on her life, her choices, to show us who she is, and who she still might be. Shall she be a woman at war with herself, reliving the battles that brought her here? There are many kinds of prisons. Some you carry with you wherever you go. Clem’s Raptor could be a cell. But it could be armor, too, the key to something else. Something better. The past is prologue, but it doesn't have to define us. We choose who we are every day.
Bounty Star is a simple game. You would never mistake it for something with a ton of money behind it, though the writing and voice acting are excellent. And there were times it frustrated me, such as when it locked story progression behind building an engine I couldn’t afford. (Luckily, I had a pretty sizable farm at that point, and chicken eggs and corn command a premium.) It crashed on me a few times. It can be repetitive. I’m not sure I care about much of that, but it was part of my experience. But I did care about Clem, about her story, the people she loved and who loved her in return. This town takes in all kinds. I wanted her to rebuild her life, and that saw me through.
The Galaxies Showcase has arrived and it featured more than 50 games, six world premieres, exclusive reveals, demo drops, and much more, including the long-awaited release date for Mouse: P.I. For Hire, a release window for the Tony Hawk meets Trains game called Denshattack! and a new look at Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2.
There were a ton of big moments from the show, and this guide has gathered them all to ensure you don't miss a thing. Be sure to let us know which game you are most looking forward to below!
Mouse: P.I. For Hire Will Officially Arrive in March 2026
Mouse: P.I. For Hire, the much-anticipated stylized first-person boomer shooter where players will become Jack Pepper across a jazz-filled adventure with a mystery to solve. Oh, and it's all wrapped in a black and white 1930's cartoon aesthetic.
Denshattack! Is Like Tony Hawk With Trains and It's Out in Spring 2026
In the perfect mix of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater and Japanese Trains, Denshattack! wants you to perform skateboard tricks as a speeding train. It sounds ridiculous, but that's what makes us so excited for it in Spring 2026 on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.
Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 Is a Retro FPS That Lets You Obliterate Heretics in the Name of the Emperor
Pick up where the original left off in Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2, a retro FPS that encourages you to obliterate heretics in the name of the Emperor. Take on the role of Malum Caedo once again and visit the colossal heights of a hive cit, the impenetrable mangrove swamps of a jungle, and much more with youe chainsword, shotgun, and other deadly Space Marine weapons. Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 will be released on PC and consoles in 2026.
Dumb Ways to Party Requires Players to Win Using a Combination of Skill, Sabotage, and Sheer Dumb Luck
Say hello too the world's dumbest party game! Play as your favorite Bean and go head-to-head with up to four players to become the Dumbest of the Dumb by using a combination of skill, sabotage, and sheer dumb luck. Dumb Ways to Party will be released on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch 1 and 2, and PC. If you buy Dumb Ways to Die on the Epic Games Store, you'll unlock the Dumb Ways to Die Bundle in Fortnite as well!
PowerWash Simulator 2 Is Out Now and Welcomes Players Back to Clean
Get ready to bring your power washer out again as PowerWash Simulator 2 is available now on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch 2, and PC. Check out the launch trailer above and read our PowerWash Simulator 2 review right here.
Lead a Band of Misfits in Rockbeasts and Take Them to the Top of the Music World
Come along for a journey into Rockbeasts, where players will lead a band of misfits on a roller-coaster ride to stardom in the age of MTV, rock anthems, and bad haircuts. Lean more about the gameplay in this story-driven, role-playing management game that tasks you with taking your band to the top of the music world. Rockbeasts will be released in the future on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, and PC.
Turnbound Is an Auto-Battler Where You Build a Haunted Board of Weapons, Creatures, and More
We not only got a look at Turnbound, an auto-battler where you build your very own haunted board filled with puzzle pieces representing weapons, trinkets, creatures, and more, but it was confirmed that it will be released in Early Access on PC on November 13 and that you can try a demo right now.
Run Your Own Vending Machine Shop With This New Idle Simulator Called Vending Dokan!
Have you ever dreamed of running your own vending machine shop? Vending Dokan! lets you live out this dream as it is an idle simulator with big cozy vibes. Decorate, clean, restock, and run the best shop you can in this new game that is out now on Steam in Early Access.
Become an Egg and Escape a Hen House in Egging On
Take on the unlikely role of an egg in Egging On and platform, roll, jump, climb, and even fly as you do all you can to get out of a hen house. Egging On is coming soon to PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.
Explore a Brand New World and Hunt Weird Monsters Called Apomo in Apomo District
Enter a strange new world filled with monsters called Apomo in Apomo District, and take all the time you need to explore a place that changes every day, and one you'll need to catch and cook fish, collect bugs to cast spells, and find gear to become stronger and stronger as you hunt down these weird monsters called Apomo.
Meet The Krasue, the New Killer in Dead by Daylight's Sinister Grace DLC
Dead by Daylight's Sinister Grace DLC is available now and introduces the new terrifying killer called The Krasue, a horrifying murderous singer players will get to play as or do all they can to survive against.
Sleep Awake Gets a Release Date and Begs You Not to Fall Asleep
In Sleep Awake, which now has a release date of December 2 on PC and PS5, you live in the last known city on Earth, and everyone who falls asleep ends up missing. Dive deeper into this mystery and learn the lengths people will go to stay awake.
Crosswind Lets You Live Out Your Pirate Fantasy
Become a pirate and sail the seven seas in Crosswind, a survival crafting game that also lets you build giant manors with Jolly Rogers, fight giant frogs, and sink anyone who dares to cross your path.
Shroom & Gloom Has a New Demo That Lets You Grow Your Own Deck
In Shroom & Gloom, which has a demo available now ahead of its launch on PC in the future, you get to grow your own cards as you play through a first-person roguelike where you'll need to take out all kinds of weird fungus.
Sagas of Lumin Is an RPG Filled With Dragons and We Love That
In celebration of the release of its demo on Steam, Sagas of Lumin got a new trailer that showcases this single-player action RPG that lets you enjoy both grounded and aerial combat seated atop a dragon.
Defect Wants You to Gather Friends and Take Down an Authoritarian AI
Defect is a 4v4v4v4 squad-based cyberpunk shooter that wants you to bring your friends along (or go solo!) in an effort to fight against an authoritarian AI ruling over the last human city.
Bylina Is Rooted in Slavic Folklore and Legends and Its Out Later This Year
Bylina is an upcoming game set to be released in 2025 that rooted in Slavic folklore and legends and wants you to challenge Koschei the Deathless himself. You'll also need to journey to the Far Far Kingdom to save your soul and become a true hero in this action RPG that has a heavy focus on skill-based combat.
Become a Raccoon, Wolf, and Raven in Edenfall: Legacy of the First Wardens
A new demo is now available for Edenfall: Legacy of the First Wardens, a PC game set to be released in 2026 that lets you transform into a raccoon, a wolf, and a raven to take the fight against the force leeching color from the world.
Long Drive North Hits Steam Early Access Next Month
Get ready for a solo drive or an adventure with up to four people in Long Drive North, an upcoming game set to hit Steam Early Access on November 1 that puts you in an RV and tasks players to travel, survive, and scavenge in the American Wilds that are filled with animals to hunt, old abandoned vehicles, and more.
A.I.L.A. Is an AI That Promises Everything Is Fine When It Clearly Is Not
In A.I.L.A., you play as lone game tester for a fictional AI that may be overstepping its bounds. It promises that everything is find and that you can forget all of your stress, but things really seem off, especially the scar on your hand that appeared after visiting its VR world. This upcoming first-person horror game will be released on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC in November.
Far Far West Brings Magic to the Wild West
Far Far West is much more than a game about the wild west, it's also about casting spells, dealing with monsters, and teaming up with up to three friends for some co-op FPS action and bounty hunting. Those interested can join a playtest on PC right now on Steam.
Quantic River Is a Cyberpunk 2.5D Action Game Made for Speedrunners and Explorers
Quantic River sends players to Japan's fictional United City for a cyberpunk adventure about hacking (computers) and slashing. Oh, and it's made for those who both want to speedrun the game and those who want to take their time and explore all Quantic River has to offer.
Icarus Is a PvE Survival First-Person Crafting Multiplayer Game That's Headed to Consoles Soon
Icarus, which is currently available on PC, is coming soon to PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. For those unfamiliar, Icarus is a PvE survival first-person crafting multiplayer game that is set in the aftermath of a terraforming mission gone wrong.
Explore a Comedic Fantasy World in The Bureau of Fantastical & Arcane Affairs
Enter a fantasy world in The Bureau of Fantastical & Arcane Affairs and explore and inspect different environments in this first-person comedy narrative sandbox game. What's intriguing is you can choose to fix what's wrong with this world or not and see the chaos and hilarity that ensues from your choices.
Climb and Slay Towering Creature and Remember Your Past in Norigin
Norigin in a third-person action platformer that will have players climbing and slaying towering creatures in an effort to remember your past, your relationship with your father, and what you place is in in this strange world.
Pacific Drive - Whispers in the Woods DLC Invites Players In to the Olympic Exclusion Zone And It's Out Now
Enter the Olympic Exclusion Zone of the Pacific Northwest in Pacific Drive - Whispers in the Woods DLC. This area that has been sealed off from the rest of the world and your only companion is your old beat-up car and voices on the radio. As with the main game, you will scavenge and fix the car up alongside discovering what is breaking the laws of physics in the Exclusion Zone and try to find a way out.
Solasta II To Enter Early Access in Early 2026
The turn-based tactical fantasy RPG based on SRD 5e rules called Solasta II is entering Steam Early Access in early 2026 and will welcome players into the magic-drenched world of Neokos.
Find Out What Happens After a Meteor Hits South Korea and Turns Every Living Thing into Horrifying Creatures in Ground Zero
Ground Zero is set in a world where a meteor hit South Korea and has turned most every living thing into horrifying creatures. It's up to you to figure out why alongside exploring, surviving, solving puzzles, and learn the truth in Ground Zero, a retro-style survival horror game that's available now on PC and coming soon to PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.
Hark the Ghoul Is Getting a New Demo Before Its Launch on PC in 2026
If you want to try out Hark the Ghoul, which is set to be released on PC in 2026, a new demo is now available. Hark the Ghoul is a retro-modern low-poly game that wants you to kick, slash, cast spells, and more in a fantasy world.
Build an Epic Deck and Forge Your Path Through a Mythological Japanese Landscape in Talespinner
In the deck-building game Talespinner, players will forge their path through a mythological Japanese landscape, choose a character, gain companions, and work through branching storylines where your choices matter. Talespinner will be released on PC in the future.
Town to City Is Getting Pets and We Are Very Excited
Town to City's Official Animal Update is headed to the game in November 2025 and and will allow players to give their citizen's pets, find new ways to decorate, build new buildings, and experience the game in a first-person perspective.
Become a Fierce Feline Hero and Take Back Feral City in Clawpunk
Play as fierce feline heroes and battle villainous gangs to take back Feral City in Clawpunk, a delightfully chaotic arcade adventure that will have players scratching, clawing, and being the best cat ever through destructible environments that are just as stylish as you could want in a retro-inspired game.
Windblown Is Celebrating One Year of Early Access With a New Update
To celebrate one year of Windblown being in Early Access on Steam, Motion Twin has released an Anniversary Update that includes 2 new vast biomes, 8 new deadly weapons, new unlocks and metaprogression, 2 ferocious new bosses, a new storyline, and much more.
Cthulhu: The Cosmic Abyss Gets an Official Release Date and Gameplay Trailer
Cthulhu: The Cosmic Abyss will be released on PC on April 16, 2026, and, to celebrate the release date reveal, NACON has revealed a new gameplay trailer that shows more of this first-person dread thriller that takes players to the depths of the Pacific Ocean to an ancient sunken city where Cthulhu is imprisoned. Solve puzzles, make choices, and resist the mind-corrupting influence of Cthulhu as you work to investigate the disappearance of miners.
Cloudheim Is Entering Early Access via Steam and Is Set in a World Shattered by Ragnarok
Cloudheim will officially be released in Early Access on PC via Steam on December 4, 2025, and players will be able to jump into a world shattered by Ragnarok with up to three of their friends to awaken forgotten deities, drive back corruption, and upgrade your shop in the sky to bring harmony to a broken realm.
Rue Valley Story Trailer Reveals a Narrative RPG About a Man Trapped in a Time Loop
Learn more of the world of Rue Valley in this latest story trailer alongside seeing gameplay of the narrative RPG about a man trapped in a time loop. The main character also has to deal with mental challenges and must rise from the depths and work with others to handle an anomaly and uncover its enigmatic origins. Rue Valley will be released on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC on November 11, 2025.
Shadow of the Road Is Japan Meets Magic and Technology
Check out new gameplay of Shadow of the Road, an upcoming story-driven turn-based RPG where traditional Japan meets magic and technology. Gather a cast of characters to take on magical yokai and deadly machines as you work your way to change the fate of the Empire. Shadow of the Road will be released on PC in the future.
It Takes a War Is All About Graphics! Guns! and Glory!
Graphics! Guns! Glory! Learn all about these three mantras of It Takes a War in its newest gameplay trailer. Get ready to drop into a devastatingly real depiction of the battlefield as you work with your team to take on a relentless foe. It Takes a War is scheduled to debut in Q4 2025 on PC.
Experience a Heist Disrupted by a Supernatural Event in Dark Hours
Get another look at Dark Hours, a co-op survival horror game for up to four players that is all about a heist being disrupted by a supernatural event. As a team of robbers, you and your friends must work together to survive against an evil entity and last the night. Dark Hours is out now in Early Access on PC via Steam.
PACS: Post Apocalypse Courier Service Is a Co-Op Delivery Simulator That Needs You to Deliver Packages on Time
Get ready for the 'postiepocalypse' in PACS - Post Apocalypse Courier Service, the upcoming co-op delivery simulator that will have your and your friends navigating treacherous environments, scavenging for vehicle upgrades, and growing a courier service that fulfills the apocalyptic miracle of a package delivered on time. PACS is headed to PC in the future.
Enginefall Is a Massive PvP Game Set Across a Player-Driven Railworld on an Earth in Ruins
Check out the gameplay overview trailer for Enginefall, a massive PvP title set across a player-driven Railworld. The Earth is in ruins and this train network is humanity's last refuge. Players will need to craft, fight, and scheme their way through the train's classes, take control of the engine, and build a home that can survive in this brutal new world. Enginefall will be released on PC in Q1 2026 and a playtest is happening this weekend.
Broken Sword: The Smoking Mirror: Reforged Is the Remaster of the Classic Narrative-Driven Exploration Game
Broken Sword: The Smoking Mirror: Reforged is a remaster of the classic narrative-driven exploration game from 1997 and will allow players to experience the game with new 4K visuals, remastered audio, and more modern enhancements.
Painkiller's Launch Trailer Reintroduces the World to the Brutal and Fun World of the Classic Franchise
Painkiller is a modern reimagining of the classic franchise and even includes online co-op for up to three players and offline play. Once again take on hordes of demons and titanic terrors across detailed gothic environments and escape Purgatory after being sentenced for your transgressions against Heaven. You are given a chance to redeem yourself as a Champion, and you must stop the fallen angel Azazel from unleashing his demonic armies onto Earth. Painkiller will be released on October 21, 2025, on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.
Escape the Backrooms' Version 1.0 Update Is Arriving Today
Escape the Backrooms is officially leaving Early Access on October 23, 2025, as it launches its Version 1.0 Update on PC. Traverse 30+ eerie backrooms levels while avoiding entities and other dangers with up to 3 friends in this co-op horror exploration game. Following this launch, Secret Mode will be hard at work on getting it ready of its debut on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.
Instruments of Destruction Is Now on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S Alongside PC
Alongside PC, Instruments of Destruction is now available on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. Now, console players can crash through walls and tear down buildings in this vehicle-action game featuring advanced physics-based demolition. Pilot over 130 unique vehicles or design your own in highly-interactive sandbox worlds.
Experience a Survival Horror Metroidvania in Silver Pines
Silver Pines is a survival horror metroidvania that will have players fighting nightmarish terrors and solving puzzles, all while working to uncover a mystery that could hold the key to redemption. Silver Pines will be released in 2026 on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, and PC.
Save Your Daughter and Fight the Monster Within in Skinwalker
Check out the Reveal Trailer for Skinwalker, a 2D pixelated side-scrolling narrative game developed by Sismo Games. After a father who's concerned about his daughter's medical treatments gets infected by a strange experiment in a lab, all chaos unfolds as he losses his ability to control the monster within. Slice and dice through anything in sight in Skinwalker, launching in 2026 for PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, and PC (Steam).
Sail Across Endless Waters and Discover Yourself in Will: Follow the Light
Take another look at Will: Follow the Light, the upcoming story-driven, first-person adventure puzzle game all about a perilous personal journey through the harsh northern latitudes. In order to find peace and reunite with his family, Will must sail across the endless water and discover himself. Will: Follow the Light will be released on PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC in 2025.
Get Out of a Bizarre Corporate Experiment in Unhinged
Unhinged is an open-world survival crafting game where players find themselves trapped inside of a bizarre corporate experiment. Explore a brutal open world, build modular machines, and survive mind-bending trials to uncover the terrifying truth that brought you to this mysterious place. Unhinged will be released in Early Access on PC in 2027.
Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc will be released in theaters in the United States on October 24.
From the black and white opening scene that recreates the visuals of creator Tatsuki Fujimoto's manga, Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc promises a different kind of shonen anime movie, one that plays and experiments with visuals and story. And while it accomplishes that for the most part, the worst thing about this movie is that it can at times feel safe in its action sequences.
Much like the recent Infinity Castle movie, Reze Arc is both a canon continuation of an ongoing series and also technically a movie that regular moviegoers can see on the big screen. Taking a story that is told in chapters and stitching them together for a single movie is inherently going to lose something in translation, but the biggest problem with Reze Arc is that it gives up interpreting the source material in lieu of a straightforward adaptation. Once the action kicks into full gear in the second half, it feels more like anime studio MAPPA's work on Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 than their work on the rather cinematic and experimental first season of Chainsaw Man — or even their masterpiece that was Vinland Saga Season 2.
That said, this is still the best-case scenario for an anime arc movie so far, the best shonen series movie in years, and the feel-bad rom-com of 2025. That speaks to the strength of the source material, but also how much the story of Reze Arc further develops Denji as a character. From the very first episode of Chainsaw Man, we are quickly shown just how much Denji has had to fight to survive, having lived in extreme poverty from a young age. His lack of social interactions and the very basic and instinctual lifestyle he leads has more in common with the devils he kills for a living than the humans around him. Denji literally cannot distinguish between pure sexual attraction and real love, having never experienced the latter. So when he meets a girl his own age who doesn't just treat him as a pet but seems enthusiastic about him, he has an existential crisis that makes him ponder whether or not he could imagine a quiet, normal high-school existence.
The love story plot comes closest to replicating the slow-burn, the meticulous attention to character acting, the deliberate silence and the exploration of mundanity of the first season.
This is the crux of Reze Arc and what makes it stand out as an anime arc movie. It’s genuinely a self-contained story, even if it does nothing to explain the overall premise of the show, or the story so far, to newcomers, and the lack of huge developments for the overarching hunt for the Gun Devil make the film quite standalone. The focus lies squarely on Denji and Reze's love story, with Denji not even transforming into his titular alter ego until a whole hour into the film's 100-minute runtime.
This is where the movie comes closest to replicating the slow-burn, the meticulous attention to character acting, the deliberate silence and the exploration of mundanity of the first season. The small glances and touches between Reze and Denji, the way his demeanor changes and becomes less agitated and aggressive, or even the way the screen bursts with color and the movie becomes much more vibrant the moment Reze comes into the story… these all help sell Denji's first love.
It also doesn’t hurt that Chainsaw Man - The Movie: Reze Arc features one of the best scores of the year, regardless of medium or genre. Kensuke Ushio (Devilman Crybaby, A Silent Voice) returns, and his score is what seals the hauntingly beautiful yet tragic love story between Denji and Reze, especially the piano-heavy theme for Reze that plays during a pivotal pool scene.
Then the horror begins.
It's a testament to Ushio's score that it manages to set the tone switch so well, with his whimsical, emotional tunes quickly distorting into a synth-heavy rave straight out of Devilman Crybaby as Denji and Reze's date is interrupted by a knife-wielding killer. In an instant, the movie goes from rom-com to horror, the visuals shifting to something straight out of a David Fincher movie, the camera moving like it’s handheld.
The rest of the movie delivers on the chainsaw action and the spectacle with loud colors, bombastic action and the incredible sight of a man made out of chainsaws riding a shark into battle — by far the most ridiculously fun thing any shonen anime has done since Luffy's Gear Five fight with Kaido. And yet, it is also here where the film's flaws become most glaring, with the focus on flashy imagery and the distracting use of big color splashes from the manga covers coming across as over-stimulating to the point where the fight becomes hard to follow at times. The fights are still thrilling, but they are a big departure from the style of the first season and feel like they’re playing it safe for a more mainstream theatrical crowd.
In the NBC TV series pilot, New York City cop Ricardo Tubbs travels down to Miami in search of his brother’s killer and eventually teams up with local undercover detective James “Sonny” Crockett, who’s also after the same drug dealers since they killed his partner.
In the end, Tubbs transferred to Miami and became Crockett’s partner and best friend as they went on a litany of dangerous undercover missions in the hugely influential 1984-89 TV series.
Philip Michael Thomas originated the role of Tubbs in the TV series while Jamie Foxx played him in Michael Mann’s 2006 big screen reboot.
The role of Sonny Crockett has yet to be cast.
Unlike the 2006 feature film adaptation directed by Michael Mann, this Miami Vice movie will be a period piece that Universal Pictures says “explores the glamour and corruption of mid-80’s Miami,” the decade when the original NBC TV series aired.
F1 and Top Gun: Maverick’s Joseph Kosinski is directing Miami Vice, which begins shooting next year for an August 6, 2027 release date. The film will be shot in IMAX.
Miami Vice will be produced by Dylan Clark (The Batman) and Kosinski and written by Dan Gilroy and Eric Singer, based on characters created by Anthony Yerkovich from the series executive produced by Yerkovich and Michael Mann.
With its unsettling backdrops and detailed worldbuilding, Tormented Souls 2 may look like a contemporary horror game, but don't let that modern dressing fool you. At its core beats the blackened heart of stone-cold classics like Resident Evil and Silent Hill, with all the treats — and tricks — that both endeared me to and enraged me about these formulaic survival horror games when they first gained popularity. Fixed camera angles? Check. Tank controls? Check. Insanely complex puzzles and an even more bizarre story, complete with cheesy dialogue and a manual save system? Check, check, check, and check. It makes Tormented Souls 2 a surprisingly faithful homage, bringing back all the stuff I loved about old survival horror games… as well as many of the things I loved to hate.
Tormented Souls 2 picks up right after the events of its 2021 predecessor, but you don't have to have met the Walker sisters before to make sense of this sequel. That’s partly because it tells a standalone story, and partly because it's so fantastical that nothing makes sense anyway. Sure, you may have questions about Caroline's fetching eyepatch, but all you really need to know is she’s searching for answers about her little sister Anna's terrifying visions and reality-bending drawings. For reasons that seem to exist exclusively in schlocky horror tales, that answer apparently sits somewhere in the depths of a creepy convent nestled in a far-flung location.
Before Caroline even gets the chance to shrug off her (exceedingly 90s) leather jacket, though, Anna goes missing, and it's up to the older sibling to both find her sister and figure out what the hell is going on before it's too late… with an emphasis on the “hell” bit, naturally. As stories go, it's not unique, no, but the twists and turns of Tormented Souls 2's roughly 20-hour campaign are delightfully over-the-top in the same way the original Resident Evil games are. It’s packed with cheesy dialogue, curious flavor text, and some truly bizarre encounters I couldn’t help but smile at. Caroline's stay in the remote town of Villa Hess will take you to a number of wonderfully grim places, including a processing plant, spooky school, abandoned mall, bunker, and the sprawling convent you start off in, keeping the creepy environments feeling fresh.
And those environments are so detailed! Stuffed with interest and plenty of lore, Villa Hess and its surroundings are such fascinating, atmospheric places to explore. You never know when a key item or a helpful tool may be secreted away in a hidden room somewhere, so it's always best to keep your curiosity piqued. While your investigation is sometimes interrupted by a bladed demon or shambling zombie, you'll find that enemies have a tendency to stay dead in Tormented Souls 2 — once you've cleared out an area, you're usually left to explore at your leisure. With little more than a flickering candle to guide the way, though, it's a little too easy to miss things; I've been caught out a couple of times by overlooking a key clue or item, even in areas I thought I'd examined pretty closely.
As is seemingly the law for old-school survival horror, the more you play, the more you'll find yourself opening up new routes to old places, providing access to rooms and entire areas that were previously blocked off. I suspect the backtracking will irk some — there's a lot of it, particularly early on — but as the levels and fetch-quests are well-designed and usually rewarding, I couldn't begrudge it. That said, there's a reason fixed camera angles and tank controls are considered relics of the past. I grew up playing the games Tormented Souls 2 pays homage to (Resident Evil, Silent Hill 3, Parasite Eve, Alone in the Dark), but moving around Villa Hess is frustrating even when there isn't a demon on your tail, with tight corridors and dead ends that make getting from one side of a building to the other unduly long-winded.
Add in Caroline's fear of the dark: she'll freeze and start to hyperventilate if plunged into darkness for even a split second, dying completely if you leave her there too long. You can’t even put away your lighter to shatter a porcelain pot or smash open a wooden crate unless there's an ambient light source nearby… which there very often isn't. The lighter sure does add to the atmosphere, though, which is almost continually tense and unnerving. As the primary source of light quite often, you'll have to proactively step into a room to illuminate what, if anything, is hiding in the shadows, which inevitably means unwittingly getting up close and personal with the denizens skulking around the place.
It all falls apart a bit when there is something hiding in the dark, though. Tormented Souls 2's combat isn't clumsy as much as it is enraging. The reliance on Caroline's lighter means you're often unarmed when something lunges at you, and the fixed camera angles and stiff character movement make it harder than it should be to retreat or create a little distance. Caroline protects herself with a range of acquired and improvised weapons, from a shotgun to a nail gun. Some of them can be upgraded to improve their rate of fire or reload speed, but they're still slow to use and difficult to wield accurately in a panic. I know it's kind of a genre convention to ensure we feel weak and underpowered, but this could've been achieved through scarcer ammo or by throwing more enemies at us; inefficient weapons and fixed cameras don't ramp up the tension as much as snap the immersion entirely.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, that jankiness follows you into boss fights. One of the first you'll encounter, a giant nun, stomps around the room trying to batter you with a gigantic steel cross. But in that one single room, there are at least three different fixed camera angles, which means you may find yourself inadvertently sprinting towards your foe if the camera shifts while trying to put distance between you. This wouldn't be so bad if your shotgun held more than two shots at a time or if the nun flinched with each hit, but she'll keep galloping like an aggravated rhino, which made the camera feel like the real boss I was fighting.
Thankfully, for every underwhelming boss fight you're forced to endure, you'll happen across a good half-dozen puzzles which confuse and delight in equal measure. I never felt closer to an old Resident Evil or Silent Hill game than trying to figure out how to open a door, or decode a cipher, or prise open the jaws of a dead shark for reasons I still don't quite understand. Often deeply cryptic, maddeningly illogical, or completely unsolvable because I stupidly missed a clue somewhere, these puzzles were exactly what I want from a game like this, all the way down to the mini-puzzles that ask you to combine specific items in your inventory. Yes, I'll admit one or two (or five) brain teasers truly stumped me for an embarrassing amount of time, but if that isn't old-school survival horror, then what is?
As part of the Intel Gamer Days Sale event, Lenovo is offering an excellent price on one of its highest end laptops. You can pick up the Lenovo Legion Pro 7i Gen 10 gaming laptop, equipped with a 16" OLED display and RTX 5080 GPU, for $2,369.99 after you apply two stackable coupon codes "BUYMORELENOVO" and "EXTRAFIVE". That's a total of about $1,200 off in savings and the lowest price I've seen so far for this particular configuration.
Lenovo Legion 7 Pro Gen 10 RTX 5080 Laptop for $2,370
Apply both codes: "BUYMORELENOVO" and "EXTRAFIVE"
The Legion Pro 7 is Lenovo's highest end 16" gaming laptop, featuring a full metal chassis (both lid and body), gorgeous OLED display with 2.5K 189ppi resolution, 240Hz refresh rate, HDR 1000 True Black certification, and 100% DCI-P3 color range, and better cooling than the Legion 5 series of laptops. This particular configuration is equipped with a 16" 2560x1600 240Hz OLED display, Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX CPU, Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080 GPU, 32GB of DDR5-5600MHz RAM, and a 2TB SSD. This 2025 model has been updated with Wi-Fi 7. Connectivity options include a Thunderbolt 4 port with DisplayPort 2.1, a USB Type-C port with up to 100W of Power Delivery, three USB Type-A ports, an RJ45 ethernet port, and an HDMI 2.1 port. The 99Whr battery can charge to 70% in just 30 minutes.
The Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX is a top performing CPU
The Legion Pro 5 is equipped with the Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX Arrow Lake-HX processor, which boasts a max turbo frequency of 5.4GHz with a whopping 24 cores and 40MB total L2 cache. According to Passmark, this is second most powerful Intel mobile CPU available right now and goes head to head with AMD's Ryzen 9 9955HX.
The GeForce RTX 5080 mobile GPU is better than the RTX 4090 mobile
The Legion Pro 7 laptop offers a robust cooling design that allows it to accomodate a more powerful GPU like the RTX 5080 without throttling it. That's important if you want to be able to play games comfortably on the display's enhanced 2560x1600 resolution. The RTX 5080 mobile GPU is roughly 15%-20% more powerful than the RTX 4080 mobile GPU that it replaces. In fact, it's slightly more powerful than the RTX 4090, which was the previous generation's flagship card. It's also within 15% of the RTX 5090's performance despite costing hundreds less.
Eric Song is the IGN commerce manager in charge of finding the best gaming and tech deals every day. When Eric isn't hunting for deals for other people at work, he's hunting for deals for himself during his free time.
The recent Deadpool/Batman #1 was notable for being the first Marvel/DC crossover comic in over two decades, but that was just half the story. DC is poised to release Batman/Deadpool #1 in November, and they've revealed the incredible lineup of backup crossovers that will accompany the main story.
Check out the slideshow gallery below to see a new preview of Batman/Deadpool #1:
Batman/Deadpool #1 features a main story, "The Cosmic Kiss Caper," by Grant Morrison and Dan Mora, who previously collaborated on Klaus. This issue will also include four backup stories:
John Constantine and Doctor Strange in “A Magician Walks Into a Universe” by Scott Snyder, James Tynion IV, Joshua Williamson, Hayden Sherman, Mike Spicer, and Frank Cvetkovic
Nightwing (Dick Grayson) and Wolverine (Laura Kinney) in “Sticks & Snikts” by Tom Taylor, Bruno Redondo, Adriano Lucas, and Wes Abbott
Harley Quinn and The Incredible Hulk in “Harley & Hulk’s Amazin’ Saturday!!!!” by Mariko Tamaki, Amanda Conner, Tamra Bonvillain, and Dave Sharpe
Static (Virgil Hawkins) and Ms. Marvel (Kamala Khan) in “New Friends in Old Places” by G. Willow Wilson, Denys Cowan, Klaus Janson, Francesco Segala, and Steve Wands
DC's official description of Batman/Deadpool #1 teases, "it’s a metaphysical car crash between two storytelling philosophies. One character broods in the shadows of trauma and justice. The other cartwheels through chaos, breaking the fourth wall and occasionally the laws of physics. Together, they’re forced to confront a threat that doesn’t just endanger their worlds—it questions their very existence as fictional constructs."
Batman/Deadpool #1 is priced at $7.99 for the main cover and $8.99 for the variants. This issue will be released on November 19, 2025. You can preorder a copy at your local comic shop.
Deadpool/Batman #1 and Batman/Deadpool #1 will mark the first act in a larger collaboration between the two publishers. We recently learned that they'll publish a pair of new Superman/Spider-Man crossovers in 2026, timed to the 50th anniversary of Superman vs. The Amazing Spider-Man #1.
Ahead of the holiday season, Dell is offering an Alienware Aurora R16 gaming desktop equipped with the GeForce RTX 5080 graphics card for under $2,000 with free delivery. Most RTX 5080 prebuilts you'll find elsewhere, including the more affordable brands you find on Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart, are priced closer to $2,400 and up. That's impressive considering Alienware usually commands a higher price premium. Such a system would have cost as much as $3,000 at the beginning of the year, but Nvidia GeForce RTX 50 prices have been trending downwards lately.
Alienware Aurora RTX 5080 Gaming PC From $1,945
This $1,960 configuration system is equipped with an Intel Core Ultra 7 265F CPU, GeForce RTX 5080 GPU, 16GB of DDR5-5600MHz RAM, and a 1TB M.2 SSD. The Intel Core Ultra 7 265F has a max turbo frequency of 5.3GHz with 20 cores and a 36MB L2 cache. It's cooled by a 240mm AIO liquid cooling system. The system is run off a 1,000W power supply.
This system is customizable and the CPU, RAM, and storage can all be upgraded. For example, you can choose the more powerful Intel Core Ultra 9 285K processor, which boasts a higher clock speed and core count, for an extra $300. Another reasonably priced upgrade is a 2TB SSD (from the stock 1TB) for an extra $50.
The GeForce RTX 5080 GPU will run any game in 4K
Performance-wise, the RTX 5080 is no slouch. It's one of the fastest cards on the market, bested only by the $2,000 RTX 5090 and the discontinued $1,600 RTX 4090. This is a phenomenal card for playing the latest, most demanding games in 4K resolution at high settings and ray tracing enabled. The RTX 5080 supports DLSS 4 with multi-frame generation, which means you can push even more frames out of games that support the technology with minimal visual compromise. Recent games that support it include Doom: The Dark Ages, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Borderlands 4, Stellar Blade, and Battlefield 6. Check out our Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080 FE review for our hands-on impressions.
Eric Song is the IGN commerce manager in charge of finding the best gaming and tech deals every day. When Eric isn't hunting for deals for other people at work, he's hunting for deals for himself during his free time.
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