Everyone likes a good audiobook, or if you haven't tried them, you really should. They're perfect for bedtime, having one on in the background whilst working, or if you're like me and don't have the patience (or time) to sit down with a book. Audible Premium Plus is currently $0.99 per month for the first three months for new subscribers.

TL;DR: Deals for Today

3 Months of Audible Premium Plus for $0.99/Month

Premium Plus gives you all the access to the 10,000 audiobooks the Premium Audible membership has, but you'll also get access to another 500,000 audiobooks. Reckon you could read them all? You can also pick one audiobook a month to keep forever, so if you were after a couple of audiobooks anyway, it's going to be worth picking up this deal just to get hold of them. You'll also gain access to exclusive podcasts and Audible Originals. Not bad for less than $3, right?

Dungeon Crawler Carl Sale

Like video games? Like gaming? LitRPG (Literal Role Playing Game) books are for you. They usually involve a main character either being pulled into or living in a video game of sorts, complete with levelling systems, big bads to overcome, etc. The Dungeon Crawler Carl series is a popular LitRPG series, and pretty much every book is on offer, with the latest in the series, A Parade of Horribles, dropping on May 15, 2026 for a slightly marked-down $29.82. The best part is Amazon won't take payment until the book ships, so if you're a fan, this is a no-brainer.

PC Deals

The best deal here by an absolute mile is the iBuyPower build. The Y40 Pro has comparable specifications to the RTX 5080 build, but swaps out an Intel CPU for an AMD Ryzen 9 7900X. OK, you're not getting specific Alienware branding and Area-51 features, but for the sake of saving $1,576.01 for more or less the same value build, I couldn't care less.

More Gaming Laptop Deals

The best gaming laptop for the money here is the MSI Vector 16 HX AI for $1,648. Granted, the processor isn't as good as the $2,099.00 ROG Strix, but it's still more than capable at backing up the packed-in RTX 5070 Ti laptop GPU and rocks 16GB DDR5, which is plenty for solid high-frame 1440p gaming. The 512GB SSD isn't ideal, but it's an easy upgrade down the line. You could, of course, double your RAM, get a better CPU, and get a 2TB M.2 SSD with the ROG Strix G16, but I don't personally think it's worth the extra $450 to get there.

More Gaming PC Deals

The Alienware Aurora is the cheapest build here, but it's only got an RTX 5060 Ti. That's fine if you just want a 1080p gaming machine for Fortnite, but frankly, you're paying some brand tax even after a cheeky discount.

Whilst I'd love for everyone to have $2.6k to spend on a liquid-cooled Radeon RX 9070 XT build, I'd go with the HP OMEN 45L for $2,284.99. 32GB DDR5 RAM is going to be relevant for years to come, and that also means your motherboard is good for any DDR5 or Intel CPU upgrades down the line (check that socket type before you do!). With DLSS 4.5 and 6x Frame Generation either just dropping or coming later this Spring, an RTX 5070 Ti is going to be plenty of power for a solid 1440p experience. You could even try and push to 4K with some lower settings, but 1440p is 100% the sweet spot for PC gaming with ridiculous frame rates.

Apple iPad and Macbook Deals

If you're more about the Apple ecosystem, hats have to go off to their unified memory and M4/M5 SoCs. They're bloody rapid and perfect for all kinds of productivity and creative work, but gaming not so much. Any opportunity to shave off some Apple brand tax is a good deal, and I personally love iPad Pro M5s combined with an Apple Pencil for 3D sculpting, drawing, and painting. It's a seamless and smooth experience that rivals dedicated drawing tablets.

AMD Threadripper Sale

If you're wanting to put a Threadripper into your gaming setup, then you're wasting your money. But if you need some of the fastest rendering times, run complex simulations, manage engineering workloads, or run compile farms (and yes, fine-tuning, inference, and data pre-processing AI/machine learning), this is the CPU to get. It will also unlock support for large Gen 5 PCIe lanes, ECC DDR5 support, and AVX-512 acceleration. If none of this makes sense to you, this likely isn't an investment you need to make. But for the right person, all of these Threadripper deals are a steal.

Gaming Monitor and TV Deals

PC gaming belongs on gaming monitors, mostly due to them supporting far higher frame rates, G-SYNC/FreeSync support, and low latency. You won't be playing Fortnite at 170 FPS on any TV in 2026, sadly, but a gaming monitor will get you there depending on your budget.

That's not to say TVs aren't getting close. TCL is knocking out 120–140Hz on some of their latest panels up to 98 inches. They're more than capable of handling PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Switch 2, and PCs too. It just depends on how you want your setup to look and how you want to play.

Game Controller and Keyboard Deals

It's the most expensive on this list, but SteelSeries gear really is quality. Every keyboard and mouse I've tried from them felt amazing and purpose-made for my fat sausage fingers. In all honesty, every product listed is fantastic, but I personally would always go for SteelSeries. You've got their magical HyperMagnetic switches, which feel super responsive with a lovely bounce-back, and my Apex Pro TKL Wired Gen 3 handles absolutely everything from writing the words you're reading to Diablo IV to Fortnite.

Gaming PC and Laptop Deals

If you want a prebuilt gaming PC with legs and room for larger GPU upgrades down the line with ample cooling, I'd go with the Skytech Shadow Gaming PC. It's a good entry point for 1080p, high frame-rate gaming. Unlike the Storm and Crystal models, you're getting DDR5 RAM and an RTX 5060 Ti, which boasts higher performance over the standard 5060 and 5050 GPUs. Plus, the cheaper models only have a DDR4 RAM motherboard. If you're looking for a cheap build before RAM, GPU and SSD prices skyrocket, Skytech Shadow is a fair price by parts comparison and sets you up for future GPU upgrades without the worry of also replacing RAM and the motherboard.

If you'd prefer a gaming laptop, I'd 100% pay the extra $120 to get the Ryzen AI 9 270 CPU and RTX 5070 Mobile GPU. Yes, you're getting the same 32GB DDR5 RAM and 1TB SSD, but you're getting far better performance from the CPU and GPU.

Gaming Keyboard Deals

Gaming keyboards all do the same job more or less; it mostly comes down to the different type of switches and keycaps you prefer. If you like a low-profile laptop keyboard, Razer Joro is a good pick. If you want clicky button presses, wireless functionality and all the bells and whistles you could possibly want on a keyboard, ASUS ROG Azoth Extreme Wireless is $100 off right now.

A solid mid-range pick would be the Razer BlackWidow V4 Mini HyperSpeed Wireless. It has a massive 200-hour battery with quiet orange switches and pudding keycaps. For a budget gaming keyboard, I'd highly recommend Glorious GMMK for a cheeky 10% off right now. It has brown mechanical switches, which serve as a great hybrid for work and gaming. Plus, it's modular, making it a great modding platform.

Gaming Mice Deals

Again, it really comes down to preference when it comes to gaming mice. I prefer having something I can grip with some curves built into the sides. When it comes to a cheap wired option that's built well and has some RGB to make me game faster, I'd go for Glorious Model D (Minus) at a reasonable $28.68.

If we're talking wireless, I'd shell out $99.99 for ASUS ROG Keris II. The battery life is a respectable 127 hours, has up to 42K DPI alongside tri-mode connectivity. It's a versatile and responsive bit of kit with the ergonomics I look for in gaming mice.

Home Workout Deals

Half the challenge of going to the gym is getting into the mindset to get in there and put some graft in; it's intimidating for a lot of people. Luckily, there are a couple of ways to get a fantastic workout at home. The first route is equipment with a service, specifically Peloton. The deal is you can either pick a treadmill or exercise bike, grab a subscription and get that personal trainer experience in the comfort of your own home with all the bells and whistles of the latest high-tech, gym-quality equipment.

If you just want to go at your own pace whilst having quality gym equipment at home, EVKRun’s treadmill is $180 off right now at $399.98. It supports up to 400lbs, has 3.5HP and reaches speeds of up to 8.5MPH. If you're more interested in toning up over cardio, Pooboo's Power Cage is a squat rack, lateral pull-down system backed by a dual pulley cable configuration. It also includes various strength training attachments at a tidy $400 discount down to $1,199.99.

Portable Power Station Deals

Even if you're just looking for a power backup that you can charge at the wall, Portable Power Stations are products that you think you don't need until you get a power cut or you need some electricity whilst camping for a number of reasons.

I use an Anker SOLIX Power Station as a fail-safe for my office and gaming setup. If I have a power cut or surge, I have absolutely nothing to fear. Not only do I have that added protection of the Power Station keeping the electricity flowing as it should to my PC, but it gives me backup power to save my work or game progress before using it for something really important, like keeping my kids warm.

Picking a solar panel option makes sure you can stay powered on when camping or sitting in a field doing nothing whilst ignoring nature and gaming. Perfection.

MTG: Cheapest at Amazon

Amazon is putting out some decent pricing, with my favorite pick here being the "Game Edition" of Cloud Strife-themed Limit Break Commander Deck. It's around the same price as TCGPlayer, making it market value, with the artwork being based on in-game moments instead of the traditional MTG artwork.

The same can be said for the Marvel's Spider-Man Play Booster Box containing 30 booster packs with the following:
• 14 Magic: The Gathering cards
• 1–4 cards of rarity Rare or higher
• 3–6 Uncommon cards
• 6–9 Common cards
• 1 Land card (Traditional Foil Land replaces a Land in 20% of boosters)
• 1 card of any rarity is Traditional Foil; Foil Showcase Mythic Rare in 1% of boosters

MTG: Cheapest at TCGPlayer

Meanwhile, TCGPlayer is the place to go for MTG preorders. It's the cheapest for the Lorwyn Eclipsed Play Booster Box and Bundle, with the next Universes Beyond entry Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Play Booster Box, Turtle Power! Commander Deck and Bundle, the latter being over $15 cheaper than Amazon.

There's some gorgeous Final Fantasy scene boxes coming in cheaper than Amazon too, not to mention the standard Limit Break Commander Deck being just under $5 cheaper on TCGPlayer. It pays to shop around for sure.

Alienware Area-51 RTX 5090

2 Lisen 6.6ft 240W USB Type-C Cables

JVSCAM Cordless Electric Air Duster

Pokémon TCG: Market Value at Amazon

Well, the good news is you can get the Phantasmal Flames Elite Trainer Box with Prime delivery without getting stung. It has nine booster packs, a gorgeous Charcadet Illustration Rare promo, Mega Charizard X–themed sleeves, card dividers, a tournament-legal coin, alongside some nice-looking dice.

Cynthia’s Garchomp ex Premium Collection has four Journey Together and two Destined Rivals booster packs, so if Trainer Pokémon cards are your thing, you’re good to go.

Pokémon TCG: Cheapest at TCGPlayer

If it were me making a choice from the TCGPlayer selection here, I’d go for the Destined Rivals Booster Bundle. It’s $13 cheaper than Amazon right now and works out at $4.66 per booster pack, which is one of the best prices I’ve seen for Destined Rivals booster packs recently.

If you want a decent Mega ex card for your Grass-type deck, I’d recommend the Mega Venusaur ex Premium Collection. If you run Meganium alongside it from Mega Evolution, you can double your Grass Energy value while being able to move a Grass Energy from one Pokémon to another thanks to their abilities. That means you can set up and use Mega Venusaur ex’s “Jungle Dump” attack for 240 damage in one turn (it costs four Grass Energy).

You’ll also get the following booster packs:

• 2 × Mega Evolution
• 2 × Destined Rivals
• 4 × Journey Together

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

Amazon just discounted one of our favorite budget gaming chairs. Right now, you can pick up a Corsair TC100 Relaxed gaming chair in Black Leatherette for just $149.99 shipped after you clip the $80 off coupon on the product page. That's 45% off its original price of $270 and all other options currently cost $250 or more. Even at its original retail listing, this chair offered a ton of value for the price, so this deal is an absolute steal.

Corsair TC100 Relaxed Gaming Chair for $149.99

In the years since Baldur's Gate 3's release, Larian has put a lot of time and energy into updating the game with tons of new content, including new content for some beloved character who got the short end of the wizard staff the first time around, like Karlach. But one character is still coming up short for fans: Wyll. And at least one writer at Larian is just as frustrated by it as you.

This comes from a Reddit AMA today conducted by a number of Larian employees, during which one person asked why Wyll wasn't developed further in post-launch patches, even as other companions got storyline and even personality updates. We've known for a while that the "Blade of Frontiers" warlock Wyll was rewritten significantly from his early access version to final version.

The question was answered by Larian senior writer Kevin VanOrd, who explained that he also wished Wyll had gotten more attention, and that the lack of content compared to other companions was mostly the result of a series of unfortunate timing coincidences. Here's how VanOrd puts it:

I wish Wyll had gotten more content and a more fulfilling arc too.

As you probably know, we weren't connecting with Wyll's Early Access recruitment and initial questing, so we started over at a point when most of the other companion stories were fairly solid. A lot of decisions came later in development than was ideal - and there was a key situation near Baldur's Gate that I intended to heavily involve Wyll in (the Red War College) that got cut. That meant back to the drawing board again. We eventually tied him to Duke Ravengard and started to work on that element of his arc just in time for me to get unexpectedly ill. I was out of the office for quite a while, and again after the epilogue's release.

I think that Ansur's lair was Swen's idea - we did have the resources for a standalone dungeon, so we got to work on tying Wyll to the Wyrmway, but I couldn't get more than a dungeon boss out of it. Once the situations were in place, that was that - I had to start writing them.

Wyll's content is sparser than I'd have liked as a result. He's also split into two stories, really - the Mizora story and the Ravengard story, and that might have been a mistake in hindsight. I also wish I could given him a stronger endpoint - it always bugged me that he can end up just as he started, as the Blade of Frontiers, without any meaningful difference. All that said, I love the Blade and I am really proud of him, his sincerity, his good nature, and his eager heroism. I'm truly sorry I didn't give you more quality time with him.

It's worth pointing out that it's not that Wyll received no updates post-launch. Patch 7 made some light tweaks to Wyll's dialogue that helped those pursuing him romantically have a more interesting time, though it didn't really give him any new story content. But that's nothing compared to Karlach, who got an entirely new ending in the same patch. Karlach, like Wyll, was considered to be one of the character who had been given the least love in terms of story content in the 1.0 release, and has consistently been a popular favorite. Recently, one fan broke down how many minutes of dialogue every character in Baldur's Gate 3 had, and Wyll's down below most of the other companions with just under 9 hours speaking. Still, it's not as bad as Halsin, Minthara, Jaheira, and Minsc, though admittedly those four companions are a little more complex to recruit and you can't even get them until Acts 2 or 3.

So, perhaps cold comfort to Wyll fans, but it's comforting to know that he wasn't intentionally sidelined. We're proud of him too.

In the same AMA, CEO Swen Vincke addressed concerns about generative AI use on the studio's next game, Divinity, following a controversy around some of Vincke's comments from an interview last year.

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

Bam Margera will appear in the newly-confirmed Jackass 5, after signing an agreement that allows previously-unseen archive footage of himself to be used in the movie.

Variety has reported that Margera is not currently set to appear in any new stunts for Jackass 5, though this may change in the future.

Right now it's not clear what the unseen footage of Margera involves, though the skateboarder and stuntman is known to have filmed more for 2022's Jackass Forever than made the final edit, before he was dramatically booted off the project for allegedly failing a sobriety test.

For today only, Best Buy is offering an iBuypower Element RTX 5070 gaming PC for just $1,349.99 with free shipping or in-store pickup. It's paired with an Intel Core Ultra 7 CPU and 32GB of DDR5 RAM. The RTX 5070 is an excellent choice for gaming at 1080p or 1440p, and is even an affordable option for 4K, especially with DLSS4.

iBuypower Element RTX 5070 Gaming PC for $1,349.99

There's no shortage of good horror comics on the stands these days, but IDW Publishing's IDW Dark line has quickly risen above the pack thanks to a winning blend of original concepts and spinoffs of iconic movie franchises (like the wildly successful Event Horizon: Dark Descent). IDW Dark's latest prequel series is focused on a more recent success story in the horror scene - Smile. Smile: For the Camera is a new story set in this twisted universe from The Exorcism at 1600 Penn and The Exorcism at Buckingham Palace creator/writer Hannah Rose May and Disney Villains: Cruella De Vil artist Miriana Puglia.

IGN recently spoke with May about this prequel series and its connections to the previous two movies. Read on to learn more about the newest Smile adventure and to see newly revealed cover art for Smile: For the Camera #3.

May reveals that this series has been in the works for a little over a year, with its origins dating back to NYCC 2024 and the original debut of IDW Dark's licensed movie comics.

"This project originated at NYC 2024 when we were debuting The Exorcism at 1600 Penn," May tells IGN. "I was on a panel for the launch of IDW Dark where they unveiled their new list of Paramount-licensed titles. They mentioned that they were currently reading pitches for Smile and asked if I had any interest in pitching. I'm a sucker for brilliant marketing, and Smile had one of the most genius campaigns that had me hooked before I even bought a ticket. What Parker Finn has built with The Smile universe is going to terrify people for decades to come."

Magic: The Gathering is about to kick off its 2026 roadmap with Lorwyn Eclipsed, but 2025 will certainly go down in the history books. While some sets were certainly weaker than others (yes, we’re looking at you, Spider-Man), others soared to new heights, like Universes Beyond: Final Fantasy, Tarkir: Dragonstorm, and Edge of Eternities.

Still, which cards are the ones to emerge from 2025 with the highest price? From high-value reprints to serial-numbered cards and the game’s first Infinity Stone, it’s been a wild year for collectors.

Here are 2025’s most valuable Magic: The Gathering cards, as calculated by TCGPlayer’s pricing guides.

Sephiroth, Fabled SOLDIER (Borderless Surge Foil) - $501.50

Black Mirror fans, rejoice — there’s more terror on its way. Creator Charlie Booker just revealed that the hit series, which began its run on the UK's Channel 4 before moving to Netflix in its third season, will return to the streamer for Season 8.

“Black Mirror will return, and hopefully it’ll be more Black Mirror than ever,” Booker revealed in a recent interview with Netflix’s Tudum site. “Luckily it does have a future, so I can confirm that Black Mirror will return, just in time for reality to catch up with it. So, that’s exciting. That chunk of my brain has already been activated and is whirring away.”

In the chat, he also opened up about how creating the new season has been like making a music album. “It’s a useful thought experiment when approaching a new story,” Booker said. “I’ll often think of, ‘Well, what haven’t we done yet, and what tone am I looking for? … Where does this track come on the album, and what musical direction are we going to go into?’ We’ll find out. Very unlikely you’ll ever see a Black Mirror hoedown.”

Other than that, he was mum about what fans can expect next season.

Interestingly enough, Booker’s announcement comes just ahead of the Golden Globes this coming weekend, where the series has picked up its very first nominations for Season 7. It will be vying for best TV limited series and anthology series, as well as two acting awards for Rashida Jones and Paul Giamatti, who star in the episodes “Common People” and “Eulogy,” respectively.

Season 7 of the now beloved show was released back in April 2025 and even featured a sequel episode to the highly praised “USS Callister” episode from Season 4. We don’t have a release date yet for Season 8, but hopefully we’ll see it arrive late this year or early next.

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

Nvidia Gsync has been around since 2013, and while this variable refresh rate technology was a game changer when it came out, it was expensive and required gaming monitor manufacturers to implement a complicated module to make it work. At CES 2026, though, Nvidia has introduced a new form of Gsync that needs special firmware: Pulsar.

Rather than simply syncing your display’s refresh rate with your game’s frame rate, Pulsar uses strobe backlighting to simulate a much higher refresh rate – up to 1,000Hz, according to Nvidia. The goal is to add more visual smoothness to game motion, something Nvidia has been fixated on since Frame Generation first debuted with the GeForce RTX 4090 in 2022. Is Pulsar more of the same?

What is Gsync?

When Gsync came out, there really wasn’t anything like it. At the time, PC games were notorious for screen tearing, where differences between your refresh rate and frame rate would literally cause a vertical tear in your screen.

Gsync was huge because it eliminated that problem – if you had an Nvidia graphics card – by syncing your refresh rate and your frame rate, eliminating the cause of screen tearing entirely. This was initially possible because Nvidia developed a chip it sold to gaming monitor manufacturers that would act as a liaison between your PC and monitor, making sure everything was synced up. But then, of course, Freesync launched.

AMD’s Freesync billed itself as a direct competitor to Nvidia’s Gsync and had the same goal – syncing refresh rates and frame rates. However, Freesync was at first a little less flexible, only really working within a narrow range of frame rates. The difference was that with Gsync, once the frame rate got down to a certain threshold, the refresh rate of the monitor would change to be double the frame rate, which avoided screen tears.

But eventually, Freesync caught up enough that Nvidia launched the ‘Gsync Compatible’ program, which opened up variable refresh rates on Nvidia graphics cards without needing a gaming monitor with an expensive Gsync module. Then, over time, gaming monitors that were exclusively Gsync started to fade out of relevance.

Over the last few years, even, variable refresh rates have become so common that most gaming monitors are expected to support it, and most TVs and game consoles support it in one way or another.

Perceived Smoothness?

There are two reasons to chase super high frame rates: visual smoothness and lower latency. For the former, the idea is that the quicker frames are sent to the display, the more accurate the display will be at any time. At a high enough frame rate, you can virtually eliminate motion blur, but it’s incredibly hard to do in modern games. So, Nvidia has come up with another solution with Gsync Pulsar.

While it doesn’t really do anything to improve latency or responsiveness, Gsync Pulsar uses a strobing IPS display to improve motion clarity by essentially tricking your eye into thinking something is moving faster. The way Nvidia described it to me was if you have an object moving fast in front of your face, you’re going to naturally perceive some blur. But, if you have that same object disappear and reappear fast enough, it’ll be less blurry. I’m not sure if that actually works, but that is what the strobing backlight is meant to simulate.

Strobing backlights and black frame insertion (BFI) in IPS displays are nothing new, but in the past they've been tied to the maximum refresh rate of the monitor. There have been some attempts to tie BFI to variable refresh rate, most commonly with Asus’ ELMB (Extreme Low Motion Blur) Sync in some of its monitors – though it was imperfect. Through the new Gsync module, created in partnership with Mediatek, Nvidia was able to force the backlight to speed up or slow down, depending on the current refresh rate of the display, which results in less blurry motion. However, while this does seem to be more flexible than systems like ELMB, Gsync Pulsar does have limitations.

By default, Gsync Pulsar will be set to turn itself off whenever the refresh rate and frame rate drop below 90Hz. This is because of the strobing backlight – if it slows down too much, the strobing itself becomes noticeable, and is going to be uncomfortable to sit in front of. You can set it all the way down to 75Hz if you want to, but that is the hard lower limit at the time of writing. Nvidia did claim that it was working on a way to enable it at 60Hz as well, but only time will tell if that’s going to be any good.

But Does it Work?

When I visited Nvidia at CES 2026, it had a couple of demos showing Gsync Pulsar in action, and the most compelling one was in Anno 117: Pax Romana. That’s not the kind of game I’d typically associate with high-framerate gaming, but by quickly panning around the map, the difference in motion clarity was pretty obvious. However, that’s only one demo in a controlled environment.

Gsync Pulsar is going to live or die by how well it handles refresh rates that are actually, well, variable. The motion seemed extremely smooth when it was running at 200+ fps on a high-end GPU, but what happens when the frame rate starts dipping down towards that 90 fps lower limit?

Luckily we won’t have to wait too long to find out. Gaming monitors with Gsync Pulsar will start hitting the market in the next week, so I’ll be able to get it into the lab and really put it to the test. But for now, from what I saw at CES, it’s looking promising – just don’t expect it to actually make you better at video games.

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

Red Dead Redemption 2 fans have made progress towards solving the game's newly-discovered spiderweb mystery, and now believe they've reached its final clue.

Earlier this week, attention was thrown on a major new discovery within Rockstar's epic cowboy sequel, dubbed the biggest uncovering of hidden content in years.

An intricately-placed breadcrumb trail of spiderwebs was found and plotted, leading to a further set of marked telegraph poles. These then pointed to a collection of guitars within the game's Fort Wallace location, where the trail temporarily went cold. Now, however, fans have pushed forwards — to what seems like a final clue beyond the edge of Red Dead Redemption 2's map, and a sense of what this whole mystery might actually be about.

Once again, progress on the discovery has been brilliantly chronicled by YouTube channel Strange Man, who picks up the trail back at Fort Wallace by showing that these guitars acted as signposts, guiding players to the roof of the location's tower.

On this roof, two tiny engravings of flying birds were then spotted, pointing in the direction of Giant's Birds, right at the very north of the game's map within Calumet Ravine. Heading here and using binoculars allows you to see a tiny, faint, but unmistakable "?" symbol on a mountain in the distance. The design of the question mark across the far hillside is such that it is only visible from this particular location.

Once again, it's a smart set of clues — which is perhaps why this mystery has taken over seven years to be discovered — and once again, progress has stalled. But there's a sense now, with this latest clue way beyond the boundary of the map, that the trail has reached its final stage. As Strange Man suggests, it now seems likely that the mystery's denoument is right here, though the trigger remains elusive.

"Let's solve this before GTA 6 arrives!" Strange Man wrote, asking for further ideas from fellow fans.

Everyone likes to be feel special and game developers are no different, so congratulations to Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and Ghost of Yotei, the two games absolutely dominating the Annual D.I.C.E. Award Nominations. Both games scored eight nominations each, including for Game of the Year.

Held by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences the 29th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards will take place on February 12 in Vegas, and will be hosted by Kinda Funny Games' Greg Miller and Stella Chung.

“First, thank you to our peer panelists. Your dedication and expertise in our judging process, and yourwork in selecting the best games of 2025, is truly appreciated,” said Meggan Scavio, President of the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences.

“And on behalf of all of us at the Academy, I extend my congratulations to all of our finalists. Each of these games has impressed us through its creativity,artistry, and technical achievement, and we look forward to celebrating your accomplishments at the 29th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards.”

Full list of nominations

Outstanding Achievement in Animation

• Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
• Ghost of Yotei
• Monster Hunter Wilds
• South of Midnight
• The Midnight Walk

Outstanding Achievement in Character

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 - Esquie

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 - Maelle

Dispatch - Courtney/Invisigal

Dispatch - Robert Robertson III/Mecha Man

Ghost of Yotei - Atsu

Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition

• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• Ghost of Yotei
• Herdling
• Mario Kart World
• Sword of the Sea

Outstanding Achievement in Audio Design

• Arc Raiders
• Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
• Ghost of Yotei
• Lumines Arise
• Split Fiction

Outstanding Achievement in Story

• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• Consume Me
• despelote
• South of Midnight
• The Drifter

Outstanding Technical Achievement

• Arc Raiders
• Assassin's Creed Shadows
• Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
• Donkey Kong Bananza
• DOOM: The Dark Ages

Action Game of the Year

• Absolum
• Arc Raiders
• DOOM: The Dark Ages
• Hades II
• Ninja Gaiden 4

Adventure Game of the Year

• Blue Prince
• Dispatch
• Donkey Kong Bananza
• Ghost of Yotei
• Hollow Knight: Silksong

Family Game of the Year

• LEGO Party!
• LEGO Voyagers
• Lumines Arise
• MARVEL Cosmic Invasion
• POPUCOM

Fighting Game of the Year

• 2XKO
• Capcom Fighting Collection 2
• FATAL FURY: City of the Wolves
• Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection
• WWE 2K25

Racing Game of the Year

• EA SPORTS F1 25
• Kirby Air Riders
• Mario Kart World
• Wheel World

Role-Playing Game of the Year

• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector
• Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
• Monster Hunter Wilds
• The Outer Worlds 2

Sports Game of the Year

• EA SPORTS FC 26
• PGA Tour 2k25
• MLB The Show 25
• NBA 2k26
• Rematch

Strategy/Simulation Game of the Year

• The Alters
• Drop Duchy
• Europa Universalis V
• The King is Watching
• StarVaders

Immersive Reality Technical Achievement

• Ghost Town
• Hotel Infinity
• Marvel's Deadpool VR
• Star Wars: Beyond Victory - A Mixed Reality Playset
• Unloop

Immersive Reality Game of the Year

• Demeo x Dungeons & Dragons: Battlemarked
• Ghost Town
• Marvel's Deadpool VR
• The Midnight Walk
• Thief VR: Legacy of Shadow

Outstanding Achievement for an Independent Game

• Baby Steps
• Blue Prince
• Consume Me
• despelote
• Dispatch

Mobile Game of the Year

• Persona5: The Phantom X
• Umamusume: Pretty Derby
• WHAT THE CLASH?
• Where Winds Meet

Online Game of the Year

• Arc Raiders
• Battlefield 6
• Mario Kart World
• Marvel Rivals
• Split Fiction

Outstanding Achievement in Game Design

• Arc Raiders
• Blue Prince
• Hades II
• Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
• Öoo

Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction

• Blue Prince
• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• Ghost of Yotei
• Hades II
• Kingdom Come: Deliverance II

Game of the Year

• Arc Raiders
• Blue Prince
• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• Dispatch
• Ghost of Yotei

Rachel Weber is the Senior Editorial Director of Games at IGN and an elder millennial. She's been a professional nerd since 2006 when she got her start on Official PlayStation Magazine in the UK, and has since worked for GamesIndustry.Biz, Rolling Stone and GamesRadar. She loves horror, horror movies, horror games, and French Bulldogs. Those extra wrinkles on her face are thanks to going time blind and staying up too late finishing every sidequest in RPGs like Fallout and Witcher 3.

For those who have been looking to stock up on some new games to play this winter, we've been finding some great deals to help you save while building your library. Donkey Kong Bananza is one of those discounts that's crossed our radar, currently sitting at $62.99 at both Amazon and Walmart. This is a $7 discount from its original retail price of $69.99, and marks a return to its lowest price yet. If it's been on your radar, now is a great time to make a move on it.

Donkey Kong Bananza for $63

It may only be January, but I say it’s never too early to look towards the future and try to predict what the best games of 2026 will end up being. I don’t have a crystal ball or some sort of undiagnosed superpower, but I do have a long list of all the games coming out over the next 12 months and a modicum of taste to guide me, though.

Of course, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 secured a pretty convincing sweep of wins during the end-of-year 2025 awards, but who truthfully saw that coming before its April release date? So, what could surprise us this year? And will a left-field project have what it takes to steal this year’s IGN Best Game award away from the very obvious contender we can see coming from a mile off? Let’s take a look ahead and try to predict what will be the 2026 game of the year, fully aware that whatever’s here has a not-insignificant chance of being proven completely wrong, and you can all come back here in December and tell me what an idiot I am.

GTA 6

The quite enormous elephant in the room is, obviously, Grand Theft Auto 6. But no GTA game, or, for that matter, no Rockstar game, has ever won IGN’s overall game of the year prize. That includes all of those PS2 classics from Vice City to San Andreas, and more recent creations, such as 2013’s GTA 5, which lost out to The Last of Us, and Red Dead Redemption 2 (my favourite game of all time), which got edged out in 2018 by God of War. Sadly for me, the vote doesn’t all come down to my opinion, so I guess I’ll just have to get over it. One day.

So, does GTA 6 have a shot at taking home our biggest prize? Obviously, it does. It’s arguably the most anticipated game of all time, a feat achieved by Rockstar’s recent trend of receiving 10 out of 10 review scores, and we expect (or at least hope) the studio builds upon those successes with whatever it releases this November. If Rockstar can avoid implementing a delay yet again, we won’t have to wait too long after that release date to see if the IGN staff (and the voters behind other award ceremonies) determine it as the greatest game of 2026.

Chances: Could Rock, and also take the Star prize.

Resident Evil Requiem

Similarly, Resident Evil is another series that has never won IGN’s game of the year. It did come very close to doing so, though, when the Resident Evil 2 remake narrowly missed out on the 2019 award, coming in as our runner-up to Remedy’s Control. The soonest to release on this list of contenders, Resident Evil Requiem could have a shot at winning this year, though, if it fulfills the promise of its many teaser trailers. Combining the classic third-person action-horror magic of the likes of Resident Evil 4 with the more modern first-person scares from the likes of Village could prove a perfect cocktail to suit everyone’s tastes. We’ll find out just how good it is when it comes out on February 27, but then face a 10-month wait to see if anything rises above it for the rest of 2026.

Chances: Scarier things have happened.

Control Resonant

Speaking of the 2019 awards, could Control go back-to-back on game of the year wins when its sequel, Control Resonant, arrives this year? You can always bank on something interesting coming from Finnish developer Remedy Entertainment, and it doesn’t look like it's resting on its laurels either, with the follow-up to Jesse Faden’s supernatural-powered action-adventure mixing things up quite a bit by putting us in control of her brother in a wide-open Manhattan. A switch to melee-focused combat certainly has us excited, as does a story that looks deeply rooted in the events of Alan Wake 2, as Remedy continues to build out its connected universe, but will it be enough to secure another game of the year win?

Chances: Could be just the Remedy needed after FBC: Firebreak.

Marvel’s Wolverine

Insomniac has delivered consistently amazing games, but the studio has never quite secured one of our overall game of the year awards. Both Marvel’s Spider-Man games made the shortlist in their respective years, and Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart also impressed in 2021, but will the angriest of the X-Men have a better chance? Yes, while it doesn’t yet have a release date locked in, Marvel’s Wolverine is the Sony studio’s project for 2026, and it looks highly impressive from the little we’ve seen so far. It’s actually been a whole eight years since a PlayStation exclusive won the IGN game of the year award, so could Wolverine be set to claw back that record?

Chances: We wouldn’t lose sleep if Insomniac came out on top.

Saros

Sony will have more than one opportunity this year, though, as Saros arrives in April. Housemarque’s follow-up to its critically acclaimed looper shooter, Returnal, hopes are definitely high for this PS5 exclusive. Returnal made our shortlist back in 2021, but ultimately lost out to Xbox, exclusive (at the time, anyway) Forza Horizon 5. If Saros displays the exquisite shooter design skills that Housemarque has honed throughout Super Stardust, Resogun, and many more over the years, as well as a thrilling story and engaging world, then it may well have the juice to claim the number one spot in 2026.

Chances: The House(marque) always wins, but will it here?

Fable

It may have won our award back in 2021, but Playground Games certainly won’t be resting on its laurels when it comes to Fable. A reboot of the long-dormant RPG series originally developed by Lionhead Studios, the Forza Horizon developer will be taking on an entirely different type of open world in this fairy tale-infused universe. Could it be the best game of 2026, though? Well, fantasy RPGs have traditionally done very well when it comes to game of the year, with Dragon Age: Inquisition, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Elden Ring, Metaphor: ReFantazio, and, of course, most recently, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 all winning the IGN vote since 2014. That track record bodes well for Playground, and we can’t wait to see its take on Fable at the upcoming Xbox Developer Direct.

Chances: Would be a Fairy Tale ending to Fable’s development.

007 First Light

There’s no doubt that IO Interactive knows how to make a fantastic assassin game, but how about spies? Well, we’ll find out in 2026 when the Hitman studio turns its attention to James Bond in 007: First Light. Will this stealth action-adventure blend the best of Agent 47 with spectacle worthy of Uncharted? If it manages to, maybe it will find itself in game of the year consideration.

Chances: 007 to 1 odds.

Nintendo

A big question mark for 2026 is what games Nintendo has cooking as it approaches the Switch 2’s second year in the wild. Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza set the console off to a good start, but neither quite had what it took to win game of the year. So, what could stand a chance? Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Wealth is the upcoming 18th entry into the tactical RPG series, and while we know little about it yet, FE has traditionally set a high quality marker. There’s also Switch 2 exclusive, The Duskbloods, and if there’s anything Hidetaka Miyazaki and the team at FromSoftware know about, it’s winning game of the year awards. Let’s see if this upcoming PvPvE action RPG can do something similar.

While it may be fanciful to expect a new mainline Zelda anytime soon, it has been many years (far too many, if you ask me) since a new 3D Mario game. Nothing is hinting at one arriving in 2026, but we can dare to dream, because if history is to go by, when that plumber starts jumping, he more often than not enters the game of the year conversation.

Chances: A surprise Nintendo hit would Switch things up nicely.

Half-Life 3

Haha, it could happen, couldn’t it? Not that the rumours have ever truly died, but over recent months, whispers have started to get louder and louder about the arrival of a new Half-Life game. A new Steam machine is due out early in 2026, and it would be the perfect launch game, after all. We won’t seriously consider Half-Life 3 a game of the year prospect until we have it in our hands, though, and who knows if that will ever happen. If Valve does decide that the time is now, then it’s certainly a strong contender, as we gave Portal 2 our biggest award back in 2011, as well as Half-Life 2 in 2004.

Chances: Hahahaha

Potential Breakout Hits

As I mentioned at the beginning, it’s not always the games you expect at the start of the year that end up taking home the game of the year prize. So let’s look at a few that are a little more under the radar than those listed above. Replaced has received a lot of buzz and is a 2.5D action-platformer from Ukrainian developer Coatsink. Its beautiful pixel art depicting a sci-fi city with a distinctly Blade Runner-like look could surprise a few that aren’t familiar with it when it arrives on March 12.

Then there’s Mixtape, the new coming-of-age retro adventure from Australian studio Beethoven & Dinosaur, who made a few game of the year shortlists back in 2021 with the psychedelic The Artful Escape. Its nostalgia-laced tale, supported by a soundtrack of ‘80s favourites, could hit just right if it all comes together like the trailers suggest it might. And finally, Mewgenics is an upcoming roguelike tactical RPG from the creators of Super Meat Boy and The Binding of Isaac that has been in development for many, many years. The buzz is high for it as it finally looks set for a February 10 release. Could the cat get the cream come December time?

Chances: We all love an underdog story. But what about an undercat?

Verdict

So, who do I think will actually win? Well, it is impossible to ignore the behemoth that is GTA 6, but seeing as I’m still not 100% convinced that it’s arriving this year, I’m going to go with Saros as my pick. I think that Housemarque’s reputation has only grown over time, and more and more people have gotten around to playing Returnal since its 2021 release, and would love to give the studio its flowers in 2026 if Saros turns out to fulfill its potential.

What do you think will win IGN’s game of the year 2026 award? Will it be a game that hasn’t even been revealed yet? Let us know in the comments!

Simon Cardy is a Senior Editor at IGN who can mainly be found skulking around open world games, indulging in Korean cinema, or despairing at the state of Tottenham Hotspur and the New York Jets. Follow him on Bluesky at @cardy.bsky.social.

Baboo! Are you looking for Heartopia codes? You've come to the right place. Here you'll find all the codes that we've collected for the cozy sim. Redeeming these will give you currency, resources, and extra Gold to help you settle into your new home.

Working Codes for Heartopia (January 2026)

• z4p6n8r2 - Quality Timber x10, Chef's Special Saladx2, Branches x20 (NEW!) (Valid Until: 31 March 2026)
• letsdressup - Wishing Star x15, 5,000 Gold, Growth Booster x10 (Valid Until: 31 March 2026)
• letsbuild - Wishing Star x 15, 5,000 Gold, Fertilizer x10 (Valid Until: 31 March 2026)
• a7k9m2q8l - Wishing Star x5, Repair Kit x3, Blueberries x10 (Valid Until: 31 March 2026)
• mylittlepony - Moonlight Crystalsx100 (Valid Between: 8 January 2026 and 7 February 2026)
• heartopia0108 - Moonlight Crystalsx 100 (Valid Between: 8 January 2026 and 7 February 2026)
• specialgift0103 - Moonlight Crystals x100 (Valid Between: 8 January 2026 and 7 February 2026)

Expired Codes for Heartopia

There are currently no expired codes for Heartopia, so you've got lots of goodies to redeem above!

How to Use Heartopia Codes

Looking to play Heartopia and want to know how to redeem codes? Follow these steps:

1. Launch Heartopia on your phone or PC
2. Create your character and select "complete"
3. Press Tab on PC or tap the watch in the top-right corner
4. Click Setting
5. On the General Tab, look for the Redeem Code bubble button in the bottom right
6. Copy the code from this article and paste it into the bar that reads "Case Insensitive"
7. Click Redeem and if the code has been successful, it will say "Redeemed! Please check the mailbox for rewards."

FAQs for Heartopia

Have a particular question about Heartopia and codes? See our answers to frequently asked questions below.

How to Collect Heartopia Rewards

Rewards are automatically sent to your Mailbox once you've redeemed codes. To find your Mailbox, press Tab or tap the watch in the top-right corner. Click Mailbox. All of the gifts you've received can be then be claimed. You can do this individually by opening each mail, or by pressing Claim All in the bottom left corner.

Why Isn't My Code for Heartopia Working?

When a code doesn't work for Heartopia it's usually because of two reasons:

• The code for Heartopia has expired
• There's a spelling mistake or an additional space in the code

Codes for Heartopia are not case-sensitive, but sometimes, a series of letters and numbers. The best way to ensure you've got a working code is to directly copy it from this article. We check all codes before we upload them, so you can guarantee they're working. Just double-check that you haven't copied over an extra space!

How Do I Get More Codes for Heartopia?

We regularly check and test new codes, so the best way to get more codes for Heartopia is to visit this article. But if you want to mine for codes yourself, then the Discord server for Heartopia is the best place to go.

Lauren Harper is an Associate Guides Editor. She loves a variety of games but is especially fond of puzzles, horrors, and point-and-click adventures.