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The Best Hulu Deals and Bundles Right Now (March 2025)

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 Bear there is always something awesome to watch. Oscar Best Picture winner Anora is also set to drop on the streaming service on March 17, so there's no better time than now to get set up with a plan.

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 brand-new 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.

Get Disney+, Hulu Bundle Basic for $2.99/Month for Four Months

For a limited time, until March 30, you can score the Disney+, Hulu Bundle Basic plan (previously called the Duo Basic bundle, which offers both streaming services with ads) for just $2.99/month for your first four months. This saves you 85% per month on the bundle, which is a great little springtime deal to take advantage of. New and eligible returning customers can subscribe to the bundle deal as well.

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 - 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 is available in a couple of different tiers. The least expensive option is the ad-supported tier, which comes in at $9.99/month. This gives you access to everything exclusive, tons of movies, Hulu Originals, children's programming, and more. If you want to ditch the ads, the ad-free plan is $18.99/month.

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 HBO 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 latest 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.

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Helldivers 2 Players Are Looking For Hidden Messages Amid Black Hole Disaster

Easter eggs and secret messages are old hat for many ongoing games, and Helldivers 2 is no stranger to them either. So it's little surprise that amid an ongoing, calamitous conflict with the Illuminate, players are poring over the messages for hidden details.

If you're not caught up with the running narrative in Helldivers 2, here's a quick catch-up: developer Arrowhead has the Illuminate back and pushing the lines of galactic warfare as the latest threat to Super Earth. The eerie foe is using a massive black hole to slowly consume entire planets, pushing it to Angel's Venture and, now, Moradesh.

Ironically, the black hole was initially created on Meridian by Super Earth, in an effort to wipe out a Terminid Super Colony. Arrowhead's got a particular penchant for "yes, and"-ing the outcomes of the galactic campaigns. The slow build to right now, with the Illuminate pretty much pushing a black hole slowly towards Super Earth, is the latest in a long line of dominoes.

MORADESH EVACUATION WARNING
EVACUATE PLANET
MORADESH EVACUATION WARNING

MORADESH EVACUATION WARNING
EVACUATE PLANET
MORADESH EVACUATION WARNING

MORADESH EVACUATION WARNING
EVACUATE PLANET
MORADESH EVACUATION WARNING pic.twitter.com/G4vpaIgLpz

— HELLDIVERS™ 2 (@helldivers2) March 14, 2025

So, now we're here: Moradesh is evacuating, and Helldivers are anticipating the next step of this cataclysmic campaign. Yet some are digging into the evacuation orders, trying to suss out a hidden meaning from the messages Arrowhead is broadcasting.

Reddit user Pinglyadya shared an image of what looks like an egg, hidden in the Moradesh videos. In the comments, they go further, breaking down the potential morse code strings into dots and dashes, surmising that it all results in a few different codes: "045a5, 06efbc, e1b5f0 then 21232. We don't know what this is the code to but have fun."

The "06EFBC" code caught attention in another thread, as it could correspond with the hex code for a shade of teal called Last Straw. Sounds ominous! Nothing concrete has surfaced beyond that, but at least a few fans are convinced there's something hidden in these messages.

It wouldn't be the first time players have gone diving for secrets in Arrowhead's updates. With the Meridian Singularity slowly approaching Super Earth, though, I do wonder whether Helldivers have time to spare for this.

Arrowhead has, since the destruction of Moradesh, issued a new Major Order for players, tasking them with defending planets so Super Earth can construct a Penrose Energy Siphon and effect a "one-time reduction" in Dark Energy Accumulation.

MAJOR ORDER: Following days of diligent resource collection and repurposing of enemy combatants, the Helldivers have enabled the construction of a partial blockade of the Meridian Singularity. The blockade is porous, but still moderately effective, and has slightly reduced the… pic.twitter.com/ye33V6VKa6

— HELLDIVERS™ 2 (@helldivers2) March 14, 2025

Hopefully, this can put a stop to the giant tear in space that's slowly encroaching on everything the Helldivers hold dear. And, possibly, put a few more secret messages out into the ether.

This is all part of Helldivers 2's ongoing, community driven Galactic War, which has captured the attention of the game's community for over a year now. The Illuminate invaded in December with an initial alien force that added new enemies to fight against as well as brand new Super Earth colonies to fight on. These colonies introduced Helldivers 2’s first urban environments, with city streets packed with innocent civilians mind-controlled by the Illuminate. The Voteless, as they’re called by Super Earth, are little more than zombies who want nothing more than to team players limb from limb.

Eric is a freelance writer for IGN.

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'Oscar Can Never Be Horizontal' — Conan O'Brien Reveals the Weird Academy Demands for Oscars Statues in Promos

Today in weird news, recent Oscars host Conan O’Brien revealed that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences refused to allow him and his team to clothe an Oscar statue or lay it horizontally for promotional ads they pitched for the ceremony. Uh, who knew the Academy was so stuffy?

Speaking on his Oscars head writer Mike Sweeney’s podcast Conan Needs a Friend, O’Brien set the scene: he pitched a series of ads in which he and a 9-foot tall Oscar statue were in a domestic partnership, but the Academy wasn’t exactly receptive to how he wanted to utilize the statue specifically.

“We’re fighting about things couples fight about,” O’Brien explained of one of his ideas. “At one point, I thought, wouldn’t it be great if it’s just on the couch? Let’s lay it on a really big couch and I’ll be vacuuming and say, ‘Could you at least lift your feet? Or could you at least get up and help? Load the dishwasher?’ We wanted to do it and they just said, ‘No, no no, that can’t happen.’ ”

For such a benign — and generally cute — idea, it doesn’t make a ton of sense as to why the Academy was so emphatic about not doing it. But it turns out they have a few super weird rules for their statue iconography.

“One of the people from the Academy came forward and said, ‘Oscar can never be horizontal.’ And that blew my mind,” O’Brien added. “Like, wow, this is like the thigh bone of St. Peter. This is a religious icon.” The comedian also noted on the podcast that the Academy reps also demanded that the statue is “always naked,” so their idea to have the statue serving O’Brien leftovers as an apron-clad housewife was also a no-go for the organization.

Again, there isn’t much sense in these decisions to the naked eye, but the Academy has a right to them all the same. Still, it’s a bummer we couldn’t see the full breadth of O’Brien’s comedic chops in these promos. Hopefully, he’ll come out of the gate with something equally as witty next year — and yes, we’re Team Conan Oscar Host 2026.

Photo by Patrick T. Fallon / AFP via Getty Images.

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

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The Best Disney Plus Deals and Bundles for March 2025

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 Moana 2, you'll want to find a plan that best suits you. We're here to help.

If you want to go all-in, it's worth considering the Disney+, Hulu, and Max streaming bundle, which starts at just $16.99/month. This bundle is the best value available for the streaming service considering it's the only plan that wasn't hit by the recent Disney+ price hike. If you're looking for more streaming deals from other services, check out the best Hulu deals and bundles and the best Max deals.

Get Disney+, Hulu Bundle Basic for $2.99/Month for Four Months

For a limited time, until March 30, you can score the Disney+, Hulu Bundle Basic plan (previously called the Duo Basic bundle, which offers both streaming services with ads) for just $2.99/month for your first four months. This saves you 72% per month on the bundle, which is a great little springtime deal to take advantage of. New and eligible returning customers can subscribe to the bundle deal as well.

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 – 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.

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Severance’s Penultimate Episode Is Way Darker Than It Seems

This article contains spoilers for Severance Season 2’s penultimate episode. Yes, it is actually the penultimate episode this week, we triple checked.

It’s always impressive when an episode tailor-made to make viewers ask “what comes next” has something in it, a singular moment that makes you stop and revel in a singular moment. Theorizing about Severance is, of course, half of the fun of the series, especially as the mystery gets deeper and richer with time. But, as we head into the Season 2 finale, Dylan G. managed to stop me in my tracks.

It was a hard episode for Dylan (Zach Cherry) both in Lumon and outside of it. His wife Gretchen (Merritt Wever) revealed to his outie that she kissed his innie, admitting that she saw the spark there that Dylan used to have when they were first married. Dylan takes this information poorly, noting that maybe he’ll just quit, before storming out of the house. At first it seems like an innocuous threat from a man who’s learned that he’s been cheated on — even if the logistics of the infidelity are a bit complicated — but it quickly becomes more after Gretchen ignores his wishes and goes to see his innie one last time.

During her visit, Gretchen tells Dylan G. that she can’t see him anymore and that she needs to save their marriage. Little does she know that her husband’s innie had been prepared to propose to her before he knew anything of what transpired outside of Lumon earlier that day. She declines his proposal and his handmade paper ring, apologizing as she runs out of the room and leaves her severed husband for good.

That “for good” isn’t because Gretchen is stalwart in her decision, though. It’s much, much worse than that.

After a brief and slightly hostile conversation with Helly R. (Britt Lower) — who is, by the way, the only person staying on mission when it comes to sticking it to Lumon and finding Gemma despite losing more of her autonomy than anyone on the team after what happened between Helena and Mark (Adam Scott) in the forest — Dylan G. marches to Mr. Milchick’s (Tramell Tillman) office and quits on the spot.

It’s such an innocuous thing to say, that Dylan G. quit. But for the purposes of the show and most certainly from Dylan G’s perspective, he didn’t just quit his job. He chose death by suicide, with the doors of the severed floor elevator closing decisively in Dylan G's final moment in the episode.

He watched his best friend be fired (murdered), and was, in his eyes, spurned by the woman he wanted to be his wife, but ultimately was his wife… but also really wasn’t. He had the mystery Irving (John Turturro) left behind still waiting to be solved, but it wasn’t enough to keep him going. Nor was Helly’s friendship, as Dylan G. made it clear that he would never be able to trust that it wasn’t Helena walking among them. It feels unlikely that Mark’s presence (who is currently on a side quest) would have made much of a difference, either.

Work is nothing to live for.

Dylan G’s choice feels like a crescendo in Severance’s song about autonomy. This season has approached the idea of multiple souls, expanded on Season 1’s question of consent between innies and outies and featured the deaths of multiple characters (Irving's innie this season and Burt's innie before him). The show is constantly forcing us to grapple with questions not just surrounding its central mystery, but of what autonomy really means if part of you doesn’t have it at all. It’s often compelling and sometimes, like this week, deeply sad. On his last day, Dylan G. simply decided that enough was enough. Work is nothing to live for, so he chose removing himself from existence instead.

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Imperial: House of X's Jonathan Hickman Reveals His Next Great Marvel Epic

Having fundamentally transformed the X-Men franchise and debuted a brand new incarnation of the Ultimate Universe, writer Jonathan Hickman is gearing up for his next great Marvel epic. Today Marvel Comics revealed new details about Imperial, a four-issue event series that promises to reshape the fabric of the wider Marvel Universe.

Similar to how 2023's Ultimate Invasion paved the way for the ongoing Ultimate Universe line, Imperial is designed to shake up the status quo for Marvel's cosmic characters and lay the foundation for a new line of comics. In this series, many of the traditional power players in the Marvel Universe will be destroyed or overthrown, leaving room for new empires to rise in their place. The series will specifically center around the Hulk family, Black Panther, the Guardians of the Galaxy, the Nova Corps, and other cosmic kings and queens.

Imperial will be written by Hickman and drawn by Federico Vicentini (Miles Morales: Spider-Man) and Iban Coello (Venom). Hickman's Ultimate Spider-Man collaborator Marco Checchetto is drawing the covers for the series.

"I'm very excited about this project as I’m obviously a huge fan of all things Marvel Cosmic," Hickman said in a statement. "The goal here is to kind of do what we did with the recent Ultimate line for all of our space titles, except having the setup book (Imperial) be more of an event than a world-building exercise (like Ultimate Invasion). The art team is killing it, and we’re all just very excited for what’s happening in this special corner of the Marvel Universe."

Based on the cover and concept art revealed so far, we can infer certain things about the big changes coming in Imperial. It seems the Nova Corps will be decimated (again), while Star-Lord looks to play a central role in the conflict. It also appears that an entire family of Hulks will take control of the bloody world of Sakaar. And given Black Panther's presence in the story, it's a safe bet that the Intergalactic Empire of Wakanda has a part to play in this conflict.

Imperial #1 will be released on June 4, 2025. Let us know your theories about the book in the comments below.

In other upcoming Marvel news, we're getting a new Thunderbolts team that includes Wolverine, Hulk, and Carnage, and we got an exclusive look at Daredevil: Cold Day in Hell.

Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on BlueSky.

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Best PS5 and PlayStation Deals Today (March 2025)

If you're on the hunt for some great PS5 deals, we're here to help. Here we've gathered up some of the best PlayStation deals available at the moment, including the fantastic new PlayStation 5 Slim Astro Bot bundle. With this you're getting Astro Bot for free alongside a new PS5 Slim console, what could be better than that? You can see that deal and so many more below. Here are IGN's top picks for the best PlayStation deals today.

PS5 Slim + Astro Bot Bundle

The PS5 Slim and Astro Bot bundle is one of the best PlayStation deals available at the moment. You can choose between the PS5 Slim Disc Edition console or the Digital Edition, which will set you back $449.99 and $399.99, respectively.

Astro Bot is a really enjoyable addition to a PlayStation library, too. IGN's Simon Cardy said in his review that it's, "A collection of endlessly inventive levels and fantastically fun abilities, it delivers joy in spades, never once becoming even remotely dull or repetitive."

Sony PS5 DualSense Controller for $54

Looking to invest in another controller for yourself or grab an extra for co-op? Lenovo's offering the Sterling Silver, Volcanic Red, and Cobalt Blue PS5 DualSense controllers for only $54 plus free shipping after you apply coupon code "PLAY5" in cart.

Best PS5 Video Game Deals

If you've been looking to pick up some new PS5 games, now's a great time to do it with some excellent discounts available. From Final Fantasy VII Rebirth to Sonic X Shadow Generations, there are plenty of great deals worth checking out at both Amazon and Woot. The latter's deals only last for a limited time, though. So if something catches your eye, act fast to pick it up at that price.

PlayStation Portal (Used: Like New) for $161

If you've been hoping to pick up a PlayStation Portal, you can get one in Used: Like New condition at Amazon via Amazon Resale (a rebranded Amazon Warehouse) right now for $161.37 shipped. That saves you almost 20% off its usual list price of $199. A Sony warranty may or may not be included, but Amazon Resale items benefit from the same 30-day return policy you get for buying a new item. We expect this item to sell out pretty quickly.

Best PlayStation VR 2 Deals

The PSVR2 Horizon: Call of the Mountain bundle has gotten a price drop down to $399.99, $200 off its original list price of $599.99. This package is a great value for everything you're getting (the PSVR2 headset and controllers alongside the Horizon Call of The Mountain game), and pushes the PSVR2 as a strong contender against budget-friendly VR options like the Meta Quest, delivering a premium virtual reality experience without the eye-watering cost.

Sony also recently gave the PSVR2 a new lease of life by adding PC VR support, allowing owners of the second-generation headset to play PC VR games like Half-Life: Alyx, provided they have the new Sony-made adapter.

Best PS5 SSD Deals

PS5 games continue to grow in size, and with SSD prices climbing, finding the right storage at a great price is more important than ever. We've listed our favorite deals just here, but you should ensure you're checking back here for more updates as often as possible, as new SSD deals pop up all the time.

Keep in mind that not all SSDs are compatible with the PS5. To ensure optimal performance on the best PS5 SSD, you'll need a PCIe Gen4 x4 M.2 drive with a minimum read speed of 5,500MB/s to match the console's internal storage.

Where to Buy: PS5 Pro

Launched with widespread availability – unlike the infamous scarcity of the original PS5 launch – the PS5 Pro is currently still in stock across major retailers.

The PS5 Pro is designed for gamers who prioritize graphics and performance, especially those with high-end TVs that can take full advantage of its power. But it comes at a premium: At $700 plus tax (and minus a disc drive), it’s an investment that only makes sense if you’re looking to elevate your gaming experience.

Not everyone needs it, of course; if you’re satisfied with your current visuals or aren’t particularly sensitive to frame rates, the PS5 Pro may be more of a luxury than a necessity.

Where to Buy: PlayStation Portal

The PlayStation Portal has come a long way since its launch. Initial skepticism surrounded the device, but over time, it has proven itself as a handy companion for PS5 owners.

Despite stock challenges and surges in demand, a new feature is making the Portal even more appealing to potential buyers. Sony recently rolled out an update for the PlayStation Portal, currently in opt-in beta, allowing PlayStation Plus Premium subscribers to stream games from the cloud.

This means you can now enjoy a library of games on the go—even if you don’t own a PS5. The update adds another compelling reason to consider the PlayStation Portal.

How to Trade in Your Old PlayStation Consoles

If you're looking to trade in your old PlayStation consoles, you can do so at select retailers in-store and online. Often, the most widely available retailers are GameStop and Best Buy. However, you can also trade your used devices online at retailers such as Amazon and Microsoft.

Some retailers will offer you cash for your used goods, while others may provide you with a gift card that can be used in-store and online. This is a great way to offload your old gaming gear and get some money that you can put towards a newer console and games.

While trading devices in at retailers will often net you the lowest amount for your used consoles, there are also online marketplaces such as eBay, Craigslist, and OfferUp that may fetch higher prices, but you'll often be responsible for packing and shipping costs, or be required to meet someone in person for the transaction. The latter of which poses its own risks.

Robert Anderson is a deals expert and Commerce Editor for IGN. You can follow him @robertliam21 on Twitter.

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Freakier Friday Trailer Taps Back Into Body-Swapping Chaos With a Few New Twists

Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis are back for more body-swapping antics in the first trailer for Freakier Friday ahead of its theatrical premiere later this summer.

The long-time-coming sequel to Disney's Freaky Friday original brings the supernatural comedy to the present day with, of course, a few twists that should keep it feeling fresh after the 22-year wait. As we’ve known for quite some time, Curtis and Lohan are back, but today’s trailer also teases that they’ll also be swapping bodies with at least two new other faces: Julia Butters and Sophia Hammons.

This solid look at how the mother-daughter duo of Anna and Tess will blossom begins when the two meet with a fortune teller who warns that a past lesson may soon become relevant once again. What follows is a montage of new hurdles to creatively leap over, and it’s all set to Chappell Roan’s HOT TO GO!. You can get a taste of some of the antics that will ensue with the first Freakier Friday trailer below.

“The story picks up years after Tess (Curtis) and Anna (Lohan) endured an identity crisis,” an official plot synopsis says. “Anna now has a daughter of her own and a soon-to-be stepdaughter. As they navigate the myriad challenges that come when two families merge, Tess and Anna discover that lightning might indeed strike twice.”

Freakier Friday comes to theaters August 8, 2025. For more on Disney’s long-awaited sequel, you can see how Curtis and Lohan celebrated after the film secured You Me Her Director Nisha Ganatra.

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).

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The Internet Has Thoughts on Who Sadie Sink Should Play in Tom Holland's Spider-Man 4

So, you might’ve heard this little tidbit of news lately: Stranger Things star Sadie Sink is officially joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the next Spider-Man. But now comes the speculation: who, exactly, will she play in Spider-Man 4?

You’ve got theories, I’ve got theories, and we’re not alone — the whole internet’s got theories. Needless to say, fans' minds are racing. So what do they think? Well, let’s go over the most distinct possibilities (and, for that matter, impossibilities).

It seems as though most folks find the idea of Sink ending up being the, quote unquote, real Mary Jane Watson due to her red hair to be a bit silly. “Michelle Jones is the MCU’s real MJ,” one fan wrote on Reddit — and most fans in the thread agreed. Though another Redditor noted the studio might cast Sink in the role as a “bold attempt to win back those who prefer classic Spider-Man.” The obvious choice is not always the best one, folks.

Zendaya has played the MCU’s new MJ since 2017’s Spider-Man Homecoming, and despite not being the standard red-haired Mary Jane fans know from the comics and Sam Raimi’s previous trilogy, modern day Spidey lovers have generally accepted her as their MJ. So it seems as though they’ll keep her around, especially considering she is said to be, at minimum, coming back for a cameo for this yet untitled sequel to No Way Home.

Some fans think Sink may end up playing one of Peter Parker’s other love interests, Gwen Stacey. After all, wigs do exist. “Much to the surprise (and potentially dismay) of everyone,” one user said about Sink in the role previously played by Emma Stone in Marc Webb’s The Amazing Spider-Man duo. “I absolutely would not want to see [that] since we’ve already gotten a Gwen Stacy/Peter Parker love story and I definitely have no interest in seeing Spider-Gwen right now,” another Redditor added.

Spider-Gwen is a distinct part of the animated Spider-Verse, where she is voiced by Hailee Steinfeld, so it seems like fans prefer to follow her story there for the time being. Considering how major the Peter and Gwen love story was in Webb’s Spider-Man films — it did give way to a lengthy real-life relationship between Stone and Andrew Garfield, who played Parker/Spider-Man — it makes sense that fans wouldn’t really want to see that rehashed. There’s a ton of Spidey territory to cover between his many comic adventures and appearances, so giving Sink something different to do is most likely the key to making her inclusion a success.

Another theory folks have been throwing around is the idea that Sink might end up playing another famous MCU redhead: X-Men’s Jean Grey, also known as the Phoenix. She was played as an adult by Famke Janssen in five films in Fox’s X-Men franchise. Later, she was portrayed as a teenager by Sophie Turner in 2019’s Dark Phoenix.

One user on Reddit considered that idea “too obvious,” while another agreed and added: “Weird to intro [her] in SM4.” That said, a third fan noted that there could always be more castings in the future that could lead to more mutants joining the fold for Spider-Man 4. Others have doubts about a mutant showing up with true relevance in a Spider-Man focused film. “I just don't see one of the core X-Men getting introduced in a Spider-Man movie,” a fan wrote.

But it seems as though the most popular guess — and potentially the best guess as well — is a lesser known character called Firestar, a redhead mutant named Angelica Jones who is a mainstay in the X-Men, as well as the 1981 animated series Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends where she debuted. She could definitely be that “something different” I was talking about — and lots of fans seem excited about the prospect of bringing her into the story as it stands within the MCU.

Indeed, fans seem particularly excited at the idea of bringing those Amazing Friends back together. “She'll be a college student alongside Peter and their friend/partner Bobby Drake. They'll all live in the same apartment too,” one user commented. “This will be the adaptation of Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends we've all been waiting for, lol.” Another agreed, “I would love a Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends team-up!” while a third added: “If they did the Amazing Friends lineup, people would lose their minds.”

Firestar started as a Spider-Man character, but eventually broke off and expanded into her own story that included alliances with the New Mutants, Hellions, and the Avengers themselves. So considering her origins, it might just be the perfect character to introduce. However, one fan did mention, “If Firestar, why not Jean?” and to be fair, they have a point. But right now, it’s anyone’s guess who Sink will end up making her MCU debut as. Only time will tell.

Photo by Arturo Holmes/WireImage.

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

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Spring Sales for PC Games Are Live Now

Spring is right around the corner, and with the changing of the seasons comes more sale events to check out. For PC gamers, this means some big discounts can be found across Steam, Fanatical, and Green Man Gaming in their respective Spring Sales. If you've been waiting for another sale event after the holidays to fill up your library with PC games, now is a great time to start stocking up. There are some excellent options on sale as well, including Silent Hill 2, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, and much more.

Steam Spring Sale

Steam's Spring Sale is full of exciting discounts on numerous different games, including Balatro, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2, God of War Ragnarök, Metaphor: ReFantazio, Baldur's Gate 3, and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. Some games have gotten some truly steep discounts, too, like Doom (2016) which is 90% off at the moment. This sale runs until March 20th, so take advantage of these deals while they're still live.

Fanatical Spring Sale

Fanatical is dropping some great deals in its Spring Sale as well. Have you been waiting for a good time to pick up Silent Hill 2? Grab it now for 48% off! Or do you want to play Death Stranding ahead of Death Stranding 2: On the Beach this June? You can grab the Death Stranding Director's Cut for 59% off. Some other great discounts can be found on Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, Dragon's Dogma 2, Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered, Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered, and Helldivers 2, to name a few. A lot of these deals will be expiring over the next week, though, so you'll want to act fast to get the ones that catch your eye.

Green Man Gaming Spring Sale

Green Man Gaming's Spring Sale stretches a little longer than the other two, going until March 27, and offers just as many exciting deals. Some of our favorites include The Last of Us Part I, Ghost of Tsushima Director's Cut, God of War, Final Fantasy XVI, Marvel's Midnight Suns Legendary Edition, and Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy. The latter two are over 80% off as well, which are fantastic discounts to jump on.

These gaming deals just scratch the surface of what's out there right now, though. If you're hoping to see some gaming deals across consoles, check out our individual roundups of the best PlayStation deals, the best Xbox deals, and the best Nintendo Switch deals. There we've highlighted a variety of video game deals, discounts on hardware, and offers on accessories so you can save on items for your preferred platform.

Hannah Hoolihan is a freelancer who writes with the guides and commerce teams here at IGN.

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Batman Is Getting a New Costume: These Are the Greatest Batsuits of All Time

In case you missed the news, Bruce Wayne is getting a new look when DC Comics relaunches its flagship Batman series this September. Artist Jorge Jiménez has designed a new Batsuit that brings the classic blue cape and cowl back into the spotlight. After almost 90 years on the stands, DC is still tweaking the Dark Knight’s iconic costume.

But how does the new Batsuit measure up to the classics? What are the greatest Batman costumes of all time? We’ve handpicked our 10 favorite Batsuits from the comics, ranging from the original Golden Age costume to more modern reinterpretations like Batman Incorporated and Batman Rebirth. Scroll down to see them all.

And if Batman movies are more your speed, make sure you check out our ranked list of all the movie Batsuits.

10. ‘90s Batman

1989’s Batman movie introduced a radically different, all-black Batsuit that remains one of the Dark Knight’s most iconic suits in any medium. DC never fully committed to porting that costume over to the comics (outside of actual Burton-Verse tie-ins like Batman ‘89), but they did introduce a Batsuit inspired by the movies in the 1995 storyline “Troika.”

This new Batsuit adopted the all-black approach to Batman’s body but retained a more traditional blue cape and cowl. It even added more extreme elements like spikes on Batman’s boots, although those elements were toned down after the suit’s initial introduction. Regardless, the result was a more intimidating and stealthy Batsuit that became the default look for the Caped Crusader for the remainder of the ‘90s.

9. Batman Incorporated

When Bruce Wayne returned following his apparent death in 2008’s Final Crisis, DC celebrated with the launch of a new series, Batman Incorporated, and a new costume designed by David Finch. That Batman Inc. suit is notable both for bringing back the classic yellow oval around the Bat emblem and for ditching the black trunks.

In many ways, the Batman Inc. suit feels like a more successful and visually cohesive version of what DC tried to accomplish with Batman’s New 52 suit a couple of years later. It introduced a more functional quality to Batman’s look, creating the impression that the Batsuit was less spandex than a true suit of armor, yet it avoided mucking up the design with too many stray lines. It also helped create some much-needed visual distinction between Bruce and Dick Grayson, who was also serving as Batman at the time.

The only element that slightly holds back the Batman Inc. look is the slightly goofy-looking armored codpiece. We’re not sure what the thinking was there.

8. Absolute Batman

The most recent creation on this list, there’s a reason the Absolute Batman Batsuit makes such a strong first impression. This is Batman at his most imposing.

Absolute Batman takes place in a rebooted DCU where Bruce Wayne lacks many of the advantages of his traditional counterpart, like a mansion and billions of dollars. Still, he manages to create quite an impressive crimefighting arsenal. Nearly every inch of this Batsuit is a weapon, from the razor-sharp ear daggers to the removable Bat emblem that doubles as a battle axe. Even the cape is completely redesigned, consisting of several flexible, arm-like tendrils.

Ultimately, though, it’s the sheer size of this Batman that makes the Absolute suit stand out. Writer Scott Snyder jokingly referred to Absolute Batman as “the Batman who lifts,” and you can see why.

7. Flashpoint Batman

In the alternate timeline of Flashpoint, Joe Chill killed a young Bruce Wayne, leading to a grieving Thomas Wayne becoming Batman instead. This darker, very different Batman needs a darker, very different Batsuit, and he got one in the form of a costume that drops the traditional yellow elements in favor of bold red accents. The Bat emblem, utility belt, and leg holsters are all a deep crimson, creating a unique and cool look. Couple that with the dramatic shoulder spikes on the cape and the fact that this Batman is known to wield guns and a sword, and you have one of the most visually arresting takes on an alternate universe Batman.

6. Lee Bermejo’s Armored Batman

Artist Lee Bermejo has drawn and painted Batman a lot over the years, from the Batman/Deathblow crossover to the Joker graphic novel to the infamous Batman: Damned. In that time, Bermejo has established a distinctive and very striking take on the iconic Batsuit, one unlike any other at DC Comics.

Bermejo’s Batsuit is about as far from the typical spandex look as you can get. This is armor, pure and simple,and the artist’s Batman is as much about function as he is form. But the goal isn’t necessarily realism here. Bermejo’s Batman is also a haunting figure, one mired in dirt and grime and a certain Gothic quality. This Batsuit, as much as any other, inspired the look of Robert Pattinson’s Dark Knight in 2022’s The Batman.

5. Gotham by Gaslight Batman

The DC multiverse is a vast place, and we’ve seen countless variations of the Batsuit appear on numerous worlds. That being said, none can truly measure up to Gotham by Gaslight’s Batman. It’s as if the character was made for this steampunk Victorian setting. The Batsuit perfectly translates into this bold revamp that trades skintight spandex for stitched leather and a billowing cloak.

Of course, it helps that the original Gotham by Gaslight series was illustrated by Hellboy creator Mike Mignola. Mignola’s Batman is truly iconic, bathed in shadow and looking as if he were chiseled out of raw granite. And even though Mignola’s DC days are long behind him, this incarnation of the character lives on through follow-up stories like Gotham by Gaslight: The Kryptonian Age.

4. Golden Age Batman

It says a lot about the original Bob Kane/Bill Finger-designed Batsuit that the design has survived with only modest changes for the better part of 90 years. All the right ingredients for a truly iconic superhero look were there from the start.

But in addition to serving as the basis for every Batsuit since, the Golden Age design is also notable for boasting some interesting features you don’t normally see elsewhere. The curved ears on Batman’s cowl give him an even more menacing vibe, while the purple gloves add a welcome pop of color. Even the cape is different in a fun way, being more akin to actual bat wings than a traditional superhero cape. It’s always exciting to see modern artists revisit this design.

3. Batman Rebirth

For the majority of their hugely popular run on DC’s flagship Batman series, Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo focused on the New 52 costume. As we’ve already covered, that suit served as a notable attempt at updating the Caped Crusader’s look with a more modern, tactical bent, but that approach has been done better elsewhere. Case in point, Capullo’s own redesign that debuted just in time for the DC Rebirth relaunch.

Batman’s Rebirth costume is an upgrade on the New 52 suit in pretty much every way. It retains the tactical look while also downplaying some of the extraneous lines and details. It brings some much-needed color back into Batman’s look both with the yellow outline around the Bat emblem and the distinctive purple inner lining of the cape (a throwback to Batman’s Golden Age roots). It’s a bit of a shame that DC phased out this Batsuit after only a couple of years. As far as modern redesigns go, this is the one to beat.

2. Bronze Age Batman

The late ‘60s and ‘70s were a very transformational time for DC’s Batman comics. The books veered away from the camp that defined Batman’s Silver Age adventures and the live-action TV series toward more serious action/adventure and detective stories. Three artists really came to define Batman’s look in this period - Neal Adams, Jim Aparo, and José Luis García-López.

It’s not that these artists dramatically changed the makeup of Batman’s costume. This is the same blue cape and cowl and Bat emblem with yellow oval that was popularized by the TV series. But what unites Adams, Aparo, and Garcia-López’s work is the physicality they brought to the character. Gone was the burly brawler of the Silver Age, replaced by a leaner and more lithe Batman. Batman is basically a ninja superhero, so it makes sense that he be built more like a gymnast than a bodybuilder.

For many fans, this is still the standard by which all other Batman costumes are judged. That’s especially thanks to Garcia-López, whose art has adorned bedsheets, lunchboxes, T-shirts, and countless other Batman merch over the years.

1. Batman: Hush

Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee’s Hush storyline is often regarded as the start of the modern era of Batman comics. That’s thanks to Lee’s instantly iconic redesign of the Batsuit as much as anything else.

With the Hush costume, Lee brought a new level of elegant simplicity to the Batsuit. Gone is the yellow oval that persisted for decades, to be replaced by a sleek, black emblem. Lee’s knack for rendering dynamic, detailed, and very powerful superhero physiques is on full display in his Batman. Readers needed to believe that this Dark Knight could face down a gauntlet of his greatest foes – and Superman for good measure, and they certainly did.

The Hush redesign immediately became the default look for Batman going forward. Lee created a clear model that subsequent artists like Andy Kubert and Tony Daniel followed closely. While individual artists varied in whether they chose the blue or black cape and cowl, the rest of the details remained consistent. It’s telling that, after a period of focusing on more armored Batman costumes in the New 52 and DC Rebirth eras, DC eventually threw in the towel and went back to the Hush costume. It just plain works.

How the New Batsuit Compares

Artist Jorge Jiménez is no stranger to Batman at this point, but he’ll be debuting a new Batsuit when he and writer Matt Fraction kick off DC’s relaunched Batman series in September 2025.

The newest Batsuit isn’t a massive deviation from the now-standard Hush costume, though it does have a few interesting embellishments all its own. Where most artists in recent years have gravitated toward the black cape and cowl, Jiménez is bringing back the blue. Not only that, the cape is now heavily shaded, creating a stark contrast between the inner and older folds and bringing to mind Bruce Timm’s Batman: The Animated Series look. Even the Bat emblem is blue now, as well as sporting a bigger and more angular shape.

After all this time, it’s great to see Batman still trying out new looks. But will the latest redesign have the staying power of Batman’s most iconic suits? Only time will tell.

For more Batman fun, check out IGN's top 27 Batman comics and graphic novels.

Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on BlueSky.

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Amazon's Reacher Season 3 the Most-Watched Prime Video Season Since Fallout

Reacher Season 3 is a massive hit for Amazon — it’s the most-watched returning season ever on Prime Video, and the most-watched season on Prime Video since Fallout across its first 19 days.

Reacher, played by Alan Ritchson, is about a former major in the U.S. Army's military police who roams the United States getting into all sorts of trouble through no fault of his own. Reacher spends a lot of time beating up bad guys and solving mysteries; he’s not only the most dangerous man around, but the smartest.

In Season 3, however, Reacher meets his match in the form of Dutch giant Olivier Richters, who towers over Alan Ritchson with an incredible height of 7 ft 2 in.

According to Variety, Reacher Season 3 saw a huge 54.6 million viewers globally in its first 19 days. That’s almost a big enough number to fit across Reacher actor Alan Ritchson’s back.

It’s also a 0.5% increase on Season 2’s figure across the same time period, which suggests Reacher, already a massive hit for Prime Video, is growing in popularity. And it’s not just big in the U.S., either. More than half of Reacher’s audience is international, with “outsized performance” in the U.K., Germany and Brazil.

For context, Fallout brought in 65 million viewers over its first 16 days in April 2024. The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2 had 40 million viewers in 11 days after its August 2024 premiere.

IGN’s Reacher Season 3 review returned an 8/10. We said: “Reacher season 3 diverges more from the book upon which it’s based than previous seasons, but Reacher himself is more ruthless than ever and it remains a righteous good time.”

As you’d expect, Reacher Season 4 is confirmed. It was greenlit before Season 3 even began.

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.

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How to Watch The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie - Showtimes and Streaming Status

After a small delay from its original release date, The Day the Earth Blew Up is officially the first fully animated Looney Tunes movie to get a theatrical release. IGN had the chance to review this film and called it "one of the funniest movies of the year." It's a gag-filled animated feature that works as a perfect family movie for both kids and adults. If you grew up watching the Looney Tunes and are looking for a delightful hit of nostalgia, this is a must-see film.

To help you find when and where you can watch The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie, we've gathered all of the information about showtimes below. If you're hoping to watch the film at home, we've also included streaming and digital release details.

How to Watch the New Looney Tunes Movie

The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie is now available in theaters everywhere. You can find showtimes at your local theaters using the links below:

When Will It Come to Streaming?

The Day the Earth Blew Up will most likely land on Max, where the rest of the Looney Tunes currently live. The movie does not yet have a streaming release date, but if we look at other movies released by Ketchup Entertainment, we can get a decent idea of when you can expect the film to come to a streaming service. While it depends on how well the movie is doing in theaters, you can likely expect it to be available to stream one or two months after its theatrical release.

What about the digital release?

We don't yet have a digital release for the new Looney Tunes movie, but we know that it will be sometime before it arrives on streaming. It's possible it could become available to rent or buy online as early as the end of March or early April. We'll update this page as soon as we have more details.

Where to Watch More Looney Tunes

If you're hoping to watch older episodes of Looney Tunes, you can find the majority of them streaming on Max right now. You can also purchase individual episodes on Prime Video, but Max is your best bet if you're trying to binge your way through the classic adventures of Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, and more. You can get access to Max on its own or bundle it with Hulu and Disney if you're looking for the best overall streaming deal.

Rating and Runtime

The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes movie is rated PG for cartoon violence and rude/suggestive humor. The movie runs for a total of 1 hour and 31 minutes including end credits.

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The Pokémon Anime Is Finally Aging Up Its Main Cast After Almost 30 Years

After 26 years of adventuring in the Pokémon anime, protagonist Ash Ketchum finally called it a day at the tender age of perpetually 10-years-old. But after adamantly refusing to age up its hero for most of the anime's run, The Pokemon Company appears to finally be doing the unthinkable in Pokémon Horizons and letting its new protagonists, Liko and Roy, grow up a bit.

The news comes from the recent CoroCoro reveal of the next arc in Pokemon Horizons, Mega Voltage, which confirmed that this new arc include a "time skip" that will age up Liko and Roy by about three years. This includes new designs for the main cast that shows Liko, Roy, and Dot looking noticeably taller and more mature than before:

What's more, these kids exist in the same universe as Ash Ketchum, even if he's not in the anime at the moment. So this means that, off-screen somewhere, Ash has also aged three years with them, as have the rest of the gang of Misty, Brock, May, Dawn, Serena, and everyone else. Will we see the grown up Ash Ketchum in this arc, or ever? Who knows? But fans are already speculating that things may be headed in that direction either now or in a future season.

Mega Voltage will also feature the return of Mega Evolutions, likely to coincide with Mega Evolution returning as a mechanic in the game Pokémon Legends: Z-A. We can also see that Liko's Floragato evolved at some point into Meowscarada, and Roy's got a shiny mega Lucario.

One notable absence in the reveal is Friede, captain of the Rising Volt Tacklers. His partner, Pikachu, is present and seems to have Friede's goggles, and fans seem to think they've spotted cracks running across the sides of the goggles, perhaps suggesting that something not-so-great has happened to Friede — uh oh.

The Mega Voltage arc will begin airing in Japan on April 11 of this year, though it won't show up in the United states for a bit, as the English dub is significantly behind. We've been a bit cool on the anime series since it aired, giving Pokémon Horizons Season 2 a 5/10 for "refusing time and again to commit to its strengths." Here's hoping the time skip infuses some new energy into the Rising Volt Tacklers.

Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. You can find her posting on BlueSky @duckvalentine.bsky.social. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.

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Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic Remake Developer Insists 'Everything We Have Talked About Is Still in Development'

Saber Interactive has insisted all its previously announced games are still in development, despite the radio silence around high-profile titles such as the Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic remake.

Hot on the heels of the announcement of Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 3, Saber Chief Creative Officer Tim Willits tweeted to reassure the studio’s fans that everything it’s announced is still in the works.

“Saber Interactive is one of the largest independent developers in the world,” Willits said. “We are working on numerous games across many different genres. Everything that we have talked about is still in development. We will share information on upcoming games when we have something cool to share.”

The most obvious subject of Willits’ statement is the KOTOR remake, which remains one of gaming’s most elusive projects. Announced in 2021, the long-awaited remake has changed hands multiple times, seemingly stopped development and restarted again, and after four years has failed to materialize.

In April 2024, Saber Interactive CEO Matthew Karch confirmed the company took KOTOR with it during its split from Embracer Group, and that the game was still in active development.

"It's clear and it's obvious that we're working on this," he said at the time. "It's been in the press numerous times. What I will say is that the game is alive and well, and we're dedicated to making sure we exceed consumer expectations."

Willits’ statement, which comes nearly 12 months later, reaffirms Karch’s quote. But still, even now, we have seen nothing of the KOTOR remake beyond its initial announcement video.

Saber also has other games in the works, including a number due out this year. John Carpenter's Toxic Commando and Jurassic Park Survival are still down for 2025, but neither has a release date. Saber is also working on a brand new Turok game and an untitled Avatar: The Last Airbender title.

Now, you can add Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 3 to the list. Be sure to check out IGN’s article on which chapters and enemy factions Space Marine 3 could feature for more.

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.

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Opus Review

In the broadest strokes, it's pretty hilarious how much of Opus feels like a case of movie déjà vu. If you've been exposed to the kind of arty horror popularized by today’s biggest independent movie studio and distributor, A24, you've seen this kind of movie many times over: An eccentric figure lures unsuspecting guests (like in Heretic or Ex Machina) to a remote location where things aren't as they seem (X, Men) revealing something about the shallow nature of those present (Bodies Bodies Bodies, Midsommar). It would be fair to dismiss it for that degree of recycling alone. More is not always better, and Opus doesn’t offer enough variation on its A24 predecessors to make things feel fresh. What it does have is a unique perspective – a perspective that's fun to think about, but extremely narrow.

Opus pretends to be about pop stars and celebrity, setting up a story in which the extremely reclusive, wildly popular musician Alfred Moretti (John Malkovich) is about to release his first album in 30 years. To mark the occasion, he invites a select few to his private compound for a lavish weekend listening party. No one knows why junior reporter Ariel Ecton (Ayo Edebiri) is among them, and through her eyes the viewer gets to be an outsider among insiders as Opus goes about not just being a horror movie but a satirical look of people accustomed to VIP treatment.

Because this is what Opus is actually about: Not celebrity, but the people who cover it. First time writer-director Mark Anthony Green comes from the magazine world, having worked at GQ for over a decade. (Full disclosure: I freelanced for GQ for several years, but never had any interaction with Green during that time or after.) He employs that experience to put the viewer in the mindset of a magazine writer, specifically, a marginalized one: Ariel has been on staff for three years but still gets overlooked, and her ideas often result in assignments for other writers. Her boss, Stan (Murray Bartlett), tells her to stick to taking notes while he accompanies her to Moretti’s compound, and shuts down any chance of her writing her own article.

There's a good amount to chew on here if you are someone predisposed to thinking about magazine journalism and the ways it interacts with celebrity. Early on, Ariel outlines a career plan that starts with interviewing interesting people so that others will find her interesting enough to interview, effectively giving away the game: A big part of doing Ariel's kind of magazine writing is keeping your ego in check enough to at least appear as if your goal is never to become a story yourself. Over the course of 104 minutes, she learns this lesson, which can make Opus feel more like shoptalk than a movie. I find what it has to say interesting because I'm a journalist who’s written for magazines and thinks about them a lot. The job, particularly when it involves following celebrities around, can lead to blurry lines between observing and participating; as well as coming to grips with how elusive the truth can be when your subject is always performing, even when they are trying to convince you they're not. There's good drama in this, but it's also the kind of inside baseball that can be profoundly alienating to anyone who isn't already in this business or interested in it.

Opus sometimes feels more like shoptalk than a movie.

Unfortunately for those people, all Opus has on the horror side of the equation is a pile of cliché. It isn't necessarily a bad thing that it sticks to the kind of well-worn formula embraced by many of its labelmates, but it does mean that how it executes on that formula really matters. But instead of being spectacular, Opus is dutiful, dropping clues and bodies at a steady pace like the twisted Willy Wonka experience it is – just without much weird stuff to look at, because Moretti's compound is in the middle of the desert and mostly consists of tents and luxe bungalows. The kills, with one notable exception, are mundane or obscured. (Perhaps the most A24-style trick of all is a scene where a door shuts on a violent struggle, with only the sounds of the scuffle to clue us in on who gets the upper hand.) A bizarre puppet show in the final act hints at the kind of memorable weirdness that would've gone a long way if there were more of it in Opus.

For what it's worth, the movie's gestures toward a thriller built around the mania over a musical idol (think Smile 2 or Trap) are a ton of fun: John Malkovich is not the kind of person you'd expect to play a pop icon with a cult following, and his portrayal of Alfred Moretti (also not a very pop star name) is a great mix of goofy and sinister. His music, when we’re given a taste, is a strange mix of David Bowie-style anthems and dance-pop struts, and there are moments when it seems like Opus is designed to make the viewer feel alienated. Like you're not supposed to be into Moretti's music, and you're supposed to be a little uncomfortable that every character here is. Are they sucking up? Or does fame always eventually produce a cult?

The moments that bring up questions like this are Opus' strongest, but they are brief and few, and they don't contrast strongly enough with the easily parodied A24 brand of horror. In the end, Opus does do a little more than merely play the hits, but it's not quite daring enough to keep the record spinning.

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Pokémon Fans Wildly Speculate On Why Legends: Z-A Has an E10+ Rating

We recently saw a good look at Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the next entry in Game Freak's Legends series set to take place in X and Y's Lumiose City. It's also apparently garnered an E10+ rating from the ESRB, and fans are both curious and wildly, sometimes jokingly, speculating about what's going to happen in this new entry.

Attentive fans noticed that on the Nintendo Switch store page, Pokémon Legends: Z-A has earned an E10+ age rating from the Entertainment Software Ratings Board, listing 'Fantasy Violence.' While it might not normally draw feverish speculation for most other series, it's an oddity for Pokémon, whose mainline games have consistently been 'E for Everyone.'

The rating has, of course, drawn wild speculation, some serious and some less-than-serious. It is genuinely entertaining to think about what strange choices Game Freak could possibly have made to bump up the rating, whether that be dialogue about Pokémon killing people or trying to add a gunplay mechanic. As several Redditors (jokingly) suggest, maybe the hordes come back, but it involves a group of Scrafty jumping you in one of Lumiose's alleys.

"Ohhhh boy, Game Freak is taking off the little kiddie gloves," Reddit user RynnHamHam said. "This ain’t your kindergartener’s Pokémon game."

Several gags have also been made about AZ, a character with quite a history set to appear in Pokémon Legends: Z-A and who plays a central role in some of the darker elements of Pokémon X and Y's story and the history of the Kalos region.

As for more plausible speculation, there are a few theories, including a few more "craps" than usual, or the appearance of a Game Center-style minigame. Even the darker elements of Lumiose could be more front-and-center.

My personal take is that this probably lies in the 'Fantasy Violence' the ESRB highlighted. While the rating is an oddity for your typical Pokémon game, it does line up with the pocket monster fighting game Pokkén Tournament DX, which also received an E10+ and noted 'Fantasy Violence.' The real-time elements showcased for Pokémon Legends: Z-A could have elicited the slightly stronger rating, as the monsters more clearly make contact.

There's no listing, as of this writing, for Pokémon Legends: Z-A on the ESRB site, so we can't learn much more at this time. Still, it's fun to speculate a bit, at least until we know more about Z-A's ultimate plans and how it will earn that bump-up in the E range.

Pokémon Legends: Z-A is slated for a late 2025 launch on Nintendo Switch.

Eric is a freelance writer for IGN.

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Pokémon TCG Pocket Confirms Changes to Much-Loathed Trading System Are Coming... Eventually

The developers of Pokémon TCG Pocket have finally offered specific details on major improvements coming to the game's much-loathed trading function, which has been an absolute mess since launch. And the improvements sound genuinely great, but it's going to take forever for them to be implemented.

In a post to the Pokémon community forums, the developers explained the upcoming changes. We're listing them here as written:

The biggest change here is that TCG Pocket will remove the currency that's currently being used for trading: Trade Tokens. Trade Tokens were added to the game specifically to be used with trading, and frankly, they suck. They're absolutely necessary in order to trade at all, but the only way to get them is by effectively vaporizing cards you already own.

We explained it in more detail here, but the tl;dr is that as things currently stand, if you want to trade one ex Pokémon for a friend's ex Pokémon, you need to throw five other ex cards in the bin first to get enough trade tokens to trade the one you want. And your friend has to do the same. While there have been a few other ways to get bonus trade tokens since then, the system overall has remained extremely discouraging for anyone who actually wants to use it.

The new system, on paper, is much better. Shinedust is a currency that already exists in game and is currently used to purchase "flairs" for cards — little animations to make them sparkle in specific ways when you use them in matches. You collect shinedust automatically whenever you get duplicates of cards you already have, and more shinedust is available from events and other methods. Unless you're big on flairs, you probably have a lot of it just sitting around already, and the TCG Pocket devs say they're looking into ways to give you even more to ensure trades can happen.

And for what it's worth, it is important for TCG Pocket to impose some cost to trading. Otherwise players could game the system by making tons of new accounts, opening the numerous packs handed out to players early in the game, and just trade all their new rares to their main accounts. Then rinse and repeat. Imposing a cost ensures that people are trading thoughtfully — the trade token system was just way, way too expensive for your average player to ever bother.

There's one more big change listed here that will make a massive difference: the feature that will allow players to share cards they're interested in trading. As things currently stand, you can put a card up for trade, but there's no way to tell anyone what cards you might want for it unless you call up your friends outside of the game and tell them. Everyone else just has to guess. As a result, most players aren't even bothering to try and trade with strangers. But if we can offer some clue as to what an acceptable trade would be, players can make reasonable offers and actually use the system.

All in all, the community seems pretty happy with these changes, and early responses are positive. There is one massive drawback, which is that players have already thrown away tons of rare cards just to collect the existing trading currency, and there's really no way to get that back. Even though existing trade tokens will be converting to shinedust, the cards are still gone.

And there's one other issue: we're going to have to wait months before any of this takes effect. The blog post suggests these changes won't be implemented until fall of this year. In the meantime, it's likely that trading will grind to a total halt, since the current system is terrible and no one is going to want to nuke their rare cards to do it if a better solution is on the way. We're likely to go through several more expansions before the "trading" in "Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket" really takes off.

Save that shinedust, I guess!

Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. You can find her posting on BlueSky @duckvalentine.bsky.social. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.

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Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 3 Is Officially in the Works — So Which Chapters Could It Feature, and Which Enemy Factions Could You Fight Against?

The surprise announcement that Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 3 is officially in development, coming just six months after the record-breaking release of Space Marine 2, has certainly got fans excited. Now the dust has settled on the news, thoughts inevitably turn to where the heroic Demetrian Titus will head next on his third video game adventure.

Warning! Spoilers for Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 follow.

Let’s briefly recap the events of Space Marine 2 before we go on to speculate about what Space Marine 3 might have in store.

Space Marine 2 sees Titus of the Ultramarines go up against the Tyranids and the Thousand Suns Traitor Legion in a campaign that ends up with a massive battle against a demon army and even a trip to the warp. With the aid of Ultramarines Chapter Master Marneus Calgar, Titus successfully fends off both enemy factions before he’s sent on a mysterious mission that teases the continuation of the story in a sequel.

Now on to the speculation. Space Marine 3 looks certain to feature the Necrons, Warhammer 40,000’s deathless skeletal robot xenos, in some capacity. One Space Marine 2 mission that takes Titus deep within the bowels of an alien planet shows ancient and mysterious wall markings that are a clear nod to the Necrons.

There’s even a dataslate (Space Marine 2's audio logs) that reveals Necron constructs have been killing Techpriests. You can see these constructs lying about the place.

Indeed, during the third act of the campaign, Titus heads to a Necron Tomb World packed with Necron buildings and technology. Some players thought the xenos would make a surprise appearance as a third enemy faction in the campaign, given the nature of the mission. Alas, they did not.

Could other enemy factions also turn up in Space Marine 3? Space Marine 2 does not reveal the nature of Titus’ secret new mission (the Warhammer 40,000 animation in Amazon’s Secret Level anthology, which acts as a Space Marine 2 sequel of sorts, doesn’t reveal much of anything), but with the eternally suspicious Chaplain Leandros keeping a close eye on proceedings just in case there’s a whiff of corruption, we’re sure Titus will be kept on the straight and narrow.

At this point it’s worth referring back to an IGN exclusive interview with Saber Interactive Chief Creative Officer Tim Willits, conducted soon after Space Marine 2 came out. At the time, Willits said there was the possibility of story DLC, and revealed that ideas were already floating around for Space Marine 3.

In the interview, Willits teased Space Marine 3 may introduce new chapters as well as new enemy factions. “There's so many different factions…” he teased, “there are other chapters, too, that are interesting...”

Other chapters, eh? Could Titus leave the Ultramarines behind to join up with a different chapter for his Space Marine 3 adventure? If so, it’s almost impossible to say at this point which chapters might make the cut. Blood Angels, Dark Angels, and Salamanders are among the most popular Space Marine chapters outside poster boys the Ultramarines, but in truth there is a long list to draw upon. Perhaps we’ll get to join forces with a towering Adeptus Custodes at some point?

And what about an enemy Chaos faction to fight against? It would be a shame to return to fighting the Thousand Suns having done so in Space Marine 2. How about this time we battle Abaddon the Despoiler’s Black Legion? Or the Death Guard? Or maybe the Emperor's Children? They're a noisy bunch and would be sure to keep the party going.

Meanwhile, what type of gameplay might we get from Space Marine 3? Games Workshop, publisher Focus Entertainment, and developer Saber Interactive aren’t saying much at this point, but there is talk about “introducing large-scale battles that are even more spectacular."

To me, that means vehicle gameplay, something some had hoped to see from Space Marine 2. Could we get to pilot a Dreadnought? A Rhino? A Land Speeder? A Land Raider? An Assault Bike? Upping the scale, a set piece in which you pilot a Thunderhawk during a ground assault would be epic indeed.

As for characters, Space Marine 2 features the aforementioned Ultramarines Chapter Master Marneus Calgar. Could Space Marine 3 go one better and include Ultramarines Primarch Robute Guilliman himself? In the current setting, Dark Angles Primarch Lion El'Jonson is also knocking about the galaxy. Perhaps we’ll run into him.

On the flip side, there are a number of high-profile traitor Primarchs who are currently terrorizing the Imperium in demon form. Maybe one of those will make a cameo (fingers crossed for Mortarion!).

Whatever Games Workshop and Saber Interactive has up its sleeve, it seems we won’t find out for quite a while. Games Workshop has said Space Marine 3 "is likely years away from release."

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.

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Preview: Pokémon TCG Journey Together - A Return to Form for Fans of Trainer's Pokémon

Pokémon TCG: Scarlet & Violet — Journey Together drops on March 28, 2025, bringing back a mechanic we haven’t seen since 2004. Trainer’s Pokémon are making a comeback, just like the classics from EX Team Magma vs. Team Aqua, and I couldn’t be more excited to preview this set.

This set focuses on four iconic Trainers: N, Iono, Lillie, and Hop, each getting Pokémon ex that showcase the strong bonds they share with their teams. If you’ve ever wanted a deck where N’s Zoroark ex, Lillie’s Clefairy ex, or Iono’s Bellibolt ex take center stage, now’s your chance.

My Journey Together Product Openings

With over 180 cards, there’s plenty to chase. The set includes 40+ Trainer’s Pokémon, 16 Pokémon ex, 11 Illustration Rares, six Special Illustration Rares, and three Hyper Rare gold cards. Box Toppers are also making a return, with Enhanced Booster Display Boxes featuring a stamped N’s Reshiram Illustration Rare.

Journey Together Standard Booster Box

Opening a Booster Box is pure chaos in the best way. With 36 packs, the sheer volume makes every pull really exciting. My highlights include N’s Reshiram Illustration Rare, Iono’s Bellibolt ex Secret Rare, and a Hyper Rare Spiky Energy. Those were some seriously exciting moments, but even outside of the big hits, I pulled tons of solid ex cards that are going straight into my decks.

The one card I wanted most, Hop’s Zacian ex, didn’t show up. Lillie’s Clefairy ex Special Art Rare? Also missing, but that’s just how Booster Boxes go. You get a ton of chances, but nothing is guaranteed. That said, this was still the best way to experience the set. If you love opening packs or just want a massive injection of cards into your collection, a Booster Box is always a good time. Check out all the rare pulls further down. This box was absolutely worth it for me.

Journey Together Elite Trainer Box

Elite Trainer Boxes always feel more premium than just grabbing loose packs. Right away, the N’s Zorua promo caught my eye, and the box itself is perfect for storing cards. The sleeves, dice, and condition markers are great for anyone who plays the game, and with nine booster packs, there’s still plenty of room for some good pulls.

I wasn’t expecting anything too crazy with only nine packs, but I still walked away with Iono’s Kilowattrel Illustration Rare, Articuno Illustration Rare, and a Veluza ex. Some really fun cards that made the opening feel totally worth it. ETBs don’t have the sheer number of hits that a Booster Box does, but there’s something nice about having a structured, all-in-one product like this. If you want a mix of pack-opening fun and collectible extras, this is a great way to experience Journey Together. Check out the full list of rare cards from our preview further down. We ended up with some serious gems.

Journey Together Build & Battle Box

Build & Battle Boxes are a totally different experience compared to a Booster Box or Elite Trainer Box, but they have their own kind of excitement. The big draw here is the prebuilt 40-card deck, which lets you jump straight into a game without spending time sorting through stacks of cards. I pulled Hop’s Snorlax as my promo, which is actually a pretty great card. Its ability gives all of Hop’s Pokémon a 30-damage boost, making it almost essential to any deck running his lineup.

Those four packs didn’t disappoint. I pulled Mamoswine ex and Swinub Illustration Rare, which couldn’t have fit my deck’s theme better. The limited number of packs means you won’t get as many rare pulls as a Booster Box (unsurprisingly), but if you’re looking for a fast way to start playing with the new set, this is easily the best option. With four different promo cards available, I already want to pick up another box to see which one I get next. Check out my Journey Together preview pulls below to see some of the best cards we got from across all our openings.

Our Pokémon TCG: Journey Together Pulls

I cracked open 49 booster packs across all our products and ended up with 18 rare cards. Some were exactly what I was hoping for, and others were total surprises. One thing is for sure, trainers will be pulling a lot more rare cards than Prismatic Evolutions. Here’s what I pulled:

Hop’s Snorlax (Promo 184)

A bulky Basic Pokémon with 150 HP that boosts all of Hop’s Pokémon attacks by 30 extra damage. This is a great card for any Trainer-themed deck, and while Dynamic Press hits hard, that 80 recoil damage stings. Still, the ability alone makes it a worthwhile addition to any Hop-based strategy.

N’s Zorua (Promo 189)

A cute but unremarkable card that exists to evolve into something better. 70 HP and 20 damage from Scratch won’t turn any heads, but if Zoroark ex is strong in this set, Zorua will have its moment.

Spiky Energy Hyper Rare (190/159)

An instant staple in my decks. It deals 20 damage every time the Pokémon it’s attached to gets hit, making it both offensive and defensive at the same time. Oh, and it provides Colorless Energy too. Absolute win.

Iono’s Bellibolt ex-Secret Rare (172/159)

A 280 HP Lightning-type beast with Energy acceleration for days. Its Electric Streamer ability lets you attach unlimited Lightning Energy to Iono’s Pokémon, making it an instant engine for Lightning decks. Thunderous Bolt’s 230 damage is great, even if it does mean skipping a turn. This one’s going to see play.

Iris’s Fighting Spirit Full Art (180/159)

A risk-reward draw Supporter that lets you discard one card and draw until you have six. This is a great way to refresh your hand, especially in decks that benefit from discarding Energy or Pokémon. It’s a full art, too, which makes it even sweeter.

Iono’s Kilowattrel Illustration Rare (163/159)

A Lightning-type support Pokémon that lets you refill your hand with its Flashing Draw ability. The catch? You have to discard a Lightning Energy first. Mach Bolt’s 70 damage is average, but this bird is more about hand advantage than brute force.

N’s Reshiram Illustration Rare (167/159)

A 130 HP Dragon-type that becomes more dangerous the more damage it takes. Powerful Rage can rack up serious numbers, while Virtuous Flame’s 170 damage is solid but a little Energy-intensive. If you like high-risk, high-reward plays, this one’s for you.

Articuno Illustration Rare (161/159)

A Water-type setup Pokémon that can accelerate two Basic Water Energy onto itself with Frigid Fluttering. That’s useful for getting it battle-ready fast, and Ice Blast’s 110 damage is respectable. This is a great starting piece for any Water deck.

Swinub Illustration Rare (165/159)

This adorable little guy is actually really useful early-game. Call for Family lets you search your deck for two Basic Pokémon, which is huge for setup. Lunge Out’s 10 damage is laughable, but let’s be real, Swinub isn’t here to attack.

Salamence ex Secret Rare (177/159)

This 320 HP Dragon-type monster does two things really well — spread damage and hit like a truck. Wide Blast deals 50 damage to every Benched Pokémon, and Dragon Impact slams for 300 damage, but you have to discard two Energy. Absolute beast.

Hop’s Zacian ex (111/159)

A Steel-type legendary with a brutal 240-damage attack. The downside? Brave Slash can’t be used twice in a row, which means you need a switching strategy. Insta-Strike does a little spread damage, but Zacian is here to knock things out in one hit.

Alcremie ex (075/159)

A support-heavy Psychic Pokémon that heals 30 damage every turn thanks to its Confectionary Gift ability. Whipped Shot’s 160 damage is solid, but this card is best used as a sustain option in control decks.

Mimikyu ex (069/159)

A tricky Pokémon that loves spreading damage. Mischievous Hands puts three damage counters on two of your opponent’s Pokémon, setting up knockouts later. Ghostly Trip deals 120 damage and Confuses the Active Pokémon, which is a great way to disrupt their plays.

Veluza ex (043/159)

A Water-type glass cannon that can hit for 240 damage — if you’re willing to discard your whole hand. Purging Strike is high-risk, high-reward, and Razor Fin’s 30 damage is barely worth mentioning. This card is all-in or nothing.

Lillie’s Clefairy ex (056/159)

A Psychic-type that punishes Dragon decks with its Fairy Zone ability, which makes all Dragon Pokémon weak to Psychic. Full Moon Rondo scales its damage based on both players’ Bench size, making it a potential late-game sweeper.

Volcanion ex (031/159)

A Fire-type bruiser that burns the opponent’s Active Pokémon just by being in play, thanks to its Scalding Steam ability.Scorching Cyclone’s 160 damage is great, and moving an Energy to a Benched Pokémon makes it even better.

Mamoswine ex (079/159)

An absolute tank at 340 HP that can search your deck for any Pokémon once per turn with Mammoth Hauler. Rumbling March starts at 180 damage but scales up if you have more Stage 2 Pokémon on your Bench, which makes it terrifying in evolution-heavy decks.

Salamence ex (114/159)

This is the second Salamence ex I pulled, and I’m not complaining. Same brutal power as the other one with Wide Blast for spreading damage and Dragon Impact for a massive 300 damage hit. If you like big, hard-hitting Pokémon, this is the one.

Should You Buy Pokémon TCG: Journey Together?

Journey Together is shaping up to be one of the most exciting Pokémon TCG expansions in years. The return of Trainer’s Pokémon, a nostalgic feature that hasn’t been seen in years, adds an extra layer of personality to battles. If you're collecting cards for their stunning artwork, competitive value, or just sheer nostalgia, this set has something for everyone.

With its March 28 release date just around the corner, now’s the time to start planning which cards you want to chase. Whether it’s N’s Reshiram, Iono’s Bellibolt ex, or the elusive Hyper Rare Spiky Energy, there’s no shortage of incredible pulls waiting to be found.

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.

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The Last of Us Limited Edition PS5 Controller Is Up for Preorder

Update 3/14/25 12:02 p.m. ET: Like most limited-edition PS5 hardware releases, the stock situation for this controller appears to be severely, uh, limited. It's currently (possibly!) available at PS Direct. Stock is also holding steady at GameStop, but you can only preorder it if you have a Pro membership (you can sign up here for $25/year).

It's currently sold out at Amazon, Best Buy, Target, and Walmart, though it's possible any of them could get more stock at some point. I'll keep updating this article as things change.

Here’s one for the post-apocalyptic crowd: Sony is releasing a new limited-edition The Last of Us-themed DualSense controller. The PS5 controller features an eye-catching black and white design, with trophy icons from The Last of Us Part I and Part II etched into it. It comes out April 10 with an MSRP of $84.99. Preorders are live now at various retailers (see it on PS Direct). Read on for the details.

Preorder The Last of Us PS5 Controller

The controller was made “in close collaboration” with the Naughty Dog creative team. It features white-on-black icons of the Fireflies’ logo on the touchpad, with the moth and wolf on either side of the grips. A number of other icons also appear in glossy black on matte black. The bottom side of the controller has a The Last of Us logo in white on black. It looks very nice and classy overall, I’d say.

On the PlayStation Blog, Naughty Dog Head of Studio and Head of Creative Neil Druckmann and Graphic Designer Megan Mehran said:

“We were excited by the chance to memorialize The Last of Us franchise in a controller that fans and our own team would love. We wanted to ensure that both installments of The Last of Us are represented, via trophy icons printed in black gloss across the controller body. Among the trophies, three particular images will immediately stand out for TLOU fans: The firefly, moth, and wolf. Players will recognize the Fireflies’ iconic spray-painted logo that originated in Part I, while the moth and wolf represent the intertwining lives and duality between Ellie and Abby in Part II.“

This isn’t the first PS5 game-themed limited-edition controller to hit the market. Others based on games like Astro Bot, Helldivers 2, Spider-Man 2, and Fortnite have come out, among others, some of which are still available. And those are in addition to all the other PS5 controllers in various colors that are available.

This The Last of Us controller comes out right around a couple of related releases. The Last of Us Part II is coming to PC on April 3, while the second season of the HBO show premieres on April 13.

Chris Reed is a deals expert and commerce editor for IGN. You can follow him on Bluesky @chrislreed.com.

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Ted Lasso Season 4 on the Way, Jason Sudeikis Confirms

Ted Lasso Season 4 is officially in the works, star and producer Jason Sudeikis has announced.

The Saturday Night Live alum revealed that the beloved Apple TV+ series will get at least one more season during a conversation with Jason and Travis Kelce on their New Heights sports podcast. A snippet from the show’s latest episode highlights a moment that saw the two NFL brothers pressing Sudeikis for an update on Ted Lasso Season 4 following the conclusion of Season 3 in summer 2023.

“That’s what we’re writing. We’re writing Season 4 now,” Sudeikis teased. “That’s the official word, yeah. Ted’s coaching a women’s team.”

Ted Lasso is BACK for Season 4 … and he’s got a new team

New episode with Jason Sudeikis!!

Video drops 9:30amET on YouTube
Listen early NOW on Wondery+ pic.twitter.com/XxeZ4YomBw

— New Heights (@newheightshow) March 14, 2025

It’s the first concrete update on a continuation for the project in nearly two years and should offer relief for those who have hoped to see the feel-good soccer series push on. There’s no word on whether Ted Lasso Season 4 is its last or where in the world it might take place. Even Travis Kelce wasn’t able to get an answer out of Sudeikis when asking if the former football coach is coming back to the U.S.

“Yeah, that’s too many questions, and that’s only because I don’t know,” Sudeikis said with a laugh.

Meanwhile, Deadline reports that Keeley actress Juno Temple is in negotiations to return for more Ted Lasso, with Hannah Waddingham, Brett Goldstein, and Jeremy Swift all already set to return as Rebecca, Roy, and Leslie, respectively. Its sources say that Episode 1 of the fourth season will likely be filmed in Kansas City before Ted returns to the UK, adding that the aim is to begin production in July.

Apple TV+ is already on the move when it comes to reestablishing Ted Lasso in the public consciousness. Although no release date or plot details have been spilled quite yet, the show’s official X/Twitter account has reemerged with a tongue-in-cheek post poking fun at its unexpected hiatus.

Finally found the dang password to this thing.

Sorry y’all. What’d I miss?

— Ted Lasso (@TedLasso) March 14, 2025

Our last update on Ted Lasso story came in summer 2024 when a Deadline report signaled that Season 4 was preparing for greenlight status. For more on Sudeikis’ critical hit soccer show, you can read up on why mid-2023 was a particularly painful time for TV fans. You can also see our review for the Ted Lasso Season 3 premiere here.

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).

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Rockstar-Owned Modding Team Working on Official Grand Theft Auto 5 Enhanced Conversion Tool

Rockstar has given the go-ahead for an official conversion tool to help modders update their mods to work with the all-new Grand Theft Auto V Enhanced.

As custom assets used on FiveM and GTAV Legacy are not natively compatible with the recently released enhanced PC game, Cfx.re — the team behind the biggest Rockstar roleplay and creator communities FiveM and RedM and hired by Rockstar back in 2023announced it is working on a new tool to "assist the modding community in making their assets compatible with the new upgrade."

Rockstar rarely officially supports the modding communities behind its games, so the news is being welcomed by GTA 5 modders who are hoping it's a signal of better things to come for Grand Theft Auto 6.

Roxwood with ray tracing, here we go 😎

— The Ambitioneers (@TAmbitioneers) March 12, 2025

The conversion tool will support the following formats:

  • Dictionaries of multiple drawables (*.ydd)
  • Generic models, geometry, optional embedded textures and lights (*.ydr)
  • Complex fragmented skeletons/models used for pedestrians, vehicles, destructible objects, etc. (*.yft)
  • Texture Dictionaries (also known as TXD) (*ytd.)

As yet, there's no concrete date on when the tool will be available, but the team stressed it is "currently focused on completing the final few tasks required to release the tool," so players should expect a "full announcement and comprehensive documentation" the day it releases.

GTA 5 Enhanced is a free upgrade for GTA 5 on PC that includes all the latest vehicles and performance upgrades available at Hao’s Special Works, animal encounters, access to purchase a GTA+ Membership, as well as improved graphics options and faster loading times. Before the Enhanced edition released, only players on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S versions of GTA Online could access these new features.

However, Rockstar’s new and improved version of Grand Theft Auto 5 isn’t going down well on Steam following its launch on March 4. It currently boasts a ‘mixed’ user review rating on Steam, with 55% of the 21,956 user reviews flagged as positive. The original version of GTA 5 has been unlisted from Steam per Rockstar's instruction, but by comparison, that has a ‘very positive’ user review rating on Valve's platform.

As for GTA 6? That's still expected to launch in fall 2025, although currently, it's only slated to release on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S. The most recent news to come out of Rockstar, however, wasn't about the game but was instead about the film Marching Powder and its star, Danny Dyer. Could it be a sign that Kent Paul will return for GTA 6? Well, anything's possible.

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.

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Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster Hits 5 Million Sales, Final Fantasy Franchise Now Up to 200 Million Sold

The total sales across the Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster series have topped 5 million copies worldwide, Square Enix has announced.

Taking to X/Twitter, Square Enix said Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster's success had pushed sales for the entire Final Fantasy series — that's all Final Fantasy games, not just the pixellated ones — up to a staggering 200 million copies.

Given Square Enix revealed Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster had reached three million copies sold in September 2023, that means the bundle has sold another two million copies in around 18 months.

Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster bundles together the first six Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster games as well as a 20-track soundtrack and 14 wallpapers. The bundle boasts universally updated 2D pixel graphics, a rearranged soundtrack, modernized UI, and all-new features, including a beastiary, illustration gallery, and music player. You can also switch between the original and rearranged soundtrack on the fly as you play.

The sales milestone comes six months after Square Enix made its dissatisfaction with Final Fantasy 16 and Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth’s commercial performance known, admitting neither game met profit expectations. Final Fantasy 16 sold 3 million at launch, but Square Enix has yet to provide an updated figure. The company failed to announce a sales figure for Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's launch, but Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's subsequent PC launch has done so well it may have changed the feeling internally on the game's overall performance.

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.

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Commandos: Origins Refreshingly Brings Back the Stealth-Tactics Marriage

The classic Commandos series was all about cleverly commanding a squad to pull off some daring operations aimed at crippling the Nazi war machine and putting a real stick in the eye of the empire. But it's also a series that's been in relative dormancy for some time, leaving other games like Shadow Tactics and Desperados to pick up the torch and offer a similar blend of real-time strategy and stealth gameplay that's all about pulling off some slick, decisive strategies.

With the upcoming Commandos: Origins from developer Claymore Game Studios, the series finally gets its long overdue successor following the 2006 FPS spin-off, marking a return to the original's old-school perspective and brutal difficulty. I recently got to play the opening missions of Commandos: Origins and came away appreciating this revival of an open-ended tactical stealth-action game – even if it took me some time to come to grips with it.

As a return to the classic gameplay and storytelling of the early PC games in the series, Commandos: Origins appropriately focuses on the founding of the elite squad. As green beret Jack O'Hara, he's recruited by commando Sergeant Hancock with a mission to strike back against the growing Nazi empire. Following a daring escape through a North African allied base overrun by the Axis army, the duo soon expands their crew to engage in a larger campaign to destroy key targets across Europe and even the Arctic regions.

Origins taps into the style of pulpy, ensemble action films in the vein of The Guns of Navarone or The Dirty Dozen for its campaign.

Commandos: Origins works has both a modern update to the classic formula of the series, but also as a jumping on point for those who've never played the originals. Much like the previous games, Origins taps into the style of pulpy, ensemble action films in the vein of The Guns of Navarone or The Dirty Dozen for its campaign. The core gameplay is a blend of real-time strategy and a carefully paced tactics game, where you command a small squad to sneak through bases, take out targets, and make it out alive. Instead of moving turns like other tactics games, your squad and all enemies on the field will move and react in real-time, which pushes you to make your moves count – or else face the onslaught of enemies on the field.

Speaking to art director Thilo Gebhardt from Claymore Game Studios, he explained how the developer was specifically founded to help revive the Commandos series and how they approached modernizing it for Origins.

"The original owner of Kalypso Media, Simon Hellwig, who passed away, had the idea to bring back Commandos – he was a big fan of the original games," Gebhardt said. "He had the opportunity to acquire it, and once he decided to make the next game an in-house production, he founded Claymore Studios specifically to revisit the brand. [...] With other competitors in the genre recently they've shown that this type of game can still be updated to a more modern standard because it can be a hardcore experience. But we've also found ways to improve the interface and the pacing, and we hope to have made that experience more modern and less frustrating for new players."

With each mission giving you a list of objectives and a large map to explore, you're tasked with completing them efficiently and carefully. By taking advantage of blindspots in enemy line of sight and patrol patterns and using gadgets from the key members of each squad, you're given plenty of opportunities and a wide berth in how you clear a mission. In some ways, it felt like each stage was a puzzle box to solve – by way of a stealth-action tactics game, and I soon had to get comfortable with hiding guards after I had taken them out of commission.

The opening mission in North Africa served as a solid tutorial in showcasing just how versatile but still specialized the squad members were. For instance, Sergeant Hancock takes on the role of the combat sapper, a combat engineer who can cut through wire barricades and plant powerful explosives to blow up targets. I found a lot to appreciate with how each squad member can coordinate, particularly with pulling off O'Hara's advanced traversal skills and quick stealth attacks to help clear the way for his allies to break the objectives.

The stealth mechanics are impressive and really show a level of depth with the enemy AI and level design – particularly with how guards will remember which allies are in the area and how snowprints are visible in places that shouldn't be. While I mostly crawled through the stages to be on the safe side, I still appreciated the moments when I could get a solid jump on the enemy. One useful option is the command mode, which lets you plan out specific moves for multiple squad members to execute all at once. Following the opening mission, Commandos immediately put me to the test in the following mission, which chucked me into the deep end.

Simply put, the difficulty here is super challenging. If just one commando dies, it's a loss. I ended up failing – a lot – and that meant reloading saves to try again. Much like early entries, Commandos: Origins sticks with a retro style of progression in each mission – and that means you'll need to embrace the retro concept of manually saving often – as auto-saves are not present in missions. In one instance during the second operation, I reached an important section of the stage but was quickly gunned down by patrolling troops. Because I was so focused on maneuvering my crew, I had forgotten to save and lost close to 10 minutes of progress.

According to the developers, the classic approach to manual saving was intentional, as it sticks close to the experience of the original games and doesn't seek to give players too many safety nets.

"We thought a lot about the fans of the original games, and for them, the aspect of how saving works was something you simply shouldn't change, it really comes down to taking away the liberty to decide on your own how you want to save your progress and what risk you want to take," the art director Gebhardt said. "Personally, I will save a lot, and there are some more daring and more experienced players who deliberately do not save. And they approach it like a little bit of a puzzle with a more creative way. So really for Commandos, it's about creative freedom of selecting your own safe points for."

These repeated mission attempts, in some cases, turned out to be a blessing...

My losses regularly felt crushing, especially considering just how lengthy missions can be. I often felt the need to take a break, but I still rallied and came through. These repeats, in some cases, turned out to be a blessing, as they allowed me to go through the trial-and-error process and pick up new strategies, sometimes allowing me to satisfyingly make the best of a clumsy situation.

In one mission, I had to destroy a guarded comms tower. I originally took out all guards in the area and then destroyed the tower, but upon a redo of the area, I simply destroyed the tower and watched it crash down on two guards, with me walking away feeling like I was Agent 47 in Hitman. In one satisfying instance, I used my sniper commando to pull off a Saving Private Ryan-style series of quick sniper shots on alerted guards, giving my team some breathing room to rally.

The raw satisfaction that comes from tactics games is seeing a plan come together after taking a risk, and Commandos: Origins certainly offered up plenty of those moments – even after my crushing defeats. So far, Claymore Game Studios' revival of Commandos is offering a compelling case for its comeback, which can potentially put the series back on the map as an exciting and satisfying tactics game.

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Silent Hill f The First In Konami's Horror Series to Get an 18+ Rating In Japan

Silent Hill f is the first Silent Hill game to get an 18+ rating certification in Japan.

As displayed at the beginning of the Japanese-language reveal trailer, which debuted last night, Silent Hill f is rated Mature in the U.S., PEGI 18 in Europe, and CERO:Z in Japan.

As the game is still in active development, certification is subject to change, but as spotted by Automaton, Silent Hill, Silent Hill 2, Silent Hill 3, and Silent Hill: The Room all secured CERO:C — that's for people aged 15 and older — while the other games in the series developed outside of Japan were typically rated CERO:C or CERO:D (ages 17+).

Even Silent Hill 2 Remake — Bloober Team's rework of the 2001 classic — was CERO:C in Japan, despite getting a mature (17+) rating in most Western countries.

Last night, Konami finally updated us with a new Silent Hill Transmission, the publisher's Silent Hill-themed online presentation. This time, it was focused purely on Silent Hill f, the upcoming mainline entry in the celebrated horror franchise — the first for 13 years.

First announced in 2022, Silent Hill f takes us to 1960s Japan, where we'll follow Shimizu Hinako, a teenager struggling under the pressure of expectations from her friends, family, and society. The story was written by Ryukishi07, creator of the When They Cry visual novel series.

The reveal trailer shows Hinako in varying degrees of distress, covered in blood, wounds, and with her Japanese school uniform ripped and torn. While most of the action was contained to cutscenes rather than gameplay, we had an extended peek at Silent Hill f's setting and monster designs, as well as what may be an Otherworld populated not by rust and fans this time, but by blood-red flowers.

As yet, there's no release date for Silent Hill f, and there was no further information at all about No Code's Silent Hill game, Townfall.

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.

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Nintendo Will Sell Loads of Switch 2 Consoles at Launch ‘Regardless of Price,’ Analysts Predict, June Release Date Once Again Mentioned

The price of the Nintendo Switch 2 is one of the hottest topics within the video game industry. Analysts have told IGN they expect Nintendo’s next-gen console to launch at $400, and a new Bloomberg report reaffirms that price range, based on Japan-focused analyst predictions.

A $400 price point would be significantly higher than the original Switch, and another analyst told Bloomberg they wouldn’t be surprised if Nintendo went even higher, potentially to $499. But the analysts expect Switch 2 to enjoy a massive launch, maybe even the biggest console launch of all time, “regardless of price.”

“They will sell boatloads of Switch 2 in the first months in particular, almost regardless of the price,” Tokyo analyst Serkan Toto told Bloomberg.

One of the reasons Switch 2 will be so popular during its launch period is because of huge demand for its launch line-up of games. Toto expects a new Mario Kart, as teased by Nintendo itself when it revealed the Switch 2, a new 3D Mario game, as well as the already announced Pokémon Legends: Z-A and Metroid Prime 4, all released during the Switch 2’s first year of life. Toto also expects third-party support to include Call of Duty from Activision.

There is a long list of rumored third-party titles coming to the console, and in an interview with IGN, Civilization 7 developer Firaxis called Switch 2’s apparent Joy-Con mouse mode "definitely intriguing.” French video game and accessories maker Nacon, publisher of the likes of Greedfall 2, Test Drive Unlimited, and RoboCop: Rogue City, has said it has Switch 2 games ready to go. The long-awaited Hollow Knight: Silksong is also rumored to be set for Switch 2. And last month, EA said Madden, FC, and The Sims would all be a great fit for Switch 2.

It’s worth noting Activision has yet to announce its Switch 2 plans, and Nintendo hasn’t commented on the report.

When will Switch 2 release? June 2025 is increasingly coming up not just online, but in games media circles. One Japan-based analyst, Robin Zhu of Sanford C. Bernstein, told Bloomberg the Switch 2 is expected to release in June, with first-day inventory of 6-8 million units. If Nintendo burns through that stock the Switch 2 will have no problem selling faster than its predecessor and the PlayStation 4 and 5, breaking records along the way.

There has been some concern about the impact of U.S. president Donald Trump’s tariff war on the price of the Nintendo Switch 2. The Trump administration has implemented a new set of tariffs in the United States on goods coming from China, Canada, and Mexico, and analysts warned gamers to expect the tariffs to impact the price and potentially even the availability of video games, consoles, and other tech items.

However, as Bloomberg noted, the Switch 2 will be assembled in Vietnam, a major U.S. trading partner, as well as China, with one analyst suggesting this diversified manufacturing footprint helps lower the risk for Nintendo.

There’s still a great deal we don’t know about the Switch 2, but Nintendo plans a Direct for April 2 during which it will reveal more on the console.

The Nintendo Switch 2 was revealed earlier in January with a brief trailer that confirmed backwards compatibility features and the addition of a second USB-C port. Most details, such as its other games and what the heck the mysterious new Joy-Con button does, were left out, though the Joy-Con mouse theory did gain traction.

Last month, a Nintendo patent suggested Switch 2’s Joy-Con controllers could be attached upside down. It seems the Switch 2 operates with gyro mechanics in a similar way to how phones work without screen lock. Unlike the original Nintendo Switch, which had rails for the Joy-Cons to attach and lock into place, the new controllers feature magnets that presumably allow them to be attached on either side.

While this won't make much of a difference on the hardware front, it will allow players to essentially choose where they'd like certain buttons, the headphone port, and so on. If it makes it into the final product, the flipping ability may spark interesting gameplay mechanics, too.

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.

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The Atomfall Developers Knew It Would Be Compared to Fallout as Soon as It Was Revealed, Average Playthrough Around 25 Hours

At first glance, you might mistake Atomfall for a Fallout-style game. Perhaps, even, an actual Fallout game set in a post-apocalyptic England rather than a post-apocalyptic America. Atomfall is first-person, it’s post-nuclear (it’s called Atomfall for a reason), and it has an alt-history design, as Fallout famously does.

Ryan Greene, art director at developer Rebellion, totally understands where the Fallout comparisons are coming from. Not only that, but the development team knew Atomfall would be compared to Fallout as soon as it was revealed.

“Once you play the game, you realize it's not Fallout, but yes, we knew,” Greene told IGN.

“And one of our owners, Jason Kingsley, he's a big Fallout fan, so inevitably there was going to be some parallels in that any kind of survival in the apocalypse, immediately Fallout's going to come up as a thing. And those guys are great at what they do. And that's cool.”

But Atomfall isn’t really like Fallout at all. This is something IGN pointed out August last year when we reported that Atomfall is something much more interesting than a British Fallout.

Indeed, Greene warned that the Fallout comparison is “misleading.”

“Once you play it for a bit, you're like, oh, this is its own thing for sure,” Greene said. And, Greene pointed out, Rebellion isn’t Microsoft-owned Bethesda. The independently owned British studio behind the Sniper Elite franchise has created an ambitious game, relative to its other games, but we’re not talking about an Elder Scrolls or Fallout-sized experience here.

“The reality is, here’s this very successful franchise and we're version 1.0,” Greene continued. “To be compared to those guys… thank you very much… Yes, we appreciate it because that’s a skillful team that's making that stuff.”

An average Atomfall playthrough, Greene said, is “probably 25-ish hours.” However, completionists can stretch that “a long way.”

To find out how the game plays, be sure to check out IGN’s most recent Atomfall hands-on preview, in which our Simon Cardy went off the deep end and killed everyone during his playthrough.

It turns out, you can go through the entire game killing everyone and it will cope with that. “You can kill anyone or everyone if you choose,” Greene confirmed. “That's fine. We have multiple finishes to the game, so some of those would shut down if you were supposed to work with them throughout, but you'll find multiple other routes to finish the game and achieve a result.”

Atomfall doesn’t have a main quest or a side quest in the traditional RPG sense. Rather, “it's a spider web of connected story,” Greene explained.

“So even if you sever one thread, you can usually find another thread that leads you back to the overall mystery.”

Conversely, you can play through Atomfall without killing anyone. At least, Greene is “fairly certain” you can. “I've made it about nine hours in, probably close to halfway running at a pretty fast dev play speed and killed no one,” he said. “I'm fairly certain you can do it and there's no gating of having to kill anyone ever.”

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.

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Speedrunners Left Scratching Their Heads After New Discovery Suggests the SNES Works Faster as It Ages

The speedrunning community is trying to wrap its head around a technological phenomenon that is seemingly causing the SNES to run games faster as it ages.

Alarm bells rang in early February when Bluesky user Alan Cecil (@tas.bot) spread the word that the Nintendo's iconic console seemed to be running games slightly faster now than when it left production lines in the 1990s. It’s a theory that would mean the nearly 50 million SNES units sold may now feature improved performance with games like Super Mario World, Super Metroid, and Star Fox instead of wearing down as the years go on.

The idea of a video game console — or any kind of technology — working more efficiently simply thanks to the passage of time sounds ludicrous, but Cecil’s findings suggest a single component may be what’s setting the SNES apart from the rest.

The Fastest Thing Alive

As explained in an interview 404 Media conducted with Cecil, official Nintendo specs say the SNES’s audio processing unit (APU) SPC700 has a digital signal processing (DSP) rate of 32,000Hz dictated by a ceramic resonator that runs at 24.576MHz. Retro console fans have documented that these details aren’t quite accurate, with recordings from the last few decades showing slightly altered DSP rates depending on the physical conditions — such as temperature — the SNES is recorded in. It means the console is often processing audio and sending it to the CPU at a different rate than Nintendo has communicated, and as the DSP fluctuates, so too does the game’s speed even if it’s in small, unrecognizable ways.

That’s all fine and good, but where things get interesting is how that number has changed in the last 34 years. Cecil asked SNES owners to record data related to their SNES units after noticing slightly higher DSP rates that were even more out of the ordinary than previously documented. The more than 140 responses gathered so far show an undeniable trend in increased DSP rates in recent measurements.

Some previously recorded average DSP numbers for the SNES’s SPC700 hovered at 32,040Hz in 2007 — Cecil’s findings raise that average to 32,076Hz. Factors such as hot and cold environments do play a part in higher and lower stats, too, but not by enough to alter DSP in the way needed to yield these results. In other words, it looks like the SNES is processing audio faster as time goes on.

Therefore, temperature is less significant. Why? How does it affect games? We do not know. Yet.

“Based on 143 responses, the SNES DSP rate averages 32,076Hz, rising 8Hz from cold to warm,” Cecil explained in a follow-up Bluesky post fit with a layout of the data. “Warm DSP rates go from 31,965 to 32,182Hz, a 217Hz range. Therefore, temperature is less significant. Why? How does it affect games? We do not know. Yet.”

Any%

Cecil admits that, while fascinating, more research is needed to determine not only how much faster SNES units are processing game audio but what exactly the cause is. Data related to how consoles performed in their first decade on the market, for example, is limited. For now, at least on the surface, Nintendo’s second major home console appears to be aging quite gracefully as it nears its 35th birthday.

Regardless of what exactly might be behind these bizarre circumstances, the prospect of a popular gaming console gradually causing games to run faster has made waves in the speedrunning community. An SPC700 progressively processing audio to the CPU quicker than intended could, in theory, impact game performance by shortening load times in certain sections. Audio processing faster in 2025 than it did in an identical speedrun from 1990 could potentially send more than three decades of leaderboard rankings and records into question. Thankfully, how a wiser SNES might affect a Super Mario World speedrun isn’t so straightforward.

APU speeds aren’t a one-to-one translation to visual game speed. In reality, even the most extreme circumstances related to these new findings would likely only shave off less than one second of your average speedrun. How each game might benefit from altered audio processing is also up for debate, and there’s no indication of how significantly longer speedruns could be impacted at the time of this story’s publication. The speedrunning community's research is in its infancy, but even as further experimentation is conducted, the consensus for now is that players have little to fear.

While Cecil continues digging into what makes the SNES tick, Nintendo’s console is charging through its 30s and feeling better than ever. For more on the SNES, you can see where the device landed on the list of best-selling consoles of all time.

Photo by Dimitar DILKOFF / AFP.

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).

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How to Activate the Hulu + Live TV Free Trial in 2025

Navigating the world of live TV alternatives can be a daunting task as there are so many options to choose from. One of the best options available today is Hulu + Live TV, which features everything Hulu has to offer plus a robust library of channels that includes popular live sporting events and entertainment. Even better, Hulu + Live TV also bundles in Disney+ and ESPN+ at no additional cost, giving you access to even more streaming options that include the very best of Marvel, Star Wars, Pixar, and more!

If you're interested in checking out Hulu + Live TV, you're in luck. Scroll down for information on the current free trial offer, as well as details about what's included in the service, pricing, and where it's available to stream.

Does Hulu + Live TV Have a Free Trial?

Yes, Hulu + Live TV offers a three-day free trial that allows you to take the live TV streaming service for a spin. You'll gain access to more than 95 live TV channels that include sporting events and the most popular entertainment channels. Hulu + Live TV also includes the Disney Bundle, which means you'll also be able to enjoy the entire Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+ catalogs at no additional cost. It's the only streaming free trial offering a total of four services at once.

When you're ready to sign up, click the link below to sign up for the free trial. After your trial period ends, you'll be automatically charged for your subscription if it's not canceled.

What Is Hulu + Live TV?

Hulu + Live TV takes the base Hulu streaming service and slaps a live TV service on top of it, while adding in the entirety of Disney+ and ESPN+ for good measure. It features over 95 channels, unlimited DVR space, and a hassle-free monthly subscription fee that doesn't include any hidden fees.

Since Hulu + Live TV includes the base Hulu service, you'll have access to Hulu's rich library of TV shows and movies. This includes Hulu Originals such as Paradise and Only Murders in the Building as well as popular FX programs such as The Bear, Shōgun, and What We Do In The Shadows. Plus, you can watch thousands of additional TV shows and movies from Hulu's extended streaming library.

And, with the Disney Bundle included as part of your Hulu + Live TV subscription, you'll have access to the massive Disney catalog that includes popular Marvel movies and TV shows, Star Wars movies and TV shows, Pixar movies, and so much more. If you're looking for a great replacement for cable that ticks just about every box, well, Hulu + Live TV is one of the best options available.

With Hulu + Live TV, you can watch over 95 of your favorite channels live, or catch up on some of the best programming that you may have missed on demand. You can record as much live TV as you'd like with the included DVR service, as well, to ensure you don't miss the shows or movies you're currently watching. By default, you can watch Hulu + Live TV on two supported devices, but you can upgrade to have unlimited simultaneous screens if you'd like the whole family to have access.

How Much Does Hulu + Live TV Cost?

The price for Hulu + Live TV is $82.99 per month and also includes the base Hulu (with ads), Disney+ (with ads) and ESPN+ (with ads) streaming services as part of the overall price—a $16.99 bundle on its own. If you're looking for a mostly ad-free service (aside from commercials on live TV and portions of ESPN+), then you can upgrade to Hulu + Live TV that includes Hulu and Disney+ without ads for $95.99 per month.

In addition to the more than 95 channels includes, you can also add on Entertainment, Sports, and Spanish channel packages if you're missing some of your favorites. Hulu + Live TV also features popular premium channels such as Max, Paramount+ with Showtime, Cinemax, and Starz as optional add-ons if you want to expand your streaming library. Additionally, you can upgrade your subscription to include unlimited screens at home and up to three screens on the go so everyone can watch.

How to Watch Hulu + Live TV - Available Platforms

Similar to base Hulu, you can enjoy Hulu + Live TV on a variety of digital platforms including Apple TV (4th generation or newer), Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Sticks, select Roku models, Chromecast, select smart TVs from Samsung, LG, and Vizio, popular consoles such as PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Xbox 360, and Nintendo Switch. You can also watch on mobile devices such as iPhone, iPad, and Android, as well as on Hulu's website.

For more live TV streaming guides, check out our overview of Sling TV and Fubo.

Matthew Adler is a Commerce, Features, Guides, News, Previews, and Reviews writer for IGN. You can follow him on the site formerly known as Twitter @MatthewAdler and watch him stream on Twitch

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AU Deals: The Absolute Must Buys From the Steam Spring Sale, AAA Console Greats Reduced, and More!

Thank your own personal deity—possibly Kratos—it’s Friday! Even though it’s Autumn for Aussies, it’s time to spring into ludicrous Spring Sale savings on Steam. If the picks of that litter don’t interest you, I’ve sniffed out console-based bargains on grand adventures, pulse-pounding action, or quirky indie gems; there’s a little something for everyone.

This Day in Gaming 🎂

In retro news, I'm (somehow) celebrating the 23rd birthday of the OG Xbox, a console that blew my mind at launch (even though I was happily married to a PS2). This was the chunky vehicle that brought Microsoft into the console gaming world. And while it didn't have the prettiest design or the greatest library of games, it gave us two important contributions to gaming: Halo and Xbox Live.

While some N64 enthusiasts may argue that GoldenEye paved the way for quality console first-person shooters, it was Halo that revolutionised the genre. Almost every FPS that came after Halo utilised its control scheme and a modified version of its health system. But where Halo truly succeeded was in providing console gamers with the first-of-its-kind 16-player LAN battles. This was the first shooter that made my PC gaming mates jealous, and I still own and adore my Limited Edition Crystal Xbox. Even though ants once tried to take it over and turn it into a very expensive vivarium.

Aussie bdays for notable games

- Mortal Kombat Trilogy (N64) 1997. Get

- Xbox console launch, 2002. eBay

- Jet Set Radio Future (XB) 2002. eBay

- Amped (XB) 2002. eBay

- Halo: Combat Evolved (XB) 2002. Redux

- Dead or Alive 3 (XB) 2002. Get

- Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee (XO) 2003. Get

- Ape Escape 2 (PS2) 2003. eBay

- Journey (PS3) 2012. Get

- God of War: Ascension (PS3) 2013. Sequel

- Dark Souls II (PS3, X360) 2014. Redux

Contents

Nice Savings for Nintendo Switch

On the Nintendo Switch, Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen is a jaw-dropping $7. That’s a pittance for one of the best action RPGs in ages, with its deep pawn system that lets AI companions learn from your tactics. Meanwhile, a 36 buck Octopath Traveler delivers an old-school JRPG experience with a modern HD-2D glow-up that Square Enix has since turned into a signature visual style.

Expiring Recent Deals

Or gift a Nintendo eShop Card.

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Purchase Cheap for PC

PC gamers can grab Red Dead Redemption 2 for just 20 clams, and this sweeping Western epic comes with a staggering 500,000 lines of dialogue. For those who enjoy a bit of madness, Undertale ($2) will delight you with its fourth-wall-breaking humour and eerie meta twists.

Expiring Recent Deals

Or just get a Steam Wallet Card

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Exciting Bargains for Xbox

Over on Xbox Series X, Destroy All Humans! 2 lets you embrace your inner chaos-loving alien, complete with ridiculous weapons and satirical 1960s pop culture jabs. And Dragon Age: Veilguard Deluxe Edition is a must for Bioware fans itching to dive back into rich RPG storytelling.

Xbox One

Expiring Recent Deals

Or just invest in an Xbox Card.

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Pure Scores for PlayStation

Finally, PlayStation 5 boasts Star Wars Outlaws at $49. It’s Ubisoft’s first open-world Star Wars game, where you can even gamble your life away in Sabacc. Lastly, a reduced God of War Ragnarök will deliver you a mythic Norse adventure that is one helluva great sequel.

PS4

Expiring Recent Deals

PS+ Monthly Freebies
Yours to keep from Mar 4 with this subscription

  • Dragon Age: Veilguard (PS5)
  • Sonic Colours: Ultimate (PS4)
  • TMNT: Cowabunga Col. (PS5/PS4)

Or purchase a PS Store Card.

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Legit LEGO Deals

Expiring Recent Deals

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Adam Mathew is our Aussie deals wrangler. He plays practically everything, often on YouTube.

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$1 Million Roblox The Hunt: Mega Edition Event's Games Revealed

Earlier this month Roblox announced that its The Hunt: Mega Edition Event would come with a $1 million grand prize for one super skilled gamer, and today the event officially started, revealing the 25 different Roblox experiences players will need to compete in to walk away a millionaire.

Roblox's last event, The Hunt: First Edition, attracted 34 million users without promising enough money to buy 1,428 PlayStation 5 Pros and still have money left over for a decent library of games, so expect The Hunt: Mega Edition to be the focus of the Roblox community until the event hits its live-streamed final in April. For that final the top ten The Hunt: Mega Edition competitors will be invited to Roblox HQ for their shot at the jackpot.

The full list of 25 different Roblox experiences that make up The Hunt: Mega Edition Event are:

  • A Dusty Trip
  • Arsenal
  • Basketball Legends
  • Bayside High School
  • Blade League
  • Clip It
  • Car Crushers 2
  • Chained [2 Player Obby]
  • Drive World
  • Eat the World
  • Fisch
  • Hell's Kitchen
  • Infection Gunfight
  • It Girl
  • Metro Life
  • Natural Disaster Survival
  • Pet Simulator 99
  • PRESSURE
  • Regretevator
  • RIVALS
  • SpongeBob Tower Defense
  • Tower Defense Simulator
  • Untitled Boxing Game
  • Untitled Tag Game
  • World Zero

That's quite the variety, meaning to get to the big prize players will need to show their skills in games like life sim Bayside High School, cook up a storm as Gordon Ramsay's next executive chef in Hell's Kitchen and survive zombie FPS Infection Gunfight.

The only catch is to win the money you need to be 13 years-old or over, but even if you out of the running for the cash there are still special ultra-rare digital items created exclusively for The Hunt: Mega Edition to win. For all the terms and conditions head on over to the official The Hunt: Mega Edition site.

Rachel Weber is IGN's Managing Editor.

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The New AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D Is the Best Gaming CPU, and It's Back in Stock on Amazon and Best Buy

If you're in the process of building out a new gaming PC and you're looking for the best gaming processor, this is it. Right now, the recently released AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D AM5 desktop processor is back in stock on Amazon and Best Buy at its retail price of $479 shipped. This is the official launch price with zero markup, and it's not bundled with anything you don't want or need. The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D is the best gaming processor currently on the market (across both AMD and Intel) and a better choice for gamers than the more expensive Intel Core Ultra 9 285K.

Back in Stock: AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D Desktop Processor

AMD's X3D series processors are optimized for gaming. In that respect, they bench better than even the most expensive of AMD's standard lineup of CPUs thanks to AMD's 3D V-Cache technology. Although perfectly capable of handling multitasking, rendering, and creation, the limited number of cores means they aren't the ideal processors for those tasks. At its retail price of $479, the 9800X3D is $110 cheaper than the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K ($589) and $170 cheaper than the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X, even though it outperforms both of them in gaming. Unless you're a staunch Intel fan, or you're still on AM4 and don't want to upgrade all of your components, the 9800X3D is the obvious choice for your next gaming rig.

AMD is on a hot streak with its new CPU and GPUs

If you decided to hold off on Nvidia's Blackwell GPUs to see if AMD's new offerings were up to snuff, then you made the right choice. The AMD Radeon RX 9070 and RX 9070 XT graphics cards are the new mid-range champions of this generation. Both cards offer phenomenal performance while undercutting their Nvidia competition in price. The Radeon RX 9070 starts at $550 and the 9070 XT starts at $600 (although it turns out that manufacturers are hiking the price again). Chect out our Radeon RX 9070 GPU review and Radeon RX 9070 XT GPU review for our benchmarks.

Eric Song is the IGN commerce manager in charge of finding the best gaming and tech deals every day. When Eric isn't hunting for deals for other people at work, he's hunting for deals for himself during his free time.

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The Best Dell & Alienware Deals and Coupons: Gaming Laptops, PCs, Monitors, and More

Not everyone is the DIY type. If you're in the market for a prebuilt gaming PC, Dell is one of the best brands we'd recommend. Alienware desktops and laptops feature solid build quality, top-of-the-line gaming performance, excellent cooling (further improved on the newer models), aggressive styling, and pricing that is very competitive with other pre-built options. Best of all, there are plenty of sales that happen throughout the year, so it's not difficult to grab one of these computers at considerably less than their retail price. This page includes all of the best deals that are currently available.

Dell and Alienware Coupons

Dell and Alienware Gaming PC Deals

Dell and Alienware Gaming Laptop Deals

Dell and Alienware Monitor Deals

You can quickly browse through all of the listed products on sale above. See below for our favorite picks.

Alienware Aurora R16 RTX 5080 Gaming PC

Starting today, Dell is offering an Alienware Aurora R16 gaming PC equipped with the new GeForce RTX 5080 GPU for just $2,399.99 shipped. This is one of the best prices you can get right now for an RTX 5080 equipped prebuilt, especially since most other brands seem to be jacking up prices steadily since the RTX 50 series launch in January. The only other prebuilt you can get at Dell with an RTX 5080 GPU costs over $4,000. Good luck trying to find a standalone GPU to build out your own DIY PC; you'll probably spend as much for the GPU as you would this entire system.

Alienware Aurora R16 RTX 4090 Gaming PC

This Alienware Aurora R16 gaming PC is equipped with an Intel Core Ultra 7 265F CPU, GeForce RTX 4090 GPU, 16GB of DDR5-5200MHz RAM, and a 1TB NVMe SSD. The processor can also be upgraded up to an Intel Core Ultra 9 285K. If you're getting system with a focus on gaming, then the upgrade is unnecessary. Gaming at higher resolutions is almost always GPU bound, and besides, the default Intel Core Ultra 7 265F is a solid processor with a max turbo frequency of 5.3GHz and a total of 20 cores. It's cooled by a robust 240mm all-in-one liquid cooler and the entire system is powered by an 1,000W 80PLUS Platinum power supply.

Dell Tower Plus RTX 4090 Gaming PC

The other option looks more unassuming, but it's what's inside that really matters. The Dell Tower Plus gaming PC is equipped with very similar specs - an Intel Core Ultra 7 265F CPU, GeForce RTX 4090 GPU, 16GB of DDR5-5200MHz RAM, and a 1TB NVMe SSD. In this particular instance, I'd recommend upgrading the processor to the Intel Core Ultra 7 285K for $100. Not only is it a superior processor, but it automatically upgrades the CPU cooling from "standard air cooling" to "advanced air coling", which is a more robust tower heatsink fan that is rated for 125W TDP instead of 65W TDP. The entire system is powered by an 1,000W 80PLUS Platinum power supply.

Alienware Area-51 RTX 5080 Up for Preorder

New Price Drop

Dell dropped the price on a maxed out Alienware Area-51 system by a decent amount. This particular config has been upgraded with an Intel Core Ultra 9 285K processor, 64GB of RAM, and a 4TB M.2 SSD for $4.649.99 after a $400 off instant discount. The CPU is cooled by a 360mm all-in-one liquid cooler and the entire system is powered by a massive 1,500W 80PLUS Platinum power supply. Dell estimates this system to arrive at door in early April.

New for 2025: The Alienware Area-51 Chassis

Dell unveiled the new Alienware Area-51 gaming PC at CES 2025. The chassis looks similar to the 2024 R16 system with some minor aesthetic and cooling redesigns and updated components. The I/O panel is positioned at the top of the case instead of the front, and the tempered glass window now spans the entire side panel instead of just a smaller cutout. As a result, the side panel vents are gone, and instead air intakes are located at the bottom as well as the front of the case. Alienware is now pushing a positive airflow design (more intake than exhaust airflow), which usually means a less dusty interior. The internal components have also all been refreshed, with a new motherboard, faster RAM, and more powerful power supply to accommodate the new generation of CPUs and the RTX 50 series GPUs.

Alienware m16 Gaming Laptops

Dell is offering an Alienware m16 R2 RTX 4060 gaming laptop starting at $1,599.99 shipped (no discounts currently available). The m16 R2 is Alienware's most popular gaming laptop, which isn't surprising considering its excellent build quality, top-of-the-line gaming prowess, and reasonable price point. The "R2" is the second generation model that was released in 2024; it's 14% lighter and more compact than its predecessor without compromising on performance.

Alienware x16 R2 Gaming Laptops

The Alienware x16 gaming laptop is a slimmer and lighter redesign of the traditional m-series laptop. It's the thinnest 16" Alienware laptop ever and compares in build quality and performance to other high-end ultra-thin laptops like the Razer Blade. This Alienware x16 R2 laptop is built with premium materials, like a magnesium alloy chassis and palm rest, anodized aluminum lid, stainless steel keyboard tray, and Micro LED RGB accent lighting. It's only 0.73" thin and weighs in at 6 pounds. That's impressive considering the fact that this laptop can be equipped with the most power NVIDIA GPU.

Alienware m18 R2 RTX 4080 Gaming Laptop

The Alienware m18 is the biggest Alienware laptop you can buy with an imposing 18" 2560x1600 display and top-of-the-line components. Currently theres only one model on sale, which is equipped with an Intel Core i9-14900HX CPU, RTX 4080 GPU, 32GB of RAM, and a 2TB SSD for $2,699.99 after a $400 instant discount.

Dell G-Series Gaming Laptops

Dell has dropped the prices on the G16 16" gaming laptops. Dells G-series laptops are great options for budget gamers. They offer excellent gaming performance equal to a comparably equipped Alienware laptop but at a much lower price point. They also have better build quality than Dell's Inspiron lineup, with nicer materials that include anodized aluminum, and an aggressive cooling design borrowed from Alienware laptops.

Not all laptop GPUs are the same, even if they share the same name.

There are two important tidbits that deserve mention concerning graphics cards found in laptops. First, mobile GPU variants are not as powerful as their desktop counterparts. For example, a mobile RTX 4060 doesn't perform as well as a desktop RTX 4060. The mobile versions are generally about one to two tiers lower in performance. Using the same example, the mobile RTX 4060 performs more similarly to a desktop RTX 4050.

Second, not all laptops feature the same performance out of the same GPU. For example, the RTX 4060 found in the Alienware m16 will be more powerful than the RTX 4060 found in the Alienware x14. In order to roughly tell how good a GPU will be, you can look at the TGP rating. That's basically the amount of power supplied to the GPU. A higher TGP rating means more power will be delivered, equating to stronger performance, however the wattage consumption and heat generated will be higher. Here are the maximum TGP rates for the RTX 40 series graphics cards:

  • Mobile RTX 4050: 115W
  • Mobile RTX 4060: 115W
  • Mobile RTX 4070: 115W
  • Mobile RTX 4080: 150W
  • Mobile RTX 4090: 150W

Dell just dropped the price of one of its best gaming monitors to the lowest price ever, better than even Black Friday or Cyber Monday. Right now you can pick up an Alienware AW3423DWF 34" QD-OLED gaming monitor for only $552.49 after 15% off coupon code "MONITORS15". This is one of Alienware's highest end monitors, with a gorgeous QD OLED panel, WQHD resolution, and a respectable 165Hz refresh rate.

Why Pick a Dell or Alienware Gaming PC?

If you're in the market for a prebuilt gaming PC, Dell is one of best gaming brands we'd recommend. The Alienware gaming desktops offer a staggering array of options, all built into a custom chassis. Alienware gaming laptops in recent years have been redesigned to be thinner and lighter while still offering the same immense power under the hood. Consistent build quality, available inventory, frequent sales, and solid customer service are the main reasons why Dell is at the top of our buying list for gaming laptops and PCs.

Some other resources you might be interested in:

Eric Song is the IGN commerce manager in charge of finding the best gaming and tech deals every day. When Eric isn't hunting for deals for other people at work, he's hunting for deals for himself during his free time.

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WWE 2K25 Review

Few sports feel more primed for the whole “being a video game” thing than professional wrestling, but it’s also kind of a weird pairing when you stop to think about it: While undoubtedly a feat of athleticism, the WWE is more akin to an elaborately choreographed fight sequence in a movie than it is an actual competition, whereas the goal of the games based on it is to fight to win. But inherent contradictions aside, I can confidently say — thanks to its much-improved Showcase and MyRise modes, several smart additions like intergender matches, “they’re always good” modes like WWE Universe and MyGM, and generally great game feel — that WWE 2K25 is pretty grand. There is a new guy on the undercard called The Island, and he sucks, which kinda drags the whole thing down a little — but not enough to get me to stop watching.

Even though I’ve been playing wrestling games since the N64 days, my first stop in an annualized series like this is usually the tutorial because, unless things have gone very wrong, something is always a little different (this year, for instance, sees the long-requested return of Chain Wrestling). WWE games have had a good introduction for a while now, especially compared to other sports game franchises. (Hi, Madden! Your skills trainer is great, but it needs to be about three times its current size!). WWE 2K25 has an incredibly detailed tutorial that will walk you through everything you need to be a champ in the ring, with in-depth explanations of what moves do and how to execute them. The Performance Center is a great teaching tool whether you need a quick refresher or you’re learning to do an Irish Whip for the first time. This may seem like an odd thing to spill ink over, but every version of a game is someone’s first – or maybe their first in a while – and I’m glad developer Visual Concepts seems to remember those people.

Once I’d refreshed my memory, I spent a while just looking around. WWE 2K25’s got an absolutely stacked roster, whether you’re here for classics like Bret “Hit Man” Hart, wrestlers-turned-movie-stars like Dave Bautista and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, megastars like “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, or weirdos like Doink the Clown. I also appreciate that there are several versions of the same dudes from across their history in the WWE. Why yes, WWE 2K25, I do need a handful of Triple Hs, each with their own different stats, thank you! Did you know that, compared to the modern version of The Rock, the 1997 version is kind of a bum? Me neither, but that’s what the stats say! Remember what Rhea Ripley’s visual style was in 2020? Or 2017? When was the last time you thought about “Ravishing” Rick Rude? This granularity is great, and what’s better is you can edit just about every aspect of these wrestlers, from how the crowd reacts to them to tweaking individual stats and changing out moves if you don’t like Visual Concepts’ take on them. The ability to tweak individual wrestlers is not new, but as this roster gets bigger, it’s good to be reminded of how impressive all of it is.

WWE 2K25 has got an absolutely stacked roster.

That goes for the in-ring action, too. WWE 2K25 doesn’t deviate much from WWE 2K24, which is one of those “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” deals, but it does include the welcome return of Chain Wrestling. This is a minigame that mostly takes place early in the match, where you advance through (or fight to get out of) a series of increasingly impressive holds and maneuvers before landing a signature move or finisher to wrap things up. The system can be confusing initially as you have to move the analog stick around a circle to find a sweet spot before your opponent does, but once you learn it, it’s a neat addition that replicates some very cool, complex moments in pro wrestling. If anything, the only bummer here is that it’s generally relegated to the beginning of a match and extremely situational at any other time.

I’ve also really enjoyed the new match types. Intergender matches aren’t functionally different than any other kind of match beyond “you may have a dude and a lady in the ring at the same time,” but it’s cool that you can do that now – and I, for one, enjoyed having Rhea Ripley fight Kevin Nash. I can say similar things for the Underground matches, which are more like a traditional fighting game (there are no ropes on the ring, and you win by either KOing someone or depleting all their health), and the more chaotic Bloodline Rules bouts. These additions are fun in and of themselves, and match/mode variety can make or break a game like this, so more is good.

Speaking of good, let’s talk about this year’s Showcase mode, which follows the Bloodline and the Anoa’i, Fatu, and Maivia families. Paul “The Wiseman” Heyman hosts the thing this year, and he’s clearly having a very good time chewing the scenery and providing the backstory that explains who the players are and why these matches are significant. There’s a lot of archival footage here, as in years past, though the problem of awkwardly blurring out some folks’ faces (maybe due to rights issues?) persists.

Regardless, Showcase feels better than last year’s version, partially because we’ve got full ring entrances and the mid-match commentary is really excellent for every fight. A fun twist this time around is that you’re sometimes asked to change the outcomes of matches that members of these families lost in the real WWE storyline or create new “what if?” matches entirely. There are also no longer any cuts to match footage that interrupt your gameplay – big moments are instead recreated in-game, which means they play out more organically, even if you’re not following the checklist (though there’s something to be said for showing what happened through archival footage). That said, it’s a net positive overall, and I had a blast doing things like beating the ever-loving snot out of Hulk Hogan with Yokozuna or pitting “High Chief” Peter Maivia against George “The Animal” Steele in a steel cage match.

Showcase feels better than last year’s version.

The optional in-match objectives, especially timed ones, can be irritating. Yeah, I get that in the real match, X wrestler might’ve done Y thing so many times in Z seconds, but recreating that in-game means hoping that the computer doesn’t pull a reversal or we don’t get caught in the “you hit me and then I hit you and then you hit me until one of us screws up” mini-game. At that point, you’re better off restarting the match. It’s still worth doing these optional objectives because of the rewards like new wrestlers and arenas, but man, some matches are easier than others in ways you’ll feel.

The other problem with this year’s Showcase is how much of it boils down to “the Bloodline is great because they win all the time, but if they didn’t win, we have to correct that injustice because of how great they are.” That’s fine, but it’s thematically inconsistent in a weird way. Great wrestlers lose all the time and that doesn’t make them less great. I don’t know what the answer to this is since nobody likes playing a game where you’re forced to lose, but I think I would have rather had more real matches with real outcomes.

The other standout mode is MyRise, where your customized character (WWE 2K25 still has one of the best character creators in the world) battles an infiltration by NXT Superstars who are trying to take over the WWE and be the last brand standing. In my run, my “bold and brash” technical wrestler teamed up with his “comedic and fun” ex-girlfriend to fight back against the invasion. The voice acting is… questionable in MyRise, but the scenarios are goofy fun that alternate between “this is a business that combines soap operas and combat sports and we’re going to approach it like that” and “this is serious business” with alarming frequency. But it’s fun to make decisions that change the flow of what happens and it’s cool that you can re-import your characters to start again fresh and make different choices.

The MyGM and Universe modes also return, and they’re largely unchanged from last year, but there’s a couple of nice additions: MyGM is online now, which is great for those who wanna compete against their friends to book the best shows, and Universe finally gets the long-awaited return of promos. I prefer to run with a single wrestler (I have already made Randy Orton the WWE Undisputed Champion, because RKOing people even more fun when you have a big belt that says “look at me, I’m great”), so Universe is more my bag, but if you’re looking to book matches across the WWE, you can’t really go wrong with either option.

MyFaction is also back, and… look, man, it’s a card game, okay? You’ve seen this a million times before. You collect wrestlers and do challenges or take your faction online and compete against other players so you can get new cards and watch the shiny pack-opening animations designed to make your brain produce dopamine and…. Jesus Christ, I’m tired just describing it, please end my misery. It’s Ultimate Team but wrestling, and it’s designed to separate you from your hard-earned cash. The challenges can be fun, and I imagine if you’re really into this kind of thing you’ll enjoy WWE 2K25’s version of it, but I’m not, and the more I play modes like these, the dirtier I feel.

But wait, it gets worse! When I say that MyFaction makes me feel sparkling clean compared to when I played The Island… yeah, that should tell you something. There’s a cool idea here somewhere — WWE God-King Roman Reigns invites you to come to an island and compete for a WWE contract by earning his favor, because apparently That’s a Thing That Happens — but the actual execution made me want to walk straight into the sea. This is really, really bad, folks. Like NBA 2K25’s The City, The Island is a big, open PvPvE space, but it’s mostly quiet, empty, and boring, filled with single-player challenges that are book-ended by static JPGs and text-boxes that get old fast. Meanwhile, the multiplayer in this mode exists to do one thing: Part people from their money, particularly whales who will spend inordinate amounts to make their customized wrestlers beasts off the bat. If you don’t do that, well… you’re gonna have a bad time. I didn’t want to spend long here, as it feels like it exists solely for 2K’s shareholders. It also makes me worry WWE 2K as a series might incorporate more of this in the future at the expense of everything else that makes these games great (hi, Ultimate Team!) as publishers continue to nakedly chase the almighty dollar.

But even The Island, as terrible and money-grubbing as it is, wasn't enough to ruin my fun with WWE 2K25 because everything else about it is great. Visual Concepts deserves their flowers for proving that an annual sports (sports entertainment?) game can feel excellent to play and look good year over year. The WWE series has always been a looker, but this iteration has managed to make things noticeably prettier than ever. Bruises, blood, and sweat are more realistic, and you can tell how long a match has been going, who is winning, and where the guys in the ring are taking the most punishment at a glance. It’s really impressive.

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Silent Hill Transmission March 2025: Everything Announced and Revealed for Silent Hill f

Konami's latest Silent Hill Transmission has arrived and it was focused completely on Silent Hill f, the upcoming entry in the beloved horror franchise that will take players to 1960s Japan.

Silent Hill f was was first announced in 2022 and was described as a game that looks to take place in a "beautiful, therefore terrifying” world. It was also confirmed Silent Hill f was being written by Ryukisshi07, the acclaimed Japanese visual novel writer behind the Higurashi and Umineko series.

After almost three years, we are finally learning a lot more about Silent Hill f, and you can read all about it below.

Silent Hill f Aims to 'Find the Beauty in Terror' and Present Players With a Beautiful Yet Terrifying Choice in 1960s Japan

Konami shared a brand-new trailer for Silent Hill f and a ton of new details, including that it will aim to "find the beauty in terror" and present players with a beautiful yet terrifying choice in 1960s Japan.

The team wasn't ready to spoil what the decision would be, but it did unveil a bit of the story, and we'll leave it to Konami to set the stage;

"Shimizu Hinkao was living her life as an ordinary teenager," the official description reads. "That is, until her town is suddenly shrouded in fog and begins to change in a horrific way. Now, she must explore a town she no longer recognizes while solving puzzles, fighting strange enemies, and doing everything she can to survive... in order to face the ultimate decision that she must make. This is a tale about a beautiful yet terrifying choice."

This new game will be an original story that will be a great place for new players to jump in, but there will be certain Easter Eggs waiting for series veterans. Konami also discussed a few more details on the game, including that it will take place in the fictional Japanese town of Ebisugaoka - which is based on a real place called Kanayama, Gero, in the Gifu Prefecture.

Next, creature & character designer kera presented a message that should excite fans, as it teases what horrors await them in Silent Hill f.

"I love the Silent Hill series, and it's been a big influence on me," Kera said. "In particular, I am constantly remembering Silent Hill 2, and the messages on the walls, the music, and the monster designs. So, when it came to Silent Hill f, and bringing the setting to Japan, we had to come up with something that felt just a little different, and I had to really think about how to get that feeling.

"The monster designs were the hardest. I had to consider everything that's come in Silent Hill before, and figure out how to take this game in a different direction, but still be Silent Hill. It might not be the exact same blood-smeared, rusting scenery, but I sincerely hope you'll enjoy our vision and the world we've created."

Music will also be a very important part of Silent Hill f, and the team is bringing together long-time Silent Hill composer Akira Yamaoka and Kensuke Inage (Dynasty Warriors series and more) to create music for both the Fog World and Otherworld, respectively.

"I have composed music for an unsettling yet beautiful world that uses imagery from shrines, blending ancient Japanese court music with ambient echoes," Inage said. "I wove in various techniques that will connect the player to the protragonist's agony, internal conflict, fear, and other emotions."

While we didn't get a release date, it was confirmed that Silent Hill f will be released on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.

Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Adam Bankhurst is a writer for IGN. You can follow him on X/Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on TikTok.

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Save Thousands off LG's Top End 83" Gallery Series 4K OLED Smart TV at Walmart and Amazon

I don't post very many deals on LG's Gallery Series OLED TVs because they're usually obnoxiously expensive. Today's deal isn't exactly "cheap", but it's one of the best deals I've seen for one of the nicest TVs you can get. For a very limited time, Walmart and Amazon are offering the 83" LG Evo G3 Gallery Series 4K OLED Smart TV for under $2,700 with free delivery. To emphasize just how good of a deal this is, the 2024 83" LG G4 TV currently sells for a whopping $5,300. The Gallery Series TVs are LG's highest end OLED TVs and perhaps the best OLED TVs, period.

83" LG G3 Gallery Series 4K OLED Smart TV for $2,634.21

The G3 launched in 2023, so it's one generation behind the latest model (no "G5" TV has been released) yet) but it's still better than any other TV in LG's inventory - OLED or otherwise - with the sole exception of the 2024 G4 that succeeds it. The LG G-series OLED is better than the C-series. Although they both feature an "Evo" panel that's brighter than traditional W-OLED TVs, the G-series goes one step further by incorporating MLA (micro lens array) technology, which increases brightness. This significantly adds to the cost of the TV, but it brings image quality up to the same level as or even better than Samsung's quantum dot OLED TVs.

Generally speaking, OLED TVs are considered the best TVs you can buy right now. Compared to traditional LED LCD TVs, they offer better image quality, deeper blacks, better contrast ratio, wider color gamut, and super fast response times. Because of these advantages, the OLED TV are easily the best type of TV for viewing 4K HDR content in all of its intended glory. LG OLED TVs particular have been out for years and benefit from several generations of optimizations.

We picked the LG G-series TV as our favorite TV for gaming. It has all the features you'd want in a current generation gaming TV, including a native 120Hz panel and four HDMI 2.1 ports that can run games in 4K at 120Hz on a PS5 or Xbox Series X console. It supports variable refresh rate (VRR) and auto low latency mode (ALLM).

One note to keep in mind is that none of the LG G-series TVs include a stand. They are meant to be mounted on the wall like an art installation (hence the "Gallery" monikor). Instead, a flush mount wall bracket is included.

Looking for more options? Check out all of the best TVs of 2025.

Eric Song is the IGN commerce manager in charge of finding the best gaming and tech deals every day. When Eric isn't hunting for deals for other people at work, he's hunting for deals for himself during his free time.

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The Best Battery Cases for Smartphones in 2025

The best portable chargers are an effective way to extend the battery of your smartphone or other devices. Unfortunately, many of these bricks can get a bit clunky. A battery case provides a sleeker solution tailored to your phone, and you’ll get to skip the cable management that often comes with traditional power banks.

TL;DR – The Best Smartphone Battery Cases:

Battery cases must be able to add extra juice to your phone and provide damage protection. You’ll also want something that doesn’t interfere with your phone's features, like NFC or ports, nor add too much bulk. Wireless charging and quick charging make battery cases even more convenient. However, there are some duds out there that either make your phone a little too chunky or fail to deliver a reliable charge. To help you in this search, we've rounded up five battery cases for the top phones on the market.

1. Mophie Juice Pack Battery Case

Best iPhone 16 Pro Battery Case

The iPhone 16 Pro’s 3,582mAh battery shouldn’t have a problem lasting throughout the day with moderate usage but when taking pictures, doom scrolling, or gaming, its juice depletes much quicker. The Mophie Juice Pack Battery Case for iPhone 16 Pro will keep the phone lasting even longer thanks to the 2,800mAh battery it’s packing. The case simply slots onto the phone and into the USB-C port. An indicator light is on board to let you know the battery levels and stand-by mode will stop the battery from topping off your device.

Admittedly, the Juice Pack doesn’t offer as much extra battery life as some of our other picks. Still, the 50% battery boost to the iPhone 16 Pro makes a major difference while allowing the case to still be surprisingly compact, adding minimal bulk and weighing about 3.5oz. The phone with the case attached is still easy to handle and slips right into a back pocket or bag, making it one of the best iPhone accessories you can grab.

This case provides excellent protection for the iPhone too, as it’s rated for falls up to 6ft. Thus, you can avoid the minor heart attack that occurs every time the device slips from your grip. Raised edges also help prevent scratches and cracks to the screen and camera. Mophie includes an integrated passive magnet to attach the iPhone to various accessories, but it doesn’t support wireless charging.

2. ZeroLemon Battery Case

Best iPhone 16 Pro Max Battery Case

Given the absolute behemoth 4,685mAh battery, you might not think the iPhone 16 Pro Max needs extra juice. But there’s a case to be made if you want to go wild in Cinematic Mode or game in Apple Arcade without worrying about it conking out. ZeroLemon’s battery case gives you peace of mind thanks to its two 5,000mAh batteries that add about 1.5 extra charges to your phone. LED indicator lights on the case even let you know the charging status and battery levels.

ZeroLemon’s case is built tough, coming with military-grade protection and shockproofing to protect your phone from damage. Keeping your phone safe and the extra 10,000mAh of juice makes this option significantly bulkier than other cases, so it’s best for someone with larger hands. When you plug in your device to the case via USB-C, speedy 18W fast charging will get your phone from 0% to 100% in about two hours. Unfortunately, there isn’t support for data passing through or wired headsets via the USB-C when the case is attached.

3. Mophie Juice Pack Wireless

Best iPhone SE Battery Case

The iPhone SE (2022) is a mighty little budget smartphone, especially considering its stellar performance while running on the latest version of iOS for such a low price. However, its 2,018mAh battery will struggle to make it through an entire day if you plan to use the phone intensively. A solution? The Mophie Juice Pack Wireless delivers a full charge to your phone, keeping you away from power outlets for longer.

In addition to extending the daily usage of your phone, this Mophie case potentially expands its lifetime by wrapping it in a slim, protective shell that doesn’t add too much bulk. Short-circuit, over-charge, and temperature protection keep your device safe. And when you need to top the case back up, you can just set it on a wireless charger and your phone will get juiced up too. Passthrough technology also lets you connect a lightning cable or headphones, so you’ll never need to remove the case.

4. Newdery Battery Case

Best Samsung Galaxy S25 Case

The Samsung Galaxy S25 has a surprisingly high-capacity 4,000mAh battery for such a compact Android phone. But when you use it all day, the juice will deplete quicker than you think. That’s where the Newdery Battery Case steps in to be a potential gamechanger. You’ll get an extra 8,000mAh of juice –almost two full charges from this battery case – ensuring you never run out of battery when using the phone’s more taxing features, like the cameras or gaming capability, without adding too much extra bulk.

The Newdery Battery Case slides onto your Galaxy S25 and plugs into the USB-C port to deliver juice. Even with the case attached, the USB-C port still offers NFC and data transfer. If you’ve got a wireless charger, you can charge up the case and phone that way, but fast charging via the USB-C means you can get back to 100% quicker. Of course, beyond charging your phone, the TPU and PC materials used in this case add a healthy dose of protection against potential damage.

This case is also available in the Galaxy S25 Plus and Galaxy S25 Ultra models.

5. Mophie Juice Pack Connect

Best Battery Case for Any Phone

Having a battery case is great, but once you upgrade your phone, that case will likely be rendered useless. The Mophie Juice Pack Connect is a battery solution that works for your current phone and probably your next one as well. This battery option isn't exactly a case, as it doesn't cover your phone, but it does attach a battery to it.

With the Juice Pack Connect, you'll stick a small anchor point to your phone or phone case and then you can slip on the 5,000mAh battery pack whenever you need it. The battery itself uses Qi wireless charging, so it supports a variety of smartphones and can recharge wirelessly. It even comes with a stand to prop up your phone when watching clips or reviewing documents.

How to Choose the Best Battery Case

You might think picking the right battery case for your phone is just a matter of finding an option with the biggest capacity. That's a surefire way of buying something too big to fit in your pocket. Choosing an ideal charging case comes down to hitting the right balance between battery capacity, size, and price.

If you're looking for a battery case to just throw in your bag when you need it, you might as well grab a portable charger. There's no point in buying something molded to fit your phone if you're never going to use it with the charging case, which leaves space that otherwise could have been used for more energy cells. With that in mind, you need to find a battery case that'll actually fit into your pocket or bag without adding too much weight or bulk while adding protection to your phone.

Another problem with choosing the highest capacity battery is that it's often its only feature. Most of the highest capacity battery cases we've seen sacrifice quick charging and Qi charging capabilities for storing more energy. That latter feature is important if you like to keep the charging chase on your phone at all times. It’s also especially handy for wirelessly charging your phone and battery case simultaneously.

Battery Case FAQ

Are battery cases safe for your phone?

Yes, a battery case shouldn’t damage your phone’s battery, as long as it’s used properly. Your phone takes power directly from the battery case, and after the case is drained, it’ll start using the phone’s battery. Smartphones also come with the ability to monitor your battery as it charges, preventing overloading. The only major issue you could run into is overheating if the case doesn’t offer proper ventilation.

Should you drain your battery case before charging?

No, it isn’t necessary to drain the lithium-based batteries found in battery cases. If you let your battery fully drain completely, it may even damage it, reducing the capacity over time.

Mark Knapp is a contributing freelancer for IGN covering everything electronics and gaming hardware. He has over 10 years of experience in the tech industry with bylines at PCMag, Reviewed, CNET, and more. Find Mark on Twitter @Techn0Mark or BlueSky at @Techn0Mark.

Danielle is a Tech freelance writer based in Los Angeles who spends her free time creating videos and geeking out over music history.

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Jeff and Annie Strain Sue NetEase for $900 Million, Alleging It Erroneously Told Investors They Committed Fraud

Jeff Strain, co-founder of ArenaNet and co-creator of State of Decay, along with his wife Annie Strain, are suing Marvel Rivals creator NetEase for $900 million, alleging that NetEase caused the devaluing and ultimate closure of their studio by spreading rumors among investors that the Strains had committed fraud with their most recent venture, Prytania Media Group.

In a case filed in January in the civil district court for the parish of Orleans in Louisiana and since moved to federal court, the amended complaint seen by IGN opens with a hefty accusation: "This case is about the destruction of the careers of two gaming industry veterans and their company by a Chinese entity seeking to avoid compliance with United States law."

The story told by the Strains in the complaint is a complex one that does not fully fill in the many questions left last year when Prytania Media's subsidiaries unexpectedly shut down, one by one. Per their account, NetEase invested early in one of Prytania's subsidiaries, Crop Circle Games, taking a 25% share and seating Han Chenglin on the company board, with Jeff and Annie Strain taking the other two positions.

At first, they say, the relationship was a positive one. However over time, they say that NetEase leaders and representatives began to express concern about compliance with U.S. laws regarding foreign investment, including in at least one email asking the Strains to keep their investment "low profile" so as to avoid having to comply with rules laid out by The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS). The complaint says they were asked to open branches in Canada or Ireland in order to make it easier for NetEase to invest.

A significant portion of the complaint endeavors to outline NetEase's alleged ties to the Chinese Community Party, suggesting NetEase wanted to keep those connections confidential from the United States government, and citing both Tencent's declaration as a "Chinese military company" by the U.S. government earlier this year, and reports that NetEase CEO Ding Lei allegedly used the threat of CCP retaliation against Activision Blizzard back in 2023 in its dealings with the company over licensing.

The pair also claim they were told that Lei was in the process of immigrating to the United States into a $29 million Bel-Air mansion sold to him by Elon Musk in 2020. They say that Lei expressed concern that his immigration would be threatened if NetEase's investments were publicized.

The Strains say that they continued to ask questions and push the company about regulatory compliance, and over time their relationship with NetEase began to break down. It also seems that the company began to have money troubles at some point during this period, because in early February of 2024, Crop Circle Games laid off some of its staff and furloughed others, and IGN understood at the time from sources close to the studio that internally there was significant confusion, fear, and later anger internally at how the situation was handled.

In the Strains' complaint, they say that on February 22, Jeff Strain received a text from a managing director of one of the venture firms that invested in Prytania saying that Crop Circle Games was being accused of fraud and misuse of funds. The Strains claim they traced the rumors back to its source, saying that the director claimed he had heard this from NetEase. In a board meeting in March, Han Chenglin admitted that he told his coworkers "I'm really surprised that the company is running out of runway so quickly," and suggested this was where the rumor had come from.

The Strains allege that following this incident, other investors began to pull funding from Prytania, and the company could not find any new investors to work with. According to the complaint, in the ensuing weeks and months Prytania Media and all its subsidiaries came to be "worth nearly nothing," having once been estimated to be worth $344 million. Prytania shuttered Crop Circle Games entirely at the end of March last year.

Then, in April, Annie Strain published a lengthy letter on the company website in which she blamed the recent industry economic downturn and inability to find funding for the company's struggles. She also repeatedly mentioned an alleged article being written by Kotaku reporter Ethan Gach that she claimed would have outed her own personal health struggles without consulting her. The letter was taken down not long after, and Kotaku never published the article in question. However, Prytania subsidiary Possibility Space shuttered a week later, with Jeff Strain blaming employees leaking information to the press for the closure. Neither NetEase, nor allegations of fraud were mentioned at this time.

Jeff Strain, Annie Strain, and Prytania Media are suing NetEase for defamation, unfair trade practices, tortious interference with business relations, and negligence. They are seeking damages in excess of $900 million, triple their company's prior valuation.

NetEase shared the following statement with Polygon in response to the suit:

The allegations by Prytania Media and its founders Annie and Jeff Strain are wholly without merit, and we emphatically deny and will vigorously defend ourselves against them. Our record as a global gaming company speaks for itself, and we remain committed to conducting business with integrity. We are confident that the legal process will vindicate our position and shed light on the real reasons behind the demise of the Strains’ studios.

Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. You can find her posting on BlueSky @duckvalentine.bsky.social. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.

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Invincible Season 3 Episode 8 Review – “I Thought You’d Never Shut Up”

This review contains spoilers for season 3, episode 8 of Invincible, “I Thought You’d Never Shut Up.”

After “What Have I Done” ended on a high – promising action hand-in-hand with vital advancement for the characters – the season 3 finale “I Thought You’d Never Shut Up” drops the ball. Narratively scattered and thematically incoherent, it’s the first bad episode Invincible has ever had, one that draws on familiar sights and stories from the show and other superhero media, but presents them with little to nothing beneath the surface.

The arrival of the elderly, one-armed Viltrumite warrior Conquest, at a time when Mark is caught once again between killing or not, sets the stage for a moral dilemma that never arrives, but whose conclusion is presented as though it were agonized over for 40 minutes. Instead, we’re treated to a finale centered entirely around Conquest, who’s better suited to playing a transitional bad guy, rather than the final boss of such an emotionally loaded season. Not only have we never seen Conquest prior to last week’s closing moments, he’s also devoid of any real ideology. Claiming to love only death and destruction makes him a useful foil to Mark, but as an exclamation point on season 3, he’s a giant shoulder shrug with little connection to anything meaningful within Invincible.

Conquest’s antics force Mark to put civilians in danger once again, a development our hero doesn’t even acknowledge, despite it being such a potent part of his recent arc. “I Thought You’d Never Shut Up” ignores any left over angst from the Powerplex saga despite reenacting the supervillain’s origin story: A Viltrumite big bad using Mark as a battering ram to slaughter innocent bystanders. But Conquest ending season 3 the way Nolan ended season 1 lacks weight. Rather than Mark feeling each death, the people are merely collateral damage, and the guy forcing Mark to kill them isn’t someone he knows. It’s Invincible doing an encore of one of its greatest hits, but in completely uninteresting fashion, making it damn near impossible to invest in the climax of this uneven season.

Oliver veers in and out of the final battle, and Eve arrives as well the moment she wakes up from her coma. That they’re both at risk of being killed at least lends some stakes to the fight, but when Eve is gravely injured (she has her jaw broken and her insides strewn about), it’s hard to get on board with the idea that she might actually die – the GDA possesses near-magical technology capable of healing any injury, after all. But even before we’re faced with this reality, the air is let out of “I Thought You’d Never Shut Up” when Eve heals herself thanks to a power-up rooted in actual magic, pretty much out of the blue.

Mark wailing away on Conquest is, therefore, a purely physical act with no emotion behind it. The Viltrumite is a complete stranger, and giving him lengthy monologues this late into the season (and so soon after his arrival) feels entirely pointless, as though Invincible were straining to grant him some semblance of heft or relevance. The results are dull, and they ensure that the edges of the episode’s violence are all sanded down. While the question of Sinclair’s work for the GDA (which now extends to Invincible cyborgs) looms, it exists only as a hint for later seasons, rather than something that matters in the moment.

Similarly, when the finale wraps up, it points towards vague, oncoming developments for numerous side characters like Battlebeast and the demon detective Damien Darkblood, though there’s still no sign of the all-important, absent-for-several-weeks Nolan. When “I Thought You’d Never Shut Up” is near its end, we finally learn that Rex actually did, in fact, die – it’s hard to tell who’s dead for real, given the sudden resurrections of late. But before anyone (let alone his girlfriend, Rae) really has time to grieve, the focus shifts back to Mark and Eve’s relationship. Mark claims to have been deeply affected when he believed Eve was dead, but since this lasted for only a handful of minutes, and because this is the last we’ll see of Invincible until season 4, we’re left to wonder what impact it’ll actually have on him, and on their dynamic. Things wrap up neatly for Debbie, who’s happy to have her kids back, and the finale features a few ominous hints of how far Cecil is willing to go. But for the most part, “I Thought You’d Never Shut Up” leaves Invincible in stasis, with little resolution, and only nominal, minor developments toward what comes next.

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Are You Willing to Pay for a Streaming Service With Ads?

One of the earliest appealing factors of streaming services when they first became popular was convenience. You could binge all of your favorite shows all at once and not get interrupted by commercial breaks like you would watching linear TV. But as more and more companies have moved over to a streaming model, ads have made their way into streaming. If you want an ad-free experience now, you need to pay for the "premium" service.

Obviously it isn't ideal to have to pay more just to keep the streamlined experience you had before. But where do you draw the line? Are you willing to pay more for the ad-free experience of your go-to streaming service, or do you just ignore and mute the commercial breaks to keep your streaming bill down?

I've always been willing to pay more for the ad-free experience, but the first time I broke from that was when Amazon Prime started to include ads. My Amazon Prime subscription is something I mostly use for shopping and Prime Video always felt like a bonus add-on. So when the option came to pay more to avoid ads, I chose to just ignore the ads. For a streaming service like Hulu or Netflix where I am specifically paying to be able to watch things, I will most likely cancel before I ever downgrade to the ad-filled experience – especially when there are so many free streaming sites that don't cost me anything.

What Do You Think?

Where do you stand on ads in streaming? With prices constantly going up across services, are you willing to stomach some commercials to continue your subscription? There is currently a Disney+ promotion going on right now that bundles a subscription with Hulu for $2.99 a month for the first four months, but is that a low enough price to even consider dealing with ads? Let us know what you think in the comments below!

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Best GPU 2025: Pick the Best Graphics Card for Your Gaming PC

When you’re setting out to build or upgrade your gaming PC, the best graphics cards are often the first thing that comes to mind. There’s a simple reason for that: When it comes to PC games, GPUs are the most impactful component in determining your rig's raw frame rates. Quite simply, most of the time, a better graphics card directly results in better performance – at least up to a point. With Nvidia's RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 cards out now (though it's nearly impossible to actually get one), here are the best graphics cards on the market.

TL;DR: These Are the Best Graphics Cards:

These days, GPUs have legitimately become a luxury good. With graphics cards like the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 costing upwards of $1,999, you can expect to pay top dollar for top performance. Prices are still way higher than they were when the GTX 970 blew my mind in 2014 – even when adjusted for inflation. However, if you temper your expectations, you can still get a solid gaming experience for a fraction of that price, especially if you're okay with gaming at 1440p or 1080p.

I’ve been reviewing graphics cards for the last four generations, and I’ve personally benchmarked, built with, and played games using every GPU on this list. However, if none of these strike your fancy, feel free to comment below what kind of gaming experience you’re looking for, and I’d be happy to help you find the perfect card for your build.

What to Look for in a Graphics Card

While it would be easy to just tell you to get the most powerful graphics card on the market for the best gaming experience, the truth is that picking a GPU is something you need to put a bit more thought into. not all graphics cards are created equal, you see, and everyone is going to need something a little different out of their PCI-E brick.

The resolution you play games at is going to be the first thing you want to figure out. Whether you already have a gaming monitor you love or you're looking to build up an entire gaming battlestation, decide on your resolution first. This is because a graphics card that's great at 4K isn't exactly going to translate to an amazing 1080p graphics card. Just take a look at the Nvidia RTX 5090. While the new flagship flies at 4K, it can actually be slower than much cheaper graphics cards at 1080p, due to CPU bottlenecking. Instead, if you're playing at 1080p, something like the Intel Arc B580 is going to be a much better fit. You're still going to get solid gaming performance, but at a much lower price, which you can use to, well, buy more games. Likewise, 1440p gamers are probably best off buying something like the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT or the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 Super.

Budget is also a huge concern, and graphics cards are only getting more expensive these days. It would be awesome if everyone could afford an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090, but that's just not the world we live in. These days, the floor sits around $200-$250. For that price you can get a solid 1080p graphics card, without having to go back to a previous generation. If you have a bit more cash, something like the Nvidia RTX 4060 will unlock all of Nvidia's exclusive bells and whistles – though they're much less important on a lower-end GPU.

If you really want to go all-out, you can get an amazing graphics card for around $1,000. Both the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX and Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080 will provide an awesome 4K gaming experience, and the one you choose should ultimately depend on how much you care about ray tracing. For most people that just want raw gaming performance, the Radeon RX 9070 XT is probably going to be a better option, but you're going to want to wait a minute for AMD's next-generation offering. I don't know how well the Radeon RX 9070 XT is going to perform until I benchmark it, but it should prove to be great for 4K gaming, especially with the upcoming FSR 4.

Luckily, it looks like this generation of graphics cards is going to make 4K gaming much more accessible. When I reviewed the Nvidia RTX 5070 Ti, I found that it had no problem breaking 60 fps in even demanding games like Black Myth Wukong. However, more expensive and powerful cards like the RTX 5080 and 5090 are going to give you more breathing room for future PC games.

With more expensive graphics cards, however, power is going to be a big concern. You're going to want to make sure you check which power supply you have, and check it against the power requirements for the graphics card you're looking at. Something like the Intel Arc B580 can get away with a 450W PSU, but you're going to want to make sure you have something much more powerful for the Radeon RX 7800 XT, for instance. You don't need to go overboard and fork over the cash for a power supply that offers twice the recommended power, just make sure you have enough juice to keep your GPU going.

1. AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT

The Best Graphics Card for Most People

For the last few years, high-end graphics cards have been getting more expensive than ever before. In just a few generations, the top-end Nvidia graphics card went from being $699 for the GTX 1080 Ti to $1,999 for the RTX 5090, far outpacing inflation. And while the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT isn't quite the most powerful graphics card on the market right now, it still provides an excellent 4K gaming experience at a much lower price than the RTX 5070 Ti it directly competes with.

In my testing, I found that the $599 RX 9070 XT often beats the $749 RTX 5070 Ti, sometimes by double digits. Even in games like Cyberpunk 2077, the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT has no problem maintaining 71 fps at 4K with the Ray Tracing Ultra preset, only trailing the RTX 5070 Ti by 4 fps. That's a marginal difference and only goes to show that while AMD graphics cards still trail behind Nvidia GPUs in ray tracing, they've come a long way since the RX 6000 generation introduced RT to Team Red a few years ago.

This new generation of AMD GPUs also brings an improvement I've been begging AMD for – AI upscaling via FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR) 4. This new upscaler doesn't necessarily provide better performance than FSR 3, which is based on a traditional temporal upscaler, but it does provide much better image quality, especially in scenes with fine detail that can get muddied up by less elegant upscaling solutions.

The only downside is that because AMD isn't its own version of this graphics card, the market is completely made up of third-party cards that could see much more volatile pricing. However, if you can get a Radeon RX 9070 XT at or around its MSRP, it's easily the best graphics card out there for most people.

2. Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 Ti

The Best Mainstream Graphics Card If You Want to Spend a Bit More

The Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 Ti is a lesson in pricing. At its suggested price of $749, it is one of the best bang-for-your-buck graphics cards of this entire generation. However, with the graphics card just having launched recently, it remains to be seen how available it will be at that suggested price. It is distinctly possible that the only RTX 5070 Ti graphics cards that are available will cost much more than the suggested price, which will make it much harder to recommend.

If you can find the RTX 5070 Ti at $749, or even up to $800, it is one of the best 4K graphics cards for most people. When I reviewed the 5070 Ti, I found that it stayed within reaching distance of the RTX 5080, consistently sitting just 13-15% behind it, while having a 33% lower asking price. It's not hard to see why it's the best value high-end graphics card of this generation, so far at least.

The elephant in the room, however, is Blackwell's tepid generation-on-generation improvement over the RTX 4000 graphics cards. The Nvidia RTX 5070 Ti has the best generational gain out of any of the RTX 5000 cards, and its still limited to being just 11% faster than the RTX 4070 Super and 21% faster than the original RTX 4070. That's not a huge jump, but its still a bigger improvement than the RTX 5080, which is just 15% faster than the RTX 4080 in the same test suite.

3. Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090

The Best Nvidia Graphics Card

There's no way around it, the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 is the most powerful graphics card on the market right now. Full stop. While it doesn't mark the same kind of generational growth that the RTX 4090 or even the RTX 3090 did, there's no getting around the fact that it provides the best gaming performance you can get right now – especially when you take DLSS multi-frame generation into account.

Not only is the RTX 5090 bigger than the 4090, now coming with 21,760 CUDA cores and 32GB of GDDR7 memory, but it also has a much higher power budget. When I reviewed the RTX 5090, I found the next-gen graphics flagship would peak at a staggering 578W, a huge increase from the 448W of the RTX 4090. With all that extra power, Nvidia needed to find a better way to dissipate heat, and introduced a new cooler for its Founders Edition. Instead of doubling down on the triple-fan design of the last couple of generations, Team Green actually found a way to slim the design back down to a dual slot cooler, something I haven't seen in a flagship Nvidia graphics card since the RTX 2080 Ti.

The company was able to do this by shrinking down the circuit board where the GPU is located, placing it at the center of the card. Each side of that PCB is bookended by pass-through heatsinks, where fans pull cool air through the bottom of the card, and shoot it straight through to the top of your PC case. The thermal engineering of it all is a bit more complicated than that, but even with all that extra power, I only ever saw the RTX 5090 reach up to 87°C. That's a high temperature, but its still low enough to game at full blast.

On average, I found the RTX 5090 to be about 26% faster than the RTX 4090, when looking at 4K games and synthetic 3DMark benchmarks. That number does diminish at lower resolutions, of course, and you really shouldn't be forking over the $1,999 (or more!) for this GPU if you're not going to play at 4K. Even at 4K, there were certain games that simply didn't have much of a performance uplift due to the limitations of the CPU – and I used the Ryzen 7 9800X3D. For better or worse, then, the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 shines in the exact kind of workload it's designed for. No holds barred, everything maxed out at 4K, and with minimal upscaling. Gone are the days where DLSS on 'Performance' mode is necessary at 4K – at least for this beastly GPU.

4. AMD Radeon RX 9070

The Best AMD Graphics Card

The AMD Radeon RX 9070 launched in a weird place. At $549, it's theoretically just $50 cheaper than the excellent 9070 XT at $599. And while the performance lines up pretty perfectly with that price difference, it can be hard to justify opting for the 9070 when you can just spend $50 more and get one of the best GPUs in years. However, get past that, and the RX 9070 makes a lot of sense if you play games at 1440p.

When i reviewed the AMD Radeon RX 9070, I found that it outperformed the Nvidia RTX 5070 – another $549 GPU – in almost every test by an average of 12%. Considering both are current-generation cards that launched just a day apart, that's a huge difference at the same price point. There are some games where AMD's lead is less pronounced, of course, particularly in ray tracing-heavy games like Cyberpunk 2077 and Black Myth Wukong, but the RX 9070 still pulls ahead in those games, too.

The AMD Radeon RX 9070, like its XT sibling, also introduces FSR 4, bringing AI upscaling to AMD graphics cards for the first time. Just like with the 9070 XT, this upscaling solution isn't necessarily faster than the temporal upscaling of FSR 3, but it is much more accurate, producing cleaner images with less ghosting and artifacting.

5. Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060

The Best GPU for 1080p

According to the Steam Hardware Survey, 1080p gaming displays are still the most popular monitors out there, and it's not close. So, despite how hyped up 4K displays are, if you’re comfortable with 1080p, you don’t need an extremely powerful graphics card to play even the most demanding games. That’s where the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 really shines.

The RTX 4060 can power any game at 1080p, even with all the fancy ray tracing settings that are coming out these days. And thanks to DLSS, it can even stretch to higher resolutions in certain games. And for a current-generation graphics card that you can find under $300, that’s not a bad deal.

When I reviewed the RTX 4060, I found that it was able to run most games extremely well at 1080p with all the settings cranked at more than 60fps, even if it just barely got there in some games. For instance, in Cyberpunk 2077 on the ray tracing ultra preset, the RTX 4060 scored just 62fps at 1080p. That is the golden frame rate, but you’re not going to be doing much high-refresh gaming on this card.

The RTX 4060 does have a weak side, though, and that’s how it compares to the RTX 3060 Ti that came out before it. You can still find the RTX 3060 Ti at most retailers, and for a comparable price, but yet it manages to beat out the RTX 4060 in most of my tests. There are some features you’d be giving up by going with a last-generation card, DLSS 3.0 being chief among them, but that may be worth it for the slight edge in performance you can get. However, at this price range, a feature like DLSS 3.0 that can stretch performance out in supported games is worth it, and can really stretch out the value of the card.

The Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 isn’t perfect, but if you want a current-generation graphics card for under $300 that runs any PC game above 60fps, I’d have a hard time coming up with an alternative – certainly not the Radeon RX 7600.

Upcoming GPUs

The new generation of graphics cards has almost completely landed. With the most recent launches, the entire market is covered from the high-end with the RTX 5090 to the budget market with the Intel Arc B580. While there are some new cards that will trickle out over the coming months – looking at you RTX 5060, wherever you are – we probably won't see the market shake up again until at least 2027.

Still, now might not be the best time to jump in and buy a graphics card, especially if you already have a passable gaming PC. Most of the best graphics cards are sold out right now, and demand is making the ones that remain much more expensive than they should be. My advice is to wait until you can find one of these graphics cards reasonably close to their launch price, even if it means waiting a couple of months. It'll be worth it.

Best Graphics Cards FAQ

AMD or Nvidia? Or Intel?

When it comes to which brand of graphics card you should get, it ultimately comes down to your personal preference – even if each brand has its own unique advantages. Intel graphics cards are the most affordable option on the market right now, but its graphics cards aren’t exactly the fastest in the land. On the other hand, Nvidia makes the most powerful GPUs around, but you’re going to have to pay out the nose for that performance.

AMD graphics cards strike a pretty good balance between the two, but while the company loves to use open-source graphics APIs, it means you don’t get access to some of the exclusive features that Nvidia owners enjoy – features like DLSS (and the new DLSS 4). AMD has alternatives for literally every Nvidia software feature, but some of them simply aren’t as good. See our guide to AMD vs. Nvidia GPUs for more info.

What power supply should I get?

Graphics cards, especially high-end ones, are sucking up more electricity with every passing year. If you’re looking to build a new gaming PC, or even upgrade from an older graphics card, you should really consider upgrading to one of the best power supplies.

Some of the graphics cards out there right now can take upwards of 450W of power by themselves, so you may want to consider a 1,000W power supply – especially if you’re going for the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090.

GTX vs. RTX

Nvidia has both an RTX, or Ray Tracing Texel eXtreme, and GTX, Giga Texel Shader eXtreme graphics cards series, with the RTX offerings being newer, more powerful, and more expensive.

That boosted performance is thanks to the architecture of RTX cards, which offer both Tensor and RT cores alongside CUDA cores for better graphics and rendering. Tensor cores enable AI and high-performance computing tasks bringing support for DLSS tech to help with upscaling and sharpening. RT cores are dedicated to ray tracing, allowing for more realistic lighting and shadows in scenes. Nvidia’s GTX graphics cards have a much simpler architecture and don’t offer Tensor or RT cores. Though they still work for budget builds, GTX cards will soon be obsolete.

Where to Get the Best Graphics Cards in the UK

There aren't too many differences when it comes to the graphics cards you can pick up in the UK, but the main takeaway is where you can purchase them. All of the following links have been updated with UK vendors, saving you some time and money if you're interested in picking up any of the graphics cards we've mentioned.

Jacqueline Thomas is the Hardware and Buying Guides Editor at IGN. When she's not helping her friends and family buy computers, you can usually find her tinkering with her own PC.

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HeroQuest Buying Guide

One of the original dungeon-crawling board games that sought to recreate the excitement and danger of tabletop RPGs like Dungeons & Dragons, HeroQuest was first released more than 30 years ago. Putting players into roles like the mighty Barbarian and spell-slinging Elf, HeroQuest let a group of friends play out their heroic fantasies right at the kitchen table in a matter of only a couple hours compared to the afternoon-long sessions a traditional TTRPG may take. With its massive amounts of plastic miniatures that came packed in its iconic box and multi-quest long story, HeroQuest established a passionate fan base that would continue to sing its praises decades later and rally behind it when Hasbro asked if folks wanted it to return through its HasLab crowdfunding platform.

And here we sit, several years after the campaign, and new and old fans alike have plenty of HeroQuest to enjoy in the form of the new release and all of its expansions! To help folks who may be interested in working together to slay the evil Zargon and stop his machinations in their tracks, this buyer's guide will help you plan adventures!

HeroQuest Game System

MSRP: $134.99 USD

  • 1-5 players (solo play requires the free HeroQuest companion app)
  • Ages 14+

Contents

  • Quest book w/ 14 new quests
  • 65+ miniatures (31 monsters, 4 heroes, 15 furniture pieces, 19 skull pieces, 4 rats, 21 doors)
  • Gameboard
  • Game Master screen
  • 93 cards

Before anything else, you must secure yourself a copy of the main game, the HeroQuest Game System. Every additional piece of content released so far requires you to have this first - no stand-alone expansions here!

HeroQuest First Light

MSRP: $49.99 USD

  • 1-5 players (solo play requires the free HeroQuest companion app)
  • Ages 14+

Contents

  • Quest book w/ 10 unique quests
  • Game system rulebook
  • Double-sided gameboard
  • Game Master’s screen
  • 5 miniatures
  • 1 pad of character sheets
  • 6 combat dice
  • 2 movement dice
  • 39 cardboard pieces
  • 102 cards
  • 52 plastic movers
  • 31 monster tokens
  • 15 furniture tokens
  • 41 cardboard tiles
  • 21 dungeon door tokens

As much fun as HeroQuest is, for new players who are interested in checking the game out, the hefty price tag can be a big deterrent. But now with HeroQuest: First Light, that bar to get into the system is easier than ever. First Light provides fresh faces with a perfect chance to try out the core game system of HeroQuest while slimming things down a bit on the production side of things to cut the cost.

Outside of the core cast of hero characters for players to pick from and the impressive dragon miniature, much of the game that had previously been represented as plastic minis are now cardboard tokens instead. For fans who already own the core box of HeroQuest, there isn’t much of a reason to pick up First Light unless you’re a completionist, you’re desperate to check out the unique quests, or want more hero figures to paint.

To sweeten the deal even more, First Light is fully compatible with all other HeroQuest content that has been released in the past few years, making this smaller box the recommended jumping in point unless you already know you love HeroQuest.

The App

MSRP: Free

For player groups that can’t decide/ don’t want to have a game master or adventurers that enjoy dungeon-diving solo, the official HeroQuest companion app for phones automates that roll of Zargon. With fully voiced descriptions, the app is a great way to experience the game and all of its expansion modules, too. The best part is that it’s free, so no harm in checking it out.

The Online Quests

MSRP: Free

Avalon Hill has released online a number of free to download special quests that add the lore and backstory on the world of HeroQuest and your heroes such as the prequel quest, "A New Beginning." These special one-off quests are fun little bonuses that utilize the resources from different HeroQuest products and are great ways to get a little extra HeroQuest goodness.

These free quests can be found over on HasbroPulse’s website.

The Boxed Expansions

Kellar’s Keep

MSRP: $33.99 USD

  • 1-5 players (solo play requires the free HeroQuest companion app)
  • Ages 14+

Contents

  • Quest book w/ 10 new quests
  • 19 miniatures (8 orcs, 6 goblins, 3 abominations, 2 doors)
  • Sheet of cardboard tiles
  • 14 cards

As the first of the expansions for HeroQuest, Kellar’s Keep is one of the lighter offerings among the options available today and its a faithful rerelease of the Kellar’s Keep expansion for the original HeroQuest from the 90s. Kellar’s Keep feels very much like a continuation and extension of the base HeroQuest, thanks in part to a lot of similar monster minis being included. It’s still a fun time and an easy way to understand how expansions work. Kellar’s Keep is the perfect offering for anyone who isn’t necessarily looking for a spike in difficulty but just more HeroQuest.

Return of the Witch Lord

MSRP: $33.99 USD

  • 1-5 players (solo play requires the free HeroQuest companion app)
  • Ages 14+

Contents

  • Quest book w/ 10 new quests
  • 18 miniatures (8 skeletons, 4 mummies, 4 zombies, 2 doors)
  • Sheet of cardboard tiles
  • 14 cards

That dastardly Witch Lord you dealt with in the base Game System is back with his armies of the undead! Return of the Witch Lord is very similar to the Kellar’s Keep expansion, giving players more miniatures from found in the base game, but this pack also includes some pretty cool looking new tiles that are used in over the course of its 10 quests - including the menacing skull on the ground! Return of the Witch Lord is a classic quest that longtime players of the game will recognize and brings about a nice feeling of conclusion carried over from the Game System an Kellar’s Keep storylines. The three together really feel like the beginning trilogy of the HeroQuest series.

Prophecy of Telor

MSRP: $33.99 USD

  • 1-5 players (solo play requires the free HeroQuest companion app)
  • Ages 14+

Contents

  • Quest book w/ 13 new quests
  • New Warlock class
  • 15 miniatures (13 translucent orange enemy minis, 2 warlock character minis)
  • Set of 6 translucent orange D6 Dice
  • 14 cards

Previously one of the two expansions exclusive to the Mythic tier during its crowdfunding phase on Haslab, Prophecy of Telor is now available to everyone in this new premium release. With a menacing set of translucent orange monsters, dice and a brand new character class in the Warlock to play as, the Prophecy of Telor expansion give all players a chance to experience this story. The new Warlock class is particularly fun, being able to change into a demonic form to do battle, making for some wonderful new party composition options for all of your HeroQuest adventures.

Spirit Queen’s Torment

MSRP: $33.99 USD

  • 1-5 players (solo play requires the free HeroQuest companion app)
  • Ages 14+

Contents

  • Quest book w/ 14 new quests
  • New Bard class
  • 15 miniatures (14 translucent teal enemy minis, 1 bard character mini)
  • Set of 6 translucent teal D6 Dice
  • 15 cards

Spirit Queen’s torment is very much similar to the Prophecy of Telor - both being premium mass market releases of previously mythic tier exclusives, awesome translucent monsters and die (this time in an icy teal), and a brand new character class with the Bard. You will deal with dark magics and explore mysterious locations like the Wyvern Keep over the course of the 15 adventures included. And now, at long last, you can play out all your greatest bard fantasies in HeroQuest, singing your magical tunes that will put your enemies to sleep, heal your friends, and grant bonus attack dice to your friends. You will need to homebrew rules to try and seduce monsters though, so be sure to work with your Zargon for all your flirty needs.

Against the Ogre Horde

MSRP: $44.99 USD

  • 1-5 players (solo play requires the free HeroQuest companion app)
  • Ages 14+

Contents

  • Quest book w/ 10 new quests
  • New Druids class
  • 28 miniatures
  • 2 sheets of cardboard tiles
  • 29 cards

For the group that likes to fight and kill a lot of enemies, Against the Ogre Horde will be right up your alley. This latest expansion to release is also a remaster of one the classic modules released for the original HeroQuest back in the day. For fans of the original, much of it will feel incredibly familiar, but there have been slight tweaks and adjustments to account for modern tastes. The miniatures included are some of my favorite offerings so far, with the giant Ogres and massive throne that are included. The new enemies help make this a fun box to snag if you enjoy creating homebrew quests to send your friends on too.

The Mage in the Mirror

MSRP: $44.99 USD

  • 1-5 players (solo play requires the free HeroQuest companion app)
  • Ages 14+

Contents

  • Quest book w/ 10 new quests
  • 33 miniatures
  • Sheet of cardboard tiles
  • 35 cards

With the Realm of Reflection to explore, the Mage in the Mirror expansions tasks your heroic group of heroes with saving a princess, finding a legendary sword, and contending with an evil archmage - basically some good ol’ classic high fantasy goodness. Mage in the Mirror includes a new body type and set of cards for the Elf class that comes with the base Game System in addition to a number of highly detailed environment objects, new tiles, and monster minis. This expansion tells the first part of a story that concludes in the Rise of the Dread Moon set, so it may be worthwhile to get both at once.

Rise of the Dread Moon

MSRP: $44.99 USD

  • 1-5 players (solo play requires the free HeroQuest companion app)
  • Ages 14+

Contents

  • Quest book w/ 10 new quests
  • New Knight class
  • 29 miniatures
  • Sheet of cardboard tiles
  • 58 cards

Picking up where The Mage in the Mirror questline left off, Rise of the Dread Moon brings with it a number of brand new mechanics like the Elven mercenaries but also a new character class as well with the sword-and-board wielding Knight. With a bunch of cool new tiles, objects and monster minis, Rise of the Dread Moon is great for fans that like to make their own quests too. However, if you plan to play through the story and not just utilize the pieces the come in the box, be sure to get and playthrough the Mage in the Mirror expansion first to get the best experience!

The Frozen Horror

MSRP: $44.99 USD

  • 1-5 players (solo play requires the free HeroQuest companion app)
  • Ages 14+

Contents

  • Quest book w/ 10 new quests
  • 23 miniatures
  • Sheet of cardboard tiles
  • 35 cards
  • 6 combat dice
  • 2 movement dice
  • 1 pad of character sheets

Bundle up heroes as the Frozen Horror will send you into the Frozen Wastelands. For Barbarian fans, this expansion will be for you, being a very focused experience tailored to the class - even including a new barbarian miniature with a new body type. There are a bunch of really neat monster sculpts present too with icy blue war bears, and the incredibly imposing title monster, the Frozen Horror, along with a host of mercenaries too. One particularly interesting aspect to the Frozen Horror expansion is that the adventure starts with a series of solo character quests before the group quests resume. If smacking things really hard is your style (and you want a cool new set of blue dice to play with) then The Frozen Horror expansion may be for you.

Jungles of Delthrak

MSRP: $44.99 USD

  • 1-5 players (solo play requires the free HeroQuest companion app)
  • Ages 14+

Contents

  • Quest book w/ 16 new quests
  • 29 miniatures ( 8 orcs, 6 goblins, 3 abominations, 2 doors)
  • 39 cardboard pieces
  • 36 cards

Poisonous snakes, menacing spiders, and ruins aplenty await heroes that wish to journey into the Jungles of Delthrak. This quest pack takes players tasks players with retrieving a powerful artifact and get to the bottom of the Dread Blight that has seeped its way into the roots of the jungle. In addition to a bunch of brand new enemies to face and some pretty nifty new effect parts (the green fire a personal favorite), Jungles of Delthrak introduce the new Berserker and Explorer hero classes to pick from. With its 16 quests to check out, this quest pack offers a lot of value for those that want to take their Hero Quest game out of the dungeons and under canopies of trees instead.

Character Packs

Hero Collection: Rogue Heir of Elethorn

MSRP: $14.99 USD

Contents

  • New Rogue class
  • 2 miniatures (2 different body sculpts for the Rogue)
  • 13 cards (12 game cards, 1 story card)

Every good adventuring party needs the sneaky stabbing rouge character, and with the Rouge Heir of Elethorn character pack, that’s exactly what you get. This box comes complete with models and cards featuring two different body types and has skills that utilize throwing daggers, attacking multiple times, and dealing more damage when a foe is already engaged with a teammate. The only downside is the lack of any real story or quests that explore more of the character.

Hero Collection: Path of the Wandering Monk

MSRP: $14.99 USD

Contents

  • New Monk class
  • 2 miniatures (2 different body sculpts for the Monk)
  • 8 game cards
  • 1 scroll prop

One with the elements and with fists as deadly as any blade, the Monk is one of the more unique classes you can pick from in HeroQuest. By utilizing the elements of wind, water, earth and fire – each with two special effects associated with each element - the monk has a lot of utility that can prove helpful in a pitch. From sailing over traps with the power of the wind to blasting an energy blast from their hands with the power of fire which can hit a large number of enemies at once, the Monk could fill that spot as a last-ditch trump card. In order to use those powerful Fire attacks though, will have required you to have the other three elements expended first. As a master of unarmed combat, the monk doesn’t come with starting armor or a weapon, but with three defend dice and getting two attack dice when attacking unarmed, doesn’t mean they are a pushover. Much like the the Rogue Heir, the main downside to this small character pack is that it doesn’t come with a quest or two that dives into their story.

The End

Hasbro and Avalon Hill show no signs of slowing down their support for the heroes and their questing anytime soon. A whole new generation of players are getting to dungeon dive and learn from the wise Mentor, creating memories they will cherish for the rest of their lives. While HeroQuest may be a bit light on mechanics for an older and more experienced crowd trying out this legacy for the first time, the community has created a wealth of custom rules and unique quests that may help with that.

HeroQuest remains a classic in the board gaming hobby, and its future looks bright.

For more, check out our picks for the best escape room board games, as well as the best board games for teens. And if you have a sizable group for game night, also see the best board games for 6 players.

Scott White is a freelance contributor to IGN, assisting with tabletop games and guide coverage. Follow him on X/Twitter or Bluesky.

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Rainbow Six Siege X First Hands-On Preview: The New Dual Front Mode Reinvigorates the 10-Year-Old FPS

When I was in high school, I would stay up ‘til all kinds of ungodly hours of the night playing PC games. I even stayed up five days straight once, just to get to the end of Baldur’s Gate II ‘Throne of Bhaal,’ but what fascinated me about PC games most was how inventive they could be.

One that struck my imagination powerfully was Red Faction, which caught my eye because it had some of the hallmarks of DOOM (a high-tech, first-person shooter set on Mars, you say?) yet it added an essential wrinkle; terrain deformation. Red Faction is set in the mines of Mars, and I could fire explosive weapons at walls, creating holes or destroying them, and even tunneling through rock to circumvent checkpoints. It was all about charting your own course and finding your own path to accomplish your goals. It was incredible.

Unfortunately, not a lot has been done with that idea in the intervening years, but when Rainbow Six Siege came out, the ability to freely climb and rappel up and down buildings, and shoot through or destroy walls and ceilings sent a delightful little tickle through my Red Faction-loving brain.

While Siege began as a far more focused (and less exploratory) affair than the old Volition shooter, that (and quite a bit more) is about to change with the arrival of the upcoming Siege X update. Apart from gameplay, graphical, auditory, and UI enhancements, it introduces what is shaping up to be a fantastic new permanent multiplayer mode: Dual Front.

In Dual Front, a predetermined seasonal Operator pool will dictate who you can play, and team sizes are bumped up to six per side. Instead of spawning directly inside (or outside) one target area, there are three large areas to choose from, each with its own objective, so your team of six will need to split up to focus on both defending and attacking different locations simultaneously.

While the scope has expanded, much of the great core gameplay remains the same. When a match starts, each team will spawn in their squad HQ and one of two locations in your team’s sector will start a countdown to a Defend mission. The is true for your opponents, so each team will need to defend one spot while attacking another. How you handle that, and where you decide to go, is up to you.

What’s more, there is a neutral zone in between the mirrored zones held by each team, and extra objectives will appear there. Completing those objectives, such as rescuing a hostage and getting them to an extraction point, will give your team a big boost in the back-and-forth struggle for supremacy, so even if you fail to defend your first location or attack the enemy base, victory is still possible.

Since Dual Front expands the contested space so significantly, I was moving between attacking and defending to suit the team's needs, creating a more free flowing experience with way more variation between matches than your standard Siege match. What results is a fluid, chaotic mess I had a blast with.

Dual Front Mode is, so far, a fluid, chaotic mess I had a blast with.

The seasonal Operator pools will be updated every month, and because your squad will need to do a little bit of everything, you’ll have access to both Attacker and Defender Operators on the character select screen. When you die during a match, you’ll quickly respawn and re-select your Operator, so changing strategies on the fly to counter your enemies is a central (and delightfully fun) part of the game now.

Several times during my preview, it looked like my current (attacking) team was in a great spot, so I would rush across the map to help my other beleaguered comrades who were fighting for their lives to defend our own base objective. Sometimes, everything was as it seemed: I arrived in time, and our team brought home a victory. Other times, I got separated from my team only for them to be ambushed by reinforcements. Each match was tense, because in maps as large as Dual Front’s, it’s difficult to know where the enemy is until they become a capital “p” Problem.

Speaking of navigating larger areas, I should mention some of the new gameplay additions. You can now rappel around corners of buildings and even sprint while rappelling, so it’s easier to poke around and find ways to get inside structures. New fire extinguishers create concussive blasts and visual obfuscation when destroyed, gas pipes can be shot or damaged to create jets of fire before exploding and scattering fire around on the ground, and metal detectors can be disabled temporarily or permanently. Overall, it’s more fun to play in the space, and there is a lot more space to play in on Dual Front’s mirrored map.

Siege X also marks a shift in monetization. After the update, Siege will adopt a free-to-play model, and for casual versus competitive stuff, here’s the skinny: casual and onboarding playlists, unranked quickplay, and Dual Front are all free, and will grant access to up to 26 Operators and skins. Siege Cup and Ranked modes will be pay-to-unlock, and grant access to all 50 Operators. So if you are jumping in as a casual player, there are no barriers to entry, but new players who want to get more serious on the competitive side will need to fork over some cash. If you already have Siege, don’t worry; you will keep everything you have, and retain access to all modes (and as an added bonus, Siege players will get a badge showing off the year they started and a little bonus for each year of Siege they played).

Some other updates in the Siege X package include five modernized maps (Clubhouse, Chalet, Bank, Kafe, and Border), enhanced visuals, audio, first-person shadows, new menus, better player onboarding, the ability to inspect weapons, and a lot more. The dev team has also committed to introduce a new Operator (or remastering an existing one) each season, and a bunch more.

But all those enhancements pale in comparison to Dual Front, which is on track to become my favorite mode for Siege, and once Siege X launches, it’s likely to be the only mode I’ll play as Siege marks its upcoming tenth birthday in an incredibly fun way.

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Arkham Horror: The Board Game Buying Guide

The Arkham Horror universe has a whole lot of games in its catalogue. In fact, there are so many to choose from that we’ve had to separate them into two guides. In this buying guide, we will go through the several families of board games. If you’re seeking information about the many deck-building card games also under the umbrella, you can click on over to our Arkham Horror: The Card Game Buying Guide.

Arkham Horror is an long-running franchise of horror board games. You and your fellow players embark on missions that involve a lot of communication to win. The games each have several pathways that can be taken depending on which roles, expansions, and campaigns you employ. These also make terrific solo board games for when you don't have a group on hand to spend an hour-plus playing a board game.

Featured in this article

Want to skip the blurbs and go straight to the various games and expansions? Scroll through the catalog above. If you're interested in the nitty gritty of how all the items relate to one another and to the broad Arkham Horror universe in general, read on below.

Arkham Horror: The Board Game

Arkham Horror is a cooperative board game in which player teams work collectively against different sorts of terrors. You can take the journey through Arkham as one of six investigators to solve mysteries and defeat horrific beasts. The game has several campaigns to explore, and given the sizable luck component, whereby you have to roll to see if you pass certain objectives and bosses, along with the chance of chaos and occult trickery, well, the games are highly replayable.

But be warned: this is not an easy game. It takes a bit of time to set up and to teach to your group. The gameplay itself can last for multiple hours, or can be done fairly quickly if you and your ensemble of investigator partners aren’t lucky. (If you or your mates lose and there are fewer players than six, you can select another investigator to play as, but you’ll start over with that one, losing any additional stats that you’ve gained along the way. Dying kinda sucks, to be honest.) My first adventure with friends on the easiest campaign was disastrous. I’ve played it as a solo board game (yep, you can also do that here, too), but that didn’t go well, either. When you complete that first winning game, your whole party will cheer.

Arkahm Horror: The Board Game Expansions

There are three expansions for the Arkham Horror: The Board Game. Each unlocks a different layer of depth to the base game.

Arkham Horror: Under the Dark Waves Expansion

The largest of the expansions is Under the Dark Waves. As the name suggests, this expansion is about the horrors that exist under the water. This big expansion brings eight new investigators on board for four new scenarios. It takes you out of the city and into the sea.

Arkham Horror: Secrets of the Order Expansion

This is a medium-sized expansion that includes three new scenarios and three more investigators to travel through Arkham. Secrets of the Order opens up another neighborhood, so you'll explore French Hill while being mindful of the ghosts and monsters that may make your visit the opposite of a quaint French getaway.

Arkham Horror: The Dead of Night Expansion

Dead of Night is a smaller box expansion with a smaller price point to match. It has two more scenarios to add to your base game, plus four more investigators to help you navigate the horrors in the dead of the night.

Other Arkham Horror Board Games

There are a few other board games that act as their own separate Arkham universes. The games are not directly connected to Arkham Horror, so you don't need that base game to play them. Each of these games allows you and your friends to experience a different, stand-alone adventure within Arkham, using characters you may recognize from other iterations. Some of these titles are big enough to have expansions of their own.

Elder Sign

Elder Sign was one of the first games in the Arkham Files franchise. It's a dice-rolling board game that can be played by one to eight players. Of all the games in the Arkham Files, it’s the most accessible chance game. It is a separate standalone game with six physical companion expansions.

Gameplay is primarily governed by dice. While it’s not entirely like Yahtzee with monsters, rolling dice is the core driver of the game. You’ll have to roll dice to complete tasks and to work through six encounters. You roll dice depending on the stats of your chosen investigator to fight monsters, find clues, and work toward solving the mystery before time runs out.

Elder Sign Expansions

Elder Sign has six expansions: Unseen Forces, Gates of Arkham, Omens of Ice, Grave Consequences, Omens of the Deep, and Omens of the Pharaoh. Grave Consequences is a standalone deck and can be played with or without the core game. The last expansion was released in 2018. It is currently unknown if there will be any more.

Mansions of Madness (2nd Edition)

This is an app-driven dungeon crawler board game take on the universe. The second edition is a standalone game that exists in the same universe as Eldrich Horror and Elder Sign. You can play it with one to five players using an app to help you through the narrative. The app guides you through setting up and playing the game. Narrative, roll results, and play direction can all be done in the app.

Personally, I dug playing with the combination of the tactical pieces and the app. And if you have to pause the game experience, the app allows you to come back later to finish where you left off. You’ll still have to set up your physical board game pieces when you play again, however, so you may want to take a picture to remember where everything should be.

Mansions of Madness Expansions

There are two expansions for Mansions of Madness. Both of them are cooperative games that are guided by the app.

Mansions of Madness: Path of The Serpent Expansion

This expansion takes you to the depths of the jungle, where serpents and other Lovecraftian horrors will bring peril and pain to your adventure. Like the original, it is guided by an app, and you do need the base game to play it.

Mansions of Madness: Beyond the Threshold Expansion

This expansion is significantly cheaper than the other one above. Beyond the Threshold opens two new investigators, two new scenarios, and an insanity gameplay element. Its low price point makes it the most accessible expansion to add to your game.

Unfathomable

Unfathomable is about escaping a sea of monsters on a boat. It can be played with three to six players, though it’s best suited for groups of five or six. This game has a social deduction component, making it an immersive experience for larger groups. Someone is designated to be a traitor, and you won’t know who. It has Battlestar Galactica vibes to it, but in a Lovecraftian mythos atmosphere. Sessions take multiple hours while you navigate the game trying to figure out who among you is there to help and who wants you dead, while simultaneously trying to escape alive.

Unfathomable is a completely different experience than other games in the Arkham catalogue, making it sort of a love-it-or-hate-it type of deal. If you like Battlestar Galactica or other social deduction games, this may be a good option to explore.

Unfathomable: From the Abyss Expansion

This expansion introduces new prelude cards that offer varied starting conditions, as well as three new monstrous horrors (Shoggoth, the Drowned Spirit, and the Grasping Tendril), plus new skills, items, and boon cards.

Eldritch Horror

Edrich Horror is a different, more worldly experience than the Arkham Horror board game. While Arkham Horror primarily exists in neighborhoods within the city proper (and the sea), Edrich Horror has players navigating cooperatively around the globe to complete objectives. Some have said that Eldrich Horror is like a sequel to a movie.

Some things have been changed and adjusted in Eldrich Horror that make it more accessible to beginner and mid-range gamers. It involves a far quicker setup than Arkham Horror does, which is an immediate plus for gamers who want to get things out and get playing quickly. Eldrich Horror also has simpler rules than Arkham Horror, making the "teach" a bit more entry-level-friendly.

That said, Eldrich Horror is more about strategy and solving puzzles. Its first in the series was released in 2013.

Eldritch Horor Expansions

There are eight expansions possible to play in Eldrich Horror. Those expansions are Forsaken Lore, Mountains of Madness, Strange Remnants, Under the Pyramids, Signs of Carcosa, The Dreamlands, Cities in Ruin, and Masks of Nyarlathotep.

Other Ways to Play

There are a couple of other ways you can play in the Arkham universe outside of these standard board games. You can play a couple of the board games online. You can also try the franchise's first foray into the world of tabletop roleplaying games.

The Arkham Horror: The Roleplaying Game

Arkham Horror released its first TTRPG late last year, with a starter set followed by a rulebook. I recommend trying the starter set first. Once you’ve gotten a feel for the rules and the game, you can choose to grab the rulebook to start your own journey.

Arkham Horror: The Roleplaying Game - Hungering Abyss Starter Set

The core starter set is super accessible for beginning players. It has a sample campaign to play through for folks who may be new to the TTRPG world, and does not require an experienced Game Master.

Arkham Horror: The Roleplaying - Game Core Rulebook

Once you've taken the starter set for a spin with your gaming group, you can pick up the Core Rulebook if you want to keep going on new TTRPG adventures in the Arkham Horror universe.

Video Game Versions

A digital version called Arkham Horror: Mother’s Embrace was released on Steam in 2021. It’s a single-player game that some might find similar to the Mansions of Madness board game expansion. Unfortunately, it only plays as a solo game. If you're open to solo treks into this universe, you can get this digital adventure on Steam or on Switch for an MSRP of $19.99.

Solo or not, the digital version has gotten mixed reviews. IGN's Arkham Horror: Mother's Embrace review scored it a 5 due to lacking story execution. It fumbles with some heavy topics, which may deter some players from enjoying the Lovecraftian mythos.

There is also a digital version of Elder Sign available on Steam and mobile platforms. Elder Sign: Omens was released in 2011, but has received mostly positive reviews on Steam. It's quite affordable at only $5.99.

The Bottom Line

If you are a fan of Lovecraft mythos-themed games, as I am, Arkham Horror is absolutely worth exploring. One awesome thing is that you can play several of these games solo as well as with friends. They are each different and offer a unique presentation of the Lovecraftian worlds.

That said, these games are on the more difficult side. They have quite a bit of chance, which can drastically increase replayability as well as frustration. Setup and learning time can also take some time. You’ll find that the card games are easier to set up than the board games, even without expansions.

Jennifer Stavros is a contributing freelancer for IGN, covering everything from comics, games, technology, and nerd culture. She has over 15 years of experience in the gaming industry, including testing and writing for Wired, Inverse, and more. Follow her on Twitter or watch her on Twitch under the handle @scandalous.

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Split Fiction Hits 2 Million Sales After Just 1 Week

Hazelight Games says its latest co-op adventure game Split Fiction is continuing its roaring start after selling 2 million copies in just one week.

The dual-protagonist story dropped March 6 for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and S and quickly managed to secure itself as yet another success story for the studio. Hazelight took to social media to celebrate the strong launch, saying that it’s “blown away” by the support from fans both new and old.

The team’s previous update on Split Fiction sales numbers revealed that a whopping 1 million players picked up Mio and Zoe’s sci-fi story only 48 hours after its initial launch. That means another million have each picked up a copy in the five days since.

Meanwhile, Split Fiction’s status as a co-op game means the actual number of players engaging with the experience is surely much higher than the number of copies sold. Bolstering its impact with gaming fans is its Friend’s Pass feature, which allows one player to purchase the game while granting a friend access at no additional cost. As Hazelight’s adventure continues to make waves on social media, that 2 million sold number will surely only increase.

Hazelight’s previous title, 2021 Game of the Year winner It Takes Two, saw similar success after selling around 1 million copies a few weeks after its launch in March 2021. That number ballooned to 10 million copies by February 2023 and 20 million by October 2024.

In IGN's Split Fiction review, we called it “an expertly crafted co-op adventure that pinballs from one genre extreme to another.”

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).

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The Best Deals Today: New PlayStation 5 Astro Bot Console Bundles, PS Portal, and DualSense Controllers

Here are the best deals for Thursday, March 13. Highlights include newly released PlayStation 5 Slim console bundles featuring Astro Bot, PlayStation Portal and PS5 DualSense controllers, a super popular Bose soundbar, an Apple Watch stainless steel model, the 83" LG Gallery Series OLED TV, and more.

Playstation 5 Slim Astro Bot Console Bundles Available Today

Starting today, PlayStation Direct is offering two PS5 console bundles that include a digital download voucher wonderful Astro Bot game, which won the coveted Game of the Year at the Game Awards this year. The PS5 Slim Disc Edition console bundle is priced at $449.99 and the Digital Edition bundle is $399.99. All PlayStation 5 consoles also come with Astro's Playroom, the original game/tech demo that kicked off our infatuation with the adorable robot.

60% Off Bose Smart Soundbar 550

If you bought a brand new TV over the holidays and you're looking for a good audio solution at an excellent price, then one of the best Black Friday deals is back. Walmart is currently offering the Bose Smart Soundbar 550 for just $199 with free shipping after a massive $300 off instant discount. At this price, it's certainly one of the best soundbars you can get, especially if you're looking for an affordable soundbar that supports Dolby Atmos.

PlayStation Portal (Used: Like New) for $161

The PlayStation Portal has never been discounted, but at least you can save on a used one. Amazon Resale (a rebranded Amazon Warehouse) currently has Used: Like New condition PS Portals in stock for only $161.37 shipped. It retails for $199 new, so that's a substantial 20% in savings. A Sony warranty may or may not be included, but Amazon Resale items benefit from the same 30-day return policy you get for buying a new item. We expect this item to sell out pretty quickly.

Sony PS5 DualSense Controller for $54

Lenovo has just dropped the price of the PlayStation 5 DualSense controller to slightly lower than what we saw on Black Friday. Right now you can choose Sterling Silver, Volcanic Red, or Cobalt Blue for only $54 plus free shipping after you apply coupon code "PLAY5" in cart. This is probably going to be your last chance to get a DualSense controller at this price for quite a while, especially one that's decked out in a eye-catching metallic colorway.

The Hobbit Illustrated Edition (Kindle Edition) for $1.99

Pick up a digital copy of The Hobbit on the cheap and have it ready to read on your Kindle digital reader or a mobile device using the Kindle app. The Illustrated Edition from HarperCollins includes 50 paintings, maps, and drawings made by Tolkien himself.

Apple Watch Series 9 45mm Stainless Steel LTE for $356

Looking for one of the more premium Apple Watches for a great price? For a very limited time, Walmart is offering the Apple Watch Series 9, upgraded with a 45mm stainless steel case and LTE cellular connectivity, for only $355.65. Note that stainless steelmodels are a lot more expensive than their aluminum counterparts. Stainless steel models also come with a more durable sapphire crystal watch face, compared to the softer Ion-X material on the standard Apple Watch.

83" LG G3 Gallery Series 4K OLED Smart TV for $2,634.21

Wow this is a great deal for a really high-end TV. Walmart is currently offering a 2023 LG Gallery Series 4K TV for $2,634.21. To compare just how good of a deal this is, the 2024 LG Gallery Series TV currently sells for a whopping $5,300. This is LG's highest end OLED TV model and features Evo panel technology that increases brightness and improves image quality that you won't find in the mainstream C-series models. Yes it's expensive, but it's the best TV you can get, period.

Samsung 990 Evo Plus 2TB PS5 SSD for $129.99

4TB for $259.99

Samsung's newest SSD - the Samsung 990 Evo Plus PCIe 4.0 M.2 NVMe solid state drive - is on sale today. Pick up the 2TB model for $129.99 or, if you can swing it, the 4TB model is an even better deal at $249.99. It's currently $40-$70 cheaper than the Samsung 990 Pro and most (if not all) gamers won't notice the difference in performance.

Apple AirPods Pro for $169.99

Apple's best earbuds are on sale today. Amazon is offering the second generation Apple AirPods Pro wireless noise-canceling earbuds for only $169.99 shipped, a savings of 32% and the best AirPods deal so far this year. That's about $20 more than the Apple AirPods 4 with ANC, down from its usual $70 price premium. Between the two, the AirPods Pro is still the superior earbuds because it offers better sound quality and noise cancelation.

4 Months of Hulu and Disney+ for $2.99/mo

For a limited time, Hulu is offering four months of Disney+ and Hulu Basic (Ad-Supported) Bundle for just $2.99 per month. The normal cost of this subscription is $10.99 per month. This deal only comes around a handful of times per year and worth it for just the Disney+ subscription alone.

New March Humble Choice Bundle Starts Now

If you're searching for your next new game to play, Humble Choice March is now live, and this is the perfect bundle to discover something new! This month, Homeworld 3 headlines the bundle, with other PC games like Wild Hearts, Pacific Drive, Zau, and Gravity Circuit also included. Instead of paying hundreds of dollars to grab these games individually, you can get all eight games for just $11.99 at Humble Bundle for this month only.

Eric Song is the IGN commerce manager in charge of finding the best gaming and tech deals every day. When Eric isn't hunting for deals for other people at work, he's hunting for deals for himself during his free time.

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The Justice League Meets Team Sonic in DC x Sonic the Hedgehog Crossover

The Justice League has crossed paths with everyone from Godzilla and King Kong to He-Man and the Masters of the Universe in recent years, but when heroes gotta go fast, there's only one ally that fits the bill. Now DC and IDW Publishing have joined forces to release DC x Sonic the Hedgehog.

Check out the slideshow gallery below to see cover art and interiors from DC x Sonic the Hedgehog #1:

DC x Sonic the Hedgehog is helmed by two Sonic the Hedgehog mainstays, writer Ian Flynn and artist Adam Bryce Thomas. The first issue features cover art by Pablo M. Collar and Ethan Young.

This crossover opens as Darkseid makes the jump from the DCU to the Sonic universe, sensing a great power for the taking. The Justice League and Team Sonic will have to band together if they have a hope of stopping the ultimate evil from conquering a new dimension.

DC x Sonic the Hedgehog is part of a larger collaboration between Warner Bros. and Sega. The companies are teaming for a series of toys and collectibles sold exclusively at Target, starting off with a line of T-shirts and hoodies featuring Shadow the Hedgehog dressed as Batman.

DC x Sonic the Hedgehog Chaos Controller Shadow X Batman Youth Crew Neck Short Sleeve T-Shirt

DC x Sonic the Hedgehog #1 will be released on Wednesday, March 19.

In other comic books news, Marvel revealed a new Thunderbolts team with a killer roster, and we've got an exclusive preview of the TMNT: The Last Ronin II finale.

Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on BlueSky.

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Critical Role Video Game Announcement Could Arrive 'Any Day,' Travis Willingham Confirms

Dungeons & Dragons show Critical Role is on the verge of releasing its first big video game, and CEO Travis Willingham says it could be announced “any day.”

The group spoke about its big plans for the future during an interview with Business Insider. There’s no word on what the video game will be called or how exactly it will tie into the Critical Role universe quite yet, but Willingham said the team behind it remains “hard at work.”

"They'll actually be getting their hand on the stick and controlling the outcome of the story, changing what might be possible from not just some of their favorite characters, but new offerings in the world of Exandria," he said when describing the video game spinoff.

Willingham, an actor who also serves as one of Critical Role’s stars, co-founded the business alongside other familiar voice acting faces like Liam O'Brien, Marisha Ray, Sam Riegel, Ashley Johnson, Laura Bailey, Matthew Mercer, and more. Since its inception, the D&D show has grown into an entire universe of ideas, with one of the more popular outings being its hit Amazon Prime Video spinoff, Critical Role: The Legend of Vox Machina.

A Critical Role video game would exist alongside its other projects but not necessarily directly tie in with them. In December 2024, Willingham told Rolling Stone that the crew was in “active pursuit” of creating a Critical Role video game spinoff, saying they were “starting to come to the end of a long road that we’ve been undertaking for the last couple of years.” It’s unclear if the story might follow one of the group’s different campaigns or tell an original story within its world.

At the time, he and the rest of the Critical Role team expected to make an announcement before 2024 came to a close or in the beginning of 2025. Now, nearly three months into the year, it sounds like an announcement really could arrive any day.

“Those collaborations we’ve had with various partners have been little toe dips in the pool just to see how it feels,” Willingham said to Rolling Stone. “You know, there’s a lot of upheaval in the interactive space right now. And we’ve seen studios sort of bear and weather those strains. It’s trying to become smarter about it and find out how we might fit into that larger ecosystem.”

No release date for the Critical Role video game has been released yet. In the meantime, you can check out first details on The Legend of Vox Machina Season 4.

Photo by Anna Webber/Getty Images for Prime Video.

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).

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Invincible Season 3 Ending Explained: How Does It Set Up Season 4?

This article contains spoilers for the Invincible Season 3 finale.

After eight episodes featuring huge character deaths, multiple Invincibles (Steven Yeun), and so, so much blood and guts, Invincible Season 3 is in the books. Unlike Season 2, which ended with a relatively quieter tag for the finale, Season 3 not only teed up a ton of storylines for the already-in-production Season 4… It also included a mid-credits scene that sets up a storyline Invincible co-creator Robert Kirkman never got to do in the comic books.

Before we get to that closing montage – and mid-credits scene – a bit of explanation about the finale itself. It’s for the most part one, long fight scene as Invincible, Oliver (Christian Convery) and Atom Eve (Gillian Jacobs) take on the vicious Viltrumite warrior Conquest (Jeffrey Dean Morgan). Conquest is ostensibly on Earth to prepare the world for Viltrumite, er, conquest, but as he explains repeatedly to Invincible, he really loves destroying and torturing things.

Invincible Season 3 Ending Explained

After Conquest seemingly kills Eve, Invincible, who has had both hands broken, absolutely loses it and bashes Conquest to “death” with his own head. Some might say this is sweet, sweet vengeance for Negan (also Morgan) famously bashing Glenn Rhee’s (also Yeun) head in on The Walking Dead, but it comes straight from the Invincible comics, which came out in 2009. So incredibly satisfying to watch if you want #Justice4Glenn, but also mostly just a nice coincidence.

In any case, Eve is not dead and reveals – as fans who watched the Atom Eve Special learned – that when she’s put in moments of extreme stress, she’s able to get past the mental blocks that otherwise stop her from transmuting living matter, instead of just inert materials. However, eagle-eyed fans will also note that when she transmutes Invincible’s costume later in the scene when they’re about to have sex, it’s made of plants… So she may have broken through these blocks in a bigger way than she realizes.

The final conclusion of the episode, and the arc of the season, is that Invincible visits his half-brother Oliver in a hospital bed. And while Oliver thinks Invincible is going to tell him that killing is wrong… Invincible has decided that if anyone threatens his family again, just as Angstrom Levy (Sterling K. Brown) did in the previous episode, and Conquest this week, he won’t hesitate to kill them.

It’s a surprising move from the show, though again one pulled directly from the comic books, almost word for word. While the large majority of superhero media, from TV shows to movies, to the original comics wrestle with the “should heroes kill?” debate, Invincible has firmly fallen on the side of “yeah, when necessary.” Still, an ominous musical sting played under Invincible’s pro-death penalty statement points to more challenges coming the way of his realigned moral compass. So expect that this debate might not be as open and shut as the finale indicates.

Beyond that, the real eyebrow-raising moments are saved for that montage. So let’s break those Season 4 teases down, one by one.

Return of The Sequids

Last seen in Season 2, Episode 6 “It’s Not That Simple,” the Sequids are incredibly dangerous Martian brain slugs who almost beat the Guardians of the Globe in their last encounter, including Invincible and Atom Eve. They had taken over the brain of an astronaut named Rus Livingston (Ben Schwartz), who was finally freed and brought back to Earth after a horrifying, harrowing ordeal. Unfortunately for Rus, after he returned to his apartment, which had been trashed by Shapesmith (also Schwartz), he threw up a Sequid in the sink – which immediately took over his body, again.

That plotline has been on hold since the aforementioned episode, but looks like it’s coming back in a big way in Season 4. While everything else has been going on this season, the Sequids have been steadily building an army in the sewers, including what looks like hundreds of human workers and others. Given we were told that if the Sequids ever made it to Earth it was game over for humanity… Yeah, that’s bad! “Not long now,” says Russequid. Uh-oh!

Battle Beast Is Back

At the end of Season 3, Episode 4, “You Were My Hero,” the unstoppable Battle Beast was fighting a Viltrumite in the cold, dark reaches of space. We catch up to him here, as well as the scattered remains of the Viltrumite… BB is in suspended animation but is quickly picked up by an alien ship. And a few seconds after that, he wakes up, ready for battle. He wants “more!”

If things pan out on the TV show the same way they do in the comic, the ship was part of the Coalition of Planets, the group fighting back against the Viltrumites. Alongside Allen the Alien (Seth Rogen) and Nolan Grayson (J.K. Simmons), it looks like the Coalition finally has a fighting chance against the unstoppable aliens.

Greater Delights Await

In one of the best casting coups on the show, the creepy, Cenobite-esque Technicians who fixed up Angstrom Levy, as first seen in Season 3, Episode 7, are voiced by Doug Bradley. You might know him better as Pinhead from the Hellraiser series. And in this teaser of coming attractions, we get to hear Bradley say something extremely Pinhead.

After revealing that Angstrom has a new arm thanks to them (Invincible accidentally amputated it last episode), Angstrom asks what they want in return. “Angstrom Levy, you have witnessed what our ambitions have done to our world, and what we have had to do to ourselves to survive here,” a Technician explains.

To explain what the Technicians are up to is to spoil one of the great plot twists of the Invincible comics

Angstrom thinks they want a new home, but the Technicians have other ideas. “That is only the beginning of the delights we will achieve together,” the Technician says. Now, the classic Hellraiser line is “We have such sights to show you” while the 2022 remake employed “greater delights await.” But come on, if you weren’t Leo Dicaprio pointing at the screen meme at that line, what are we even doing here?

In any case, to explain what the Technicians are up to is to spoil one of the great plot twists of the Invincible comics. Suffice it to say that they will tie into the action, and we have not seen the last of either Angstrom or the not-Cenobites.

Conquest Of The Planet Of The Marks

Despite Invincible demanding Cecil Stedman (Walton Goggins) show him Conquest’s dead body, it turns out that the dead body was a fake. In fact, Cecil has Conquest locked in a massive, underground chamber as the Viltrumite’s body reconstitutes itself.

Donald (Chris Diamantopoulos), Cecil’s right-hand man, protests that this is a mistake. And if you’ve read the comics, you know that Donald is correct: you cannot hold a massively powered Viltrumite like Conquest with mere Earth materials, no matter how secure Cecil makes the facility. Unfortunately for Cecil, as well as the world, in this case, Invincible was correct: Conquest should have been killed.

Invincible Season 3 Post-Credits Scene Explained

That brings us to the mid-credits scene. While everything else we’ve explained above happens in the comic books by Kirkman, Ryan Ottley, and Cory Walker, this scene is completely new. And in fact, it’s something Kirkman always wanted to do in the comics, but never found room for. Oh, and there’s a fantastic, surprise voice actor involved.

Right after the end credits begin, we cut to Damien Darkblood (Clancy Brown), the demon detective we haven’t seen since Season 1, Episode 4, “Neil Armstrong, Eat Your Heart Out.” In case you forgot – it aired back in 2021, after all – Damien was investigating Omni-Man, then set up by Cecil and sent back to Hell. As he was sucked down to the inferno, he threatened vengeance on Cecil… And that’s (potentially) what we’re seeing here.

Now missing his trenchcoat, Damien creates a summoning circle, which calls a demon lord voiced by none other than Bruce Campbell. And Damien hails to the king, baby, by bringing “the great beast… welcome news.” Damien explains that he has the means to restore the demon to his former glory, and the “infernal throne.” The key? A “surface dweller of great power, likes of which this planet has not seen for eons.” And furthermore, Damien explains that “his blackened heart will be bound to your service.” And how will they do that? By conjuring “him” to Hell.

In the comics, Damien Darkblood was even more of a blink-and-you-miss-him character than he was on the TV show. But as Kirkman explained to the Cartoonist Kayfabe podcast in 2020, there was originally more planned.

“The thing that I really regret is I never had an adventure where the superheroes went into Hell,” Kirkman explained. “There’s been so many superhero comics where it’s like, they got to go fight Mephisto or something, and I was like, ah jeez, I never got around to that. And the Damien Darkblood character was there so I could eventually do a story like that, and I never got around to it.”

Part of the reason for this may be that the initial storyline and reveal of Omni-Man as a bad guy was supposed to go nearly double the length that it did in the comic. It ultimately came to a head in issues 12 and 13, versus the planned 25. That meant there just wasn’t as much room for Darkblood to be investigating Omni-Man, because… Well, there was nothing left to investigate. So credit to Kirkman and company for letting that planned story play out on the TV show in a way we never saw in the books.

The big question here is: who is Damien Darkblood referring to? Is it Invincible? Omni-Man? Cecil? We’ll know more when Season 4 of Invincible premieres on Prime Video.

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Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 3 Announced, Development Officially Begins at Saber Interactive

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 3 is officially in development.

Publisher Focus Entertainment and developer Saber Interactive have joined forces once again following the huge success of last year's Space Marine 2, which has sold 5 million copies.

"We’re pleased to announce that the development for Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 3 has officially begun at Focus Entertainment, Saber Interactive and Games Workshop," reads a statement. "We’ll share updates on this new title when the time is right. For now, our focus remains on delivering the best possible experience for Space Marine 2 players."

There's no real detail on what to expect from Space Marine 3, but Focus did release the below image that confirms the return of Titus, not that there was any doubt about that. Games Workshop said Space Marine 3 "will boast an all-new immersive campaign and multiplayer modes," but again, there was no doubt about that either.

Focus said Space Marine 3 "promises an even more immersive experience, staying true to the Warhammer 40,000 universe, with intense, brutal, and spectacular gameplay."

"We have been honored by the incredible response from fans following the launch of Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2," said John Bert, Deputy CEO of Focus Entertainment Publishing.

"We will continue to support the game with exciting content and regular updates in the coming years. Today we are thrilled to announce that the adventure will continue with Space Marine 3. Players can look forward to an immersive campaign, a multiplayer mode, and innovations that will redefine the standards of third-person action games. Developed in close collaboration with Games Workshop, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 3 will take the genre to new heights by introducing large-scale battles that are even more spectacular."

"Space Marine 2 has proven to be a transformative game for Saber," added Matthew Karch, CEO of Saber Interactive.

"It is the culmination of everything we have learned about game development in our 25 years in the business. We are now starting to develop Space Marine 3, a game that carries with it tremendous expectations from our rapidly expanding fanbase. While we will continue to support and grow the Space Marine 2 universe over the coming years, we will take all our learnings and apply them to an even bigger and more spectacular game for the third installment. We view this as an opportunity to create a true love letter to the Warhammer 40.000 universe."

Some Space Marine 2 fans might be concerned about the timing of Space Marine 3's announcement coming as it does just half a year after Space Marine 2's release, but Games Workshop said Space Marine 3 "is likely years away from release."

"The good news for all you Space Marine 2 fans is there’s still years of support coming your way," Games Workshop added. "Saber Interactive and Focus Entertainment are working tirelessly to deliver a jawdropping lineup of new missions, additional upgrades and more enemies to introduce to the business-end of your bolt rifle. Horde mode is right around the corner!"

The greenlight for Space Marine 3 comes as little surprise given how well Space Marine 2 did. Speaking to IGN following Space Marine 2's launch, Saber Interactive Chief Creative Officer Tim Willits said there was the possibility of story DLC, and revealed that ideas were already floating around for Space Marine 3.

Without spoiling the Space Marine 2 campaign, it strongly suggests a continuation (IGN has reported on the enemy faction we’ll probably see in Space Marine 3).

“Our game director Dmitry Grigorenko, he has proposed some story ideas that could either be DLC or a sequel,” Willits said at the time. “Yes, yes, yes! There's so many different factions... there are other chapters, too, that are interesting...”

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.

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Save 60% Off the Bose Smart Soundbar 550 with Dolby Atmos and Bose TrueSpace Technology

If you bought a brand new TV over the holidays and you're looking for a good audio solution at an excellent price, then one of the best Black Friday deals is back. Walmart is currently offering the Bose Smart Soundbar 550 for just $199 with free shipping after a massive $300 off instant discount. At this price, it's certainly one of the best soundbars you can get, especially if you're looking for an affordable soundbar that supports Dolby Atmos.

60% Off Bose Smart Soundbar 550

The Bose Smart Soundbar 550 measures a relatively compact 27" long and is a great complement to any TV sized 32" and higher. It houses a total of five speakers including two upward-firing speakers for Dolby Atmos compatiblity. If your content doesn't support Atmos, Bose uses its proprietary TrueSpace technology to simulate spatial audio. Another nifty feature is Bose's A.I. Dialogue Mode, which does a great job detecting dialogue in video content and amplifying the voices.

True to its namesake, the Smart Soundbar 550 is a smart-enabled speaker with both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity. Pair with with the Bose app on your mobile device to sync and stream via Apple AirPlay 2, Spotify Connect, and more. You can also pair it with Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa for voice control.

This was one of the best and most popular soundbar deals on Black Friday, and it's good to see it return for 2025. If you're looking for more options, check out our best soundbar picks of 2025.

Eric Song is the IGN commerce manager in charge of finding the best gaming and tech deals every day. When Eric isn't hunting for deals for other people at work, he's hunting for deals for himself during his free time.

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Jonah Hill's Superbad Character Was So 'Reprehensible' That Sony Insisted He Not Touch a PlayStation During Video Game Scene, Seth Rogan Reveals

No video games for you! Superbad co-writer Seth Rogen has revealed that Sony found Jonah Hill's character so "reprehensible" that reps insisted he stay away from a PlayStation during a video game scene in the now-beloved comedy.

“On Superbad, we were told that Jonah Hill’s character, Seth, was so reprehensible to the studio that they were like, there’s a scene where they’re playing video games and [Sony] was like, ‘Jonah can’t touch a PlayStation,’ ” Rogen told Rotten Tomatoes in a South By Southwest 2025 red carpet video.

“They were like, ‘We can’t have him interact with our products, because it’s too vile a character.’ And I was like, ‘It’s based on me, that’s very insulting.’ But we accommodated them, ultimately.”

@rottentomatoes "Jonah can't touch a Playstation. We can't have him interact with our products." #TheStudio's Seth Rogen shares his favorite note from working with Sony on #Superbad. #SXSW #sethrogen #playstation #comedy #movie #movietok #filmtok #redcarpet #interview ♬ original sound - Rotten Tomatoes

Sony Pictures co-financed the film, so they had a lot of leverage over a few top-notch comics trying to make a generational comedy. Ultimately, instead of Hill’s Seth keysmashing his controller and yelling at the TV screen when he died in-game, Michael Cera’s character Evan can be seen playing The Getaway: Black Monday on PS2 in that scene. But fun fact: there’s actually a bit of a gag with one of Cera’s lines here. He mentions using an M16 assault rifle in the game — but The Getaway: Black Monday, a British cop game, doesn’t even include them in the weapons arsenal. Go figure.

Rogen was at SXSW to promote his new Apple TV+ series The Studio, which had its world premiere at the festival just days ago.

Superbad also starred Cera, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, and Emma Stone, alongside memorable cameos from Bill Hader and Rogen himself. Rogen co-wrote the script with Evan Goldberg and Greg Mottola directed.

Photo by Vince Bucci/Getty Images.

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

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Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 Gets a Barber Shop, Steam Workshop Mod Support, and More In Huge Patch 1.2

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is getting a big update today. Patch 1.2 is out now, and alongside fixes and improvements, there's both a barber shop and Steam Workshop modding support added to the massive RPG.

The barber shop is the first of "several" planned free DLCs, per a press release from Warhorse, and will let protagonist Henry visit the barber to change up his hairstyle. There's also an option for either a clean-shaven or rugged appearance, as well as facial hair ranging from stubble to beard. A new haircut will, just like in real life, give Henry a temporary boost to charisma.

Patch 1.2 (massive patch notes below!) addresses over 1,000 fixes and improvements, including equipment and NPC behavior, as well as gameplay balance. Specifically, developer Warhorse Studios tackled country-specific localization as well. The new patch for Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 refines the Chinese translations, both Traditional and Simplified, improves the Korean font for clarity, and has a newly recorded French voiceover.

As for modding, dedicated Steam modding support has arrived alongside the barber DLC and Patch 1.2. The toolkit allows players to tinker with over 300 elements in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, ranging from user interface and combat mechanics to AI behavior. "Whether making subtle tweaks or complete overhauls, the possibilites for customization are vast," Warhorse said. The studio plans on discussing these updates further during a developer stream, set for March 20, 2025.

Additional content is expected to roll out for the historical RPG throughout the year, with its first paid content drop "Brushes with Death" set for this summer. The Legacy of the Forge expansion is expected in autumn, and then this winter, Warhorse aims to release Mysteria Ecclesia, which involves a covert mission in the Sedlec Monastery.

The latest from Warhorse Studios doesn't show any sign of slowing down in sales, either. The sequel sold 2 million copies in less than two weeks, and Embracer has hailed the game as a success. In our own review of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 at IGN, the RPG got high marks for its melee combat, story, and a "truly dynamic" open-world sandbox.

Getting started in Kingdom Come Deliverance 2? Check out our advice on Things to Do First and How to Make Money Fast Early to get you started, or head to our Walkthrough hub for a step-by-step guide to the main quest. We’ve also got guides for the myriad Activities and Tasks, Side Quests, and even Cheat Codes and Console Commands.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 update 1.2 patch notes:

New

Barber

- Introduced the barber feature. Check it out in Zhelejov and Kuttenberg!

Features

Achievements

- Adjusted the difficulty of certain skill checks so that the player can unlock the Close One achievement more reliably.

- Fixed the issue where the achievement The Lord Taketh Away would sometimes unlock without meeting its conditions.

Alchemy

- Improved lighting effects.

- Improved resolution of the fire texture.

- Fixed pouring animation causing a flash.

- Fixed an incorrectly localised label in the list of alchemy recipes.

Animals

- Improved dying animations and ragdoll for cows and bulls.

- Fixed some animal spawners not working correctly.

- Fixed reactions of hares to Mutt.

- Fixed random movement of animals and reduced the frequency of their turns.

Archery range

- Arrows are now re-equipped automatically after archery contest.

- Fixed the issue with the competitor NPCs sometimes ceasing to shoot.

Balancing

- Rebalanced how quickly food goes bad over time.

- Rebalanced armour durability values; the durability spread is now wider, so smaller distinctions between armours are now more readable.

- Rebalanced the formula for triggering a black-out from being drunk.

- Rebalanced stealth items.

- Rebalanced the price of meat and other items lootable from animals.

- Rebalanced the difficulty of pickpocketing NPCs.

- Rebalanced the amount of damage each armour layer receives.

- Rebalanced the influence of an item's quality on its price.

- Rebalanced the prices of horse equipment.

- Rebalanced the prices and stats of jewellery.

- Rebalanced item weights.

- Rebalanced comfort for studying books in inns.

- Changed ranged weapons distribution within shops and other places.

- Changed stats of the Gallant Huntsman's Kit.

- Slightly improved loot from chests in some bandit camps.

- Lowered skill-teacher prices.

- Lowered the overall value of caravan chest contents.

- Made polearms stronger.

- Made shields cheaper.

- Increased the price for which player can sell herbs.

- Recalculated items' conspicuousness based on their appearance.

- Fixed the incorrect display of item's maximum charisma when the item is dirty.

- Made several locks in the Trosky region easier to allow for a smoother levelling curve.

- Made locks on chests containing mostly food easier to lockpick.

- Adjusted lockpicking difficulty for some horse traders' chests.

- Fixed exploit with a restocking chest containing a Balanced Die.

- Fixed incorrect arrow damage values.

Blacksmithing

- Generally rebalanced the blacksmithing minigame.

- Improved visual indication of workpiece cooling.

- Added horseshoe recipes to various merchants and locations.

- Removed bezoar from alchemy and added it to blacksmithing.

- Fixed the alignment of semi-finished products at the forge and anvil.

- Fixed the Knight's sword recipe.

- Fixed issue with not being able to interact with blacksmiths who are idling while player is using their smithery for the minigame.

Carts

- Increased the distance at which the interactor for getting on carts is available.

- Fixed player sometimes spawning right inside a cart when interacting with events close to the Vidlak Pond.

- Fixed the issue with carts sometimes leaving behind their invisible collision even after despawning.

- Fixed cartwheels not aligning with ground properly.

- Fixed players sometimes randomly dying after dismounting a cart.

Combat

- Increased damage from hits from the multi-hit combos.

- Added proper facial animations for Henry during the mercy kill execution.

- Adjusted the animation of drawing a bow while moving.

- Being hit will no longer interrupt the player drawing a weapon.

- Adjusted the free attack animation used when holding a torch.

- Adjusted the animation of a dog attacking a target that is holding a ranged weapon.

- Improved animation for transitioning into aiming with the crossbow.

- Introduced a short delay between melee attacking an opponent while not locked on to reduce the effectiveness of attack spamming.

- Adjusted the animation of the player being pulled down from a horse in combat.

- Adjustments for few sound effects such as hits to the shield or firing of the crossbow.

- The player is no longer able to easily back away from attacking enemies, thanks to the slowdown effect during hit reaction.

- Improved the animation of NPCs shooting from a crossbow.

- Properly adjusted damage type for master strikes when deciding between usage of slash or stab damage value.

- Adjusted damage of the upper master strike with shortsword and shield.

- Adjusted limits of the freelook feature in combat.

- Fixed various freezes following from causing massive mayhem in Kuttenberg.

- Fixed the issue with missing audio responses for attacks and hits.

- Fixed issues with disarming NPCs or player when they were supposed to die from a clinch attack.

- Fixed an occasional infinite fader after being knocked to the ground with low health in a fist fight.

- Fixed an issue with player holding ranged weapon getting knocked back long distances by unarmed enemies.

- Fixed the NPC logic of when to use a torch in unarmed combat.

- Fixed animation alignment while player is backing up while blocking with shield.

- Fixed the issue with NPC's additive animation for torch while fighting with a dog or a wolf.

- Fixed sometimes missing the chat option to surrender.

- Fixed camera issues in unarmed fight with dogs/wolves.

- Fixed the issue with NPCs not dying properly when running away from player and getting hit by the tackling attack.

- Fixed the issue with player striking the air in a sequence of attacks during clinch if the enemy gets killed by the first strike.

- Fixed some battle cries not being played properly during battles.

- Fixed NPCs being indecisive about bandaging themselves, fighting, or running away in combat.

- Fixed dying enemies still looking at their opponent.

- Fixed the issue with NPCs unreasonably pulling out ranged weapons in melee combat.

- Fixed the player being able to interrupt weapon drawing animation of NPCs indefinitely through their attacks.

- Fixed audio for combat clinches.

- Fixed missing sound while parrying an attack from clinch.

- Fixed wolves and dogs not transitioning into ragdoll properly under certain circumstances.

- Fixed the issue with the player being able to turn the camera 360° vertically while using free look and holding block in combat.

Crime

- Made NPCs less precise in where they're going to look when investigating a sound heard from far away.

- Torch visibility buff now applies even if the torch is not visible while equipped.

- Improved reaction for guards when player steals a corpse that's currently being guarded.

- Items in player's stash now keep their stolen item marker.

- Improved the mechanism determining whether an NPC should interrupt player who is currently skipping time in trespass.

- Boosted hearing for NPCs reacting to a violent or criminal situation.

- Adjusted NPC behaviour when feeling threatened by the player.

- Revised reactions to sleeping in beds owned by NPCs.

- NPCs watching a violent situation will now flee if the source of the violence moves too close to them.

- Made enemy corpses now persist in the game longer before despawning.

- Improved an animation of a surrendering NPC.

- Improved reaction for when the player is seen lockpicking a door and opens lockpicked doors in front of the arresting guard.

- Added a tutorial for displaying the list of crimes when in the crime confrontation dialogue for the first time.

- Added more overlay tutorials for the rabbit icons.

- Adjusted cooldowns for various reactions of bandits.

- Changed how civilians react to the player's dog in stealth areas.

- Fixed a violent assault crime sometimes not being elevated to a murder after the NPC dies.

- Fixed the resisting-arrest crime sometimes incorrectly persisting through an NPC's unconsciousness.

- Fixed authorities sometimes confronting player in their underwear when raised from their bed at night.

- Fixed NPCs sometimes still looking for the player even though they are fighting right in front of them.

- Fixed NPCs sometimes seeing the player's actions through obstacles.

- Fixed NPCs sometimes being able to see behind themselves.

- Fixed and rebalanced calculating the angriness of a location triggered by player's thefts and violence.

- Fixed prolonged loading times caused by stuck NPCs.

- Fixed dialogues about resolving crimes not making sense in the context of Sigismund's camp.

- Fixed the crime icon stuttering while inside a bush.

- Fixed no fine being calculated for stealing certain horses.

- Fixed issues related to resolving crimes with victims who had been unstreamed in the meantime.

- Fixed NPCs sometimes confronting player about a drawn weapon or other minor issues after being released from the surrender dialog.

- Fixed the recognition rabbit icon sometimes getting stuck.

- Fixed NPCs incorrectly using combat barks meant for group skirmishes when in skirmish with only one person and an animal.

- Fixed player being able to walk through an NPC who is currently arresting them through triggering the ghosting mechanism.

- Fixed the arrest dialogue with guards being broken under rare conditions.

- Fixed being able to start a friendly chat with a NPC in a brief moment after pickpocketing them.

- Fixed the NPC reaction to shooting during a combat encounter.

- Fixed the NPC reaction to arrows/bolts flying by while reporting crime.

- Fixed the NPC reaction to the player lockpicking when the lockpicking should be legal.

- Fixed the NPC reaction to being attacked, but missed, while they're surrendering to the player.

- Fixed locks not getting locked after player is arrested for lockpicking.

- Fixed the issue where a civilian would not stop banishing the player's horse.

- Fixed animation issues with a poisoned NPC attempting to run.

- Fixed NPC pathfinding when looking for an active shooter.

Cutscenes

- Made equipped arrows and bolts show on player even within cutscenes.

- Fixed several reasons for video sometimes stuttering during cutscenes.

- Fixed issues with player's helmet visors in cutscenes.

- Fixed consistency issues across cutscenes.

- Fixed green frames sometimes briefly appearing at the beginning of cutscenes.

- Fixed general synchronization issues.

Daily life

- Generally improved NPC daily schedules across both maps.

- Improved the animation of NPCs sweeping.

- Revised the logic of locking shop doors.

- Improved animation transitions when leaving the leaning stance, now considering the movement direction.

- Improved female beggar pose and animations.

- Improved female sitting pose and idle animations.

- Adjusted trespass at the saddler's tent by the horse market in Kuttenberg.

- Food items on shelves at the bakery in Tarmark in Kuttenberg are no longer free.

- Adjusted trespass in some of the backrooms in the city bathhouse in Kuttenberg.

- Added an animal companion restriction for tents inside the Sigismund's camp.

- Adjusted the placement of smoke particles by multiple windows in Kuttenberg.

- Added water particles for NPCs when they wash themselves / drink from troughs.

- The baker in Tarmark now locks his door when he finishes his shift.

- Added a time period before the next bandit starts patrolling the route after the previous bandit was eliminated.

- Door to the player's room at the Devil's Den now remains open.

- Fixed day cycles of people at the northern gate of Kuttenberg.

- Fixed day cycles for villagers in Suchdol at night.

- Fixed some food items being free at the Kuttenberg vegetable market.

- Fixed the tailor's store being left unguarded and unlocked in the evening in Kuttenberg.

- Fixed innkeepers getting stuck by the barrel in the Hole in the Wall tavern.

- Fixed various house doors in Kuttenberg being left unlocked at night.

- Fixed the issue with Cuman soldiers not talking with each other in Sigismund's camp.

- Fixed constantly active trespass in the smithy in Hoprink in Kuttenberg.

- Fixed a trespass behind the counter of the baker in the Czech quarter in Kuttenberg.

- Fixed the possibility of Mutt easily falling into the mine shafts west of Kuttenberg.

- Fixed issues with some items not having a proper owner in Kuttenberg.

- Fixed NPCs in Miskowitz sometimes falling under terrain while feeding chickens.

- Fixed various places in Kuttenberg where player started reading a book on a bookstand through an NPC reading the same book.

- Fixed conflicts of NPCs wanting to use an item for their behaviour and having to hide it while using a ledge or a ladder.

- Fixed the issue with one of the Kuttenberg fortification towers having a blue trespass instead of the correct red one.

- Fixed the issue with one of the Kuttenberg fortification towers not being marked as trespass consistently across all of its area.

- Fixed the issue with some guards in Kuttenberg not preferring sleep to heal when they are hurt as they should.

- Fixed the baker in the Czech Quarter in Kuttenberg not selling anything.

- Fixed issues related to NPCs using torches wanting to climb a ladder or lie in bed.

- Food items are no longer free at the baker's stand in Jewish quarter.

- Fixed a certain part of the Kuttenberg underground allowing companions to appear.

- Fixed robbing dead smugglers in the Kuttenberg underground being considered stealing.

- Fixed an NPC stacking wood inside a wall in Kuttenberg.

- Fixed locking of doors leading to the Kuttenberg underground.

- Fixed an issue where NPC would pick up a filled bowl when picking up an empty one.

- Fixed Adder not having a daily routine active after spying in Maleshov.

Dice

- Added more money to some dice players.

- Fixed Agility XP gain when starting a dice game.

- Fixed dice sometimes clipping with the badge.

Environment

- Generally improved environment across both maps.

- Improved environment close to the level barrier so that it looks nicer even though it is not accessible.

- Improved the look of Trosky castle from far away.

- Adjusted interior visibility from afar in the Emperor Charles tavern.

- Reworked NPC navigation in Kuttenberg, allowing NPCs to take better advantage of wider streets.

- Removed out of place collisions on the river by Sedletz.

- Improved shadows on the St James Church model.

- Improved textures of certain houses in Suchdol.

- Placed better chairs in the Devil's Den.

- Improved lighting in Kuttenberg.

- Points-of-interests underground are now no longer discovered when walking over them on the surface.

- Improved textures on several houses in Kuttenberg.

- Removed a shadow artifact from the bathtub model.

- Improved normal maps of the shelf model.

- Fixed NPC navigation issues in several Kuttenberg houses.

- Fixed NPC navigation in several places around the Nebakov fortresss.

- Fixed multiple issues with inconsistent lights on Suchdol fortress.

- Fixed water being luminescent in the tunnels below Maleshov.

- Fixed reflections in the northern area of the Trosecko map.

- Fixed the lighting and smoke particles at cauldrons.

- Fixed Z-fighting of various rocks.

- Fixed Z-fighting in Kuttenberg battlements guard towers.

- Fixed Z-fighting on buildings in Kuttenberg.

- Fixed Z-fighting on Suchdol battlements.

- Improved several house visuals in Kuttenberg.

- Fixed stretched texture on a yellow house in Tarmark street.

- Fixed houses missing interior when viewed from a distance.

- Fixed a bad looking house corner in Kuttenberg.

- Fixed an issue where player could go underwater in certain parts of the river by Sedletz.

- Fixed the unclimbable stairs in the All Saints tavern.

- Fixed several issues in houses in the Suchdol village.

- Fixed the missing shrine outside of the village on the Maleshov map.

- Fixed many trees being placed slightly above the terrain.

- Fixed raining inside of a barn in Zhelejov.

- Fixed the player's head clipping through a wall in a Vrchlitz cellar.

- Fixed inaccessible tailor's shop in Kuttenberg.

- Fixed issues which could cause the player to get stuck in various places.

Fast/travel

- Added a fast-travel point to Bozhena's hut.

- Made dialogue prompts triggering fast-travel more consistent across different quests.

- Fixed missing dots during fast-travel.

Horse riding

- Improved the automatic follow feature while on a horse whose stamina is depleted.

- Improved road magnetism.

- Fixed conflict between road magnetism and the automatic follow feature.

- Fixed horse speed restriction in Miskowitz.

Horse trading

- Reworked the transaction in Semine resulting in getting Pebbles as a companion.

- Fixed automatic horse gear equipping after buying a new horse.

Characters

- Improved the visual asset for von tBergow's face.

- Reduced details of physical simulation of clothes on distant NPCs to improve performance.

- Turned on local lights influence on hair even with the low graphical preset.

- Improved Rosa's hair.

- Improved textures of women's bodies.

- Improved textures and overall quality of many character outfits.

- Improved the clothes of several unique characters with added details and polish.

- Fixed physical simulation of clothes not running in inventory.

- Fixed the model of the Crested cuman helmet

Maintenance

- Added the option to repair bows and crossbows to more NPCs, most notably huntsmen.

- Reworked how blood and dirt work on shields and how it is cleaned when the player washes themselves.

- Improved visual effects when damaged firearms explode.

- Fixed non-repairable items sometimes activating the damaged-armour debuff.

- Fixed wielder not getting damaged when a damaged firearm explodes in their hands.

- Fixed broken water trough in Bylany.

- Fixed Bascinets not getting cleaned when using washing spots near rivers.

- Fixed an issue where baths would temporarily disable by constantly entering and leaving dialogue with the bathhouse owner.

- Fixed broken haggle in bathhouses.

Music

- Added more music for villages in the Trosky region.

- Changed mood music for Opatowitz village.

- Added more music into the credits sequence.

Mutt

- Added a marker for Mutt on the map and compass when the player sends Mutt to Zhelejov/Devil's Den.

- Made it harder for the player to feed Mutt during combat. Work first, treats later!

- Mutt can no longer enter the fighting arena in the Jewish quarter.

- Fixed Mutt sometimes being unable to return to the mill during the night.

- Fixed an issue with Henry not saying anything when Mutt finds an interesting place or object while searching.

- Fixed some of Mutt's internal timers not resetting correctly through save/load.

Performance

- Generally improved performance and stability.

- Optimized Kuttenberg marketplaces for better performance.

- Improved frame rate stability in battle parts of quests.

- Optimized streaming of NPC visuals, especially in Kuttenberg.

- Improved level switch duration by over 15 seconds on average.

- Limited the number of torches drawn by NPCs in large skirmishes to improve performance.

- Fixed late game stutter in Kuttenberg due to various reputation problems.

Photo mode

- Changed controls for opening Photo Mode on controllers.

- Fixed controller vibrations persisting when opening Photo Mode while using the grindstone.

Platform-specific fixes

- PC/PS5 – Fixed adaptive triggers on the DualSense controller sometimes not working properly.

- PS5 – Fixed audio stuttering when playing with headphones connected to a controller.

- PS5: The Media button no longer pauses the game.

- PS5 – Fixed visual artifacts in the sky when objects were close to the camera.

- Steam Deck – Fixed incorrect button prompts.

- Windows – Added enabling/disabling Audio enhancements directly from main menu.

- Windows – Fixed the keyboard input sometimes getting stuck after system locale change.

- Xbox – Fixed controller sometimes disconnecting before initialization.

- Xbox – Fixed sometimes incorrectly unlocking preorder rewards or season-pass rewards.

- Xbox – Fixed inventory icons sometimes being blurry on Xbox Series S.

PROS

- Fixed placeholder text and icons for PROS appearing in the main menu.

- Fixed a rare case in which PROS would fail to connect.

Random events

- Fixed missing random events after starting a new playthrough.

- Added more goods for several event merchants.

- Removed the chance of a bandit camp spawning right by the Semine fort.

- Fixed logic within the random event with a villager celebrating his newborn.

- Fixed cooldowns of random event variants.

- Fixed carts rarely being moved outside of the playable area when loading a save.

- Fixed random events spawning so their state is consistent during save and load.

- Repositioned few of events so that they are not right next to fast-travel exit points.

- Fixed bandits sometimes never ceasing to loot victims' corpses.

- Fixed the issue of not being able to loot unconscious event NPCs after loading the game.

Reputation

- Fixed several logical issues within the world's reputation/faction tree.

- Fixed issues in Tachov and Nebakov location description.

Shop

- Removed asking the player if they want to haggle after already confirming selling their items for all of the NPC's current wealth.

- Improved the logic for rounding amounts in shop.

- Improved shop haggle logic.

- Shops no longer sell cobwebs.

- Fixed an issue where items would remain in the shop basket from a previous encounter if the user loaded a savegame during price negotiation.

Skills & perks

- Rebalanced XP gain for Vitality, Agility, Thievery, Stealth, Marksmanship, Houndmaster, Horseriding, and melee weapon skills. Specifically training Marksmanship should be noticeably easier now and training melee weapon skills should be slightly slower.

- Prevented exploiting the Next to Godliness perk for indefinite healing.

- Reimplemented the Warmonger perk so that it increases player's chance to land a hit on enemy in addition to its previous benefits.

- The Against All Odds perk now has a visible buff icon next to the health bar while it's active.

- The Opening Strike perk now functions on every hit, even if the player does not damage the health of the target.

- Fixed the issue with the bonus from the Gladiator perk not showing up as a buff in the Swords skill.

- Fixed the issue with activating Surprise Attack / Ambusher perks' effects when shooting dead bodies.

- Fixed the issue with the Train Hard, Fight Easy! perk applying only to melee weapons.

- Fixed the missing color indication for buffed values in inventory screen while the River perk is active.

- Rebalanced values for the Tendon Slicer perk.

- Fixed the time period during which the Fundamentals of Theology perk is active.

- Fixed the Escape Artist II perk being available to pick even without its Escape Artist I prerequisite.

- Fixed the issue with the Dark Arts Apprentice perk giving an unlimited sprinting stamina between 0:00 and 4:30.

- Fixed stuttering caused by the Local Hero perk.

Stealth

- Created new clothing and equipment specifically supporting stealth gameplay and rebalanced stealth stats for all clothing.

- Fixed material transparency in Trosky castle which allowed NPCs to see through some obstacles.

- Fixed NPC reactions to pebbles being thrown from a different floor.

Takedowns

- Added screaming of NPCs when being stealth killed.

- Improved takedown and stealth kill animations for lying NPCs in complicated areas.

- Removed animation glitch at the end of the slaughter animation.

- Improved stealth kill animations.

- Polished animations of stealth killing female NPCs.

- Improved light of falling torch after stealth killing or knocking out an NPC.

- Stealth kills are now more likely to fail.

- Fixed positioning player's hands on takedown victim's face.

Tutorials

- Disabled tutorial about not having to hold W while riding a horse repeating.

- Added new tutorials providing hints about fighting multiple opponents.

- Fixed damaged hand cannon tutorial appearing inappropriately.

UI

- Main Menu: Fixed invalid result when pressing PROS and Credits at the same time.

- Made POI icons on the map smaller.

- Removed rain from the inventory UI.

- Adjusted the colour indication in the inventory when player is overloaded.

- Removed false notification about discovering Suchdol when game loaded into the Kuttenberg level after startup.

- Removed map marker for items in player's horse inventory.

- Added horse stat icons to the Horse/Sidekicks tab.

- Improved lighting and shadows in the inventory.

- Fixed incorrect UI message being displayed after loading a save that was created while getting out of a bed.

- Fixed consistency of skill teacher icons so they are not visible when the skill teacher is not active.

- Fixed inconsistencies between the combat rabbit indicator and the actual combat state.

- Fixed issue with clouds appearing incorrectly over the map after loading the game.

- Fixed controls getting stuck in dialogue when pressing Talk and opening Inventory at the same time.

- Fixed incorrect weapons shown in inventory preview when using drag & drop.

- Fixed notifications about losing quest items sometimes appearing even though player didn't lose them.

- Fixed the stolen in label and other elements sometimes overlapping with the item's properties.

- Fixed the values of horse armour not being reflected properly in the inventory UI in the companion section.

- Fixed the issue with a few microquests sometimes claiming a tracking slot even after being completed.

- Fixed the dirtiness of items sometimes displaying incorrectly within the washing UI.

- Improved accuracy of the load progress indicator.

- Added an icon for the blacksmith by the Horse market in Kuttenberg.

Visuals

- Added option to enable NVidia DLSS 4 Super Resolution.

- Improved SVOTI recalculation at camera dialogue switches.

- Removed lightning underground and indoors during a storm.

- Fixed glitches when player or NPC changes clothes.

- Fixed motion blur being disabled in dialogues.

- Fixed screen flicker during certain situations.

- Fixed various visual pop-in after game is restarted or loaded.

- Fixed issues related to rare shader combinations.

- Fixed objects sometimes not casting the correct shadow.

- Fixed flickering of objects when switching their LoD.

- Fixed character and vegetation detail sometimes being inconsistent when changing advanced graphical settings.

- Fixed the issue with the screen space reflection ceasing to update upon activation of Resolution scaling.

- Fixed flickering artifacts on distant objects showing against a sky.

- Fixed broken vegetation and rain animations for long playthroughs.

- Fixed flickering of horse and dog when player gets closer.

Miscellaneous

- Added numpad keybinds for control of QAM.

- Allowed sprinting while drunk.

- Player no longer gets a head injury caused by hangover.

- Skill teachers' icons now better represent the availability of their lessons through color.

- Corrected voiceover for innkeeper in Troskowitz.

- Polished physics for all the bridles and chanfrons.

- Improved lipsync across the game.

- Improved descriptions of various items.

- Improved physics of the parsnip.

- Improved physics simulation quality of scabbards.

- Prevented the player from being able to access their inventory while praying at a shrine.

- Changed link for the Plaion web page for help.

- Removed the point of interest tipster icon from some NPCs that had nothing left to tell the player about.

- Fixed controls getting locked after interacting with a kettle after loading the game saved while eating from the same kettle.

- Fixed calculating the Civilians killed statistic.

- Fixed animation of picking up items while holding a bow.

- Fixed guards losing their armour after they kicked player out of the Sigismund's camp.

- Fixed some facial animations not working in dialogues when the speaker is lying on the ground wounded.

- Fixed looped drinking sound after being killed when drinking.

- Fixed the lockpicking minigame not being cancelled if the cart with the chest moved away from the player.

- Fixed dead NPCs sometimes T-posing after loading.

- Fixed issues in the mash-eating NPC behavior related to save/load.

- Fixed the issue with some water troughs offering to clean the player even though they are clean already.

Quests

A Good Scrub

- Adjusted the slogan yelling, so that the town crier doesn't yell over Henry.

- Added an adequate hangover buff after the bathhouse party.

- Removed a T-posing NPC in the background of the cutscene.

- Adjusted trespass appearing after the quest in the private rooms of the Kingfisher bathhouse.

- Fixed an issue where the bathmaids started mounting the wagon together, clipping into each other.

- Fixed an issue where during the wagon ride, horses would start jumping halfway.

A Moment of Fame

- Fixed the issue with quest tipster marker staying active on the compass even if the player kills the questgiver.

- Fixed the quest fight arena to solve the problem of player getting stuck in the environment.

Ars Dimicatoria

- Adjusted how the quest reacts when starting the tourney while being wanted for crime in Kuttenberg.

- Adjusted who is the victim for crimes comitted in the fencing hall during certain quest fail scenarios.

- Talking to Menhart to enter the tourney won't force the player straight into the tourney, but gives the option to still back out of the dialogue.

- The fencing hall crier will now correctly announce which master is teaching in the hall, depending on the quest outcome.

- Improved gestures for the crier at the fencing hall.

- Improved NPC daycycles in the fencing hall.

- Fixed possible stuck fader when talking to Menhard to start the tourney.

- Fixed defeating Menhard sometimes being considered a crime.

- Fixed Menhard being illogically drunk in certain dialogues.

- Fixed Arne not having the same training sword as the player during their fight.

- Fixed an issue where NPCs would get stuck standing around when talking with Menhard in the inn.

- Fixed skill teaching not being activated on certain quest related skill teaching NPCs.

- Fixed the issue where a fight would start before NPCs entered the arena during the tourney.

- Fixed 'New quest' marker activating on dead Nicolas of Prague.

- Fixed the objective to get healed by the bathwench getting stuck if the player healed themselves instead.

- Fixed NPCs sometimes not acknowledging the crime of stealing the guild sword, even when catching the player in the act.

- Fixed the fencers sometimes not entering the tourney arena if being called upon when drinking from the barrel.

- Fixed the wenches not healing the player in the second half of the tourney.

- Fixed a broken animation for stealing the guild sword when started from a certain angle.

- Fixed the issue where Menhard and Arne won't accept a duel while wearing a coif, mistaking it for an armour piece.

- Fixed the issue where fencers could get stuck in a table at the tourney.

Attila

- Improved the environment in the spot where the bandit is buried.

Back in the Saddle

- Fixed the race failing automatically if too many races were started and completed in short succession.

Bad Blood

- Pavlena will now die at the proper spot if the player decides to leave the Trosky region and come back.

- Pavlena won't react to the player taking Otta's sword anymore.

- Prasta won't go straight to the inn after the player finds Roman anymore.

- Prevented Dusko from having a crime reaction to the player lockpicking Roman's door.

- Fixed broken dialogue with Jakesh in some rare combinations of previous quest decisions.

- Fixed certain music tracks failing to end properly during the quest.

- Fixed Pavlena not being dealt with by the law after certain quest outcomes.

- Fixed some dialogue options still being available with bailiff Thrush after the player already concluded the investigation.

- Fixed an issue with the contents of Pavlena's chest changing during the quest.

- Fixed the bed assignment for Bozhena and Pavlena.

Bellatores

- Fixed Posy and Tugbone sometimes going to sleep on a bed with dead Cumans after finishing the quest.

- Fixed the Cuman pillagers sometimes attacking Jan of Zimburg unexpectedly while he's talking to Henry.

- Fixed a debug string being present when talking to Jan of Zimburg.

Besieged

- Rebalanced the battle.

Brunswick

- Improved Henry's reactions to collecting the last items.

Civic Duty

- Objectives no longer randomly update when player has no news.

- Fixed the issue where player can infinitely interact with bailiff after killing Chenyek or Knuckles.

Civitas Pragensis

- Adjusted difficulty for the fight with Erik.

- Improved dialogue cameras when talking with Hans and Kubyenka.

- Improved consistency of NPCs clothes.

- Removed a redundant NPC in the camp.

Combat Training

- Added check for weapon and armour if starting it right after the first combat tutorial.

- Fixed the issue where the player could not continue Combat Training II because of a drunken blackout.

- Fixed the issue where the quest wouldn't continue after yielding.

- Fixed the issue where the player would get stuck in the arena if they challenged Tomcat to a duel after 19:20.

- Fixed broken start of the For Victory! quest if only a polearm was used since the second combat tutorial with Tomcat.

- Fixed attacking in Dry Devil's combat tutorial.

Damsel in Distress

- Improved timings for notifications of various skillcheck resolutions.

- Fixed trespasses being globally turned off when quest can be started.

Dancing with the Devil

- Improved NPCs shooting from the battlements.

- Improved particles at Maleshov.

- Improved transition of the player's allies' hiding animation.

- Improved enemies behavior.

- Improved loot.

- Fixed the issue of characters sometimes appearing later than they should in cutscenes.

- Fixed von Bergow being undressed when loading the game from saves from an older version of the game.

- Fixed the quest getting softlocked if the player stayed at edge of quest area when Hans was placing a ladder.

Demons of Trosky

- Fixed a blocked off room at Trosky if the quest is still active after starting For Victory.

- Fixed Osina's voicelines when player gives up during the fight.

Divine Messenger

- Prevented player from being able to leave the closed area in several places.

- Prevented Godwin from starting the blacksmithing minigame or the alchemy minigame.

- Removed butterflies from the meadow to improve its bleak atmosphere.

- Removed additional NPCs that would sometimes wander into the meadow.

- Improved atmosphere.

- Improved the tour to the fortress with Erik.

- Improved dialogues.

Dragon's Lair

- Increased the time Gerhart will wait for the player's response after offering them a deal.

- Added some tasty loot to the Alchemist's inventory.

- Fixed bodyguards' behaviour if player beat them using the Ringenmeister perk.

- Fixed Gerhart's behaviour at the inn.

- Fixed bodyguards reporting a crime after being knocked out with the Ringenmeister perk.

- Fixed the possibility of bodyguards' AI breaking at the bone site.

- Fixed dead soldiers appearing in a cutscene at the bonesite.

- Fixed disappearing dragon bones after loading a save where the player split with other parties and stole them back.

Easy Riders

- Player can no longer stealth knockout the bandits in the forest.

- Fixed a ledge that allowed player to return to the camp through a boundary.

- Adjusted an objective trigger in the rock maze.

- Increased vision and hearing of the bandits in the forest.

- Added an automatic trigger for a dialogue with Hans if they reach the maze at the same time.

- Improved how the girl reacts to the thrown pebble.

- Improved alignment of Henry and Hans at the log where Hans slides down.

- Adjusted the path of a bandit in the rock maze.

- Improved Hans' running up the hill in the forest.

- Fixed a repeating dialogue by one of the bandits in the forest.

- Fixed bandits in the forest sometimes getting stuck if distracted by a thrown pebble.

- Fixed Hans running through the bushes at the end of the maze.

- Fixed Hans occasionally stopping for a moment and running again in the forest.

- Fixed a line of Hans' dialogue in the massacre cutscene.

- Fixed riposte icon showing during the perfect block tutorial.

- Fixed some vegetation in the massacre cutscene.

- Fixed the ability to push an opponent out of a fighting pen using clinch.

Exodus

- Improved NPC movement in the underground.

- Adjusted the distance from which the burning synagogue switches to just being burned down.

- Removed a possible drunk effect for Samuel's mother.

- Fixed an issue where the player could get stuck if he and Lichtenstein opened the door to the inn at the same time.

- Fixed the player being able to kill certain horses at the end of the quest.

- Fixed an incorrect Game over in the underground section if the player stays near Lichtenstein.

- Fixed the player's unconscious effect in the backyard that should show the Game over screen.

- Fixed weird behaviour of Samuel in the backyard if the player fought unarmed.

- Fixed player barks if he goes the wrong way in the underground section.

- Fixed an issue where Samuel would skip part of his movement and dialogue on the way to his mother.

- Fixed Lichtenstein sometimes missing at the start of the quest.

For Victory!

- Replaced the potentially dead character with another one.

- Removed broken skill XP reward when winning at dice during the feast.

- Fixed sounds missing in cutscenes.

- Fixed broken text in the dialogue with Johanka of Zhernov.

- Fixed continuity regarding a dead NPC from previous quests appearing in a cutscene.

For Whom the Bell Tolls

- Added more groschen around Trosky so that the player can play dice with Nicodemus.

- Fanka won't be angry that there is no ginger in the chest when there is.

- Repositioned the guards at Trosky to make stealth easier.

- Fixed objective marker on Nicodemus.

- Fixed guards' reaction to pebbles thrown from a different floor.

Forbidden Fruit

- Fixed the issue where player couldn't get off the cart after killing the gravedigger.

- Fixed the sliding during the animation of the NPC boarding the cart.

Fortuna

- Prevented non-quest NPCs from walking inside the quest area.

- Prevented quest NPCs from calling guards on the player.

- Improved Bozhena's behaviour while the ambushers are present.

- Fixed the crime reactions of Bozhena, who will no longer run away from the player.

- Fixed an issue where players couldn't bandage themselves in Bozhena's hut after loading.

- Fixed fireplace extinguishing.

- Removed the possibility to leave the quest without a weapon.

- Improved chat with NPCs.

Hammer and Tongs

- Fixed forging the sword in the Trosky region not progressing the quest.

High Toll

- Fixed soldiers or the whole camp disappearing while the quest is active.

Hunger and Despair

- Fixed the tower archers shooting at the player after loading an autosave.

- Fixed the camera issue with Godwin in the polylogue.

- Fixed weather continuity.

- Fixed an issue with the combat lock getting stuck on fallen enemies when player tries to fight unarmed in big battles.

- Fixed the issue with Mutt being respawned if he was eaten.

- Fixed the clothing issues in the preaching cutscene.

- Fixed the issue with the Katherine romance continuing even though the player refused.

- Revised dialogue prompts triggering some of the romance options to make it clearer what their result will be.

- Closed a gap that allowed players to get out of Suchdol castle.

- The battle now ends only when there is no enemy on the walls anymore and ladders are down.

Ill Repute

- Improved snapping NPC movement in the duel area upon calming down from crime reactions.

- Fixed objectives reacting incorrectly if the player kills certain bathwenches.

- Fixed wrongly displayed area markers for certain sabotages.

- Fixed a possible stuck objective if player had the quest related perfume confiscated during certain playthroughs.

In Vino Veritas

- Added ownership of player's bed in the vineyard.

- Some journal entries rewritten.

- Improved dialogue conditions in cases when the player steals sulphur first.

- Rebalanced alcohol consumption values.

- Fixed dialogue conditions before the dialogue with Havel.

- Fixed NPC's immortality conditions.

- Fixed an active objective after completing the quest.

- Fixed a dialogue condition with Adleta.

- Fixed the trespass area on the vineyard.

- Fixed conditions for recruiter on vineyard.

- Fixed the locks on the doors between Havel's room and the player's rented room.

Into the Underworld

- Prevented the player from leaving the closed area.

- Fixed NPC quest behaviour.

- Fixed missing voiceovers in cutscenes.

- Fixed Chenyek sometimes being obviously seen teleporting.

- Fixed crime reactions after the fistfight in the Hole.

Invaders

- Added autosaves at the beginning and end of the quest.

- Improved time skips while drinking with the Cumans by replacing them with text-based cutscenes.

- Fixed start dialogue having two valid sequences.

- Fixed time sometimes stopping if the player had booze in their inventory and later had it confiscated.

- Fixed Jasak not walking normally after the player draws a weapon when going for more alcohol.

- Fixed Vuytek leaving after being knocked out right before the quest starts.

- Fixed the unconsciousness animation if the player hits a Cuman right before losing consciousness.

- Fixed the cutscene trigger area for Mutt being too close to the booze stash.

- Fixed the tip dialogue about the quest ending abruptly with Kreyzl.

- Fixed after the player gaining a drunkenness buff insteaf of a hangover buff after drinking with Cumans.

- Fixed the quest starting when Cumans are not present in the inn.

- Fixed Nomad missing from the dialogue after flirting with Jasak's love interest.

Johnny the Gob

- Fixed an issue with the quest sometimes completing prematurely.

Judgment Day

- Rebalanced quest rewards.

- Fixed horse behaviour after the battle.

Justice

- Fixed a situation where player could hand in the quest while being reported for murder at the same time.

Kuttenberg Tournament

- Improved the disqualification process during the tourney.

- Improved timeskipping at the tourney. Fixed tourney getting stuck during timeskips.

- Shortened the time between one discipline end and the start of another.

- Added proper gestures for Kumel while announcing.

- Correct journal entry will now appear if player doesn't collect their rewards at the tourney.

- Adjusted how long is player banned from further tournaments if he caused a crime during one.

- Kumel shouldn't arrive drunk to the repeated tourney activity.

- Trying to attack the opponent too early will trigger the fight early instead of a crime.

- Adjusted how the different fighters swap for different tournaments.

- Prevented the attending skill teachers from teaching during the tourney.

- Fans won't be teleported inside the arena if the player leaves and comes back.

- Fixed an issue where an opponent would surrender and run away from the area.

- Fixed the tourney getting stuck if player left the tourney and returned later.

- Fans standing by the arena won't stand inside each other anymore.

- Fixed the player sometimes getting stuck in the fighting arena if they got disqualified while inside it.

- Fixed the player committing a crime at the tourney for unsheathing their weapon.

- Fixed objective to 'Equip tournament gear' reactivating upon successfully returning the gear.

- Fixed several issues related to saving/loading in unexpected moments.

- Fixed an issue where fighters wouldn't change their gear for other disciplines.

Lackey

- Fixed Vostatek not talking about other quests after finishing this one.

- Fixed an issue where huntsman Vostatek might have managed to survive being eaten by wolves under certain conditions.

- Fixed terrain issue allowing the player to move into a position unreachable by NPCs.

Last Rites

- Fixed the game sometimes freezing after knocking down a ladder.

- Fixed disappearing edges around the wall hole from trebuchet on lower graphics settings.

- Fixed the Suchdol chimney appearing later than the fortress itself.

Last Will

- Fixed an issue where a player could receive a reward twice if they ordered Mutt to attack Gerda during the duel.

Like Old Times

- Adjusted the position of a chest in the soldiers' camp to fix a broken animation during lockpicking.

- Adjusted the body of the killed huntsman to not clip into the tree.

- Fixed the issue with dead soldiers' bodies staying in the camp upon travelling back to Devil's Den.

- Fixed a possible chat prompt without text during the horse ride with Capon.

Lost Honour

- Fixed incorrect heraldry on one of Garbow's pavises in his camp.

Master Schindel's Toys

- Player can no longer lose an important quest item.

- Fixed journal logs after failing the quest.

Materia Prima

- Fixed dialogue cameras.

Miri Fajta

- Improved animation of NPCs sitting on the ground.

- Polished the music during a dialogue.

- Improved deterred NPC's behavior.

- Removed items in Tibor's inventory when being held captive.

- Fixed skill reward in dialogue.

- Fixed the animation when picking up the dead body.

- Fixed woodcutters' reaction while player trespassing.

- Fixed trespass area in the barn.

Mutt

- Removed mentioning Vostatek if player already knows about him.

- Improved Mutt's animations in the first dialogue with him.

- Increased damage for parry attacks against wolves.

- Changed loot in Mutt's wolf den.

- Added note in the descriptions of the items indicating that they are sniffable by Mutt. 

- Fixed the behaviour of the first pack of wolves.

Necessary Evil

- Removed marker from von Bergow while he's sleeping after the raid on Semine.

- Added waiting behaviour for von Bergow after player reports the results of the torture.

- Added the cleaning activity for Capon after the return from Semine.

- Increased visibility of the gate from Semine fortress on low settings.

- Fixed horse alignment during the raid on Semine.

- Fixed dying animation if player kills the NPC during torture.

- Fixed teleportation of the player during final polylogue with von Bergow.

Opus Magnum

- Fixed the condition of the objective of bringing the book to the miller.

- Fixed the issue with a guard guarding the book owner indefinitely.

Oratores

- Improved the final horse race.

- Removed the prompt mistakenly offering to play dice with Samuel, Capon, or Brabant while in Ruthard Manor.

- Fixed reaction of vagabonds to a thrown pebble in Ruthard Manor.

- Forbid sending Mutt home from the closed Suchdol castle.

Popinjay Shoot

- Fixed player being unable to shoot after quick sword draw in the Popinjay Shoot quest.

Post Scriptum

- Improved miners' reaction to crime after the fight.

- Guards are now always present behind the entrance door, so they can let the player see Markolt.

- Fixed the letter staying in inventory after giving it to the bailiff.

Ransom

- Fixed Henry being sunken into the ground in the dialogue with Jan of Suchotlesky if the player woke him up from unconsciousness.

- Fixed a possibility of Jan going back to the ambush site while he's trying to investigate crime.

- Fixed the burnt down house breaking combat during the handover.

- Fixed objectives not disappearing after talking to the prisoner in Sigismund's camp.

- Fixed injured Jan standing up in dialogue during some facial animations.

- Fixed Kubyenka and Adder not being recruitable for reinforcements.

Reckoning

- Rebalanced stats of the Prague soldiers to make stealth slightly more challenging.

- Fixed sleeping soldiers not waking up when alarm is triggered.

- Fixed soldiers not reacting to their food being poisoned.

- Fixed some alignment with wine in a cutscene.

- Fixed animation of picking up a sword in the yard.

- Fixed some places where the player could get stuck.

So It Begins…

- Improved food confiscation during siege quests.

- Improved performance after the night attack.

Speak of the Devil

- Added collisions to carts to prevent climbing on top of them.

- Lowered the armour quality of the guards escorting the Dry Devil.

- Fixed Zizka's men accusing the player of murder when revisiting the ambush place.

- Fixed music getting stuck on the same track during the search for weapons.

- Fixed an issue where killing the sleeping guard would lead to a stuck objective during the quest So it Begins.

Spoils of War

- Fixed the villagers not always counting the valuables taken from their hidden stashes towards the stolen-value counter.

- Fixed missing text when handing in more valuables than required.

Striped Tonies

- Fixed journal not mentioning why the player failed the quest.

- Fixed the standard moving unnaturally when walking on the stairs.

- Fixed saves created within the Striped Tonies quest having incorrect names.

- Fixed the behaviour of Miner Anton Kaspar, so that he does not leave the spot at the Church of St. Jacob.

Taking French Leave

- Improved soldiers' animations.

- Improved environment.

- Improved Maleshov tower entrance.

- Improved horses' behaviour at Maleshov castle.

- Added weapons to Maleshov castle.

- Improved cutscene lighting.

- Improved the quest log.

- Fixed saving/loading issue if the text cutscene is played right after loading game.

- Fixed the alarm sounding during the cutscene in Maleshov.

- Fixed Capon waking up from unconsciousness after saving/loading.

- Fixed the Nighthawk potion blinding player after escaping from Maleshov.

- Fixed bark if Hashtal is dead.

- Fixed NPC falling from the stool after knockout.

Teeth in a Bag

- Fixed a rare issue with player is unable to repeat the fight with Zavish and Damian.

- Fixed the invalid dialogue prompt if player refuses to pay the bet in the double fight with Zavish and Damian.

The Best for Last

- Fixed the issue making dialogue with Barnaby inaccessible due to the world time.

- Fixed the issue where you couldn't start a fight with Herbalist Barnaby after refusing him once.

- Fixed issue caused by Ringenmeister perk while trying to end the fight with a choke.

The Blacksmith's Son

- Fixed improper objective when taking the materials from the chest.

The Devil's Pack

- Added the option to bury Ranyek.

- Added missing voiceover with the innkeeper when asking about Ranyek.

- Fixed the objective marker to carry Ranyek to not flash in the navigation panel.

- Fixed the objective to bury Ranyek not activating.

- Fixed the quest not being able to progress after a failed skill check with the dice players.

- Fixed the player losing more groschen than they haggled in the dialogue with the bailiff.

The Feast

- Fixed Godwin not being able to succeed in the skillcheck with Servant Dasha.

- Fixed NPCs jumping to position during treating wounded animation at the end of The Feast.

The Fifth Commandment

- Added a missing journal entry for when player kills someone in the house of Grolle.

- Removing the dialogue loop of giving thanks from Stanya.

- Removed frequent praying from Lipold's daycycle.

- Changed dialogue for Strnad if beating him until he is unconsious.

- Started to automatically pull the weapon out before the fight with Thaddeus.

- Rewritten journal entries.

- Changed the heads of William and Barton.

- Adjusted position of dead Mandelina during polylogue after trap.

- Changed the prompt for the focus camera for the crime scene.

- Added Marigold decoction to the option to cure Lipold's hangover.

- Removed trespass from Lipold's house during the quest.

- Added crime suppression during the trap.

- Edited stash of a chest in the morgue where lies dead Alenka.

- Fixed Lipold's behavior at the end of quest, so he will leave the room.

- Fixed the quest sometimes getting stuck after accusing Prokop of the murder.

- Fixed dialogue conditions with Prokop.

- Fixed issue in the Fifth Commandment where Strnad would not talk to plazer to finish the objective for thief Zdena.

- Fixed issue of locked doors during the trap in the Fifth Commandment quest.

- Fixed the journal entry for choosing William as a murderer.

The Finger of God

- Improved Bull's weapon preset before the battle.

- Improved Godwin's behavior by the graves.

- Improved crime interactions between the player and allies.

- Improved the interactions between the player and other defenders.

- Improved placement of targets for the gun tutorial.

- Fixed broken dialogue option after handing in a horseshoe.

- Fixed stats of weapons for repair.

- Fixed the NPC's clothing during the dialogue with Klara.

The Heirloom

- Improved reactions of Vendula and Svatava upon being hit.

- Prevented gossip dialogues during hostage situation.

- Fixed Mikush not becoming a skill teacher in some endings.

- Fixed Mikush not accepting his hat in some endings.

- Fixed the hostage situation getting broken by Mutt.

The Jaunt

- Ventza won't be in the camp when you're supposed to find him in the rocks

- The Jaunt can now be finished after failing the objective to follow lord Semin and Gnarly.

- Improved the tied-up animation for Gules and Ventza.

- Knocking Ventza out and bringing him to Lord Semine is now a valid option.

- Fixed the issue where Captain Gnarly and Lord Semine were not in Semine after the player completed the quest without them.

The King's Gambit

- Entering the assembly now properly keeps the player incognito.

- Player can no longer read a book while carrying a pitcher of wine.

- Rebalanced the duel with Christopher.

- Made Vavak easier to get a hold of.

- Added a wine serving tutorial overlay at the start of the assembly.

- Fixed a missing objective marker on Anna of Waldstein.

- Fixed Franta picking up the waiter's clothes at the tailor repeatedly.

- Fixed disappearing objects at the end of the toast with the king.

- Fixed mismatching character positions after the intro cutscene.

- Fixed Godwin's horse leaving during the intro polylogue.

- Fixed the Raborsch stablemaster bribery option not having an effect.

- Fixed the head butler asking about Franta multiple times.

The Lion's Den

- Revised music playing during the quest.

- Fixed the correct reaction when leaving Sedletz after Stephen Crow is dead.

- Fixed the correct reaction when committing a crime after a trial.

- Fixed the correct reaction when attacking Commander Katz.

- Fixed the player not being able to knock out the guard guarding Musa in the Lion's Den quest.

- Fixed redudant objective to talk to Ditrich Katz after the trial.

The Magic Arrow

- Pasha's crossbow is now more powerful.

- Removed inappropriate crime reactions at the end of the arrow ceremony.

- Improved a journal entry.

- Fixed gravedigger Lenek's surrender.

The Mouth of Hell

- Changed the position of a sword in the mine.

- Moved the dialogue camera during the initial scene of massacre in Old Kutna.

- Fixed the issue where the screen would go black after fast travelling through Old Kutna.

- Fixed issue of missing dead cows in Old Kutna.

- Fixed an issue where Marian and Vladimir might show up to confront Taras naked at night.

- Fixed collisions in the mine.

- Fixed the behavior of Taras so that he will not flee if escalating a fight after showing him the contract.

- Fixed behaviour of Taras if he falls down while chasing player.

The Peasant Revolt

- Prevented the shootable stashes from getting restocked.

- Fixed an issue where Vlasta was not willing to speak to the player after finishing the quest.

The Reliquary

- Removed camp trespass when returning the finished sword.

- Fixed duplication of quest reward if it's stolen before finishing the quest.

The Spark

- Eldris' chest is not impossible to lockpick now.

- Improved guards' routine after fight.

- Fixed Knuckles staying in front of the inn when he's supposed to be banished.

- Fixed the ropes of hanged The Guild members.

- Fixed Whisker's reaction to player lockpicking the chest in front of him.

- Fixed visual bug of the burnt dugout.

The Storm

- Revised the debuff received from the torturing.

- Removed Mika's openworld dialogue from the Storm quest.

- Added healing items to stashes at Trosky after the duel with Istvan.

- Improved dialogue lighting.

- Removed Zizka's mace during the torture scene.

The Sword and the Quill

- The active outfit is no longer partly unequipped upon being woken up by Zuzana.

- Disabled toggling on-road follow while following the wagon.

- Removed the option to ask Katherine about Nebakov when it's no longer relevant.

- Improved the cutscene.

- Improved Suchdol foot traffic slightly.

- Fixed player's horse periodically stopping while following the wagon.

- Fixed Suchdol light sources not emitting light.

- Fixed the trialogue with Katherine and captain Frenzl not triggering from a specific direction.

- Fixed a visual issue with Zizka's eating animation.

- Fixed player's horse's tack changing in the final cutscene.

The Voivode's Curse

- Rebalanced the blacksmithing recipe to require ingredients appropriate for the Trosky region.

- Prevented asking Aranka for more work if the quest is already started.

- Fixed quest log not reflecting some quest decisions properly.

The White Roebuck

- Fixed players being able to easily make money by killing poachers repeatedly.

- Fixed a certain animal not appearing after the game was saved and loaded after finding the hide.

Thou Art But Dust…

- Improved collision of the trapdoor.

- Fixed players not being able complete the pyramid of skulls and continue the quest.

Tragedy in Danemark

- Fixed the issue with the reaction of miller's family to the player's elimination of the bandits.

Troubadours

- Fixed Michael and George sometimes standing free after loading a save next to the pillory.

- Fixed daily schedule for Michael and George.

Via Argentum

- Improved trespass zones inside of the secret mint.

- Added alternative dialogue for speaking with Volkmar outside of his court

- Improved dialogue cameras for initial dialogue with Volkmar.

- Fixed the issue sometimes making Buresh immortal.

- Fixed the issue where Buresh could react to the player's strikes and potentially flee.

- Fixed the issue where Buresh could teleport out of the secret mint during the timeskip.

- Fixed issue where some characters could be stripped during the opening cutscene.

- Fixed the condition in the final dialogue with Christian of Pisek to match the events in the secret mint.

- Fixed the issue where Volkmar teleported a short distance away and did not react to the player if the player chose to kill him.

Victimised

- Improved timings for notifications of certain skillcheck resolutions.

- Adjusted the Wait for Margaret interactor to be easier to find.

- Fixed possible crime reactions later in the quest, if player knocked out Lacek in the inn.

Warding Off Evil

- Improved lighting in the inn basement.

- Improved the Parler chamber, specifically the window surroundings for a graceful knockout.

- Fixed an issue where the Protective Axe disappeared from the inventory after giving Johann another axe.

Wedding Crashers

- Improved dialogue cameras.

- Improved Hanush's position in the dialogue.

- Removed the option to attack NPCs at the wedding.

- Removed blood on NPCs before wedding ceremony.

- Improved movement of the cook while trying to lure her away from the kitchen.

- Rebalanced the training sword's damage.

- Michael and George can attend the wedding now.

- Fixed GPU performance issues during the wedding cutscene.

- Fixed some optional objectives and behavior.

- Fixed condition in dialogue between Svatya and Vuytek.

- Fixed optional dialogue condition with the guard by the cellar.

- Fixed optional dialogue conditions with Jurko.

- Fixed optional dialogue conditions with the Chamberlain.

- Fixed going unconscious again right after getting up during event brawl.

- Fixed an issue where Strong broth was not working as an anti-alcohol food.

- Fixed dialogue condition before going to the wedding.

Yackers'n'Fash

- Added Innkeeper Helga Schelm as a tipster for the Yackers 'N' Fash quest.

- Fixed the issue with foreman Vlach not telling player to meet later in the evening.

--

(Plus hundreds of other fixes and improvements not mentioned in detail)

Eric is a freelance writer for IGN.

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More of THPS 3 + 4 Remastered's Soundtrack Revealed - Song List So Far

One of the biggest reasons for why we remember the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater games so fondly is because of the licensed soundtrack. From punk rock to hip-hop, and a new wave of hardcore with the remasters, the series forged our music tastes, and it will continue to do so with Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4 Remastered coming July 11 this year. In the lead up to its release, Activision is putting together the official THPS 3 + 4 playlist on Spotify and continually updating it as it reveals more and more of the song list.

The first wave of tracks have just been revealed, and here are the songs we currently know of for the THPS 3 + 4 Remastered soundtrack:

  • "Ace of Spades" by Motörhead
  • "Them Bones" by Alice in Chains
  • "Ultimate" by Denzel Curry
  • "Damaged Goods" by Gang of Four
  • "96 Quite Bitter Beings" by CKY
  • "Yankee and the Brave (Ep. 4)" by Run the Jewels
  • "King of the Beach" by Wavves
  • "Real Thing" by Turnstile
  • "Not the Same" by Bodyjar
  • "New Wage Slavery" by End It
  • "Head" by Jeff Rosenstock
  • "Collard Greens" by Schoolboy Q and Kendrick Lamar
  • "Outta Here" by KRS-One
  • "Result" by TCMF
  • "Dog Years" by Urethane
  • "Charlotte" by Kittie
  • "Mass Appeal" by Gang Starr
  • "Faster than the World" by H20
  • "Roadkill" by Starcrawler
  • "Amoeba" by Adolescents

Additionally, those who get the deluxe edition of the game, or access it through Xbox Game Pass, will also get a full band version of the Doom E1M1 theme song "At Doom's Gate" as a playable track (along with the Doom Slayer and Revenant skater skins).

Personally, I'd love to hear Guttermouth's "I'm Destroying the World" and AFI's "The Boy Who Destroyed the World" from THPS 3 make comebacks, as well as Bad Religion's "Big Bang" and Flogging Molly's "Drunken Lullabies" from THPS 4. That's mostly because I'm a washed up old punk kid. However, it's an opportunity to discover new music and celebrate the scene as it is today, bridging the gap between the new and old as was the case with THPS 1 + 2 Remastered from 2021.

Those who preorder THPS 3 + 4 Remastered's deluxe or collector's edition can access the playable demo sometime in June which will include two parks, two skaters, and a limited soundtrack. An exclusive physical Birdhouse skate deck also comes with the collector's edition. You'll also be able to access the full game early on July 8, three days ahead of its official release date.

  •  

White House Robot Romance Delivers an Improbable Story of Love Amid Wartime

If you've been wondering what Batman writer Chip Zdarsky is up to now that he's ended his run on that series, wonder no more. IGN can exclusively reveal White House Robot Romance, a kooky new series from DSTLRY that explores an imporbable romance set against the backdrop of a brewing war between the US and Canada. Well, at least the robot part is still science fiction...

Check out the slideshow gallery below for an exclusive look at cover art and interior pages from White House Robot Romance #1:

White House Robot Romance pairs Zdarsky with artist Rachael Stott (Star Trek, Doctor Who), with colors by Tamra Bonvillain and letters by Ariana Maher. The first issue also features covers by Jill Thompson, Elsa Charretier, and Bengal.

Here's DSTLRY's official summary of this politically timely new series:

When Chef-9 learns that Service-1 is scheduled for immediate decommissioning, he makes an unprecedented choice: abandon his station, break protocol, and flee with Service-1 into the streets of Washington, D.C. But what starts as a desperate act of defiance quickly spirals into an international crisis. Service-1’s memory banks hold highly classified state secrets—ones that could tilt the balance of power between America and Canada. As paranoia mounts and the military mobilizes, the runaway robots find themselves hunted by government agents and targeted by corporate spies.

“Yes, there’s science fiction and political intrigue here, but the heart is an old-fashioned romance,” said Zdarsky in a statement. “Getting to write the love story between Service-1 and Chef-9 and see their love come to life thanks to Rachael and Tamra has been an absolute delight. I hope everyone falls for these two the way I have!”

“Drawing White House Robot Romance has been an incredible challenge in the best way possible,” adds Rachael Stott, co-creator and artist. “I’m channeling my love of classic sci-fi, espionage thrillers, and of course, star-crossed romance. Bringing these characters to life and making them feel human has been an exciting experience.”

White House Robot Romance #1 will be released in Summer 2025.

For more exclusive comic book previews, check out a look at the final issue of TMNT: The Last Ronin II and The Dark Knight Returns-inspired Daredevil: Cold Day in Hell.

Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on BlueSky.

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Official Disco Elysium Mobile Version Announced, ZA/UM Calls It a 'Fun, On-the-Go Alternative' Aimed at TikTok Users

Hot on the heels of its announcement of new game Project C4, ZA/UM has announced an official mobile version of Disco Elysium.

ZA/UM said its goal for the mobile version, exclusive to Android devices, is to bring Disco Elysium to new players “and hopefully serve existing Disco Elysium players with a fun, on-the-go alternative.” To this end, it will release the first two chapters of Disco Elysium for mobile free of charge. You can then pay once to unlock the full game, ad-free.

“We want players to make an informed decision about their potential purchase,” ZA/UM said. “Today’s ZA/UM studio is comprised of both creators and custodians of the Disco Elysium IP. We take both of those roles very seriously and we believe that is evident in the Disco Elysium mobile experience we are creating.”

Studio head Denis Havel went one step further and said Disco Elysium on mobile is about attracting the TikTok audience.

“We intend to captivate the TikTok user with quick hits of compelling story, art, and audio, ultimately creating an all new, deeply engaging form of entertainment,” Havel said.

ZA/UM’s announcement came alongside a debut trailer for Disco Elysium on mobile, as well as screenshots. The game has new, 360-degree scenes built “exclusively to place the mobile user right in the middle of Revachol.” There’s brand new audio featuring full voiceover that “serves to deliver a more immersive, even more character-rich experience.”

Here’s the official blurb:

This is a total re-imagination of the award-winning, gripping psychological RPG Disco Elysium and designed to completely cater to the habits of today’s mobile users. This story-rich adventure has been optimized for short play sessions, allowing players to dive in anytime, anyplace on their mobile devices.

Narrative Lead Chris Priestman said Disco Elysium’s mobile version is “what audiobooks wish they were,” and is designed to be played in short bursts.

Disco Elysium released on mobile via Google Android summer 2025.

It is of course worth noting that while the studio name is the same, many of the key people who worked on Disco Elysium are not at ZA/UM. Numerous former ZA/UM members have left the studio since Disco Elysium's release, and some of those are working on spiritual successors.

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.

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Cancelled Series Star Wars: Underworld Was So Expensive, It Would've 'Blown Up' the Star Wars Universe

I’m not gonna lie: this one stings. Star Wars prequels producer Rick McCallum recently revealed that the legendary cancelled series Star Wars: Underworld would’ve cost a whopping $40 million per episode to make — effectively dooming it to be axed for budget reasons.

“The problem was that each episode was bigger than the films,” McCallum explained in an interview on the Young Indy Chronicles podcast. “So the lowest I could get it down to with the tech that existed then was $40 million an episode.” McCallum added that the inability to successfully realize the project over the years continues to be “one of the great disappointments of our lives.”

With 60 “third draft” scripts written that showcased the Star Wars universe in “sexy, violent, dark, challenging, complicated, and wonderful” ways from “the most wonderful writers in the world,” it seems as though the budget was the true killer in the crib for this project. 60 scripts times $40 million an episode is already well into the $1 billion mark — and it seems as though even George Lucas himself couldn’t scrounge up that kind of cash back in the early 2000s.

“[It] would’ve blown up the whole Star Wars universe and Disney would’ve definitely never offered George to buy the franchise,” McCallum added. The series was truly axed once Disney took control of Lucasfilm and Lucas stepped aside.

Though McCallum did not confirm any plot details during this interview, fans have long believed that the series would cover the events between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope. The producer previously revealed that the series would feature a whole new cast of characters, would’ve greatly expanded the Star Wars universe, and was targeting an adult — rather than teen and child — audience.

Star Wars: Underworld was first revealed at Star Wars Celebration back in 2005 and test footage from the series was leaked in 2020, but since then, that’s all she wrote. Sadly, it looks as though it may just stay that way.

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

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Monster Hunter Wilds Player Shows How Connected Its World Is With 9-Minute Seikret Trip

The world of Monster Hunter Wilds is big, and also pretty connected. One player set out to show just that, with a long journey from a starting zone to the peaks of its later areas.

Over on the Monster Hunter subreddit, user -BrotherPig- posted a video, below, chronicling their journey across the zones of Monster Hunter Wilds. They start out in the Windward Plains, running across the sand and dunes, all the way to the later game zones and, eventually, some of the last game areas and locales. Spoilers await, if you haven't rolled credits on the campaign just yet.

It's an impressively long trip, and emphasizes just how linked all the zones are. There's only one loading screen that happens, around halfway into the trip, as the traveler heads from the Oilwell Basin into the Iceshard Cliffs. Otherwise, it's one big run for this presumably exhausted Seikret.

Monster Hunter Wilds isn't entirely without loading screens, of course. Aside from the one we see in the trip above, there's also the loading screen to enter the training grounds, and those you would get from fast traveling or departing for a friend's quest. But the connectivity is certainly fascinating to see in action, and gave me a new appreciation for all the little corridors and passages that connect the Forbidden Lands.

The secret sauce for Monster Hunter Wilds though, according to a series producer, is apparently in its story, immersion, and cross-play. I've personally just enjoyed seeing all the discoveries players are making with how Wilds handles the series' systems in the open world. No matter why you're playing, it seems like there's still stuff to keep players occupied between now and the first Title Update in April.

To help get your Monster Hunter Wilds adventure started, take a look at what Monster Hunter Wilds doesn’t tell you, and a guide to all 14 weapon types in the game. We’ve also got a detailed Monster Hunter Wilds walkthrough in progress, a Monster Hunter Wilds multiplayer guide to explain how to play with friends, and if you’ve played one of the open betas, here’s how to transfer your Monster Hunter Wilds Beta character over.

IGN’s Monster Hunter Wilds review returned an 8/10. We said: “Monster Hunter Wilds continues to smooth off the rougher corners of the series in smart ways, making for some extremely fun fights but also lacking any real challenge.”

Eric is a freelance writer for IGN.

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Adolescence Review

The Netflix miniseries Adolescence is probably best classified as a drama, with some of the mystery and suspense elements of a police procedural. No one would file it under “horror.” Except that… maybe they should?

If nothing else, it begins with a moment straight out of a nightmare. A half-dozen armed, armored British police officers barge into a nice suburban home and start barking orders. They drag a 13-year-old named Jamie Miller (Owen Cooper) out of his bed, leaving the parents, Eddie (Stephen Graham) and Mandy (Christine Tremarco), confused and panicked. It seems that Jamie, a sweet-looking youngster, has been accused of murdering a classmate named Katie. Later, at the police station, Eddie – named as his son’s legally appointed “appropriate adult” – watches as the mortified teen gets strip-searched and then interrogated. Thanks to the novel presentation devised by co-writers Graham and Jack Thorne and director Philip Barantini, we watch it all play out in real time, in one continuous shot that steeps us in the dread and confusion of the Millers’ harrowing new reality.

Because by the end of the first episode, a new nightmare swamps the old one. What if Jamie is guilty? What if Eddie raised a child capable of stabbing a teenage girl seven times? Adolescence is less concerned with who killed Katie than it is with examining – with more sorrow than scorn – the sick souls of today’s youth. Each of its four episodes is incredibly intense, pushing us to question any assumptions we have about the crime and who’s responsible. Graham and Thorne sketch out a vision of a world where adults barely register in the lives of young people, who instead scrutinize and bully each other incessantly, online and in person. This miniseries is, quite frequently, terrifying.

It also has one heck of a gimmick. Each episode covers roughly one hour in the lives of the people involved with the case. Episode one deals with the arrest and the initial interrogation. Episode two takes place two days later, as two detectives, Luke Bascombe (Ashley Walters) and Misha Frank (Faye Marsay) question Jamie’s classmates. In the third episode, set seven months later, Jamie is at a juvenile detention center, having a tense conversation with a social worker, Briony Ariston (Erin Doherty), about how his attitudes toward women have been shaped by misogynistic online influencers. And in the fourth and final episode, set on Eddie’s 50th birthday, the parents try to have a nice, normal morning, but keep getting gutting reminders of what their child is capable of.

Though neither the material nor the technique are new ground for Adolescence’s creative team – Graham has spent most of his formidable career playing tightly wound, angry men, in projects like the Thorne-written youth-culture chronicle This Is England and Barantini’s previous real-time/one-shot experiment, Boiling Point – there are downsides to telling a story this way. Because each of these four episodes only documents a sliver of the characters’ lives, a good chunk of the dialogue is spent on info-dumping, making sure we know who everybody is and are up to speed on everything that happened off-screen. There’s a bluntness to the way people talk in Adolescence. Graham and Thorne have some big themes they want to explore, about how navigating childhood today is both trickier and more dangerous than it was 30 or 40 years before the internet age. And given how tightly constructed each episode is, the characters often just say outright what’s on their mind, so they can get the point across before the credits roll.

The upside to staging everything in one continuous shot? Each episode is absolutely riveting, and is graced with performances that have time to develop and shift right in front of our eyes – like a piece of live theater. Cooper in particular is a real casting coup. As Jamie, he holds his own in scenes with powerhouse actors like Graham and Doherty, shifting unnervingly easily between looking like a scared little boy and swaggering like a fledgling “manosphere”-pilled bro.

Adolescence is graced with performances that have time to develop and shift right in front of our eyes.

More than anything though, what makes the “you are there” approach work so well in Adolescence is that it gets us to experience a shocking tragedy through the eyes of each of the main characters, often as they themselves are processing it. We’re with Jamie as he navigates the grim realities of the police station. We’re with the detectives Bascombe and Frank as they become depressed and discouraged by the gray lifelessness of Jamie and Katie’s school. We’re with Briony as she tries to coax Jamie into describing what a 13-year-old understands about sexuality and gender roles. And we’re with Eddie, as he wrestles with whether or not he’s been a good father.

Graham, Thorne and Barantini play a lot with subjectivity throughout this series, by muting the dialogue at times – to reflect how the characters have become too overwhelmed by what’s happening to process it – or by having people describe in precise terms what they’re sensing and feeling. (DS Frank sums up the institutional hell of Jamie’s school by telling DI Bascombe it smells like “vomit, cabbage, and masturbation.”) Primarily, what they’re doing is taking a huge social crisis and breaking it down to small, comprehensible moments, lived through by sympathetic individuals. They’re doing what Eddie’s therapist encourages him to do whenever the pain of Jamie’s alleged crime cuts him too deep: He’s supposed to “solve the problem of today,” not to obsess over yesterday or worry about tomorrow. And yet the reality of what happened keeps creeping in, like a shadow. Like Adolescence itself, the darkness is chilling.

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Microsoft Will Soon Integrate its Copilot AI Into the Xbox App — and Eventually Into Your Xbox Games

As a part of Microsoft's ongoing efforts to implement artificial intelligence into basically everything, the company is preparing to introduce its AI Copilot into your Xbox experience to give you gaming advice, help you remember where you left off last time you played, and perform other tasks.

Announced today, Copilot for gaming will be rolled out for Xbox Insiders through the Xbox mobile app sometime soon for testing. If you're not already aware, Copilot is Microsoft's existing AI chatbot (that replaced Cortana in 2023) that's already integrated into Windows. The gaming version will have a handful of features at launch. You can ask it to install games on your Xbox for you (a process you can already do now just by pushing a single button on the app), and you can also ask it about your play history (in case you forgot what you were doing last time you played), achievements, library, or for a recommendation of what to play next. You'll also be able to speak to Copilot for Gaming directly on the Xbox app while you're playing, and it will serve you answers in the same way Copilot currently does when asked questions via Windows.

Probably the biggest use-cases touted by Microsoft available at launch is Copilot as a gaming assistant. You can already ask Copilot questions about games any time on PC, such as how to beat a boss or solve a puzzle, and it will source answers via Bing from various online guides, websites, wikis, and forums. Soon, you'll also be able to ask it those same questions on the Xbox app.

"Our goal is to have Copilot for Gaming source the most accurate game knowledge — so we are working with game studios to make sure the information Copilot surfaces reflects their vision, and Copilot will refer players back to the original source of the information."

Unshockingly, Microsoft does not intend to limit itself to just these Copilot functions. In a press briefing, Microsoft spokespeople discussed other future possibilities for Copilot in video games, including as a walkthrough assistant to explain basic game functions, remember where items where left in a game, or tell you where to find new ones, or as a helper in competitive games that could offer strategy suggestions and tips in real-time to counter opponents' moves, or explain how and why an engagement unfolded the way it did. Though it was emphasized that these were both just ideas they were toying with, the presentation made clear that Microsoft is insistant on finding ways to integrate Copilot closely with regular Xbox gameplay. And Microsoft confirmed to me that it will eventually work with not just first-party studios, but third-party studios for integration into their games as well.

With that in mind, I asked Microsoft if Copilot gaming would be opt in or opt out of use, or if users could opt out of having their data used to train it. The answer is that yes, Xbox Insiders can opt out during the preview, but the door was left open for Copilot to be mandatory in the future. Here's what a spokesperson said:

"During this preview on mobile, players will be able to decide how and when they want to interact with Copilot for Gaming, whether it has access to their conversation history, and what it does on their behalf.

"As we preview and test Copilot for Gaming with players early, we will continue to be transparent about what data we collect, how we use it, and the choices players have around sharing their personal data."

IGN understands that Copilot is not being limited to just player-focused usage, and that Microsoft will be providing an overview on plans for developer use in a session at the Game Developers Conference on Monday next week.

Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. You can find her posting on BlueSky @duckvalentine.bsky.social. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.

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PowerWash Simulator 2 Out Late 2025, First Trailer and Screenshots Released

FuturLab has announced PowerWash Simulator 2, the sequel to the hugely popular cleaning game.

The Brighton, UK-based studio said it’s self-publishing PowerWash Simulator 2 after Final Fantasy maker Square Enix published the smash hit first game since 2022. It’s due out late 2025 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S, and PC.

PowerWash Simulator does exactly what it says on the tin: players clean grubby environments with a powerwash. It’s a smash hit, with over 17 million players enjoying the satisfying ping whenever a dirty section of the environment is cleared of dirt. PowerWash Simulator did so well that it ended up attracting big-time licensed DLC, including Warhammer 40,000, Shrek, and SpongeBob SquarePants.

It’s the commercial success of PowerWash Simulator that put FuturLab in a position to self-publish the sequel.

“PowerWash Simulator 2 feels like a natural evolution from its predecessor,” said Dan Chequer, Design Director at FuturLab.

“The original game’s design was all about eliminating anything that detracted from the pure satisfaction of taking something dirty and making it clean. PowerWash Simulator 2 is all about adding in even more avenues for players to achieve that same sense of satisfaction, with new tools, features and quality of life improvements.

“We're really excited to see players dust off their power washers and get stuck into this brand-new campaign, that brings you even more to clean, and even more ways to release the pressure.”

PowerWash Simulator 2 includes a new campaign uncovering more of Muckingham’s mysteries and brand-new grime-coated locations like Sponge Valley, Power Falls, and Lubri City. You even have a home base this time around, where you can “put down your roots and make the place yours by collecting furniture and trinkets to spruce it up along the way, then invite your power wash pals over to check out your pad.”

Also new is split-screen and the ability to share campaign progression online together for the first time.

Now here’s something interesting: FuturLab said it’s “excited” to share more information in April. Now, what’s happening in April? Only Nintendo’s Switch 2 Direct

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.

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Void Martyrs Announced for PC

Mac N Cheese, a studio composed of (among other folks) former art leads from Cyberpunk 2077, has announced Void Martyrs, a grimdark, top-down action game in which you are sent on a crusade to recover treasured relics at the edge of a blackhole, only to face off against those affected by a biomechanical plague. You play as a nun. Is that a video game first?

The developers describe Void Martyrs's gameplay loop as having "a unique Stigmata/Faith system where the divine choices you make impact your access to certain items and affect gameplay, especially how you survive against the invading evil. Players can take the easier route of slaughtering their way through the dark, but will face a tougher time escaping the unrelenting plague. Will you march blindly to your death, or defy the institution that cast you into the abyss?"

Survival and crafting mechanics come into play as you explore quarantined ships and space cathedrals. And as for how death is handled in Void Martyrs? "If you die," Mac N Cheese says, "Never fear, the Universal Church has thousands of novices and will simply send another to recover your holy remains and take up the cause."

Void Martyrs is in development for PC. Wishlist it on Steam if you're interested.

Ryan McCaffrey is IGN's executive editor of previews and host of both IGN's weekly Xbox show, Podcast Unlocked, as well as our monthly(-ish) interview show, IGN Unfiltered. He's a North Jersey guy, so it's "Taylor ham," not "pork roll." Debate it with him on Twitter at @DMC_Ryan.

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The Last of Us Season 2 Trailer Breaks HBO Records Nearly a Month Before It Begins

The second season of The Last of Us hasn’t even arrived yet, but its looming presence is already making a splash.

The show’s most recent trailer for Season 2, which was released during a SXSW panel, has garnered over 158 million views across platforms in just three days, according to numbers provided by Warner Brothers Discovery. The streamer claimed this is a record for HBO and Max original programming, and that this trailer has outperformed previous promos for the show by “at least 160%”

You can’t stop this.#TheLastOfUs returns April 13 on Max. pic.twitter.com/DH8UzAugIV

— Max (@StreamOnMax) March 8, 2025

The show seems to only be growing in popularity as fans new and old alike wait patiently for Season 2’s arrival. The Season 1 episodes are averaging “around 32 million cross-platform viewers” domestically, which is a huge jump from the numbers of, say, Season 1’s finale. It racked up an impressive 8.2 million same-day viewers across platforms when it aired in March 2023, according to Deadline. Clearly, folks are excitedly getting ready for the next leg of the story with a little rewatch, but this huge jump in numbers says a lot about just how big this series actually is. It’s definitely one of the most successful for HBO in recent years, but the anticipation and love toward the show is undeniable with numbers like these.

The Last of Us will make a five-year time jump for Season 2, and follow Joel and Ellie as they are “drawn into conflict with each other and a world even more dangerous and unpredictable than the one they left behind.” Stars Pedro Pascal, Bella Ramsey, Gabriel Luna, and Rutina Wesley are set to return, with heavy hitters like Kaitlyn Dever, Isabella Merced, Catherine O’Hara, and Jeffrey Wright joining the cast alongside them this season.

At the SXSW panel, showrunners Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin confirmed “spores are back” following their omission from Season 1. The trailer teased the introduction of spores after they were left out of Season 1; we see Ellie, played by Bella Ramsey, view an infected whose breath releases the spores.

Druckmann said there is "an escalation of numbers and types of infected, but also, as you see in the trailer, an escalation of the vector of how this thing spreads" in The Last of Us Season 2, adding: "Season 1, we had this new thing that wasn’t in the game of these tendrils that spread, and that was one form. And then one shot you see in this trailer, there are things in the air."

Mazin later confirmed "spores are back," before Druckmann added: "The reason [we’re doing it now], I mean, we really wanted to figure it out, and again, everything has to be drama. There had to be a dramatic reason of introducing it now. And there is."

Season 2 of The Last of Us premieres April 13, 2025 on HBO and HBO Max.

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

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Nintendo Announces San Francisco Official Store Grand Opening Date, Details How to Attend

Nintendo will open its San Francisco store on May 15, it has announced.

Nintendo San Francisco is the second official Nintendo store in the United States, and follows the hugely popular New York location, which was formerly known as the Nintendo World Store, but closed down for renovations and rebranding as Nintendo NY before reopening in 2016.

The San Francisco store is located in Union Square at 331 Powell Street. Here’s what Nintendo had to say:

In addition to game systems and games, Nintendo San Francisco will offer a unique shopping experience filled with Nintendo’s characters, worlds and exclusive products including accessories, apparel, home goods and souvenirs available only at this location.

Reservations will be required to attend the grand opening (Nintendo said more details are coming soon), but it also announced the My Nintendo x Nintendo San Francisco Sweepstakes, which gives those who enter a chance to win a trip to the grand opening.

You and up to two guests can experience the city during a three-night, four-day trip and receive a tour of the new store during the Nintendo San Francisco launch event, Nintendo said.

The grand opening in May follows Nintendo’s Switch 2 Direct in April, and will surely be packed with Switch 2-related products eventually.

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.

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Why One Photo on LinkedIn Has Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War Fans Excited

Warhammer 40,000 real-time strategy series Dawn of War has been dormant ever since Relic Entertainment ended support for its failed 2017 effort, Dawn of War 3. Still, the first two games remain much-loved by fans, who have wondered ever since whether a Dawn of War 4 or maybe even remakes of either Dawn of War 1 or 2 might be in the works.

Now, after a single photo was published to LinkedIn, Dawn of War fans have hope that something new in the series is finally on the way.

Let’s start with Relic Entertainment itself, which recently gained independence from prior owner Sega via investment from Emona Capital. Emona managing partner Dominik Dolenec published a selfie to LinkedIn showing him standing outside Games Workshop’s Nottingham headquarters and the mecca that is Warhammer World. Yes, that’s a statue of a Space Marine in the background. It’s awesome.

The foreground is more interesting, however. Dolenec is wearing a Relic Entertainment T-shirt for his trip to Games Workshop, and so it can be reasonably assumed that he’s in town representing the developer.

“Great visit to Games Workshop PLC in Nottingham,” Dolenec said. “Many thanks to Owen Rees for sharing the Warhammer magic with us! Looking forward to deepening our partnership in years to come. 💪🎮”

Owen Rees is Group Head of Licensing at Games Workshop. He’s worked on a number of Warhammer video games, and leads the licensing of video games and consumer products for all Warhammer products. It’s also worth noting those emojis at the end of Dolenec’s comment. This very much reads like a video game business meeting.

You can imagine the speculation. Dawn of War 4 is top of the wishlist, it seems, but perhaps remakes of Dawn of War 1 and / or 2 are on the cards instead. Let’s be optimistic and suggest a brand new game and remakes are all in the works. Why not?

Here’s what we know: Games Workshop is on the hunt for the next big Warhammer video game hit after the hugely successful, 5 million-selling Space Marine 2 changed everything for developer Saber Interactive.

In January, reporting results for the first half of its financial year ending December 1, 2024, Games Workshop CEO Kevin Rountree hailed the success of Space Marine 2, which contributed significant royalty revenue to the business.

In fact, licensing revenue from royalty income increased in the period by a whopping £18 million (approx. $21.9 million) to £30.1 million (approx. $36.7 million). Earned income, which is the key figure here, was £26.1 million (approx. $31.8 million), up from £5.9 million (approx. $7.2 million), an increase Games Workshop said was mainly from Space Marine 2. 98% of Games Workshop’s total licensing revenue came from PC and console games (Space Marine 2 launched on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and S).

A win all round, then, but Rountree also expressed a degree of caution on potential future video game success, admitting hits like Space Marine 2 are few and far between.

Here’s the statement:

During the period, our licensing partners launched two new video games; Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2, a third person shooter for PC and console and Warhammer 40,000: Speed Freeks, a combat racing game. Established games continue to contribute, alongside royalty income earned following the success of Space Marine 2. We recognise that successes like these for Warhammer are not a given in the world of video games. Clearly we are looking for the next one. We remain cautious when forecasting royalty income.

So, where could this big Warhammer video game hit come from? It seems inevitable that Saber Interactive will get the chance to continue the Space Marine story with Space Marine 3, and indeed has said it has ideas for a third game.

Warhammer 40,000 has never been bigger. Amazon’s Space Marine 2 animation, released as part of the Secret Level anthology series, went down well with fans. And there’s huge excitement about the Henry Cavill-fronted Warhammer 40,000 projects in the works for Amazon, although they're years away. Creative Assembly is reportedly working on a Warhammer 40,000 Total War game (finally!), although it is apparently years away. Could a revival of Dawn of War scratch that strategy itch in the meantime?

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.

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The Wheel of Time Season 3 Premiere Review

This review contains full spoilers for The Wheel of Time episodes 1-3.

The Wheel of Time turns, and a new season begins explosively with two excellent episodes showing what the series does best: creative magical battles, messy personal drama, and grappling with the world-shaking repercussions of the clashing agendas of powerful people. The episode that follows, however, is a bit of a let down by comparison, offering some good intrigue and emotional scenes but lacking focus because it has to weave together too many plots to set up what’s next.

Aes Sedai in the show wear the colors of their factions far more prominently than in the books, to make it easier for the audience to keep track of who’s who and on what their general deal is – and it’s hilarious that now that Liandrin (Kate Fleetwood) has been revealed to be secretly Black Ajah, she’s conveniently also splashing in some black along with her red apparel. Tensions are high in the White Tower: No one’s sure just how deep the contamination goes. Their concern is both warranted and misdirected, focused on the rest of the Red Ajah only to learn that the highest ranks of all of the groups have members who have devoted themselves to the Dark One. The contempt the Reds show for the Warders guarding the door when they try to join the fray is particularly funny because they’re actually in the right. It’s the Yellow and Green Ajah coming up behind them that are the real threat.

Aes Sedai dialogue is very cleverly written so that they twist words while always telling the truth. The Amyrlin Seat Siuan Sanche (Sophie Okonedo) acknowledges just how much trouble she’d be in if Liandrin’s allegations about her letting a male channeler go are true – which of course they are – before launching into her counteroffensive with Nynaeve al’Meara (Zoë Robins) as her key witness. Discovering Nynaeve has escaped the Seanchan to tell of her betrayal, Liandrin stops politicking and starts attacking.

All hell breaks loose in the White Tower, with the magical carnage quickly spilling out into the streets of Tar Valon. Lots of nameless Aes Sedai die in creative ways including balls of fire, magical evisceration, and being crushed by the ornate pillars of the White Tower itself. The use of shielding and healing makes for a particularly dynamic fight where combatants don’t necessarily stay down but death is still a real possibility.

That’s particularly true for a Warder, whose job is to protect their Aes Sedai at all costs. It’s beautiful that Maksim (Taylor Napier) and Ihvon (Anthony Kaye, replacing Emmanuel Imani) both dive to shield Alanna Mosvani (Priyanka Bose) from Liandin’s blade – it just happens to be Ihvon who takes the fatal blow. It’s a loss heavily foreshadowed by the throuple’s failed attempt to help the warder Stepin (Peter Franzén) deal with the death of his Aes Sedai in season 1.

The other strong emotional note of the fight is Moiraine Damodred (Rosamund Pike) saving Siuan despite being exiled by her former lover last season. The longing look the Amerlyn gives Moiraine before she disappears back in the city says so much about how even though their obligations may have drawn them apart, they would still do anything to help each other.

After the initial fireworks subside, The Wheel of Time provides something that’s been all too rare since the first episodes of the series: Moiraine and the five people she rescued from Emond’s Field all together, grappling with the weight of their destiny and the deep connections that bind them. The damage of Barney Harris’ departure in season 1 has now been largely undone and Dónal Finn has settled into the role of Mat Cauthon nicely, playing up his mischievous side while he pointedly ignores Moraine’s advice to lay low. He also shows deep vulnerability by turning to his former village wisdom Nynaeve for help dealing with the memories that have been tormenting him since he blew the Horn of Valere.

Season 1 and 2 largely corresponded to Robert Jordan’s first two Wheel of Time novels, and season 3 opens with a lot of talk about how Rand al’Thor (Josha Stradowski) should embrace his destiny as the Dragon Reborn and claim the sword Callandor in Tear – the plot of the series third book, The Dragon Reborn. But instead, the show skips that quest and moves to book 4, The Shadow Rising, by having Rand let his new Aiel bodyguards take him to the Aiel Waste to see if he is actually their prophesied leader.

Season 3 provides something that’s been all too rare since the first episodes of The Wheel of Time.

After Rand used magic to tear apart a Seanchan who challenged him to a duel last season, I was worried that he’d entirely abandon the swordsmanship that’s so important to his character in the books. Luckily that’s not the case and Rand and Moiraine’s warder al'Lan Mandragoran (Daniel Henney) use physical training as an opportunity for some guy talk, giving Rand a break from the burdens of his immense magical power. The trust the men build provides a sharp contrast to Rand’s hostile relationship with Moiraine, who is so desperate to control him that she’ll cut deals with the phenomenally untrustworthy Forsaken Lanfear (Natasha O'Keeffe).

The Aiel warrior Aviendha (Ayoola Smart) gets the most new layers thanks to her sweet relationship with the princess and Aes Sedai in training Elayne Trakand (Ceara Coveney) and her general contempt for to idea of a “wetlander” being her people’s chosen one. (It’s an arc that’s very similar to Chani’s in Frank Herbert’s Dune, which Jordan said he was a fan of.) Aviendha’s fellow Maiden of the Spear Bain (Ragga Ragnars) and Chiad (Maja Simonsen) have strong moments of charm themselves in the form of the dangerous game of Maiden’s Kiss they play with Mat; hilariously, they also want to play it with the scholarly Ogier Loial (Hammed Animashaun). The numerous spear scratches on Mat’s neck provide a very funny testament to his courage and mediocre smooching skills.

Egwene al’Vere (Madeleine Madden) is having a tough time, haunted by nightmares of her torture by the Seanchan caused by Lanfear, who’s jealous of Rand’s childhood sweetheart. Madden beautifully conveys the character’s fierceness as she works to reclaim her own power by advancing rank in the Aes Sedai, even if it means confronting her fears that Rand will go mad with power. That scene’s impact is a bit diminished by how bad Stradowski looks in a wig that’s meant to give him the same wild look as the False Dragon Logain (Álvaro Morte). The Aes Sedai trials are such a good opportunity for character development that it’s a real shame Elayne’s isn’t shown, especially considering that she has a lot to fear based on the ruthlessness of her mother, Queen Morgase (Olivia Williams).

The show continues to be much bloodier and hornier than Jordan’s books. Elayne’s brothers attracting the attention of all the novices while sparring at the White Tower is straight out of The Great Hunt, but the loud sex they have after isn’t. Same for the extremely Game of Thrones-like palace scene where Morgasse ascends the throne with the help of her Aes Sedai advisor Elaida a'Roihan (Shohreh Aghdashloo) by having all her competitors murdered. It’s a bit over the top, but helps establish both Morgasse and Elaida as real threats to the Amryln’s authority, which is already fragile after the carnage Liandrin caused. Aghdashloo brings the same contemptuous dignity she demonstrated on The Expanse to her new role as she seeks to use the mistrust of the Red Ajah to her advantage.

The Wheel of Time continues to be much bloodier and hornier than Robert Jordan’s books.

Episode three is the weakest in this three-part premiere, pulled in too many directions as it sets up plots that will pay off in later episodes. Beyond Elaida’s machinations, the other strong arc is the emotional fallout over Ihvon’s loss, which provides some touching material on the complexity of shared grief. But everything else feels scattered. Mat shows off his new combat skills, Nynaeve and Elayne interrogate the Black Ajah to learn where Liandrin’s headed, Lan gets bugged about pursuing his own destiny, and Perrin Aybara (Marcus Rutherford) is denied a happy homecoming because the world’s falling apart and he killed a Whitecloak captain last season.

One of the episode’s biggest problems is how much time The Wheel of Time is devoting to its villains. It feels like the attempts to make Liandrin a sympathetic enemy have run their course. She might win a fight for the sisterhood by interrupting a child marriage, but she’s also killed many women or condemned them to fates worse than death. Lanfear is far more compelling in the conflicted nemesis role, but her fellow Forsaken assembling at the beginning of episode 3 don’t offer much menace themselves yet. The creepy Moghedien (Laia Costa) is clearly meant to be one of the season’s biggest enemies, but the fact that her assassins keep getting taken out relatively easily makes her an underwhelming threat.

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How to Watch Invincible Season 3: Where to Stream and Episode Release Schedule

What if superheroes weren’t always… good? This seemed to be the primary question coming out of the 2010s era of MCU superhero movies. While a show like The Boys took to hyper-realistic live-action gore, Prime Video's Invincible depicts the "moral complications" of superheroes while keeping the animation's art style true to its comic book roots. The result is an equally gruesome depiction of superhero life featuring bold characters, complicated powers, and some of the best writing in adult animation.

After a smaller-than-usual break between seasons, Season 3 of Invincible is hitting streaming just a year after the release of Season 2. If you're wondering where to stream Season 3 of Invincible or want to start the show for the first time, check out the details below. If you're not afraid of spoilers, you can also head over to IGN's review of Invincible's Season 3 premiere.

Where to Stream Invincible Season 3

Invincible Season 3 is streaming exclusively on Prime Video. Standalone Prime Video subscriptions start at $8.99/month, but are also included in Amazon Prime memberships, which start at $14.99/month and include the usual Amazon perks (cough free shipping cough). Amazon Prime also offers a 30-day free trial.

Invincible Season 3 Episode Release Schedule

Invincible Season 3 premiered with three episodes on February 6. From there, single episodes were released weekly on Thursdays with no midseason break (Prime Video got the hint about that after the reaction to the midseason break in Season 2) for a total of eight episodes.

Here’s the full episode release schedule for Invincible Season 3:

What Is Invincible About?

Season 3 of Invincible picks up where Season 2 left off, with Mark Grayson growing into his superhero identity while navigating his social life and the existing hierarchy of heroes, villains, and people who could arguably be both. For anyone new to Invincible who isn’t quite ready for spoilers, here’s the official synopsis for the show, based on the comics by Robert Kirkman:

When Is Invincible Season 4?

Invincible has already been greenlit for a fourth season. The renewal came pretty soon after the Season 2 finale, back at last year’s San Diego Comic-Con. While Season 2 and 3 have aired relatively close to one another, there’s no word on when to expect a fourth season. With recent feedback on breaks between seasons, one can hope Invincible Season 4 arrives at some point in 2026.

Invincible Season 3 Voice Cast

Invincible was created by Robert Kirkman based on his own comics, which were created alongside Cory Walker and Ryan Ottley. Simon Racioppa serves as the showrunner. With a little bit of care taken to prevent spoilers, here’s some of the voice cast that stars in Invincible:

  • Steven Yeun as Mark Grayson/Invincible
  • J.K. Simmons as Nolan Grayson/Omni-Man
  • Sandra Oh as Debra Grayson
  • Gillian Jacobs as Samantha Eve Wilkins/Atom Eve
  • Ross Marquand and Zachary Quinto as Rudy/Robot
  • Jason Mantzoukas as Rex-Splode
  • Malese Jow as Dupli-Kate
  • Grey Griffin as Shrinking Rae
  • Grey Griffin and Kevin Michael Richardson as Monster Girl
  • Khary Payton as Black Samson
  • Jay Pharoah as Bulletproof
  • Ben Schwartz as The Shapesmith
  • Mark Hamill as Art
  • Seth Rogen as Allen the Alien

Additionally, per Deadline, Prime Video has announced that Aaron Paul, Simu Liu, Jonathan Banks, Kate Mara, Xolo Maridueña, John DiMaggio, Tzi Ma, Doug Bradley, and Christian Convery will be joining the cast of Invincible Season 3.

If you love this series, you may also want to check out the Invincible board game we reviewed just last year. It's a Hero-Building game that brings the characters from the series to the tabletop.

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Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2’s First Public Test Server Goes Live, Update 7.0 Patch Notes Reveal Huge Changes

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2’s first public test server is now live, and with it comes an early look at the long-awaited Update 7.0 and its associated patch notes.

In a community post, publisher Focus Entertainment and developer Saber Interactive said these preliminary patch notes for the PTS version include “most” of the 7.0 update features. But the final 7.0 patch notes will “probably differ” as the development team is still working on bug fixes.

Still, there is a huge amount to dig into for PC players of Space Marine 2 who are in the PTS (it’s not available on console). For a start, Update 7.0 adds a new PvE mission, called Exfiltration, a new secondary weapon (Inferno Pistol for the Vanguard, Sniper, and Heavy classes), the endgame-focused prestige ranks in PvE, and private PvP lobbies.

There are exciting customization additions for Warhammer 40,000 fans, too, including new colors (Volupus Pink and Thousand Sons Blue), Bulwark cloth recoloring, hands recoloring, and customization rewards increased by 50% in PvP. The PTS adds an Imperial Fists Champion skin for the Tactical class, and a Space Wolves Champion for the Vanguard class.

There are some significant balance changes, too, headlined by an extended weapon arsenal in PvE which means all classes now have a larger weapon choice. Yes, that means the Assault class can finally use the Power Sword without mods. It’s worth checking the patch notes below to see all the tweaks to Space Marine 2’s many weapons.

Here’s a welcome change: on the Inferno Operation, if a player reaches the assembly area in the final stage of the level, the other players will be forcefully teleported there after some time (they will receive a notification about the teleportation after 1:30 and will be teleported 15 seconds later). Since launch, Space Marine 2 has had a griefing problem where players can remain outside the assembly area indefinitely, blocking progress for others.

Last month, the Space Marine 2 developers teased the upcoming Horde mode, and stamped out live service game talk amid a backlash to 'FOMO' Community Events. Earlier this year, Saber addressed growing frustration over a lack of content and outlined what players can expect from Space Marine 2 in the coming months.

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 Update 7.0 PTS Patch Notes:

New Features

  • New PvE mission: Exfiltration
  • New Secondary Weapon (PvP & PvE): Inferno Pistol for the Vanguard, Sniper and Heavy classes.
  • Prestige ranks in PvE.
  • PvP Private lobbies.
  • Customization:
    • New Colours (Volupus Pink and Thousand Sons Blue)
    • Bulwark Cloth Recoloring
    • Hands Recoloring
  • Rewards increased by 50% in PvP.

Balancing

  • Extended Weapon arsenal in PvE:

All the classes now have a larger weapon choice:

Heavy: Heavy Bolt Rifle | Heavy Bolt Pistol

Tactical: Combat Knife | Plasma Pistol | Heavy Bolt Pistol

Assault: Power Sword | Plasma Pistol

Bulwark: Heavy Bolt Pistol

Sniper: Heavy Bolt Pistol | Instigator Bolt Carbine

Vanguard: Heavy Bolt Pistol | Bolt Carbine

  • Heavy Bolt Rifle: reworked the 2 Artificer & 2 Relic versions:

Artificer / Salvation of Bakka - Alpha:

  • Magazine Capacity: Increased from 45 to 50
  • Ammo Reserve: Increased from 180 to 200

Artificer / Drogos Reclamation - Beta:

  • Accuracy: Lowered from 4.5 to 4
  • Range: Increased from 6 to 8
  • Magazine Capacity: Decreased from 50 to 45
  • Ammo Reserve: Lowered from 200 to 180
  • Added a scope

Relic / Gathalamor Crusade - Alpha:

  • Magazine Capacity: Increased from 45 to 55
  • Ammo reserve: Increased from 180 to 220

Relic / Ophelian Liberation - Beta:

  • Accuracy: Lowered from 5.5 to 4
  • Range: Increased from 6 to 8
  • Magazine Capacity: Decreased from 50 to 45
  • Ammo Reserve: Lowered from 200 to 180
  • Added a scope

  • Added a maximum cap to restore fade HP per action; and a max target to restore health per action to the following weapons:
    • Heavy Melta Gun
    • Melta Gun
    • Heavy Plasma

Weapon Perks Update

Heavy Bolt Rifle

"Able Precision" (Artificer tier): duration effect increased from 5 to 10 seconds.

"Fast Regeneration 1" (Artificer tier): Replaced with "Head Hunter" (Headshots deal 10% more Damage)

"Fast Regeneration 2" (Artificer tier): Completely reworked, the new perk is “Recoupment”: Killing a Majoris-level or higher enemy with a headshot with this weapon restores 1 Armour Segment. Cooldown is 15 seconds.

"Head Hunter 2” (Artificer tier): Completely reworked, the new perk is “Tactical Precision”: "Headshots deal 20% more Damage. Non-Headshot Damage decreases by 10%."

"Rapid Health" (Relic tier): Health restoration increased from 5% to 10%. No longer has a cooldown.

"Rampage" (Relic tier): duration effect increased from 5 to 10 seconds. Cooldown decreased from 30 to 15 seconds.

"Honed Precision" (Relic tier): Maximum Spread decreased by 25% to 50%.

"Chaos Eliminator" (Relic tier): Replaced with “Divine Might” (Damage increases by 10%).

"Tyranid Eliminator" (Relic tier): Replaced with “Cleaving Fire” (Shots will penetrate Block Stances, dealing 25% of the usual Damage).

Bolt Rifle

"Able Precision" (Artificer tier): duration effect increased from 5 to 10 seconds.

"Fast Regeneration 1" (Artificer tier): Replaced with "Adamantine Grip" (Recoil is reduced by 25%).

"Fast Regeneration 2" (Artificer tier): Completely reworked, the new perk is “Recoupment”: Killing a Majoris-level or higher enemy with a headshot with this weapon restores 1 Armour Segment. Cooldown is 15 seconds.

"Head Hunter 2” (Artificer tier): Completely reworked, the new perk is “Tactical Precision”: "Headshots deal 20% more Damage. Non-Headshot Damage decreases by 10%."

"Rapid Health" (Relic tier): Health restoration increased from 5% to 10%. No longer has a cooldown.

"Honed Precision" (Relic tier): Maximum Spread decreased by 25% to 50%.

"Chaos Eliminator" (Relic tier): Replaced with "Perpetual Penetration" (Each shot penetrates 1 additional target).

"Tyranid Eliminator" (Relic tier): Replaced with “Divine Might” (Damage increases by 10%).

Auto Bolt Rifle

"Honed Precision" (Standard tier): Maximum Spread decreased by 25% to 50%.

"Fast Reload" (Artificer tier): Replaced with "Head Hunter" (Headshots deal 10% more Damage)

"Fast Regeneration 1" (Artificer tier): Replaced with “Elite Hunter” (After killing a Majoris-level or higher enemy with a Melee Weapon, Headshots deal 25% more Damage for 10 seconds).

"Rapid Health" (Relic tier): Health restoration increased from 5% to 10%. No longer has a cooldown.

"Perpetual Precision" (Relic tier): Completely reworked, the new perk is “Recoupment”: Killing a Majoris-level or higher enemy with a headshot with this weapon restores 1 Armour Segment. Cooldown is 15 seconds.

Plasma Incinerator

"Rapid Cooling" (Master-Crafted tier): Duration effect increased from 5 to 10 seconds. Cooldown decreased from 30 to 15 seconds.

"Rampage" (Master-Crafted tier) : Duration effect increased from 5 to 10 seconds. Cooldown decreased from 30 to 15 seconds.

"Common Cooling" (Artificer tier): Completely reworked, the new perk is “Common Efficiency”: Common Shots generate 20% less Heat. Shots charge 20% slower.

"Blast Radius 1” (Artificer tier): Damage radius increased from 5% to 10%

"Blast Radius 2” (Artificer tier): Damage radius increased from 5% to 10%

"Fast Venting" (Artificer tier): Completely reworked, the new perk is “Balanced Cooling”:

Weapon cools 20% faster. Charged Shots generate 10% more Heat.

"Retaliation" (Relic tier): Duration effect increased from 5 to 10 seconds.

"Perfect Radius" (Relic tier): Duration effect increased from 5 to 10 seconds.

Stalker Bolt Rifle

"Fast Reload" (Standard tier): Completely reworked, the new perk is “Unwavering Resolve”: After reloading while having Low Ammo, damage increases by 25% for 5 seconds.

"Long Shot" (Standard tier): Replaced with "Divine Might" (Damage increases by 10%).

"Adamant Reload" (Master-Crafted tier): Replaced with "Adamant Hunter" (When your Health is below 30%. Headshots deal 25% more Damage).

"Fast Regeneration 1" (Master-Crafted tier): Replaced with "Head Hunter" (Headshots deal 10% more Damage)

"Head Hunter 1" (Artificer tier): Replaced with "Cleaving Fire" (Shots will penetrate enemy Block Stances dealing 25% of the usual Damage).

"Agile Hunter" (Relic tier): Duration effect increased from 5 to 10 seconds.

"Tyranid Eliminator" (Relic Tier): Completely reworked, the new perk is “Recoupment”: Killing a Majoris-level or higher enemy with a headshot with this weapon restores 1 Armour Segment. Cooldown is 15 seconds.

"Chaos Eliminator" (Relic Tier): Completely reworked, the new perk is “Remote Threat”: Enemies at a distance of more than 25 metres take 20% more Damage.

Bolt Carbine

"Perpetual Precision" (Standard tier): Replaced with "Head Hunter" (Headshots deal 10% more Damage)

"Elusive Precision" (Master-Crafter tier): Replaced with "Rapid Health" (When your Health is below 30%, killing 10 enemies in rapid succession restores Health by 10%).

"Retaliation" (Master-Crafted tier): Duration effect increased from 5 to 10 seconds.

"Fast Regeneration 1" (Master-Crafter tier): Replaced with "Honed Precision" (Equipped Weapon's Maximum Spread decreases by 50% when firing without aiming)

"Steel Grip" (Artificer tier): Completely reworked, the new perk is “Unwavering Resolve”: After reloading while having Low Ammo, damage increases by 25% for 5 seconds.

"Rapid Health" (Artificer tier): Replaced with "Divine Might" (Damage increases by 10%).

"Head Hunter" (Artificer tier): Replaced with "Cleaving Fire" (Shots will penetrate enemy Block Stances dealing 25% of the usual Damage).

"Honed Precision" (Artificer tier): Replaced with "Head Hunter" (Headshots deal 10% more Damage)

"Fast Regeneration 2" (Relic tier): Replaced with "Perpetual Precision" (Maximum spread decreases by 10%).

"Perpetual Precision" (Relic tier): Completely reworked, the new perk is “Recoupment”: Killing a Majoris-level or higher enemy with a headshot with this weapon restores 1 Armour Segment. Cooldown is 15 seconds.

Occulus Bolt Carbine

"Perpetual Precision" (Standard tier): Completely reworked, the new perk is “Remote Threat”: Enemies at a distance of more than 25 metres take 20% more Damage.

"Elusive Precision" (Master-Crafted tier): duration effect increased from 5 to 10 seconds.

"Retaliation" (Master-Crafted tier): Duration effect increased from 5 to 10 seconds.

"Fast Regeneration 1" (Artificer tier): Completely reworked, the new perk is “Recoupment”: Killing a Majoris-level or higher enemy with a headshot with this weapon restores 1 Armour Segment. Cooldown is 15 seconds.

"Honed Precision" (Artificer tier): Maximum Spread decreased by 25% to 50%.

"Fast Regeneration 2" (Artificer tier): Replaced with "Divine Might" (Damage increases by 10%).

"Rapid Health" (Relic tier): Health restoration increased from 5% to 10%. No longer has a cooldown.

"Chaos Eliminator" (Relic tier): Completely reworked, the new perk is “Able Headshot”: After using a Class Ability, headshot Damage increases by 20% for 10 seconds.

"Perpetual Precision" (Relic tier): Replaced with "Head Hunter" (Headshots deal 10% more Damage)

"Tyranid Eliminator" (Relic tier): Completely reworked, the new perk is “Able Damage”: After using a Class Ability, Damage increases by 20% for 10 seconds

Melta Rifle

"Fast Reload" (Standard tier): Completely reworked, the new perk is “Decisive Reload”: Finisher Majoris-level or higher enemy Melta restores Ammo by 1.

"Adamant Reload" (Master-Crafted tier): Replaced with "Rapid Health" (When your Health is below 30%, killing 10 enemies in rapid succession restores Health by 10%).

"Fast Regeneration 1" (Master-Crafted tier): Completely reworked, the new perk is “Trick Shot”: Killing 5 enemies with one shot restores 1 Armour Segment. Cooldown is 30 seconds.

"Fast Regeneration 2" (Artificer tier): Replaced with "Fast Reload" (The weapon reloads 10% faster).

"Elusive Range" (Relic tier): Replaced with “Retaliation” (After a perfectly timed Dodge, you deal 25% more Damage for 10 seconds).

"Elusive Fire" (Relic tier): duration effect increased from 5 to 10 seconds.

Instigator Bolt Carbine

"Adamantine Grip" (Master-Crafted tier): The perk has been replaced with "Divine Might" (Damage increases by 10%).

"Honed Precision" (Artificer tier): Switched position in the tree with “Increased Capacity”.

"Increased Capacity" (Artificer tier): Switched position in the tree with “Honed Precision”.

"Fast Regeneration 1" (Artificer tier): Completely reworked, the new perk is “Recoupment”: Killing a Majoris-level or higher enemy with a headshot with this weapon restores 1 Armour Segment. Cooldown is 15 seconds.

"Fast Regeneration 2" (Artificer tier): Replaced with "Head Hunter" (Headshots deal 10% more Damage).

"Head Hunter 2" (Artificer tier): Completely reworked, the new perk is “Tactical Precision”: "Headshots deal 20% more Damage. Non-Headshot Damage decreases by 10%."

"Rapid Health" (Relic tier): Health restoration increased from 5% to 10%. No longer has a cooldown.

"Fast Reload" (Relic tier): Completely reworked, the new perk is “Inspired Aim”: After killing a Majoris-level or higher enemy with a Melee Weapon, headshots deal 20% more damage for 10 seconds

"Rampage" (Relic tier): Duration effect increased from 5 to 10 seconds. Cooldown decreased from 30 to 15 seconds.

"Adamantine Grip" (Relic tier): Replaced with “Death Strike” (After killing a Majoris-level or higher enemy with a Melee Weapon, you deal 25% more Damage for 10 seconds)

Bolt Sniper Rifle

"Long Shot" (Standard tier): Renamed into “Remote Threat”. Enemies at a distance of more than 25 metres take 20% more damage.

"Fast Reload" (Standard tier): Replaced with "Extended Magazine" (Magazine Size increases by 15% of the maximum).

"Finisher Reload" (Master-Crafted tier): Replaced with "Divine Might" (Damage increases by 10%).

"Fast Regeneration 1" (Master-Crafted tier): Replaced with "Finisher Reload" (After a Finisher, the equipped Weapon instantly reloads).

"Head Hunter 1" (Artificer tier): Completely reworked, the new perk is “Unwavering Resolve”: After reloading while having Low Ammo, damage increases by 25% for 5 seconds.

"Honed Precision 1" (Artificer tier): Maximum Spread decreased by 25% to 50%.

"Agile Hunter" (Relic tier): Replaced with “Cleaving Fire” (Shots will penetrate Block Stances, dealing 25% of the usual Damage).

"Honed Precision 2" (Relic tier): Completely reworked, the new perk is “Strong Finish”: Last round in a magazine deals 25% more damage.

"Great Might" (Relic tier): Completely reworked, the new perk is “Strong Start”: First round in a magazine deals 50% more damage.

"Tyranid Eliminator" (Relic tier): Completely reworked, the new perk is “Recoupment”: Killing a Majoris-level or higher enemy with a headshot with this weapon restores 1 Armour Segment. Cooldown is 15 seconds.

"Chaos Eliminator" (Relic tier): Replaced with "Great Might" (Damage increases by 10% against Terminus-level enemies)

Las Fusil

"Head Hunter" (Standard tier): Replaced with "Perpetual Velocity" (Shots charge 15% faster)

"Amplification 1" (Master-Crafted tier): Radius of Beam Weapons increased from 10% to 15%.

"Amplification 2" (Artificer tier): Radius of Beam Weapons increased from 10% to 15%.

"Amplification 3" (Artificer tier): Replaced with "Divine Might" (Damage increases by 10%).

"Fast Regeneration 1” (Artificer tier): Replaced with "Charging Immunity" (While Charging a shot, you do not lose control from Heavy Hits).

"Perpetual Velocity" (Relic tier): Replaced with "Head Hunter" (Headshots deal 10% more Damage).

"Charging Immunity" (Relic tier): Completely reworked, the new perk is “Recoupment”: Killing a Majoris-level or higher enemy with a headshot with this weapon restores 1 Armour Segment. Cooldown is 15 seconds.

"Honed Precision" (Relic tier): Replaced with "Increased Capacity" (The maximum Ammo Reserve of this Weapon increases by 20%).

Heavy Bolter

"Heavy Precision" (Artificer tier): Replaced with "Honed Precision" (Equipped Weapon's Maximum Spread decreases by 50% when firing without aiming).

"Honed Precision" (Relic tier): Replaced with "Divine Might" (Damage increases by 10%).

"Weapon Strike" (Relic tier): Melee Damage increased from 15% to 50%.

Heavy Plasma Incinerator

"Rapid Cooling" (Master-Crafted tier): effect increased from 5 to 10 seconds. Cooldown decreased from 30 to 15.

"Heavy Velocity 1" (Master-Crafted tier): Shots Charge rate increased from 10% to 15%.

"Heavy Velocity 2" (Master-Crafted tier): Replaced with “Supercharged Shot” (Damage from a Charged Shot increases bt 10%)

"Supercharged Shot 2" (Artificer tier): Switched position in the tree with "Heavy Immunity" (Relic).

"Retaliation" (Relic tier): Duration effect increased from 5 to 10 seconds.

"Elusive Fire" (Relic tier): Duration effect increased from 5 to 10 seconds.

“Plasma Speed” (Relic tier): Replaced with “Plasma Collection” (Energy reserve of Plasma Weapons increases by 20%).

"Heavy Immunity" (Relic tier): Switched position in the tree with “Supercharged Shot 2” (Artificer).

Multi-Melta

"Weapon Strike" (Standard tier) effect increased from 15% to 50%.

"Contingency Plan" (Master-Crafted tier): Completely reworked, the new perk is “Decisive Reload”: Performing a Finisher on a Majoris-level or higher enemy with this weapon restores Ammo by 1.

"Fast Regeneration 1" (Artificer tier): Completely reworked, the new perk is “Trick Shot”: Killing 5 enemies with one shot restores 1 Armour Segment. Cooldown is 30 seconds.

"Fast Regeneration 2" (Artificer tier): Replaced with "Divine Might" (Damage increases by 10%).

"Elite Health" (Relic tier): Effect increased from 5% to 10%.

"Weapon Strike" (Relic tier): Replaced with "Discipline" (When you have Low Ammo, you deal 25% more Damage)

"Tyranid Eliminator” (Relic tier): Replaced with "Divine Might" (Damage increases by 10%).

"Chaos Eliminator" (Relic tier): Completely reworked, the new perk is “Expedient Barrage”: Fire rate increases by 33% when firing without aiming.

Bolt Pistol

"Elusive Precision" (Master-Crafted tier): Replaced with "Head Hunter" (Headshots deal 10% more damage).

"Retaliation" (Master-Crafted tier): Effect duration increased from 5 to 10 seconds.

"Iron Grip” (Master-Crafted tier): Effect duration increased from 5 to 10 seconds.

"Perpetual Precision 2" (Artificer tier): Replaced with "Increased Capacity" (The maximum Ammo Reserve of this Weapon increases by 20%)

"Elite Hunter" (Relic tier): Effect duration increased from 5 to 10 seconds.

"Rapid Health" (Relic tier): Health restoration increased from 5% to 10%. No longer has a cooldown.

"Honed Precision 1" (Relic tier): Maximum Spread decreased by 25% to 50%.

Plasma Pistol

"Common Cooling" (Standard tier): Replaced with “Plasma Collection” (Energy reserve of Plasma Weapons increases by 20%)

"Rapid Cooling" (Master-Crafted tier): Effect duration increased 5 to 10 seconds. Cooldown decreased from 30 to 15.

"Rampage" (Master-Crafted tier): Effect duration increased from 5 to 10 seconds. Cooldown decreased from 30 to 15 seconds.

"Blast Radius 1" (Master-Crafted tier): Replaced with “Plasma Collection” (Energy reserve of Plasma Weapons increases by 20%)

"Supercharged Shot" (Master-Crafted tier): Replaced with "Divine Might" (Damage increases by 10%).

"Blast Radius 2" (Artificer tier): Damage radius increase changed from 5% to 10%.

"Perpetual Velocity 2" (Artificer tier) : Replaced with "Blast Radius".

"Perfect Radius" (Relic tier): Replaced with “Perfect Cooling” (After a perfectly timed Dodge, the equipped Weapon is completely cooled)

"Retaliation" (Relic tier): Effect duration increased from 5 to 10 seconds.

"Fast Venting" (Relic tier): Replaced with "Divine Might" (Damage increases by 10%).

Heavy Bolt Pistol

"Perpetual Precision" (Standard tier): Replaced with "Head Hunter".

"Elite Precision" (Master-Crafted tier): Replaced with "Adamantine Grip".

"Perpetual Precision" (Master-Crafted tier): Replaced with "Rapid Health".

"Perpetual Penetration" (Master-Crafted tier): Completely reworked, the new perk is “Remote Threat”: Enemies at a distance of more than 25 metres take 20% more Damage.

"Gun Strike Reload" (Artificer tier): Replaced with "Elite Precision".

"Head Hunter 1" (Artificer tier): Replaced with "Adamant Hunter".

"Head Hunter 2" (Artificer tier): Completely reworked, the new perk is “Strong Finish”: Last round in a magazine deals 25% more damage.

"Adamant Hunter" (Relic tier): Replaced with "Head Hunter".

"Honed Precision" (Relic tier): Replaced with "Gun Strike Reload".

"Tyranid Eliminator" (Relic tier): Replaced with: "Head Hunter".

"Great Might" (Standard tier): Replaced with "Divine Might".

"Death Strike" (Master-Crafted tier): Replaced with “Perpetual Penetration”.

"Close Combat" (Master-Crafted tier): Replaced with "Increased Capacity".

"Adamantine Grip" (Master-Crafted tier): Replaced with "Extended Magazine".

"Iron Grip" (Artificer tier): Replaced with "Death Strike".

"Extended Magazine 1" (Artificer tier): Replaced with "Great Might".

"Extended Magazine 2" (Artificer tier): Completely reworked, the new perk is “Strong Start”: First round in a magazine deals 50% more damage.

"Rapid Health" (Relic tier): Completely reworked, the new perk is “Able Damage”: After using a Class Ability, Damage increases by 20% for 10 seconds.

"Divine Might" (Relic tier): Replaced with "Honed Precision".

"Chaos Eliminator" (Relic tier): Replaced with: "Divine Might".

Chainsword

"Armoured Strength" (Standard tier): Reworked, the new version is: “If you have Armour remaining, Melee Damage increases by 10%”.

"Chaos Slayer" (Artificer tier): Completely reworked, the new perk is “Combined Onslaught”: Light Combo Attacks with this Weapon deal 10% more Melee Damage.

"Tyranid Slayer" (Artificer tier): Completely reworked, the new perk is “Heavy Onslaught”: Heavy Attacks with this Weapon deal 15% more Melee Damage.

"Full Throttle" (Relic tier): Moved to Artificer tier.

“Trampling Stride” (Relic tier): Moved to Artificer tier.

Thunder Hammer

"Armoured Strength 1" (Standard tier): Reworked, the new version is: “If you have Armour remaining, Melee Damage increases by 10%”.

"Chaos Slayer" (Artificer tier): Completely reworked, the new perk is “Braced Preparation”: While preparing Aftershock, you do not lose control upon taking Heavy Hits and you cannot be knocked back.

"Tyranid Slayer" (Artificer tier): Completely reworked, the new perk is “After Aftershock”: "After hitting an enemy with Aftershock, you deal 10% more Melee Damage for 10 seconds.

"Armoured Strength 2" (Artificer tier): Completely reworked, the new perk is “Offense initiated”: If your Armour is fully depleted, this Weapon deals 10% more Melee Damage.

Power Fist

"Armoured Strength 1" (Standard tier): Reworked, the new version is: “If you have Armour remaining, Melee Damage increases by 10%”.

"Chaos Slayer" (Artificer tier): Completely reworked, the new perk is “Following Blow”: "Backfist and Backfist 2 can be performed instantly after a charged Thrust Jab or Hammer Hook.

"Tyranid Slayer" (Artificer tier): Completely reworked, the new perk is “Strength of Will”: While performing a Heavy Attack, you take 20% less Ranged Damage.

"Tide of Battle" (Relic tier): Moved to Artificer tier.

“Ground Shake” (Relic tier): Moved to Artificer tier.

Combat Knife

"Armoured Strength" (Standard tier): Reworked, the new version is: “If you have Armour remaining, Melee Damage increases by 10%”.

"Chaos Slayer" (Artificer tier): Completely reworked, the new perk is “Combined Onslaught”: Light Combo Attacks with this Weapon deal 10% more Melee Damage.

"Tyranid Slayer" (Artificer tier): Completely reworked, the new perk is “Heavy Onslaught”: Heavy Attacks with this Weapon deal 15% more Melee Damage.

"Tide of Battle" (Relic tier): Moved to Artificer tier.

“Reeling Blow” (Relic tier): Moved to Artificer tier.

Power Sword

"Armoured Strength" (Standard tier): Reworked, the new version is: “If you have Armour remaining, Melee Damage increases by 10%”.

"Chaos Slayer" (Artificer tier): Completely reworked, the new perk is “Skilled Restoration”: when your Health is below 30%, a Power Whirl hit restores 1 Armour Segment. Cooldown is 10 seconds.

"Tyranid Slayer" (Artificer tier): Completely reworked, the new perk is “Melee Onslaught”: This Weapon deals 10% more Melee Damage.

Bolt Weapons buffs

  • Bolt Rifle (all versions): Base damage is increased by 5%
  • Auto Bolt Rifle: Base damage is increased by 5%
  • Instigator Bolt Carbine: Base damage is increased by 5%
  • Bolt Carbine (ONLY Marksman Bolt Carbine versions): Ammo Reserve is increased by one magazine size (+20)

Operations

Obelisk:

  • Added a few new voiceovers to make the objectives in the final gameplay sequence clearer for players.

Inferno:

  • Now, if a player reaches the assembly area in the final stage of the level, the other players will be forcefully teleported there after some time (they will receive a notification about the teleportation after 1:30 and will be teleported 15 seconds later)

Bug Fixes

Occulus Bolt Carbine:

  • Fixed a bug where the Master-Crafted - Alpha version of the Occulus Bolt Carbine had -15% spread instead of the +15% spread.

Multi-Melta:

  • Fixed a bug where the Rate-of-fire versions of the Multi-Melta did not have an increased rate of fire. Now, the mastercrafted version has a 15% increase in RoF, the artificer version has a 25% increase, and the relic version has a 35% increase.

Sniper Class:

Fixed an incorrect stacking of Sniper’s “Renewal” perk and Sniper’s “Squad Renewal” perk. This resulted in following changes:

  • Sniper Squad Renewal Perk
    • Fixed incorrect ability charge restoring (15% instead of planned 10%).
  • Sniper Renewal Perk
    • Fixed typo in description (5% ability charge restored instead of actual 15%).

Tactical Class:

  • Radiating Impact Perk
    • Fixed incorrect bonus stack with Auspex Scan.

Heavy Class:

  • Enhanced Force Perk
    • Fixed bonus to melee Charged attacks that was mistakenly working in addition to bonus to all melee attacks.

Trials:

  • Fixed a bug that caused occasional unintentional player's health regeneration in trials

Other:

  • Fixed the notification sound when more than one special enemy spawns.

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.

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PS5 Astro Bot Bundle Is Now Available, and Includes 2024 GOTY Winner for Free

If you're in the market for a PS5 in 2025, the PlayStation 5 Slim Astro Bot bundle is one of the best deals available. Right now, the Disc model is $449.99 at Amazon while the Digital model is $399.99 at Amazon. Both models are also available at other retailers (see below).

What makes this bundle stand out is that Astro Bot is included at no extra cost—effectively a free $70 game packed in with your console. If you needed an extra incentive to grab a PS5, this is it. Astro Bot isn’t just a throw-in; it was one of the best games of 2024, taking home Best Game at The Game Awards and cementing itself as a must-play for platforming fans.

PS5 Slim Disc Edition + Astro Bot Bundle

If you want to be able to play games on disc, this is the one to get.

PS5 Slim Digital Edition - Astro Bot Bundle

If you're cool with embracing the all-digital future, get this one. (You can buy a disc drive later if you change your mind).

Reviewing for IGN, Simon Cardy gave Astro Bot a 9, praising it as one of the most joyful experiences in gaming: "Astro Bot made me smile from beginning to end. A collection of endlessly inventive levels and fantastically fun abilities, it delivers joy in spades, never once becoming even remotely dull or repetitive. And while you don’t need a long history with Sony systems to enjoy it, it is especially a delight for those with a piece of PlayStation in their heart as a treasure trove full of playable nostalgia awaits."

"Taking the PS5 marketing mantra that 'play has no limits' more seriously than you’d expect, Team Asobi has crafted a mascot platformer that goes near enough toe-to-toe with Nintendo's best efforts, and that's about as high a compliment as I can give it."

For those still on the fence about buying a PS5, this bundle makes for a compelling argument, and it's certainly one of the best PS5 deals going right now. Astro Bot isn’t just a great game—it’s a celebration of everything PlayStation does best, making it an ideal showcase for Sony’s current gen hardware.

Robert Anderson is a deals expert and Commerce Editor for IGN. You can follow him @robertliam21 on Twitter.

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Devil May Cry Anime Producer Confirms Kevin Conroy Was Recorded Before He Passed Away: ‘No AI Used’

This week, a new trailer for Netflix’s Devil May Cry anime revealed the legendary late voice actor Kevin Conroy will posthumously star in the video game adaptation. This led some to wonder whether AI had been used to recreate Conroy’s iconic voice. Not so, the anime’s producer has confirmed.

In a tweet, producer Adi Shankar said Conroy was recorded before he passed away in November 2022, and confirmed “no AI used.”

“Mr. Conroy gave it [sic] amazingly nuanced performance,” Shankar continued. “It was both a pleasure and an honor to work with him.”

Conroy, who is best known and celebrated as the longtime voice of Bruce Wayne and Batman in the many animated films and TV shows that have focused on the character over the years, stars in the Devil May Cry anime as VP Baines, a new character that can be heard in voiceover at the beginning of the trailer, below.

Dante voice actor Johnny Yong Bosch, who played Nero in the video games, added: "It was an honor to work alongside Kevin Conroy for the upcoming DMC series. A true legend. Batman: The Animated Series redefined cartoons for me. For those wondering, our recording sessions took place a few years ago — animation takes quite some time to complete."

Back in July 2024, Conroy was praised for his posthumous voice performance in Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths: Part 3. Now, fans have another chance to experience his work after his untimely passing two-and-a-half years ago at the age of 66.

According to the official synopsis provided by Netflix, “Sinister forces are at play to open the portal between the human and demon realms. In the middle of it all is Dante, an orphaned demon-hunter-for-hire, unaware that the fate of both worlds hangs around his neck.”

Shankar also serves as showrunner for the series. He is known for his work as executive producer on the 2012 Judge Dredd reboot film Dredd, developing the much-loved Castlevania anime, and creating Netflix series such as The Guardians of Justice and Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon. He is also slated to executive produce an adaptation of Assassin’s Creed.

Studio Mir, a well-established South Korean studio known for their work on popular projects like The Legend of Korra and X-Men ‘97, will serve as the chief production studio on this new series. Devil May Cry will be released on Netflix on April 3, 2025.

Generative AI is one of the hottest topics within the video game and entertainment industries, which have both suffered massive layoffs in recent years. Generative AI thus far has drawn criticism from fans and creators due to a mix of ethical issues, rights issues, and AI’s struggles to produce content audiences actually enjoy.

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.

  •  

[UPDATE] Bethesda May Shadow Drop The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remake in April, Reports Claim

UPDATE MARCH 4, 2025: Bethesda may shadow drop the Oblivion remake in April, according to reliable leakers.

NatetheHate tweeted to say current plans are for the reveal and release of the unnanounced The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion remake to take place in April with a minimal gap between the two, and a shadow drop is "possible."

VGC's Andy Robinson rubber-stamped the claim in a tweet of his own.

Neither Bethesda nor parent company Microsoft has issued a comment.

ORIGINAL STORY MARCH 3, 2025: Bethesda is reportedly set to announce its The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion remake in the coming weeks and release it soon after.

NatetheHate, who accurately revealed the announcement date of the Nintendo Switch 2, tweeted to say the Oblivion remake will be revealed either this month or next month, which VGC corroborated.

The release window is slightly fuzzier. NatetheHate said likely before June, but VGC said it could come out as soon as April.

In January, Mp1st reported on apparently accidentally released Oblivion remake details by a former employee at video game support studio Virtuos. Microsoft declined to comment when contacted by IGN.

According to Mp1st, Virtuos has remade Bethesda’s much-loved open world role-playing game using Unreal Engine 5, which suggests a significant rework rather than a more straightforward remaster. Gameplay changes were also allegedly detailed, including tweaks to Stamina, Sneak, Blocking, Archery, Hit Reaction, and the heads-up display (HUD).

As reported by Mp1st, Blocking was changed with action games and Soulslikes in mind because the original system was too “boring” and “frustrating.” Sneak icons are now allegedly highlighted, with damage calculation revamped. The knockdown that comes from Stamina being depleted is reportedly harder to trigger. And the HUD was redesigned to make it easier to understand. Elsewhere, hit reactions were added to make response clearer, and Archery was reportedly modernized in both first and third-person perspectives.

Word of an Oblivion remaster emerged in 2023 when documents published as part of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) versus Microsoft trial over the buyout of Activision Blizzard revealed a number of unannounced Bethesda games set for release in the years ahead. The list, put together in July 2020 ahead of Microsoft’s March 2021 purchase of Bethesda parent company ZeniMax Media, included the following:

Financial year 2022:

  • Oblivion Remaster
  • Indiana Jones game

Financial year 2023

  • Doom Year Zero and DLC
  • Project Kestrel
  • Project Platinum

Financial year 2024

  • The Elder Scrolls 6
  • Project Kestrel: Expansion
  • Licensed IP Game
  • Fallout 3 Remaster
  • Ghostwire: Tokyo Sequel
  • Dishonored 3
  • DOOM Year Zero DLC

Obviously a number of these games were either delayed or outright canceled. Doom Year Zero is now Doom: The Dark Ages and set for launch in May. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle didn’t launch until December 2024. And The Elder Scrolls 6 got nowhere near financial year 2024.

That Oblivion remaster is what we’re concerned about now, though. And it’s worth noting it was called a remaster in the Microsoft document. Perhaps the scope of the project changed and Bethesda went big on a remake. We'll find out when the company finally unveils what has become one of the worst-kept secrets in all video games.

Meanwhile, which platforms will the Oblivion remake launch on? Microsoft is all-in on multiplatform releases now, and with the Nintendo Switch 2 waiting in the wings, Oblivion may open its gates to more than just PC, Xbox, and PlayStation players. If the Switch 2 comes out around June, perhaps Oblivion will make the console's launch window.

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.

  •  

I've Found Where To Buy Pokémon TCG Prismatic Evolutions Super-Premium Collection

Pokémon TCG: Prismatic Evolutions Super-Premium Collection preorders go live this week at Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart. Walmart currently lists it for $59.95, down from its $89.99 MSRP. The set officially releases on May 16, 2025.

Pokémon - Trading Card Game: Scarlet & Violet Prismatic Evolutions Super-Premium Collection

Preorders for the Pokémon TCG: Prismatic Evolutions Super-Premium Collection are expected to go live this week ahead of the set’s official May 16, 2025 release date. Given the massive hype around Prismatic Evolutions, securing a preorder is probably your best bet at getting this box without paying inflated resale prices.

The good news? Walmart currently lists it for $59.95, a $30 discount off the $89.99 MSRP. It’s unclear if this price will stick when preorders officially open, so if you’re thinking about adding this to your collection, keep an eye on the retailers below:

What’s inside Prismatic Evolutions Super-Premium Collection?

The Pokémon TCG: Prismatic Evolutions Super-Premium Collection is stacked with Eevee-themed goodies:

  • 1 full-art foil promo card featuring Eevee ex
  • A fuzzy Eevee deck box (yes, it’s actually fuzzy)
  • A playmat featuring Eevee and its Evolutions
  • 65 card sleeves featuring Eevee and its Evolutions
  • 15 Pokémon TCG: Prismatic Evolutions booster packs

If you’re an Eevee fan, this box is an epic collection. especially with exclusive accessories that won’t be available anywhere else. even if you're not bothered about them, it's a good shot at getting a few booster packs to open for retail pricing.

Most-Wanted Cards from Prismatic Evolutions

With prices for Prismatic Evolutions products already skyrocketing, some of the set’s biggest cards are likely to become instant collectibles. Here’s a look at some of the most-wanted cards and their rough market values at the time of writing:

CategoryCard NameMarket Value
Eevee and Eeveelutions (Master Ball Foil)Eevee (Master Ball Pattern)$36.72
Vaporeon (Master Ball Pattern)$63.18
Jolteon (Master Ball Pattern)$53.00
Flareon (Master Ball Pattern)$52.21
Espeon (Master Ball Pattern)$61.06
Umbreon (Master Ball Pattern)$245.15
Leafeon (Master Ball Pattern)$59.83
Glaceon (Master Ball Pattern)$47.55
Sylveon (Master Ball Pattern)$66.73
Special Illustration Rare EeveelutionsEevee ex - 167/131$231.01
Flareon ex - 146/131$404.82
Vaporeon ex - 149/131$308.62
Jolteon ex - 153/131$289.39
Espeon ex - 155/131$430.33
Umbreon ex - 161/131$1,570.59
Leafeon ex - 144/131$394.06
Glaceon ex - 150/131$321.61
Sylveon ex - 156/131$454.54
Other Big Chase CardsDragapult ex (Special Illustration Rare)$180.49
Roaring Moon ex (Special Illustration Rare)$252.05
Pikachu ex (Hyper Rare)$91.66

Due to tough pull rates and stock instantly selling out for Prismatic Evolutions right now, individual card prices have gone through the roof. The Pokémon Company has already made a statement about more re-prints coming throughout 2025, so it looks like these values will start to drop as more stock floods the market. We're keeping track of where to buy Prismatic Evolutions too, so make sure to check up daily on what we've come up with.

Pokémon Cards are only worth what someone is willing to pay for them, so don't support scalpers and inflated secondary market pricing. Pokémania 2025 is in full swing, and we all need to remember that FOMO doesn't last.

  •  

Free-to-Play Shooter Spectre Divide Shutting Down Weeks After Console Launch

Free-to-play 3v3 shooter Spectre Divide is being shut down six months after its initial launch in September 2024, and just weeks after its arrival on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. Its developer Mountaintop Studios is also closing.

Moutaintop CEO Nate Mitchell confirmed the news in a statement published on social media today.

“Unfortunately, the Season 1 launch hasn’t achieved the level of success we needed to sustain the game and keep Mountaintop afloat,” explains the post.

The team was optimistic following the first week, reporting the game attracted around 400,000 players – with a peak concurrent count of approximately 10,000 across all platforms.

“But as time has gone on, we haven’t seen enough active players and incoming revenue to cover the day-to-day costs of Spectre and the studio,” the post continued. “Since the PC launch, we stretched our remaining capital as far as we could, but at this point, we’re out of funding to support the game.”

“We pursued every avenue to keep going, including finding a publisher, additional investment, and/or an acquisition. In the end, we weren’t able to make it work. The industry is in a tough spot right now.”

Spectre Divide will be taken offline within the next 30 days, and any money spent by players since the Season 1 launch will be refunded.

The news comes contrary to reports in October 2024 that Spectre Divide “isn’t going anywhere.”

“The servers aren’t shutting down, and the updates aren’t going to stop,” said Mitchell at the time, maintaining Mountaintop had “the funds to support Spectre for a long time.”

IGN’s positive preview of Spectre Divide in August 2024 heaped praise on the tactical 3v3 shooter for coming to the table with its intriguing Duality system, which saw players controlling two characters during matches. However, the news of its rapid shutdown comes on the heels of a number of other live-service fizzers, including the failure of Rocksteady’s Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League and Sony’s Concord.

Luke is a Senior Editor on the IGN reviews team. You can track him down on Bluesky @mrlukereilly to ask him things about stuff.

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AU Deals: Slam Dunk Deals on NBA and WWE 2K25, Half Off GOAT RPGs, Reduced Platformers, and More!

Today’s bargain roundup is filled with blockbuster hits, cult classics, and a few surprises that you didn’t even know you needed. My picks of the litter include an over half off Sonic Superstars and The Last of Us Part I. I’m also always about a heavily reduced Witcher 3 Complete Edition and Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate. Just a ludicrous amount of RPGing hours for way less of your monies.

This Day in Gaming 🎂

In retro news, I'm celebrating the 16th birthday of Army of Two. It's a now extinct co-op shooter that made scary face masks + warfighters cool before Modern Warfare 2's 'Ghost' was even a twinkle in Infinity Ward's eye. AoT managed to belt out a three game run and almost a Michael Mann written and directed movie, then it all went FUBAR. Would play a remaster of these, EA.

Aussie bdays for notable games

- Secret of Evermore (SNES) 1996. eBay

- Dead or Alive 4 (X360) 2006. Get

- Odin Sphere (PS2) 2008. Get

- Army of Two (PS3,X360) 2008. Get

- Patapon 2 (PSP) 2009. Get

- Titanfall (PC,XO) 2014. eBay

- Nioh 2 (PS4) 2020. Get

Contents

Nice Savings for Nintendo Switch

Expiring Recent Deals

Or gift a Nintendo eShop Card.

Back to top

Purchase Cheap for PC

Expiring Recent Deals

Or just get a Steam Wallet Card

Back to top

Exciting Bargains for Xbox

Xbox One

Expiring Recent Deals

Or just invest in an Xbox Card.

Back to top

Pure Scores for PlayStation

PS4

Expiring Recent Deals

PS+ Monthly Freebies
Yours to keep from Mar 4 with this subscription

  • Dragon Age: Veilguard (PS5)
  • Sonic Colours: Ultimate (PS4)
  • TMNT: Cowabunga Col. (PS5/PS4)

Or purchase a PS Store Card.

Back to top

Legit LEGO Deals

Expiring Recent Deals

Back to top

Adam Mathew is our Aussie deals wrangler. He plays practically everything, often on YouTube.

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Pick Up a 5-Pack of Handy USB Type-C Cables for $8

USB Type-C has become the standard for charging and data cables alike, so it's good to have extra on hand. Here's a deal where you can get a bunch of cables for pennies on the dollar. Amazon is offering a five-pack of Lisen USB Type-C cables in varying sizes for only $7.96 after a 50% off promo code "UNWEXMFD" is applied during checkout. That averages out to about $1.59 per cable. USB Type-C cables typically go for about $5-$10 per cable at your local big box store.

5-Pack of USB Type-C Cables for $7.96

This bundle contains cables of varying sizes. They include two 3.3-feet cables, two 6.6-feet cables, and an extra long 10 foot cable. They're all rated for up to 60W of USB Power Delivery and are encased in a braided nylon sheath for extra durability and aeshetics. These cables have over 5,500 ratings on Amazon with an average 4.6-star review. Fakespot, a site that determines how many of the reviews are fake, gives this product a solid "A" rating, which is rather uncommon.

6ft USB Type-A to USB Type-C Cable for $2.99

Amazon is offering a 6-foot INIU USB Type-A to USB Type-C cable for only $2.99 when you apply promo code "C2ALZ6LN" during checkout. You can add as many cables as you like and the discount should be applied to each and every cable. These cables are sheathed in nylon braiding for durability and can be used for both data sync and charging (Quick Charge 3.1A compatible). This is a great opportunity to stock up.

Need a power bank? Here's a good one for $9

For a limited time, Amazon is offering the popular INIU 10,000mAh USB power bank for just $8.99 after you clip the 10% off and 40% off clippable coupons on the product page. We very rarely see 10,000mAh power banks listed for under $10 so grab this one while you can. INIU power banks have solid reviews and are less expensive than equivalent Anker models.

Eric Song is the IGN commerce manager in charge of finding the best gaming and tech deals every day. When Eric isn't hunting for deals for other people at work, he's hunting for deals for himself during his free time.

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The Low-Profile Chilkey ND75 LP is a Top-Tier Gaming Keyboard for Less

Usually the words affordable and enthusiast don't go together, but that's exactly the case with the Chilkey ND75 LP (low-profile) gaming keyboard. It brings all of the features from the boutique custom keyboard scene together for a reasonable $99 price point – a full aluminum case that’s designed to be opened and modded, luxuriously smooth and surprisingly deep hot-swappable mechanical switches, layers of sound dampening foam, tri-mode wireless, and a compact layout that’s just right for gaming. Not only is the compact gaming keyboard to beat, but it's one of the best keyboards you can get for the money.

Chilkey ND75 LP – Design and Features

Chilkey may not be a brand you've heard of before, but it's been around for a little while and already begun to make a name for itself. The company is a spin-off from the custom mechanical keyboard scene and brings some of the unique features from that space to its catalog at more affordable price points. There have been a number of companies trying to do the same, but thus far, I have been very impressed with what Chilkey has delivered, and that's definitely the case with the ND75 LP.

As the name implies, the ND75 LP is a low-profile mechanical keyboard. It doesn't have quite the same slim footprint as something like the Nuphy Air 60HE, and it doesn't use magnetic switches. However, compared to a full-height keyboard, like the original ND75, it's much slimmer. It also uses low-profile switches and keycaps, lending it a 9.5mm (0.37”) front height and a 26.6mm (1.05”) back height for a comfortable 6.5-degree typing angle.

Low-profile gaming keyboards aren't exactly common, though there are some heavy hitters out there, like the Logitech G915 Lightspeed and Corsair K70 Air Wireless. Having used both of those keyboards extensively, I can say with confidence that the ND75 LP is in a class of its own. It is essentially a custom keyboard with all the qualities you’d expect but in a low-profile form factor, which is something even more rare than low-profile gaming keyboards.

The keyboard uses a customized version of the 75% layout, sometimes known as a compact TKL. This means that it has arrow keys and a function row, but that it also has a selection of navigation and editing keys. Typically, these would be in a single column on the right. However, here, Chilkey has added an LCD screen for easy onboard configuration. So you have two keys in a column above it and two more in a row along the top just to the right of the function row. It's a very functional layout that balances compactness for gaming with functionality for work and use as a normal daily driver.

The first thing you are likely to notice is its aluminum case. Steel and aluminum top plates are nothing special in the world of gaming keyboards; however, the entire case of the ND75 LP is made of solid aluminum. Additionally, there’s a heavy weight set into the back that gives it an impressive heft. It's engraved with a cool brushed spiral pattern that catches light and adds a textured look. Given all of that, it weighs in at just shy of four pounds.

This kind of design is core to what Chilkey seems to be after. It has released two other keyboards at this point, including the original ND75 as well as the ND TKL. I've tested both of these, and the ND TKL, in particular, is frankly excellent and costs just about the same as the ND75 LP. Like it’s counterparts the ND75 LP has multiple color options with unique accents (I have the “Silver” color scheme here) and as you'll read about soon, an internal design that is fitted to an enthusiast's standard for sound, feel, and performance.

It brings all of the features from the boutique custom keyboard scene together for a reasonable $99 price point.

If you're not already in the world of custom mechanical keyboards, then the idea of fancy rear weights probably doesn't make much sense. After all, you'll barely ever see it, so why would anyone pay extra for it? It’s a fair point, but it’s also one of the touches that the enthusiast community has made a staple for many years. That extra weight also serves a practical purpose. Not only does the weight keep the keyboard stable on your desk, but it also impacts the sound signature and removes some of the hollowness and reverberation that might otherwise occur. And make no mistake, sound and feel are just as important to this keyboard as its responsiveness in gaming.

To that end, Chilkey has given a lot of consideration to the construction of this keyboard. The keycaps, for example, are made of double-shot PBT plastic. This is a denser plastic than ABS, which is typically used for gaming keycaps, and is more resistant to shining over time. I have personally used several PBT keycap sets over the course of years and they still look just as good as the day I installed them. Since it uses a separate piece of plastic for the legend, you'll also never have to worry about those chipping or fading over time. They enhance sound too, as the denser plastic creates a deep sound signature when typing quickly.

Beneath those keycaps, you'll find some of the best linear switches I've tested so far on a low-profile keyboard. Chilkey calls these Aster switches. They're made of POM plastic, which is soft and has a low friction coefficient for smooth travel, but they’re also pre-lubricated to enhance that even further. The travel distance is especially deep, coming in at 3mm. Compared to a full-height keyboard switch, which is typically 3.5 to 4mm, the typing experience is much more familiar and easier to adapt to if you're coming from a full-size keyboard compared to chiclet keys, scissor switches, or even Cherry’s new ultra-low profile mechanical switches. Full POM switches also have a unique sound that is perceptibly smoother than normal Cherry MX switches.

The keyboard supports hot-swapping these switches too, so if you have another that you're a fan of or want to change things up over time, or should you ever need to repair a switch due to an inopportune spill, you can do that much more easily than a keyboard with soldered switches.There's customizable per-key RGB backlighting behind each switch, too, which can be configured on the keyboard itself if you want to cycle through its animations and adjust brightness or set up through Chilkey's online configuration tool. It’s not very bright, though, and the keys aren’t backlit to help with typing in the dark.

Internally, you can see its custom keyboard inspirations worn on its sleeve. It uses a flexible FR4 plate, the same material that circuit boards are made out of, to mount the switches. The stabilizers come pre-lubed so the larger keys don't rattle out of the box. There are also multiple layers of sound dampening and sound enhancing foam.

Each layer of foam accomplishes a different job and is applied to deliver the final sound and feel you'll experience with the keyboard. It breaks down as follows:

  • PORON Plate Foam: This layer of foam exists below the plate and surrounds the switches. Its job is to isolate the sound of the switches and stop sound waves from traveling through the hollow spaces below the plate and into the case. It “cleans” the sound.
  • PORON Switch Foam/PET Acoustic Pad: These two layers work in tandem and are placed on top of the circuit board below the switches. They act as an acoustic filter to make the switches sound more crisp and allows them to offer a more defined pop when typing.
  • PORON Case Foam: PORON case foam is used to remove hollowness from the case. It also acts as a filter for any sound that makes its way through the PCB and cuts out more high frequencies.
  • PET Case Pad: Finally, this plastic sheet exists on the very bottom of the case. I’m not entirely sure how effective it is at impacting the sound, but ultimately, its most important purpose is to serve as ESD protection should you remove the case foam.

All of this is attached to the case using a unique form of gasket mounting that uses small silica gel tabs that slot into the sides of the plate. Rather than have the assembly screw into the top or bottom of the case like most keyboards, this mounting system squeezes these gel tabs between both halves of the case, acting as a final layer of sound isolation. With these, very few vibrations will make their way into the aluminum material of the case and also allows the typing experience to feel softer under the fingers.

Designed by enthusiasts, Chilkey expects that you'll open this keyboard and try it in different configurations. To that end, it uses an entirely tool-less assembly. The top case is held to the bottom case by strong magnets and can simply be pulled off. However, you don't need to worry about the top case popping off by accident. It's very strong, and you can hold the entire keyboard just by the top case in confidence. Just beware when you do open it, however, as the screen is attached with a ribbon cable and can get disconnected if pulled too roughly.

Screens on keyboards have been a bit of a fad for the last year or so. It serves a purpose, however. By default, it shows the date, time, and the current battery level of the keyboard, as well as its different indicators for caps lock, number lock, OS mode, and connectivity mode.You can also use it to access the menu and change the keyboard's lighting or, with the browser-based software, upload your own customized GIFs.

The online configurator, available here, also allows you to remap keys, record and assign macros, and adjust the keyboard's backlighting. It works, but it pales in comparison to the likes of Razer Synapse and Corsair iCUE, so, you should lower your expectations for polish. Remapping the keyboard's lighting in particular is especially limited. I have to applaud the fact that you don't have to download anything to use it, however. So many smaller brands force you to download tools that often need to connect to the internet, whereas this one dials right into the keyboard and your changes are saved immediately.

If it wasn't already apparent, customization is core to the experience, making this keyboard uniquely your own.. To that end, the company is offering six different colors, each with unique keycap sets. Currently, it can be ordered in a creamy milk tea color, silver, pure white, jet black, baby blue, and lavender. Milk Tea, Pure White, and Baby Blue are each coated using a durable painting process and come at a slightly higher cost.

On its website, Chilkey offers these for $105, while the other colors, using anodized metal, are only $99. Interestingly, purchasing any of these on Amazon is more expensive and they all cost the same at $139.99. Typically, this difference would be accounted for with shipping costs. However, here, even if you order it from Chilkey's website, you can still receive it within three to five business days via Amazon Standard shipping or slightly faster with Amazon Expedited at $15 and $18 respectively. Knowing that the company is based outside of the United States, I had expected this to be significantly longer. As long as you don't mind giving up two-day Prime shipping, ordering directly from the website is an easy way to save $20 to $30.

No matter which you choose, you'll be able to enjoy tri-mode wireless connectivity. It's able to connect to up to three different devices over Bluetooth 5.3 or one device using its 2.4GHz dongle. It's also able to connect using a standard USB cable. Over USB and 2.4GHz, the keyboard will connect with a 1000Hz polling rate for 1ms of input latency. Over Bluetooth, that's significantly less as the protocol limits polling to 125Hz or 8ms. It’s perfectly fine for productivity, but I would definitely use the dongle for anything more than casual gaming.

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It comes with two 1,800mAh batteries and battery life will depend on your connection method and how bright you keep its RGB backlighting. Over Bluetooth with RGB turned off, the keyboard should last around a month with regular use. With RGB on full brightness and connected over 2.4GHz, I found that it lasted around ten hours before needing to be plugged in. I took to plugging it in overnight, just to be safe.

Overall, it's quite an impressive package. I'll talk more about the typing and gaming experiences in the next section, but the build quality really is exceptional, even when compared against flagship keyboards from much bigger brands like Corsair and Razer. There are trade-offs, such as with the software, but for around $100, it's a pretty killer value if you like low-profile keys.

Chilkey ND75 LP – Performance

Low-profile keyboards have a tendency to blend together, which makes the few that don’t really stand out. The Nuphy Air60 HE was one such keyboard and the Chilkey ND75 Low Profile is another (IQUNIX and Lofree also have some great options). Each of these keyboards serves a different niche, however, and if you’re looking for the closest experience you can get to a custom keyboard experience in a low profile form factor, the ND75 LP is the best pick right now.

It surprised me out of the gate. Its case makes an immediate impression with its metal case. I was sent the silver version and the anodization was perfect. Flipping it over, I let out an audible “wow” when I saw its rear weight. The engraving really is striking and elevates the keyboard above its price point for fit and finish. The connection that Chilkey is making to the custom mechanical keyboard market is overt. The fact that you can simply pop off the top case to modify the internals is another major point that you just don't see in many other places outside of that community.

If you don't want to do any of that, you're in luck because you really don't need to. In fact, the parts that are easiest to remove, the foams below the circuit board, really don't seem to make a very big difference to the sound, though it does result in a slightly softer typing feel. I’ve never been on to fatigue easily when typing, but generally, softer keystrokes means longer typing sessions if you do.

The Chilkey ND75 LP is the compact keyboard to choose if you like low-profile keys but crave enthusiast features.

With that said, one of the most interesting qualities right out of the box with this keyboard is that it does feel softer than virtually any other low-profile keyboard I've tested. The silica gel gasket mounting structure and softer materials internally make each keystroke feel slightly cushioned in a way that traditional gaming keyboards do not. This is noteworthy because typically keyboards of this type are very firm simply due to the lack of space in the case. The integration here is very well done and again draws the ND75 LP closer to its full-size custom counterparts.

For gaming, it's excellent. The low profile switches have naturally shorter key travel and a higher actuation point to match. They're exceptionally smooth and very responsive.Using the 2.4GHz dongle, I wasn't able to perceive any more latency than when it was plugged in with the USB-C cable. For that matter, it doesn't feel particularly slower than any of the 4,000Hz or 8,000Hz gaming keyboards I've tested either, but that's a topic for another day.

I've long believed that a great gaming keyboard is about more than just responsiveness, however. It’s about making you want to go back for one more round, getting out of the way to let you focus on the game, and making your PC gaming experience as satisfying as possible. The ND75 LP accomplishes all of these. Between its thick yet slightly textured PBT keycaps, great switches, and pleasing sound and feel, it offers a typing experience that stands apart from the vast majority of others that share its form factor.

The biggest drawback is that it's not very portable. Typically, when you see a low-profile keyboard, the idea is that you can slip it into a bag and take it with you on the go. That is not the case here, as it easily weighs as much as a small gaming laptop all on its own. That might be a deal-breaker for some, but if you're a fan of low-profile keys, it's an excellent middle ground between the world of boutique custom keyboards, gaming performance, and affordability. You might have to use it at home, but it's still a very compelling option at a tempting price point.

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The Crunchyroll Store Is Having a Massive Sale on Manga, Blu-Rays, and Cool Anime Merch

Crunchyroll is the overall best anime streaming service out there, but the Crunchyroll Store is the place to go for cool anime merch and manga. That's especially true right now thanks to a massive sale going on at the Crunchyroll Store. With up to 30% off manga, anime Blu-rays, desk clocks, and even plushies, the Manga Madness promotion features a lot of really cool buys.

You can check out the full sale for yourself, which features nine full pages of discounts. Alternatively, we've picked out some of the best deals we've found within that. Here are our top picks from the Crunchyroll Store sale today:

The Best Crunchyroll Store Deals Today

Although manga discounts make up the majority of this sale, the deals we liked the most were on movies and merch. First off, there's the Akira 25th edition Blu-ray in there and discounts on popular Studio Ghibli movies. There's also a ton of great Studio Ghibli merch for fans of the Miyazaki films to enjoy, including desk clocks and plushies. We also found a pretty awesome discount on the Macross Plus movie ultimate edition, which is actually a Crunchyroll exclusive.

The sale isn't exclusive to Crunchyroll Premium subscribers, but without a subscription there is a delivery fee you'll need to watch out for. Non-subscribers will only get access to free shipping on orders of $75 or more on orders within the U.S. To get free shipping on all orders, you'll need to be subscribed to the Ultimate Fan tier, which is $15.99 per month.

Get a 7-Day Free Trial of Crunchyroll Ultimate Fan for Free Shipping

If you see something you like at the Crunchyroll Store that is priced under $75, there is one potential way around the shipping fees. New subscribers to the service can get access to a 7-day free trial of Crunchyroll Premium. There are three different tiers of the service, but only the Ultimate Fan tier offers free shipping on all U.S. orders. In addition to the free shipping, you'll also get an additional 15% discount on select Crunchyroll Store, access to ad-free anime streaming, and access to the Crunchyroll Game Vault.

The less expensive Mega Fan tier will also get you a 10% discount on Crunchyroll store items, but you'll only get free shipping on purchases over $50.

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PlayStation Plus Game Catalog for March 2025 Confirmed

Sony has announced the PlayStation Plus Game Catalog for March 2025, confirming the lineup of PS5, PS4, and Classic games set to be made available to download by subscribers.

As outlined on the PlayStation Blog, PlayStation Plus Extra subscribers get eight games this month, including UFC 5, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, and Captain Tsubasa: Rise of New Champions.

Meanwhile, PlayStation Plus Premium subscribers get four games in March: PSVR2’s Arcade Paradise VR and the original PlayStation’s FromSoftware trilogy: Armored Core, Armored Core: Project Phantasma, and Armored Core: Master of Arena.

PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium games lineup — March 2025

PlayStation Plus Premium games lineup — March 2025

All games are available to play from March 18.

It's worth noting that Sony will cut PS4 games from its PlayStation Plus Essentials monthly games and the Game Catalog from January 2026 to focus solely on PS5.

"As we shift to PS5, PS4 games will no longer be a key benefit and will only be occasionally offered for PlayStation Plus Monthly Games and Game Catalog," Sony said. This won't affect the monthly titles players have already obtained, though Game Catalog titles "will still be available to play until [they] leave the catalog" as part of the monthly refresh.

"We’ll continue to evolve the experience of PlayStation Plus and optimize the benefits you receive, including exclusive discounts, online multiplayer access, online game save storage, and more," Sony added. "As we shift our focus to PS5, we look forward to adding new PS5 titles monthly for you to enjoy."

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.

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Don't Worry, A Minecraft Movie Is Getting Its Own Popcorn Bucket Too

Remember themed popcorn buckets? Of course you do. Well, there’s more where those came from. The upcoming Minecraft movie is joining the consumer trend with concessions novelties of its own that will be available during the theatrical run.

According to images posted by DiscussingFilm on X / Twitter, below, the Minecraft movie will have a TNT box as its popcorn bucket, paired with a chicken jockey drink container (if you know, you know). It seems as though these items are exclusive to the Cinemark chain of theaters in the United States, but as for what other theaters are planning to debut for Minecraft fans, we’ll have to wait and see.

TNT and Chicken Jockey popcorn buckets for the live-action ‘MINECRAFT’ movie have been revealed. pic.twitter.com/ATk85n2Guf

— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) March 12, 2025

These Minecraft-centric novelties are just the latest in an ongoing trend that has been a national mainstay since 2019’s Rise of Skywalker R2-D2 popcorn bucket. The sheer virality of that snack receptacle six-plus years ago set the theater executives aflutter with potential, and a fun — albeit kind of done to death at this point, and quite expensive to boot — modern theatrical tradition was born. Hey, if it keeps folks coming out for the theatrical experience, I’m all for it.

A Minecraft Movie is directed by Jared Hess and written by Chris Bowman, Hubbel Palmer, Neil Widener, Gavin James, and Chris Galletta from a story by Bowman, Palmer, and Allison Schroeder. It follows a group of random folks who get sucked into the cubic world of Minecraft, where they must put their trust in a local guy named Steve (Jack Black) to help them master the world around them. Jason Momoa, Danielle Brooks, Emma Myers, Jennifer Coolidge, and Sebastian Hansen star alongside Black. The movie arrives in theaters April 4, 2025.

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

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