A former Rockstar veteran has responded to recent rumors that a GTA 4 re-release on the latest generation of consoles could be in the works to say the game should be remastered.

The GTA 4 rumor began life with a post from Tez2, who is known within the GTA community for leaking Rockstar information. Tez2 suggested a GTA 4 port for modern systems may be released this year, and its existence was part of the reason Rockstar recently had a GTA 5 Liberty City Mod shut down.

However, it’s worth stressing that Rockstar has made no indication it plans to re-release GTA 4, and in truth such a game would come as a huge surprise, given the studio's ongoing focus on GTA 6.

Obbe Vermeij, former Rockstar Games technical director who worked at the company from 1995 to 2009, was asked about the GTA 4 rumors on social media. While he hadn’t heard about them, he did say GTA 4, which he worked on, “should be remastered.”

“It's a great game and there have been a number of successful remasters recently,” he added, perhaps referring to the hugely popular The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered.

“I would like to see it updated,” Vermeij continued in another social media post. “Niko is still the best protagonist in any GTA game I think.”

As for how this potential remaster might work, Vermeij suggested Rockstar would perhaps port GTA 4 to the latest version of the Rage engine, which it uses to build its games.

Again, it’s worth pointing out that Rockstar has provided fans with no indication it plans to remaster GTA 4. We should remember the enormous undertaking that is GTA 6, and to take on a GTA 4 remaster or remake amid all that would perhaps be beyond the scope of Rockstar, even with its seemingly endless resources.

Rockstar could have an external studio handle the port, as it did with the port of Red Dead Redemption, but the timing of a GTA 4 re-release in 2025 makes little sense when you think about GTA 6’s initial fall 2025 release window. If GTA 6 were not delayed, it’s doubtful Rockstar would sell a GTA 4 remaster and GTA 6 in the same window, diverting the audience's attention away from the main event.

Sticking with Liberty City, some GTA fans think the location may end up in GTA 6 either at launch or as post-launch DLC.

Liberty City is the GTA series’ take on New York City, and was the setting for 2008’s GTA 4 as well as 2009 spin-off GTA: Chinatown Wars. GTA 6 is set in the fictional state of Leonida (Florida), which includes Vice City, GTA’s take on Miami.

While we wait to find out, we’ve got plenty more on GTA 6, including all the details we’ve discovered so far, a roundup of 70 brand new screenshots, and the expert opinion on how GTA 6 will look on PS5 Pro.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

A brief teaser for Fallout Season 2 has hit the internet, showing a new look at New Vegas.

The clip, shown during the Amazon Upfront livestream overnight, was captured and uploaded on reddit. It shows Lucy (Ella Purnell) and The Ghoul (Walton Goggins) 50 miles out from what was Las Vegas. We hear the famous Geiger Counter sound, signifying radiation is in the air. The Ghoul and Lucy look at each other before heading towards New Vegas, and we get a good look at the post-apocalyptic city skyline.

New Vegas is of course the setting for the Obsidian-developed Fallout: New Vegas, and the setting for Season 2 of the Fallout adaptation.

So, what can we learn about the show's take on New Vegas from this teaser? Well, it’s more detailed than the brief look we got at New Vegas at the end of Season 1, which stands to reason. It will look familiar to anyone who's played New Vegas, although it appears more densely packed with buildings (the video game New Vegas was a relatively sparse location).

The standout is of course the Lucky 38 Resort and Casino, which is on the New Vegas Strip. In the New Vegas video game, the Lucky 38 is the pre-War casino from which Mr. House runs the city. Fans also believe they can make out the Ultra-Luxe, but in truth it’s hard to discern individual video game locations from the shot here.

Warning! Potential spoilers for the Fallout TV show follow.

The show is confirmed to be heading to New Vegas for Season 2, and it's not just about the location itself. Mr. House is set to be a part of the new season, though how involved he'll be is unclear. We've already seen the tease of some familiar sights thanks to previous set leaks, including this video that shows part of New Vegas and the iconic Lucky 38 resort and casino, all bright and lit up. It's certainly far from the rusty place you might expect.

It’s worth remembering where we are in the Fallout timeline: the TV show is set in the year 2296, after all the Fallout video games. Fallout 4 takes place in the year 2287, while Fallout: New Vegas is set in the year 2281, a full 15 years prior to the events of the show.

So, what happened in the 15 years since we last saw New Vegas? Co-showrunners Graham Wagner and Geneva Robertson-Dworet have said the setting has changed, and explained why that is important for fans to note.

“All we really want the audience to know is that things have happened, so that there isn't an expectation that we pick the show up in Season 2, following one of the myriad canon endings that depend on your choices when you play [Fallout: New Vegas],” Wagner said last year.

“With that post-credits stuff, we really wanted to imply, guys, the world has progressed, and the idea that the wasteland stays as it is decade-to-decade is preposterous to us. It’s just a place [of] constant tragedy, events, horrors — there's a constant churn of trauma. We're definitely implying more has occurred.”

But what will happen when the Power Armor-clad Overseer Hank, played by Kyle MacLachlan, turns up (potentially after a dustup with a Deathclaw)? Some speculate Mr. House, the enigmatic ruler of New Vegas in the video game and dastardly boss of RobCo Industries in the TV show’s flashbacks to before the bombs fell, may enlist the help of Hank to restore New Vegas to its former glory. Perhaps, if that’s the way the story goes, the forces of Mr. House and New Vegas will end up taking on the Brotherhood of Steel in yet another Fallout faction battle, with Lucy, Maximus, and The Ghoul caught in the middle.

Overnight, Amazon announced a December 2025 release window for Season 2, and confirmed Season 3. Last week, Aaron Moten, who plays Brotherhood of Steel hopeful Maximus, said the “endpoint” of the Fallout TV show has it running until Season 5 or Season 6.

We had a great time with Season 1, writing in IGN's Fallout The Series review that the show is "a bright and funny apocalypse filled with dark punchlines and bursts of ultra-violence [and is] among the best video game adaptations ever made," slapping it with a well-earned 9/10.

To help tide you over until Season 2, here's our interview with Todd Howard and Jonathan Nolan covering all our burning questions after the end of Season 1.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

More deals and more restocks, need I say more? Yes, the answer is yes. I get it, Amazon is getting cheeky with their ridiculous Pokémon TCG sealed pricing, but one best seller has dropped in price, and an in-demand Elite Trainer box is back.

Granted, it's at a premium, but a calmer price than over $260 for a Surging Sparks booster bundle last week. As usual, I've found some single-card alternatives for those who just want their Pokémon TCG chase cards and save money over pack-opening FOMO.

TL;DR: Deals for Today

Didn't catch the Final Fantasy MTG preorders the first time around? Good news, I found the starter kit featuring Cloud and Sephiroth from FFVII to preorder right now.

There's also plenty of other Magic: The Gathering products to buy now or preorder, such as the highly anticipated Edge of Eternities set.

Outside of TCGs, we've got some Silent Hill f and 2 preorders, a Pathfinder Second Edition Book Bundle from Humble and a white noise maker that's been a best seller over the past few days. Let's get into it.

MTG Final Fantasy Starter Kit

Journey Together ETB

Prismatic Evolutions Surprise Box

Silent Hill 2 OST 6LP Vinyl

Silent Hill f - PS5 + Steelbook

Pathfinder Second Ed. Asian Fantasy Bundle

Dreamegg Portable White Noise Machine

GravaStar Wireless Mercury M1 Pro

Xbox Game Studios Game Bundle

Corsair K70 RGB Pro Cherry MX Red

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Art Prints

Buy 2 Books, Save 50% on 1

Apple AirPods Pro 2

LEGO Technic Planet Earth and Moon in Orbit

Jason X 4K UHD Blu Ray

Nintendo Switch 2 Travel Carrying Case

Helldivers 2 has released a major new update to the game, which adds new Illuminate enemies, weapon customization and progression, and makes changes to the Superstore. Patch 01.003.000 is out now across PC and PlayStation 5.

Following a number of teases from developer Arrowhead, Helldivers 2 has unleashed a new invasion push from the Illuminate alien faction. This brings with it new enemies, as detailed on the PlayStation Blog, including the Stingray (jetfighters that provide Illuminate support from the sky, targeting Helldivers and lining up devastating strafing runs), and the Crescent Overseer, which has the ability to lay barrages on Helldivers in cover. There’s also the Fleshmob, which is described as a “failed” Illuminate experiment: “a Frankenstein’s monster of Voteless parts turned into a brute battlefield force that the Helldivers must work hard to destroy.”

Attention, Helldivers: This is a Galactic Emergency.

The true Illuminate invasion has begun. In a sudden and completely unprovoked offensive manoeuvre, the full Illuminate fleet is emerging from the Meridia Singularity. Nothing is safe - not even the Heart of Democracy itself. pic.twitter.com/2hgtK6akMb

— HELLDIVERS™ 2 (@helldivers2) May 13, 2025

Arrowhead teased “sightings of other, even larger ships, though details remain unclear on their abilities.” So perhaps there will be more for players to discover once they jump into the game.

The PC version of Stellar Blade launches via Steam on June 11 along a raft of PC-specific features, a trailer leaked by Sony itself has revealed.

The trailer, published by Sony Interactive Entertainment on the PlayStation YouTube channel before it was removed, also revealed a Complete Edition of Shift Up’s popular PS5 action game. As you’d expect, the internet captured the trailer, which we expect will be released officially soon.

The Complete Edition includes the base game and all the DLC released so far for both PS5 and PC. The news comes over a year after Stellar Blade’s successful April 2024 launch on PS5.

Stellar Blade has all the features you’d expect on PC, including AI upscaling via Nvidia DLSS 4 and AMD FSR 3, an unlocked framerate, Japanese and Chinese voiceover, ultrawide display support, higher resolution environment textures, and DualSense support for haptic feedback and trigger effects.

Elsewhere, the trailer reveals a new boss battle vs Mann, Leader of the Sentinels, and 25 new costumes, which we presume will also be made available on PS5. Players have also noticed that, at the end of the trailer, Eve lets go of a memory stick — a sequence that isn't in the base game. Some are now speculating Stellar Blade is set for a new ending or maybe even DLC.

Whether you’re padding out your backlog or on the prowl for an absolute steal, my bargain list for today is buckling under the weight of some truly sweet picks. From revamped retro gems to blockbuster sagas at pocket-change prices, the sale bins are anything but boring. So let's stop talking in favour of scrolling and saving...

This Day in Gaming 🎂

In retro news, I'm celebrating the 33rd birthday of Street Fighter II: Champion Edition, a fighter whose industry impact cannot be overstated. Obviously, 1991's World Warrior was the opening jab, but the Champion Edition revision was a $2.3 billion leg sweep that put Capcom in the top three highest-grossing arcade games of all time list. Nineties gaming gromets like myself queued outside of arcades for the $1 privilege to play this, thanks to its mirror match permissiveness, playable bosses, balance tweaks, and more unique takes on Ryu and Ken.

• Sonic Frontiers (-27%) - A$72
• Assassin’s Creed: The Rebel Col. (-39%) - A$48
• Dragon Ball FighterZ (-44%) - A$50
• Little Nightmares Comp. Ed. (-75%) - A$13
• Panzer Dragoon: Remake (-90%) - A$3
• Life Is Strange: Arcadia Bay Col. (-60%) - A$23

Expiring Recent Deals

• Hogwarts Legacy (-46%) - A$49
• Shin Megami Tensei V (-24%) - A$60
• Baten Kaitos I & II HD Rem. (-60%) - A$27
• Dead by Daylight (-60%) - A$17
• Deliver Us the Moon (-69%) - A$9

Or gift a Nintendo eShop Card.

Back to top

Verizon is offering a pretty awesome deal that doesn't require a bunch of hoops to jump through. For a limited time, you can get a brand new Apple iPhone 14 Plus 256GB 5G smartphone for only $249.99 or 512GB for $299.99 when you sign up for Verizon's $60 Unlimited prepaid plan. The discount will show up only after you have selected the plan. Also note that sales tax is charged on the original price. This is a great deal because you're essentially getting a brand new iPhone for over 50% off without being tied to an unnecessarily expensive plan for a long period of time.

Get the Apple iPhone 14 Plus for $249.99

Must sign up for at least one month of Verizon Unlimited prepaid service ($60 per month)

Amazon Prime Video has announced a December 2025 release window for Fallout Season 2, with the show also renewed for Season 3.

The streamer revealed details about the future of its post-apocalyptic adaptation of the Bethesda games during its annual upfront presentation in New York City on Monday, confirming plans to bring the show back for a third season after the next batch of episodes arrives this winter. It’s a signal that the Fallout team is already feeling confident about Season 2, which finished filming just last week.

“The holidays came a little early this year - we are thrilled to be ending the world all over again for a third season of Fallout,” Executive Producers Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy said in a joint statement. “On behalf of our brilliant cast and crew, our showrunners [Geneva Robertson-Dworet] and [Graham Wagner], and our partners at Bethesda, we’re grateful to our incredible collaborators at Amazon MGM Studios and to the amazing fans as we continue our adventures in the wasteland together.”

Meanwhile, confirmation that Fallout Season 2 is prepped and ready to arrive in 2025 comes as a bit of a surprise. With filming having wrapped only recently and the LA fires bringing production to a halt earlier this year, many had assumed Fallout wouldn't have more episodes ready before early 2026.

While Amazon isn't ready to commit to a firm release date quite yet, news that it will be ready to drop something this December means the Prime Video show is moving full steam ahead.

Warning! Potential spoilers for the Fallout TV show follow.

Fallout Season 1 let subscribers peer into its world of toxic wastelands last April and has managed to gather more than 100 million viewers globally since. Its story left its trio of main characters – Lucy (Ella Purnell), Maximus (Aaron Moten), and The Ghoul (Walton Goggins) – with a cliffhanger, as a last-minute stinger teased that audiences would soon be traveling to the infamous New Vegas for Season 2.

The crew at Bethesda and Amazon have since confirmed Fallout Season 2 will indeed travel to Fallout: New Vegas’ titular town. While most story details remain locked away in a vault, we do at least have confirmation that Robert House (a.k.a. Mr. House) will play some sort of role.

Some set leaks have also suggested viewers might catch a glimpse of a few iconic Fallout: New Vegas locations, including Dinky the T-Rex and the Lucky 38 casino.

Fallout Season 2 is set to arrive this December, with Season 3 to premiere at an unspecified point in the future. For more while we wait, you can read up on how the show could see as many as six seasons.

You can also check out our post-Season 1 interview with Nolan and Bethesda’s Todd Howard.

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

There hasn't been a better time in 2025 to pick up one of the latest Apple iPads. The 11th-gen Apple iPad (A16), the 7th-gen iPad Air, and the iPad Mini (A17 Pro), all went on sale last week, most likely as part of a Mother's Day sale event, at the best prices we've seen all year and they're still available for a little while longer. Save up to 20% off compared to buying directly from the Apple Store. In fact, they're even less expensive than Apple's Edu discount.

New 2025 Apple iPad 10.9" (A16) for $299

For most people, the iPad (not the Air, Mini, or Pro) is the best model to get because it offers all the benefits of iOS as well as snappy performance at an affordable price. The current generation model was released on March 12, 2025, over two years after the previous generation (October 2022). The upgrades include a more powerful processor (A16 vs A14), more RAM (6GB vs 4GB), and more storage (128GB vs 64GB). Best of all, the launch price of $349 is actually lower than when the previous generation model was released, which was $399.

The specs that have carried over are the 10.9" Liquid Retina 2360x1640 (264ppi) display, USB Type-C charging, Wi-Fi 6 connectivity, and the same camera. It's also compatible with the Magic Folio keyboard so you can convert it into a mini laptop for better workflow, making it one of the best iPads for students, and the newer Apple Pencil with USB-C.

$100 Off the New 2025 Apple iPad Air (M3)

Amazon is offering the 7th generation Apple iPad Air M3 tablets at the lowest prices I've seen so far. The 11" model is down to $499 and the 13" model is down to $699, both after a $100 off instant discount. That's the best price we've seen for this 2025 model with the M3 chip. The 7th gen iPad Pro Air was released in March and is the current generation model. It's only one year newer than the 6th gen model and the only major upgrade is the jump from the M2 to the M3 chip.

Samsung has announced the Galaxy S25 Edge, its new top-end smartphone at its May Unpacked event. While it is similar to the Galaxy S25 launched earlier in 2025, the new thinner design should give it an Edge.

Spec for spec, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge is remarkably similar to the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra. It's using the same Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset and features a similar 200MP camera. The main difference is the chassis, which has been slimmed down to just 5.8mm thick from the 8.2mm of the Galaxy S25 Ultra. Of course, with a thinner design, the phone is also lighter, now weighing in at just 163g.

The phone also features the same 6.7-inch AMOLED 2X display as the Samsung Galaxy S25, despite it having essentially the same specs as the slightly larger 6.9-inch Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.

With a phone this thin and this large, durability is going to be a major concern. Samsung has claimed to address this by upgrading the glass to the new Gorilla Glass Ceramic 2, which is supposed to be more durable than the Gorilla Glass Armor 2 found in the Galaxy S25 Ultra. The bigger worry is what will happen to it when you sit on it in your pocket rather than how it will fare being dropped. (Is enough to avoid a new bendgate?)

Of course, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge will also feature the same suite of "Mobile AI" tools that debuted with the Samsung Galaxy S24 last year and were further iterated on in 2025. The Snapdragon 8 Elite does allow for quite a lot of AI work to be done locally on the device, which should help a ton for privacy, but there are still a ton of AI apps out there that are still going to rely on the cloud. Still, Samsung does have a couple of cool features that will summarize notifications and news articles at a glance, if that's something you're into.

The Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge is available for preorder today, starting at $1,099 for the 256GB model and $1,219 for the 512GB model. The phone also comes in three different color options: Titanium Silver, Titanium Jet Black, and Titanium Icyblue.

Samsung really wants you to believe this skinny phone is super durable; let's just hope it's right.

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

The first look at Nicolas Cage as the live-action Spider-Noir was revealed by MGM+ and Prime Video at Amazon’s annual upfront presentation on Monday. The image of Cage in costume can be seen below.

Based on the Marvel comic Spider-Man Noir, the series due out in 2026 “tells the story of an aging and down on his luck private investigator (Cage) in 1930s New York, who is forced to grapple with his past life as the city’s one and only superhero,” according to the official synopsis.

In addition to Nicolas Cage in the title role, the Sony Pictures Television-produced series stars Lamorne Morris, Brendan Gleeson, Abraham Popoola, Li Jun Li, Karen Rodriguez, and Jack Huston.

For a limited time, Amazon is offering a Hoto 3.6V Electric Screwdriver for $27.99 after you apply coupon code "IEOJN94O" during checkout. This is the best price I've seen for this particular screwdriver by $2. This is an interesting option for anyone who tinkers with small electronics and deals with dozens of tiny screws and doesn't want to risk damaging components or stripping screws with a full-sized power tool.

Hoto 3.6V 4Nm Electric Driver for $27.99

Earlier this month, Alienware announced its new mainstream lineup of 2025 gaming laptops, dubbed the "Alienware Aurora". The first 16" models are now available for pruchase at Dell. The Alienware Aurora 16 (not to be confused with the desktop) is the less expensive model, featuring an Intel Core Ultra Series 2 i9-270H CPU and GeForce RTX 4050 GPU with 85W TGP, for $1,949.99. The Alienware Aurora 16X is the higher end model, featuring an Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX CPU and GeForce RTX 5070 GPU with 115W TGP, for $2,299.99. These are expected to start shipping out in mid June. Both models also have the option to be equipped with RTX 5060 graphics, however those are currently on preorder status with no shipping ETA since the RTX 5060 hasn't actually been released yet.

New Releases: Alienware Aurora 16 and 16X Gaming Laptops

While the X-Men made their name in comic form, the X-Men movie adaptations have become beloved in their own right, with such fan favorites as Patrick Stewart’s Charles Xavier and Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine. These films are also pretty notorious for their messy timelines, with origin stories, retconning, and time travel to really spice things up. There are plenty of different ways to watch these films, and the choice of how you watch them will determine how certain reveals and moments will pay off.

While it can be easy to just watch them as they were released, we’ve organized the 14 films into how they roughly fit into one big timeline. This will allow you to experience the X-Men story from the beginning and follow each character’s journey from its earliest point.

Now that there are mutants in the MCU, we thought the best way to get ready for the future was to honor the past. If you’d like to watch them in order of release, we’ve included that below as well.

Without further ado, here is our mostly spoiler-free look at how you can watch the X-Men movies in chronological order!

Jump to:

• How to watch in chronological order
• How to watch by release order

Which X-Men Movie Should You Watch First?

If you're new to the X-Men movie franchise, you can choose to start with First Class and make your way through the timeline chronologically. However, if you want to experience the films how they were originally released to audiences, you'll want to start with X-Men (2000) where the series officially began.

X-Men Movies in Chronological Order

1. X-Men: First Class (2011)

X-Men: First Class is the start of a new X-Men chapter that rewinds the clock to the earliest point on the film franchise’s timeline. The film begins in 1944 at the Auschwitz concentration camp before jumping ahead to 1962. The story follows a young Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr/Magneto and the origins of both the X-Men and the Brotherhood of Mutants.

Read our review of X-Men: First Class.

2. X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014)

X-Men: Days of Future Past is a bit hard to place on the timeline as it features the X-Men from both the original films and the newer ones. Much of the story takes place in 1973, but plenty of time is spent in an alternate version of 2023 as well. Certain story elements we won’t spoil here make us comfortable placing it here on the timeline, but having an affection for the original crew definitely does help make it a more special moviegoing experience. This means it can also fit right near the end of this list if you so choose.

Read our review of X-Men: Days of Future Past.

3. X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)

The first X-Men spinoff movie starts back in 1845, but the bulk of the story is set in 1979 and explores the… well, origin of Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine. Not only do we get to see how he got his iconic adamantium claws, but we also get our first introduction to Ryan Reynolds’ Wade Wilson/Deadpool. It's an essential part of the Wolverine timeline.

Read our review of X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

4. X-Men: Apocalypse (2016)

If you're looking to upgrade your gaming PC to play the latest games in 1080p or 1440p but still want to keep your budget under $1,000, then check out two options from Thermaltake. First up is the Themaltake LCGS View Gaming PC, equipped with an Intel Core i5 CPU and Intel Arc B580 CPU, for just $999.99 with free shipping. The Intel Arc B580 is one of the best budget GPUs we've reviewed recently and puts up solid, playable framerates at up to 1440p. It beats out the GeForce RTX 4060 and Radeon RX 7600 in many games. Also available is the Thermaltake LGSP Quartz i1460 Gaming PC equipped with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5060 GPU for $1,099.99. This prebuilt is currently on preorder and not ready to ship until next week at the earliest, since the RTX 5060 GPU is officially released on May 19 and reviews are pending.

Thermaltake LGCS View Intel Arc B580 Gaming PC for $999.99

Kung Fury 2, the feature-length follow-up to the YouTube short and viral hit Kung Fury, has been stuck in a legal quagmire for years despite having been announced in 2015 and shot in 2019. But this past weekend, a trailer/sizzle reel for the sequel showed up online to enthrall those lucky enough to see it with a preview of the ridiculously insane premise, characters, and excesses of writer/director/star David Sandberg's homage to 1980s action cinema.

The original short was released in 2015 after a crowdfunding campaign through Kickstarter which raised over $600,000. Through lots of greenscreen and plenty of innovation, Sandberg introduced the world to the title character (who he also plays) who travels through time to fight Hitler ("Kung Führer"), of course. Oh, there's also vikings and dinosaurs in the mix too.

A feature-length version/sequel was announced in 2016, and in 2018 Michael Fassbender, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and David Hasselhoff were confirmed to be starring in the film alongside Sandberg. Kung Fury 2 was shot the following year with a 2022 release date planned. That was pushed to 2023, but the film ran into legal issues and remains unreleased six years after it was shot.

So when the trailer/footage for Kung Fury 2 showed up on an anoymous account this weekend on YouTube, it was a bit of a surprise for the fans who have been wondering whatever happened to the project. It features 10 minutes from the movie, including Schwarzenegger as an action-star version of the U.S. president and Fassbender as mullett-endowed FBI agent Colt Magnum.

I reeeeally hope this means they've resolved the Kung Fury legal issues because I need to see more of Michael Fassbender's Colt Magnum immediately https://t.co/ktCDcgHnHM pic.twitter.com/GrWJKXbn3x

— Matthew Ruddle (@RuddleMatthew) May 10, 2025

Sandberg tells Variety that the video, which has since been pulled from the original account that posted it, was meant for internal promo viewing: "I hope at least people can see the passion that we poured into the movie, the world deserves to see it as it was meant to be seen. This movie has been held hostage for the past 5 years but I promise to keep fighting for it and make sure this film gets the chance it truly deserves.”

Sandberg is apparently referring to a lawsuit between the producers and investor Creasun Entertainment USA, which accuses the company of not paying $10 million "that it promised, effectively shutting down the production," according to Variety. "At the time, Creasun asserted that the lawsuit was meritless and filed because it had exercised its contractual rights to takeover the film."

Unfortunatley, Kung Fury 2 has been stuck without a release date ever since then.

Your SIM card is one of the most important aspects of your iPhone – it’s the only way to connect to your carrier's network. And while physical SIM cards remain a viable option for many people with older phones, the iPhone 16 only supports eSIM. (In fact, all new iPhones, starting with the iPhone 14, won’t have a physical SIM card.) Luckily, eSIMs offer a lot of flexibility, letting you handle all of your SIM needs directly on your phone. This alleviates the hassle of adding and removing a physical card, and it makes many tasks, like getting international plans, much easier and more efficient.

If you're looking to activate an eSIM on your iPhone 16, you have a few different options, which range from scanning a simple QR code to downloading a carrier's app and following the instructions within. After converting to an eSIM, how you go about activating it will depend largely on your carrier. While most carriers – especially popular ones like AT&T and Verizon – make this a nearly headache-free process, some smaller or lesser-known carriers may be slightly more complicated.

Below, we'll run through the primary ways you can activate your iPhone 16's eSIM.

How to activate eSIM on iPhone 16

There are multiple ways to set up an eSIM on your iPhone 16, and how you go about doing so will depend on your carrier and situation. Regardless of which way you activate an eSIM, it should be a painless process. If you run into any major errors, you should immediately contact your carrier for assistance.

Direct Carrier Activation

Some carriers will directly assign an eSIM to your new phone, which will apply automatically when you go through the initial setup process. Just follow any prompts that arise during the setup to have this squared away.

The downside to this method is that any problems that arise are more likely to be on their end, which will require you to reach out and speak to someone. Luckily, this is rare, so you should be good to go.

QR Code

Your carrier may provide you with a QR code to make things quick and easy. In this case, go to Settings > Cellular > Set Up Cellular or Add eSIM > Use QR Code. Open your phone's camera and position the frame over the QR code, then follow any prompts to finish things up.

Quick Transfer

If you already have an eSIM on a previous iPhone and your carrier supports Quick Transfer, you can swap the eSIM to your new phone very easily. To do so, simply keep your old phone nearby as you set up the new phone, then select the line you want to transfer when you reach the “Set Up Cellular” screen. Follow any remaining prompts to wrap up the eSIM activation.

If your new phone is already set up, you can go to Settings > Cellular > Set Up Cellular or Add eSIM > Transfer From Nearby iPhone. Select the line you'd like to transfer from the list, and follow the remaining prompts to finish setting up your eSIM.

Carrier App

As a final option, you can use a carrier's app to activate your iPhone 16's eSIM. To get started with this, head into the App Store and download your carrier's app. Inside the app, follow any instructions laid out for you regarding setting up the eSIM. Most of these provide a straightforward process that shouldn't pose any hiccups, but if you have any questions, reach out to your carrier to have them help you through it.

Conclusion

Hopefully, setting up your iPhone 16's eSIM using one of the above methods turns out to be as quick and easy as it should be. Isn't simplicity and efficiency the main goal of modern technology after all? But hey, there's always a small chance something goes haywire along the way. So, again, just remember that if you run into any major roadblocks, your best bet is always to contact your carrier and have them help you through it.

eSIMS are in! Switching from a physical SIM to an eSIM is an all-around good move for many iPhone users, as they offer fantastic security, flexibility, and durability. Since they’re all all-digital, they make switching between multiple phone lines much simpler, if that's a feature you value. And swapping carriers with an eSIM is a cinch, making it especially easy to set up new international phone plans while traveling. Whatever reason you have for switching to eSIM, we'll fill you in on which iPhones support this feature and how to go about activating it.

Which iPhones support eSIM?

Before you can get started converting your SIM to eSIM, you'll first need to be certain that your iPhone can even accept an eSIM. Luckily, all modern iPhones support eSIM, so most users are unlikely to run into any issues. But just to be safe, below is a rundown of which iPhones support this technology.

Single eSIM iPhones

These iPhones support one eSIM. However, they also allow you to use one physical SIM, meaning you can technically have two lines if you'd like. To do so, you'll have to have one on the physical SIM and the other on the eSIM.

• iPhone XS
• iPhone XR
• iPhone 11
• iPhone SE (2nd gen)
• iPhone 12
• iPhone 13

If you want multiple lines via eSIM, you'll need to purchase one of the phones that support dual eSIM listed in the next section.

Dual eSIM iPhones

These iPhones allow you to use two eSIMs. If you ever have a need for a second line, you won't need to also have a physical card to make that happen.

• iPhone SE (3rd gen)
• iPhone 14
• iPhone 15
• iPhone 16

It's also worth knowing that all models since the iPhone 14 exclusively support eSIM, meaning there is no slot for a traditional SIM card. If you think you'll ever need a physical SIM card, you'll want to consider an older iPhone or an Android that grants you access to a SIM card slot.

How to convert SIM to eSIM on iPhone

Converting your SIM to an eSIM should be a simple process, but the iPhone model isn't the only thing to consider. You'll also have to be certain that your carrier supports eSIM. Every major U.S. carrier offers the option to use an eSIM, but if you're using a lesser-known carrier, you can contact them and inquire about their eSIM support to be certain before you try to convert your SIM to an eSIM.

When you're ready to convert your iPhone's SIM to an eSIM, head to Settings > Cellular to get started.

You should see an option to "Convert to eSIM" in blue. If this doesn't show up, that's a telltale sign that your carrier either does not support eSIM or does not allow this type of conversion. If it's the latter, you'll need to call them and see if they can manually handle it or provide you with a QR code.

If you do see "Convert to eSIM" in your Cellular settings, you're in luck! Tap this option.

On the next screen, verify that the number listed is the one you'd like to convert, then tap "Convert Cellular Plan" followed by "Convert to eSIM" to wrap up the conversion.

This process will immediately deactivate the physical SIM card you were using previously. With this in mind, it's a good idea to open the SIM card tray and remove the physical card, then restart your phone.

You can now dispose of the physical SIM card if you have no intentions of ever going back. And remember that even if you do want to return to a physical SIM, there's no way to do so directly from your iPhone. Instead, you'll be required to contact your carrier to handle that.

Conclusion

Converting your iPhone's SIM to eSIM has a lot of advantages, so it's well worth the few minutes it should take to make it happen. If you run into any major issues, though, be sure to reach out to your carrier to see how they can help you navigate them. Either way, once you've squared away the SIM to eSIM conversion, you'll be ready to enjoy the all-digital lifestyle!

If you've owned a cellphone in the past 25 years or so, you've likely had to deal with SIM cards – tiny little cards housed in your phone that contain a smorgasbord of personal data and an individual number assigned specifically to you. Without a SIM card, you can't connect to a cellular network, making them one of your phone's most valuable components. But as with so many things these days, even this has gone all-digital with the advent of the eSIM.

With an eSIM you no longer have to deal with a physical SIM card, including the annoying process of finding a stray paper clip somewhere to open the SIM tray on your phone. Everything is handled entirely digitally. Here's everything you need to know about eSIM technology and how you can go about getting one.

What is an eSIM?

eSIM stands for Embedded Subscriber Identification Module. It's an all-digital replacement for a traditional physical SIM card. It stores all the same information and performs the same role as a physical card while being considerably more convenient and easily transferable.

Unlike a normal SIM card, which is stored in a tray within your phone, an eSIM is stored in the phone's motherboard. Because of this, you no longer have to go to a store to get a SIM card when switching carriers, nor do you have to go through the sometimes tedious process of physically swapping an itty bitty card between phones. Instead, eSIMs can be configured straight from your device's settings.

eSIMs are fantastic for businesses, or anyone who needs more than one line in general. For instance, if you wanted to have a personal line and a work line, you'd normally need two phones with separate SIM cards. However, with an eSIM, both lines can be stored on the same digital card, allowing you to swap between them at will.

Another great benefit is flexibility while traveling. With an eSIM, you won't need to purchase a new card when traveling internationally. When you arrive in a new country, you can simply add an international plan to the eSIM with relative ease and get on with your trip.

Which phones support eSIM?

All of the above assumes that your phone and carrier support eSIM, of course, so let's take a look at what you should know about eSIM availability. Luckily, the majority of smartphones from major brands like Apple, Google, Samsung, OnePlus, and Motorola support eSIMs, so finding one that suits your preferences shouldn't be too difficult.

Below is a non-exhaustive list of the first phones from these brands to introduce eSIM compatibility. It's safe to assume that if you have a flagship device sold by any of these brands released after the phones on this list, it almost certainly supports eSIM:

• iPhone XR / XS and iPhone 11
• Google Pixel 2
• Samsung Galaxy S20
• OnePlus 11
• Motorola Razr (2020 version)

Of course, these aren't the only brands that support eSIMs. If you're curious whether your specific device lets you use an eSIM, you can usually find the info quickly with an online search. For example, you can check out our guide on converting to an eSIM on iPhone. Alternatively, you can check under your settings in the "About Phone" section for mentions of eSIM compatibility.

It's worth noting that some phones, such as the iPhone 14 and onward, have stopped support for physical SIM cards altogether, meaning you can only use an eSIM on those devices. If you're positive that you'll need the option for a physical card at some point, you may want to consider a different device. But if you're ready to embrace the eSIM life, you'll be all set.

Which carriers support eSIM?

Now that you know which phones support eSIM, you'll want to be sure your carrier does, too. Luckily, the overwhelming majority of well-known carriers in the US offer full support for the technology. Some popular choices include those listed below:

• AT&T
• Boost Mobile
• Cricket
• Google Fi
• Metro
• Mint Mobile
• Spectrum
• Straight Talk
• T-Mobile
• Verizon
• Visible
• Xfinity

As with the list of supported phones, this is hardly an exhaustive list, but these carriers are available in most states. If you're interested in a carrier not listed here, you can always reach out to them directly to inquire about what types of phones and SIM technology they support.

Are there disadvantages to eSIMs?

While the features offered by eSIMs are no doubt helpful, choosing this option doesn't come without a few downsides. There are a few things to keep in mind when swapping over to this newer technology.

For starters, while most brands and carriers have embraced the eSIM future, some older or budget phones still don't support the technology. Plenty of less expensive devices support eSIM, but since it's not a universal standard yet, the inconsistency can make finding an eSIM-compatible device frustrating when shopping for anything less than flagship phone.

Secondly, if your phone stops working with a physical SIM card, you can simply pop out the card and move it to a new device. However, if this happens while you're using an eSIM, you'll have to contact your carrier and go through the pain of having them assigning your eSIM to your new phone on their end.

Even with these potential obstacles, eSIMs remain a largely hassle-free experience that can make a lot of things just a little bit simpler. In a day and age when efficiency and flexibility are more desired than ever, it may be just the answer you're looking for.

Alienware's new flagship gaming laptop - the Alienware Area-51 - was released earlier this year. It replaces the m-series laptop and bring to the table a host of upgrades including a sleeker redesign, current generation components, and better cooling potential. For the first time ever both the 16" model and 18" model, equipped with the latest Intel Core Ultra 9 processor and powerful GeForce RTX 5080 graphics, are on sale right now. Orders are expected to ship out in late May, so get your reservation in now to prevent any additional delays.

Save Up to $300 Off Alienware Area-51 Gaming Laptops

If you've been waiting for one of the more affordable Blackwell cards to come back in stock at a reputable retailer, here's your chance to pick one up at list price. Amazon currently has the Gigabyte GeForce RTX 5070 Windforce OC 12GB Graphics Card exclusively for Amazon Prime members for $609.99 with free shipping. This is an excellent GPU for gaming at up to 1440p with high framerates and supports the latest DLSS 4 technology. Also for a limited time, you'll get a free voucher for the upcoming Doom: The Dark Ages game with purchase.

Note that the suggested launch price of a GeForce RTX 5070 card is $549.99. There are a few models at that price point but they have been extremely hard to find in stock. This Windforce model is priced higher because it's an OC version. That said, this is currently the lowest price you'll find for a standalone 5070 GPU. In fact, according to Tom's Hardware, Nvidia plans to raise GPU prices by 10%-15% in the near future.

Gigabyte GeForce RTX 5070 Windforce OC GPU for $609.99

A good night's sleep is essential for a healthy and productive day. If you're having trouble sleeping, especially when you're travelling and bedded in unfamiliar accomodations, then you might when to check out this deal today. Amazon is offering the diminutive Dreamegg portable white noise machine for a mere $8.10 after you clip the $5 off coupon and apply promo code "JH2QGGYM" during checkout. I bought one the last time this went on sale and it has worked as intended in a nursery, keeping the baby soundly asleep.

Updated with a new coupon code.

Dreamegg Portable White Noise Machine

If you're willing to splurge on a higher end TV and you like Sony, here's a deal that's right up your alley. Amazon is currently offering a massive 77" Sony Bravia 8 4K OLED Google TV for $2,095 shipped. That's the best price we've seen for this recent 2024 model and an excellent option for streaming 4K HDR movies and playing games in 4K at up to 120fps on your PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X gaming console.

Update: This deal has expired.

77" Sony Bravia 8 4K OLED Google TV for $2,095

Considering what it offers, Disney Plus is one of the best streaming services on the block. From classic Disney animated films to the latest Marvel shows and Star Wars movies, excellent kids' programming like Bluey, and so much more, Disney Plus puts an incredible range of high-quality viewing options at your fingertips. And with so much to check out, including season 2 of Andor - we recently gave the third chapter of the second season a 10/10 - you'll want to find a plan that best suits you. We're here to help.

At the moment, one of the best Disney Plus bundle deals available is the massive Disney Plus, Hulu, and Max streaming bundle. This starts at $16.99/month to get you all three streaming services with ads. It's one of the best bundles available at the moment, but we've included more Disney Plus bundle deals worth exploring below. If you're looking for more streaming deals from other services, check out the best Hulu deals and bundles and the best Max deals.

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

The Disney Plus, Hulu, and Max streaming bundle can be purchased through any of the three streaming services and starts at $16.99/month for the ad-supported tier or $29.99/month for ad-free access across the three platforms.

If you currently own all three and want to cut down on costs, this is a great way to bundle them together and save big on what you'd pay for them separately per month – 43% on the ad-supported plan and 42% on the ad-free plan.

What Is the New Paid Sharing Plan on Disney Plus?

In an effort to crack down on password sharing, Disney has unveiled a paid sharing plan for individuals outside of your household. Basically, anyone using your account that's not within your household will have to be added as an "Extra Member" to your account. This costs an additional $6.99/month for the ad-supported Basic subscription and $9.99/month for the Premium ad-free plan, and only one Extra Member slot is available per account. You can learn more from Disney's paid sharing explainer here.

What Are the Different Disney+ Subscription Tiers?

Disney+ is available in a couple of different tiers. You can get the least expensive option (called Disney+ Basic) for $9.99/month, which gives you access to everything except the ability to download select shows to watch on the go. This tier is ad supported. If you want to get rid of ads and be able to download certain shows, you can spring for the $15.99/month or $159.99/year Disney+ Premium package.

What Are the Different Disney+ Bundles?

Want a way to save on your Disney+ membership? Bundles are a great, affordable way to go. As far as bundles go, there are two ad-supported bundles and two ad-free bundles. Here's the breakdown:

• Disney+, Hulu Bundle Basic is $10.99/month and comes with subscriptions to Disney+ and Hulu. This plan lets you stream on multiple devices at once and comes with ad-supported versions of both services.
• Disney+, Hulu Bundle Premium is $19.99/month and comes with Hulu and Disney+ with no ads. It also includes Disney+ Premium features like the ability to download shows to watch on the go.
• Disney+, Hulu, ESPN+ Bundle Basic adds ESPN+ (With Ads) to the mix alongside Disney+ (With Ads) and Hulu (With Ads), bumping up the price to $16.99/month. You can also download and watch select content on ESPN+ at this level.
• Disney+, Hulu, ESPN+ Bundle Premium is $26.99/month and comes with ESPN+ (With Ads) and ad-free versions of Disney+ and Hulu. You can also download select content across all three streaming services.

Disney+ Gift Cards

If you want to help someone out and give them a gift that will keep on giving, gifting a one-year Disney+ card is a great way to go. It provides all the great things Disney+ offers and it costs a fraction of what it would take to buy even a small sampling of those movies physically.

What Can You Watch on Disney+?

There is a bonkers array of shows and movies you can watch on Disney+. Let's start at the top and simply talk about the verticals on offer here with the base subscription.

Here's what you get:

• Disney
• Pixar
• Marvel
• Star Wars
• National Geographic

Disney on Disney+

On the Disney front, you have awesome classic movies like The Sword In The Stone, Robin Hood, 101 Dalmations, Hercules, and Sleeping Beauty, modern classics like The Princess & The Frog, Tangled, and Frozen, and a wide range of animated shows, including Phineas & Ferb.

You also gain access to a ton of vintage content like Escape to Witch Mountain, The Apple Dumpling Gang, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes, The Love Bug, and a whole lot more. The Disney Junior section is home to absolutely top tier animated shows like Bluey (which, for my money, is worth the price of admission on its own).

There's way more on offer, too, including a ton of Muppet movies, new live-action films and adaptions, nature programs, documentaries, Pirates of the Caribbean, and musical programs featuring Taylor Swift (like her wildly popular The Eras Tour), Elton John, Ed Sheeran, and more.

Pixar on Disney+

When it comes to computer generated films, Pixar stands alone. Kicking off the revolution with Toy Story, Pixar has consistently put out fantastic films, and they are all here. From the Toy Story series to Finding Nemo, Cars, and more recent hits like Inside Out 2, there is a ton to love.

Beyond even that, there are incredible shorts like Bao and Party Central, as well as a wide range of originals and series based on major films, such as Dory's Reef Cam, Forky Asks A Question, Cars On The Road, and more.

Marvel on Disney+

The MCU has become a true juggernaut, and there are many viewers who subscribe to Disney+ purely for access to nearly the entire MCU lineup of films and shows.

Whether you are a fan of the blockbuster action films, you are an appreciator of the classic 90s runs of "Saturday morning" cartoons like X-Men, or you are currently vibing to the funky theme of the 1981 Spider-Man series, there is a ton of Marvel to enjoy on Disney+. And with new movies and shows being added to the MCU all the time, including most recently Deadpool & Wolverine and Your Friendly Neigborhood Spider-Man, there is always more coming.

Star Wars on Disney+

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, there was a film that changed everything. The original Star Wars is a seminal sci-fi fantasy work that inspired generations of creators, but there is still nothing quite like that far away galaxy. Disney+ grants access to all things Star Wars, including the remastered versions of the original trilogy (hopefully some day they'll add the theatrical cuts, too), as well as the prequels and sequels.

You can also stay up-to-date on all the latest shows, including The Mandalorian and the critically-lauded Andor, which some viewers say is "the best Star Wars has ever been." There are also fantastic short series like Star Wars Visions, and longer-form series like The Clone Wars, The Bad Batch, Young Jedi Adventures, and a whole lot more.

Take a look at our list of Disney+ alernatives for additional streaming services. To play while you watch, see our roundup of the best LEGO Disney sets. For more deals, dive into our Daily Deals page.

Hannah Hoolihan is a freelance writer who works with the Guides and Commerce teams here at IGN.
Original story from Brian Barnett.

Gaming chairs are one of the best investments a gamer can make. After all, during those long gaming sessions, where are you going to sit? While gaming keyboards and gaming monitors can really lift your gaming experience to the next level, none of it really matters if you don't have a comfortable chair to sit in. Our top entry, the Secretlab Titan Evo Nanogen, is a perfect example: It's a chair big enough for pretty much any body, and it's comfortable and sturdy enough to sit for hours.

TL;DR – These Are the Best Gaming Chairs:

I've been reviewing gaming chairs for years, and the overall best ones you can buy provide a place to sink into for hours of gaming without fatigue or pain. Including features like customizable lumbar support, adjustable armrests, and a movable headrest to beef up the ergnomics only adds to a more comfortable, distraction-free space to focus on your favorite PC games.

However, there are an excess of options to choose from. To help you out, I've cut this list down to six tested and researched chairs offering solid frames, high-quality material, and all the creature comforts you could want.

1. Secretlab Titan Evo Nanogen

Best Gaming Chair

2. Corsair TC100 Relaxed Gaming Chair

Best Budget Gaming Chair

3. Haworth Fern

Best Ergonomic Gaming Chair

4. Hinomi H1 Pro

Best Mesh Gaming Chair

5. Razer Enki

Best Fabric Gaming Chair

6. Secretlab Titan Evo Nanogen XL

Best Big and Tall Gaming Chair

The Secretlab Titan Evo Nanogen XL is a clear winner for the best big and tall gaming chair. I've been recommending the Titan Evo since its original launch several years ago, but with the Nanogen Edition, the company has taken comfort to the next level (which is also why it's my No. 1 pick for overall gaming chair). The XL version just upsizes that to deliver its comfort to a wider audience.

This version takes everything from the normal-sized version and carries it through. That means you'll get the exceptionally soft, Brisa-like fabric and extra seat cushion, as well as those gloriously plush yet still somehow supportive armrests. If you're a larger person, then you know how important proper back support is, and this delivers that too with its adjustable lumbar support.

It also features full compatibility with the company's different magnetic accessories for the standard Titan Evo XL. There are magnetic pillows and different armrest covers and, though not magnetic, you can also attach the company's new recliner accessory to put your feet up and kick back with the controller.

This chair doesn't come cheap, but believe me when I say that it's worth every penny when stacked up against other gaming chairs attempting similar levels of support and comfort. Secretlab has been an industry leader for a reason, and the Nanogen line is easily the best it has ever produced.

7. Respawn 900 Gaming Recliner

Best Gaming Chair with a Footrest

8. Secretlab Titan Evo (Small)

Best Gaming Chair for Shorter Gamers

How to Choose the Best Gaming Chair for You

• Price: This will probably be the biggest determining factor. Going out with a set budget is helpful, as you’ll find chairs ranging from under $50 to more than $1,000. Cheaper gaming chairs, like the Corsair TC100 Relaxed, still deliver the comfort of more expensive ones. You just need to be prepared to sacrifice features, like 4D armrests or adjustable lumbar support. I’d stay away from anything under $100, especially if the chair makes promises that appear too good to be true.
• Design: Comfort is king; nobody wants to spend hours in a seat that causes back or neck pain. Finding a chair that’s the right size for you is essential for preventing discomfort. Luckily, most chairs list their dimensions. You’ll want a wide, well-cushioned seat, a long backrest, and a good range of height adjustability. All that should sit on a sturdy metal frame capable of holding your full body weight. If you’re looking into a racing-style chair with bucket seats, like the AndaSeat Kaiser 3, pay special mind to the bolsters, as they can dig into your thighs.
• Materials: For the most part, gaming chairs offer PU leather, fabric, or mesh. PU leather is easy to clean but may not always be super durable, and it gets hot when wearing shorts. Fabric, which is used on the E-Win Champion, won’t be as easy to clean, though it’s less of a heat magnet. Mesh is the most breathable option. However, you’ll lose the cushioned seat and backrest in favor of a suspension system, which can be a hit or miss. The Razer Fujin Pro is one chair that gets mesh right.
• Ergonomics: After locking those in, a movable headrest, adjustable armrests, and customizable lumbar support can enhance the chair’s ergonomic, but these features often make the chair more expensive. Other quality-of-life additions, like a tilting or rocking mechanism, also help with relaxation between heated gaming sessions.

Keep all this in mind so you know how to pick the perfect gaming chair for your needs.

Gaming Chair FAQ

What's the point of a gaming chair?

Because gaming chairs are glorified office chairs, their main selling points are, frankly, aesthetic. Gaming chairs are often a bit more expensive than comparable office chairs and don't have the same comfort features as seats designed for working in all day. Still, if you love the way that gaming chairs look and you're going for a certain vibe in your gaming den, the best gaming chairs do truly shine. You just might want to look at the best ergonomic chairs if you want something that's truly going to take care of your aching back.

How much should you spend on a a gaming chair?

While you can buy a gaming chair for $80 or less, doing so is just asking for eventual pain. Something inexpensive is usually nothing more than a cheap plastic frame (versus steel) with some thin fabric or pleather upholstery on top.

You can get a quality chair for as little as $200, and that’s the absolute bottom floor of affordability we’d go for. Spending $300 or more will get you access to better options. If your budget allows you to soar a bit higher, more expensive gaming chairs start to come with built-in lumbar support, cooling gel layers, and even more adjustable ergonomics, not to mention RGB LED Kits and more. It all depends on what matters most to you in the long term.

Finding Pokémon cards in 2025 isn’t as easy as it should be. Between Destined Rivals preorders vanishing in seconds, new split expansion sets in Black Bolt and White Flare, and Journey Together chase cards dominating every feed, Pokémon TCG has never felt more intense.

If you're trying to keep up with Pokémon TCG without getting ripped off or left behind, here's where to start, including the latest update on what can be bought here and now from trusted retailers in the US.

Quick Links: What's in Stock and Where to Buy

If you've dedicated your life to pulling chase cards yourself, here's what we can find in stock right now. Just watch out for pricing over MSRP, as we Pokémon trainers are in a weird spot right now, so don't pay more than what you have to, or consider buying single cards instead of gambling on overpriced ETBs. Whatever you decide, make sure you're having fun!

Pokémon Cards: Retailers You Can Trust

Trying to buy Pokémon cards at retail prices these days feels more like a boss battle than a shopping trip. Between lightning-fast sellouts, sneaky price hikes, and listings that vanish before you’ve even opened your browser, finding a good deal can be frustrating.

I’ve spent way too much time bouncing between sites, chasing restocks, and narrowly dodging scalpers. But after enough trial, error, and a few accidental overpays, I’ve figured out where the odds are at least somewhat in your favor.

Where to Buy Pokémon TCG Single Cards

Pokémon TCG Expansions: Release Schedule

Scarlet & Violet: Destined Rivals (May 30)

Pokémon TCG’s next big release, Destined Rivals, arrives May 30, and I’m already prepping my shelf space and emotionally budgeting like I won’t blow it all on an Elite Trainer Box I absolutely do not need.

This set brings back Trainer’s Pokémon, reintroduces Team Rocket for another round of villainous fun, and includes some of the best card art we’ve seen in ages. If you're into flashy collectibles or just enjoy the feeling of cardboard power coursing through your veins, this one's for you.

Preorders are currently out of stock everywhere at the time of writing, but it's worth bookmarking the relevant listings and checking back daily this week for more updates, as we're expecting even more stock drops between now and release day.

Scarlet & Violet: Black Bolt and White Flare (July 18)

The Pokémon Company recently announced a new split expansion for the Pokémon TCG, continuing the Scarlet & Violet series. Titled Scarlet & Violet: Black Bolt and Scarlet & Violet: White Flare, both expansions will release on July 18, 2025, at participating retailers worldwide.

Preorders have started to go live, which we've been covering, but it'll be a hard fought battle so ensure you're already bookmarking the listings below and checking out IGN's dedicated Black Bolt and White Flare preorder guide for more updates.

Latest Update: The Pokémon Center and Best Buy kicked things off last week, while Amazon's listings are up but not live yet. Stayed tuned for more, and follow @IGNDeals to be kept in the loop.

The expansions focus on the 156 Pokémon originally discovered in the Unova region. Each Unova Pokémon will appear as either an illustration rare or a special illustration rare card, with different versions available in Black Bolt and White Flare products.

• July 18, 2025: Scarlet & Violet Black Bolt/White Flare ETBs (9 boosters, promo, accessories); Binder Collection (5 boosters, Zekrom/Reshiram album); Unova Poster Collection (6 boosters, Snivy/Tepig/Oshawott promos, poster); Unova Mini Tin (2 boosters, art/sticker card).
• August 1, 2025: Tech Sticker Collection (3 boosters, Reuniclus/Gothitelle promo, stickers); Unova Victini Illustration Collection (4 boosters, foil/parallel/oversized Victini).
• August 22, 2025: Booster Bundle (6 Black Bolt/White Flare boosters).

Pokémon Card Market Watch: What Should I Buy This Week?

Another week, another hectic shift in the Pokémon single card market watch whilst trainers are waiting for Destined Rivals to drop.

Whilst we're finally seeing a noticeable climb in Sword and Shield era Pokémon Cards, Scarlet and Violet series cards are settling back down into the realm of reality for the most part.

Big Crashers

The most dramatic crash this week is Greninja ex 214/167, crashing by nearly half when compared the the start of this year. We're also seeing some nice price drops across Obsidian Flames and the elusive 151 expansions.

Meanwhile, Dragonite V from Evolving Skies is doing the opposite, nearly doubling in value compared to the start of this year, and the artwork alone always made this card undervalued. Charizard V Alt Art is also a banger, depicting a Pokémon battle against Venusaur whilst slowly climbing up in value.

Big Climbers

Moving onto this weeks climbers, Rayquazza VMAX alt art is one of the main grails of the Sword and Shield era. It was already a $500+ card, but at $649.99 it shows no signs of slowing down. This could arguably hit the $1,000 mark in a few years, so I'd get one if you can afford it.

There can't be enough Kanto love in my book, and Charizard V Alt Art smashes it out of the park with this Venusaur battle. The angle is great and it feels like a moving card instead of a static body shot so many Pokémon cards are guilty of (Looking at you, WotC era). It's earned another $40 since January, and there's no reason why this card can't get over $200 before the year is out.

Did you miss last week's top climbers and crashers? Catch up in our dedicated article, and stay locked in for more updates.

Where to Buy Pokémon TCG - Scarlet & Violet 2025 Sets

What was once a post-Scarlet & Violet cooldown has turned into another full-blown Pokémania, and whether you're hunting sealed product, singles, or ETBs, knowing where to shop is half the battle.

To help you on your quest, we’ve rounded up all the best places to buy Pokémon cards right now in 2025, from trusted online stores to physical retailers that still stock the good stuff. While plenty will currently be out of stock, consider this your one stop shop to find all the links you'll ever need for each set.

Journey Together

Released March 28, 2025. Journey Together brought back nostalgic Trainer’s Pokémon cards from the Gym Heroes era. N’s Zoroark ex and Lillie’s Clefairy ex end the chaos of endless secret arts for a more curated, collectible experience.

With just 16 Pokémon ex, 11 illustration rares, and three hyper rare gold cards, it’s easier to track what’s worth pulling without feeling like you need a PhD in pack odds. Fancy snagging the Enhanced Booster Display Box with its bonus N’s Reshiram illustration rare or pull Iono’s Bellibolt ex? This set screams nostalgia with a new coat of paint.

Journey Together - Top 10 Single Cards

Prismatic Evolutions

Released January 17, 2025. Prismatic Evolutions kicked off 2025, and it’s all about Eevee and its many evolutions. You won’t find these cards in the usual booster packs. Instead, they’ll be released in boxed sets throughout the year, each packed full of exclusive cards celebrating Eevee and friends.

With over 175 cards, including unique designs and new game mechanics, Prismatic Evolutions is shaping to be a hit with collectors and competitive players alike.

Prismatic Evolutions - Top 10 Single Cards

Best Prices: Pokémon TCG MSRP Guide

The fandom is down to just being happy that they can find any Pokémon TCG stock at MSRP as it stands, making the hobby look a bit bleak. But with world events being what they are, it's given investors and collectors itchy feet with their stacks of ETBs and sealed product from these sets.

If you’re ever not sure what something should cost, here’s the list to follow. These are the standard MSRPs to go by when deciding if a product is worth picking up.

Pokémon TCG MSRP Guide (as of May 2025)

Booster packs and bundles

• Standard booster pack: $4.49
• 3-pack blister: $12.99
• Booster bundle (6 packs): $26.99
• Build & Battle Box: $19.99
• Build & Battle Stadium: $59.99

Elite Trainer Boxes

• Standard ETB: $49.99
• Pokémon Center ETB: $59.99

Premium collections

• Premium Collection Box: $39.99 to $49.99
• Super Premium Collection: $99.99
• Ultra Premium Collection: $119.99 to $129.99

Tins and boxes

• Mini Tin: $8.99
• Standard Tin (V or ex): $24.99
• Collector’s Chest: $29.99

Preconstructed decks

• Single Battle Deck: $9.99
• V Battle Deck: $14.99
• League Battle Deck: $29.99
• Battle Academy Box: $19.99

Booster boxes

• 36-pack Booster Box: $140

What Pokémon Cards Should I Collect In 2025?

This is the time for trainers who just love the hobby to keep an eye on single card prices, as the market does seem to be rectifying itself from the months of inflated prices we've seen.

Whilst it's not quite time to jump on high ticket Pokémon cards just yet, it's a great time to snap up some beautiful cards that are slept on.

Take the promo card from the Scarlet and Violet Paldea Evolved Elite Trainer Box. The ETB is currently going for around $75 at the time of writing, but the included promo card can be snapped up for south of $10.

Even factoring in the Paldea Evolved Booster Packs that are getting hard to find, it makes sense to pick this beautiful promo card up now whilst it's still cheap.

It's also worth considering the Pokémon Center exclusive version of this card that's stamped and included in the Pokémon Center Exclusive Paldea Evolved ETB.

The ETB is currently going for around $275 sealed, with the promo currently going for around $70 in bad condition. It's not about going for the ridiculously priced Pokémon TCG products, it's about snapping up what people aren't focused on.

The artwork that Scarlet and Violet / Sword and Shield sets put out on their SIR, AR and IRs are absolutely stunning. I would put solid money on these cards becoming valuable parts of a collection in years to come. Plus, they're awesome to get graded and have in your collection cabinet or shelf.

The State Of Pokémania 2025

There are two main reasons for stock shortages in 2025: Scalpers and print runs. The Pokémon Company has told us on a number of occasions over the years that they're upping print runs of in-demand sets to meet demand, and (eventually) the market gets flooded.

Just think, those ridiculously priced Evolving Skies booster boxes on TCG Player were a dime a dozen at one point. The scalper situation is going to happen whenever there's an in-demand product, and it's not very fair on real trainers who just want to collect and play Pokémon for the love of the hobby.

The crypto-turned investor bros aren't helping either, but give someone an opportunity to turn $1 into $5 and they'll do it.

This doesn't mean I condone any of this behaviour, far from it, but retailers should and need to do more to ensure everyone has a fair shot at buying Pokémon TCG. Loyalty and member drops, "X" amount per household, invitation-based preorders and re-stocks are all solid way's to control Pokémania.

The problem is only a few retailers are doing this, making it easy for scalpers and bot groups to snap up stock. Retailers such as Costco seem quite happy to let chaos ensue as human beings fight each other for bits of cardboard. Common sense doesn't float with these kinds of people, so restraints and control need to be put into place.

If retailers started implimenting these measures and TPC begin to flood the market with enough product for everyone to enjoy, it would make a more accessible hobby for everyone. For collectors, values of legacy chase cards would eventually climb as sealed stock goes out of print anyway, everyone wins. Well, bar the scalpers, but screw 'em.

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.

Hulu has been around for a while and, for our money, it's one of the absolute best streaming services available. From great movies like Anatomy of a Fall and Prey to excellent television series like the Golden Globe-winning Shogun, Abbott Elementary, and The Handmaid's Tale there is always something awesome to watch. We've also got the highly-anticipated Alien: Earth series on our radar this year, even though a release date is still to be announced.

Below, we've detailed all of the best Hulu deals and bundles so you can get started on your streaming adventures with its library right away. This includes the Hulu, Disney+, and Max streaming bundle, which starts at just $16.99/month and is currently the best value available for the streaming services following the Disney Plus and Hulu price hikes. To see even more streaming deals, make sure to check out our roundups of the best Disney Plus deals and the best Max deals.

How to Get The Disney Plus, Hulu, and Max Streaming Bundle

The Disney Plus, Hulu, and Max streaming bundle can be purchased on any of the three streaming services and starts at $16.99/month for the ad-supported tier or $29.99/month for ad-free access across all three platforms. If you're looking to cut down on streaming costs and currently own all three of these, this is an excellent bundle to invest in. It'll save you quite a bit compared to what you'd pay for the three of them separately per month - 43% on the ad-supported plan and 42% on the ad-free plan.

Hulu deal for students — Get Hulu (With Ads) for just $1.99/month

If you're a student enrolled in a university (a US Title IV accredited college or university, per Hulu's website), you can sign up for Hulu (With Ads) for $1.99 a month. That's an excellent deal if you're a student, saving you $8 on the usual monthly price.

Hulu subscription tiers

Hulu: Bundle to Best

If you want a more affordable option when it comes to a Hulu subscription, you can't go wrong with a bundle, and Hulu has several to choose from:

• Hulu + Live TV (With Ads) — Hulu + Live TV (With Ads) is $82.99/month and includes Disney+ and ESPN+. It also gives you access to more than 75 channels with live TV and unlimited DVR functionality. The Hulu + Live TV plan also has a three-day free trial to test out the service.
• Hulu + Live TV (Ad-Free) — The ad-free version of Hulu+Live TV is $95.99/month and comes with ad-free versions of Hulu and Disney Plus, although ESPN still shows ads.
• Disney+, Hulu Bundle Basic — This is the most economic bundle. It will set you back $10.99/month and comes with subscriptions to Disney+ and Hulu. It lets you stream on multiple devices at once and comes with ad-supported versions of both Disney+ and Hulu.
• Disney+, Hulu, ESPN+ Bundle Basic — This bundle adds ESPN+ into the mix alongside Disney+ and Hulu, bumping up the price to $16.99/month. You can also download and watch select content on ESPN+ at this level.
• Disney+, Hulu, ESPN+ Bundle Premium — This bundle is $26.99/month and comes with ESPN+ (with ads) and ad-free versions of Disney+ and Hulu. You can also download select content across all three streaming services.

What can you watch on Hulu?

There is a bonkers amount of shows and movies you can watch on Hulu. Let's start at the top and simply talk about the verticals on offer with the base subscription, because if we also talk about what is available via Disney+, ESPN+, or live TV, we'll be here forever. (You can also sync up Hulu with Max to gain access to things like Succession and House of the Dragon.)

Here's what you get:

• Network and Hulu Original television shows (AMC, Adult Swim, ABC, A&E, FX, etc.)
• Movies (HBO, Hulu Originals, anime films, etc.)
• Sports (NHL, Soccer, MLB, Auto Racing, NFL, College Football, PGA, Tennis, etc.)
• News (ABC News Live, Good Morning America, World News Tonight, 20/20, The View, etc.)

Hulu television

Hulu has some amazing shows, both those that are finished and many which are ongoing. For comedy, there are plenty of options to choose from, including New Girl, It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia, What We Do In The Shadows, Modern Family, Cougar Town, Broad City, Abbott Elementary, and so much more.

There are also some big Hulu originals to watch, including The Bear, The Old Man, The Handmaid's Tale, and Only Murders In The Building.

As far as animated fare, there are modern adult classics like Rick and Morty and Bob's Burgers, as well as Futurama, Family Guy, and King of the Hill. Anime staples like Cowboy Bebop are also available. And if you want to bring more youth-friendly fun, Gravity Falls, Steven Universe, Adventure Time, and Curious George are just a small sample of what Hulu has available.

The future of Hulu

Hulu isn't going anywhere. As a matter of fact, beyond it being awarded the best streaming service by us and receiving a 9/10 in our updated Hulu review, it was bought in full by Disney in November 2023 and the House of Mouse has created a one-app experience for those bundling Hulu and Disney+. With an FX partnership, Hulu is also home to those shows, including the drama miniseries, Shogun.

Hannah Hoolihan is a freelance writer who works with the Guides and Commerce teams here at IGN.

Original story from Brian Barnett.

It’s back, once again. Seth MacFarlane’s American Dad is returning to Fox once more and is now officially slated to have its second debut on the network in 2026, alongside new episodes of MacFarlane’s other hit series Family Guy.

Bringing both series back for the midseason marks a homecoming for the shows, which was originally with Fox from 2005 to 2014 before moving to TBS through March of this year. Both American Dad and Family Guy are part of a push to keep a “winning position” in primetime television programming.

“Building on our winning position in both key demos and co-viewing this season, Fox delivers a 2025-26 schedule that’s filled with irreverence, fun and much-needed laughter,” Fox Entertainment CEO Rob Wade said in a statement via Variety. “Next year more than ever, we’re bringing that promise to life with a terrific slate to delight our audiences across linear, Hulu and beyond.”

Max is home to some incredibly high-quality films and shows, including House of the Dragon, Succession, The Penguin, The White Lotus, and The Last of Us, which is currently in season 2. You can read our spoiler free The Last of Us season 2 review to see our thoughts.

If you've been hoping to start up an account to dig into that library, we're here to help. We're keeping track of the best price right now for Max subscriptions, along with any deals as they appear. This includes bundle deals like the Max, Hulu, and Disney+ bundle, which is one you absolutely don't want to miss out on. This mega bundle starts at just $16.99/month, which is an astonishing price to have three very popular streaming services right in the palm of your hand. You can learn more about that bundle deal and Max's subscription plans below.

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

The Disney Plus, Hulu, and Max streaming bundle can be purchased on any of the three streaming services and starts at $16.99/month for the ad-supported tier or $29.99/month for ad-free access across all three platforms. If you're looking to cut down on streaming costs and currently own all three of these, this is an excellent bundle to invest in. It'll save you quite a bit compared to what you'd pay for the three of them separately per month – 43% on the ad-supported plan and 42% on the ad-free plan.

To learn more about how to get started with this bundle as a new or existing subscriber, head to our guide on how to get (or switch over to) the Disney+/Hulu/Max streaming bundle.

Students Get 50% off Max Basic With Ads

Duster premieres on Max Thursday, May 15, with new episodes streaming every Thursday through July 3.

It took more than 20 years, but we’re finally getting another TV show that capitalizes on the dirtbag charm Josh Holloway brought to Lost. It makes sense that it would come from one of that paradigm-shifting drama’s co-creators, JJ Abrams, who along with Walking Dead veteran LaToya Morgan brings us Duster, the story of a charismatic mob driver teaming up with an FBI rookie to take down a powerful crime boss in 1970s Arizona. Duster isn’t Holloway’s show alone – it begins from the perspective of Nina Hayes (Rachel Hilson) as she chases an extremely personal case within an agency and a world that are particularly hostile to a young, Black, woman agent (in ways that grow less on-the-nose over the course of the season). But along with the hazy, sun-kissed “it’s the ’70s” glow of the visual palette and the episodes’ self-contained storylines, Holloway is a major contributing factor to the more inviting elements of Duster. His drawling way of speaking as wheelman Jim Ellis, as well as his smooth-talking and womanizing, are all pleasing reminders of why Holloway’s roguish castaway Jim “Sawyer” Ford was such a fan favorite.

The familiar twinkle in his eye papers over Duster’s shortcomings: the tepid colors of its cinematography, the too-modern cadence of the dialogue (most notably between Nina’s colleagues). Like the gigantic collars Jim wears, the performance feels comfortable and natural for Holloway. Just don’t go looking for actual traces of his Lost character behind the wheel of Duster’s namesake Plymouth. While Jim associates with and gets into scrapes with various heels and scoundrels, he’s actually much softer even than Lost’s sleazy con man with a heart of gold. Jim is a perfectly nice and respectful dude who happens to be driving for an awful man: The target of Nina’s investigation, Saxton Higgs (Keith David). Jim is still fun to watch though, as the show builds a rich tapestry of relationships that play off of Holloway’s many dimensions. The adversarial ones are the most fun, especially when they force him to scramble for a solution to whatever dilemma of the week may be.

Much of the appeal of Duster is seeing Holloway working within this period setting, bouncing off of historical figures as well as the struggles of the decade: a corrupt union boss is as much a key figure in season 1 as President Richard Nixon. (Be on the lookout for more off-the-wall real-life supporting characters like Elvis Presley’s infamous manager Colonel Tom Parker and eccentric billionaire Howard Hughes.) This backdrop is built from some winsome production design, full of beautiful and loud costumes – Nina’s in particular. This extends to the soundtrack, too, full of recognizable songs by Otis Redding, Jimi Hendrix, James Brown, The Hollies, and the aforementioned King of Rock ’n’ Roll. There’s a playfulness to Duster, starting with its delightful opening credits, a high-octane Hot Wheels fantasia whose funky theme was composed by Abrams himself.

David’s performance as Saxton adds to this feeling. For all the talk about Saxton being a volatile, cold-blooded maniac, David plays him with a joviality and paternal warmth that makes Jim’s faith in him (and his misgivings about betraying him) easy to understand, even as there’s enough room left for doubt. And that’s without mentioning that David is often hilarious in the role. There are shades of his Community character in some of Saxton’s frustrated gesticulations, and in the incredulous delivery of lines like “What the f**k was that? Some kind of flower-power prayer s**t?”)

Duster could quite comfortably just alternate between this and Holloway strutting around to the super sounds of the ’70s while he flirts with every woman he meets. But there’s a bit more going on, tying together one-off misadventures with an ongoing crime story built on potent family drama and a wild conspiracy plot which, of course, goes “all the way to the top.” The only loose thread, unfortunately, is the other main one: Nina’s FBI storyline feels less engaging than the exploits of an in-over-his-head wheelman. It drags its feet by comparison, focusing on a slow-burn mystery that doesn’t hold up against seeing Jim wriggle his way out of a cascading series of problems. Things wrap up in satisfying before the credits roll, but the consequences of each episode spill over into the next, pulling us along with them. There are no fully clean getaways in Duster, whether it’s because Jim has to make creative use of the fireworks that he promised he’d give to his daughter, or because some dissatisfied, coked-up heavies unhappy with a deal have him in their sights.

Season 1 is often willing to get a bit silly: One cold open recreates the famous freeze-frame ending of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, while another turns into a Looney Tunes homage. This heightened tone is Duster at its most fun, but it can sometimes oversteer, too. The final couple of episodes triple down on the surprisingly far-reaching conspiracy plot in ways that will test even the steeliest suspension of disbelief. Abrams and Morgan get away with a lot, however, thanks to the utterly nuclear charisma generators of David and Holloway. When the balance is right, and one of these two (or both) are onscreen, Duster is rather hard to resist.

Which is not to say that Hilson is less of a draw than her co-stars. She’s not a bad actress by any stretch of the imagination, but she is stuck in the part of Duster with the worst dialogue. These scenes often bend over backward to acknowledge that the ’70s wasn’t all wah-wah guitars and muscle cars – that the bias and bigotry that’s holding Nina back is prevalent and often encouraged (and hey, maybe that hasn’t gone away in 2025), and that the show wants desperately for us to see that it knows this is a bad thing. Eventually it does find settings where it can show these power dynamics at play without having characters breaking it down technically, and it’s better for it. When Nina talks to Saxton’s daughter, Genesis (Sydney Elisabeth), she can’t speak plainly about being a Fed, and so the conversation doesn’t feel like the point of the scene being read aloud. It’s far better for a show such as this, when real feelings conflict with the need for a hidden agenda.

This also means that, in the first half of the season, Hilson isn’t afforded much opportunity to show off her acting chops non-verbally. Unlike scenes where we get to see Holloway react to something – like looking utterly heartbroken at being shut out of his daughter’s life – Nina’s feelings aren’t reflected on her face that often. She’s given a recurring way of showing that she’s stressed – doing some push-ups – but not much interiority. Duster is better once Nina is organically incorporated into scenes with both Saxton and Jim, rather than being siloed off in an investigation plot that feels like it’s entirely without subtext.

As well as generally feeling like a welcome throwback to salt-of-the-earth primetime problem solvers like Jim Rockford, Duster feels like a peek into a different timeline where leading roles for Holloway were a dime a dozen – an overdue chance to see him carry a series on the power of a one-liner and a smile. Whether it actually does anything truly challenging throughout this first season is here and there; it’s just great to see the man who was Sawyer balance the rugged exterior and soft interior of an ultimately vulnerable character who makes a living off of tough acts. There’s enough here that it could continue into a second season – and even in its first, Abrams and Morgan get a lot of mileage out of Josh Holloway, Keith David, and that bright red car.

Elden Ring is a game steeped with lore. Story details are everywhere, from traditional cutscenes, environmental details, conversations with NPCs, and yes the FromSoft classic: even buried within item descriptions. But Elden Ring Nightreign is a very different type of FromSoft game: It’s an online-driven co-op PVE game with roguelite elements. That makes it a bit difficult to deliver the usual kind of FromSoft narrative. So how is the story in Nightreign conveyed? Well, let’s talk a little bit about Remembrances. Read on and/or watch the video below.

So to start, let’s break down what the story of Nightreign even is. And who better to break that down than game director Junya Ishizaki:

“Nightreign shares essentially the base setting and the world of Elden Ring, but it's played out on a different stage so to speak. So there's this concept called the Night Lord, which is a sort of abstract phenomenon or calamity that has befallen The Lands Between in this alternate timeline, and much like a real-life calamity, it's something that it's not done by design or intention – it's just something that has occurred naturally and it's befallen the lands between and it needed some sort of opposition. It needs something to oppose it, and that opposition comes in the form of the Nightfarers, who are these warriors who are entrusted with the fate of opposing and defeating the Nightlord and putting a stop to this terrible calamity.”

And that’s the setup that brings together our eight different character classes who are gathered from all across Elden RIng’s world. Nightreign’s story is more about filling in the details of who these eight characters are, what are their motivations, what was their past before having this responsibility thrust upon them to defeat the Nightlords. And to learn that, we have the Remembrances.

One of the stops the player can make at the Roundtable Hold in between matches of Nightreign is a journal in the library where you can view your current character’s Remembrances. Some of these are just journal entries that reveal a little bit of information about the character’s backstory. However, some of them are playable snippets of a moment from the character’s past. When you launch into a playable Remembrance, there will be a hazy dreamlike border around the screen, and you’ll be transported to the location of the memory.

After talking with an NPC within a Remembrance, you’ll gain a personal objective. These will differ from character to character and Remembrance to Remembrance. For some, like the Ironeye for example, your personal objective might be to launch into a match, travel to a specific marked location, and then defeat a miniboss that will only appear there if the Remembrance objective is active. Once you do, you’ll gain an item that you can bring back into the flashback, return to the NPC, and then you’ll be able to move forward to the next chapter of that character’s story.

The objectives themselves vary between classes and Remembrances. Wylder, for instance, instead of having to fight a boss, might have to find a specific item located in a cavern, which is a location you might not generally go due to the risk of being stuck there when the ring starts closing in.

Then there’s the Raider, who has a completely different style of Remembrance. He gets transported away from the Roundtable Hold and must participate in gladiatorial-like 1-on-1 battles against a variety of bosses.

It’s an interesting and very unique departure when it comes to storytelling for a FromSoft game. I personally have only gotten a small taste of these individual character storylines, but what I’ve seen and played through so far has me eager to see more once I get my hands on the full game.

If you're shopping for a huge amount of local storage, this is one of the best deals available right now. For a limited time, Amazon is offering this massive Seagate Expansion 22TB USB 3.0 Desktop Hard Drive for $249.99 shipped. That averages out to just $11.36 per TB of storage. The drive is sold by a marketplace vendor - QuickDealStore - with an 85% rating out of 460 reviews over the past 12 months. Amazon, as always, has a 30 day guaranteed return policy.

Update: Seagate's online store also has this drive for $239.99.

Seagate 22TB External Hard Drive From $239.99

Dell has one of the best prices on an RTX 5080 equipped prebuilt desktop computer. Right now you can pick up an Alienware Aurora R16 RTX 5080 gaming PC from $2,349.99 shipped. This is a good price for a well-engineered (and warrantied) rig that can handle 4K gaming at high frame rates. In the current market, buying a prebuilt gaming PC is the only way to score an RTX 5080 GPU without paying an exorbitant markup. If you were to try to find a 5080 GPU for your diy PC build, you'll probably spend nearly as much for the GPU as you would for an entire system.

Alienware Aurora R16 RTX 5080 Gaming PC for $2,350

For most PC gamers, buying a prebuilt gaming rig is far more attractive than it used to be. Years ago it was inarguably cheaper to build your own gaming PC than to buy a boutique gaming rig. That's not the case anymore. It's not uncommon for major brands like Alienware, HP, and Lenovo to offer quality pre-built PCs for cheaper than the cost of building your own PC with the exact same specs.

We've compiled a list of the best current gaming PC deals, both from the manufacturers themselves like Dell (Alienware), HP, and Lenovo, as well as from reliable 3rd party retailers like Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart. This includes an excellent deal on an Alienware Aurora R16 RTX 5080 Gaming PC (32GB/1TB) for $2,449.99. These PCs are significantly discounted from their normal retail price and are going to be less expensive than comparable models from other brands.

Alienware Aurora R16 RTX 5080 Gaming PC (32GB/1TB) for $2449.99

May's Humble Choice isn't the only game lineup that's worth getting excited about from the company. Right now, Humble is offering a stellar Xbox Game Studios bundle with 8 titles to add to your PC library for a $10 minimum. These include Wasteland 3, Quantum Break, and As Dusk Falls, to name a few, but we've listed out all of the available titles in this bundle below so you can have a good look at what you can get. It's a $214 value overall, so these are some excellent savings you don't want to miss.

Humble Xbox Game Studios Bundle

If you've been hankering for a return to Tony Hawk's Underground, you're not alone — Tony himself is "campaigning" for a remake, too.

"I always have aspirations," Hawk told ScreenRant. "It's not up to me generally. I'll campaign all I can, but I'm working with a much bigger company that's a lot smarter than me."

Asked if Activision had given any indication of what may be next once Pro Skate 3 + 4 is released, Hawk kept his cards close to his chest, replying: "We haven't even released this game [yet]!"

Tony Hawk's Underground released way back in 2003, getting an impressive 9.2 review score from us at the time due to its "virtually flawless" level design and "stellar gameplay." For the first time ever in the series, it gave us the chance to get off our boards and explore the expansive levels on foot.

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4 is set to release on Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X and S, and Xbox One on July 11, 2025. Activision is putting together the official THPS 3 + 4 playlist on Spotify and continually updating it as it reveals more of the song list — find out the latest in our full soundtrack list right here.

"In a time where it seems like every game from the early 2000’s is getting a modern facelift, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 is shaping up to be a welcome addition to a year full of excellent remakes and remasters," we wrote in IGN's Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4 first impressions preview.

"From its faithful recreation of what made the PS2-era classics so memorable, to its modern quality of life improvements, excellent soundtrack, and overall love letter to the series' early days, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 is very much something that should be on your radar if you’re a fan of skateboarding, enjoy action sports games, or just want to play something that's simple and fun. It might be the easiest kickflip you’ll land this year."

Vikki Blake is a reporter, critic, columnist, and consultant. She's also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.

Palworld modders are taking matters into their own hands and restoring mechanics that developer Pocketpair was forced to patch out due to Nintendo and The Pokémon Company’s patent lawsuit.

Last week, Pocketpair admitted that recent patches made changes to the game that were forced upon it as a result of the ongoing litigation with Nintendo and The Pokémon Company.

Palworld launched on Steam priced $30 and straight into Game Pass on Xbox and PC early 2024, breaking sales and concurrent player number records in the process. Pocketpair boss Takuro Mizobe has said Palworld's launch was so big that the developer couldn’t handle the massive profits the game generated. Still, Pocketpair acted swiftly to capitalize on Palworld’s breakout success, signing a deal with Sony to form a new business called Palworld Entertainment that’s tasked with expanding the IP. It later launched the game on PS5.

After Palworld’s huge launch, comparisons were made between Palworld’s Pals and Pokémon, with some accusing Pocketpair of "ripping off" Pokémon designs. But rather than file a copyright infringement lawsuit, Nintendo and The Pokémon Company went down the patent route. The companies want 5 million yen (approx $32,846) each plus late payment damages, as well as an injunction against Palworld that would block its release.

In November, Pocketpair confirmed the three Japan-based patents, which revolve around catching Pokémon in a virtual field, it is being sued over. Palworld did include a mechanic that involves throwing a ball-like object (called a Pal Sphere) at monsters out in a field to capture them, similar to the mechanic seen in the 2022 Nintendo Switch exclusive Pokémon Legends: Arceus.

Half a year later, Pocketpair issued an update admitting recent changes made to the game were indeed the result of the legal threats. Pocketpair confirmed that Patch v0.3.11, released in November 2024, was the result of the ongoing litigation — as players suspected. This patch removed the ability to summon Pals by throwing Pal Spheres and instead changed it to a static summon next to the player. Several other game mechanics were also changed with this patch.

Pocketpair said that if it hadn’t made these changes to Palworld, “the alternative would have led to an even greater deterioration of the gameplay experience for players.”

Pockeptpair revealed that last week’s Patch v0.5.5 made further changes to Palworld so that gliding is performed using a glider rather than with Pals. Pals in the player's team will still provide passive buffs to gliding, but players will now need to have a glider in their inventory in order to glide.

Pocketpair called these changes “compromises” the studio is being forced to make out of fear of an injunction being granted that could block the development and sale of Palworld.

Now, just a week later, modders have added the gliding back into Palworld. As spotted by Dexerto, Primarinabee’s Glider Restoration mod, available on Nexus Mods, reverses the change that came with last week’s patch.

“Palworld Patch 0.5.5? What? That didn't happen!” reads the mod description.

“For those of [you] who love flying with your pals, this mod uses sleight of hand to reverse the sleight-of-hand ‘removal’ of gliding pals,” it continues. “You still need a glider in your inventory, and it's not QUITE perfect, but it basically reverses Patch 0.5.5 without requiring you to forego future game updates.”

Primarinabee’s Glider Restoration mod was made available on May 10 and has already been downloaded hundreds of times.

As for a restoration of throw-to-release pals, there is a mod currently available along those lines, but it doesn’t work exactly as Palworld used to before last year’s patch (it doesn’t include the ball-throwing animation, rather summons the Pal where you're currently looking).

The question now is how long Glider Restoration will remain available, given the lawsuit is ongoing.

At the Game Developers Conference (GDC) in March, IGN sat down for an extended conversation with John “Bucky” Buckley, communications director and publishing manager for Palworld developer Pocketpair.

We spoke following his talk at the conference, 'Community Management Summit: A Palworld Roller Coaster: Surviving the Drop.' During that talk, Buckley went into candid detail about a number of Palworld’s struggles, especially the accusations of it using generative AI (which Pocketpair has since debunked pretty soundly) and stealing Pokemon’s models for its own Pals (a claim that the person who originally made it has since retracted). He even commented a bit on Nintendo’s patent infringement lawsuit against the studio, saying it “came as a shock” to the studio and was “something that no one even considered.”

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

Bethesda has confirmed the global release times for Doom: The Dark Ages.

Doom: The Dark Ages is coming to PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and S, and there's no differentiation between PC and console launch times. Access, however, will depend upon whether or not you've purchased the Premium Edition as that unlocks later today, May 12, a full 48 hours ahead of the official street date.

Though not confirmed by Bethesda, some players who received their copy of Doom: The Dark Ages early report that even physical PS5 discs require players to download the full game before they can play.

We had a great time with id Software's shooter, writing in IGN's Doom: The Dark Ages review: "Doom: The Dark Ages may strip away the mobility focus of Doom Eternal, but replaces it with a very weighty and powerful style of play that is different from anything the series has done before, and still immensely satisfying in its own way."

The first two episodes of Murderbot premiere May 16 on Apple TV+. New episodes stream every Friday through July 11.

Don’t let the title fool you: Murderbot is not a show about a robot that loves murder. Well, the robot kind of likes murder: It commits a murder or two over the course of the first season, and it does christen itself “Murderbot” for reasons that this extremely faithful adaptation of Martha Wells’ All Systems Red merely dances around. But that’s not the point. In fact, it’s actually about the exact opposite: This is a show about the importance of making connections with other people, even when it’s annoying. The key to unlocking that is a character who refuses to even consider itself a person.

These 10 episodes center on a cyborg Security Unit (or “SecUnit”) assigned to a vaguely defined scientific expedition on a seemingly boring and lifeless planet. What nobody involved knows is that Murderbot (Alexander Skarsgård) has hacked its own brain to gain free will. Unfortunately, exercising that free will would expose its secret and get it shut down, so it spends its time half-heartedly doing boring security jobs while watching hours and hours of trashy soap operas – especially The Rise and Fall of Sanctuary Moon, a “premium” drama full of fun cameos that is so complexly melodramatic that it makes Futurama’s All My Circuits look relatively restrained.

Skarsgård plays Murderbot with a bit of wry charm, particularly in his more honest and opinionated voiceovers, but he also smartly captures the character’s discomfort with regular human interactions. Viewers might clock (before any of the characters do) that the former True Blood star never makes eye contact with his castmates – Murderbot is much more comfortable wearing its combat uniform and helmet, which hides its face. There’s a standout moment when it fails to hide the extreme unhappiness on its face when one scientist points out that it can hang out with them rather than in the private SecUnit pod – which is where it can watch its shows in private.

As you may have gathered, Murderbot is distinctly neurodivergent-coded, struggling to make sense of erratic, nonsensical human behavior while also having a hard time expressing its own emotions without being misunderstood. (Notably, it also never identifies with any gender, a decision that’s implicitly supported by the other characters.) It initially relates to people through behavior that it picked up from television, like when it distracts an injured client by asking about her home life – not because it really cares, but because it knows that’s what people do on TV.

In a welcome break from other shows about neurodivergent characters, the characteristics that separate Murderbot from the people around it aren’t depicted as a superpower or something that needs to be “changed.” This, mercifully, isn’t an annoying “we need to break them out of their shell” story, but one where the shell is just accepted as part of who Murderbot is. And when Murderbot does break out of its shell, it’s by its own volition.

The credit for the humane treatment Murderbot receives goes to the scientists, a group of what are essentially space-hippies with a comedically advanced level of emotional intelligence. The standout is David Dastmalchian’s Gurathin – the one who’s the most skeptical of Murderbot’s intentions. Because he’s a newcomer to this group who’s learned to cherish their uniqueness, Gurathin can see through Murderbot’s attempts to seem more normal. There’s a surprisingly chilling sequence where Gurathin orders Murderbot to maintain eye contact with him, which the robot can’t refuse without revealing its secret, giving Dastmalchian a chance to really turn up his weirdo freak energy (that’s a compliment). The two become close by the end, and while that’s predictable in a story like this, there’s an emotional hit to it that’s stronger than in the book.

With the rest of the crew, everything can be resolved with a hug, and any decision made without unanimous agreement is seen as a scandal. The scientists come from a community where artificial persons like Murderbot are treated as regular citizens, but it’s clear that this is more of an intellectual understanding than anything they’re used to practicing – as evidenced by the character who proudly pats himself on the back for how cool it is to have a SecUnit friend. It’s funny, and it lovingly pokes fun at high-minded liberalism in a way that feels refreshing – not because these people are specifically weird, but because they’re exactly the kind of people that Murderbot would think are weird. They talk about their feelings and are always open with each other, which does not correspond to how Muderbot understands human behavior. (i.e. not how people behave on TV).

The show itself is maybe a little too accustomed to how things work on TV: Its one real issue is that the episodes get a bit too formulaic after a while. Too many of them end on a big plot development that’s resolved over the course of the next episode, until there’s another big plot development that carries into the next episode, and so on. Part of this can be blamed on the half-hour runtime, which helps keep the proceedings lighter and breezier (which is good, because Murderbot is much stronger as a comedy than as a sci-fi thriller), but also requires the plot to be packed in pretty densely. Still, the character arcs and the shifting relationships between the scientists and Murderbot are the real draw, more than the mystery about what’s happening on the not-so-barren planet. Maybe it doesn’t matter too much that the plot is just the thing that’s getting these characters from one high-stress situation to the next – providing ample justification for Big Conversations about throuple contracts and just how open-minded everyone is.

The funny irony is that the things that make Murderbot a nice watch would probably make Murderbot dislike its own TV show. It’s about people, and a robot, caring about and deciding to value each other even when it’s inconvenient. That’s not as fun as seeing space captain John Cho teaching robot DeWanda Wise about love on The Rise and Fall of Sanctuary Moon – but from what we’re able to see, it seems like that show kind of stinks anyway.

Suits is one of those fan favorite shows, one that has endured over the nearly 15 years since it first started airing on USA back in 2011. The series even had a major resurgence in the last few years due to it being available in full on Netflix, which inspired many binge-watch sessions — but even that recent momentum couldn’t save the new spin-off series Suits LA, which was just canceled upon the release of NBC’s fall schedule. Why, you might be wondering? The brand’s president of program planning strategy Jeff Bader explained why they made the decision to cut the cord.

“It’s so hard to talk about shows and which ones you bring back, and Suits had a very short run, but it really just has not resonated the way we thought it would,” Bader explained via Variety following the fall schedule being made available publicly.

“There can be many, many reasons why, people are speculating why it hasn’t resonated, but it’s just not really showing the potential to grow for us in the future, unfortunately.”