It's all well and good grabbing ridiculously expensive Pokémon TCG cards regardless of the climate, and I'm absolutely writhing in jealousy at those who can.

But imagine going back in time and pulling one of those epic chase cards straight off the shelf? Of course, you could today if you hate your bank account that much, but what about the most expensive Pokémon cards in packs right now?

I'm talking about Pokémon TCG bangers that you can pull in a booster pack today, and there are loads. We're focusing on Destined Rivals, Prismatic Evolutions, Twilight Masquerade, and Surging Sparks for today, so let's have a deeper look at the mad bangers you could pull from an in-print Pokémon TCG booster pack.

Just to note, the chances of pulling these cards are extremely slim, so if you plan on spending massive amounts of money on Booster Bundles, Booster Boxes, and ETBs, bear in mind that the actual value of the card itself is usually cheaper than ripping packs. Unless you're mega lucky, of course.

10: Lillie's Clefairy ex - 184/159

We always knew it was going to be insanely priced, and we needed a cheaper Umbreon chase card after Umbreon VMAX (Moonbreon).

Granted, it's still a mental market price, and over $1,000. But it won't get cheaper solely because it's Umbreon and almost anything linked to this dark type Eeveelution holds it's value, trust me on this.

If you're brave enough to drop $1,000 on Prismatic Eeveelutions boosters, or even this card standalone, I salute your efforts, and your bank account.

Honorable Mentions: Even More Eeveelutions

The money in Prismatic Evolution chase cards is insane, and it always will be, which is why the rest of the Eeveelutions need a dedicated section to themselves! These could've dominated the whole article, otherwise.

For starters, Glaceon ex SIR is a stunner, but I always prefer seeing Pokémon cards with a bit of movement and action in them. I have to say though, the ornate ice patterns and overall terastalisation of Glaceon is dipicted so well. It's also one of the less eye-wateringly expensive Eeveelution cards from Prismatic Evolutions at the minute.

Keeping up the trend is one of my favorites, Jolteon ex SIR from Prismatic Evolutions. There's been some banger Jolteon Cards in the past, for me that would be Jolteon from the Brilliant Stars Trainer Gallery and the Jolteon V Sword and Shield Promo Card, but this one has unlimited energy. Just look at how expressive this card is, perfectly showcasing Jolteons speed and agility with one of the coolest backgrounds i've seen in a Pokémon card.

The cell shading mixed with comic book artstyle of Vaporeon ex SIR from Prismatic Evolutions is a stunner. Just look at how light is captured in every drop of water and crystal. Plus I think this is one of the cutest depictions of this water-type Eeveelution we've had for some time. Absolute banger of a card and would do a flip terribly if I pulled this beast.

Another beautiful pastel artwork with Espeon ex SIR. On top of Espeon being a fan favorite, it's easy to see why this card is now over $300. I've never seen that many shades of purple in such a small space before, such a stunning piece of art, imagine pulling this, getting a 10 then getting it in your slabbed collection? Stuff of dreams.

I love me a good woodblock print, and Leafeon ex SIR gives me massive tradition Japanese art vibes. The bold colours, thick lines and the overall beauty of this makes it worth the price tag.Verdant storm for a grass and colourless energy can be devestating too, 60 x damage for every energy attached to all of your opponents Pokémon. Lethal!

It's such a shame Fairy typing didn't come back for Sylveon ex SIR, because I can't think of a more Fairy type Pokémon card ever. It's another stunner with a cute stance and a pastel color pallete that just makes it. There's that much pink it just works, a fantastic card and its easy to see why it's over $400, especially as it's one of the most popular Eeveelutions.

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.

The 2021 relaunch of Splitgate solidified that Valve-style portals and old-school arena shooters are two great tastes that taste great together. Splitgate 2 carries that same great melding of run-and-gun action and tactical trickery that helped the original plant its flag in the genre, so it’s starting from a good place. Only problem is, it never makes much net progress from there. Even though the addition of character classes and a wider range of power weapons help bring Splitgate 2 through a new threshold of promise, some of the other shots it takes through the looking glass loop around to bite it from behind and have made me a bit less enthusiastic about the time I’ve spent with this free-to-play followup.

Visually, quite a bit has changed relative to the original. Gone is the muted, more industrial look of the battle venues, replaced by lots of vibrant colors and brighter lighting. That all makes it look less distinctive and more like the many games trying to catch the eye of Fortnite players. In the trade up from the grubby metal walls to the cleaner, sleeker surfaces, Splitgate 2 is also absent of the more interesting features that made the original’s maps interesting and memorable. Features like deserts and trees that would be smack-dab in the middle of a map (like in one of my favorites, Oasis) are now relegated to background decorations, and every surface you’ll actually run and gun across feels samey across the 15 map options.

Technically you can fix that problem yourself using the returning map creator mode, now called The Lab, which is powerful enough that it’s already filled with dozens and dozens of fan-made recreations of famous PvP maps from bigger games. To be fair there are some more interesting and original user creations that serve as great side shows to the main action. But most of these that I tried felt too gimmicky to be considered good replacements for the developer-made maps as far as having consistent and competitive rounds of the standard modes (to the extent that's possible considering there’s no ranked mode currently available). It’s also spreading the community a bit thin. I had a pretty hard time getting strangers to queue for some of the wackier-looking options, often sitting in lobbies alone for long periods of time in hopes some other curious Splitgaters would stumble in. I was often disappointed.

Splitgate 2’s biggest win, though, is in gameplay tweaks that have a huge impact on pacing from match to match. The signature portals are still the X-factor, allowing you to create paths between two points on the map on the fly. Once you wrap your head around how they work they are fantastic tools for setting up ambushes, tricky getaways, and even manipulating physics to slingshot you across the map. I mostly use them here like I did in 2021, pulling off one-man flanks on jerks attempting to take my team's objectives. This time, though, it only takes one button to create both ends of your personal wormhole when shot in succession, making them much more convenient to use. It comes at a slight cost, in that opening one of your portals on top of an enemy’s is the only way to close theirs, and that can force you to close off your own routes. But after logging over a dozen hours, I much prefer this minor drawback over the anti-portal grenades of yesteryear.

Movement always felt smooth, quick, and controlled in Splitgate thanks to its fast (but not too fast) sprinting and limited jetpacks. In Splitgate 2, both of these things combine with a new slide mechanic to make getting around the maps feel like I remember being able to move in my best rounds of Titanfall. The jetpack seems more powerful, with more lift before cooldown than the original’s version. Being able to stay aloft for longer means firefights more often begin or end in the air, adding a level of dynamism that makes every skirmish a challenge at every angle.

The standard arsenal isn’t much different than the original, though, which is a shame because it’s not very imaginative. Most weapons have slick futuristic curves and color schemes but function exactly like the assault rifles, SMGs, and carbines you’ve wielded in too many other games to count, and I wasn’t motivated to do much exploration of the options or customization of loadout presets because of that constant sense of deja vu. They really just make me want to sprint to grab power weapons, which spawn with some fanfare on neutral points during matches, as soon as possible. These returning super guns have gotten a couple of notable additions to their lineup, including my favorite: a pair of machine pistols that can be combined to form a longer machine gun when aiming down the sights. These are all awesome, game-changing weapons that are worth the effort to secure every time they’re available.

Mechanically, the biggest change to the way Splitgate 2 plays is the addition of three character classes, which are presented as avatars of competing corporate entities who settle their differences in this futuristic sport of gun-toting portal slipping. Sabrask, Meridian, and Aeros all have their own unique active abilities, like Meridian’s Hypersight, which reveals enemies around you for a short period, or Aeros’ Rush that gives everyones movement, reload, and regen a speed boost. My favorite is Sabrask’s Smart Wall, which plops a one-way bullet shield that protects anyone standing behind it while keeping them free to shoot through it at the enemy (much like a deployable version of Reinhardt’s shield in Overwatch). They each also have passive effects that they can grant their whole team simply by being present, incentivizing teams to have at least one of each in play. That means actives are more obviously impactful than the passives, largely because I’ve yet to play a game where every team involved wasn’t receiving boosted health regen from Meridian and faster ability and equipment recharges from Aeros and Sabrask, respectively. Is it really a “boost” if it’s basically the standard?

I think there’s an argument to be made that the choice to forgo class-based, hero shooter-y design was a keystone of the monument to the past’s simpler shooters that the original Splitgate was building. It meant all of us started from the same base capabilities and had to earn every advantage during a match, and there’s validity to that. I am sympathetic to this old-school Halo-style mentality, but I've come to prefer the diversity of these three new classes, which add just enough tactical expression to give old people like me a chance against fast-twitch no-scoping youth so long as I can out-think them.

Part of that is because Splitgate 2 matches, regardless of the mode you’re playing, are almost always more fun on smaller maps. They may not be as interesting as the maps in Splitgate, but at least they are built to take the most advantage of portaling in a way that ensures you’re never too far from the action. Larger maps, like the ones found in the three-team, 24-player Onslaught game types, can feel almost lonely because you have to run a fair distance to find some other players exchanging fire before plotting your portal game.

Across the board, though, it strikes me as odd that maps seem to deemphasize the advantage that using portals in combat would have. So many objectives sit in places completely hidden from a portal wall, and it felt much more difficult to use portals for aggressive pushes. Fortunately for me, someone who mostly uses portals to set traps and for escapes, and I felt like Splitgate 2’s layouts firmly establish that my more passive approach is the right way to play. Firstly, thank you so much for the 1047 Games. But secondly, this means that offensive strikes on objectives – especially the ones you have to hunker down on like in Firecracker or Domination – happen with the kinds of jetpack assaults and high-energy flanks that you could do anywhere else, from Tribes on down. Even modes that require lots of movement or rotating objectives, like Splitball and Hotzone, don’t afford many more opportunities to use the feature in a way that couldn’t be done without it. The most damning realization of this came when I was playing one of the limited-time No Portals playlist maps and realizing my games didn’t feel all that different without that supposedly defining ability.

Finally, the big new marquee feature of Splitgate 2 is the battle royale mode, and it operates mostly as expected: many teams of four drop into a semi-random zone on the map and fight each other to be the last squad standing. The wrinkle it adds to the genre (besides portals) is that the greater map is made up of four smaller maps connected to one another by jump paths and tunnels. These maps are styled as different environments – there's a snowy zone and a lava zone, for instance – so it’s easy to communicate which one you’re talking about when planning with your team. Splitgate 2’s version of the storm closing in around you is shutting down one of these regions, forcing all surviving squads toward each other in a shrinking set of rooms; the effect is mostly the same.

What’s disappointing is that the different locations aren’t all that mechanically unique, so fights play out the same way no matter where you are. You certainly don’t want to have shoot outs while knee deep in magma, but when determining which zone to move to next, the potential hazards of the environment was never a top factor. And here, like in the other modes, Portals only come into play a bit, usually to move across long distances quickly, but not very much in the heat of battle. All in all, I didn’t find much going on in this battle royale worth steering your drop bus away from your current favorite for.

Pixar's Elio, a new coming-of-age adventure tale from the studio that exceeds at coming-of-age adventure tales, hits theaters June 20th. And with the acclaimed animation house's latest entry comes a window of opportunity to look back at the company's 30 years (!) of storytelling and pluck out the best of the best. What are the best Pixar movies? Read on...

From living toys to missing fish to rats with culinary expertise, Pixar's run (so far) is unparalleled, delivering iconic animated characters, thrilling odysseys, and moments that instantly melt your heart. We're taking it all in here. All the Cars, Monsters, Bugs, Toys, Incredibles, and more so that we can properly rank Pixar's full catalogue. Agree? Disagree? Don't care because there are more important things in life? We got you. Check out our ranking of the Pixar movies, from least-good to cinematic bliss...

28. Cars 3 (2017)

As the second Pixar franchise to get a third movie, Cars is a great example of the more traditional disconnect between kids and grownups when it comes to blockbuster animation. Cars is a merchandise cash cow, but it's also the studio's brand that's left the most older viewers cold. Cars 3 goes the Rocky Balboa comeback route for a more internalized story about Lightning McQueen's doubt and fear when pitted against a younger, faster generation of racers. Generally, Cars 3 is lauded for being the deepest, most introspective entry of the three, with the consensus being that it's the Cars flick most aimed at adult Pixar fans. Still, Cars 3 came about at a time when viewers wanted either new Pixar products and/or sequels to better Pixar movies.

27. Lightyear (2022)

Presented as a movie-within-a-movie, making for an unnecessarily awkward connection to the Buzz Lightyear doll and the Toy Story films, Lightyear was meant to mark Pixar's big return to theaters after Soul, Luca, and Turning Red were all streaming-only exclusives. And it landed with a dud. Striking visuals and a strong voice cast -- featuring Chris Evans, Keke Palmer, and Taika Waititi -- weren't enough to make up for a weak story and the bizarre meta-concept that this was the movie, or type of movie, Toy Story's Andy saw as a kid that made him covet a Buzz Lightyear toy. Ultimately, it's a thin origin story that will never pay dividends because it's part of a different franchise's toy line.

26. Finding Dory (2016)

After a half decade of mostly sequels, and two originals that fell short of expectations, Finding Dory brings back friends-not-food Marlin, Nemo, and Dory for another undersea adventure - this time about tracking down short term memory-challenged Dory as she searches for her long lost parents. With Ed O'Neill, Idris Elba, Dominic West, and Sigourney Weaver adding their voices to the odyssey, Finding Dory manages to be visually impressive and disarmingly charming though it still can't shake off the unnecessary sequel vibe given that it doesn't improve on the classic first film and it came during a Pixar era of commercially-driven "sameness."

25. Cars 2 (2011)

Cars 2 benefits from cherry-picking the best elements of the first Cars movie and switching genres completely by taking Lightning McQueen and Mater out of Radiator Springs and dropping them into the middle of a fast-paced, dynamic spy flick. What's lost here, for the most part, is the warmth and heart that we adore, and expect, from most Pixar offerings.

Cars 2 is also a darker film where several car characters do meet an untimely, and sometimes gruesome, end. But the fast pacing works in the film's favor, as the slightly morbid moments flicker in and out as quickly as race car laps. Cars 2 isn't the usual intimate magical experience you expect from Pixar fare, but it's still a high-octane adventure the burns fast and furious.

24. The Good Dinosaur (2015)

The Good Dinosaur, considered by some to be Pixar's biggest "soft miss" from the previous decade, takes on a big "what if?" Asking people to imagine what would happen if the dinosaurs never went extinct, this movie follows a young dino named Arlo who gets swept away from his family and has to journey through the great unknown to get home. The film is one of the most visually stunning projects Pixar has ever created, but it retreads some familiar Pixar tropes and, on top of that, its troubled production shows.

There are some great emotional moments as Arlo and his "pet" human Spot grow closer, and The Good Dinosaur proves that Pixar excels at showing instead of telling. Even when the film does hit story points that feel familiar, it does them well and in a way that children can comprehend -- even if it does get a bit scary for its target young audience sometimes.

23. Monsters University (2013)

Monsters University is Pixar’s take on a college movie, with Mike (Billy Crystal) and Sulley (John Goodman) reintroduced as freshmen at MU, both with dreams of making it as a “scarer.” It doesn't have the emotional weight of the first one (Boo, you are missed), but Monsters University is still a fun and funny movie in its own right. Pixar’s biggest obstacle at this point was their own track record as so many of their films had been so emotional that a certain standard had been set. Pixar, however, uses animation to tell all sorts of stories and not all of them have to make you weep to be worthwhile. We all like a good comedy too, right?

22. Onward (2020)

Onward, which had its theatrical run short-sheeted by the onset of the pandemic (which, in turn led to Soul's streaming release), combined a high concept realm -- that of a land of fairy tales and fantasy updated for modern times -- with a off-kilter magical adventure featuring only half a dad being brought back to life for 24 hours, and delivered an unexpectedly poignant look at loneliness and loss. Tom Holland and Chris Pratt headline as two elf brothers on an '80s Amblin-style quest in this clever, vibrant family fable.

21. Brave (2012)

The first Pixar film to follow a female protagonist (the arrow-shooting princess Merida), the first one to be set in the past (medieval Scotland), and their 13th film to open at No. 1, Brave wisely forsakes the well-worn relationships of other animated fairy tales -- the wicked stepmother/stepdaughter dynamic or father/daughter bond or the princess and prince romance -- in favor of the more complicated, yet loving bond between a headstrong mother and her equally stubborn daughter. And yet despite that smart choice, Brave still never quite transcends. It's a technical marvel (Merida’s wild curls, the misty Highlands, immersive 3D), but it’s ultimately seen as a lesser effort from a studio known for breaking new ground.

20. Incredibles 2 (2018)

And the longest time between movies in a Pixar franchise goes tooooo...The Incredibles, which finally dropped a sequel 14 years after the awesome original. Outside of the Toy Story saga, this was the sequel fans had been clamoring for the most and eventually, yes, writer/director Brad Bird returned to gift us with another glimpse into the lives of the superpowered Parr family. This fantastic follow-up takes place right after the end of the first film (a privilege animation provides) and spins the saga off into a "Mr. Mom"-style caper involving Mr. Incredible staying at home with baby Jack-Jack and Elastigirl becoming the standout superhero of the homestead. It might not top the 2004 movie but it admirably switches things up and gives us an exciting new story instead of repeating the beats of the past.

19. Soul (2020)

Soul goes about as big as you can get for a Pixar film, exploring the afterlife in the same way WALL-E explores the future, Monster, Inc. delves into the scream industry, and Coco travels into -- okay -- also the afterlife. Soul's version of the hereafter, however, is more utilitarian, with a vaporwave art vibe and music provided by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, while the real world is marvelous and unpredictable (with jazz provided by Jon Batiste). Telling the story of a pianist who meets an untimely demise (Jamie Foxx), and who's desperate to join the land of the living again so he can do the one thing he thinks will make his life meaningful, Soul ambushes us with harsh relatability. Tina Fey lends her voice to the other half of this mismatched duo, as a stubborn unborn soul refusing to enter the world. Soul makes no bones about how big its themes are, tackling the meaning of life and the time-honored debate between Team Journey and Team Destination.

18. Luca (2021)

2021's Luca felt like a return to classic Pixar in terms of defying labels and providing a unique vibe. Retro-set on the 1950s Italian Riviera, and with a soundtrack full of toe-tapping Italian tunes, this sun-drenched story features two young sea creatures, longing for a life of land exploration, who disguise themselves as humans in a small town and wind up competing for a Vespa in the local Portorosso Cup. After befriending local outcast Giulia (Emma Berman), the trio form a bond that bridges worlds and opens up endless possibilities. Luca has smaller stakes than some other Pixar films but its heart is just as mighty.

17. Toy Story 4 (2019)

Toy Story 4 gently suffers from the sentiment that it's a bit of a "hat on a hat," as Toy Story 3 feels like both a pinnacle for the series and a natural, satisfying ending to the story. It's also the Toy Story entry fans hold the least regard for, but as you can see the "worst" Toy Story film still easily and snugly fits in Pixar's top half. And it ultimately may not even be the final Toy Story chapter.

In the franchise's fourth entry, Woody, Buzz, and the rest of the toy team (including a newly repurposed spork named Forky) head out on a road trip with Bonnie's family where they're unexpectedly reunited with Bo Peep, who's enjoying her freedom as a "lost toy." Toy Story 4 stays true to all the magical hallmarks of the series while, once again, providing a fitting end.

16. A Bug’s Life (1998)

Pixar's second film, A Bug's Life, was a take on the old Ant and the Grasshopper parable mixed with Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai. A great sophomore effort for the young company, A Bug's Life didn't quite match the magic of Toy Story but it still was crucial in helping define and refine the Pixar formula: a mix of kid-friendly comedy, adult-friendly knowingness and nostalgia, and state-of-the-art computer animation. In A Bug's Life, Dave Foley plays Flik, an outcast ant who, after his colony is threatened by villainous grasshoppers, recruits a bunch of other loner insects -- well, actually they're just circus performers who are out of work. But they are, of course, up to the task.

15. Cars (2006)

It should come as no surprise that 2006's Cars is near the bottom of this list, as it and its sequels are the least loved of all the Pixar films and yet, as we noted above, when it comes to Pixar, the worst is still usually pretty dang good. John Lasseter's odd love letter to "the Mother Road" Route 66 tells the tale of Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson), a rookie racecar who learns that winning isn't everything. The film, while still clever and endearing, gets a bit bogged down in open road romanticism and those stretches of story ultimately hurt the final product.

14. Elemental (2023)

Pixar was moving with a slight limp after 2022's Lightyear, and the outlook for original animated offerings looked bleak, but Elemental not only delivered a delightful romance -- about a fire element and water element who fall for one another -- but it had solid box office legs all through the 2023 summer movie season, with word of mouth driving it to a pretty nifty haul in the end. With top-form dazzling visuals and a sweet, rom-com love story, Elemental wound up being a high-concept, cross-cultural sleeper hit.

13. Turning Red (2022)

Turning Red is an awesomely anxious coming-of-age story about a 13-year-old Chinese-Canadian girl, Mei, living in Toronto whose plan to keep her boy band fanaticism secret from her perfectionist mother goes awry when a magical family tradition starts turning her into a giant, floofy red panda whenever she experiences -- you know -- any strong feelings about anything. A clever knockout, Turning Red captures the wild energy of adolescence, uses pop stars as a timeless window into puberty, and tells a tale of friendship and family in the most delightful way.

12. Inside Out 2 (2024)

The biggest movie of 2024, and briefly the highest-grossing animated film of all time, Inside Out 2 is a stunning sequel-done-right that relays the true, horrifying grasp of anxiety like very few films are able to capture. Set two years after Inside Out, we catch up with 13-year-old Riley Andersen as she finds herself hijacked by a new emotion that makes her shun her friends, change her personality, and become fearful of every imagined scenario. And what's worse, Anxiety kicks Joy (and all her other emotions) to the curb, becoming Riley's only default setting. Inside Out 2 is a triumph of not only animation but story, delving into severely relatable corners of nearly every person's modern struggles with mental health.

11. Ratatouille (2007)

Directed by Brad Bird (The Incredibles), who was already beloved by animation aficionados for The Iron Giant prior to joining Pixar, the truly wonderful Ratatouille takes us into the heart of Parisian cuisine through the lens of a creature we don't usually associate with having a refined palate - the rat. Yes, Remy the Rat dreams of becoming a chef and tries to achieve his goal by forming an alliance with a fancy restaurant's garbage boy, Alfredo Linguini, controlling the lad's kitchen skills by hiding under his hat. Ratatouille is a unique slice of animation that strikes deep notes of recognition across many kinds of moviegoers, be they discriminating foodies, fans of animation, or just everyday folks expecting to be entertained. It's a seven-course meal that delivers hilarious antics and unbridled joy.

10. Toy Story 2 (1999)

The law of averages suggests that Toy Story 2 shouldn't be as good as it is, just from a sequel standpoint, but it brilliantly expands upon the original Toy Story adventure in just about every way. The story of Woody's abduction by a toy collector (Wayne Knight) and the attempt by his pals to save him is truly exceptional stuff. Here Woody is faced with a serious choice between living forever -- hermetically sealed as a collector's item -- or going back to his friends and the boy who loves him and facing the prospect of getting torn apart at any moment, as a boy's toys tend to be. Live life or watch from the sidelines? What would Woody do? Quite simply, it's a tour de force of talking toy cinema.

9. Up (2009)

Up proves its power within the first 10 minutes. With just a few lines of dialogue, an opening montage introduces us to the main character, Carl, and shows us the story of his life and love with Ellie – from their meeting as children, to their marriage, to their inability to have children of their own, to Ellie's passing. Those last two elements tell you all you need to know about a film where Pixar once again proves it doesn't shy away from truly emotional, powerful material.

The adventure that follows for Carl and the young boy, Russell, who inadvertently tags along is certainly fanciful - Carl gets an entire house to fly using balloons! - yet infused with an incredible amount of pathos and meaning, as we watch Carl oh so literally carry his burden on his back, as he physically drags that floating house through the jungle, determined to bring it to the place he and Ellie dreamed about. Funny, exciting and touching, Up is a beautiful film - and the second animated movie to ever receive a Best Picture nomination at the Oscars.

8. Finding Nemo (2003)

Finding Nemo, from 2003, features some of the most widely recognized characters from a Pixar picture aside from the original Toy Story troupe. The film's story of an overprotective father who is separated from his son instantly preys upon any parent's deepest fears, and yet the film is never manipulative or calculating in its storytelling methods. From the breathtaking design of the deep-sea world to the spot-on performances by Ellen DeGeneres, Albert Brooks, and more, Finding Nemo is a hilarious, thrilling and even spiritual adventure that represents the apex of Pixar's storytelling abilities. It was a blockbuster for the studio, an astounding achievement in animation, and a game-changer for kids' movies.

7. Monsters, Inc. (2001)

In 2001, Pixar unleashed a rollicking workplace comedy about kindly, chatty "joe schmoe" monsters and the utility company they work for in the land of Monstropolis. Starring John Goodman as Sulley and Billy Crystal as Mike, a couple of working-class creatures, Monsters, Inc. takes what seems like an insane premise and makes it relatable by having these so-called monsters act like working stiffs. Monsters! They're just like us!

With Benny Goodman-style jazz and comedic banter befitting an SNL sketch, Monsters, Inc transforms from a simple clock-punching parable into a quest to save a little girl and a mission to unravel a conspiracy. It stealthily starts as a somewhat thin-yet-amusing sitcom and finishes as one of Pixar's finest heart-tugging outings.

6. Coco (2017)

2017's Coco is easily regarded as one of Pixar's most emotional endeavors. A monumentally gorgeous tear-jerker, Coco follows a 12-year-old Mexican boy named Miguel who is accidentally transported to the Land of the Dead where he seeks the help of his deceased musician great-great-grandfather. It's a soaring supernatural quest that explores familial themes, identity, and learning what it means to grow up in a world that isn’t perfect. Pixar was culturally conscious when developing this marvelously Mexican story, turning to an array of outside Latino consultants to vet ideas and suggest new ones (upending a long-running studio tradition of strict creative lockdown). Coco is an uplifting revelation and one of the company's crowning efforts.

5. Inside Out (2015)

True to its concept, Inside Out is Pixar's emotional roller coaster, offering up what is probably the best depiction ever of how the human body's memory and emotions work. Shining a spotlight inside the mind of an 11-year-old girl coping with the first big change in her life -- her family moving to a new, unfamiliar city -- Inside Out characterizes the five emotions that run a person's inner "Headquarters" to take viewers on a visually inventive adventure.

Following both young Riley on the outside and her feelings on the inside -- Joy, Sadness, Fear, Anger, Disgust -- Inside Out is a thoughtful, caring film without going overboard, and a hilarious, quirky romp without losing its edge. It's at once very surreal and very human, simplifying our brains while also presenting our lives as complicated. RIP Bing Bong.

4. Toy Story (1995)

When the first Pixar feature was released in 1995, a new age dawned for animated films. Not just because of its computer-generated animation but because of the superb storytelling. Toy Story was technically at the top of its game while also illustrating some very familiar thematic throughlines that included the rivalry between Tom Hanks' wooden cowboy and Tim Allen's space-age action figure, the buddy comedy, the fear that we all have of becoming obsolete, and of course the very idea of toys having a life of their own. The result was a huge success that took age-old tropes and made them fresh and new again -- and created the cinematic mega-beast known as Pixar along the way.

3. WALL-E (2008)

You will believe a robot can fall in love! With WALL-E, Pixar began to flirt with a slightly experimental edge to its filmmaking, delivering a first act that's almost entirely dialogue-free and creating whimsey and mirth in the garbage-covered ruins of Earth. It's honestly the most adorable dystopia ever.

At the heart of most Pixar films is the theme of isolation. WALL-E, one of the animation studio's top-tier achievements, is a breathtaking meditation on loneliness and the re-enforcement that every sentient creature contains an unbeatable desire to connect with someone else. Pixar has a way of creating fantastic creatures and characters who tug violently on all our heartstrings. And all WALL-E wanted to do was hold someone else's hand like he'd seen in the musical Hello, Dolly. Post-trashpocalypse world be damned! WALL-E is lush, phenomenal sci-fi like no other. This is skewering satire mixed with a lovable, relatable search for companionship.

2. Toy Story 3 (2010)

Leave it to Pixar to make the best (temporary) threequel ever. The story of Andy moving on to college -- leaving Woody and Buzz and the gang dealing with a great, understated villain in Lots-O'-Huggin' Bear at the new daycare center home -- is the most fun of the Toy Story films. It works as a drama, a comedy and an action film -- a terrific trifecta! It's a beautiful, vibrant story about memories, the passing of time, and how you treat the people in your life.

As with everything Pixar does, the attention to detail here is incredible. The split-imagery within the daycare/Alcatraz is great. How the slide in the playground becomes a watchtower at night. How the bead mazes double as razor wire. How marker smudges become prison tats. The level of detail, in things like Woody's rounded-down hairline, is astounding. So many moments -- character moments, mind you -- cross over into "great" or "perfect" status, and the last 15 minutes are some of the strongest work the studio has ever done.

1. The Incredibles (2004)

Prior to the MCU, back when only Spider-Man, Batman, and X-Men ruled the superhero box office roost, director Brad Bird gave us, in a way, a better Fantastic Four movie than the live-action one we'd get a year later. The Incredibles, now almost 20 years later, is still regarded as one of the best superhero movies of all time.

The story of retired heroes Mr. Incredible (Craig T. Nelson) and Elastigirl (Holly Hunter), as well as their super children Violet, Dash, and Jack-Jack, The Incredibles takes Bird's love of old-school comic-book conventions that was evident in The Iron Giant and mashes it with commentary about American nuclear family. Bird brought a new and different voice to the Pixar world. The Incredibles is less cute and more biting, introducing a few more sinister and violent elements to the studio's usual product, though it's never not a family story centered around issues that most families face. Brilliantly designed, perfectly paced, and next-level exciting, The Incredibles grabs hold and never lets go.

Note: This article originally ran on May 2, 2017. It was updated on June 18, 2025, with more Pixar titles.

After eight whole years of Nintendo’s console-handheld hybrid, its successor, the Nintendo Switch 2, is finally in our hands. While it’s an all-new system, there are some old accessories that still work with the new platform. But because of its bigger screen and the new magnetic Joy-Con, that old Switch case isn’t going to fit the new system. You’ll need a handful of new accessories to get the most out of your next-gen Switch. From finding the best grips for your Joy-Con 2 to the easiest bubble-free screen protectors to guard that shiny new display, we have you covered in this Switch 2 accessories guide.

I’ve researched the best Switch 2 accessories you can buy during the launch window based on both hands-on experience and research from some of our favorite Switch 1 accessory manufacturers. Of course, we’re still in the early days, and plenty of companies are still shipping their products to retailers as I’m writing this. Some haven’t even made them available for preorder yet, so I’ll continue to update this list over time with my favorite new accessories as I go hands-on with them over the next few months.

Let’s get up to speed on what you need to know about buying accessories for your Nintendo Switch 2. There are a few accessories that warrant their own articles because both categories come with some caveats that you need to know before buying anything for your Switch 2.

Best MicroSD Express Cards for Switch 2

Bigger games with great graphical detail meant the Switch 2 needed a faster storage solution for your downloaded games. That means your old SD cards from the Switch 1 will not work here. You need to get a MicroSD Express card for the Switch 2, which is faster (and more expensive) than the basic model. We'll be updating our guide to the best MicroSD Express cards for Nintendo Switch 2 as we do more testing now that the console is out.

Best Switch 2 Cases So Far

The Switch 2 may be portable, but it’s not invincible. If you’re gearing up to take Mario Kart World or Cyberpunk 2077 on the road, you’ll need to protect your console with a sturdy, reliable case. Again, your original Switch case is not going to fit your Switch 2, so you will need to purchase a new one. In addition to materials, construction, and form, I specifically made sure to look for extra features like comfort grips, game cartridge storage, bundles, and tested brands when making my suggestions. Of course, whether you want to go with a slim soft case like the one from Tomtoc that we reviewed and loved or a bulkier hard case like CoBak's, you have options for your preferences.

Best Switch 2 Screen Protectors So Far

Even though the Switch 2 has a built-in layer that acts as screen protector – don't peel that off – a good screen protector is non-negotiable for handheld devices. Since the launch of the original Switch, tons of companies have stepped up their game, offering new applicators, matte finishes, and kits to make sure your protector doesn’t trap dust or air bubbles when you apply it. Some are also built to take hits like a tank (though we’d never suggest testing this out yourself).

I use some of these brands to protect other devices I own, like my Steam Deck and Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra smartphone, and many of the same design principles are applied across different designs, including the Switch 2. Most of these also come with extra units in case your first protector gets damaged.

Best Gaming Headsets for Switch 2

The Switch 2 still has a standard audio jack, yet it’s the small but major secondary USB-C port that makes wireless gaming headsets even more useful. A majority of the best gaming headsets are compatible, and since Bluetooth isn’t the best idea for gaming (as was evident on the original Switch) I recommend checking out our picks for headsets that go particularly well with the Switch 2 rather than just using the earbuds you’re probably wearing right now.

Best Switch 2 Controllers

Unless you want to stick with the packaged Joy-Con 2, you’re going to want the new Pro Controller that we reviewed, or one of the gamepads made in its image. Especially if you’re playing more sophisticated games that demand precise controls or need something more comfortable for long sessions, a proper controller will probably be the most beneficial accessory for your Switch 2.

While you could certainly use an original Pro Controller or whatever your previous gamepad of choice was, the Switch 2 brings new features to the table – notably, a 3.5mm audio jack that allows you to use a wired headset for audio and chatting in-game without being tethered to your console. You may be interested in Switch 2’s GameChat feature, and you can seamlessly go into a video and/or voice chat room with friends with the new C button. Not every new controller has it, but licensed manufacturers like PowerA do include it. Lastly, the built-in programmable back buttons on the official Pro Controller can be a game-changer, letting you map normal inputs to them, and that can improve performance or comfort across many different types of games.

If you’re just looking for a solid Pro-style controller, our favorite original Switch controllers will serve you well. Something like the Gulikit KK3 Max has programmable back buttons, Hall Effect sticks, high polling rate for smoother inputs, and is versatile enough to use on PC without trouble. Either way, you have plenty of great options.

Best Switch 2 Handheld Grips

Although it promises some ergonomic enhancements from the original Switch, the Switch 2 still won’t have fully formed grips on the new Joy-Con – the likes of the Steam Deck and Asus ROG Ally X still have an ergonomic advantage that can help make long handheld play sessions more comfortable. But you already have ways of improving the ergonomics of the Switch 2 with a handful of attachments available now. The grips above are the best we could find for playing in handheld mode from reliable manufacturers, including ones I’ve already gone hands-on with like DBrand’s Killswitch 2 grip and case combo and the Genki Attack Vector.

Best Switch 2 Joy-Con Grip / Handles

Even though the Switch 2 ships with a central grip to attach both Joy-Con to use like a singular controller, they’re not perfect. Especially for intense games like Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, there are more comfortable ways to play using the Joy-Con. Some companies are even starting to offer stands to help prop up your Joy-Con in the new Mouse Mode as well, which comes in handy for navigating menus and playing games like Civilization VII. Getting a proper connecting grip can be a more cost-effective solution compared to buying an entirely new gamepad, so long as you’re happy with the inputs of the Joy-Con. And many of these options will also charge your Joy-Con while they’re in use, which is a neat little cherry on top.

Best Switch 2 Joy-Con Charge Stations

Nintendo has stated that the Switch 2 Joy-Con could last as long as 20 hours on a full charge, which is the same amount of time as the original Joy-Con. When looking at wireless controllers nowadays, 20 hours is fairly decent, although they still go by pretty quickly compared to other wireless controller options. It’s intuitive to just reattach your Joy-Con when they’re not in use to keep them charged, but if you plan on having multiple sets ready to go at all times, it’ll be a good idea to have a charging station on-hand. For those who often host multiplayer get-togethers with the likes of Super Mario Party Jamboree’s new Jamboree TV content or Mario Kart World, a Joy-Con charging station will make your life easier. I made sure to include models that feature as many ports as possible so you never run out of charged controllers.

Best Switch 2 Portable Chargers

The original Switch’s battery life remains one of its weak spots depending on the game you’re playing (some drain more power than others), even after a mid-gen refresh that brought some welcome improvements. It’ll remain something you have to manage by nature of using a portable gaming device especially if you’re taking the Switch 2 on long flights, trips, or car rides. That maximum battery life of 6.5 hours won’t always hold up and looking for an outlet is less than ideal when charge times can be quite longer than something like a smartphone.

Being able to charge in-between sessions untethered comes in clutch more often than you may expect, so having an extra battery pack to get some extra juice can be a total game-changer. I personally love Anker’s line with built-in USB-C cables, but Magsafe options like Genki’s Energy Pack are also really enticing. Either way, make sure you check the capacity and wattage of a portable charger before purchasing one you plan to use with your Switch 2 – some might simply be overkill for what you need.

Other Switch 2 Accessories Worth Considering

It feels like every new Nintendo console comes with a mountain of weird accessories. From Wii Sports-style tennis rackets to fishing rods, there’s a lot of extra and niche add-ons mixed in with the core accessories that are typically more practical. That’s not to say there aren’t some cool ideas that stretch the imagination of gaming on the Switch. Hori’s Piranha Plant camera is a fun example – while it costs $5 more than the first-party camera we reviewed, it’s a fun alternative that’s can double-up as some themed decor. (Though don't expect it to work miracles: The camera has a pretty dismal 480p resolution.) While it’s not an ideal way to play everything, the steering wheel attachment can be a fun and more accessible way for younger kids to play Mario Kart World. These accessories don’t fall into the conventional categories like controllers and cases, but they’re worth considering regardless. I’ve also thrown in a couple of "starter kits" that make for decent one-and-done purchases that include most of what you’ll want on day one.

Charlie's a freelance contributor for IGN. You can reach them via Twitter or Instagram at the handle @chas_mke.

I've had a Kindle Unlimited subscription for a few years now and I'm not sure I could ever go back to not having one. Reading is my primary leisure activity and being able to quickly download books on my Kindle Paperwhite has been a huge time saver. It's also saved me quite a bit money on new books because I primarily read LitRPG.

Kindle Unlimited is a great service if you read a lot of books, but only really if the genre you like to read actually has popular options included. There are a lot of great reads on Kindle Unlimited at any given time, but it certainly doesn't include everything. Popular new releases like Sunrise on the Reaping and Onyx Storm, for example, were not included with the subscription and needed to be purchased separately. That being said, if you mostly read LitRPG books like I do, Kindle Unlimited is an incredible value — especially with the early Prime Day deals going now.

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Valve may have revolutionized mobile PC gaming with the Steam Deck, but more and more handheld gaming PCs are coming to market, giving it some stiff competition. Formerly, the Asus ROG Ally X knocked Steam’s offering from our top spot thanks to its impressive performance, fast memory, and long-lasting battery, but we've got a brand-new favorite: the Lenovo Legion Go S (Z1 Extreme, SteamOS). With the Xbox Ally X announced at the Xbox Games Showcase, you'll have plenty of options for gaming on the go in the future. Whether you’re after the Steam Deck itself or one of the best Steam Deck alternatives, we’ve selected excellent handheld gaming PCs ready to chew through the top PC games – as long as you don't try to run Doom: The Dark Ages.

TL;DR – These Are the Best Handheld Gaming PCs:

Rather than dealing with the bulk a gaming laptop, handheld gaming PCs keep far more compact dimensions, making it easier to play from just about anywhere. Even though these devices are obviously significantly smaller than a gaming PC, it doesn’t mean they’re underpowered. Many handheld gaming PCs are packing the performance prowess to cruise through AAA games like Cyberpunk 2077. If you get sick of playing on a smaller screen, a great Steam Deck dock works seamlessly with most handheld gaming PCs so you can hook up to your gaming TV.

While we’re on the cusp of a handheld gaming PC revolution, we've gotten our hands on a good chunk of these highly-capable devices. Below are the current four we deem worthy of consideration.

1. Lenovo Legion Go S (Z1 Extreme, SteamOS)

The Best Handheld Gaming PC

When the Lenovo Legion Go S first came out back in February 2025, it was a hot mess. The configuration Lenovo initially released was bogged down by the weak Z2 Go processor, which didn't pair well with Windows. And because it was both running Windows 11 and had 32GB of memory, this weaker handheld was just as expensive – if not moreso – than the original Legion Go that preceded it. But Lenovo has righted the ship by launching the Go S with the Z1 Extreme and SteamOS built-in.

This system is still expensive. You're looking at $829 to get this model, but that's only a bit more than the Asus ROG Ally X, which ended up being slower, if only by a bit, in my tests. When I reviewed this new Lenovo Legion Go S, I found that the SteamOS-powered handheld beat out the Ally X in synthetic benchmarks by as much as 9%. That's not bad, considering that handheld had the performance crown before this system came out.

The elephant in the room is the Steam Deck. Even three years after its release, it's still an incredible and popular handheld, and it's not hard to see why. It's easy to use, and it's literally half the price of the Go S. But not only do you get a higher resolution display with this Legion Go S, you also get as much as double the performance. I was able to get a solid 60fps playing Baldur's Gate 3, and that's something I straight up couldn't do on the Steam Deck. Whether or not that's worth the higher price tag depends entirely on what you're looking for.

A great handheld gaming system is about more than just raw performance, though. It also needs to be comfortable to use, and despite the sytem being one of the largest I've used – and I've used a lot of them – it's extremely comfortable. The Lenovo Legion Go S has rounded edges that give you something to hold on to, and the textured finish makes it harder to slip out of your hands.

The Go S also has one of the most beautiful LCD displays I've seen in a while and proves that OLED isn't the only way to get a great picture in 2025. It's not quite as colorful as the Steam Deck OLED, to be fair, but it still made any game I played on it look awesome. Now that we're waiting for Microsoft and Asus to launch the ROG Xbox Ally X later this year, the Legion Go S is the PC gaming handheld to beat.

2. Asus ROG Ally X

The Best Windows Handheld Gaming PC

3. Valve Steam Deck

The Best Budget Handheld Gaming PC

4. Lenovo Legion Go

The Best High Performance Handheld Gaming PC

Upcoming Handheld Gaming PCs

Now that the Lenovo Legion Go S is here, we have a first glimpse of the next generation of handheld gaming PCs. It had a rough start with the AMD Z2 Go, but the newer one with the Z1 Extreme is great, knocking the ROG Ally X down a peg in my rankings. There will be more handheld gaming PCs coming out over the rest of the year that are powered by the more powerful versions, like the Z2 Extreme. Just keep an eye out for the Lenovo Legion Go 2.

Finally, Microsoft has announced the ROG Xbox Ally X, an Xbox-branded follow-up to our second-favorite handheld gaming PC. Because it's made in collaboration with Microsoft, it's going to have a level of software optimizations that might put it on the same level as the Steam Deck. I'll have to wait to see how it holds up when I get it in the lab, but after going hands-on with it, we're definitely excited.

Handheld Gaming PC FAQ

Should I buy a handheld gaming PC or a gaming laptop?

Depending on how you want to game and what games you want to play will determine whether you should grab a gaming laptop or handheld PC. Handhelds score higher points in longevity, battery life, optimization, portability, and thermals. But handhelds are only designed to play games up to a certain specification. Gaming laptops cram in the latest GPU, CPU, and RAM, likely sacrificing battery life, thermals, and price. However, some are absolute beasts ready to take on even the most graphically intensive games. Laptops offer more functionality when it comes to editing and other work.

Check out our guide on the Steam Deck vs. gaming laptops for more information.

What’s the best Steam Deck alternative?

The Asus ROG Ally X is one of the best Steam Deck alternatives. This gaming handheld offers an easy-to-use interface, speedy performance, and stunning design. Most importantly, the Windows 11 gaming handheld lets you access your entire PC gaming library.

How does the Switch 2 compare to the Steam Deck?

On spec, the Switch 2 is delivers better performance than the Steam Deck. Check out our in-depth comparison to find out more.

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

The Steam Deck and Steam Deck OLED are some of the best handheld gaming PCs you can get. They offer a perfectly sized display, responsive controls, and a decent amount of processing power to cruise through the action in your favorite PC games. However, the Steam Deck only comes with a basic carrying case and charger, so a few great accessories can boost your experience while playing at home and on the go.

TL;DR – These Are the Best Steam Deck Accessories:

The best Steam Deck accessories make the already brilliant handheld gaming PC even better. Sure, the OLED model brought some needed improvements to the battery life and storage compared to the original LCD Steam Deck, but if you’re looking to play for longer away from an outlet or save more than just a few games, a long-lasting power bank and microSD card are easy solutions.

Want to witness the action on a bigger screen? A great dock and HDMI cord provide a simple way to connect to a gaming TV or monitor for a major step up from the 7-inch display. That’s not all, as a screen protector, a larger carrying case, and earbuds are ideal for traveling with the Steam Deck. Best of all, these items are surprisingly inexpensive.

Below are seven top-notch Steam Deck accessories chosen by IGN experts. Even if you don’t have a Steam Deck, many of our picks work great with the best Steam Deck alternatives, like the Asus ROG Ally X or Lenovo Legion Go S.

Additional contributions by Zoë Hannah

1. Jsaux Docking Station HB0603

Best Steam Deck Dock

2. SanDisk Extreme microSDXC

Best Steam Deck Memory Card

3. Jsaux Power Bank 20000mAh 65W

Best Power Bank for Steam Deck

4. Dbrand Tempered Glass Screen Protector

Best Steam Deck Screen Protector

5. Jsaux Carrying Case

Best Steam Deck Case

6. PowerBear 8K High Speed HDMI Cable

Best HDMI Cable for Steam Deck

7. SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds

Best Wireless Earbuds for Steam Deck

How to Choose the Best Steam Deck Accessories

When choosing what accessories to grab for the Steam Deck, setting a budget for what you’d like to spend on everything is perhaps the most important. We kept that in mind when making our selections for this guide, so none of these items should set you back an exorbitant amount, and the pricer items are cross compatible with other devices. Even when veering away from our picks, most essential accessories should set you back about $100 or less.

After setting a budget, comes deciding which accessory to buy first. It’s really a matter of personal need more than anything else, but we think a memory card is a great place to start, especially if you have a Steam Deck model that’s light on storage and a large gaming library. It’s an inexpensive way to save you a ton of hassle. Once that’s sorted, protecting the handheld gaming PC with a screen protector, case, or both should be a top priority. There’s no point in buying accessories for a bricked device.

From there, choosing the best items to pair with the Steam Deck depends on how you want to play. Game away from home often? A power bank ensures you’re never without juice – a major issue with the Steam Deck. If you’re looking to play on a bigger display, a dock is an invaluable tool. No matter what accessory you grab, it should amplify your experience with the Steam Deck – and be compatible.

Steam Deck Accessories FAQ

Is 256GB enough storage for Steam Deck?

The original Steam Deck came with only 64GB of eMMC storage. While that model has been discontinued, the current LCD base model is available with a 256GB NVMe SSD, which is plenty of space for cloud gaming and storing some indie titles. When it comes to space for AAA games, like Red Dead Redemption 2 or GTA 5, only a few can be played locally. Still, 256GB is easy to get away with, especially given that the microSD card slot provides a cheap and easy way to increase storage. It’s also possible to install a higher capacity SSD, which should be relatively simple for anyone with PC-building experience.

However, if you want a better display, longer battery life, and faster RAM, the Steam Deck OLED doubles the storage from the LCD model to 512GB. There’s also a 1TB OLED option to bump up capacity even further.

Does the Steam Deck come with any accessories?

If you're purchasing a new Steam Deck, there are a few things you will receive alongside the handheld gaming PC. Every type of Steam Deck comes with a carrying case and a charging cord. If you're hoping to connect your Steam Deck to the TV, you will need to purchase either a docking station or an HDMI cable separately.

Are my PS5, Xbox, or Switch accessories compatible with Steam Deck?

Yes. Many accessories made for other platforms can be used for the Steam Deck since it’s essentially a mini gaming PC. Just about any USB-C dock, power bank, and wall charger (with enough wattage) should seamlessly work with the Steam Deck and other gaming PC handhelds. Most controllers and headsets designed for specific consoles can be used with the Steam Deck, especially if they connect via Bluetooth or USB. Occasionally, additional software or drivers may need to be downloaded for compatibility. Additionally, an adapter may be required if the device doesn’t offer the proper ports. Some gadgets also have more limited capabilities when connected to the Steam Deck, but are still usable.

Of course, not all accessories will work well with Steam Deck. For example, a Switch or PlayStation Portal screen protector, always-on case, or skin won’t fit on the Steam Deck. However, some bigger cases made for those handhelds can work in a pinch. Just be sure to do your research before committing to a purchase.

Danielle Abraham is a freelance writer for IGN based in Los Angeles who spends most of her time updating tech buying guides.

Pairing a camera with your Nintendo Switch 2 might not be the first thing to cross your mind when thinking about all the Switch 2 accessories to consider. However, I’ve been surprised by the novelty and seamlessness of GameChat, Nintendo’s built-in video chat room for Switch 2 that lets you connect with friends conveniently. While most USB webcams will work just fine with the system if you want to get on video, Nintendo’s first-party offering with the Switch 2 Camera is pitched as the ideal solution. And from a design perspective, it is – but its $55 price tag doesn’t entirely line up with what you get.

Getting the tech specs out of the way, the Switch 2 Camera runs a solid 1080p resolution, but I would put the video quality itself just a notch above my Thinkpad laptop camera and a step below my Razer Kiyo USB webcam (which also does 1080p). The Nintendo camera’s colors are more washed out than I would’ve liked and are a tad too green, and I wish I could tune color grading in some way. However, the low-light performance is quite good, and I’m able to come through clearly with just ambient room light and without needing a dedicated key light.

One of the aspects that makes this camera unique is its extra-wide 110-degree field of view (FOV), well above what you’ll find on most webcams, which helps it capture group settings much better. You get that fisheye lens effect when it’s used up-close, but considering that it’s meant more for a living room-style environment, it doesn’t really become an issue. I had the camera about five feet away from me, and with a full shot, you could comfortably fit around six people on screen. Compared to my Razer Kiyo that has an 82-degree FOV, at the same distance you’d be able to have four people on screen sitting next to each other.

Check out our roundup of the best Switch 2 accessories.

The Switch 2 Camera is natively recognized as a webcam on Windows as well. I just plugged it into my PC and was instantly ready to go like any other device. I’m not sure how much crossover there is between the crowd that’s in the market for a webcam and those who would consider the Switch 2 Camera, but it’s kind of cool that it doubles-up in this way.

So, the Switch 2 Camera fulfills its specific purpose competently, but the question becomes whether or not you should be spending $55 on it – that puts it around other 1080p webcams, but it pales in comparison from a pure image quality perspective. While features like the high FOV that’s good for big groups and the stand that holds it upright are nice, there are still more cost-effective or better performing options out there: the Razer Kiyo I use goes on sale for under $50, the popular Logitech C920x is at $60, and the budget-level Lenovo Essential FHD (that also has a wide 95-degree FOV) sits around $30. GameChat isn’t exactly the kind of platform that demands the best quality feed – I know I’m just here to get a kick out of the reactions of friends in Mario Kart World, Mario Party, or Smash Bros. Ultimate in an online party setting. In the realm of webcams, however, Nintendo doesn’t exactly stand out in terms of price or features. Rather, it’s an easy solution for those who want to jump into GameChat on video and don’t want to think too much about the absolute best webcam to get.

If you're in the market for a new Switch (not Switch 2) console, here's a deal worth consideration. AliExpress is currently offering a Nintendo Switch OLED console for just $237.49 with free delivery from a local US warehouse. AliExpress offers several guarantees, including a token discount if the package is delayed, and a complete refund if the package is lost, damaged, or not delivered within 20 days after you place an order.

This is a brand new, genuine Nintendo Switch console, but keep in mind that it is an imported model and the manufacturer's warranty it comes with will not be valid in the United States (however you do get a 15-day return policy). The packaging and materials might also be written in another language. Functionally, however, every Switch console is region unlocked so you'll be able to play it in the US without any problems. You'll be able to select English as your default language just like any console you buy here.

Update: This was originally a sale I found on Woot. However, the Woot listing has since expired and AliExpress is offering a similar import model for a lower price.

Nintendo Switch OLED for $237.49

International model

28 Years Later opens in theaters Friday, June 20.

28 Days Later is widely credited with vivifying zombie movies in the early 2000s. Director Danny Boyle and screenwriter Alex Garland shook the subgenre out of rigor mortis and pushed it into a full-blown sprint, and the dead have been running and walking (and Walking… and Walking… and Walking...) onscreen ever since. But as great horror usually does, 28 Days Later spoke to a moment – specifically the terror attacks of September 11 and the resulting geopolitical fallout – and hauntingly captured how easily rage and fear can trap people in cycles of violence in the wake of a disaster. Following more recent upheavals like Brexit and the COVID-19 pandemic, the new sequel 28 Years Later feels like a bookend to that idea, turning its focus to what it takes to break the cycle. Boyle and Garland dive back into their infected hellscape headfirst, and the decades of perspective they bring back to post-apocalyptic Britain leave 28 Years Later’s musings on what matters most feeling right on time.

Boyle sidesteps the wider spread of the Rage virus suggested by the end of 2007’s 28 Weeks Later by quickly establishing that the infection has been pushed back and contained to the U.K. mainland. Enough time has passed that an entire generation has sprung up without any first-hand experience of how the world fell apart after the outbreak. 28 Years Later wisely centers its action on 12-year-old Spike (Alfie Williams), a citizen of the heavily fortified Holy Island who’s taking his first steps into the wilderness as a hunter-in-training with his dad, Kraven Jamie (Aaron Taylor Johnson). Young enough to want to bring a toy on the hunt, but old enough to know that’s kid stuff, Spike’s vulnerability and bravery are at constant odds as he witnesses the terrors of the Rage virus.

Williams (in his film debut) effortlessly shoulders the swings between those poles, helping to ground 28 Years Later in an emotional realism that evokes what Cillian Murphy achieved in 28 Days Later. Yes, Spike makes mistakes and hesitates, but rarely if ever do these feel like the actions of a helpless child in such a cruel world. Instead, Boyle consistently drives home the idea that Spike and his peers have been forced to grow up too quickly. The way Holy Island’s citizens are lionizing Spike’s ascension to the hunter role, good-natured though it is, has a haunting, violence-begets-violence quality to it, underlined by the montages of child soldiers and the war poetry of Rudyard Kipling peppered into the edit. Holy Island makes for an effective, if not all that subtle, microcosm of isolationism, and the threats that seem to get under the citizens’ skin most – like Ralph Fiennes’ Kelson, who we’ll get to in a moment – will feel deeply familiar to anyone who hasn’t been living under a rock for the last five years.

Taylor-Johnson’s Jamie, who would’ve been about Spike’s age at the time of the initial outbreak, presents a thornier take of how manhood has evolved in this decades-long quarantine. He’s incredibly patient and supportive – tender, even – towards Spike in their one-on-one time, but Jamie embellishes Spike’s prowess with boorish bravado. It’s enough to make the boy more insecure about his survival fundamentals. Taylor-Johnson embodies those conflicting sides of fatherhood without either becoming too one-note. Jamie’s detached treatment of Spike’s ailing mom Isla (Jodie Comer) further drives a wedge between the two, especially once Spike realizes that there’s more that both of them could have been doing to help her. Isla experiences near-constant bouts of disorientation and pain, putting Spike into a position of caretaking that further accelerates his coming-of-age. It's rich work from Comer, and though Isla’s scattered mind makes her a slightly less-focused character in her own right, her love for Spike shines through her pain. The lessons she has for him end up feeling even more valuable than Dad’s tips for taking infected out in one shot.

28 Years Later’s greatest challenge is one of Boyle and Garland’s own making: the explosion of zombie fiction inspired by 28 Days Later means a lot of points of comparison for both the action and the drama. The infected action is slick and well-staged, but it’s here that the hordes of imitators have most watered down Boyle’s brand of zombie violence. 28 Years Later introduces some new subspecies of infected that feel like they could’ve shambled right out of Left 4 Dead, some of which pose questions about the nature of the infection that beg to be answered in the already-shot sequel 28 Days Later: The Bone Temple.

Most effective are the Alpha infected, a truly hilarious name for the brutes given the themes Garland’s script trafficks in. These crazy-ripped, nigh invincible hulks immediately ratchet up the tension any time they’re on screen, with finishers that would make even Sub-Zero exclaim “flawless victory” in satisfied wonder. A chase scene involving an Alpha making its way towards Holy Island results in one of the most unbearably tense moments in the film, like if the oncoming train from that scene in Stand By Me were a naked bodybuilder running full-tilt at the leads... a hog-wild encounter, to be sure. But as great as the makeup and digital effects in 28 Years Later are, it’s just not as exciting to see a person kill a zombie (or vice versa) as it was in 2002. Boyle and Garland seem content to let their imitators and acolytes try to outdo each other. 23 years later, they’re more concerned with matters of the heart.

Boyle chases the guerilla-filmmaking textures of 28 Days’ groundbreaking digital cinematography by shooting 28 Years Later mostly on iPhone 15 Max Pros. The small size of those phones compared to big unwieldy movie cameras does allow for seriously kinetic coverage during the action scenes. As Boyle himself dubbed it, there’s a “poor man’s bullet time” effect accentuating some killshots that looks so cool the first time, but loses just a bit of its luster by its fifth or sixth deployment. That shifty camera move is also infrequently used to accentuate character, like when Boyle wants to underline Jamie’s bubbling lower case “r” rage by focusing on a knife in his hands and performing just a little shift to remind us that the virus doesn’t create fury, it merely amplifies it past all reason. Boyle puts the iPhone camera to work in low-light situations as well, painting Spike’s zombie nightmares in angry night-vision reds.

It’s a testament to how far technology has advanced since 28 Days Later that the “shot on iPhone” acknowledgment rarely feels that relevant – though the professional-grade lenses that Boyle and his frequent cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle strap to their consumer-grade smartphones probably have something to do with that. They highlight the beauty of the British countryside so well that it never feels like an unfavorable trade for 28 Days’ chillingly empty London. Drone shots similarly add a propulsive new view on the action, weaving in and out of groups of infected with dizzying speed.

But as is often the case in zombie fiction – here, let me just lean in and whisper real quick… maybe we’re the real monsters. 28 Years Later teases out the significance of Kelson , a mysterious outcast drawn as a Colonel Kurtz-type with a penchant for burning bodies en masse, and his relatively late entrance opens the door to some of the story’s most potent material. Kelson’s presence narrows the scope of the third act considerably, but, without being too specific about what he’s up to wandering around that there Bone Temple, it’s absolutely the right call for Spike’s final test. And Fiennes turns in a simple, yet devastatingly effective performance to augment it.

I’m not going to lie to you, folks. When I hear the word “soulslike,” my eyes start to glaze over, and I imagine the sweet release of death. It’s the same way I feel when someone says “metroidvania,” or “roguelike.” There’s nothing inherently wrong with soulslikes, metroidvanias, or roguelikes, for the record. There’s just an awful lot of them. I love a good steak, but you can’t eat fillet mignon every day. Sometimes you need some sushi, a taco plate, hell, even just a burger. A little variety goes a long way. So when I got asked whether I wanted a one or two-hour appointment with Wuchang, I only signed up for an hour. But I was allowed to play for two, and I’m really, really glad I did. Wuchang may be a soulslike, but it’s got unique ideas, and by the time I put down my controller, I knew I wanted to see more of what it has to offer.

Wuchang: Fallen Feathers sets itself apart from the jump with its unique art and setting. It takes place in the land of Shu during the latter part of the Ming Dynasty. That single choice sets what I played of Wuchang apart from just about every other soulslike. Most games in this genre aren’t shy about their dark fantasy aspirations. In theory, that should mean everything looks a little different. In reality, that means most games look like Dark Souls, which means that most games really look like Berserk. I like Berserk, but it’s not great when everything looks like it stepped out of one of Kentaro Miura’s panels. Wuchang’s dark fantasy, make no mistake, but its setting means a lot of what I saw looks and feels unique (and colorful).

The story’s got an interesting setup, too. You play as Wuchang, a pirate with a nasty bout of amnesia. In my demo, she woke up without knowing who she was or what was going on. Unfortunately for her, amnesia might be the least of her problems. You see, Wuchang has contracted a disease known as the Feathering. It starts small; feathers form on your limbs. But as the disease progresses, you lose your memories, go mad, and undergo a “monstrous transformation.”

There’s no known cure, but that doesn’t mean our girl is just going to lie down. She’s healthier than most, so she’s going to look for a cure. The problem is, once most people realize you’ve contracted the Feathering, they’ll attack you on sight. It’s a neat reason for why just about everyone in Wuchang (though not all; there are plenty of people willing to help you) will attack you as soon as they see you. And the Feathering isn’t entirely a curse; it also gives Wuchang access to very powerful magic. Unlike most other Souls games, you don’t have to equip or spec into magic for it to be useful. It just is. That’s pretty slick.

The other big thing Wuchang does is make each of its weapons unique. Each one is different in very subtle ways. The greataxe in my demo could block, but parrying was a technique that was essentially reserved for a longsword. Other weapons didn’t have either ability, opting instead for attack skills to lay on the hurt. And you can’t just fire off these skills anytime, either. Using them (aside from block and parry, which you always have provided you’ve equipped a weapon with them) take charges, which you build by pulling off perfect dodges or parries. Nailing perfect dodges and parries also charges your magic.

Wuchang isn’t quite as fast as Bloodborne, but it’s faster than most souslikes and encourages you to be aggressive to build those charges. The dance is still here against bosses, and you shouldn’t charge in blindly, but Wuchang is less about waiting for enemies to whiff an attack and punishing them and more about forcing them to swing at you, building those charges, and then cashing in for big damage, either through weapon abilities, magic, or attacks that deal damage while switching to your other equipped weapons. It’s a nice change of pace from traditional soulslike, and forces you to take risks to get access to your best stuff.

Even leveling up is its own thing. Instead of dumping points into your core stats, you fill out a skill tree for everything from your weapons to upgrading your flasks. If you want specific stats, you’ll get them through the armor you equip. There’s no shortage of outfits in Wuchang, from the traditional to the risqué (and there is no shortage of fanservice in Wuchang), but you’re not just playing Fashion Souls or looking at core stats here. You always want to be sure you’re picking the right resistances. If you’re losing to enemies with swords, you might want some slashing resistance. Getting smashed by a big hammer? Bludgeoning resistance is the way to go. Magic got you down? Get some magic resistance in you. These choices matter, and I appreciate that your gear matters, even if I could have done without some of the fan service.

There are still bonfires (here, they’re shrines) and resting at them, which in Wuchang is known as “entering the Dream,” still respawns any enemies you’ve defeated. Even that, though, isn’t necessarily safe. The first time I entered the dream in my demo, I was attacked by a large, bird-like boss. I lost the fight that followed, but when I went back to the dream, the boss wasn’t there. I couldn’t tell you what the deal with that was, but it was interesting, and I kept wondering when (or if) I would get another shot at him. I didn’t, but I am interested in getting another crack at him and figuring out what all that stuff is about.

Speaking of bosses, I did get to square off with three of them during my time with Wuchang, and none of them corresponded to the “Big Dude in Armor” stereotype. From Software got that right with Artorias the Abysswalker, and they (and many others) have leaned on similar versions of that fight since. Often imitated, never duplicated, as the saying goes. Wuchang isn’t interested in sitting down at that table, though.

Instead, every one felt very different. The first was a masked man with a halberd. He definitely had a range advantage on my longsword and greataxe combo, but that was fine with me. I wanted him to swing at me so I could build charges and then use my greataxe to lay down the law. This boss took me quite a few attempts, mostly because I’d think I had an opening when I really didn’t, and get cooked for trying to attack when it wasn’t actually my turn. Once I got his patterns down, though, I was building charges and spending them efficiently, dodging through his attacks and landing big swings of my own. And when I needed to back off? I could cover myself with magic.

The second fight was against someone who seemed to have been transformed by the feathering. This was more acrobatic. The boss would leap into the air and attack from range, forcing me to time my dodges to avoid projectiles and keep from committing until I absolutely had to. I didn’t find it nearly as hard as the first (it took me just s couple tries), but I did appreciate the change of pace.

The last fight… whew, that last fight. Only one person at the entire event beat the final fight in the Wuchang demo, and I’m sad to say it wasn’t me. While the other two fights were all about dodging, this one (against a woman wielding a sword), forced me to parry. Even with the right weapon and good timing, she was a hard fight: incredibly fast, aggressive, and damaging. Every time I tried to back off to heal, she was in my face. Even when I parried her successfully, I had to be careful; I often only had time for a single counterattack before she’d hit me again. It was a brutal fight, and I didn’t win, but I appreciated how hard it was, and how I’d had to change my strategy for each boss. I can’t wait for another crack at her from the comfort of my couch.

And that sums up my feelings with Wuchang as a whole, really. I got a ton of time with it, far more than anything else I played at Summer Game Fest, and I left satisfied with what I’d seen. But I was also excited to see more. Not bad for a souslike, right?

Most filmmakers, if they’re lucky, will see a long career with both ups and downs. Few, though, have enjoyed (endured?) as much of a rollercoaster as Danny Boyle. He came out swinging in the mid ’90s with a pair of films that remain among his best before immediately stumbling with a pair of vanity projects. Boyle then reinvigorated the “zombie” horror scene only to chase it with another misfire. Rinse and repeat a couple more times and you have a wildly unpredictable filmography.

Boyle is back in theaters this weekend with his first film in six years: 28 Years Later. So if you’re looking to revisit some of Boyle’s best, here’s our ranking of all 13 of his theatrically released films to date.

13. Yesterday (2019)

It feels almost like bullying putting such a sweetly saccharine movie at the bottom, but labeling it the worst of Boyle’s filmography still feels appropriate. Yesterday is competently made and performed, and it has an engaging hook – an unknown musician named Jack wakes one day to discover that The Beatles never existed, but he still knows all their songs – but it’s just so cloying and sticky in its desperate need for our affection that it threatens to move from instantly forgettable to mildly irritating. Still, and at the very least, you know the soundtrack is pretty darn good.

12. A Life Less Ordinary (1997)

Boyle isn’t above throwing everything at the wall to see what sticks, and A Life Less Ordinary is exhibit A in the argument against doing just that. In theory, at least, this is a romantic comedy with thriller elements and supernatural asides, but not a damn thing lands here (even as it all slides down that metaphorical wall to find an ignoble end on the floor). It’s a mess, start to finish, but it’s a watchable mess thanks to an absolutely stacked cast including Ewan McGregor, Cameron Diaz, Holly Hunter, Delroy Lindo, Dan Hedaya, Stanley Tucci, Tony Shalhoub, and more.

11. Trance (2013)

Boyle is no stranger to twisty thrillers – his best one sits at number three, below – but Trance shows there’s a limit to how many times you should twist, turn, and pull the rug out from under your audience. Trance goes well past that limit, resulting in a film that grows emptier and emptier the longer it goes leaving it wholly out of steam at the end of its hour and forty minutes. Boyle spices things up on the visual front, and the cast (including James McAvoy, Rosario Dawson, Vincent Cassel) do good work, but nothing can break the increasingly numb feeling you’re left with.

10. The Beach (2000)

You can look at the box-office for The Beach – the third-highest of Boyle’s career – and argue that it’s a success, but you’d be hard-pressed to claim that was due to anything other than Leonardo DiCaprio in the lead role (as Ralph, not The Beach). He was still riding high on the Titanic wave, and seeing him wash up on the shore with other attractive, scantily clad young people was irresistible. The movie itself? Not so much. Its themes and ideals are tossed around like chum in the water, and we all know what that leads to. That’s right, the only great scene in the film.

9. Millions (2004)

Filmmakers aren’t above cannibalizing their own work for something new, and Boyle seems to do just that with his “family friendly” romp, Millions. The film sees two young boys come across some dirty money which leads them on a journey involving visitations from the dead and a determined baddie looking to reclaim his cash. It’s basically a splash of Shallow Grave’s plotting and a dash of A Life Less Ordinary’s ethereal Catholicism, but mashed together with messy thoughts on grief, morality, and the UK’s regret over not adopting the EU’s currency standard, the Euro.

8. 127 Hours (2010)

Conflict in movies is typically presented as a tale of someone against someone else, but 127 Hours shakes things up with a story about a young man at war with himself. Trapped in a desperate situation – his arm, literally trapped beneath an immovable boulder – his will to live goes head to head with the unthinkable realization as to his only chance at survival. The film, based on a true story of survival, is as compelling and engaging a tale of resilience as you’re likely to find. Part character study, part dramatic thriller, it’s a fantastically effective film with a strong lead performance.

7. T2 Trainspotting (2017)

Creating a sequel to a groundbreaking film you made decades earlier in your youth can be daunting, but few have pulled it off as well as Boyle does with T2 Trainspotting. Sure, this sequel can’t touch the highs of the original, but it’s still its own terrifically affecting look at people trapped by circumstances wholly within their control. The energy level is lower, as befitting now middle aged characters, and the laughs are far less edgier, but the palpable sadness and sliver of hope remain as Boyle once again shows love for these people and this place.

6. Steve Jobs (2015)

Just as he did with The Social Network, Aaron Sorkin’s script for Steve Jobs adapts one man’s complex history into a simple but captivating and compelling character study that entertains in its caustic wit and confusingly smooth abrasiveness. Boyle takes that simple framework of following Jobs through three pivotal product launches and finds life and energy despite the frequently and deceptively static environments. Conversations become living, breathing set pieces through Boyle’s kinetic sense of style. His cast (Michael Fassbender, Seth Rogen, Kate Winslet, Jeff Daniels, and more) then brings those sharply written words to fiery life, capturing both the man and the movement he helped create.

5. Slumdog Millionaire (2008)

Haters and people prone to using the term “poverty porn” gonna hate, but Boyle’s energetic ode to luck, fate, and living your best life no matter the obstacles thrown your way remains a thrilling delight. Slumdog Millionaire introduced the world to the great Dev Patel, and his character’s journey from the Mumbai slums to a seat of power on a popular game show is an electric ride winding its way through thrills, pathos, and romance. Where Yesterday (way above) really, really needs you to feel good after watching, this one gets you there effortlessly with style, talent, and enthusiasm to spare.

4. Sunshine (2007)

Sometimes everything just clicks into place, and as the first of four stone-cold masterpieces on this list, Sunshine is a powerful example of that relatively rare occurrence. It’s a sci-fi epic that sends a crew on a suicide mission to reignite the sun in the hope of saving an increasingly chilly Earth. Science and faith go head to head, fundamentalists for truth and fantasy butting heads as their time – our time, because the film is no less prescient for its fantastical setting – races to an end, and their journey is as thrilling as it is profound. It also just looks damn cool and sports a killer cast in Cillian Murphy, Michelle Yeoh, Chris Evans, Rose Byrne, and more.

3. Shallow Grave (1994)

Boyle’s first theatrical feature should be the envy of every aspiring filmmaker as he gathers a small group of insanely talented young actors, plies them with a good time and an airtight script, and then delivers a wickedly entertaining thriller that still holds up beautifully three decades later. Ewan McGregor, Kerry Fox, and Christopher Eccleston are close friends who ultimately tear themselves and their lives apart after finding a lot of cash in their flat, and each gives a brilliant performance in the face of twists, turns, betrayal, violence, and a corpse doing the full monty in their spare bedroom.

2. 28 Days Later (2002)

Call them zombies, call them the infected, call them angry jerks – whatever name you give them, just know that these rabid monsters are as scary now as they were when you first watched this movie over two decades ago. 28 Days Later’s lo-fi cinematography creates a feeling of raw immediacy adding to the nightmare fuel that is a world overrun with violent people (both infected and otherwise). The film got a solid-enough sequel in 2007’s 28 Weeks Later, and a planned trilogy is heading our way starting with 28 Years Later, which marks Boyle’s long overdue return to horror. Our bodies are ready.

1. Trainspotting (1996)

As the list above attests, Boyle’s career is one filled with numerous and memorable highs, but his second feature remains the pop culture fixture sitting atop them all. Beyond capturing a time, a place, and a people, Trainspotting walks a delicate line with its honest exploration of both the orgasmic highs brought on by heroin and the utterly devastating results of its inevitably addictive embrace. Hilarious, heartbreaking, beautiful, and disgusting, the film is a genre-bender (and arguably Boyle’s true first horror film) that implores you to choose life – no matter how you define it.

Those are our rankings, but what do you think? Vote in our poll above, and let’s discuss in the comments!

Patience debuted on PBS Sunday, June 15. New episodes air weekly.

Despite its endeavor to take a new approach to the police procedural, Patience – British screenwriter Matt Baker’s plodding six-part series revolving around an autistic police archivist-turned-investigator – leans on tired tropes at every turn. Much like staples of the genre like Psych or Monk, it hopes to cash in on the dazzling special skills and enigmatic unconventionality of its central detective. But there’s a limit to Patience's interest in carving out any proper depth to its protagonist, giving her a meaty backstory, or venturing beyond her surface-level motivations. The result is a series that – in spite of some valiant attempts by its actors to lift a clunky script – is mechanical, soulless and stale. Considering the general lack of autistic women on TV, it’s a real missed opportunity.

The titular main character, hard-nosed puzzle-lover Patience Evans (Ella Maisy Purvis, who, like her character, is neurodivergent), works in the criminal records department hidden in the basement of a police bureau in the quaint UK town of York. The opening sequence follows her at home, timing herself as she solves a gift-shop puzzle to a backing of whimsical orchestral music. Simultaneously, in a bank, a glassy-eyed man takes out a hefty lump sum before heading to a car park, dousing himself in gasoline, and lighting a match. From the first beep of Patience’s stopwatch, there’s a tonal rift between cozy crime drama and gritty cop thriller that can’t quite be bridged. It’s also an early giveaway of a tendency to see Patience as an oddity rather than a rounded, relatable character.

This is the latest in a string of apparent suicides Patience is semi-miraculously able to link together into one murder investigation. When she starts dropping hints by sending additional, unrequested files upstairs to the investigations department, she catches the attention of Detective Inspector Bea Metcalf (Laura Fraser), an unusually, slightly disconcertingly warm antithesis to the stereotypical hard-as-nails police constable.

Discovering the 20-something’s handy flair for identifying crucial details and patterns that neurotypical officers in the department miss, Bea takes Patience under her wing, ensuring her talents are no longer squandered in the storeroom. Patience becomes unofficial “assistant investigator,” presumably without the pay rise. But Bea’s colleagues take less kindly to Patience’s arrival: One minor character remarks that Patience got her name because it will “take every ounce of yours to deal with her.” She’s surrounded by a cast of characters who are endlessly frustrated by their new coworker, each proving their backwardness in a way that feels stage-managed and slightly absurd rather than totally believable.

Even as Patience is lured out from the safety of the criminal records department and bravely enters this new realm, she’s oddly sidelined by her namesake show. Episodes alternate between scenes with the budding detective and ones with the senior police officers. These quip-heavy check-ins seem intended to leaven some of the heaviness of Patience’s storyline – except the sparkless dialogue and feeble humor mean they function as little more than dressed-up exposition.

Though Patience is supposed to unfold from its main character’s perspective, her lack of involvement in numerous parts of the plot, the narrow, unsubtle gamut of ways she makes her presence felt onscreen (briskly walking York’s streets while wearing noise-cancelling headphones, storming off, furrowing her eyebrows, clenching her fists), and the dogged emphasis on how others perceive her as an outsider suggest otherwise. At every point where we start to empathize, we’re reeled back into the point-of-view of her colleagues. And, wherever Patience goes, she’s accompanied by the show’s sweeping, fanciful score, encouraging us to see her from a distance – to view her not as a person living her life or doing her job, but as an object of patronizing awe.

Much of Baker’s problem lies in trying too hard to make Patience’s internal world external, forcing her to constantly explain away her behavior and feelings in a script that is both artificial and trite. Too much of the screentime manages to feel like a rote exercise in teaching non-autistic viewers about autistic traits, while bulldozing over any of the autistic characters’ nuances in the process. There’s also a confounding lack of consistency and attention to detail, from incongruity between shots to plot holes to uneven character development. One of Patience’s few redeeming qualities is that its cases of the week each start out with an intriguing premise for a crime – but even these wind up rushed-through and half-baked, with a distinct lack of riveting murderers.

Over the last eight years, the Nintendo Switch has become one of the most successful and influential consoles of all time, confidently securing a place in my regular gaming rotation on the couch while simultaneously becoming a handheld staple of my train commutes and trips abroad alike. But over that same time, its aging innards have become steadily more distracting. That’s why it’s such a relief that the Nintendo Switch 2 has magnetically snapped into our hands at long last, giving games the Switch was struggling to run a shot in the arm and opening the door for a whole new generation of third-party support. At the same time, apart from a creative new mouse control option that works better than it is comfortable to actually use, this sequel system doesn’t provide many of its own novel reasons to upgrade at the moment beyond bringing its out-of-date predecessor into the modern age – and it’s charging a substantial premium ($449) in order to do that.

Let’s start with the basics: From the outside, the Switch 2 looks almost identical to a slightly scaled-up version of Nintendo’s original handheld/console hybrid system (roughly 13% bigger, 10.7 inches across with both Joy-Con controllers attached), but a whole lot of smart tweaks make it a much more refined device – although many of these were carried over from the Switch OLED model. That includes a new kickstand that’s far more robust and versatile, as well as system buttons that are just a bit sleeker. However, there are also welcome additions unique to this device like a second USB port on top so you can finally charge while playing in tabletop mode (anyone who has taken their Switch 1 on a long flight knows how huge of an improvement this is) or plug in certain peripherals like the official camera while docked, as well as a very comfortable 256GB of base internal storage so you don’t immediately have to buy a MicroSD Express card to expand it.

The biggest change to the body of the Switch 2, of course, is the new magnetic attachment system for its updated Joy-Con. This replacement for the original’s slide-on rails is genuinely fantastic, letting you satisfyingly snap them on and off with ease while feeling entirely sturdy and secure when you want them to be. (You can pull them off without pressing the release button if you really want to, but it's almost definitely not going to happen by accident.) In a similar way to how Tears of the Kingdom somehow made Breath of the Wild feel small, it’s the type of upgrade that makes something I previously loved suddenly seem like a first draft that’s a little awkward to go back to.

We’ve now covered pretty much all the major physical differences between the two systems, however, which I do think represents a missed opportunity. Most notably, it’s disappointing that the Joy-Con themselves didn’t get a more ergonomic redesign. As much as I really love the convenience and flexibility of being able to use them attached to the screen, detached to play games with my arms relaxed at my sides, individually for simple multiplayer games, or snapped onto the included grip to form something closer to a conventional gamepad, these controllers are far from the most comfortable around. They are still missing analog triggers, and the button layout has always been cramped and misaligned, but their size increase hasn’t been taken advantage of to make any of that better. In fact, it sort of makes things worse in handheld mode, as the larger device and heavier weight (1.18 pounds with the Joy-Con attached, compared to the original’s 0.88) adds just a little more strain over time. It’s not much worse if you are already used to a Switch 1, but after using the substantially more ergonomic Steam Deck (which is 0.29 pounds heavier) for the past three years, the reused design of these small, flat controllers now sticks out like a sore thumb – quite literally sometimes.

Of course, the new Joy-Con do have one exceptionally cool trick up their sleeve: Pop one off and turn it on its side (with the connecting edge down) and you get quick access to an impressively precise mouse control option as you slide it around your coffee table or couch cushion. Simply put, this works well enough to be every bit the game-changer I was hoping it might be… with a couple of major caveats. The good news here is that this mouse option really, truly gets the job done – it’s not going to rival the precision of a high-quality PC gaming setup or anything, but it’s more than accurate enough for your average player, and blows the lid off what kinds of games can be conveniently played at your couch or on the go.

The first time I plopped onto my sofa, propped my Switch 2 on my legs, and then popped off the right Joy-Con and started casually playing Civilization 7 with all the precision of sitting at my desk, something clicked. That same feeling came back when I set my Switch 2 up on a table at an outdoor coffee shop and played Cyberpunk 2077 with the wide arm of a wooden recliner chair as my mousepad. Those weren’t perfect experiences – Civ has an issue where it would occasionally misunderstand my inputs and swap to a different control mode when I clicked, and Cyberpunk’s button mapping demands a little bit too much of your right thumb (which I go into more detail about here). But those felt more like software and implementation problems rather than the fault of the tech itself, and these native mouse controls still stand out to me as the killer feature that sets the Switch 2 apart from any other gaming system available today.

So, what’s the catch? Well, much like using a single sideways Joy-Con on its own, it feels as though Nintendo designed the shape of this controller with the assumption that nobody would ever actually use it this way for longer than the minigames in Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour demand, and in doing so ensured few would ever want to. Mice are shaped the way they are for a good reason, supporting your hand in specific spots and reducing strain wherever they can – and the ergonomics of how your arm is positioned while sitting are important for that as well. In contrast, the Joy-Con 2 is a candy bar with triggers used in whatever position provides a flat enough surface, and there isn’t really a comfortable way to hold it that stays comfortable over long sessions.

When I played Cyberpunk 2077 with The Switch 2’s mouse controls for more than two hours in a row, I could still feel the strain in my hand the next day. Playing Civ for just 45 minutes while reclined on my couch inflamed a tendonitis issue in my forearm (which had been gone for three years) so badly that the pain actually woke me up that night. I even resorted to 3D printing a mouse-shaped Joy-Con shell to ease the hand strain, which did help (and it’s truly crazy Nintendo doesn’t have an official accessory like this available already), but that doesn’t do anything to solve the ergonomics of how you have to hold your arm – especially if you are playing with the mouse on your thigh as Nintendo over-ambitiously recommends.

The end result is an extremely innovative idea that I am as excited about as I am apprehensive to use more. Mouse controls work just fine in short bursts or to navigate menus, but are so uncomfortable in most practical scenarios that I doubt I’ll look to play any large games this way for prolonged sessions. It’s hard to imagine sitting down with Borderlands 4 later this year, for example, and playing an entire FPS campaign like this, which is a true shame. (And if you’re left-handed, you better hope the developer of whatever game you’re playing included an option to flip the controls – Civ and the Switch 2’s menus do, but Cyberpunk 2077 seemingly does not, and there doesn’t appear to be anything built in at the system level to account for this.) That said, if Nintendo were to make an official wireless Mouse-Con or snap-on accessory with all the buttons that are needed and a physical shape that wouldn’t hurt my hand to hold I would pick it up in a heartbeat, so the potential for this control method to be truly great is here.

It’s worth noting that certain games like Cyberpunk 2077 do have out-of-the-box support for a regular USB mouse – and even keyboard! – to be plugged into the dock, turning the Switch 2 into something that could function more like an ultra-portable gaming PC. (Although, notably, that doesn’t currently work in system menus.) That lack of limitation is really great to see, and I hope more games that are also available on PC make use of that potential going forward. I initially thought this might also mean I could plug in a mouse and use that as a more comfortable FPS option in Cyberpunk, but you can’t just use the mouse to replace the right Joy-Con and still use the left for movement without the UI swapping rapidly between the two input methods, and you can’t rebind any of the additional buttons your mouse might have to replace the controller buttons you’ve lost, so it’s not really a full-time solution. It’s all mouse and keyboard or all Joy-Con.

Moving from the Joy-Con to the screen nestled between them, the LCD touch display of the Switch 2 is a pretty big upgrade over the base Switch, and sort of a sidegrade compared to its OLED update that makes up for a lack of vividness with more pixels and frames per second. The jump from a 720p resolution to 1080p is a big one, and the doubled 120fps cap is some very welcome icing on that cake whenever a game can take advantage of it (though currently that’s reserved to only a minigame or two in Welcome Tour). Those improvements shouldn’t be understated, but the move back to LCD does mean the screen doesn’t perform quite as well outdoors and on the go compared to an OLED Switch. It’s still a good looking screen with pretty solid speakers to accompany it, and I was able to play Mario Kart on a sunny day in the park with no visibility problems, but a darker game like Cyberpunk 2077 was basically impossible to make out at times. All in all, it feels like a bit of a wash depending on your play habits and priorities, but since we’ve been forced to choose, I'm personally happy with the resolution and framerate bump.

Thankfully, that upped output isn’t isolated to handheld mode. In addition to finally having an integrated ethernet port (another perk that was on the OLED version first), the redesigned dock allows the Switch 2 to display beautiful 4K with HDR and higher framerates (up to 120 FPS at 1440p on compatible games). That’s thanks in part to a built-in fan and a thoughtful eye toward cooling in general, letting the Switch 2 pump out more power without overheating. Apparently it really needs that, too, because it could get pretty hot to the touch whenever I was playing games in 4K, even something innocuous like Welcome Tour – never to the point where it caused problems or threatened to burn my hands, but at least to a degree that surprised me given how consistently cool it stays while handheld.

This is where we start to peek inside the system, because the Switch 2’s ability to run games like Tears of the Kingdom with improved resolution and zero lag is probably its biggest selling point for anybody who had been feeling the Switch 1’s age more and more each day as we all cried out for the “Switch Pro” that never came. If you’ve only ever gamed on the original Switch in the last eight years, the upgrade being offered here is substantial – the free updates and paid Switch 2 Editions that have been released for many existing games make them look better, load a whole lot faster, and run the way it feels like they were always meant to. That backward-compatibility support is truly great to see when the Switch has so many still-awesome bangers in its library, and especially when Mario Kart World is the sole significant launch game.

It’s also easy to see how much of a jump has been made here when you compare the games of one developer, CD Projekt Red. The version of The Witcher 3 that came to Switch 1 was almost a novelty, with muddy graphics and a passable framerate that made it seem like a marvel it was able to run at all. Cyberpunk 2077, on the other hand, runs more than respectably on Switch 2 – it’s not on par with other modern platforms or anything, but it’s far more than a consolation prize, and a totally fine way to play an excellent RPG if you haven’t otherwise had the opportunity. The Switch 2 is never going to threaten the PlayStation 5 Pro in terms of raw power, but it’s a whole new world as far as third-party support is concerned. Hopefully it will be a little while before major third-party games start skipping Nintendo’s platform again (because if it has to run on the Xbox Series S anyway, it could probably be made to run here, too).

That said, if you have gamed on devices besides the Switch 1 since 2017, the technical upgrade here is not exactly what I would call exciting in the larger scheme of things. The Switch 2 is Nintendo playing catch-up, and things like HDR and 4K haven’t been thrilling new features for over half a decade. They are great to finally have, don’t get me wrong, and games on the Switch 2 no longer feel stranded on a console that was underpowered even when it first came out. And yet, there’s a part of me that worries we’ll be right back to begging for a Switch 2 Pro when the PlayStation 6 inevitably arrives in a few years time, because this one still hasn’t fully closed the gap with the consoles that launched back in 2020. (I mean, Microsoft announced it is working with AMD on the next Xbox console generation literally as I was writing this.)

Of course, Nintendo has always been more focused on doing a lot with a little in that regard, and that has largely worked to its benefit – the newest Pokemon games were certainly struggling on the 2017 hardware, and have received a big boost here, but it’s hard to argue Breath of the Wild doesn’t still look fantastic today even running at 720p and 30 frames per second (on a good day) thanks to its outstanding art direction. The same can be said for console-defining games like Super Mario Odyssey, Super Mario Bros. Wonder, and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, among others. Even just playing catch-up is a big deal because any caveats that accompanied those already amazing games have now vanished. I don’t mean to undersell how great it is to feel like the training wheels have finally come off.

But that’s part of my point: This does not feel like a whole new bike. You could say that it’s not supposed to, given this is the first time Nintendo has ever put a 2 at the end of a piece of hardware’s name. But, functionally speaking, the Switch 2 feels closer to that mid-generation "Pro” update we never got than a brand-new console, and the gap is even smaller if you are only making the jump from an OLED Switch. And, yes, that was similarly true of the PlayStation 5 and Series X when they launched – I even wrote a whole article at the time about how generational leaps were going to stop being as jaw-dropping as we were used to. But for those systems, their top-of-the-line graphics power was at least somewhat novel on its own when it came to features like ray tracing, which is not the case here unless the Switch 1 is all you know. (Not even in the context of handheld gaming, given the rise of portable PCs like the Steam Deck in recent years.)

Instead, the “big” additions are things like GameChat, which is basically Nintendo’s own version of Discord with a dedicated button on the right Joy-Con to open it – and while it’s certainly a neat way to connect with friends and share your screen (at a comically low framerate), it’s also so hilariously overdue that IGN literally named a podcast Nintendo Voice Chat 17 years ago as a goof because it’s, to quote the 2008 announcement article, “the only place you'll find reliable voice support and "Nintendo" in the same area.” That joke could almost vote before it stopped being true. Meanwhile, Nintendo still isn’t interested in letting us customize the home screen (or even rearrange our game icons), still won’t support most media apps beyond YouTube (and some Switch 1 options like Hulu and CrunchyRoll no longer work at all on Switch 2), and still uses an obnoxious friend code system that’s a hassle next to all the other major platforms. There’s at least a welcome redesign of the eShop, which was painfully slow on the original Switch, but the system menus and interfaces are otherwise close to identical.

This kind of incremental system upgrade isn’t necessarily a bad thing in a vacuum, but it stands out to me when this console is also a whopping $449 compared to the original Switch’s $299 despite having slightly worse battery life in handheld mode – when playing big games like Mario Kart World, Cyberpunk 2077, or Civilization 7 on the go, I’ve yet to make it far past the two-and-a-half hour mark without having to plug in. Pair that with only a single launch exclusive worth playing and, apart from revisiting games I’ve already beaten at a resolution and framerate I’ve been used to seeing elsewhere for a half decade, there’s just not much that’s got me actively excited to play my Switch 2 at the moment. That will surely change when the phenomenal looking Donkey Kong Bananza and other new games start to arrive in the coming months, but for now this launch feels a little subdued.

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INIU 10,000mAh 22.5W Power Bank for $11.87

If you scan the shelves of your local board game store, any number of well-known video game adaptations will likely leap out at you. There’s Mass Effect: Priority Hagalaz for example, or Slay the Spire: The Board Game, alongside many other board games based on video games. But one very well-known name you won’t see is that of Lara Croft, or her beloved Tomb Raider franchise. For the series’ legions of fans, that is all about to change, but not necessarily in the way that they might think.

“We wanted to create a solo board game where Lara Croft is on a new adventure,” Luke Meila, designer of the upcoming Tomb Raider: The Crypt of Chronos, explained to IGN at his stand at the UK Games Expo, boldly supported by a hirsute gentleman cosplaying as Lara Croft. “We’ve seen Lara in video games, movies, comics and her adventures are always tailored to whatever the medium is, so that’s what we did with this: make a board game as if Lara has always been in a board game.”

That’s the core conceit driving the unusual solo nature of the game, which Melia feels is a pretty bold decision. “There are lots of franchises that create one-player modes in their board game adaptations, but we’ve never seen one build a complete solo game,” he continued. “While there are some great solo games like Under Fallen Skies and Final Girl, there’s nothing with a license this big. I was worried someone would get cold feet and pressure us into turning this into a more traditional multiplayer game.”

Luckily, that didn’t happen, and Melia has been free to realize his vision in the form of a game with two different ways to play. “There’s the adventure book, which is fifteen structured missions,” he said. “It’s designed to tell the story of how Lara got to the island of Kairos and what she’s looking for there. It kind of teaches you how to play, using a minimal set of components.”

Once you’re familiar with that, you can move onto campaign play. “This is much more of an open world, much more expansive” said Melia. This involves moving Lara across a map of the whole island, with different terrain hexes divided into jungles, deserts, mountains and tombs. “Each of the tombs has a token on it, and one of those tokens hides a map, while another hides a key,” he added. "When you get both, you’ll gain access to your big final mission.”

Each hex on the map has you drawing a card which shows you how to set up a level to play through, built from modular tiles supplied in the box. Traversing this has its own set of challenges depending on the terrain. “Jungles are quite balanced,” Melia said. “Deserts are hot and dangerous, wide open spaces that require a lot of traversal and enemies can see you from far away. Tombs are more puzzle-based with fewer enemies.”

Putting puzzles in board games has always been a double-edged sword. Puzzling and strategy feel like very close bedfellows, but once you’ve solved a puzzle, there’s little point in doing it again, making your game obsolete. Melia has found an ingenious way to get around this problem by making parts of each puzzle highly dynamic.

“So in this tomb we have to collect an artifact, which is locked behind a door,” he demonstrated. “We've got a boulder that you have to push around and you've got to try and work out how to get to the artifacts. So you need to work out where to put the boulder to get access to the unlocked corridors, and work out the correct order to throw the switches. There are twelve different tombs in the game, with different maps, different objectives and different switches. That would be a lot to try and memorize.”

And even if you do, Melia has designed things so that the game will keep on throwing you curveballs. “How each tomb plays out is going to be different on each replay,” he continued. “The events are going to be different, the enemies are going to be different. You’ll create a plan at the beginning of each tomb, but you have to continually adjust that plan according to what’s going on around you. You might learn where to push a boulder but that will be complicated if an enemy wanders into the area.”

He’s spent a surprising amount of time ensuring that his invention continues to puzzle even experienced players. “I experimented with all kinds of different puzzle options because having stale solutions was exactly my worry,” he confessed. “I wanted this to be endlessly replayable. But we’ve done a lot of playtesting and so far we’ve not had an issue where someone has done the same tomb twice and it’s not felt different each time. There’s enough variation in there to throw you off, whatever your plan is.”

Outside of tombs, you’re faced with more traditional challenges such as jumping, sneaking, and fighting, which are handled with a palette of six different actions and a pool of six dice that you can spend to boost your action. “ You can use as many dice as you want on an action and the more you use, the more powerful it is,” said Melia. “However, once you've used all six, your turn is done. If I want to run across the board, I could roll four dice for movement, but then if I find myself in a combat situation, it only leaves me with two.”

Once you’re out of dice, the enemies get to react. “They move on patrol routes,” Melia said. “Unless you’ve created noise in which case they’ll go and investigate and if they see you, they’ll attack. Then there’s an event phase where you’ll draw a card. There are lots of different kinds, like a dart trap you’ll have to try and dodge, or enemies spawning onto the board, or bonus resources. As you uncover resources, you can use them to craft new weapons and new outfits, and new actions as well.”

In the campaign game, enemies don’t just spawn and move in the level you’re playing but on the island map as well. “On the island enemies are NATLA, one of the famous villains from the Tomb Raider games,” Melia revealed. “Their invasion is spreading across the island, and every time you run out of event cards, more and more will appear. So if you draw helpful events like bonuses, they’re out of the deck and the game gets harder because enemies appear more frequently.”

Individual missions take about 20 to 60 minutes, so it can take a while to play through the 15 scenarios in the adventure mode. But, happily, the campaign missions are a bit shorter, allowing you to fit the whole thing into an evening’s play, which takes about three hours. However, the game has still been designed so you can “save” it in the midst of a campaign if you so wish. “We’ve included a save box,” says Melia. “You put in what you’ve crafted and it tells you how to save the decks.”

Video game adaptations to tabletop always face a barrier of how far to replicate the twitch action of the screen to the more sedate pace of the table. That’s why Melia tried to focus on the puzzling aspects of the franchise, but he made sure to try and make taking actions in the game feel like those of the original as much as possible. “You climb up to different levels of terrain in the game,” he explained. “Originally, I made moving and climbing two separate actions, with a roll to climb, because that’s how it works in the video game. You stop in front of the wall, jump and then climb up. But it just wasn’t fun on the tabletop, it got in the way of itself. We made them into one fluid action and it costs movement points to climb up and down.”

There are lots of other subtle nods to the original experience, too. “There’s a cooperative mode called pass the controller,” Melia said. “You take the dice, take a turn and then pass it to the other player. My wife and I play together quite a lot and we make joint decisions on what Lara is doing. It’s great until Lara gets surrounded by enemies and we disagree on how to get her out!”

And after months of design work and internal testing, Melia, who admits to being a devotee of the series from the very first game, finally got to try it out with some fellow fans. “They said it felt like an authentic Tomb Raider experience,” he beamed. “During one puzzle, one of them said that it couldn’t be done. That it was impossible. And I didn’t say anything, I just watched him reverse engineer it until finally I saw it click, and he smiled and solved it. And that was excellent.”

There can’t be many finer moments for a game designer, nor a player who loves the series, and it won’t be long before you get the chance to experience it on your own tabletop, too.

Matt Thrower is a contributing freelance writer for IGN, specializing in tabletop games. You can reach him on BlueSky at @mattthr.bsky.social.

Alienware is offering competitive prices on RTX 5080 equipped gaming PCs to kick off June. Right now you can pick up an Alienware Aurora R16 RTX 5080 gaming PC for $2,374.99 shipped. This is a good price for a well-engineered gaming rig with powerful current generation components, 240mm AIO water cooling, and sensible airflow design that can handle 4K gaming at high frame rates. In the current market, buying a prebuilt gaming PC is the only way to score an RTX 5080 GPU without paying an exorbitant markup. If you were to try to find a 5080 GPU for your do-it-yourself PC build, you'll probably spend nearly as much for the GPU as you would for an entire system.

Update: Price has dropped slightly from $2450 to $2325.

Alienware Aurora RTX 5080 Gaming PC From $2,375

Final Fantasy’s Magic: The Gathering set has been a huge success, with fans getting to wield cardboard versions of iconic characters from the series. While the set is home to some fantastic chase cards all of its own, it’s also led to some price increases on cards that play nicely with the new Universes Beyond additions.

Not only that, while there's been a rapid price increase, none of these cards are overly expensive to buy standalone on the secondary market right now (maxing out at $15 at most). From card draw engines to Saga skippers, these are three of the best cards you can snap up right now, and what to use them for.

Harmonic Prodigy - Modern Horizons 2

If there’s one thing beyond doubt after having played well over 100 hours with Dune: Awakening, it’s that Funcom has done its homework in crafting the most authentic take on the Dune-iverse imaginable. As a longtime fan of Frank Herbert’s iconic sci-fi setting, that’s an incredible thing to experience more often than not, and my time on Arrakis has been filled with moments of genuine shock. It’s very clever how the harsh environments and empty space are repeatedly used as progression checks, turning what seem like they should be weaknesses into strengths. Other times, that stubborn adherence to established lore results in annoying or just plain boring irritations, like how you’re all but forced to adopt a nomadic lifestyle in a genre where putting down roots and building up your base is one of the fundamentals. There have also been plenty of technical issues and bugs, an endgame that could use a bit of hydration, and combat that never stops being underwhelming, but on balance my friends and have had an absolutely awesome time nerding out.

If you’ve ever played a survival game (and have read a Dune book or seen the movies) before, you’ll know most of what you need to feel at home among the giant sand worms: you gather materials from the world, build your own ugly-as-heck home, and upgrade your equipment to gain access to more dangerous areas with rarer materials. Like plenty of survival games, including Funcom’s own Conan Exiles or last year’s Once Human, all of this is happening on a server full of similarly sunburnt players in a perpetually online world, where cooperation and limited instances of PvP are both a distinct possibility, and which account for most of its best moments.

The story is an interesting twist on the Dune world that takes place in an alternate reality where Paul Atreides was never born and House Atreides doesn’t collapse as a result. It’s a smart decision that allows for Awakening’s developers to play in the Dune-iverse without tying themselves to canon events or being obligated to kill off the various fan-favorite characters that the novels dispose of with reckless abandon. The plot is full of lore, familiar faces, and a few compelling twists and turns, but unfortunately each of those chapters is separated by about a dozen hours of gameplay and grinding that makes it pretty hard to keep track of or enjoy in any comprehensive way. Plus, Funcom makes the classic mistake of randomly throwing in a stealth level, and though it’s not quite as annoying as these one-offs tend to be, it’s definitely not playing to Awakening’s strengths. All in all though, I quite enjoyed the story that’s told, in large part because it makes such good use of the universe and worldbuilding.

Where this game really sets itself apart, though, is by just how much it adheres to its legendary setting, and that has a major impact on just about everything you do. For example, clever use is made of Arrakis’ harsh environment, which is weaponized against you quite literally every second you stay within its atmosphere. Standing directly in sunlight unprotected will bake you alive in a matter of seconds; sandstorms blow on a regular basis and will kill you if you aren’t able to get to shelter first; and most notably, there’s the issue of those pesky, enormous, man-eating worms which gobble you up if you dare tread upon their domain for too long. By leaning into the unforgiving world as much as it does, Awakening puts you in a constant battle against the planet itself. So instead of casually trotting around collecting resources at your leisure and settling your own little piece of the world, you’re frantically ducking behind rocks to avoid the sun’s harsh rays and drink what little water you have left, and playing a never-ending game of “the floor is lava” as you rush from one place to another with a shai-hulud hot on your heels.

All of these hazards give you obstacles that are satisfying to overcome. For example, early on you’re unable to leave the tutorial area thanks to a massive gap of empty space where sun exposure or, more likely, a massive worm would certainly kill you if you attempt to go on foot, so you have to craft your first vehicle in order to safely cross it. Later on, you start to encounter places that are too hot or irradiated to explore without proper equipment. There are plenty of examples just like this, where the unique nature of the setting is turned into an interesting mechanic and usually Awakening is a better, more interesting survival game for it.

But there are other times where this fanatical adherence to Dune conventions can be quite obnoxious, like how you’re encouraged (and in some cases required) to move your base of operations from place to place as you unlock access to higher-level regions. Pulling up stakes means you either have to abandon all you’ve built up to that point or tediously relocate as much of your equipment as you can, piece by piece.

Then there’s stuff like the fact that guns are often useless, since many enemies make use of the all-important Holtzman shields that completely protect from ranged attacks. This creates a weird situation where you’re juggling back and forth between guns and melee weapons depending on which enemy is currently running towards you, oftentimes having to choose between addressing the swordsman barreling down on you or the guy a few feet behind him with a chaingun, which can create a really oppressive rhythm to combat. While using guns is more effective at the start, once enemies start getting shields here’s little reason to ever use a gun. Melee is much better at killing enemies, since you can sprint through almost any bullets that bounce off your shield, then stun and stab enemies relentlessly until they die, but this becomes extremely monotonous, since every encounter plays out identically with almost no variety.

That’s just part of the reason that, like almost every single one of its peers, Dune: Awakening has pretty awful combat. I knew going into a survival MMO that would be the case, but it’s still a particularly bitter pill that never gets any easier to swallow. I spent half of my time playing with ranged weapons before switching to a vastly more effective melee build, but both are repetitive, sloppy, and downright janky. I honestly kinda respect how much Dune: Awakening sticks to its guns by making said guns ineffective to keep with Dune lore, even as it sometimes comes at the expense of me having a good time.

There are, at least, some neat little tricks like Bene Gesserit powers that let you command enemies to stop dead in their tracks for stretches of time, or an anti-gravity grenade that suspends everyone in the air, but very little of this stuff mixes things up enough to make up for the hours of blandness forced upon you. What’s more, there’s also some really irritating bugs, like how sometimes the parry button is unresponsive, or for some reason you simply won’t be able to swing your weapon at all until you unequip and re-equip it, which requires running away frantically to find a hiding spot where it’s safe to do so. Again, in the world of MMOs and survival games alike, I don’t expect anything as polished as Gears of War, but if you were hoping Dune would get this bit right I’m afraid that it definitely does not in its current state.

Thankfully, the combat miss is more than counterbalanced by the absolutely stellar survival mechanics, which are some of the most thoughtful and polished I’ve seen in a while. There’s a constant stream of new technologies to research, equipment to craft, and material to hunt for with almost no filler or repetitive grind along the way. Every time I collected the right materials to craft the latest shiny thing I want, I immediately had another enticing item to chase, and with unique schematics dropping left and right, I was always making interesting decisions on whether to spend my rarest materials on a cool item with a special effect versus taking the more conservative route and just crafting common items to save those resources for a rainy day (it’s gotta rain on Arrakis eventually…right?) There are some instances where the exact amount of materials needed to craft something, and the time it takes for those recipes to be cooked up, are a bit much, especially in the endgame where you can go through ornithopters quite quickly during PvP. But aside from these more extreme, late-game examples, the progression is incredibly well paced.

It’s especially impressive that Funcom accomplished this loop so well in a desert world where there are no other locations aside from hot sand, and almost no plants or wildlife available to harvest. A major hallmark of survival games is punching trees, and there are no trees on Arrakis – instead, you’re making tools to pull water from morning dew collecting in the world at night and by pulling it from the air, which is just really clever and a welcome change of pace that embraces the weird and barren setting, even if it is still essentially the same thing.

Though it took me over 80 hours to complete the campaign and master the main map of Hagga Basin, there’s still quite a bit to do once you reach the end of the grind and are inevitably pushed out to the Deep Desert to begin the endgame. This PvP-heavy zone is the only source of the materials necessary to reach the highest heights currently available in Dune: Awakening and has some really great ideas, like how the Coriolis Storm sweeps through each week and destroys everything in its path, leaving behind a new procedurally generated map to explore and fight other players to build settlements on. Unfortunately, those maps are absolutely massive and largely empty (and not in a good way, like the Hagga Basin), and what structures and shipwrecks there are to explore are mostly carbon copies of one another and almost instantly become a chore to explore.

But worse than that is the fact that the main event of the Deep Desert is the PvP experience, which is presently pretty awful – and not just because combat in general isn’t great in Awakening. The current meta involves everyone on the map flying around in ornithopters, carpet bombing one another into oblivion as they fight for a small amount of minerals needed for crafting. There’s very little in the way of gunplay, and hand-to-hand combat is fairly rare unless you get caught inside a shipwreck or cave, which isn’t all that likely when so much of the map is barren dunes. It’s a massively unrewarding experience that leaves those without guilds or powerful ships to live under the oppressive regime of their fellow players. If your ornithopter is destroyed in a dogfight, which is fairly likely, then you’ll need to haul your defeated butt back to Hagga Basin for another few hours of grinding to make a new ship, just for the chance to get your teeth kicked in and your mouth filled with sand all over again.

What’s hilarious is that even if you’re on the winning side of that brutal equation, you’re rewarded with basically nothing since players only drop the loot in their backpack and hang on to the much more valuable items they likely currently have equipped on their person. You’re at least able to grab some high-value materials, including the all-important spice, which helps you craft some of the most potent items on Arrakis, but those can also be scavenged from the world if you simply get lucky and swoop in undetected to grab what you need and leave before someone blasts you. It’s a meta that simply isn’t very fun for either side, and combined with the lack of rewarding things to do, I suspect this underdeveloped part of the Dune journey will be the focus of some serious revamping in the weeks and months to come.

Speaking of which, there’s still some technical work to be done as well. It’s certainly better than it was during the beta, but even as improved as it is, I’ve had disconnects, seen entire mountains disappear and reappear before my eyes, and even had a few hours where all sand worms just up and deleted themselves from existence, making everyone on the server swarm to the resources normally protected by their constant threat. It’s not been the smoothest launch by any stretch – but also far from the worst.

IGN can exclusively reveal that Fathom Entertainment and Dark Sky Films have designated August 18, 2025 as Texas Chain Saw Day, a nationwide theatrical celebration honoring the iconic and influential horror film, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.

For one night only, on August 18th, audiences across the United States will be able to watch the original 1974 film in cinemas and in 4K.

Why August 18th, you may wonder? Because the events of the original film take place on August 18, 1973, so Texas Chain Saw Day marks the 52nd anniversary of the events depicted in the Tobe Hooper-directed classic.

Texas Chain Saw Day theatergoers will also get a sneak peek of Chain Reactions, an upcoming documentary about the Texas Chain Saw Massacre franchise directed by Alexandre Phillipe (The People vs. George Lucas, William Shatner: You Can Call Me Bill, Lynch/Oz).

Chain Reactions, which won the Golden Lion at the 81st Venice International Film Festival, chronicles the impact the 1974 film had on Stephen King, Patton Oswalt, Takashi Miike, Alexandra Heller-Nicholas and Karyn Kusama.

“Texas Chain Saw Day will create the ultimate cinematic experience for fans of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. With a 4K restoration and an exclusive new look at Chain Reactions, August 18 will be a day of celebration for fans of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre,” said Fathom Entertainment CEO, Ray Nutt in a statement.

“Horror has long been a staple in the wide array of classic and genre-based theatrical movies Fathom brings to audiences nationwide, and Texas Chain Saw Day will be a cinematic experience like no other.”

Tickets for Texas Chain Saw Day will be available next month at Fathom Entertainment and participating movie theaters.

IGN has listed 1974’s The Texas Chain Saw Massacre among our Top 25 horror movies of all time and as one of the 15 best slasher films ever made.

Today’s lineup includes some big names in gaming and collectibles, with Nintendo Switch 2 preorders for Kirby and Donkey Kong Bananza leading the charge. Both titles look like must-plays for platformer fans, with Kirby’s upgraded edition offering smoother performance and new post-game content, and Donkey Kong getting the full 3D treatment for the first time since the N64 days. Collectors will also want to check out the pixel-perfect FiGGYZ and the 50th anniversary SteelBook edition of Monty Python and the Holy Grail on 4K UHD.

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On the tech side, deals include a $499 Mac Mini M4, a $699 MacBook Air M3, and a big drop on Samsung’s ultra-wide Neo G9 monitor. We’re also seeing discounts on the Anker 4K HDMI Switch and accessories for the Switch 2 like JSAUX’s 3-pack screen protector and tomtoc’s slim carrying case. If games are more your speed, two new Humble Bundles are live—one for story-driven indies and another stacked with brawlers like River City Girls and Final Vendetta. Scroll on for the best savings.

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Pokémon Restock Updates

Checking these prices against TCG Player secondary market values, a lot of these products aren't far off the mark. Make no mistake, they're still way off MSRP, but finding Pokémon products on shelves that haven't been marked up past the point of anyone caring is a positive. Still refusing to pay over MSRP for new sets? Well played, I'm proud of you. Here's some single card highlights for you to shuffle through instead. Spoiler, there's plenty of deals to be had.

Destined Rivals Singles Are On The Rise (Again)

It's hard to stick a pin on Destined Rivals single card values right now, and the dips in value seem to match the little bits of stock distributors release to stores. Looking at the tracking charts for each of these cards, we can see mostly plummets from day one, then either upticks or cards for sale that exceed the original value at launch. It's crazy, but we now know how low these cards can go. Sure there's always attempts at market manipulation, but I wouldn't buy any cards on the rise right now.

The Most Expensive Pokémon Cards In Packs RIGHT NOW

We're not talking about vintage or out of print sets, all of these are incredible chase cards you can pull from booster packs available now. You can probably put money on their value going up as soon as their respective sets go out of print. If you don't want to spend mega money ripping open packs, market values on these single cards are quite reasonable for the most part..

Destined Rivals Sealed Stock

Wew're look to market values for Destined Rivals at the moment, seeing as big box stores are either fresh out of stock or charging over MSRP and what they're worth on the secondary market. So here's the full lineup to pop on your shelf or rip open like THAT Tyranitar. If you know you know.

Discounted MTG: Aetherdrift Boxes

Magic: The Gathering discounts at a big box store like Amazon? Surely not! Aetherdrift turned the MTG meta on its head introducing vehicles and other unique mechanics. This is a great time to jump into it and rip open some packs, it's deffinately one of the most "out there" twists on the ever popular trading card game.

Where To Buy MTG: Final Fantasy

It's finally here, Magic the Gathering: Final Fantasy is out in the wild. If you got a preorder for MSRP, well played, but many TCG and Final Fantasy fans missed out. Fear not, there's still some options on sealed products available right now, including options from the secondary market with TCG Player which is around the same or lower than the pricing of big box retailers right now.

Kirby and the Forgotten Land (Switch 2)

Donkey Kong Bananza

FiGGYZ

Monty Python And The Holy Grail - 4K UHD Combo + Steelbook

Badass Brawlers Bundle

Self Adhesive Hook And Loop Cable Ties

Anker HDMI Switch

JSAUX 3-Pack Tempered Glass Screen Protector Switch 2

Switch 2 tomtoc Slim Carrying Case

The Legend of Zelda Master Sword

Borderlands 4 Preorders

Borderlands 4 preorders have finally landed, and the started edition is just under the $70 mark in a suprising move after the comments made by Randy Pitchford. We've had a bit of a behind the scenes look with the beggining of the "Beyond the Borderlands" video dropping on how to make a vault hunter, and it's all looking good.

Narrative Arc Bundle

Apple Mac and iPad Deals

Need an upgrade or a good introduction into the Apple ecosystem? There's plenty of choices here, with the M4 chip powering the MacBook and Mac Mini, it's just a case of thinking about if you'd like a traditional desktop setup or something you can take on the go. iPad A16 is perfect for pretty much anything too, even a bit of Apple Arcade.

Samsung 57" Odyssey Neo G9 Gaming Monitor

Big Discounts On Crucial DDR5 and Storage

Crucial are one of the most dependable brands when it comes to M.2 and portable drives, and is a great option for those wanting the benefits of DDR5 RAM without flashy RGB and it's price tag. Here's some of the best deals in the Crucial price slashing marathon on Amazon right now. I currently use the X10 Pro 4TB for backing up files and folders on my PC and for watching videos on my projector, just a solid piece of kit.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance II (PS5)

DOOM The Dark Ages Art Print

Power Up Pride Bundle

Florence Pugh has revealed Marvel shot a fake Thunderbolts* ending scene that included a title that wasn’t The New Avengers.

The movie ends with villain Valentina Allegra de Fontaine tricking the Thunderbolts into taking part in the announcement of The New Avengers in front of the world’s media.

This dramatic MCU plot beat was subsequently mirrored in real-life, when Marvel officially changed the name of the movie to The New Avengers. Marvel even dragged the on-screen dispute between Sam Wilson’s Avengers and this new superhero team into the real world.

The ending scene, the truth behind the Thunderbolts* asterisk, and The New Avengers title were all kept a closely guarded secret, and keeping that secret involved shooting a fake scene with an entirely different name for the team.

Yelena actress Florence Pugh revealed the anti-spoiler ploy in a video published on Entertainment Weekly: "We shot a version where she was like, 'The New Thunderbolts!' And everyone was like, 'Woo!' And then we took all of the background [actors] out and shot Julia's line, which was kind of cool."

It turns out Julia Louis-Dreyfus, who plays Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, knew about the twist years ago, when she was first approached to join the MCU, but kept it a secret all this time.

Marvel Studios has form when it comes to keeping secrets. It planted fake leaks to protect secret Deadpool & Wolverine cameos, and Spider-Man: No Way Home star Andrew Garfield outright lied to fans about his appearance in the film.

As for Thunderbolts* / The New Avengers, its second post-credits scene teases this July’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps, which may or may not feature Giganto.

Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

DC Comics is poised to relaunch its flagship Batman series in September under new writer Matt Fraction and returning artist Jorge Jiménez. That issue is sure to be one of the top-selling comics of 2025, but especially now that DC has announced a new variant cover promotion called "Blind as a Bat."

Batman #1 will feature variant covers from a number of major artists, including J. Scott Campbell, Gabrielle Dell'Otto, and Frank Quitely. As part of the "Blind as a Bat" promotion, fans will have the opportunity to purchase a $9.99 blind bag that includes a foil version of one of those covers. You can check out the slideshow gallery below to see the covers included:

The full lineup of variant cover artists on Batman #1 includes:

• David Aja
• J. Scott Campbell
• Gabriele Dell’Otto
• Jorge Jiménez
• Andy Kubert
• Stanley “Artgerm” Lau
• Jim Lee
• Frank Quitely
• Marc Silvestri
• Julian Totino Tedesco

Additionally, DC will be selling a Batman #1 Giant-Size Special Edition that reprints the issue in oversized 11"x17" format. That version will be available either as a $14.99 cardstock cover or a $19.99 foil variant.

As mentioned above, Batman #1 kicks off a new era for the franchise, as Fraction makes his return to DC and establishes a new status quo for Batman. The series will introduce a new Jiménez-designed Batsuit that restores the classic blue cape and cowl.

Weeks ahead of The Fantastic Four: First Steps releasing in cinemas, fans have their first look at classic villain Giganto — via a commercial for Little Caesars pizza.

The 30-second advert reveals Giganto, a giant green monster with an enormous mouth seen bursting through the street in a nod to its original appearance, on the cover of 1961's Fantastic Four issue 1.

Here, Giganto is shown picking up and then trying to eat a Little Caesars employee, before the Fantastic Four arrive on scene to save the day. It's meant to be a fun reveal, but fans have expressed surprise and confusion over the character's appearance in the ad — and have also criticised the quality of Giganto's CGI.

HQ and English version of the Little Caesars x ‘THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS’ ad has been released.

pic.twitter.com/btN7drQ9Cp

— Fantastic Four Updates (@F4Update) June 18, 2025

To be clear, this is a scene featuring the Fantastic Four but not an actual clip from the upcoming movie. Instead, the action was shot specifically for the Little Caesars' commercial, using the sets and — briefly — the actors themselves (though, perhaps tellingly, of the four stars we only see Vanessa Kirby's face).

According to Comicbook, the commercial was written and produced by Marvel Studios' Marketing Partnerships team and directed by The Fantastic Four: First Steps production designer Kasra Farahani — so this is about as official as it gets, without necessarily being canon.

Still, fans believe Giganto will likely pop-up somewhere in the film's story — perhaps in a montage of previous villains the team have defeated — and therefore think this pizza advert serves as an underwhelming place to first see the monster.

There are complaints, too, about the quality of Giganto's CGI effects, even if this is just a commercial — which would of course have a lower budget than a Hollywood blockbuster.

Elden Ring Nightreign's status as a co-op PvE excursion introduced a fresh mechanic for previously solo players in revives. Those who fall in battle hit the ground and can get picked back up, if their teammates wail on them hard enough to knock out the purple bars of their circular dial.

I'm probably not alone in feeling like, sometimes, this mechanic seems to get more arduous as players fall more often. If you fall once, it's only one pip on the bar; but by third death, you've got the whole radius covered in purple, and it can feel quite difficult to chip that much purple bar down while a Nightlord is attacking you.

As it turns out, there are some hidden mechanics that may be helping or hindering your efforts to pick your teammates back up. YouTuber Zullie the Witch has been on the Elden Ring Nightreign beat, and recently put up new video in which they try to understand how revives work. (Thanks for the spot, PC Gamer.)

Per Zullie's investigation, the first time a player falls in battle, they get one bar at a total of 40 HP. But as they continue to fall, this escalates at a surprising rate, with 45 per bar at second death and a whopping 80 per bar at three, for a grand total of 240 HP total if you're on three bars.

Hitting the player who's downed chips away at those totals, but if they're left alone for 3.5 seconds, the death timer around their dial resumes (unless you're in a Night boss fight) and the gauge starts to refill. The fill time also speeds up as you gain more bars, going from 2-per-second at one bar to 40-per-second at three bars.

That's a lot of math to say: the more you fall, the harder it gets (exponentially so) to pick you back up. There is some good news though, as penalties gradually wear off over time or whenever one visits a Site of Grace.

Zullie also highlights some hidden math in how weapons work on the revive bars, too. It's about what you'd expect, compared to regular attacks; giant weapons, like Halberds, Reapers, and Greatswords have more impact on the revive bar than Claws, Daggers, Torches, or Fists on a per-swing basis.

In fact, Revenant's Cursed Claws make for uniquely effective revival tools in this regard, as they have the same base numbers as a Greatsword. Revenant mains can effectively play both White Mage and Summoner, I guess?

Zullie's video goes into even more math around the revival numbers, but for the average Elden Ring Nightreign player, the solid takeaways are that higher bars get increasingly harder to clear as Nightfarers fall. Honestly, it makes certain characters like the Revenant even more valuable as teammates, when they have both summons to help out and an ultimate that will pick teammates back up regardless of their bar's status.

We’ve got plenty of Nightreign tips and tricks to help you take down all the eight Nightlord Bosses, and if you’re wondering how to unlock the two locked Nightfarer Classes, check out How to Unlock the Revenant and How to Unlock the Duchess, plus How to Change Characters.

Eric is a freelance writer for IGN.

Are you ready to return? We finally have a release date for the upcoming sequel film Return to Silent Hill — which means we’re just one step closer to getting back to the town that started it all for many horror and gaming fans.

The third installment to the Silent Hill film franchise, which will be produced by Terrifier producers Cineverse, is set to arrive in theaters on January 23, 2026. The film is set to star Hannah Emily Anderson and Jeremy Irvine in a story that will probably be recognizable to those who know the games.

The film will follow “James (Irvine), a man broken after his relationship with the love of his life, Mary (Anderson), ends. When a mysterious letter from her calls him back to Silent Hill, he finds a once-recognizable town transformed by an unknown evil. While James desperately searches for Mary he encounters terrifying creatures and begins to unravel the mystery of what happened to the town.”

Previously, the folks behind the film revealed that they think the film will be as true to the games as possible. “Silent Hill is one of the best video game franchises, period,” Brandon Hill, executive director of acquisitions for Cineverse, told Variety last month. “And Christophe Gans did a phenomenal job capturing the atmosphere of the games once again with Return to Silent Hill.”

“I am delighted to partner with Cineverse, which has shown a genuine understanding of fanship,” director Christophe Gans, who also directed the original 2006 Silent Hill, told the outlet. “Return to Silent Hill is an adaptation created out of deep respect for a true masterpiece of a game, Konami’s iconic Silent Hill 2. I hope fans will enjoy and be fulfilled with the experience this new film has to offer."

This will be the third film in the franchise, with Silent Hill: Revelation following the original installment in 2012.

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

Titan Comics has become the place to turn for new stories featuring beloved barbarian hero Conan of Cimmeria. Now Titan is kicking off its big 2025 Conan event comic, Scourge of the Serpent, and we've got an exclusive look at the first issue.

Check out the slideshow gallery below for a closer glimpse of Conan: Scourge of the Serpent #1:

Conan: Scourge of the Serpent spins out of the pages of Titan's FCBD 2025 special. This new four-issue limited series is the first to pit Conan against the legendary snake god Set, as Set's grim plans for humanity finally come to fruition. The series is written by Conan veteran Jim Zub and illustrated by Ivan Gil (Berezina). The first issue features covers by Roberto De La Torre, John McCrea, Geof Isherwood, Matias Bergara, and Chris Stevens.

Here's Titan's official summary of the series:

Spinning out of the pages of the Free Comic Book Day Special, the new Conan epic starts here!

CONAN OF CIMMERIA has encountered Stygian sorcery and snake-sent creatures many times in his grand adventures, but he has never faced the true unspeakable power of SET... until NOW.

The serpent god's influence coils around the Hyborian Age and every other age linked to it. Three stunning supernatural stories will weave together to answer a chilling question of past and present - What is Set's grand plan for humanity and, now that it's begun, can it be stopped?

Conan: Scourge of the Serpent #1 will be released on September 24, 2025. You can find preorder links to each cover below:

CONAN THE BARBARIAN: SCOURGE OF THE SERPENT #1 (COVER A ROBERTO DE LA TORRE https://forbiddenplanet.com/462955
CONAN THE BARBARIAN: SCOURGE OF THE SERPENT #1 (COVER B JOHN MCCREA https://forbiddenplanet.com/462956
CONAN THE BARBARIAN: SCOURGE OF THE SERPENT #1 (COVER C GEOF ISHERWOOD https://forbiddenplanet.com/462957
CONAN THE BARBARIAN: SCOURGE OF THE SERPENT #1 (COVER D MATÍAS BERGARA https://forbiddenplanet.com/462958CONAN THE BARBARIAN: SCOURGE OF THE SERPENT #1 (COVER E CHRIS STEVENS https://forbiddenplanet.com/462959
CONAN THE BARBARIAN: SCOURGE OF THE SERPENT #1 (COVER F ROBERTO DE LA TORRE FOIL VARIANT https://forbiddenplanet.com/462960
CONAN THE BARBARIAN: SCOURGE OF THE SERPENT #1 (COVER G ROBERTO DE LA TORRE 'GLOW-IN-THE-DARK' VARIANT https://forbiddenplanet.com/462961

In other comic book news, Skybound revealed a new series from superstars Robert Kirkman and David Finch, and Rick and Morty is about to have its first crossover event.

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

Game developer Artur Łączkowski has announced Bleak Haven, a new Unreal Engine 5-powered first-person survival horror game that Łączkowski says is heavily inspired by the Resident Evil series as well as The Ritual. It's a story-driven, cinematic single-player experience with puzzles, weapon crafting, and brutal combat. It's in development for PC.

Playing as Tyler, the player seeks out his missing brother after a phone location leads him to a foggy remote island where (spoiler alert) bad things happen. Combat is promised to be fast, complete with finishing moves you can perform when your enemy is sufficently weakened or surprised. Guns are limited; you'll primarily be using whatever melee weapons you can scrounge up – or craft.

Łączkowski says he hopes that Bleak Haven is the first in a series of horror games. For now, though, you can wishlist Bleak Haven 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.

The 2025 NBA Finals are currently underway between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Indiana Pacers, with both teams seeking their first-ever NBA championship trophy. While you can catch the games on local TV, you might be curious where to watch if you're strictly a streaming household.

One of the best options for streaming live sports is Hulu + Live TV. It combines everything from the standard Hulu subscription with a wide range of live channels, including major sporting events like the NBA Finals, along with popular entertainment and news.

Read on for details about the NBA Finals schedule, where to stream, and how to activate Hulu + Live TV’s free trial.

Upcoming NBA Finals Games Schedule

Every NBA Finals game airs exclusively on ABC, so you’ll need either access to local channels or a live TV streaming service that includes ABC in its lineup. Here's the remaining 2025 NBA Finals schedule:

• Game 3: Thunder at Pacers (Wednesday, June 11 at 5:30 PM PT)
• Game 4: Thunder at Pacers (Friday, June 13 at 5:30 PM PT)
• Game 5: Pacers at Thunder (Monday, June 16 at 5:30 PM PT)
• Game 6 (if necessary): Thunder at Pacers (Thursday, June 19 at 5:30 PM PT)
• Game 7 (if necessary): Pacers at Thunder (Sunday, June 22 at 5:00 PM PT)

How to Watch the NBA Finals on Hulu + Live TV

You can watch the NBA Finals by starting the Hulu + Live TV three-day free trial, which gives you full access to everything Hulu + Live TV has to offer, including more than 95 live TV channels, one of which is ABC.

Even better, the free trial includes the Disney+ Bundle, so you'll also be able to enjoy Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+ at no additional cost. That means you can enjoy the very best of Marvel, Star Wars movies and TV shows, Pixar movies, and more. It's the only streaming free trial offering a total of four services at once.

To get started, click the link below. After the trial ends, your subscription will automatically continue until you cancel.

American rock band Alien Ant Farm have said it was a "bummer" not to be included in the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3+4 soundtrack, after their track Wish originally featured in the series' fourth game.

A selection of songs from the original Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 and Pro Skater 4 have been brought back for the remake's music playlist, such as Motörhead's Ace of Spades, but many others have not returned, and instead been replaced by new additions.

Now, Alien Ant Farm has been asked by BBC News (thanks, VGC) about a sad face emoji the band's social media account posted in response to the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3+4 soundtrack reveal, after it was confirmed the band would not be returning.

"Is it a bummer that we weren't invited, or that they didn't include us? Absolutely," said guitarist Terry Corso. "We understand that they're trying to bring some new stuff onto these releases, and if you've gotta make cuts, you've gotta make cuts. I don't know why it had to be us, I feel like our song was really good on there and it did really well."

"I kind of get it, that skating feels a little more punk [and] we're not a punk band," added lead vocalist Dryden Mitchell, "but I think that's what makes a cool soundtrack, is a collection, being different."

Reaction to the soundtrack's reveal among fans was mixed, with some celebrating the return of tracks by CKY and Iron Maiden, while others said they would miss bands such as Red Hot Chilli Peppers and Zebrahead.

Responding on Instagram, Hawk has taken personal responsibility for the remake's choice of soundtrack, and said he had deliberately decided to include an element of discovery, as players got to know new tunes as well as old favorites.

"It was my choice to pick some different songs by the same artists featured in THPS3+4 OST," Hawk said. "I'm hoping that discovery is half the fun, and a big reason that these soundtracks resonated in the first place. So listen and enjoy the ride."

Likewise, while the game largely features familiar skate parks and skaters, new maps and some fresh faces are also included — including the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle's resident party dude Michaelangelo, for some reason.

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3+4 launches July 11 for PC, PlayStation 4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S, as well as Nintendo Switch and Switch 2.

Image credit: Getty / Paul Natkin,

Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social

With Blumhouse’s next Five Nights at Freddy's film releasing this December, there’s no better time to play through the Five Nights at Freddy’s games. Created by Scott Cawthon, the first Five Nights at Freddy's game launched back in 2014 and has since garnered an incredible fan base. The horror hit has been followed with a wide variety of sequels; from mainline games to plenty of spinoffs.

For those interested in taking on the night shift against these killer animatronics, we’ve detailed how to play each of the mainline FNAF games in both chronological and release date order below.

Jump to:

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

How Many Five Nights at Freddy’s Games Are There?

There are 12 main FNAF games in total, which we’ve covered below. As far as spin-offs and more challenge-based games go, though, there are 4 additional FNAF games that fall in this category. These are Five Nights at Freddy’s World, Freddy in Space 2, Security Breach: Fury’s Rage, and Ultimate Custom Night.

Which Five Nights at Freddy's Game Should You Play First?

We recommend starting with Five Nights at Freddy's, the series' first entry from 2014. It's the ideal way to familiarize yourself with the series' mechanics, as newer entries build on that original formula. It's also a safe way to begin from a narrative perspective given how convoluted the chronology has become over the last decade.

Five Nights at Freddy’s Games in Chronological Order

For those looking to play through the Five Nights at Freddy’s games in chronological order to get the full story, we’ve done our best to arrange them in story order. If you have different theories about this franchise’s order, though, share them in the comments!

1. Five Nights at Freddy's: Secret of the Mimic (2025)

Available on: PC, PS5

The newest FNAF game happens to be the earliest-set game in the series so far. Secret of the Mimic, from what we can gather from various hints in-game, takes place in 1979, several years before the official opening of Freddy Fazbear's Pizza. The Mimic was originally introduced in the Ruin DLC for Security Breach, and plenty of theories have been thrown out there about who (or what) The Mimic really is.

Secret of the Mimic dives into these questions. The player takes on the role of a Fazbear technician named Arnold who's tasked with retrieving the Edwin Murray's inventions from a particularly unsettling Costume Manor. When power goes out at the manor, Arnold begins to notice signs he may not be alone. Secret of the Mimic uses first-person view, leaning into the survival horror genre with subtle hints about the killer animatronics (and their creators) we encounter later in the series.

2. Five Nights at Freddy’s 4 (2015)

Available on: Android/IOS, Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One

Five Nights at Freddy’s 4 takes place in 1983. This is assumed because of an easter egg during one of the post-Night minigames that can be seen by interacting with a TV in the living room. After hitting it enough times, it’ll eventually bring up a still for a commercial for a show called Fredbear and Friends, which appears to have aired in 1983, given that’s the date beneath the title.

Compared to its predecessors, though, FNAF 4 has a different setting. This time, you play as a young child in their bedroom rather than as a security guard in an office. Throughout the night, you’ll need to run from your bedroom doors to your closet (and even check behind you on your bed) for a variety of terrifying enemies, but mainly nightmare variations of the original animatronics: Freddy, Bonnie, Chica, and Foxy. Listen out for them and keep your flashlight close to scare them away.

3. Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 (2014)

Available on: Android/IOS, Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One

Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 is next in a chronological playthrough and brings players to the newly-opened Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza to work the night shifts as a security guard. FNAF 2 also introduces new animatronics in the mix alongside updated versions of its classics. These new additions are The Puppet and Balloon Boy, so you’ll have more to watch out for on the cameras.

This time around, you’re also given a Freddy Fazbear head to wear in case the animatronics happen to reach your office. With it on, most of the animatronics will have a harder time recognizing you and leave, which’ll buy you some more time before the crack of dawn. You also have a music box that you need to keep wound up to keep The Puppet away. This animatronic won’t be fooled by your sneaky little fake Freddy head, so make sure to keep the music box going.

We’ve placed this game as second in line for a chronological playthrough, as it’s set in 1987. This can be assumed from the paycheck you receive at the end of Night 5, which is dated for that year.

4. Five Nights at Freddy’s: Sister Location (2016)

Available on: Android/IOS, Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One

In a departure from the previous game, and as its title may point to, Five Nights at Freddy’s: Sister Location takes place at a different spot called Circus Baby's Entertainment and Rental, which features its own animatronics as well. This time around, you play as a technician working night shifts with a series of tasks to complete alongside surviving the animatronics.

Five Nights at Freddy’s: Sister Location is actually a bit trickier to place on the timeline, and many fans still debate when it could be set. The reason we’ve chosen this slot is because of a line HandUnit says at the beginning of the game: “Due to the massive success, and even more so, the unfortunate closing of Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza, it was clear that the stage was set, no pun intended, for another contender in children’s entertainment.” This line could be referencing when Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza closed down in ‘87 following FNAF 2, which is also brought up by Phone Guy in FNAF 1 during Night 1. So, for now, having Sister Location between the two seems like a good fit. Let us know your theories in the comments below, though!

5. Five Nights at Freddy’s (2014)

Available on: Android/IOS, Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One

The one that started it all. Five Nights at Freddy’s was the first game that had players taking on the security guard mantle to keep watch of Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza for five night shifts. Mainly, you need to keep an eye on the animatronics there: Chica, Bonnie, Foxy, and of course, Freddy Fazbear. Their behavior has become a bit unpredictable lately, and they like to roam around freely at night… just make sure they don’t roam into your office.

Alongside the cameras that need to be checked, players can also close the security doors near them if the animatronics get too close during the night. Keep in mind, though, you only have limited amounts of power to use. Once it’s gone, goodbye doors and lights!

Five Nights at Freddy’s takes place a few years later than the previously mentioned games, likely sometime in the early ‘90s. This can be assumed from Phone Guy’s dialogue during Night 1 where he says that the animatronics used to be able to walk around during the day, “but then there was the bite of ‘87.” This helps place it after FNAF 2 and before FNAF3, which we’ll get to next.

6. Five Nights at Freddy’s: Into the Pit (2024)

Available on: PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC

Into the Pit, the latest game in the series, is a point-and-click adventure based on the Five Nights at Freddy's book of the same name. The story is split between two time periods: modern day and 1985.

It's uncertain where Into the Pit's modern storyline fits into the series' chronology, or if it exists within the ongoing narrative at all, though assuming it does, we're confident it takes place around the time of Five Nights at Freddy's 3. We've placed it ahead of FNaF3 given several items found in Jeff's Pizza, the setting of Into the Pit, can be found at FNaF3's Fazbear's Fright, which was said to be decorated with remains from the original restaurant, which later became Jeff's Pizza.

7. Five Nights at Freddy’s 3 (2015)

Available on: Android/IOS, Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One

According to Five Nights at Freddy’s 3’s Steam description, this game is set “Thirty years after Freddy Fazbear's Pizza closed its doors,” which would put it after the events of FNAF 1, given that’s when Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza closed for good, and, if we’re going with the early ‘90s, would set it sometime around the 2020s. It brings players into a brand new location as well… Fazbear’s Fright: The Horror Attraction. Yes, this new attraction is based on the terrifying events that happened in Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza, and they even have old animatronics from it to really keep you on your toes!

Once again, you step into the shoes of a security guard keeping watch of the attraction and its “great new relics” that have been picked up. Like before, you’ll have security cameras to monitor, but this time you also have a maintenance panel to reboot systems that go offline and close off vents to prevent those creepy animatronics from crawling toward your office space.

8. Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria Simulator (2017)

Available on: Android/IOS, Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One

If you’re feeling tired of working security or maintenance, why not make the jump into running your own pizza place? In Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria Simulator, you get to do just that. But don’t worry, this game isn’t without its frights. You’ll still need to keep the animatronics away from you when in your office, and there’s plenty to monitor when you’re in there as well.

Not only do you have a computer near you to keep tabs on everything and complete your tasks, but you’ll need to watch the vents on both sides of you for anything that could be crawling through. However, both your computer and the vents make quite a bit of noise, so you’ll have to take turns shutting them off to hear your surroundings.

Throughout the game, you’ll salvage animatronics as well. One of these is Springtrap, whose first appearance in the series was in FNAF 3, which places this game sometime after it in a chronological playthrough.

9. Five Nights at Freddy’s: Help Wanted (2019)

Available on: Android/IOS, Nintendo Switch, Oculus Quest, PSVR, PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One

Five Nights at Freddy’s: Help Wanted was the franchise’s first step into VR - and later came out on PC and consoles. Developed by Steel Wool Studios in collaboration with Scott Cawthon, in Help Wanted you can play through a variety of mini-games that feature familiar animatronics and experiences from earlier games in the series.

But where does this game fit into the timeline? During the opening ‘Welcome’ message for the game, HandUnit states that “Fazbear Entertainment has developed something of a bad reputation over the last few decades, [...] That's why we have recreated many of these completely fictitious scenarios (lies) that you've been fed over the last several years into a hilarious VR game.” And given that Help Wanted recreates situations from previous games in the timeline up to FNAF 3 on our list, it makes sense to place it after that game and near Pizzeria Simulator.

10. Five Nights at Freddy’s: Special Delivery (2019)

Available on: IOS/Android

Five Nights at Freddy’s: Special Delivery is an Augmented Reality game that was released on mobile devices just a few months after Help Wanted. Much like how Help Wanted immersed you into FNAF in VR, Special Delivery did the same by bringing the animatronics home to you. In this game, you have to keep an eye out for them on your mobile device as they stalk around the room, utilizing a flashlight and controlled shock to stop them.

Similar to Help Wanted, Special Delivery involves its own branch of Fazbear Entertainment. Here, the Fazbear Funtime Service is what’s sending the animatronics to your house and, when it comes to the franchise’s timeline, it would make sense that they’d create something like this around the time of The Freddy Fazbear Virtual Experience in Help Wanted. Given how HandUnit explains at the start of Help Wanted that, “Fazbear Entertainment is excited to join the digital age, and what better way to do that than with an edge-of-your-seat virtual reality experience,” it sounds like that was their first endeavor, and this would be their second outing into it.

11. Five Nights at Freddy’s: Security Breach (2021)

Available on: Google Stadia, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch

Security Breach is the second game in the franchise to be developed between both Scott and Steel Wool Studios, following Help Wanted. It’s a free-roam survival horror where you play as a young boy named Gregory who gets trapped at night in Freddy Fazbear’s Mega Pizzaplex. Throughout the night, he’ll need to survive the various animatronics, but with a surprising helpful hand along the way.

In a chronological playthrough, this game comes in last. This can largely be taken away from the fact that Freddy Fazbear’s has now grown into a Mega Pizzaplex, but there’s also a moment in one of the endings that helps confirm that it’s set after one of the previously mentioned games. However, so as to avoid spoilers, we’ll let you uncover that ending on your own!

The free Ruin DLC for Security Breach is also available to play now. Our Security Breach wiki guide has a walkthrough, collectibles guide, and information on how to start the Ruin DLC if you need it, too.

12. Five Nights at Freddy's: Help Wanted 2 (2023)

Available on: PlayStation 5, PC, PSVR2, Steam VR, Meta Quest

Once again developed by Steel Wool Studios in collaboration with Scott Cawthon, Five Nights at Freddy’s: Help Wanted 2 is pretty similar to its predecessor, featuring a wide variety of minigames for you to dig into. But where does this game land on the Five Nights at Freddy’s timeline?

Help Wanted 2 takes place between Five Nights at Freddy’s: Security Breach and its DLC, RUIN. That makes it the last full game in the lore’s current timeline, but not quite the very final event. This slightly complicated placement is due to one of Help Wanted 2’s endings, in which your character becomes the Maskbot that gives the V.A.N.N.I mask to Cassie, the protagonist from the RUIN DLC. This interaction with her happens towards the start of RUIN, meaning the events of Help Wanted 2 start sometime before that DLC.

In keeping with its older sibling, Help Wanted 2 is also a VR game! It’s available on PSVR 2, Steam VR, and Meta Quest. And for those who don’t want to be fully immersed as a Fazbear employee, a flat version of the game was also released on June 20 for PlayStation 5 and PC.

Five Nights at Freddy’s Games in Release Order

If you’re interested in playing through the main Five Nights at Freddy’s games in their release order, you can find them listed as such below:

• Five Nights at Freddy’s (2014)
• Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 (2014)
• Five Nights at Freddy’s 3 (2015)
• Five Nights at Freddy’s 4 (2015)
• Five Nights at Freddy’s: Sister Location (2016)
• Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria Simulator (2017)
• Five Nights at Freddy’s: Help Wanted (2019)
• Five Nights at Freddy’s AR: Special Delivery (2019)
• Five Nights at Freddy’s: Security Breach (2021)
• Five Nights at Freddy's: Help Wanted 2 (2023)
• Five Nights at Freddy's: Into the Pit (2024)
• Five Nights at Freddy's: Secret of the Mimic (2025)

The Future of Five Nights at Freddy’s

Secret of the Mimic launched on June 13. There's no official word on new Five Night's at Freddy's games in development, though we're sure they exist. In the meantime, a sequel to the Five Nights at Freddy's movie starring Josh Hutcherson is also on the way, planned for release on December 5, 2025.

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

Elden Ring Nightreign Patch 1.01.3 is live now on all platforms, and while it just hits a few distinct bullet points for tuning and bug fixing, players seem appreciative of the changes that have been made.

The patch only makes one balance adjustment: "Increased the chance of obtaining weapons with the madness status ailment." Madness is a status effect that can be built up and inflicted on enemies, and can be particularly effective in some cases, as a full affliction causes enemies to take significant damage and literally make flames spill out of their eyes.

Notably, one of the pursuable Nightlords, Libra, is weak to Madness. But while this seems like a helpful upgrade for those trying to take the goat demon down, players on the r/Nightreign subreddit seem a little skeptical over how much this will change their runs.

They've noted that very few weapons have Madness effects in the first place; it's mostly incantation seals and Vyke's Spear. Plus, not every enemy can be afflicted with Madness. In fact, it seems like only a relatively small subset can be, compared to other status effects or elements.

"I got an incantation once but that's it. Hopefully this means regular weapons can sometimes roll madness on them now, even if just from madness camps," one user said. "Since you can get the same weapon with different statuses/elements of the other types already, madness shouldn't be so rare when it's mainly useful against one specific boss."

The more exciting update for most, it seems, is one of the bug fixes: "Fixed a bug where players would lose a battle after being revived from near death against a Nightlord or other Night bosses." This apparently caused some grief for players who were trying to clear a Night boss and had their revival effects kick in.

"Happened to me like 20 times," said one player. "Was like psychological horror."

Those, along with general quality-of-life updates like adjusting the Whirlwind skill effect visibility for Guardian players with a certain Relic equipped, all seem like small but meaningful tune-ups for Elden Ring Nightreign. There is one in-demand request unaddressed, though.

Players who have cleared the final boss are eagerly hoping for a fix for Shifting Earth events. For those unaware, Shifting Earth events can appear randomly and change parts of the usual Nightreign map, adding new mini-dungeons to explore and plunge for treasure. They are part of getting the trophies for Elden Ring Nightreign, and many different people in the thread and on other threads have expressed frustration with how they can become exceedingly rare after clearing the game.

So while there are still aspects Elden Ring Nightreign players would like to see addressed, this patch at least managed to hit a couple quality-of-life fixes that should make Nightfarer's expeditions a little easier.

More content is expected soon too, as FromSoftware has cryptically teased that "enhanced" versions of its current Nightlord roster are expected to arrive sometime this month.

We’ve got plenty of Nightreign tips and tricks to help you take down all the eight Nightlord Bosses, and if you’re wondering how to unlock the two locked Nightfarer Classes, check out How to Unlock the Revenant and How to Unlock the Duchess, plus How to Change Characters.

Elden Ring Nightreign – Patch Notes Version 1.01.3

General balance adjustments

• Increased the chance of obtaining weapons with the madness status ailment.

Bug Fixes

• Adjusted the Whirlwind skill effect visibility when the Relic Effect “[Guardian] Increased duration for Character Skill” is active.
• Fixed a bug where the Demon Merchant would spawn near the Night's Tide when the Demon Merchant curse event was encountered.
• Fixed a bug where damage dealt to some enemies when destroying weak points created by Ironeye’s "Marking" skill was higher or lower than expected.
• Fixed a bug where the Lightning Damage received from enemies would be nullified when affected by the Passive Effect "Power of the Great Ancient Dragon" of the "Bolt of Gransax" weapon.
• Fixed a bug where the Ultimate Art gauge was filled more than expected when attacking some enemies.
• Fixed a bug where the Relic Effect “Switching Weapons Adds an Affinity Attack” did not properly reflect the attribute when applied to Bows and Crossbows.
• Fixed a bug where the amount of Runes needed to purchase Uncommon weapons from merchants incorrectly calculated.
• Fixed a bug where players would lose a battle after being revived from near death against a Nightlord or other Night bosses.
• Fixed a bug in some Multiplayer battles against a Nightlord where the camera would not display at the correct angle when not targeting an enemy.
• Fixed a bug where lingering character phantoms did not appear in Limveld.
• Added staff information in the game’s credit.

Steam-only adjustments

• Fixed a bug where the game might freeze momentarily or for an extended period in some environments.

Eric is a freelance writer for IGN.

I really admire the retro throwbacks Atari is doing these days, whether it’s something like Wayforward’s utterly gorgeous and charming Yars Rising or the underrated Lunar Lander Beyond. These games imagine the world around the Atari originals that inspired them, using them to build a base for a new game while celebrating what came before. It’s a neat idea, and something I wish other publishers would learn from. Needless to say, when I got an invite to sit down with their latest retro revival, I took it, even if I didn’t know what it was.

What I got was Adventure of Samsara, a new take on the Atari classic Adventure on the Atari 2600. Adventure was before my time, but it’s remarkable to go back to because of how simple it is. That doesn’t mean it’s not interesting, though. Seriously, go look up a playthrough of Adventure if you’re unfamiliar; it’s amazing what you can convey with very simple graphics and a little imagination on the part of the player.

That’s not what Adventure of Samsara is, though. This game is stunning, with simple yet evocative pixel art that is some of the most visually striking I’ve ever seen; I didn’t appreciate how much it captured the visual vibe of the original game until after I went back and saw it, but once you’ve seen them both, it’s easy to see how Adventure of Samsara understands its visual roots. My demo started with a beam of light striking a planet, resurrecting a fallen hero, and covering him in golden armor. The first thing I had to do was help a guy named Ombro out of a cage. “But Will,” you might be wondering, “how do you translate a game like Adventure into the modern era?” Well, dear reader, I’m glad you asked. The answer, of course, is that you make it a metroidvania with soulslike elements (resting at golden anvils restores your healing flasks and respawns enemies). I know, I know, but hear me out. This actually works pretty well.

See, the original Adventure was about navigating a world and finding the way forward, whether that meant solving a maze, finding a key to open a locked door, or bringing the right thing to the right place. There was a good deal of backtracking and learning how to navigate your environment. Sounds like a metroidvania, right? Well, 45 years later, here we are.

Anyway, I had to get my guy Ombro out of his cage, but I didn’t have a sword. So I went into a shining room behind me (Ombro was basically like, “Hey, check out that room back there”), grabbed a sword and shield, and came back. And in between, I got my first taste of Adventure of Samsara’s combat. I wouldn’t call it slow, but it is deliberate. Moving, jumping, dodging, and swinging your sword are weighty experiences, and once you commit to an action, you’re going to be stuck doing it until you finish. When you’re in combat, you want to make sure you’re doing the right thing.

Adventure of Samsara also has a parry, but again, this animation is pretty long, so if you attempt a parry at the wrong time, you’re going to get hit. Get it right, though, and you’ll be treated to one of the most satisfying parries you’ve ever seen, as the Solar Champion (that’s you) uses their sword to knock your opponent back before bringing your own sword down in a giant arc that deals massive damage to stronger foes and kills your basic mooks in one shot.

Once I’d used my fancy new sword to bust Ombro out, he told me that our people, the Orphics, were under attack by Necromancers. No biggie, just a regular Tuesday. Sounds like a Solar Champion problem, so I set out for the nearby village.

As you might expect, this is where I spent most of my time with Adventures of Samarar’s demo. Aside from the combat, which kept me on my toes because of how deliberate each choice was, I was mostly jumping from ledge to ledge (holding on is something you can do manually, which allows you to do some more complex platforming), finding new ways to get to places, and discovering hidden secrets, such as Data Cubes (think pixely murals) that referenced the original Adventure. At one point, I had to help Potisto, the Orphic Crypt Keeper, who was also in a cage (noticing a pattern here?) get a Spoiled Elixir, which meant finding it in a nearby chest. Once I did, he gave me a key to the next area.

Shortly after that, I fought my first boss. The Fleshless Giant was a good test because I couldn’t just rely on my parry to beat him. I could parry two of his three attacks (the third was a magic spell I had to avoid), but only parrying one of those actually did damage. Parrying the other let me avoid damage, but knocked me backwards. The trick was finding spacing where I could avoid that attack and set myself up to parry the other one. It wasn’t a complicated fight, but finding the right spacing felt good. And better yet, I didn’t have to play it that way. I could have just dodged and whacked away at him. I just wanted to try it.

Once the big fella went down, I got to get down to the whole “finding the Orphic Village” thing, so I went exploring. I found an ability that let me manipulate a ball of fire to light hi-tech torches (that’s one of the fun things about Adventure of Samsara; you wield a sword, but there are automated metal doors and elevators scattered around) and burn away overgrown plants. I got spells that let me push enemies away and teleport back to the last golden anvil I used. And I ran into more enemies. Spiders that ran into me instead of attacking, so I couldn’t parry them! Flying dudes I had to jump to deal with! These really annoying ground worm things that spat poison! No matter what new thing I got, I had to stay on my toes.

I did eventually find the Orphic Village, and met more Orphics. I only saw an early segment, but I did come to appreciate Adventure of Samsara’s writing as I played it. Each character speaks with a unique voice, and you’d never mistake one of them for the others. Whether I was learning about the Orphic’s sacred tree that I could help nourish to upgrade my flasks (I see you, video game mechanics), learning about the Blacksmith’s lost friend, or just getting the key to the next area, exploring the town was interesting. Other Orphics even made jokes about how I was the strong, silent type. It’s just nice when people really see you, you know?

But maybe the most interesting thing in my demo happened at the end. After I left the village, I ran into what appeared to be an astronaut with a jetpack fighting a dragon that looked suspiciously like one of the ones from Adventure, just… you know, way more detailed. I got a couple of hits in to help out, but we didn’t get him. He vanished, and the jetpack astronaut warned me that he (and the dragon) was from another world. They weren’t supposed to be here. I needed to be wary of ambushes. My demo ended shortly thereafter, but I had no shortage of questions, and that’s where you want to be when a preview wraps up.

Bringing a 45-year-old game into the present era is a challenge. I’ve just scratched the surface of what Adventure of Samsara has to offer, but it feels like it’s doing a good job of staying true to Adventure while guiding it into a new era. I knew nothing about it going in, but I came out fascinated by both the original game and this spiritual successor (and if this sounds cool to you, there is a demo on Steam right now). But that’s the magic trick of a game like this, right? You’re always torn between the present and the future, balancing what you’re seeing with what comes next, wondering what's around the next corner. The only thing left to do now is see if developer Ilex Games and Atari can hold onto that feeling for an entire adventure.

In the early 2000s, Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean introduced moviegoers to one of the decade’s most iconic film characters: Johhny Depp’s quick-witted pirate lord, Captain Jack Sparrow. On the back of Depp’s performances, the quintet of swashbuckling adventures earned $4.5 billion USD at the worldwide box office — good for a spot among the most-lucrative film franchises of all time.

Ahead of the planned Pirates of the Caribbean 6, we’ve created a guide to help you navigate the series’ story for all of the movies. Scroll down to find out how to watch the Pirates of the Caribbean films in order, by narrative chronologically or release date.

Jump to:

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

How Many Pirates of the Caribbean Movies Are There?

There are five feature-length Pirates of the Caribbean movies and one short film. Several other Pirates stories have been told through novels, comics, and video games. However, this list exclusively covers the film series.

Where to Stream Pirates of the Caribbean

Pirates of the Caribbean in Chronological Order

These blurbs contain mild spoilers, including characters, settings, and broad plot points.

1. Pirates of the Caribbean: Tales of the Code – Wedlocked (2011)

Released between the fourth and fifth movies as part of a Pirates Blu-ray/DVD box set, Tales of the Code – Wedlocked is a short film set before The Curse of the Black Pearl. Vanessa Branch and Lauren Maher reprise their roles as Giselle and Scarlett for the short, which centers around the two women both believing themselves to be betrothed to Jack Sparrow. Alas, they were fooled, and the duo becomes the object of a rowdy auction.

It's not essential to the wider chronology, though if you're looking for the complete Pirates experience, it's an easy watch with a 10-minute runtime.

2. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)

From this point on, the release date and narrative chronologies of the Pirates movies align. The Curse of the Black Pearl, the series’ first movie, takes viewers back to the early 18th century during the Golden Age of Piracy. The debut film introduces us to the series' main characters: Captain Jack Sparrow (Depp), Will Turner (Orlando Bloom), Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley), and Hector Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush).

A young Will Turner is rescued from a shipwreck with a gold medallion around his neck. The medallion is linked to a curse that afflicts the pirate crew of Jack Sparrow's former ship, the Black Pearl, with tortured immortality. The crew is now led by the mutinous Captain Barbossa.

Will and Jack set aside their differences to rescue Elizabeth Swann, who was taken by Barbossa along with the medallion. Jack’s allegiance flip-flops and then flips again. The trio survives the encounter and ultimately lifts the curse, though the movie ends with Jack wanted for piracy.

Read IGN’s Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl review.

3. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (2006)

Jack, Will, and Elizabeth return for another seafaring adventure in Dead Man’s Chest. The series’ second movie introduces Naomie Harris’s priestess Tia Dalma, Stellan Skarsgard’s Bill Turner (Will’s father), Tom Hollander’s Cutler Beckett, and Bill Nighy’s Davy Jones, captain of the Flying Dutchman ghost ship.

Jack, Will, Elizabeth, and James Norrington (Jack Davenport) all, with different motivations, set out to find the Dead Man’s Chest and Davy Jones’s heart within: Will seeks freedom from the law and for his father; Elizabeth seeks freedom for herself and Will; Jack seeks to escape his debt to Davy Jones; and James seeks to have his status as a navy officer restored.

Swashbuckling and backstabbing once again ensue, and only one escapes with Davy Jones’s heart, granting them control of Jones and therefore the seas. As for Captain Jack, he ends Dead Man’s Chest dragged to the depths of the sea by the Kraken. Tia Dalma, meanwhile, resurrects a familiar foe from Black Pearl to lead the rescue mission for Jack.

Read IGN’s Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest review.

4. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End (2007)

The third Pirates movie is an action-packed adventure that pits the franchise’s heroes against Davy Jones and the Flying Dutchman, now controlled by Cutler Beckett. The heroes first team up to rescue Jack from Davy Jones’s Locker and recover the Black Pearl. After doing so, the crew’s varying motivations lead to the usual plotting and backstabbing. Along the way, we discover Tia’s true identity and meet Jack’s father, the pirate captain Edward Teague (Keith Richards).

By the end, Elizabeth comes into power, Will and Jack defeat Davy Jones, and a new captain takes control of the Flying Dutchman. A pregnant Elizabeth and Will part ways, while Jack and the revived Hector Barbossa set out separately to discover the Fountain of Youth.

Read IGN’s Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End review.

5. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011)

On Stranger Tides is the first Pirates film without Will/Orlando Bloom and Elizabeth/Keira Knightley. Ian McShane and Penelope Cruz stepped into the vacant supporting roles as the father-daughter duo Angelica and Blackbeard — the former being an ex-lover of Jack Sparrow.

The film’s overarching plot is a race to discover the Fountain of Youth between the English, Spanish, and multiple pirate crews. A treasure hunt involving secret maps, Mermaid tears, and the ship of renowned Spanish explorer Ponce de León ultimately leads each party to the Fountain. Barbossa settles an old score with Blackbeard and Jack uses the last of the Fountain’s power to save an ally.

Read IGN’s Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides review.

6. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017)

The most recent Pirates film sees the return of Jack and Barbossa alongside Henry Turner (the now-grown son of Elizabeth and Will, played by Brenton Thwaites) and a new antagonist in Javier Bardem’s undead pirate-hunter Armando Salazar. Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley reprise their respective roles as Will and Elizabeth for cameo appearances.

Dead Men Tell No Tales features another treasure hunt, the object of which is the Trident of Poseidon. Henry seeks the Trident to free his father from a curse and teams up with Jack and newcomer Carina (Kaya Scodelario) to do so. The trio, eventually with the help of Barbossa, must overcome Salazar’s opposition. One of these four heroes dies along the way. Jack takes his rightful place back aboard the Black Pearl and the other surviving heroes enjoy a family reunion.

A post-credits scene then sets up the return of Davy Jones.

Read IGN’s Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales review.

How to Watch the Pirates of the Caribbean Movies By Release Date

• Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
• Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (2006)
• Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End (2007)
• Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011)
• Pirates of the Caribbean: Tales of the Code – Wedlocked (2011 – short film)
• Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017)

Future Pirates of the Caribbean Movies

There have been two future Pirates of the Caribbean movies in discussion: the sixth mainline movie and a Margot Robbie-led spinoff. Unfortunately, the Margot Robbie project seems to be dead in the water, but a sixth Pirates movie is certainly on the way.

The next mainline movie was expected to be a proper reboot, though franchise star Johnny Depp is once again said to be in the mix, so we'll have to wait and see about the actor's potential involvement and its impact on the film's direction. According to a Variety report published in December, two versions of the script are being developed, "one that could bring Depp back into the fold if the actor and Disney can reconcile."

Franchise producer Jerry Bruckheimer seemed to confirm at least some of the returning cast, with Orlando Bloom saying in an interview earlier this month that "I think they're trying to work out what it would all look like... I personally think it'd be great to get the band back together."

Jordan covers games, shows, and movies as a freelance writer for IGN.

While frequent sell-outs and scalping are still regular problems in the Pokémon TCG Community, Walmart is seemingly trying to find a way around by making early access to the White Flare & Black Bolt sets only available by having a paid Walmart+ membership.

Preorders for a variety of the usual TCG products for White Flare and Black Bolt, including Elite Trainer Boxes, Poster Collection Boxes, and Booster Bundles, will go live on June 18 at 9 PM ET. For the first three, however, only paid Walmart+ members will be able to place preorders while stocks last.

Then, if any are left, non-Walmart+ shoppers are able to buy from the set themselves. While the Walmart+ hub page does state there's a 30-day trial available, each early-access item's product page, like the $60 Black Bolt Trainer Box, also mentions that only paid members are eligible to purchase preorders during those early hours.

Standard Walmart+ memberships are available for $12.95 per month, or $98 annually, which equates to $8.17 per month instead.

All You Need Is Kill will open in theaters at a date TBD. This review is based on a screening at the 2025 Annecy International Animation Film Festival.

Hiroshi Sakurazaka and Yoshioshi Abe's light novel All You Need Is Kill has previously provided the basis for a manga and the Tom Cruise-Emily Blunt movie Edge of Tomorrow. Now Ken’ichirô Akimoto makes his feature directorial debut with a new version that gives the “live, die, repeat” story the visual splendor only animation can provide. It also gives its main character an emotional arc unlike that of any other previous take on the story.

From the get-go, this All You Need Is Kill presents itself as a very different adaptation. There is no world on fire, no squadron of elite soldiers fighting alien creatures. Rather, it's a movie made for the post-COVID world, where the arrival of a massive alien plant, thereafter known as Darol, causes havoc when it spreads its roots across Earth, emitting electromagnetic surges that plunge the world into chaos. One year later, on the anniversary of this historic event, most of humanity has simply learned to ignore the giant alien flower and go about their day as usual.

Except, on this day, things are different. We follow Rita (a different take on the character played by Emily Blunt in Edge of Tomorrow), a young, ordinary woman working in a huge complex designed to study Darol. When thousands of creatures suddenly sprout from the plant’s giant stalk, Rita is killed instantly – only to wake up and relive the events of the anniversary day. Then she’s killed again, and the same thing happens. And so on, and so on.

This change ups the stakes of All You Need Is Kill. Rita desperately tries to warn her co-workers of their impending doom, but nobody listens because nothing bad has happened during the year they’ve lived with Darol. The editing, which contrasts Rita's constant deaths with the screams of nearby scientists and the eventual quiet of the cafeteria where Rita always wakes up, is striking.

Despite this being his first time directing a feature, Akimoto commands the screen, leading the team at Studio 4°C through a stunning, cell-shaded movie full of vibrant colors and dazzling POV shots. Even though the story is quite small-scale and intimate – since we’re only viewing it through Rita’s attempts to stop her time loop – the animation gives All You Needs Is Kill a sense of scope. Even when she meets a fellow time-looper, Kenji, the action remains focused on the two of them rather than whole armies battling it out. Adding to the unique look are the mechanical suits the characters wear, with elongated limbs that give them a Digimon-like appearance.

But Rita's story is the heart of this adaptation. She’s our eyes into the alien attack, and it ends rather quickly. As she learns to improve her fighting skills, the focus is entirely on her experience and how her loneliness in the time loop reflects what she'd been feeling for years before Darol landed on Earth. This is the first time any version of All You Need Is Kill has focused on Rita's perspective, and as it dives into her existential isolation, it finds a rather moving tale about seeking meaning in chaos and trying to move forward from tragedy.

Not that there isn't action: Akimoto and team double down on the video game vibes of the source material. Indeed, it feels like a big, cinematic roguelike in which Rita both trains to be better at using certain weapons and has to memorize every movement of her enemy, each new loop bringing her an inch closer to her objective. The fighting itself is dynamic, the movements fluid.

And yet, All You Need Is Kill stumbles hard in the third act, to the point where the whole movie is nearly derailed. The story leaps forward too far and too hard, and in the blink of an eye delivers its climax minus much build up and plus some odd, unexpected plot twists. Worse yet, its attempts to veer off from any previous ending of All You Need Is Kill renders Rita – who’s been our entrypoint into this saga all the way up to now – a passive observer. Thankfully, there's still plenty to enjoy and marvel at before that ending. Maybe it’s just best to declare game over once you make it to the final boss fight.

Dune 3 has reportedly cast two roles that will come as no surprise to fans of Frank Herbert’s sprawling science fiction book series, but their confirmation veers into potential spoiler territory for others.

Warning! Potential spoilers for Dune 3 follow.

According to Deadline, Jason Momoa’s son, Nakoa-Wolf Momoa, and Silo‘s Ida Brooke are set to play Leto II and Ghanima, the twin offspring of Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) and Chani (Zendaya). Legendary declined to comment.

Indiana Jones once famously declared that objects of public importance and history belong in a museum, but what do you do when they don’t? In the case of Relooted, you can put Indy’s mentality to the test by reclaiming relics of sub-Saharan Africa back for their homelands in this sleek and fascinating 2D heist title.

Relooted puts the player in control of a team of Robin Hood-like thieves that have dedicated their talents to the cause of reuniting items of cultural significance with their home countries. The group gets together upon discovering that a museum is hiding their ownership of multiple antiques in a vault, not even providing a reasoning of public education, but opening them up to having nowhere to report a theft.

“Ironically, this idea started when my mother visited the British Museum,” states Nyamakop Creative Director Ben Myres. “We met up later and she was wild with rage talking about this one element where the whole front of a temple from the south of Turkey was literally moved to the museum. She said, ‘You should make this into a game.’”

Myres thought about the mechanics of stealing a building from a museum and work on Relooted began. A year after, Marvel’s Black Panther released in theaters, and provoked a conversation about the idea of reclaiming a country’s history from elsewhere through less official means.

Nyamakop brought on full-time researchers and 3D modelers for all of the very real artifacts in the game that had been stolen from Africa. The developers wanted to ensure that Relooted uses only real-world examples of items countries have been trying to reclaim.

“We were never worried about not having enough relices,” Myres explains, “but rather which ones are we not going to be able to fit in?”

In the demo that I played, the group hatches a plan to visit the “House of Horrors,” a mansion that contains the body of Ethiopian Prince Alemayehu, who died while in England 150 years ago and has never been returned home. After a briefing at the base, it is explained that the priority is getting the remains out of the mansion and grabbing some optional items on the way out. This is where the planning aspect of Relooted begins.

Each level is a series of different rooms that have their own entrances and exits and potential hazards to blocking your way out, like shutters that threaten to close as soon as the alarm goes out. Before the heist begins, players decide where and how the team should be distributed: should you put the acrobat with the hookshot on the roof to aid you in rappelling down? In theory, the hacker locksmith should go where you suspect a security door will close, right?

There are indeed wrong choices, but there could also be off-the-wall decisions that may facilitate the retreat in ways not explicitly intended.

Once the player grabs one of the artifacts, the alarm goes off and the escape begins, surfacing a timer in which you can get the other items and get to the getaway vehicle at the far end of the stage. Here is where all your planning comes to fruition; if the player put items under the shutters, there should still be a gap to free-run under them. That is, of course, assuming you placed items that your character can move through. A safe is a big, bulky item but it does not do much good if it is still closed and locked.

The level ends as the player makes their way into the van, with promises of many more capers to come. The story promises to expand with not only interesting new heists, but BioWare-style choices along the way to shape the story. I came away from Relooted feeling like it is one of the freshest, most interesting games at Summer Games Fest and I cannot wait to play the full title.

Nintendo has revealed new Donkey Kong Bananza gameplay details in today's Nintendo Direct, which has also confirmed that Super Mario Odyssey's Pauline will be your sidekick character in the game.

This younger version of Pauline was previously leaked by Nintendo, then quickly scrubbed from the internet. Exactly how Nintendo's upcoming 3D platformer fits into the wider Kong storyline, though, remains to be seen.

Here, Pauline can use her singing talents to temporarily transform DK into several new forms — a charging zebra, or a flying ostrich that can drop egg bombs. Pauline can also be controlled by a second player, turning Bananza into a co-op experience where Pauline's vocals become explosive blasts, which can be aimed via the Joy-Con's mouse controls to help DK with his destruction.

Using GameShare, this co-op offering can be played on multiple local Switch consoles — including Switch 1 — without your co-op partner needing a copy of the game themselves.

Other new gameplay features confirmed today included the ability to skate around on pieces of the environment that DK has torn out of the ground, and even stick them together to form new structures such as bridges. And then there's DK Artist, a mode that lets you get creative with Bananza's destruction effects, and carve your own statues out of stone.

Eagle-eyed viewers will likely have spotted returning classic characters Cranky Kong and Rambi the Rhino, but did you also spot Diddy Kong and Dixie Kong? They're included, though what their roles will be remains uncertain.

SPOTTED: Diddy Kong and Dixie Kong in Donkey Kong Bananza. (They're alive!) #IGNSummerOfGaming pic.twitter.com/QgblHY4jtX

— IGN (@IGN) June 18, 2025

Nintendo itself has also separately confirmed the return of Diddy and Dixie, seen here as opponents in Bananza's racing mini-game:

pic.twitter.com/Eyligdsgzg

— Nintendo UK (@NintendoUK) June 18, 2025

Speaking of other familiar elements, today's Nintendo Direct also featured a fresh version of the iconic DK Rap from Donkey Kong 64 that's set to feature in Bananza. (Here's hoping composer Grant Kirkhope is credited for this version, after previously complaining he had been left out of the Super Mario Movie credits.)

And speaking of credits, one notable omission from the Nintendo Direct was any confirmation as to which Nintendo development team is behind Donkey Kong Bananza. Fans had previously speculated that the game is the work of the company's talented Super Mario Odyssey crew. Whether Pauline's reappearance here is another clue remains to be seen.

Accompanying the game, Nintendo also announced a new Donkey Kong Bananza amiibo figure featuring DK and Pauline. This will be available alongside the game and grants a costume for Pauline earlier than you'd otherwise unlock it. All other amiibo figures are also compatible, and will spawn helpful pieces of terrain material.

"Bananza is on track to be one of the most gorgeous Nintendo games I’ve seen," IGN wrote in our Donkey Kong Bananza hands-on preview. "It really does take advantage of Switch 2's hardware – the environments are beautiful and DK’s animations are wonderfully expressive, and I left feeling like the next generation of first-party Nintendo games had truly arrived."

Donkey Kong Bananza launches July 17, exclusively for Nintendo Switch 2.

Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social

It feels like a lifetime ago since the Trump Administration announced sweeping tariffs on global trading partners before abruptly pausing them for nearly every country. While the tariff situation may be confusing for many as it seems to change frequently, the so-called "reciprocal tariffs" are on pause until July 8, with the significantly higher tariffs against China on pause until August 12.

The threat of tariffs has already begun impacting gaming hardware and accessory manufacturers around the world, forcing many to raise prices or temporarily stop shipments to the U.S. until a trade agreement has been worked out.

While it’s still unclear how the final tariff policy will shake out, one thing seems certain: prices are likely to rise. So if you’ve been eyeing a new controller, headset, or other gaming gear, now may be the best time to buy. To help you make the most of the current prices, we’ve rounded up eight essential accessories to consider before all of the tariffs return in full force.

Gaming Headsets

If you enjoy playing online multiplayer with friends, you're going to need a proper gaming headset to communicate. Picking out the best gaming headset depends on a variety of factors, including sound quality, comfort, weight, and available connectivity features.

You'll also want to decide whether wireless or wired headsets better suits your setup. Wireless headsets are more convenient and often double as Bluetooth headphones for your phone, but they do require regular recharging based on their battery life.

It's worth noting that most major gaming accessory brands like SteelSeries, Razer, and HyperX manufacture their gaming headphones in China, which is likely to be hit the hardest by tariffs if things don't change.

Controllers

Controllers have already been impacted by tariffs, as Microsoft announced increased pricing across nearly its entire accessory line, although its standard Xbox wireless controller wasn't impacted at the time. Shortly after the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct in April, Nintendo also announced it would be raising the prices of its accessories as a response to "changes in market conditions."

Fortunately, there are still plenty of excellent controllers available at or below their suggested retail prices. Whether you're shopping for a great PS5 controller, Xbox controller, Nintendo Switch controller, or PC controller, there's an endless stream of options that cater to every player.

Gaming Chairs

A good gaming chair is often one of the most overlooked accessories for gaming. But for extended gaming sessions, having a comfortable space to park your rear is essential. Finding the best gaming chair often comes down to comfort, size, and type of materials used. Oh, and aesthetic, of course. Some people prefer a sleek, unobtrusive chair, while others may opt for something that screams "I'm a gamer!" to everyone on their Zoom call.

Like many products on this list, gaming chairs are often manufactured and assembled in China, so chances are likely that the prices will only go up if you wait. Secretlab, for example, is likely to be heavily affected by tariffs on goods manufactured in China.

Gaming Monitors

If you spend most of your time at a desk, whether for PC gaming or work, it's worth investing in a good monitor. After all, you can't do much on your computer if you can't see it clearly. The best gaming monitors feature high-resolutions, fast refresh rates for smooth performance, and adjustable stands. Some monitors even feature ultrawide or curved displays to further immerse you in your content.

Most gaming monitors are made in China, although some manufacturers have shifted production to Vietnam or Mexico in recent years. Either way, if you've been thinking about upgrading, now is a great time—monitor prices have dropped considerably in recent years, but that could change quickly when tariffs return.

Gaming Keyboards

Gaming keyboards come in all shapes and sizes. Whether you prefer a full-size keyboard with a number pad or want a tenkeyless mini design to free up desk space, there's a lot to consider when picking out the best gaming keyboards.

One of the most important factors is the type of switches it uses. Mechanical switches are a popular choice for gamers, offering a satisfying, tactile feel when pressed. Some switches are clicky and loud, while others—like linear switches—are smooth and quiet, ideal for fast-paced gaming or shared spaces.

The vast majority of gaming keyboards are manufactured in China, so there's very little to find outside of some niche brands or custom kits. If you're looking to upgrade your current keyboard, you'll likely want to do that before the tariffs resume to get the best price.

Gaming Mice

If your current gaming mouse isn't cutting it, then it's probably time to upgrade. Some of the best gaming mice available today feature lightweight designs, additional buttons, and comfortable ergonomics.

Different mice excel in different games, though. If you're into competitive shooters where quick reflexes are key, then you'll want to grab a lightweight wireless mouse to stay ahead of the competition. For MMO players, wired mice with extra buttons will allow you to bind your hotbar to physical buttons and never worry about running out of juice in the middle of a raid.

Most gaming mice are manufactured in China, although many Corsair and Logitech products are made in Taiwan, which will likely have lower tariffs overall. It's best not to wait too long, though, as prices are likely to go up across the board, with some brands more than others.

Microphones

Whether you're streaming on Twitch, recording a podcast, or just chatting with friends on Discord, a good microphone can make a big difference. Many of the best microphones typically offer much better clarity and range than the built-in mics on most gaming headsets, helping your voice come through louder and cleaner.

Even if you're not creating content, upgrading to a standalone microphone can elevate your audio quality during gameplay or calls. While microphones are manufactured all around the world, many of them come from China and may be subject to upcoming tariffs. Brands like RODE and Elgato, which produce hardware in other countries, could be less affected. But, it's worth locking in prices now while they are potentially at their lowest.

Soundbars

Soundbars are one of the easiest ways to upgrade your home entertainment setup, delivering dramatically better audio than your TV’s built-in speakers. Whether you're watching movies or diving into a new game, the best soundbars can enhance the experience with rich sound and features like Dolby Atmos, wireless subwoofers, and smart connectivity options like Bluetooth, Apple AirPlay, or Google Chromecast.

Like microphones, soundbars are manufactured all around the world. While many come from China, brands like Sonos, Bose, Samsung, and Klipsch have manufacturing facilities in the U.S., Mexico, and other parts of Asia, so the impact of tariffs may vary by company.

Amazon Prime Day Is the Final Major Sale Before Tariffs Resume

One of the biggest shopping events of the year, Amazon Prime Day, is right around the corner. Amazon has confirmed that Prime Day 2025 will take place between July 8 and July 11. Aside from Black Friday, this is the biggest sale opportunity of the year, and just so happens to take place right before the increased tariffs against China resume in August. If you've had your eye on any of the gaming accessories above (or any products, really) then Prime Day may be your last chance to score some deals on gear for the foreseeable future.

Matthew Adler has written for IGN since 2019 covering all things gaming, tech, tabletop games, and more. You can follow him on the site formerly known as Twitter @MatthewAdler and watch him stream on Twitch.