In 1996, 30 years after the Mission: Impossible TV series first aired on CBS, Paramount Pictures recruited Tom Cruise to bring the franchise to the big screen. In the 27 years since, Cruise has led the franchise through a total of eight spy films and well over $4 billion USD box-office haul to rest comfortably among the best action franchises of all time.

Now that what could possibly be the final movie in the franchise is in theaters everywhere, we've compiled a spoiler-free* list of every Mission Impossible movie ordered by narrative chronology and release date, from oldest to newest, so you can watch or re-watch the movies in their proper order.

Jump to:

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

How Many Mission Impossible Movies Are There?

There have been eight Mission: Impossible movies released since the series’ inception in 1996. An eighth is set to release next year as well. See our guide on where to watch all Mission Impossible movies for streaming info on every film.

Mission Impossible Movies in Chronological Order

Following the Mission Impossible chronology is as easy as watching the movies in the order they were released: the narrative chronology follows the release order from 1996’s Mission Impossible to The Final Reckoning in 2025.

The list below outlines the definitive order in which to watch the Mission Impossible movies. We've added broad plot overviews and information on each movie’s critical and commercial reception.

*The blurbs below contain character/actor names and broad plot overviews.

1. Mission: Impossible (1996)

1996’s Mission: Impossible introduced us to Tom Cruise’s Ethan Hunt, a highly capable agent within the elite Impossible Mission Force (IMF) espionage agency. Hunt, believed to be a mole within the IMF, flees and sets out to discover the traitor’s true identity.

Jon Voight, Emmanuelle Béart, and Henry Czerny star alongside Cruise, as does the series’ most recurring support actor, Ving Rhames (Luther). It’s the only film in the franchise directed by Brian De Palma (Scarface).

2. Mission: Impossible II (2000)

Ethan Hunt returned four years later for Mission: Impossible 2, a sequel that tasks the agent with recovering a dangerous bioweapon and its cure from the hands of a nefarious pharmaceutical company and its lackeys.

The sequel weaves another spy-thriller plot through explosive stuntwork, chase scenes, and the drama of blackmail and stolen identity. It’s the only movie in the series directed by action-film legend John Woo.

3. Mission: Impossible III (2006)

Mission: Impossible 3 introduces a love interest for Ethan in Michelle Monaghan’s Julia Meade. The plot sees Julia unwittingly mixed up in Ethan’s espionage work, which once again focuses on the recovery of a bioweapon.

Ving Rhames again reprises his role as Ethan’s trusted colleague Luther. Other cast members include Philip Seymour Hoffman, Billy Crudup, Keri Russell, Simon Pegg, and Laurence Fishburne.

Mission: Impossible III was J.J. Abrams’s feature-film directorial debut. It’s the only movie in the franchise he directed.

4. Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011)

The first of the more-modern Mission Impossible movies, Ghost Protocol was a big success for Paramount, grossing nearly $700 million USD worldwide and earning 93% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Another tale of deception with potentially earth-shattering consequences, Ghost Protocol tasks Ethan and co. with tracking down Russia’s stolen nuclear codes. The movie ends by setting up The Syndicate terrorist network as the next film’s big bad.

Ghost Protocol was directed by Brad Bird (The Incredibles). Cruise and Pegg returned from M:I 3 and were joined by newcomers Jeremy Renner and Paula Patton.

5. Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (2015)

Christopher McQuarrie took over the franchise’s directorial duties with Rogue Nation and has held onto them since. A frequent collaborator of Tom Cruise’s, McQuarrie has made the two most critically acclaimed M:I movies and two of the three highest-grossing.

Rogue Nation is another globe-trotting spectacle filled with stuntwork and sabotage. This time around, Ethan Hunt faces off against The Syndicate, a shadowy terrorist organization set up at the end of Ghost Protocol.

Joining Cruise, Pegg, Renner, and Rhames in Rogue Nation are Rebecca Ferguson, Sean Harris, Simon McBurney, and Alec Baldwin.

6. Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018)

The previous new Mission Impossible entry is the franchise’s most critically and commercially successful film. Fallout features healthy servings of M:I’s staple ingredients — government conspiracies, double-crosses, bombastic set-pieces — but as stated in IGN’s review, the main draw is watching “Tom Cruise do his death-defying thing.”

The Syndicate, rebuilt as The Apostles, returns as the antagonist organization in Fallout. Ethan Hunt, accompanied by Henry Cavill’s August Walker, is tasked with recovering three plutonium cores to prevent the detonation of three nuclear bombs.

Cruise, Pegg, Rhames, Monaghan, Ferguson, Baldwin, and Harris all return from the series’ past, while Cavill leads a group of newcomers that includes Angela Bassett, Wes Bentley, and Vanessa Kirby.

7. Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (2023)

As the previous film where the Reckoning began in the Mission Impossible series, Dead Reckoning Part 1 brings new stunts, cast members, and all of the action you'd expect. Directed by Christopher McQuerrie and led by the ridiculous stunts of Tom Cruise, it's one of the best movies in the series to date.

The story follows Ethan Hunt and his team embark on a dangerous mission to track down a terrifying new weapon that threatens all of humanity. Confronted by a mysterious and all-powerful enemy, Ethan is forced to weigh the importance of his mission over the lives of the people he cares about most.

The new cast members added to Dead Reckoning include Hayley Atwell, Pom Klementieff, Shea Whigham, Esai Morales, Indira Varma, Cary Elwes, and Mark Gatiss.

Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning (2025)

The latest, and allegedly final Mission Impossible movie is now playing in theaters. The Final Reckoning had a solid initial launch at the box office and is potentially on track to become one of the biggest in the franchise. IGN's Clint Gage had the chance to review the film and called it "just out of reach of greatness", giving it a score of 6 out 10.

While this was meant to be the final Mission Impossible movie in theaters, then ending of the film seemingly leaves an opening for more. If it can continue to do well at the box office, it is perhaps not the final, final reckoning just yet.

Mission Impossible Movies Release Order

• Mission: Impossible (1996)
• Mission: Impossible II (2000)
• Mission: Impossible III (2006)
• Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011)
• Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (2015)
• Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018)
• Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (2023)
• Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning (2025)

Upcoming Mission: Impossible Movies?

The Final Reckoning was marketed as the conclusion of the Mission Impossible series, but the movie itself has been left open-ended. So while there aren't any confirmed plans for more of these movies, there's really know reason to expect Paramount won't just greenlight more.

Though there have yet to be any confirmed plans we already know that director Christopher McQuarrie has explored the idea of further sequels beyond The Final Reckoning. Seeing as many of the main characters are still alive, it seems possible we could see smaller spin-offs take shape after Final Reckoning finishes up its box office run.

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

Another Friday, another fresh drop of game deal delights, and this one's stacked with hefty discounts and fascinating gems. Whether you’re craving a bit of retro reinvention or eyeing something that’s 100% free (yes, really), there’s plenty to tempt across every major platform. Until I see you on Monday, stay safe and save often (as in "to SSD" as well as money-wise).

This Day in Gaming 🎂

In retro news, I'm celebrating the 12th birthday of GRiD 2, a weirdly capitalised racer that nonetheless delivered. Codemasters popped the hood on this sequel and bolted in a new 'TrueFeel' handling system, hoping to hit the apex between realism and accessibility. Personally, I remember it having Bathurst DLC, lacking a cockpit view, veering more arcadey than I liked, and featuring pretty kick arse terminal damage crashes. Oh, and it also had a literal Easter Egg—setting your date to Easter would prompt the narrator to ask you to not get chocolate on your steering wheel.

• Sonic Frontiers (-18%) - A$49
• Golf Story (-90%) - A$2.20
• The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (-67%) - A$26.30
• Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope (-75%) - A$19.90
• Just Dance 2021 (-57%) - A$34.30
• Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes (-50%) - A$39.90
• Dragon Ball FighterZ (-22%) - A$69.70

Expiring Recent Deals

• Super Mario RPG (-14%) - A$69
• Pokémon Legends: Z-A (-x%) - A$79
• Super Mario Party (-14%) - A$69
• EA Sports (-34%) - A$59
• NBA 2K25 (-67%) - A$29
• Nintendo World Champ: NES Ed. (-22%) - A$39
• Doom (-80%) - A$6.90

Or gift a Nintendo eShop Card.

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The Trump administration’s tariffs are just beginning to affect U.S. consumers, and the worst may still be ahead. When the tariffs were first announced in March, analysts quickly warned that prices could rise and supply chains could be disrupted, impacting everything from video game consoles to physical games and accessories.

In April, the White House introduced a 10% universal tariff on imports from all countries, followed by a wave of so-called "reciprocal tariffs" on more than 50 nations. At one point, the tariff on Chinese imports reached 145% before being paused and temporarily reduced to 30% in May.

The current tariff situation is constantly shifting and often difficult to track, but one thing is already clear: it is starting to reshape the gaming industry. Major companies including Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo are looking at adjusting prices, reevaluating supply chains, and preparing for an uncertain year.

Major Gaming Brands

Major gaming brands like Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo may be best positioned to weather the tariff storm thanks to deep cash reserves and flexible supply chains. But if the tariffs drag on, price hikes for consumers will become increasingly difficult to avoid.

Sony

Sony has been suspiciously quiet in response to the latest round of U.S. tariffs. Despite a sharp single-day drop in stock following President Trump’s reciprocal tariffs on April 5, PlayStation’s parent company has yet to announce any price hikes for its products in the U.S.

That said, the writing may already be on the wall. In April, Sony raised prices on PS5 consoles in Europe, the UK, Australia, and New Zealand, citing “a challenging economic environment, including high inflation and fluctuating exchange rates.” In a recent interview, Sony CFO Lin Tao stated that the company is closely watching “the market trend” and may ultimately “pass on the price and also shipment allocation” to consumers. Tao anticipates tariffs may impact Sony's overall business by as much as $685 million.

While most PlayStation consoles and accessories are manufactured in China, Sony says it's actively working to diversify its supply chain and is even considering U.S.-based production. Tao also revealed that Sony has stockpiled a three-month supply of PS5 units in the U.S. to help buffer against short-term tariff impacts.

With the Nintendo Switch 2 and Xbox Series models pushing the average console price higher, the PS5 Pro is suddenly starting to look like a good deal. But if tariffs on Chinese imports remain in place, it’s likely Sony will raise prices across the board on its consoles, games, and accessories to offset the increased costs.

In the meantime Sony is having its annual PlayStation Days of Play sale and has temporarily discounted consoles, controllers, and games.

Microsoft

Microsoft wasted no time reacting to the new tariffs. On May 1, the company raised prices across its entire Xbox hardware lineup, with the Xbox Series X now retailing for $600. Since most Xbox consoles and accessories are manufactured in China, Microsoft is facing higher import costs and is building those costs directly into the new pricing to protect its margins.

That said, Microsoft may be the best positioned to adapt. The company already uses a facility in Guadalajara, Mexico for final assembly of many U.S.-bound Xbox products. Some users have even reported purchasing Xbox Series S consoles manufactured in Vietnam as early as 2023, signaling that Microsoft has been shifting production away from China for some time.

The company also confirmed that Xbox game prices will rise this holiday season, with first-party titles jumping to $79.99. While pricing remains unchanged for Nintendo and PlayStation for now, analysts expect others to follow Microsoft's lead.

Accessories like controllers and headsets, which are still primarily produced in China, are also affected by the tariffs. As long as those tariffs remain in place, the higher prices will likely stick. Microsoft’s broader hardware lineup, including Surface laptops and tablets, faces similar challenges. Although some production moved to Thailand and Vietnam as early as 2020, China remains a key manufacturing hub for many of its products.

Nintendo

Nintendo had the unfortunate timing of revealing the Nintendo Switch 2 just days before the Trump administration's reciprocal tariffs took effect. The announcement sparked immediate backlash from fans who felt the $449 price tag was too high. In response, Nintendo delayed U.S. preorders, with Canadian preorders following shortly after, citing a need to "assess the potential impact of tariffs and evolving market conditions."

Not long after, Nintendo confirmed that the Switch 2’s price would remain unchanged in the U.S., holding steady at $449 for the base model and $499 for the Mario Kart World bundle. Instead of adjusting console prices, the company opted to raise the cost of all Switch 2 accessories, with most items increasing by $5 to $10.

While the majority of Nintendo's hardware and accessories are still manufactured in China, the company began shifting some production to Vietnam back in 2019. Earlier this year, more than one million Switch 2 consoles arrived in the U.S. as part of an effort to stockpile inventory ahead of the June 5 release and mitigate the impact of the tariffs.

Roughly one-third of Switch 2 consoles are now produced in Vietnam, but the bulk of Nintendo’s supply chain remains in China. With accessory prices already rising in the U.S. and some first-party titles hitting $80, further increases could be on the horizon if the tariffs persist.

Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa recently voiced concern about the impact of tariffs in the U.S. noting that consumers "will have less money to spend on game consoles" if the cost of daily necessities like food continues to rise. Despite the uncertainty, Nintendo is forecasting 15 million Switch 2 units sold in its first year.

Razer

Razer is one of the largest gaming accessory brands in the world and currently operates dual headquarters in Singapore and Irvine, California. Known for its iconic RGB-infused gaming peripherals, Razer manufactures a wide range of gear for gamers including mice, keyboards, headsets, microphones, gaming chairs, and much more.

In addition to accessories, Razer also produces one of the best gaming laptops on the market, the Razer Blade, that masterfully blends performance and portability.

However, the majority of Razer’s products are manufactured in China, with only a small number made in Taiwan. As a result, the company is heavily impacted by international trade tariffs. Shortly after the reciprocal tariffs took effect in April, and the rate on Chinese goods increased to 145%, Razer announced it would temporarily halt the sale of some products in the U.S., including the new Razer Blade 16.

Razer products already command premium prices due to their reputation for quality and design. If high tariffs persist, prices could climb even higher, pushing its gear further out of reach for budget-conscious gamers.

Dell

Dell, which also oversees the Alienware line of gaming computers and accessories, is heavily affected by tariffs due to its significant manufacturing presence in China. Fortunately, Dell’s global footprint includes facilities in Brazil, India, Malaysia, Mexico, Poland, and Vietnam. This broader network may help offset some of the financial impact, depending on where individual products are made.

Like most electronics companies, Dell depends heavily on semiconductors, the majority of which are produced in Taiwan by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC). When the Trump administration implemented reciprocal tariffs in April, a 32% duty was initially placed on imports from Taiwan, which would have significantly disrupted the electronics industry. Thankfully, semiconductor products received a temporary exemption, although that protection may not last.

In response to the global supply chain uncertainty, Dell, like many other companies, began shipping large quantities of products to the U.S. and stockpiling them in warehouses to get ahead of the tariffs. While the reciprocal tariffs were paused for 90 days against most countries, that temporary relief is set to expire on July 8, and it's unclear what is going to happen after that date. For now, it's best to purchase what you need before any potential price increases.

More Gaming Accessory Brands That Will Probably Be Affected

Like the biggest accessory makers, these companies rely heavily on Chinese manufacturing and are expected to feel the effects of tariffs in the near future.

8BitDo

8BitDo, known for its retro-inspired gaming peripherals, is headquartered in and manufactures its products in China. It recently announced it would be halting all shipments from China, relying solely on its inventory in the U.S. to meet demand in the interim.

ASUS

ASUS, known for its gaming computers, peripherals, and Republic of Gamers (ROG) line, primarily manufactures its products in China and Taiwan, with some assembly handled in Vietnam.

Corsair

Corsair, which includes SCUF and Elgato, primarily manufactures its products in Taiwan, but also builds many of its products in China, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Gigabyte

Gigabyte manufactures its gaming computers and peripherals in China and Taiwan.

HORI

HORI products are manufactured in China.

HP

HP products, including HyperX and its HP Omen gaming computers, are primarily manufactured in China, although it has additional facilities in Mexico, Taiwan, and Vietnam.

Logitech

Logitech, which includes ASTRO Gaming, primarily manufactures its products in China, but also produces some items in Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam.

PowerA

PowerA products are manufactured in China.

Samsung

Samsung is one of the larger brands on this list as it manufactures just about everything from smartphones to TVs to home appliances. Because of its global presence and wide swath of products, it has primary manufacturing facilities in China, Mexico, the Philippines, South Korea, and Vietnam.

SanDisk

SanDisk manufactures its flash memory like SD cards in China, Japan, and Malaysia, while its SSDs are primarily made in China and Thailand. With the Nintendo Switch 2 exclusively using MicroSD Express cards, the prices are likely to increase.

Secretlab

Secretlab manufactures its gaming chairs in China.

Steelseries

Most of Steelseries' products are manufactured in China, although its mousepads are made in Taiwan.

Turtle Beach

Turtle Beach products are manufactured in China.

Valve

Valve, the parent company responsible for Steam, manufactures its products like the Steam Deck and Valve Index VR headset in China.

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.

LEGO hasn't been just for kids for a while now. There are countless "adults welcome" LEGO sets that are perfect for offices, game rooms, or to mount on your walls. Sure, most of these sets are nerd-adjacent, from Star Wars display models to an enormous Lord of the Rings Rivendell set, but they are a testament to just how much the toy brand has changed over the years. Some of the biggest upcoming LEGO sets are 18+ builds specifically targeted at adult collectors this year. And If you're both an avid reader and huge LEGO fan like me, the three new themed book nooks in early June are abolutely worth checking out. These book nooks are an entirely new type of LEGO set made to fit perfectly on your shelf and live amongst your book collection.

Every LEGO Book Nook Releasing in June 2025

All three of these LEGO book nooks are available for preorder now and release on June 1, 2025. They're all riddled with detail and Easter eggs from their respective series and are modular; there's the folded in book nook style and the "unfolded" view. The unfolded mode offers a great display of famous scenes like the Harry and Ron finding Platform 9 3/4 or Gandalf facing off against the Balrog. The modularity makes these sets not only serve their purpose as book nooks well but also as standalone LEGO display pieces for your shelves or coffee tables.

LEGO Lord of the Rings Book Nook

LEGO Sherlock Holmes Book Nook

LEGO Hogwarts Express Book Nook

Elden Ring movie director Alex Garland is reportedly looking at reuniting with his Warfare star Kit Connor for A24 and Bandai Namco’s adaptation of the 2022 RPG hit.

News of the potential reconnection comes from Deadline, which says Garland is interested in bringing Connor on to star in the Elden Ring movie in some capacity. Variety corroborated the report, adding that no formal offer has been made yet.

Connor most recently worked alongside Garland on last month’s Warfare, a nail-biting war story that follows a group of U.S. Navy SEALs after they come under fire in Iraq.

Connor's other screen credits include Heartstopper, His Dark Materials, and Rocketman. He’s also voiced roles in video games like A Plague Tale: Requiem, Xenoblade Chronicles 3, and Dreams.

Many have tried, but few filmmakers have crafted a style as instantly recognizable as Wes Anderson's. Exaggerated color palettes, a touch of surrealism, and a satisfying amount of symmetry make any of the director's films recognizable in a heartbeat. While I’m sure you already have a favorite Wes Anderson movie (personally The Royal Tenenbaums, no question), the director’s approach to storytelling maintains its freshness and charm across his entire filmography.

In my opinion, there’s no such thing as a bad Wes Anderson movie. Even if there is, you’re probably still inclined to watch it and find out for yourself. Unfortunately, streaming licenses make that task a bit challenging. To help you watch or rewatch your favorite movies from the director, we put together this guide on where to stream every Wes Anderson movie online – aside from his most recent, The Phoenician Scheme, which you can watch in theaters.

Where to Stream Every Wes Anderson Movie (in Release Order)

HP just launched a belated budget gaming laptop deal as part of its Memorial Day Sale. Right now, you can pick up an HP Omen 16 GeForce RTX 4060 Gaming Laptop for only $959.99 shipped ater you apply 20% off coupon "LEVELUP20" in your shopping cart. Nowadays it's getting harder to find a competent gaming laptop for under $1,000, but this laptop should serve you well with its Intel Core i7 CPU and RTX 4060 GPU.

HP OMEN 16 RTX 4060 Gaming Laptop for $999.99

When it comes to enjoying your PS5 or PS5 Pro, a lot of people think you just have to connect it to a big TV, but don’t overlook gaming monitors. In fact, a high-quality monitor is actually the better choice for a lot of console players. If you’re looking for something that saves space, delivers top-tier performance – especially when it comes to features like Variable Refresh Rate – and can double as a PC monitor, you really can't do any better.

TL;DR – These Are the Best Monitors for PS5:

One of the biggest perks of opting for a gaming monitor instead of a TV for your PS5 is the emphasis on performance. Many gaming monitors are designed with high refresh rates, which means they can take full advantage of the PS5 and PS5 Pro's ability to hit 120fps at 4K. This leads to buttery-smooth gameplay that feels responsive and fluid – perfect for fast-paced games where every millisecond counts. Plus, with the lower latency that comes from a higher displayed frame rate, you can take better advantage of the PS5 accessories that are meant to give you a competitive edge.

Another reason to go with a gaming monitor is the practicality of saving space. TVs can be large and take up a good chunk of your living room or bedroom, but a monitor is far more compact. If you're working with limited space, or if you just prefer a more streamlined setup, a monitor can be a more convenient option. Not to mention, there are plenty of budget gaming monitors available that will still offer an immersive gaming experience without spending a fortune.

Want to save on a PS5 monitor? Check out the best gaming monitor deals.

Contributions by Danielle Abraham and Georgie Peru

1. Sony InZone M9 II

Best Monitor for PS5

2. Asus ROG Swift OLED PG32UCDM

Best OLED Monitor for PS5

3. Acer Nitro XV282K

Best Budget Monitor for PS5

4. LG UltraGear 48GQ900

Best Large Monitor for PS5

5. Samsung Odyssey Neo G7

Best Curved Monitor for PS5

The best TVs for gaming have all but left curved screens in the past, so if you want an immersive display that wraps around your field of view when playing Final Fantasy VII Rebirth or Spider-Man 2, grabbing a great curved monitor is the only way to go. The Samsung Odyssey Neo G7 features a lovely 1000R curvature display with a 4K resolution, 165Hz refresh rate, and VRR, making it an absolute gaming beast. Silky smooth action is guaranteed thanks to a quick response time and low input lag, while a host of connectivity options let you keep your PS5, Xbox, and gaming PC ported for easy input swapping.

Besides a healthy curve, Samsung’s 32-inch monitor uses Quantum Mini-LED backlights for commendable local dimming and a high native contrast ratio. Anyone will appreciate the wide color gamut support, deep blacks, and crisp whites. Where the monitor truly shines is in HDR mode, the VA panel hits a wild 2,000 nits of brightness, surpassing all the other monitors on this guide. Just be prepared for blooming around bright objects in dark scenes.

Although we haven't had the chance to review the Neo G7, we did go hands-on with the Samsung Neo G9 and generally recommend this line of monitors to console gamers.

6. Asus ROG Swift PG32UCDP

Best WOLED Monitor for PS5

How to Choose a Monitor for PS5 & PS5 Pro

Set a budget. If you want to make the most of what the PS5 can offer graphically, a 4K/120Hz monitor offering VRR is the way to go. Unfortunately, these tend to be pricier than the best 1080p monitors and 1440p displays. You’ll still find a few great 4K options for under $500, but most seem to hover between $500 and $1,000. A monitor is a bigger investment than many other PS5 accessories. Still, you get more bang for your buck with a monitor over a gaming TV.

Figure out the best size for your space. By going for a 4K resolution, pixel peeping will be less of an issue, so feel free to get a larger-sized monitor. Are you planning on this display becoming a TV replacement? Grab a massive screen like the one offered on the LG UltraGear 48GQ900. For an option that lives on a gaming desk, a 27-inch monitor should satisfy the average gamer, while a 32-inch or curved screen can provide a more immersive viewing experience. As for the aspect ratio of said display, we’d recommend sticking with the traditional 16:9 that the PS5 is optimized for. Going ultrawide may make it harder for the display to hit and maintain higher frame rates.

Know your preferred type of display panel. This is important to the quality of the image, and each type of panel exceeds in certain areas over others. TN panels are the most basic with speedy response time at the cost of rich colors and viewing angles. IPS panels deliver excellent contrast and colors with slower response times. VA panels basically split between TN and IPS, offering a solid picture and response times. There’s also been an emergence of OLED panels – which are more common in TVs. OLEDs have excellent contrast, color, and vibrancy.

Figure out what monitor tech is most important to you. The refresh rate is how often your screen can display a new image, and the PS5 is capable of hitting up to 120Hz, no matter the resolution. There’s no need to seek out a higher refresh rate in your monitor if you’re only planning on using it with your console. But if you’ve got a high-end gaming PC capable of hitting higher frame rates in 4K (or just want a future-proof option), by all means, grab a faster monitor. It’s important to note that some PS5 games may not be able to hit 120Hz in 4K, so dropping down to 1440p or 1080p could lead to smoother action.

Just like how your gaming PC uses either Nvidia G-Sync or AMD FreeSync, the PS5 added support for a variable refresh rate (VRR) a couple of years after its initial release. This technology synchronizes the frame rate of your monitor and the console to prevent screen tearing and stuttering. Another handy feature is auto low latency mode (ALLM), helping reduce the latency between your button presses on PS5 controllers, ensuring it matches up with what’s happening on screen. Both technologies are absolute game changers that can give you an edge over opponents. The PS5 also supports HDR. So, for a brighter and richer picture quality, find a monitor that offers HDR.

If you’re looking to play competitive shooters or MOBAs on your PS5, you’ll want a monitor offering a speedy response time of 1ms or less. Most other games should play absolutely fine with a response time below 5ms.

Figure out how many ports you'll need. At least one HDMI 2.1 port is a must to enjoy 4K/120Hz. It’s handy to have multiple HDMI ports and HDMI cables to hook up another console and a DisplayPort for your gaming PC, so you don’t need to worry about swapping around cables depending on what you're playing.

PS5 Gaming Monitor FAQ

What resolutions can the PS5 run at?

The top resolution supported by the PS5 and PS5 Pro is 4K, aka UHD or 2160p, at up to a speedy 120Hz refresh rate. The problem with that refresh rate at such a sharp resolution is not all games can run frames that high. Dropping down to 1440p or 1080p – both resolutions are supported by PS5 and offer up to a 120Hz refresh rate – may lead to smoother action in certain games.

Should I use a TV or monitor with my PS5?

It’s a matter of personal preference. TVs tend to pull ahead in size, image quality, and HDR performance. If you’re looking to game on your couch over a desk, a TV is the way to go. Monitors, on the other hand, have a huge edge over TVs when it comes to input lag and high refresh rates, though the latter may not be as important given the PS5 maxes out at 120Hz. Still, if you want a responsive display, monitors are the way to go. For more info, be sure to give our guide to gaming monitors vs. gaming TVs a read.

When are PS5 monitors on sale?

Annual sales events are the most dependable time for finding a high-quality PS5 monitor at a lower price. Prime Day and Black Friday usually see the biggest discounts on gaming monitors, but Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, and Labor Day weekend are worth paying attention to. Clearance sales (usually at the start of the year) can also include some great PS5 monitor deals.

Are all OLED Monitors the same?

Some of the best gaming monitors on the market right now are using some kind of OLED display, so it can be confusing to figure out what the difference between any two of them is. While the gist of the technology is the same across the board, different types of OLED displays work in surprisingly disparate ways. For instance, a QD-OLED display is going to be much better at displaying colors, while WOLED displays are much better for brighter environments. If you really want to dive into the nitty-gritty, there's a lot to talk about when it comes to the different OLED display types, but they're all pretty great for their own reasons.

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

With smartphones, game consoles and computers, it’s easy to rack up screen time these days. Of course, this isn’t great for your eyes, as anyone who has suffered an eyestrain hangover after spending hours gaming or doomscrolling knows. Staring at screens all the time tires out the ciliary muscles in your eyes that are responsible for focusing on objects, which can cause you to become near-sighted. However, the answer to improving your vision could be... more gaming?

In a recent study, researchers at Kwansei Gakuin University in Japan developed a VR game that aims to improve players’ eyesight. Although more research is needed, this game could potentially be used to help people with simple myopia (near-sightedness) bolster their vision.

Barnes & Noble has launched their buy one, get one 50% off sale on dozens of beautiful collector's edition books. Most of these are Barnes & Noble exclusives, so if you've been eyeing these for awhile, now's the perfect time to spruce up your bookshelves with some of the prettiest covers and bindings I've ever seen at low prices. From literary classics and sci-fi epics, to horror masterpieces and mythology collections, there are a ton of great gifts for readers within this sale.

Amazon will sometimes have their own buy one, get one 50% sale, so be on the lookout for those when they happen!

Literary Classics Collector's Editions

Dante's Divine Comedy and To Kill a Mockingbird are just some of the literary classics you remember reading from high school (I promise they're good) that have collector's editions part of Barnes & Noble's buy one, get one half off sale. The thick bindings and stylized art make great coffee table decor. The Complete Sherlock Holmes is a massive tome, but contain some of the best mysteries of all time.

Collector's Edition Horror Greats

Yes, Jurassic Park is horror. Michael Crichton's novels that inspired the flims are collected in one book here, as are Edgar Allan Poe's entire works. Other timeless horror books include Dracula and Phantom of the Opera. This printing of Dracula is one of my favorites - that cover and spine give off dusty old spellbook vibes straight from Oblivion.

So Many More Collector's Editions

Frank Herbert's Dune and its five sequels (yes, five) have seen no shortage of reprints, collections, and special editions, but this Barnes & Noble version feels much more premium compared to others. Agatha Christie's timeless Hercule Poirot mysteries also get the Barnes & Noble collector's edition treatment, and stacking them side by side on your shelf will look great.

The books I've gathered here are just scratching the surface of what the Barnes & Noble buy one, get one 50% off sale has to offer. I'm definitely going to take advantage of this sale as an avid reader, but these make the perfect gift for the bookworm in your life, or as the perfect Father's Day gift.

For more book deals, be sure to check out the Throne of Glass hardcover book set or preorder Sunrise Over the Reaping Collector's Edition at a discount.

Myles Obenza is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Bluesky @mylesobenza.bsky.social.

The Epic Games Store is giving away a beloved indie title and the most recent Borderlands game as part of its weekly rollout of free PC games.

It’s an especially notable addition to Epic’s long-running free game promotion, which sees the company dropping a variety of titles for all Epic Games Store users at no additional cost every week. This week, PC users can add Playdead’s breakout video game, Limbo, and Gearbox’s Dungeons & Dragons-inspired Borderlands spinoff, Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands, to their libraries.

Both titles are available to nab from now to next Thursday, June 5, at 8am PT / 11am ET, at which point they’ll no longer be free to own. Even if you don’t find yourself playing games on PC very often, you might as well sign into an Epic Games Store account and claim both games for the future just in case.

Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands is a Borderlands side story that launched for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X and S in early 2022. While previous entries in the series see players team up to loot and shoot across twisted sci-fi settings, this spinoff drops fans into a fantasy setting with a few gameplay shakeups, such as new weapon types and fleshed-out character customization, to keep things interesting. Thanks in part to a surprisingly star-studded cast that includes Andy Samberg, Wanda Sykes, Will Arnett, and more, we felt Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands was a fitting addition to the Borderlands universe, giving it an 8/10 in our review.

Limbo, meanwhile, is a much more scaled-down adventure that sees players controlling a small child as they trudge through an unforgiving, colorless world. It’s a short story that HowLongToBeat says takes just over three hours to complete, but it’s been more than enough to leave an impression on gamers for nearly 15 years. We gave it a 9/10 in our original review.

Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands and Limbo follow last week’s free Epic Games Store titles, which included Deliver At All Costs, Gigapocalypse, and Sifu. When this week’s titles are removed, another batch of free games will be announced. For more, you can read up on why Gearbox was happy enough with its 2022 video game to call it the beginning of a whole new franchise. You can also check out where Limbo landed on our list of the top 25 Xbox 360 games of all time.

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

Father's Day lands on June 15 this year, but Sonos is jumping the gun by kicking off its Father's Day Sale a few weeks in advance. You can save up to 25% off its most popular soundbars and speakers, including the first discount I've seen on its flagship Arc Ultra soundbar. Although these deals are all available from Sonos direct, I'd recommend getting them from a retailer like Amazon or Target where you can get faster shipping, easier better return policy, and potential rewards (for example, Amazon Prime cardholders and Target Circle cardholders both get 5% cashback).

$100 Off Sonos Arc Ultra Soundbar

$130 Off Sonos Beam Gen 2 Soundbar

If your TV is too small for the Arc's 45" footprint, the consider the Sonos Beam instead. The Beam is a smaller 26" soundbar that still boasts excellent audio quality thanks to four elliptical midwoofers, one central tweeter and three passive bass radiators. It's Dolby Atmos ready and has a mic for voice control.

$120 Off Sonos Sub 4 Wireless Subwoofer

If you want to add ground-shaking bass to your Sonos setup, there's still nothing better than a separate standalone subwoofer. The Sub 4 boasts plenty of power in the form of two 5"x8" woofers and a ported design that allows for a louder and deeper low-end. It simply can't be emulated in a standard bookshelf speaker or soundbar.

$113 Off Sonos Move 2 Portable Speaker

The Move 2 is Sonos' biggest and best portable speaker. It's size allows it to house two tweeters, a mid-woofer, and three class-D digital amplifiers. This is a standalone speaker with a self-contained battery and can be carried around from room to room. The battery provides up to 24 hours of continuous playtime and a simple but effective docking station essentially turns it into a powered speaker. It is IP56 rated for weather resistance and has a built-in microphone so that it can accept voice commands and is compatible with smart assistants like Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant.

$45 Off Sonos Roam 2 Portable Speaker

The Sonos Roam 2 is much more compact than the Move 2. It weighs in at under one pound and is designed for both indoor and outdoor use thanks to an IP67-rated waterproof and dustproof housing. It houses one tweeter, one mid-woofer, and two class-H digital amplifers, so it's still able to pump out inpressively clean sound even at high volumes. The internal battery supplies the Roam 2 with nearly 10 hours of playtime, and it can be recharged over USB Type-C. It supports both Bluetooth and wireless connectivity and has a built-in microphone for voice control.

Up to $90 Off Sonos Era 100 and 300 Speakers

The Sonos Era 100 is a direct successor to the Sonos One. Sound quality is equivalent to a Sonos Move, which isn't surprising considering they have similar internal components: two tweeters, a mid-woofer, and three class-D digital amps. The Era 100 also supports Dolby Atmos when it is paired with an Arc or Beam soundbar. It has a built-in microphone and can be voice controlled; it can also be used as a smart speaker for both Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant.

$120 Off Sonos Ace Noise Cancelling Headphones

The Sonos Ace is Sonos' first headphone and it delivers on all fronts. It offers superb sound quality and excellent noise cancellation, it's comfortable to wear for long periods of time, and it looks pretty stylish as far as headphones go.

Karate Kid: Legends opens this week, bringing together both the Karate Kid films of the '80s and the 2010 reboot -- which at one time was not meant to be in the same timeline/continuity as the original franchise.

With both Ralph Macchio and Jackie Chan now teaming up as karate and kung fu senseis Daniel LaRusso and Mr. Han, respectively, Karate Kid: Legends is bridging these two worlds in ways never before imagined. So in honor of this new culmination, we've ranked all five Karate Kid films for you!

And yes, to answer your burning question, Netflix's Cobra Kai still remains canon for Legends as well. That doesn't mean Cobra Kai characters will be popping up there, but Legends doesn't do anything to discount or deny the goings-on in Cobra Kai. Taking place three years after the Cobra Kai finale, Legends involves Chan's Mr. Han seeking out Daniel LaRusso for help in training and guiding a student, Li Fong, played by Ben Wang (American Born Chinese).

So which is the best Karate Kid film? The originals all feature the late, great Pat Morita as Mr. Miyagi, mentoring Daniel (or Hilary Swank's Julie) through life's violent conflicts, while the reboot brought in Chan and Jaden Smith to echo the early Miyagi/Daniel roles. Here are the all the Karate Kid flicks ranked!

Honorable Mention: Cobra Kai

It's a steaming series, so it doesn't qualify here, but Cobra Kai is a massive miracle in the realm of legacy sequels. It's a six-season follow-up to the first three Karate Kid movies that brings back just about every old character you can think of, redeems them, sheds new light on them, and spins them around in wondrous ways. All while also introducing a whole new generation of karate students and their own interpersonal drama. Cobra Kai is so fun that it created a new fanbase for the franchise, many of whom started watching not even knowing the movies the show was based on.

5. The Next Karate Kid (1994)

The one true outlier of the Karate Kid saga involves Mr. Miyagi in Boston, offering to house swap with his old war buddy's widow so that he can try to weirdly monitor her angry, grief-stricken granddaughter, Julie (Hilary Swank).

Yup, nothing's more ideal than a traumatized teen girl, who just lost her parents to a car crash, living with an elderly stranger because her grandma couldn't deal with her and needed a break. The Next Karate Kid isn't a terrible movie, per se, but no one was clamoring for Miyagi wisdom in the mid-'90s (especially when part of it was "transforming" Julie out of her angry phase and into a girl who wears dresses) and no one was suffering the fools that were the Alpha Elite -- a squad of uniformed teen bullies allowed to roam the halls of Julie's high school, led by some weird Colonel named Dugen who apparently had free reign to beat up children and/or command them to bungee-jump dive-bomb the school's prom. Anyway, Julie, who already knows a good bit of karate before Miyagi trains her, kicks their butts.

4. Karate Kid Part III (1989)

There's been more and more retro-appreciation for Karate Kid Part III over the years, and some of that might have to do with Cobra Kai and how that show, specifically, has redeemed (or at least called out) a lot of this film's more bizarre elements.

By 1989 -- and especially given how crowded Summer '89 was with big blockbusters -- the Miyagi/LaRusso shtick had worn a bit thin. It wasn't the right time for a new Karate Kid movie and it certainly wasn't the right time for these two best friends to have a falling out, with Daniel briefly giving into his Dark Side anger.

But Part III -- even though it involves a millionaire toxic waste magnate cartoonishly seeking emotional and physical revenge on a teenage boy because he humiliated his old army buddy -- still has its (Terry) silver linings. Sure, Daniel, as the All Valley Champ, weirdly gets a bye into the final round (it's a dumb new tourney rule), but the movie still culminates in a big showdown. Grown-ass men, and Karate's "Bad Boy" Mike Barnes (Sean Kanan), try to destroy the life of a teenager and it, just barely, blows up in their face. It all results in Cobra Kai getting banned from the All Valley and... well, you'll have to watch Cobra Kai for the rest. It does get better.

3. The Karate Kid (2010)

2010's Karate Kid was an effective, satisfying reboot that one would think, given the box office success, would have gotten a follow-up much sooner than 2025. One that might have even continued with Jaden Smith as the star.

One of the more surprising things about this Karate Kid is actually how faithful it is as an actual remake. Like, all the same story beats are there from the original 1984 film. From the mom trying to get her son excited about moving to a new place to Smith's Dre getting revenge on his school bullies with water to his new girlfriend's disapproving parents to... it's almost all a one-to-one. Which isn't usually what we expect now from reboots. Everything's usually a new take on old material. Nope, not this. It plays the hits.

Again though, everything still works. Smith's Dre is a likable new lead, Chan is great as Han (though his backstory here seems a bit too dark), and the China setting gives this story a nice karate-to-kung fu refresh.

2. The Karate Kid Part II

The Karate Kid Part II is a stellar sequel, sending Miyagi and Daniel to Okinawa and embroiling them both in old Miyagi girlfriend drama. It made a ton of money, had a huge hit song (Peter Cetera's "Glory of Love"), and sweetly continued the story of Daniel and Miyagi's offbeat friendship. Ending Daniel's relationship with Elisabeth Shue's Ali off-screen felt like a typical sequel cheat, but Daniel, for our money, has an even better summer fling romance with Tamlyn Tomita's Kumiko.

While not as singularly great as the first film, Part II delivers the goods as a follow-up, recognizing that it's Daniel and Miyagi that fans care about, no matter their location. Daniel's mom is sidelined (though not as hilariously as she is in Part III) and the rest very much echoes the best beats of the first movie: new girl, new bully, secret move, final fight (to the death this time!), etc. It actually has more in common with the 2010 reboot than you'd think. Still though, Part II is more or less the exact sequel you'd want if one was getting made.

1. The Karate Kid (1984)

In 1984, Rocky director John Avildsen (who'd go on to direct two Karate Kid sequels as well) gave us another rousing, emotional underdog story, this time about a teenage boy, freshly transplanted from New Jersey to LA's San Fernando Valley, who forms an unlikely friendship with an elderly Japanese man and wins a regional karate tournament. The Karate Kid was a soaring sleeper hit, and garnered Pat Morita an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of war veteran/karate sensei Mr. Miyagi.

You know how in Back to the Future they never explain how Marty and Doc Brown are buddies? Like, this kid and this old weirdo are BFFs and no one blinks an eye? The Karate Kid actually dives into this and make you invest and believe in the close bond formed by a tormented teen and a reclusive handyman (who's secretly a karate master). When Daniel, who's found nothing but trouble since moving to California, tells Miyagi that he's his best friend, you believe it. And you buy novice Daniel LaRusso being able to make his way through a karate tournament with, like, just a month or so of training as Miyagi gives him the bare basics of what's needed to fight and win (a strong emphasis, strategically and ideologically, on defense).

The Karate Kid is one of the most fun and inspiring movies of the '80s. It's got a great script, powerful performances, and an exhilarating come-from-behind story. First love, a quintessential '80s bully (played by William Zabka), and an iconic special ace-up-the-sleeve kick.

It's still the best around.

What's your favorite in the series? Add your tier list above, and let's discuss in the comments!

LEGO is becoming more and more popular every year. Back in March of this year LEGO Group released details about its 2024 earnings showing record sales, and 2025 has shown no signs of bucking that upward trajectory so far. We've seen a lot of awesome LEGO sets targeted at adults and kids this year and seemingly every major entertainment franchise has a LEGO collab running. And now that we're almost to the summer season, LEGO has upped its game with a ton of new and exciting sets coming out in June 2025.

Below I've pulled out some of the biggest upcoming LEGO releases for June, but not everything that will be coming out next month. For a full list of upcoming sets, you can go to the LEGO website's 'Coming Soon' section and sort by newest.

Biggest New LEGO Sets Releasing in June

Of all of the new LEGO sets coming out next month, the book nook sets are perhaps the most notable. LEGO has not previously released this type of set and we are getting a total of three new book nooks in June from different franchises. First up there's the Lord of the Rings: Balrog Book Nook, which features Gandalf facing off against the iconic Balrog. This is the latest set in the Lord of the Rings line following the Shire set that was released back in April. There's also a Harry Potter Book Nook as well as a Sherlock Holmes version that both look really cool. These new sets were specifically designed to fit on your bookshelf among your other books, making them great gifts for readers.

In addition to the Hogwarts Express Book Nook, there are a ton of other Harry Potter LEGO sets releasing in June. The most expensive new set is the main tower component of the Hogwarts Castle, which is actually just one part of a much larger Hogwarts Castle set that is still getting new releases. There's also a really cool Monster Book of Monsters set that actually chomps.

There are also a couple of really intriguing LEGO Ideas sets coming out in June that are of note. The LEGO Disney Pixar Lamp was announced earlier in the month as a preorder and has already been wildly popular. There's also a working Minifigure Vending Machine that comes with a total of 16 minifigures.

Among all of the other usual franchise sets releasing next month, LEGO has also decided to resurrect its partership with The Simpsons. The New Krusty Burger Set is targeted specifically at adults and features 1,635 pieces and seven minifigures. It's the first new Simpsons set we've seen since all the way back in 2018, so it's a pretty big deal for fans of The Simpsons who also happen to be LEGO collectors. It isn't cheap, however. At $209.99 it's one of the most expensive LEGO sets you can buy in the June 2025 lineup.

Should you preorder at Amazon or LEGO direct?

Currently there are only a few new LEGO sets that are up for preorder, but these are available at both Amazon and LEGO. Both websites are good places to buy LEGO for different reasons, and this is especially true for preorders. Amazon offers a preorder price guarantee that ensures you get the absolute best price for that set if a discount arrives before the release date. Alternatively, the LEGO store will offer you a free gift with your purchase and LEGO points for Insiders.

For some of the sets that you can't preorder ahead of time, like the Krusty Burger set, you may be able to get it earlier if you purchase from LEGO directly and are signed up for the LEGO Insiders program. LEGO Insiders will sometimes get access to popular new sets earlier than everyone else.

The final stop for our IGN First trip to FromSoftware was the sound room where Lead Composer Shoi Miyazawa crafts the wonderful soundtracks that fill The Lands Between and Limveld with notes of hope, melancholy, and strife. Here's our interview touching upon what goes into creating a FromSoft soundtrack, what specifically were the notes from the director given with regards to Nightreign's music, and Miyazawa's own personal influences.

IGN: So I just wanted start off by asking you about how you fell into the world of composing music for video games. Are you a big fan?

Shoi Miyazawa - Lead Sound Designer on Elden Ring Nightreign:

I was a fan of the Armored Core games. So when Hoshino-san approached me about recruitment at FromSoftware, I was very interested. I'm a big fan of the Armored Core music. Also, I like some other titles from my childhood such as Ganbare Goemon and Secret of Mana. So I'm always putting research and trying to find inspiration from these titles as well. The Castlevania series, as well, was a big musical inspiration.

Along those same lines, do you have any favorite composers that have also maybe inspired your work? Not just video games, just in general.

I've always been a fan of King Crimson and Marilyn Manson. I like these kinds of different sorts of vibes within music.

Switching gears to Elden Ring and Nightreign, what's the process for composing for something like Elden Ring? Are you given concept art for a boss or a location and then use that inspiration for the sound? Or are you given specific notes of the feel or mood that the director is looking for?

There are several approaches we can take such as that you mentioned. Sometimes the director will give a quick description of the mood or the location he wants. Sometimes it's from the existing concept art of the game. And sometimes it's a simple text-based order such as a description of a boss's backstory or the arena that they fight in or something like this.

Has working on the soundtrack for Nightreign been any different from the experience of working on the soundtrack for the main base game?

Of course it is an Elden Ring spin-off, so we wanted it to transfer or carry over certain elements from Elden Ring and the sort vibes it gives off. I had many direct talks with the director himself discussing the aspects of Elden Ring and how we should approach Nightreign. And I think while he wanted this to be quite distinct from the Souls titles, he also wanted it to be catchy in its own way as well. So this sort of catchiness and offering something that was distinct from Elden Ring was quite important in our work.

Can you describe maybe some of the notes that you might have been given from the director with regards to the sound and tone of this soundtrack? Were there any recurring themes that you wanted to hit?

Yeah. So seeing as night was an important theme of Nightreign, we wanted this feeling of being out of place, this feeling of loneliness, this sense that comes with the darkness or the sort of loneliness of nighttime. These were elements that we wanted to incorporate into the music.

Among the many projects that you've worked on so far at FromSoftware, which has been your favorite, and which has been the most challenging as well?

Of course I have lots of fond memories of working on titles at From and it's really hard to lock in on a particular title. But there are a couple that have stuck with me, a couple of pieces in particular. One of them being when we composed Consort Radahn for Elden Ring. What I like to do is I actually like to compose in a sort of dark room, in a dimly lit room. So I had this feeling while I was composing that track of there always being somebody there in the shadows and looking over my shoulder. So this kind of came through in the piece for Consort Radahn.

Another one would be the track Takes Me Anywhere from disc three of the bonus soundtrack from Armored Core VI. I know this is a bit different from the fantasy music that we've made with our games, but for me, as I said, Armored Core was a series I was particularly fond of. And as I entered the company, From just happened to kind of put that series on hiatus for a little bit. So I had something, had some ideas going there, but AC IV was a long-awaited game. It was a long time coming. And Takes Me Anywhere was one of the original tracks we produced for that bonus all-encompassing disc set. So it was something that brought back memory of those days and it was a track, it was a piece that I actually had in my mind since coming to From and since I started working a little bit on those titles but didn't quite get to fully develop into those games. So it reminds me a lot of those days and everything we went through with Armored Core. And so hopefully people will give that a listen as well.

There are several composers that are credited with working on Elden Ring. Can you talk a little bit about how collaborative of an effort it is to compose music on games like Elden Ring and Nightreign? Do you each work completely separately or do you work closely together despite being responsible for different pieces?

Generally when we compose music at From, it's one composer to one track. That's the general approach we take. But of course we can get advice and sort of exchange ideas with the other members of the sound team. But ultimately on the credits, you'll see the person credited to that track is the one who took it through to completion. But Nightreign was a little bit of an exception here. So we have multiple composers working on a single track in some instances.

One of the bosses that we got to check out today as part of our visit was Libra: Creature of Night. And I was wondering if you had any kind of insights or stories as to what went into the creation of that track.

Actually with Libra, it was one of the rare cases where a particular musical direction or ideas was given within the character brief. So that was one that stood out to me. We had these themes of trying to bring something as the appearance and as the boss fight itself suggests, some themes of an exotic nature or these impressions of madness or like a demonic nature to the boss. And again, introducing this duality that you find both before and during the boss fight, considering elements of victory and defeat, that trade-off, that risk and reward. We try to create a harsh contrast with a lot of our bosses, but in particular we wanted to take it to extremes for Libra.

The contrast between day and night during boss fights is very striking, and it's apparent in the music as well. Could you tell us a little bit about how you approached composing these pieces?

So of course we have this day and night cycle and this three day structure to Nightreign. So as we mentioned earlier, we wanted the player to feel like there's this imposing sense of danger. Enemies and bosses are getting stronger as the night approaches. We wanted this feeling of being more and more out of place, more and more out of your depth. These are things that we try to, feelings we try to convey through the music of Nightreign.

Is there any particular song or anything that you're really excited players to experience for the first time when they play that you worked on?

So one thing that compares to the music we did for Elden Ring and the DLC was really focusing on the individuality of each of these boss fights that players are going to be encountering numerous times. So we wanted to really push the limits of the music as well for each of these fights. And sometimes it was a case of can we really push it this far? And I think in the end we did end up really expanding those limits and really pushing the boundaries of the music at From in our fantasy titles. So that's one area that I hope players look forward to.

Going back to your own personal tastes, do you have a favorite musical instrument or something that you like to incorporate into your compositions?

It's not an instrument, but actually when I first started dabbling in music, it was with a personal computer and it was with DTM software. So that was my first real contact with making music and especially professionally. So as a creator, software like this allows me to really concentrate on the finer elements and really fine tune these pieces down to every last note and pitch. So I think this is something that I'd like the player to understand or hopefully notice when they listen to these pieces. Because I really do get way too into it, probably too much that is healthy for work.

One of the things that I've been asking everyone that I've been talking to at FromSoftware has been what your favorite game is. We know we talked a little bit about video games from the music side, but do you have any games that really stand out as just your favorite game of all time?

One of the games I remember fondly is Myst. Adventure games like this, they usually have this quite, maybe only some readers or viewers will remember, but these kind of pre-rendered scenes that kind of transition one from the other. But you're going through the world and you're solving the puzzles on this adventure. This really stuck with me as a player. So yes, I think Myst would be a good example.

Mitchell Saltzman is an editorial producer at IGN. You can find him on twitter @JurassicRabbit

As part of its Memorial Day Sale (yes, it's not over), HP is offering an HP Omen 16" RTX 5070 Gaming Laptop for only $1,359.99 shipped after you apply a 20% off coupon code "LEVELUP20" in cart. RTX 5070 gaming laptops are still pretty uncommon, but prices elsewhere start at $1,700, and Alienware's least expensive RTX 5070 laptop costs closer to $2,000. The RTX 5070 performs a bit better than the RTX 4070 and supports multi-frame generation.

Update: This configuration is now sold out.

HP Omen 16 RTX 5070 Gaming Laptop for $1,359.99

Hasbro wants to take Marvel Legends fans for a ride this year, as they've revealed a new wave of Marvel Gamerverse action figures inspired by the classic Marvel vs. Capcom games.

Check out the slideshow gallery below for a closer look at these stylish new figures, including new takes on Wolverine, Thanos, Venom, Captain America, Juggernaut, and more:

These figures will be released as both two-packs and single figures, depending on the size of the figures in question. The full Marvel vs. Capcom lineup includes:

• Wolverine vs. Silver Samurai
• Psylocke vs. Thanos
• Captain America vs. Venom
• War Machine vs. Omega Red
• Gargantos (formerly known as Shuma-Gorath)
• Juggernaut

While Hasbro has released most of these characters in Marvel Legends form in the past (save for Gargantos), these figures are embellished to better capture the dynamic sprite designs from the classic games. For example, Wolverine has the exaggerated claws and mask, while Venom is decked out in his game-accurate blue color scheme. The Psylocke figure in particular showcases the extreme articulation possible with these new figures.

Obviously, not every character from the Marvel vs. Capcom games is represented here, but collectors can always look to past Marvel Legends releases to fill out their lineup. At this point, even relatively more obscure characters like Marrow and Blackheart have been featured in the Marvel Legends line. The bigger challenge is assembling the Capcom side of the roster. Might we recommend Jada Toys' Street Fighter line when it comes to Ryu, Chun-Li, and the rest of the Street Fighter gang?

Hasbro also showed off their line of The Fantastic Four: First Steps figures, which includes the titular foursome along with Julia Garner's Silver Surfer. Check them out in the slideshow gallery below:

Preorders for The Fantastic Four: First Steps figures will open on the Hasbro Pulse website and other retailers on Friday, May 30 at 10am PT, with the figures slated for release in Summer 2025. Preorders for the Marvel Gamerverse figures will open throughout the month of June, with the figures expected to release in Fall 2025.

Until then, why not check out the many Marvel collectibles available on the IGN Store?

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

Starting today, HP is offering an incredible "Memorial Day deal" on a high-end gaming laptop that's better than any deal we saw on actual Memorial Day. Right now, you can pick up the powerful Omen Max 16 GeForce RTX 5080 Gaming Laptop for just $2,079.99 shipped after you apply a 20% off coupon code "LEVELUP20". The previous lowest price I saw for this exact configuration was $2,700. The RTX 5080 is one of the best mobile GPUs out there, even surpassing the previous generation's top performer, the GeForce RTX 4090.

HP Omen Max 16" RTX 5080 Gaming Laptop for $2,080

Max (soon to be HBO Max again this summer) is home to some incredibly high-quality films and shows, including House of the Dragon, Succession, The Penguin, The White Lotus, and The Last of Us, which just finished season 2. You can read our spoiler-free The Last of Us season 2 review to see our thoughts.

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

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

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

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

Students Get 50% off Max Basic With Ads

Today’s deals roundup is stacked with Pokémon TCG bundles, MTG Final Fantasy preorders, Marvel’s Spider-Man singles, and some great gaming hardware offers. Journey Together Elite Trainer Box just dropped at a record high rip-off price on Amazon, but TCG Player has it for less. Need to snag Destined Rivals singles for your collection or fancy a great deal on the Slashing Legends Tin at Walmart? There’s a little bit of everything for collectors and players. Plus, there’s a fresh DOOM The Dark Ages limited-edition art print and medallion from the IGN Store for hardcore fans of the franchise.

TL;DR: Deals For Today

For gamers, the Badass Brawlers Bundle on Humble packs a punch with seven brawler games for just $16, while Amazon’s offering the Apple iPad 11-inch with A16 chip at a solid discount. Meanwhile, SteelSeries has some killer deals on gaming headsets, keyboards, and micei ncluding the Arctis Nova Pro Wireless and the New Apex 9 TKL.

Journey Together ETB Cheapest At TCG Player

Big box retailers such as Amazon are nickel and diming TCG fans at the minute, and the secondary market is showing them up. Let's be clear, even market values are usually above MSRP, but it's the price people are willing to pay for a product you can't otherwise find in stores. Case in point, Amazon just restocked the Journey Together Elite Trainer Box at a massive $22 over market value at $93.67. Never assume prices are correct; do your homework (or let me do it for you).

Slashing Legends Tin In Stock At Walmart

Destined Rivals Single Cards Are Available Right Now

If you'd like to pay for sealed product in this climate to rip open boosters and find your chase card, go mad and have a blast. But if you'd like to save some money long term and guarantee that chase card, TCG Player has Destined Rivals single cards available in their presale before they set officially releases on Friday. Looking for the best market values on Destined Rivals sealed products? Here you go:

Pokémon TCG Stock Update

Long story short; things are looking bleak at retail for Pokémon TCG right now. Almost everything is way above MSRP and seems to becoming the new normal for big box retailers. I could write a whole article and why this is and what should be done to stop this practice, but here we are. If you have your heart set on opening booster packs, have at it, but you might want to check out the sections below to save money.

TCG Player Has The Same Products For Less

TCG Player and the Pokémon TCG secondary collectors market is significantly cheaper than big box retailers at the time of writing. This will likely be the case unless you can secure preorders on new sets such as Destined Rivals, Black Bolt and White Flare. Make no mistake products are still over MSRP, but If small businesses can undercut large retailers on TCG Player, there's something fundamentally broken in the supplier-distributor-retail chain.

This Weeks Pokémon TCG Crashers and Climbers

The Single Pokémon TCG market on the other hand is going through a grand reset right now, which is down to a few factors. The crypto bro mentally to reselling products is dying down a little and more product is becoming available thanks to reprints. We're not out of the woods yet by any means, but this weeks Crashers and Climbers show recent cards going down in price and cards from the X and Y era shooting up in value. We're 100% moving in the right direction.

MTG Marvel's Spider-Man Preorders

Whilst there's only the Play Booster Box and Scene Bundle for MTG: Marvel's Spider-Man live on Amazon right now, TCG Player has every sealed product that will hit the market on launch day. I've even found some pricing on cases of sealed product for those looking to rip open a tonne of boosters, so get on it before the market value on these products shoot up.

MTG Spider-Man Single Cards

Unfortunatley there's no listings for Spider-Man single cards right now considering we're a few months out from release, but I've managed to round up the listings for cards currently sitting on TCG Player waiting for presale allocations, so keep your eyes peeled.

MTG Final Fantasy Bundle Walmart Preorder

SteelSeries Sale

Amazon has a solid sale going on right now for a bunch of SteelSeries gear, and if you’ve been waiting for a good excuse to upgrade your gaming setup, this is it. You can grab essentials like the SteelSeries New Apex 9 TKL, which is down to $109.99, or go all-in with the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless Multi-System Gaming Headset, which is $269.99 right now (23% off). For Xbox and PC gamers, the Arctis Nova 5X is also a solid pick at $122.99. And if you’re looking to upgrade your audio setup, the SteelSeries Alias USB Mic for PC is a steal at $107.27. Whether you’re after a sleek new keyboard, a high-end headset, or a pro-level mic, these deals are worth a look before they’re gone.

Badass Brawlers Bundle

Apple iPad 11-inch: A16 chip

DOOM: The Dark Ages Saw Shield Medallion and Art Card

DOOM The Dark Ages Limited Edition A3 Art Print

Team 17 Chains of Command Bundle

Lossless Scaling

UGREEN USB C to USB Adapter 4 Pack

Fallout Pip-Boy

Cable Zip Ties 400 Pack

INIU 45W Power Bank

Javascript, Scripting And Web Development Book Bundle

Peacock TV

Expedition 33 Merch

The Fantastic Four: First Steps is easily one of the most highly anticipated films of the year — and now we know exactly how much time we’ll get to spend immersed in that world.

The film’s runtime, two hours and 10 minutes, was just released by AMC Theaters via its ticketing website. That makes The Fantastic Four: First Steps the longest MCU film since 2023's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, which clocked in at two hours and 30 minutes.

Earlier this month, Thunderbolts* hit theaters with a two hour and six minute runtime. In February, Captain America: Brave New World was released with an hour and 58 minute runtime. Deadpool and Wolverine, which was released last year, clocked in at two hours and eight minutes, and 2023's The Marvels is the shortest of these new releases at only an hour and 45 minutes. Needless to say, it’s exciting that we’ll be getting so much time with this brand new crew and really get a chance to get to know them.

Fans seem to feel similarly. “Works for me,” one Redditor commented on a post in the r/MarvelStudiosSpoilers subreddit. “Same here,” another fan replied. “LET’S GO finally a good length!” one user gushed in the comments, while another wrote, “My body is ready.”

One Redditor specifically pointed out some of the MCU hits that have shared First Steps’ length. “Thor Ragnarök, Far From Home, Iron Man 3, and Shang-Chi had the same runtime,” they wrote on the post. “That runtime for F4 sounds really good.”

The Fantastic Four: First Steps stars Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bacharach, and Ralph Ineson. The film is directed by Matt Shakman from a script by Jeff Kaplan and Ian Springer, Josh Friedman, Cameron Squires, Eric Pearson, and Peter Cameron.

Last week, we got our best look yet at the film's version of Galactus, as played by Ralph Ineson, via a Snapple promo that leaked the character's design. That followed a revealing Funko Pop! spoiler for The Fantastic Four: First Steps.

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

The battle for Super Earth is raging on in Helldivers 2, as players fight to hold back the invading Illuminate fleet. A new controversy surrounding the invasion, though, has led to some frustration and a fresh flood of negative reviews.

To set the stage, the latest update for Helldivers 2 — Heart of Democracy — brought months and months of storyline building to fruition. The Meridian Singularity, a black hole formed during an operation against Terminids, had been flung towards Super Earth as the tip of the spear for an Illuminate invasion. The "Great Host" fleet flooded through the now-wormhole and onto Super Earth, turning the planet into a battlefield.

In the days since the update went live, players have fought to hold the various Mega Cities of Super Earth, which correspond to major cities in real-life. York Supreme, for example, corresponds roughly to New York, and Remembrance to Buenos Aires. As the invasion has continued, more and more cities have fallen; as of this writing, only Equality-On-Sea (Shanghai) and Super Earth's capital, Prosperity City (Stockholm) remain standing.

As the invasion has approached what feels like endgame, a lot has happened. Helldivers players tend to "get into character" and play up the Major Orders, rallying behind different causes and calls to try and beat each new challenge that developer Arrowhead lobs at them. Some, for example, stopped playing matches on Super Earth to contribute to a new effort in another sector against the Automaton forces, which ultimately brought the DSS — a massive military orbital space station — back to Super Earth to assist with the defensive efforts.

With the Illuminate gaining ground and taking Mega Cities, efforts rallied behind Equality-On-Sea to make a last stand. Amid all this, there was a sense of comradery extended across nations; as more players dropped in to raise Equality-On-Sea's percentage and hold it against the Great Host, memes and support flooded in. Even as the Illuminate focused efforts on the city, players held out and kept diving.

It's all been fairly heartwarming and exciting stuff, the sort of emergent story that Helldivers 2 is quite capable of forging in its greatest moments; where developer storylines, player investment, and community efforts result in some really brilliant moments of cooperative war theater.

But Equality-On-Sea never hit 100%. From here, the situation gets a little more complex, and a lot rougher.

While players made a concerted effort to hold Equality-On-Sea against the continued onslaught, the current arc closed with the cities' percentage meter at 99.9783% (keep that number in mind). Most Major Orders and operations in Helldivers are about completion, a binary success-or-failure state. As some have pointed out, though, there might have been confusion about what the percentage meter meant in the defense of Super Earth. Rather than "liberating" a city and re-taking it, players are holding it. So it stands to reason that Helldivers might not be able to "100%" the defense, because the Illuminate are continuing to invade.

This, alongside theories that the war is narrowing down to an ultimate showdown in Super Earth's capital of Prosperity City, seems to be the main driver behind a new influx of negative reviews on Steam. As of this writing, roughly 2,312 negative reviews of Helldivers have been submitted to Steam in the last 24 hours compared to 324 positive.

Many of the negative reviews are in Chinese, and while the machine translation doesn't seem accurate enough to quote, there are some recurring points one can easily glean: frustration over driving the narrative, the perception of a thumb on the scale from Arrowhead, and repeat mentions of "99.9783%."

#Helldivers2 | #Helldivers

Here we go again! pic.twitter.com/z86PuaKvKd

— Helldivers NOW (@Helldivers_NOW) May 29, 2025

Now, it's important to keep this all in context. Yes, there is a fresh round of negative reviews on the game, and it's obviously a larger amount than the average trickle of reviews. It also still, at this moment, pales in comparison to the more-infamous review-bombing of Helldivers 2 from May 2024, where thousands upon thousands of negative reviews flooded in over PSN requirements.

Players are, broadly, understandably frustrated. This should be a peak in Helldivers 2 history, as both the culmination of a long-running storyline and one of the cooler in-game moments Arrowhead has concocted. I've spent some time diving on Super Earth, and it's really an incredible feat. Arrowhead has nailed the feeling of holding out in these Mega Cities as massive, terrifying Illuminate forces rampage through, causing wanton destruction.

And because so much of this is all tied into national identity, the previous sense of international comradery has been tainted a bit too. Even as players, mods, and fan accounts have urged players to not get caught up in the controversy, it has put a tinge of a bad taste on this otherwise incredible moment.

As of this writing, Helldivers are still holding out across the Mega Cities of Equality-On-Sea and Prosperity City, with the former holding the higher percentage. It looks like the battle for Super Earth is entering its final phase, and the current order is simple: Hold Super Earth. Hopefully players can still hold out, seize victory, and celebrate the good in all this.

Eric is a freelance writer for IGN.

Yesterday, EA announced it would be shutting down Cliffhanger Games and canceling the studio's project, Black Panther. But both EA and Marvel are adamant that this changes nothing for the partnership between the two companies, which will still be developing at least three games together, beginning with Iron Man.

Back in 2023, Marvel and EA signed a deal for three games, one of which was the in-progress Iron Man game being developed at Motive Studio, with a second being Cliffhanger's Black Panther. The third game has yet to be revealed. The cancelation of Black Panther prompted questions as to the status of this collaboration, but both EA and Marvel have since provided statements to IGN asserting that the three-game deal is still in place, with Motive Studio taking the lead.

"Our partnership with Marvel remains strong and our multi-title, long-term collaboration continues," reads a statement sent to IGN by EA attributed to EA Entertainment president Laura Miele. A Marvel spokesperson also sent the following statement:

"The multi-title, long-term relationship between Marvel Games and EA, a creative collaboration focused on original storytelling with various, beloved Marvel characters, remains strong. Development of our console and PC titles, beginning with Marvel's Iron Man, is led by Motive Studios."

When asked if this meant there were still at least three games total in the works, the Marvel spokesperson confirmed this was the case.

This collaboration is continuing in spite of EA president Andrew Wilson's expressed desire for the company to move "away from development of future licensed IP that we do not believe will be successful in our changing industry," suggesting that the publisher still believes Marvel IP games can be successful. A number of Marvel games remain in development industry-wide, including Skydance's Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra, Insomniac's Wolverine, and Arkane Lyon's Blade.

Black Panther is the third known game EA has canceled this year, following the shuttering of two incubation projects. The company has cut hundreds of jobs both this year and last, while simultaneously increasing its overall headcount as it staffs up on other teams working on games such as Battlefield. It also implemented a mandatory return to office mandate earlier this year.

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

With so many great games coming down the pipeline, now's a great time to hop on the Xbox Game Pass bandwagon. If some titles joining the catalog this year have caught your eye and you're itching to join in on the fun, you can choose between one or three month Game Pass Ultimate membership options at Amazon. Unfortunately, there aren't any discount deals available at the moment, but we'll update this when a new one drops.

You can learn more about options for signing up, what's coming soon to Game Pass this month, and the big releases still to come below.

Navigate to:

• Best Xbox Game Pass Deals
• What's Coming Soon to Xbox Game Pass?
• What Games Are Leaving Xbox Game Pass?
• Biggest Games Releasing on Xbox Game Pass

Best Xbox Game Pass Deals

IGN Live is almost here! The epic in-person event returns to Los Angeles June 7-8. It all goes down LIVE at the Magic Box @ The Reef in Downtown LA. With tons of exclusive reveals, celebrity panels, playable games, demos, trailers, giveaways, and more, IGN Live is back bigger and better than ever.

Tickets are on sale now, so don’t miss your chance to join in the fun.

Check out the full event schedule below and keep coming back between now and June 7 for additional reveals, updates, and more info about the event.

Please note that the schedule below is for the in-person event. IGN Live will also be streaming across IGN platforms. The streaming / broadcast schedule will be revealed soon.

IGN Live 2025 Show Floor Hours:

Saturday, June 7: 9:00am - 5:00pm PDT

Sunday, June 8: 9:00am - 5:00pm PDT

IGN Live is taking over the Magic Box with two whole floors dedicated to fun for fans of all ages. With 3 separate stages, each floor of the Magic Box venue, will feature different showcases and segments throughout the weekend.

IGN Live Schedule for Saturday, June 7:

• Main Stage Schedule (1st Floor)
• Spotlight Stage Schedule (1st Floor)
• IGN Theater Schedule (2nd Floor)
• In-Person Activations

Main Stage Schedule (1st Floor)

Throughout the day, the IGN Live Main Stage will feature trailers and sneak peeks of some of the biggest upcoming games, movies, and TV shows including:

• Jurassic World Rebirth
• Nyaight of the Living Cat
• Revival
• Heads of State
• Murderbot
• How to Train Your Dragon
• Star Trek Strange New Worlds
• Together
• Long Way Home
• Underdogs
• The Home
• The Old Guard 2
• The Life of Chuck
• 40 Acres
• Poker Face
• Screamer
• Rushing Beat X: Return Of Brawl Brothers
• Tamashika
• Wander Stars
• Shinobi: Art of Vengeance
• Cloudheim
• Plus some new unannounced games!

10:10am

• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
  • Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is headed to IGN Live. Some of the cast will be on hand for a special panel celebrating the massively popular game!

10:30am

• Daggerheart
  • Critical Role Co-Founder, Chief Creative Officer, and Cast Member will be on hand to show off his brand new tabletop RPG.

10:50am

• ARK
  • Join us for a special panel looking at new updates from the world of ARK.

11:50am

• Squid Game
  • Catch a special pre-recorded interview with the cast and creator of the popular Netflix series along with a brand new exclusive clip from Season 3.

1:25pm

• M3GAN 2.0
  • Director Gerard Johnstone and Producer James Wan give us a sneak pick of the upcoming horror sequel.

1:40pm

• Live Episode of Podcast Beyond!
  

2:30pm

• Criminal Minds: Evolution
  • Stars Joe Mantegna, Aisha Tyler, Zach Gilford, and showrunner Erica Messer will make a special appearance and share a sneak peek at an upcoming episode.

3:00pm

• Daemon X Machina Titanic Scion

3:25pm

• MindsEye

4:15pm

• Live Episode of NVC!

Spotlight Stage Schedule (1st Floor)

10am

• Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds
  • Takashi Iizuka, Head of Sonic Team will be at IGN Live to talk all things Sonic Racing: Crossworlds!

10:30am

• Rick and Morty
  • Adult Swim's Rick and Morty is coming to IGN Live! Voice actors Ian Cardoni and Harry Belden will be on-hand for an exclusive interview about Season 8.

1:15pm

• Resident Alien
  • Catch a special interview featuring Resident Alien's Alan Tudyk and showrunner, Chris Sheridan along with an exclusive sneak peek at an upcoming episode.

1:50pm

• Sword of the Sea

2:45pm

• Devs React to Speedruns with Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
  • Presented by 5-hour Energy, IGN Live will feature a very special speedrun featuring live reactions from the team behind Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.

IGN Theater Schedule (2nd Floor)

10:20am

• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
  • Catch a very special sneak peek at an upcoming project from the team behind the popular game along with a conversation with the voice cast.

11:00AM

• Critical Role 10th Anniversary Panel
  • Join the cast of Critical Role for a special panel celebrating their 10th anniversary.

11:50am

• Killing Floor 3
  • A special Dev Diary with Killing Floor 3's Creative Director, Bryan Wynia, diving into the newest installment in the iconic co-op action horror series!

12:30pm

• The Old Guard Screening
  • Come hang out with us at IGN Live for a screening of Netflix's The Old Guard, along with a special message from Charlize Theron!

3:00pm

• Norse: Oath of Blood
  • Check out a special rewind discussion with the game’s developers.

3:45pm

• Queer Horror Corner
  • Margaret Cho, Nicole Maines and Michael Varrati join IGN for a special Pride Panel, Queer Horror Corner to celebrate LGBTQIA+ voices and talent in the film industry and beyond. Plus, get a sneak peek of Margaret Cho's character in her upcoming horror-comedy film, Queens of the Dead!

IGN Live Schedule for Sunday, June 8:

• Main Stage Schedule (1st Floor)
• Spotlight Stage Schedule (1st Floor)
• IGN Theater Schedule (2nd Floor)
• In-Person Activations

Main Stage Schedule (1st Floor)

Throughout the day, the IGN Live Main Stage will feature trailers and sneak peeks of some of the biggest upcoming games, movies, and TV shows including:

• Ready or Not
• Ra Ra Boom
• Renown
• DeadZone Rogue
• King of Meat
• Animalkind
• 1000 Deaths
• Haunted Paws
• Gimmiko
• Equinox Homecoming
• Anno 117: Pax Romana
• We Will Be Gods
• Eriksholm The Stolen Dream
• He Is Coming
• Over The Hill
• Cronos: The New Dawn
• Grime II
• Prison of Husks
• Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Hinokami Chronicles 2
• Total Chaos
• The Last Caretaker
• SpaceCraft
• Escape from Duckov
• FEROCIOUS
• And some very special unannounced games!

9:30am

• Xbox Showcase Pre-Show

10:25am

• Twisted Metal Season 2 Interview and clip
  • Season 2 of the hit Peacock show is coming soon. Join Showrunner Michael Jonathan Smith as he gives us a sneak peek of an upcoming episode.

10:50am

• Xbox Developer Interviews
  • Part 2 of our conversation with Xbox devs and studio heads who will break down all of the big games featured in the June 8 Xbox showcase.

11:15am

• Magic the Gathering
  • Join Zakeel Gordon (Executive Producer) and Gavin Verhey (Principal Designer) as they dive deep into the game’s upcoming Final Fantasy crossover.

12:00pm

• Live Episode of Podcast Unlocked

2:30pm

• FBC: Firebreak
  • We sit down with Mike Kayatta, Game Director of FBC: Firebreak to help us get ready to return to the Oldest House!

2:50pm

• Xbox Developer Interviews
  • Join us for Part 2 of our conversation with Xbox devs and studio heads who will break down all of the big games featured in the June 8 Xbox showcase.

3:15pm

• UP@Noon with McFarlane Toys
  • Join the team from McFarlane as they show off some of their upcoming exclusive collectibles.

3:40pm

• Live Episode of Game Scoop: Game of the Year Watch

Spotlight Stage Schedule (1st Floor)

10:30am

• Xbox Developer Chat
  • Catch even more Xbox on our spotlight stage as we break down one of the big titles featured in the Xbox Summer Showcase.

11:30am

• Gwent: The Legendary Card Game
  • No Loading Games tells us all about their upcoming game inspired by the iconic mini-game from The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.

1:30pm

• MechWest Interview
  • IGN Live presents an in-depth interview with the team behind the popular YouTube animated series.

2:00pm

• Rainbow Six Siege

2:25pm

• Blade and Soul Heroes

2:50pm

• Hela

3:20pm

• ID@Xbox
  • ID@Xbox will present a special panel at IGN Live on their approach to empowering independent developers through programs like Indie Selects.

IGN Theater Schedule (2nd Floor)

10:00am

• Xbox Showcase Watch Party
  • One of the biggest showcases of the year is going down June 8 and IGN Live has you covered. We’ll be screening all the big announcements from the Xbox Summer Showcase live!,

12:15pm

• MechWest Screening
  • Catch a special screening from a recent episode of the popular animated series along with a sneak peek of the next installment.

12:45pm

• Underdogs Screening
  • Catch an exclusive screening of the first episode of Ryan Reynold’s new Nat Geo docuseries Underdogs.

1:55pm

• The Last of Us
  • The Last of Us Season 2 is about to wrap and the team behind the show will be at IGN Live to celebrate. Catch Neil Druckmann, Craig Mazin, and many of the talented craftspeople who built the hit HBO series June 8 at the event.

2:40pm

• How AI Could Change the Way Games Are Made
  • A special panel presented by GamesIndustry.biz diving deep into the future of AI in gaming.

3:25pm

• IDW Comics
  • IDW will be at IGN Live with an in-depth conversation with creators of some of the year's biggest comics and graphic novels including multiple Star Trek franchises, and the smash-hit Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees.

4:00pm

• A Talk with Austin Wintory

Cool Things to Do at IGN Live!

Along with our stage and panel line ups, there’s a lot more to do at IGN Live during the day! From playable gaming stations to photo opps, delicious goodies, incredible artists in our Artist’s Alley and all the IGN merch you could want to get your hands on – we have it all!

Prizes and Giveaways

Last year, IGN Live featured more than 9,000 prizes and giveaways and this year we’re upping the stakes. Throughout the weekend we’ll be giving away more than 20,000 items ranging from t-shirts, hats, and collectibles to gaming peripherals and even consoles!

Playable Games

IGN Live will feature dozens of playable games all weekend long directly from a dedicated gaming hall. From retro classics to upcoming indies, AAA games and unannounced titles, IGN Live will feature a ton of games on PC and console for fans of all ages.

IGN Store

For all your merch needs, check out the IGN Store at IGN Live. Attendees can snag collectible IGN t-shirts, hats, exclusive limited edition items, and toys/ collectibles throughout the weekend.

Artist Alley

Check out (and buy) some amazing work from local artists. New for 2025, the Artist Alley at IGN Live will feature incredible art that you can’t find anywhere else.

Fan Fix

Be an IGN host for the day! Be on camera, read a script, and share your experience across social platforms.

IGN and Ziff Davis ERGs

Be sure to check out special booths from IGN and Ziff Davis showcasing everything offered by various employee resource groups. Plus, chat with IGN employees about what it’s like to work at IGN!

Intel

Come hang out with Intel’s Tech Tesseract team, who will be conducting a live PC build workshop throughout the weekend at the Intel Booth.

ARK

Our friends at Studio WildCard are bringing a special experience to IGN Live that you won’t want to miss highlighting an incredible immersive experience from the world of ARK.

Alien: Earth

Check out a special photo op from the upcoming FX series Alien: Earth.

Stern

Check out some of the latest and greatest pinball machines from Stern, all playable on the floor at IGN Live!

How to Pet Your Cat

Are you a friend of felines? If so, be sure to check out a cool playable activation from the game How to Pet Your Cat.

Arcade 1Up

We’re partnering with our friends at Arcade 1-Up with playable machines featuring classic games all week long at IGN Live.

Child’s Play Charity

We’re partnering with Child’s Play, a charity working with children’s hospitals to provide therapeutic games and technology to improve patients’ lives through play. They’ll have their Ohmnibot Robot on hand for fans to see how patients are able to control it from afar and experience events in person if they can’t physically be there.

5-hour Energy Charging Stations

Charge up at 5-hour energy charging station and sample one of their 4 flavors Rocket Raspberry, Pineapple Charge, Apple Bash, and Ultimate Citrus.

Tons of Snacks!

Snag free samples from Butterfinger, Polar Beverages, Feastables, 5-hour Energy, and Pure Kicks X Forza.

In case you haven't heard, PlayStation's Days of Play sale has kicked off with a wide variety of discounts to enjoy. From consoles to controllers to games, there's so much to look through at the moment. Quite a few accessories have received some nice discounts as well, including the PS5 console covers exclusively on PlayStation Direct. If you've been looking to give your console a shiny new upgrade, now is your chance to do it and save some cash.

The covers discounted in Days of Play are for the slim consoles, the original disc console, and the original digital console. Keep in mind that the Days of Play sale runs to June 11, so if a deal catches your eye you'll want to act fast to pick it up.

Days of Play 2025: PS5 Slim Console Cover Deals

When it comes to the console covers for the slim version of the PS5, it's important to remember that they fit both the disc and digital versions, as they include both panels. So no matter which color you choose from the sale it'll fit with your chosen slim console.

Days of Play 2025: PS5 (Original) Disc Edition Console Cover Deals

• PS5 (Original) Digital Edition Console Cover Deals - $39.99 (was $54.99)

These console cover deals just scratch the surface of what's available during Days of Play, though. In our breakdown of the Days of Play sale, you can see everything that's been discounted this year. This includes the first-ever discount on the PS5 Pro and the brand new PS5 Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 bundle.

If you're curious to see even more PlayStation deals available right now, check out our roundup of the best PS5 deals. Alongside the various console and accessory deals available right now, here you can also see some of the games that have received discounts during the sale event, including Helldivers 2, Astro Bot, and so many more.

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

2025 is definitely the year of the Toxic Avenger. The long-awaited movie reboot starring Peter Dinklage is finally hitting theaters in September, and the Toxic Crusaders beat-em-up game is slated for release in Q2 2025. Not to be outdone, AHOY Comics is in the midst of "Toxic Mess Summer," as Toxie teams up with heroes from across the AHOY Universe.

IGN can exclusively reveal that AHOY will follow up Toxie Team-Up with a Toxic Crusaders series, one that, like the game, aims to capitalize on the nostalgia surrounding the classic animated series. Check out the Retroware game variant cover to Toxic Crusaders #1 below:

Hulu has been around for a while and, for our money, it's one of the absolute best streaming services available. From great movies like Anatomy of a Fall and Prey to excellent television series like the Golden Globe-winning Shogun, Abbott Elementary, and The Handmaid's Tale there is always something awesome to watch. We've also got the highly-anticipated Alien: Earth series on our radar this year, which premieres its first two episodes on August 12 on Hulu at 8pm ET, and on FX and Disney+ at 8pm PT / ET.

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

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

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

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

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

Hulu subscription tiers

Hulu: Bundle to Best

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

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

What can you watch on Hulu?

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

Here's what you get:

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

Hulu television

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

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

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

The future of Hulu

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

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

Original story from Brian Barnett.

It’s been a while, but Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning director Christopher McQuarrie is still a little raw about his now-legendary Superman pitch. The filmmaker, who is perhaps best known for his work in the M:I franchise as well as writing 1995’s The Usual Suspects and directing 2022’s Top Gun: Maverick, opened up about what his post-Man of Steel pitch was. Well, somewhat.

“I’ll never tell. But boy, it was f—king good. Green Lantern is what had come to me. Green Lantern’s a tough one. The power is very challenging,” McQuarrie told Josh Horowitz in a recent interview for his podcast Happy Sad Confused.

“And I cracked it, and it was fun. And watching him learn how to use that power — and giving that power a flaw, so it was not just pure invincibility... The whole concept of Green Lantern is the ring has to be recharged. That’s not a bug, that’s a feature. ‘Yes, you have infinite power, but you only have so much battery life.’ That can run out at inconvenient times. That, for me, solved the whole Green Lantern problem.”

McQuarrie then joked, “The costume is another thing. And you can figure that out.”

Ultimately, though, the writer-director is all about coming at the story through the lens of pure character development.

“Here’s the thing. I look at any superhero, and growing up if you had told me that there would ever be a Captain America or Thor that did not have me laughing hysterically at the character. And that is proof, just check your certainty man,” he explained during the chat.

“When you dismiss an idea, you’re not dismissing my idea, you’re dismissing yours. You’re dismissing your concept of it, the same way I was dismissing mine. So I realized, don’t worry about the costume, worry about the character, and how do you give that character tension and stakes and also how do you do it with Superman.”

McQuarrie went on to reveal that Henry Cavill, who was DC’s Superman at the time, had a take on that concept and it opened up McQuarrie’s eyes on what a Man of Steel sequel could be. “I suddenly realized how these two characters had amazing similarities,” he told Horowitz. “Which also allowed for amazing conflict and an amazing universe-expanding resolution.”

The filmmaker even gave a bit of insight on what the opening of the film might’ve looked like. “I will tell you, the first five minutes of my Superman movie, which was — imagine Pixar’s Up, a sequence with no dialogue that covered that character’s [story],” McQuarrie set the scene.

“The first five minutes of the movie was a set-up after which you knew exactly what made Superman tick and exactly what Superman was most afraid of and why Superman made the choices he made. And it would’ve been epic, in five minutes the scale of the movie would’ve been absolutely extraordinary.”

McQuarrie is definitely a superhero diehard, but he still has not directed a feature in either the MCU or DCU. That said, he supposedly did some uncredited writing work on 1997’s Batman & Robin, as well as 2000’s X-Men, so he’s not a complete newbie to the world of comic heroes. If only we could’ve seen his take on the man of steel himself.

James Gunn's rebooted DCU is of course going in an entirely different direction with this July's Superman movie.

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

Each year, Sony runs a big sale on all things PlayStation. It’s called the Days of Play Sale, and it drops prices on everything from PS5 consoles and controllers to games, accessories, and even PlayStation Plus. It’s one of the best times of year to buy any PS5 item you’ve had your eye on. If you’ve missed out on some of the biggest PS5 games in recent years, now is a great time to pick them up. You can find discounts on nearly every first-party PS5 game. Let’s take a look.

PS5 Game Deals in Days of Play Sale

There really isn’t a better time to buy a PS5 console exclusive game than now. You can get most of the heavy hitters on sale for $29.99. That includes The Last of Us Part I and The Last of Us Part II Remastered, which are both terrific games fully remastered for the PS5. Playing them will also give you juicy spoilers on what’s to come in the third and fourth(?) seasons of the HBO show.

Also on sale for $29.99 are God of War Ragnarok and Demon’s Souls, two terrific – though very different – action games. Fans of cartoonish platformers can pick up Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart and 2024 Game Awards Game of the Year Astro Bot on sale. Both Horizon games are discounted, as is Helldivers 2, the runaway hit from earlier this year. Until Dawn is a delightful horror romp that was made into a movie recently. The Spider-Mans are on sale. So it Ghost of Tsushima, which has a sequel due later this year called Ghost of Yotei.

There are a lot more deals than that as well. Again, this is the time to buy any games you’ve had an eye on, because they won’t likely dip this low again until possibly Prime Day, or maybe even Black Friday.

More PlayStation Days of Play 2025 Deals

While you’re at it, take a look at the deals on the PS5 DualSense Edge controller and PS5 consoles. If you’re more of a standard controller player, you can save money on a whole rainbow of PS5 DualSense controller colors as well. And for those willing to venture into other realities, you can save $50 off the PSVR 2 Horizon Call of the Mountain bundle.

Chris Reed is a commerce editor and deals expert for IGN. He also runs IGN's board game and LEGO coverage. You can follow him on Bluesky.

Homelander actor Antony Starr has spoken of his surprise at the glorification of the supervillain character by some The Boys fans, calling it “surreal.”

The Boys began in 2019 and was an instant smash hit for Prime Video, with its super gory action and dark humor delivering a standout satire of the superhero movies and TV shows of our time. It’s based on the comic book of the same name by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, and follows the eponymous team of vigilantes who work to bring down a group of supervillains led by an anti-Superman character called Homelander.

Homelander is a demented despot who rules The Seven with an iron fist. The other supes on the team live in fear of Homelander, whose overpowered abilities give him carte blanche to do whatever he wants, whenever he wants — and no-one is brave enough to stand up to him.

Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Starr said he had to knock down fans glorifying Homelander on social media.

"We had a bunch of guys that we all kind of knocked them down a little but on social media to say, 'This guy is not the hero of any story.' " Starr said. "They were really glorifying him, they loved him. Which is surreal."

Starr added that he was surprised to find some The Boys fans siding with Homelander, given the outrageously evil actions he takes in the show.

"What I didn't expect was that people would be so conflicted around it and, you know, finding themselves finding empathy for this monster."

Starr’s comments echo those The Boys showrunner Eric Kripke issued last year ahead of The Boys' Season 4 premiere. Kripke responded to fans saying Homelander is a hero and criticism about the show going “woke” in its latest seasons in one fell swoop.

“Anyone who wants to call the show 'woke' or whatever, that’s OK. Go watch something else. But I’m certainly not going to pull any punches or apologize for what we’re doing," Kripke said.

"Some people who watch it think Homelander is the hero. What do you say to that? The show’s many things. Subtle isn’t one of them. So if that’s the message you’re getting from it, I just throw up my hands.”

When asked whether the showrunners always intended to parallel U.S. President Donald Trump’s presidential race via Homelander’s authoritarian rise to power, Kripe responded that Homelander was designed be an authoritarian proxy for Trump.

“When Seth [Rogen] and Evan [Goldberg] and I took it out to pitch, it was 2016. We just wanted to do a very realistic version of a superhero show, one where superheroes are celebrities behaving badly. Trump was the, ‘He’s not really getting the nomination, is he?’ guy. When he got elected, we had a metaphor that said more about the current world,” Kripke explained.

“Suddenly, we were telling a story about the intersection of celebrity and authoritarianism and how social media and entertainment are used to sell fascism. We’re right in the eye of the storm. And once we realized that, I just felt an obligation to run in that direction as far as we could.”

The Boys TV series ends with Season 5, which is currently in production.

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.

Ahead of the launch of Elden Ring Nightreign, developer FromSoftware has warned PC gamers that they may experience framerate drops if they’re using "the latest graphics cards."

In a vague note to fans included with Elden Ring Nightreigh’s day-one patch notes, FromSoftware said it was investigating the cause, and suggested those affected drop the graphics settings down from the default "High" to "Medium" or "Low" and lowering the screen resolution, as well as installing the latest drivers for your graphics card.

Here’s the statement:

We have confirmed that some PC configurations using the latest graphics cards may experience framerate drops. We are currently investigating the cause. In the meantime, If you experience significant framerate drops, you may be able to resolve it by setting the graphics settings from the default "High" to "Medium" or "Low" and lowering the screen resolution, as well as installing the latest drivers for your graphics card.

FromSoftware also issued troubleshooting advice for the PC version, suggesting those who run into issues verify the integrity of the game files:

Troubleshooting for the PC version of Elden Ring Nightreign:

- If issues such as being unable to start the game occur on the PC version, they can sometimes be resolved by performing the following steps in Steam:

Go to "Library" > right-click on "ELDEN RING NIGHTREIGN" > select "Properties" > select "Installed Files" > and execute "Verify Integrity of Game Files."

The multiplayer spin-off is set to go live on May 29 or May 30, depending on your timezone. Check out the Elden Ring Nightreign global release times for more.

In IGN's recent interview with Elden Ring Nightreign director Junya Ishizaki, the development lead discussed the choice to lean on solos and trios as the core experience options. When asked why there's no option for a pair of players to drop in together without a matchmade third player, Ishizaki said it was overlooked.

"The simple answer is that this is simply something that was overlooked during development as just a two-player option, so we're very sorry about that," said Ishizaki. "As we said before, we set out to make this a multiplayer co-op game for three players, balanced for three players, so that was the main focus and it's at the core of Nightreign.

"Of course, I myself as a player understand that and often want times where I'm just playing myself, so this is something that we considered from the start," Ishizaki continued. "And so we did put a lot of effort into creating this experience that was playable for solo players in as much as the rules and new systems allowed. So in putting all our efforts into that aspect, we kind of overlooked and neglected the duos aspect, but this is something that we are looking at and considering for post-launch support as well."

So if you're playing with just your favorite duos partner, be ready to accept a random third into your lives. Who knows? You might match up with someone pretty good at the game.

Check out these crucial Elden Ring Nightreign tips and tricks we put together from the network test — and keep an eye on the IGN Nightreign wiki for plenty more guides when the game launches.

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.

Bandai is opening a new museum dedicated to its Mobile Suit Gundam plastic model kits on September 2, 2025 in Shizuoka, Japan. The museum will not only allow visitors to learn about everything Gunpla, but they will also be able to watch them being made in the factory, and even try their hand at designing their very own Gunpla model kit to take home. Also — good news for non-Japanese speakers — museum displays and guidance will also be in English.

Bandai has been making Gundam plastic models, or Gunpla, since the 1980s. Gunplas are model kits of mecha from the long-running Gundam anime series. They are shipped in a grid of plastic runners that hold all the pieces together. Cutting away the excess plastic, the builder assembles their Gundam by snapping the parts together.

With the enduring popularity of Mobile Suit Gundam and its various anime series, the demand for Gunpla models has soared in recent years, with 50% of sales coming from outside Japan, according to The Nikkei. To address this increase, Bandai is opening a new Gunpla factory at Bandai Hobby Center in Shizuoka, Japan. The new museum will occupy the second and third floors of the factory.

As I’m sure you’re aware, the Nintendo Switch 2 is upon us. So, with a brand new console on the horizon, what better time to look back at some of the legendary publisher’s greatest games?

For decades, Nintendo has given us some of the most famous and best-selling game series ever made, but here, I’ve picked out 18 of the most well-known ones to sort through. Yes, this list could stretch into the 100s, but we don’t want to be here all day, do we? From Super Mario to Zelda, we all have our favourites, and some (sorry Kirby) that we’ve just never quite clicked with. I’ve had a go at ranking them via one of our IGN Tier Lists, purely taking into account my personal enjoyment of each series over the years. Take a look at my tier list here:

Streaming Wars is a weekly opinion column by IGN’s Streaming Editor, Amelia Emberwing. Check out the last entry No, Netflix Isn't Saving Hollywood (But It Isn't Killing It, Either)

This column contains spoilers for Season 2 of The Last of Us on HBO Max as well as The Last of Us Part II game.

When Joel was brutally killed in the second episode of HBO’s The Last of Us Season 2, it confirmed what many fans of the games expected was coming. But as the season progressed after that point, Joel’s death came and went without any significance. Replacing it was, for me, a certainty: what was a controversial decision for the The Last of Us game franchise would prove to be a killing blow for the television series.

Now, I realize that an adaptation fundamentally deviating from its source material can be polarizing in and of itself, but the HBO series simply did not need to kill Joel to successfully tell its story.

First and foremost, I think it’s important to note that there’s a reason that this column is being written at the end of the season rather than immediately after Joel’s (Pedro Pascal) death in Episode 2. I did want to be wrong, for whatever that sentiment might be worth. I dutifully watched the rest of the season, hoping that the show’s writers would find a way to reset their story and carry on their narrative in any kind of meaningful way. But, despite the best efforts of Bella Ramsey and newcomers Isabela Merced, Kaitlyn Dever and Young Mazino, there’s little to be done when your blockbuster show’s first season was fully reliant on a relationship that no longer exists. The show’s audience — which is made up of plenty of folks who have never played the games — signed up for a series that no longer exists.

The Last Of Us Series Messes With Canon, But the Wrong Parts

The Last of Us has implemented a series of story elements that deviate from the game, and vary in impact, but have broadly served the medium shift. Bill (Nick Offerman) and Frank’s (Murray Bartlet) Season 1 episode wasn’t just the best of the series, it was one of the best episodes of television that year, it hasn’t mattered at all that Dever’s Abby isn’t jacked the way she is in the game, Season 1 had tendrils instead of spores, Stalkers play more of a role in the series than they did during gameplay, etc.

But the Big Joel Death Scene™ features both 1:1 scenes and major canon divergence, and the core problem with the majority of Season 2 is that the series stayed loyal where it shouldn’t have and diverted where it should have remained true to story. In killing Joel and revealing Abby’s motives from the start, The Last of Us series removed any reason for the audience to return in Season 3.

In the game, players stuck around when it came time to play Abby because they needed to know why the hell she did what she did. By the time that information is revealed, Abby had become interesting enough for people to keep playing. In the series, since Abby’s motivations were revealed pretty much in the series premiere, all viewers have to look forward to now is wondering who’s going to shoot who or who is going to forgive who first. And, with respect to what I know is a long adored franchise, I’m forced to ask why should the television audience care?

The series either needed to keep Joel alive, choosing to have Abby beat him within an inch of his life and have Ellie believe that he was dead before leaving Jackson on her revenge tour, or leave Abby’s motives a mystery. Joel may have been the inciting incident that made the forgiveness meaningful in the game, but let’s not pretend it’s the only way to get to the desired end result. This series has wildly talented writers attached. It can be done. Meanwhile, while the mystery of Abby’s motivations wouldn’t have been enough to keep me around personally, I can see why it would appeal to a broader television audience. Now though, we’re all stuck in an impending future of no catharsis.

Not One, Not Two, But Three Shows in One [Derogatory]

Ellie spent much of this season insisting she’s not like Abby despite her rising body count and similar obsession. This will remain a throughline for the upcoming season (or seasons, if co-creator Craig Mazin has his way) even though Ellie will continue to make rash decisions on her quest for revenge. All of this will come after Ellie’s current pickle, as we left her with Abby’s gun pointed squarely at her face.

Season 2’s odd “cliffhanger” is another 1:1 pull from the game, as this is the moment where you shift from playing Ellie to playing Abby. This means that we can likely expect the central focus of the series to shift yet again, giving us not one show, not two shows, but a surprise third show.

The thing about these focus and perspective shifts is that they totally could have worked if they had billed The Last of Us as an anthology series with the overall wrap-around (the narrative treatment surrounding the individual stories that ties everything together) being the apocalypse they’re all sharing. But because this was presented as a traditional prestige series, there are rules and expectations as to how the story is meant to play out. Storytelling rules are made to be broken, but Season 2 does not inspire any faith that the rest of The Last of Us series will succeed in doing so.

Television has always played with the death of the mentor. It’s a trope that often offers more meaning than most, forcing the protagonist to finally take said mentor’s lessons to heart or otherwise reckon with the devastation of their loss. The difference here is that there is typically a broader ensemble to rely on to avoid shaking up the core of the series. We get a little bit of that from Season 2 in Merced’s Dina and Manzino’s Jesse, but they aren’t meaningfully established before the core relationship of the series is destroyed. By introducing them later — and then giving us little reason to care about them until after that still — the foundation of the series remains fractured in a way that seems beyond repair. But that fracture was always avoidable.

Season 1 set the expectation for television viewers that this was a show about Joel and Ellie. Season 2 haphazardly shifted that focus to a story about Ellie, Dina and their quest for revenge against Abby. All signs point to Season 3 being told from Abby’s perspective as she rescues defecting Seraphites Lev and Yara three days before murdering Jesse and holding Ellie and Tommy (Gabriel Luna) at gunpoint.

While I cannot stress enough that Kaitlyn Dever is doing great work with the material she has been given, what reason do folks have to stick around at this point? Television viewers with no knowledge of the games aren’t going to buy into the show suddenly being told from the perspective of someone that they’ve been given no reason to care about. I am from the outside looking in when it comes to the game, but it doesn’t seem likely that the WLF vs. Seraphites war was engaging enough to watch a second time in TV form, even with Isaac’s (Jeffrey Wright) expanded involvement in the series. Is there enough interest in seeing Ellie and Abby’s anticlimactic ending to keep viewers already in the know around?

It’s All a Competition

Games as a medium have plenty of hurdles, but they have the benefit of fewer releases than television by a remarkable margin and, whether the audience loves or hates a game, it’s already bought and paid for. The Last of Us Part II may be plenty controversial (all of the best art is!) but a key factor in any television show’s success is giving the audience a reason to return episode after episode. The story format's constantly shifting perspective is a tremendous hurdle in and of itself. Add in The Last of Us’ wildly short seasons, long hiatuses, and Season 2’s lackluster story, and you’ve got yourself one hell of a pickle when it comes to getting fans back for Season 3.

The rest of The Last of Us Part II’s arc is one focused on forgiveness and how being hellbent on revenge tears everything apart. Sometimes the journey on the way to an already well-known ending is worth it for the ride (looking at you, Andor)! But given that The Last of Us Season 2 featured exactly one compelling episode focused on a flashback with its now long-dead protagonist, is that journey worth it? The cast sure is doing their damndest to ensure that’s the case, but will that be enough for the audience?

Season 2’s penultimate episode may have been great, and Neil Druckmann has confirmed that we’ll have more Joel flashbacks to come, but it’s just not a bandaid to the show’s problem. No amount of strong performances or stellar production value can fix a failure to adapt your story to a new medium. Joel ain’t coming back to life and there’s no putting Abby’s reveal back in the proverbial bag. The Season 2 finale was lackluster at best, the rest of the season wasn’t much better, and knowing where the story heads next forces me to wonder if The Last of Us’ best days are behind it.

It’s a dog eat dog world in the land of TV, and people’s time is a zero-sum game. With such high competition and waning interest from viewers, maybe it’s just time to take the show to look at a pretty lake while it rides out its last moments before losing itself to the infection…

Elden Ring Nightreign’s release is just hours away, and publisher Bandai Namco has detailed its day-one patch, which makes some important changes to the game.

Patch 1.01 is out now, Bandai Namco said, with the multiplayer spin-off set to go live on May 29 or May 30, depending on your timezone. Check out the Elden Ring Nightreign global release times for more.

The patch, Bandai Namco said, improves “handling” of playable characters, makes balance adjustments, tweaks text, adds character scenarios, and adds to the soundtrack. There are bug fixes in there, too.

“This update brings gameplay and stability improvements to ensure an optimal experience for your first steps in Limveld,” Bandai Namco said. You’ll know you have the latest version of the game on launch day if you see ‘Ver. 1.01’ displayed on the bottom right of the title screen.

In IGN's recent interview with Elden Ring Nightreign director Junya Ishizaki, the development lead discussed the choice to lean on solos and trios as the core experience options. When asked why there's no option for a pair of players to drop in together without a matchmade third player, Ishizaki said it was overlooked.

"The simple answer is that this is simply something that was overlooked during development as just a two-player option, so we're very sorry about that," said Ishizaki. "As we said before, we set out to make this a multiplayer co-op game for three players, balanced for three players, so that was the main focus and it's at the core of Nightreign.

"Of course, I myself as a player understand that and often want times where I'm just playing myself, so this is something that we considered from the start," Ishizaki continued. "And so we did put a lot of effort into creating this experience that was playable for solo players in as much as the rules and new systems allowed. So in putting all our efforts into that aspect, we kind of overlooked and neglected the duos aspect, but this is something that we are looking at and considering for post-launch support as well."

So if you're playing with just your favorite duos partner, be ready to accept a random third into your lives. Who knows? You might match up with someone pretty good at the game.

Check out these crucial Elden Ring Nightreign tips and tricks we put together from the network test — and keep an eye on the IGN Nightreign wiki for plenty more guides when the game launches.

Elden Ring Nightreign update 1.01 patch notes:

• Improved handling of playable characters
• Soundtrack addition and adjustments
• Text adjustments
• Balance adjustments
• Added character scenarios
• Bug fixes

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.

EA developers have taken to social media to react to the news that its Black Panther game is canceled and its developer Cliffhanger is shutting down.

Little was shown of Black Panther after its announcement in 2023, though we knew it was to be a single-player, action-adventure, open-world game. Black Panther was being developed by the now-closed Cliffhanger Games, which was formed in 2023 with some former developers of the much-loved Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor and headed up by Kevin Stephens.

In an email sent to staff from EA Entertainment president Laura Miele, reviewed by IGN, Miele said that these changes, alongside other recent cancellations and layoffs, are being done to "sharpen our focus and put our creative energy behind the most significant growth opportunities."

Capcom has quietly updated Lost Planet 2 to remove Games for Windows Live (GFWL), essentially eliminating online functionality and previous save data.

It's come as quite a shock to Lost Planet fans on the subreddit, not least because Lost Planet 2 is a multiplayer game. As we wrote in our 2010 review: "At its core it's a potentially great action game and it's very good-looking, but it explains itself so incredibly poorly and has such an awkward structure and poor checkpointing that a lot of the fun is ruined by interminable frustration — not to mention the fact that it's basically unplayable as a single-player game. It has a few genuine standout moments, especially on the rare occasions that everything works in co-op, but they don't balance out the faults."

While losing save data is bad enough, it's that bit at the end — "it's basically unplayable as a single-player game" — that's particularly interesting here, as without GFWL, Lost Planet 2 has lost an essential part of its gameplay.

"The whole selling point of the series is co-op," said one player. "May as well have just deleted the game from Steam at that point," while another asked incredulously: "…they got rid of the online functionality in a game that is intended to be played in online coop?"

GFWL was an online gaming service provided by Microsoft. It integrated features like Xbox achievements, online play, and cross-platform multiplayer, but it's now deprecated, which means players of games that use it either have to make peace with enlongated login times, or wait for the developer to update — which is what gamers are hoping will happen here, although it's hard to say that'll be the case given Lost Planet 2 is 15 years old now.

On the plus side, this shouldn't affect any new players — Lost Planet 2 has been withdrawn from sale, with Capcom leaving a message on the Steam storefront page, saying: "We are aware of an issue that some customers may be experiencing during game installation which is related to Games for Windows LIVE. We are temporarily disabling the purchase option on Steam while we investigate the matter further. We will keep you informed of the progress of the investigation. Thank you for your patience."

Other Capcom games like Street Fighter x Tekken and Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City have also been impacted, with similar messages also displaying on their Steam pages. However, some fans hope this'll be a temporary issue; when Capcom similarly removed GFWL from Resident Evil, the team was reportedly able to implement Steamworks multiplayer as a replacement.

We've asked Capcom for comment and will let you know as/when we hear back.

We thought Lost Planet 2 was 'okay' when it released way back in 2010.

Vikki Blake is a reporter for IGN, as well as a critic, columnist, and consultant with 15+ years experience working with some of the world's biggest gaming sites and publications. She's also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.

Marvel star Chris Hemsworth has released a Thor tribute video, sparking speculation the character will die in Avengers: Doomsday.

The video, titled ‘Thank You! The Legacy of Thor,’ includes clips of Hemsworth as Thor going as far back as an audition tape right up to his performance in 2022's Thor: Love and Thunder. While the video may be nothing more than a nostalgia-fueled look back at a character Hemsworth has played since 2011 now that filming for Avengers: Doomsday has begun, some believe it is in truth a farewell video, or a wave goodbye to Thor.

Hemsworth also wrote a thank you note in the video description:

“Playing Thor has been one of the greatest honors of my life. For the last 15 years I've held Mjolnir and then Stormbreaker as the God of Thunder, but what made it truly special… was sharing it with all of you. Your passion, your cheers, and your love for this character have meant everything to me.

“Thank you for making my journey through the Marvel Cinematic Universe unforgettable.. Next up, Doomsday!”

This message, combined with the tribute video, has sparked a degree of concern among MCU fans that Chris Hemsworth may finally be ready to hang up his hammer.

“Please never walk away from this role. We all want you to stay,” reads one comment on the video. “Please never stop playing Thor,” reads another.

It’s a similar concern across social media. “Oh yeah Thor’s definitely dying next movie,” one X / Twitter user said. “Ya he’s getting cooked,” said another.

There’s context worth pointing to with this speculation. Last year, Hemsworth admitted he "didn't stick the landing" with the divisive Thor: Love and Thunder and said he felt he owed fans another film.

Speaking to Vanity Fair, Hemsworth said he became too wacky in Love and Thunder and the film suffered as a result, perhaps especially following Thor: Ragnarok, which became somewhat of a breakout success for the character by adding more comedy elements.

"I got caught up in the improv and the wackiness, and I became a parody of myself," Hemsworth said. "I didn't stick the landing." He can't forgive himself for the performance, Vanity Fair said, so feels he owes fans another film. Could Avengers: Doomsday or Secret Wars count as that film, or would Thor 5 be more appropriate as a goodbye?

With just days to go before Nintendo Switch 2 finally releases on June 5, Nintendo has revamped its Nintendo Switch Online app, kicking off with a new name: Nintendo Switch App.

This is a significant rebrand, not least because the name "Nintendo Switch Online" has long been associated with Nintendo's subscription-based online gaming service. Memberships include online functionality, allowing you to compete or cooperate with friends, as well as a collection of classic Nintendo games spanning four decades, including titles from the NES, SNES, Game Boy, Nintendo 64, and (with the upcoming launch of the Nintendo Switch 2) the new GameCube libraries.

The app's 3.0.1 update not only drops the "Online" from the name, it also introduces a refreshed design to make it a little more intuitive to use. Nintendo Switch 2 consoles are, of course, now supported, as well as GameChat invitations. You can also manage your friends list from within the app, and choose to receive a notification on the app when your friends come online.

Perhaps best of all — for me, anyway — is a much better way of managing your screenshots and videos, which can now be uploaded directly to the app.

Here are the full patch notes, as detailed on the App Store.

Nintendo Switch App Update Version 3.0.1 Patch Notes

• The app has been updated
  • The app name has changed from Nintendo Switch Online to Nintendo Switch App.
  • Elements of the app design have been updated.
• Nintendo Switch 2 consoles are now supported.
  • Screenshots and videos saved in your console’s album can now be uploaded to the app.
  • You can now receive GameChat invitations.
• More friend features are now available in the app.
  • You can now add friends via the app.
  • You can choose to receive a notification in the app when a friend comes online.
• Various other small improvements and bug fixes have been made.

The highly anticipated Nintendo Switch 2 — which will feature the mouse controls, of course — is set to debut next week on June 5. Here's our breakdown of every game that's getting a Nintendo Switch 2 Edition, and we also have a handy list of every OG Nintendo Switch game that's thought to have compatibility issues on Nintendo Switch 2.

Vikki Blake is a reporter for IGN, as well as a critic, columnist, and consultant with 15+ years experience working with some of the world's biggest gaming sites and publications. She's also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.