Whether it’s Snake’s elevator ascent to the rainy cliffs of Shadow Moses or the climactic battle between student and mentor in the final moments of Snake Eater, Hideo Kojima and Konami’s epic spy thriller franchise, Metal Gear, is home to some of gaming’s most iconic moments. Telling a story that spanned multiple console generations and pushed the creative capabilities of video games to their limits, Solid Snake and Big Boss’ adventures are legendary, so much so that many claim they’re among the most important releases the medium has ever produced.

Back in 2015, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain seemingly ended the franchise for good, with Kojima leaving Konami and the Metal Gear Solid IP behind to form his own studio. However, Konami has started resurrecting the series through re-releases and remakes, like Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater coming out later this year. With so many new players experiencing this world of undercover espionage, shady government conspiracy and gruff-voiced dudes with cool eyepatches for the first time, we’ve laid out the chronological order of the Metal Gear Solid series so newcomers and returning fans can catch up.

Jump to:

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

How Many Metal Gear Solid Games Are There?

Not including remakes, ports or remasters, there are 17 total Metal Gear games: 11 mainline games, five on handheld devices and one on mobile. Although that’s a lot of games, a decent chunk of them are considered non-canon, with their stories overriding events from the main saga and spinning off into their own unique takes on the universe.

2018’s Metal Gear Survive takes place in an apocalyptic reality where a zombie virus has overtaken the world, so it falls outside the main canon. As for the PSP’s Metal Gear: Acid and Metal Gear: Acid 2, they veer from the timeline and tell a new story, making them alternate-timeline spin-offs. Then there’s the Game Boy Color’s Metal Gear: Ghost Babel, which is an alternate-universe Metal Gear sequel that wipes away the events of Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake, thus removing it from the timeline. And finally, Metal Gear Mobile and Snake’s Revenge have since been deemed non-canon by the community and Kojima himself in interviews.

That leaves 11 games within the main storyline. Each game is considered part of the true Metal Gear Saga, spanning from a fictional alternate-history 1960s to the late 2010s. So, let’s run you through all the games in that story.

Which Metal Gear Should You Play First?

We recommend two potential starting points for Metal Gear. For those interested in the complete saga, we recommend 2023's Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1, which includes the best available versions of Metal Gear Solid 1–3. Alternatively, for those interested in simply trying out the franchise (and for those with a lower tolerance for older games), we recommend starting with the series' most contemporary iteration, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain.

You'd think it would be enough for filmmaker James Wan to have two hugely successful horror franchises under his belt with Saw and Insidious (both co-created with writing partner Leigh Whannell). But then he also went and created The Conjuring, which, since its debut in 2013, has produced nine films in total and grossed over $2 billion at the box office.

Starting as a 1970s ghost series, based on the real life investigations of married paranormal snoops Lorraine and Ed Warren, The Conjuring Universe has sprawled into a franchise that not only keeps track of the Warrens' demon-busting adventures, but also delves further into the haunted backstories of these cases with prequel installments set decades before the Warrens show up. Now that the fourth and final Conjuring movie has hit streaming, you might want to revisit the full timeline of The Conjuring-verse.

So are you looking to watch these Conjuring films as they were released - or do you want to absorb all the spookiness via chronological binge, kicking things off in 1950s Romania with The Nun? Whatever the case, you'll find both lists below.

Jump to:

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

How Many The Conjuring Movies Are There?

There are 10 total movies set within The Conjuring universe — four Conjuring movies, three Annabelle movies, The Nun and The Nun 2, and The Curse of La Llorona. The fourth Conjuring movie, titled Last Rites, is now available in theaters. If you're planning on marathoning all of these movies, you can currently stream most of them on HBO Max.

The Conjuring Movies in Chronological Order

1. The Nun (2018)

Prequel frightfest The Nun takes place in 1952 Romania, and stars Demián Bichir and Taissa Farmiga (sister of franchise star Vera Farmiga) as a Roman Catholic priest and a nun uncovering an unholy secret involving Bonnie Aaron's evil Nun from The Conjuring 2.

Read our review of The Nun.

2. Annabelle: Creation (2017)

Taking place after The Nun, in 1955 California, Annabelle Creation was the fourth installment in the Conjuring Universe, but the second chronologically, depicting the origin of franchise breakout star -- Annabelle, the creep haunted dolll. It's the story of a story of a doll-maker who opens his home to six orphans and a nun, only to have an ancient evil released in his own house.

Read our review of Annabelle: Creation.

3. The Nun 2 (2023)

Although The Nun 2 takes place after the events of The Nun, it's actually the third movie in the timeline. The events of The Nun 2 take place in 1956, taking place four years after Sister Irene's first encounter with Valak and one year after the events of Annabelle: Creation.

Read our review of The Nun 2.

4. Annabelle (2014)

The second film made in the Conjuring Universe, even before The Conjuring 2, was prequel Annabelle, taking place in 1967 in Southern California, 12 years after the official origin of the doll. Annabelle tells the story of a young doctor and his wife who bring the doll into their home (to reside amongst other scary-looking dolls) only to have it make their life a living hell.

Read our review of Annabelle.

5. The Conjuring (2013)

The movie that started it all, The Conjuring, starred Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson as real-life paranormal investigators/ghost hunters Lorraine and Ed Warren (whose exploits reportedly inspired The Amityville Horror), as they aid the besieged Perron family in 1971, on Rhode Island. Series creator James Wan directed this first outing, marking the third official blockbuster horror franchise he'd created.

Read our review of The Conjuring.

6. Annabelle Comes Home (2019)

Next up is Annabelle Comes Home. Taking place only one year later in the story, in 1972, the Warrens' young daughter, Judy (McKenna Grace), must contend with Annabelle and other demons who escape the Warrens’ artifact room while the couple is away. Conjuring Universe (and It: Chapter One and Two) writer Gary Dauberman makes his directorial debut here.

Read our review of Annabelle Comes Home.

7. The Curse of La Llorona (2019)

Based on the Latin American folklore of La Llorona, this Conjuring Universe spinoff follows a mother in 1973 Los Angeles who must save her children from a malevolent spirit trying to steal them. Starring Linda Cardellini and Raymond Cruz, The Curse of La Llorona is the most detached and removed tale from the franchise's ongoing story, only featuring Tony Amendola's Father Perez from Annabelle as a connecting character.

Read our review of The Curse of La Llorona.

8. The Conjuring 2 (2016)

Based on the events of the Enfield Poltergeist in England, The Conjuring 2 brings back Lorraine and Ed Warren, now notrious from the Amityville case, as they help a family being haunted by a malevolent spirit in 1977. Whereas the first Conjuring movie brought about the Annabelle films, this one originally introduced The Nun, who would go on to receive her own prequel. James Wan also returned to direct.

Read our review of The Conjuring 2.

9. The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (2021)

The actual eighth film made in the franchise is also the next film you should watch if you're doing a chronological binge. The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do brings us into the '80s with a ghoulish tale based on the real life trial of Arne Cheyenne Johnson, who claimed "demonic possession" after murdering his landlord. Lorraine and Ed Warren are drawn into the case after they'd apparently exorcised a demon out of a young boy's body... accidentally causing it to flee into Arne.

Read our review of The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It.

10. The Conjuring: Last Rites (2025)

The final film on the The Conjuring timeline is now in theaters and is off to a tremendous start at the box office. The Conjuring: Last Rites is the fourth mainline film in the series and is being billed as the final movie in the franchise. Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga return as Ed and Lorraine Warren, paranormal investigators taking on their most dangerous case yet. Like other films in the series, Last Rites is based on the true story of the Smurl hauntings, a series of paranormal occurences at a Pennsylvania home in the 70s and 80s.

Read our review of The Conjuring: Last Rites and check out our The Conjuring: Last Rites ending and post-credits explained.

Future of The Conjuring Movies

The Conjuring: Last Rites has officially arrived on digital and streaming. The movie had the second biggest opening weekend for any horror movie at the global box office, behind only 2017's It, and already has a 4K steelbook release. Franchise veteran Michael Chaves returns as director for the finale, and IGN recently got the chance to speak with him about the end (and future) of The Conjuring franchise. We now know that includes a new prequel about the early investigative work of the Warrens.

In 2023, a TV series set in The Conjuring universe was greenlit for HBO Max, though little has been revealed about who will be involved or how the series will fit into the franchise's timeline. We do know the series is moving forward, as it recently brought on supernatural writer Nancy Won as showrunner. Otherwise, a sequel to The Curse of La Llorona has supposedly entered production, a sign of how the franchise will grow from here.

Matt Fowler is a freelance entertainment writer/critic, covering TV news, reviews, interviews and features on IGN for 13+ years.

Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed franchise has covered a lot of ground in its 18 years. The Assassin-Templar conflict has taken players across five continents, from Ancient Greece to Victorian London, spanning 2,300 years of history over the course of 13 mainline games.

With the upcoming release of Assassin's Creed Shadows, we’ve put together this chronology of the Assassin’s Creed timeline so far. This chronology only includes mainline Assassin’s Creed games; spinoff games aren’t included on this list given their lack of importance to the ongoing Assassin’s Creed narrative.

Jump to:

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

How Many Assassin's Creed Games Are There?

There are currently 14 Assassin's Creed games in the main series and 17 additional spinoff games. Outside of video games, there is also an Assassin's Creed board game and an Assassin's Creed TV series supposedly in the works at Netflix.

Which Assassin's Creed Game Should You Play First?

There's quite a few places you could start in the Assassin's Creed timeline, and I personally recommend picking the game set in an era that you find most interesting. That said, it's hard to deny that the original Ezio trilogy (Assassin's Creed 2, Brotherhood, and Revelations) has some of the best writing in the series. If you're interested in more recent games, Black Flag is a solid entry point with seafaring pirate gameplay, while Assassin's Creed Odyssey lets you dive into world of ancient Greece.

How to Play the Assassin’s Creed Game In Order

There are two ways to look at the Assassin’s Creed chronology. First: In the order of the games’ modern-day storylines. This option makes sense considering the connective narrative of each mainline game is told through the present day. The present-day story progresses chronologically with each release, so if you’d like to play the games this way, simply scroll down to the section how to play the Assassin’s Creed games by release date. If you’re committed to playing through the entirety of the franchise, this is the order we recommend, as it’s the best way to follow the overarching story and experience the franchise’s evolution from stealth-action games to open-world RPGs.

The second option (detailed below) presents the games in order by their historic settings. These stories aren’t as intertwined as their modern-day counterparts, but they’re where you’ll spend the vast majority of your time in Assassin’s Creed. This is more useful as a matter of interest than a practical playing guide.

The Assassin’s Creed Games in Chronological Order

With series newcomers in mind, the brief plot synopses below contain only mild spoilers such as broad plot points, historical settings, and character introductions.

1. Assassin's Creed Odyssey (431 B.C.–422 B.C.)

• Primary setting: Ancient Greece
• Historic Protagonist: Cassandra or Alexios
• Modern Protagonist: Layla Hassan

Set nearly 400 years earlier than any other mainline game, Assassin's Creed Odyssey expanded on the RPG elements introduced in Origins to complete its genre-turn from stealth-based action to open-world RPG.

You play as Cassandra or Alexios, the grandchildren of Sparta's King Leonidas I. Odyssey is set during the Peloponnesian War between Sparta and Athens, and features key historical figures from that period, including Hippocrates, Socrates, and Plato. It weaves the period's history with its mythology, introducing creatures such as the Sphinx, Cyclops, and Medusa.

Odyssey is set before the formation of the Assassin and Templar orders, though it does feature a key Piece of Eden* in the Spear of Leonidas.

*Pieces of Eden are powerful technological artifacts created by a precursor race of beings known as The First Civilization. The pieces of Eden and the First Civilization are constants throughout the mainline games that connect the past and modern storylines.

2. Assassin's Creed Origins (49 B.C.–44 B.C.)

• Primary setting: Ancient Egypt
• Historic Protagonist: Bayek of Siwa
• Modern Protagonist: Layla Hassan

After releasing a new Assassin's Creed game each year from 2009-2015, Ubisoft took a year off and returned in 2017 with Assassin's Creed Origins, a soft reboot of the franchise and the series' first game to introduce RPG mechanics.

Origins is primarily set in Ancient Egypt during the reigns of Ptolemy XIII and Cleopatra, though its historic inspiration extends to Rome and the rule of Julius Caesar. Many Assassin's Creed stories kick off as tales of vengeance, only to unfurl into larger-scale tales of political conspiracy. Origins follows this pattern: The death of Bayek and Aya's son serves as the impetus for their journey, though as the story progresses, the duo uncover a proto-Templar organization called the Order of the Ancients and ultimately form the Hidden Ones, the first incarnation of the Assassins.

The modern story, meanwhile, introduces Layla Hassan, who serves as the present-day protagonist for Origins, Odyssey, and Valhalla.

3. Assassin's Creed Mirage (861–???)

• Primary setting: 9th Century Baghdad
• Historic Protagonist: Basim Ibn Ishaq
• Modern Protagonist: N/A

Released in 2023, Assassin's Creed Mirage is the series' most recent installment. Rather than a full-priced open-world RPG, Mirage is a $50 USD stealth-focused adventure designed as "an homage to the first Assassin's Creed games." Ubisoft describes it as "a shorter, more narrative-driven game than recent entries in the series.”

Assassin's Creed Mirage stars a 17-year-old Basim Ibn Ishaq, a street thief with "nightmarish visions" who'd go on to play a critical role in Assassin's Creed Valhalla. Mirage will tell the story of Basim, with the guidance of his mentor Roshan, escaping Baghdad en route to the Hidden Ones' fortress of Alamut.

Unlike the other entries on this list, Mirage doesn't prominently feature the present-day storyline. You can read our full review of Assassin's Creed Mirage for more details.

4. Assassin's Creed Valhalla (872–878)

• Primary setting: 9th Century England and Norway
• Historic Protagonist: Eivor Varinsson/Varinsdottir
• Modern Protagonist: Layla Hassan

Assassin's Creed's Valhalla is the series' venture into Norse history and mythology. It's easily the series' biggest game; the average time to complete its main story is 60 hours, according to How Long to Beat (15 hours longer than the next biggest, Odyssey). Like Odyssey, Valhalla integrates its setting's history with its mythology, introducing real-life characters — King Harald Fairhair, King Aelfred the Great, Rollo — and mythological figures such as Fenrir and Odin.

It continues the conflict between the Hidden Ones and the Order of the Ancients while balancing the more personal tale of Eivor and their clan's pilgrimage from a resource-barren Norway to the more fertile lands of England.

The modern-day story seemingly concludes the three-game arc of Layla Hassan.

5. Assassin's Creed (1191)

• Primary setting: 12th Century Holy Land (Acre, Damascus, Jerusalem)
• Historic Protagonist: Altair Ibn'La-Ahad
• Modern Protagonist: Desmond Miles

The first Assassin's Creed takes place 300 years after Valhalla and introduces us to the series' original protagonist, Altair Ibn'La-Ahad. Assassin's Creed laid the groundwork for the franchise's next 15 years of success, introducing foundational gameplay elements like climbing and assassinations while also laying the groundwork for the time-hopping Assassin-Templar narrative.

It introduces key narrative concepts like the Pieces of Eden and the Animus, the in-universe device that allows each game's modern-day protagonist to relive the memories of their historic counterparts through DNA.

The past story sees Altair hunting down nine Templars during the Third Crusade, while the present-day story introduces Desmond Miles and the modern Assassin-Templar conflict that runs through AC III.

6. Assassin's Creed II (1476–1499)

• Primary setting: 15th Century Italy
• Historic Protagonist: Ezio Auditore da Firenze
• Modern Protagonist: Desmond Miles

Assassin's Creed 2 introduced the series’ longest-lasting protagonist, Ezio Auditore da Firenze. A favorite among Assassin's Creed fans, Ezio's story ran from 2009's AC II through 2011's AC: Revelations.

Ezio seeks to avenge the death of his father and brother, though his hunt for vengeance leads him to uncover a bigger conspiracy and places him at the center of the fight between the Assassins and Templars. Assassin's Creed II takes players throughout Italy, from Florence to the Vatican, and introduces Ezio to historical figures like Leonardo Da Vinci, Niccolo Machiavelli, and Pope Alexander VI.

In the present day, Desmond begins his work with the Assassins.

7. Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood (1499–1507)

• Primary setting: 15th-16th Century Italy
• Historic Protagonist: Ezio Auditore da Firenze
• Modern Protagonist: Desmond Miles

Assassin's Creed Brotherhood is a continuation of AC II in both the past and modern-day storylines. The fallout from AC II creates a new antagonist for Ezio, who embarks on another revenge quest while working to rebuild Rome's weakened Assassins Guild and retrieve the Apple of Eden.

In the present day, Desmond and the modern Assassins head to Italy in search of that same Apple of Eden, a Piece of Eden that may help them prevent the prophesized end of the world.

8. Assassin's Creed: Revelations (1511–1512)

• Primary setting: 16th Century Constantinople
• Historic Protagonist: Ezio Auditore da Firenze
• Modern Protagonist: Desmond Miles

The conclusion of the Ezio trilogy unites the narrative of the Italian assassin with his predecessor, Altair. An older Ezio travels to Constantinople in search of Altair’s hidden library, which was thought to contain invaluable wisdom. In Constantinople, Ezio searches for the keys needed to open the library — each of which possesses a key memory in Altair’s life. Assassin's Creed Revelations ultimately reveals Ezio's role in the wider AC narrative.

In the present, a comatose Desmond is trapped in the Animus, where he works with a past Animus user to escape "the Black Room" and return to consciousness.

Revelations also features one of the series' best trailers (above) first shown at E3 2011.

9. Assassin's Creed Shadows (1581)

• Primary setting: Feudal Japan
• Historic protagonist: Naoe and Yasuke
• Modern protagonist: N/A

The newest Assassin's Creed game heads to Feudal Japan during the civil wars in the late Sengoku period. Assassin's Creed Shadows features dual protagonists, each with unique gameplay, though Ubisoft has emphasized that players won't be missing out by only playing one route. Yasuke is an African mercenary who becomes a samurai in service of Oda Nobunaga. That service leads him to the Iga province, home of shinobi-in-training Naoe, and tragedy brings the two together in a quest for vengeance.

Like Mirage, Shadows doesn't have its own modern-day protagonist. Instead, the new game coincides with the release of the Animus Hub, which brings the Assassin's Creed franchise into a single platform and adds additional "modern-day subplots" as well as a reward system to the game.

10. Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag (1715–1722)

• Primary setting: 18th Century Caribbean Islands
• Historic Protagonist: Edward Kenway
• Modern Protagonist: Unnamed Abstergo Employee

Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag is best remembered for introducing the series' naval gameplay. It's set two centuries after Ezio's trilogy and roughly 40 years before the previously released Assassin's Creed III.

Black Flag stars Edward Kenway, an 18th-century pirate and the grandfather of AC III protagonist Connor Kenway. It features notorious real-life pirates of the era, such as Edward Thatch (Blackbeard), Benjamin Hornigold, and Mary Read. It also introduces Adéwalé, the protagonist of the DLC-turned-standalone-spinoff Freedom Cry. After unknowingly killing an Assassin, Edward finds himself embroiled in the Assassin-Templar conflict and on the hunt for a secret First Civilization site known as The Observatory.

The modern-day story stars an unnamed Abstergo employee tasked with reliving Connor’s life in order to create a film (though, unsurprisingly, Abstergo’s true intentions are more nefarious).

11. Assassin's Creed Rogue (1752–1760)

• Primary setting: 18th Century American Northeast
• Historic Protagonist: Shay Patrick Cormac
• Modern Protagonist: Abstergo Employee "Numbskull"

Assassin's Creed Rogue serves as a narrative bridge between AC III and AC IV. It stars Shay Patrick Cormac, an Irish-American Assassin turned Templar hunting down a Piece of Eden. Templar Grand Master Haytham Kenway, the son of AC 4 protagonist Edward and father of AC III protagonist Connor, appears throughout the story.

In the present, you play as another Abstergo employee, referred to as "Numbskull," doing the bidding of the modern-day Templars.

12. Assassin's Creed III (1754–1783)

• Primary setting: 18th Century Colonial America
• Historic Protagonist: Ratonhnhaké "Connor" Kenway
• Modern Protagonist: Desmond Miles

Following a 1754-set sequence during which you play as Haythem Kenway, Assassin's Creed 3 begins in earnest with Haythem's son Ratonhnhaké:ton, a.k.a Connor. Set largely during the American Revolution, Connor seeks to protect his tribe from the war and the First Civilization's Grand Temple from the Templars.

AC III is loaded with historical figures, including George Washington, Sam Adams, Charles Lee, and Benjamin Franklin.

The present-day story concludes Desmond's arc, as he and the other modern-day Assassins gather in the aforementioned Grand Temple to prevent the prophesized end of the world on December 21, 2012.

13. Assassins Creed Unity (1789–1794)

• Primary setting: 18th Century France
• Historic Protagonist: Shay Patrick Cormac
• Modern Protagonist: Unnamed Helix Player

While Assassin's Creed Unity features scenes that span from 1307 to the mid-1900s, it's primarily set during the height of the French Revolution from 1789 to 1794. It stars French Assassin Arno Dorian, who becomes involved in the Assassin-Templar conflict while embarking on yet another quest for vengeance.

Historical figures include Napoléon Bonaparte, Marquis de Sade, and King Louis XVI.

Unity's modern-day story is among the least memorable, as it removed gameplay entirely in favor of cutscenes and ultimately proved inconsequential to the ongoing narrative. You play as a gamer playing Helix, Abstergo's Animus-powered gaming software created to push Templar propaganda and collect unsuspecting users' DNA.

14. Assassin's Creed Syndicate (1868)

• Primary setting: Victorian London
• Historic Protagonists: Jacob and Evie Frye
• Modern Protagonist: Unnamed Helix Player

Assassin's Creed Syndicate stars dual protagonists Jacob and Evie Frye, twin Assassins clearing London of Templar control while seeking a Piece of Eden. While a certain side mission extends the timeline to WWI, the majority of Syndicate is set in 1868. Notable historical figures include Alexander Graham Bell, Charles Darwin, and in the future sequence, Winston Churchill.

Syndicate stars the same modern-day character as Unity, who's working with the Assassins to locate another Piece of Eden in London.

Upcoming Assassin's Creed Games

Ubisoft's latest AC game is Assassin's Creed Shadows. We have tidbits of information about the next mainline Assassin's Creed game, codenamed titled Assassin's Creed Hexe, which will feature "witchier" vibes. Several remakes of older Assassin's Creed games are also in development, according to Ubisoft's CEO. The one remake we know for sure is in the pipeline is Black Flag, with the new 'Resynced' version theoretically launching in March 2026.

As far as we know, a live action Assassin's Creed show is still in the works at Netflix, while Tencent's mobile-exclusive game, Assassin's Creed Jade, was delayed to 2025.

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

CD Projekt has sold its DRM-free PC storefront GOG to its original co-founder, Michał Kiciński, for 90.7 million Polish złoty (approx. $25.2 million). Kiciński is also co-founder of CD Projekt itself, and currently holds 10% of share capital in the business.

Kiciński co-founded GOG in 2008, and it has operated within the CD Projekt Group for over 17 years. Selling GOG “fits” CD Projekt’s long-term strategy, according to a FAQ posted online. CD Projekt, the Polish company behind smash hits The Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk 2077, wants to focus on video game development and other projects, it said. CD Projekt is currently developing The Witcher 4 and Cyberpunk 2.

“Selling GOG fits CD Projekt’s long-term strategy,” reads the statement. “CD Projekt wants to focus its full attention on creating top-quality RPGs and providing our fans with other forms of entertainment based on our brands. This deal lets CD Projekt keep that focus, while GOG gets stronger backing to pursue its own mission.”

Kiciński commented: “From the very beginning, GOG has always been built on strong values and clear principles. When Marcin Iwiński and I came up with the idea for GOG, the vision was simple: bring classic games back to players and ensure that once you buy a game, it truly belongs to you — forever.”

GOG will operate independently, it said, and continue with its DRM-free philosophy. Following the sale, CD Projekt and GOG signed a distribution agreement that specifies the terms of future cooperation, including a plan to release CD Projekt Red’s upcoming games on GOG.

“CD Projekt and GOG share the same roots and values: freedom, independence, and a genuine sense of ownership,” Kiciński continued. “I believe that CD Projekt, with its exceptional AAA games, will stand, as always, behind the GOG offering — making GOG the best place on the planet to purchase The Witcher and Cyberpunk games, both existing titles and the new ones we all anticipate so much.

“As a mature gamer, I often play classic games myself and deeply admire the creativity behind many of them. I truly believe that well-crafted classics can deliver as much joy as new releases. When it comes to pure playability, timeless games often prove to be really the safe choice, especially in a market flooded with gazillions of low-quality smaller games. Beyond preserving classics, GOG has always sought out new games with a retro spirit. I am personally involved in the development of a few games like that and they will certainly make their strong appearance on GOG in 2026.”

Michał Nowakowski, joint CEO of CD Projekt, added: “with our focus now fully on an ambitious development roadmap and expanding our franchises with new high-quality products, we felt this was the right time for this move.

“For a long time now, GOG has been operating independently. Now it’s going into very good hands — we are convinced that with the support of Michał Kiciński, one of GOG’s co-founders, its future will be full of great projects and successes. We would like to thank the GOG team for years of fruitful cooperation and wish them all the best. And to the GOG community, I say ‘see you around,’ because our upcoming releases will naturally be available on GOG as well.”

GOG has long competed with Steam for the hearts and minds of PC gamers by leaning on its no-DRM policy, although Valve's platform remains the overwhelming market leader. In the FAQ, the question ‘is GOG financially unstable?’ is asked. The answer, officially, is no. “GOG is stable and has had a really encouraging year,” reads the statement. “In fact, we’ve seen more enthusiasm from gamers towards our mission than ever before.” GOG hit the headlines recently for getting behind indie game Horses after Valve banned it from Steam.

It sounds like from a user point of view, nothing changes here. As for CD Projekt, it can now strip out GOG from its business, which at latest count employed 1,335 staff. In The Witcher franchise it has the aforementioned The Witcher 4 as part of a new Witcher trilogy with Ciri as protagonist, The Witcher Remake, and Project Sirius. Cyberpunk 2 is also in development, as is Project Hadar, a new IP.

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.

It’s been 35 years since Intelligent Systems debuted its Fire Emblem series on Nintendo's Famicom. Through its ever-evolving combat and the introduction of beloved character bonding mechanics, the series has ascended to the upper echelon of tactical RPGs, culminating in two excellent mainline entries on the Nintendo Switch.

As we near the end of the original Switch era, we’ve compiled a list of every Fire Emblem game available on the console as well as what's coming to the Switch 2.

How Many Fire Emblem Games Are on Switch?

There are five Fire Emblem games on Switch: two mainline games and three spinoffs. There are three additional Fire Emblem games available with Nintendo Switch Online, though Path of Radiance is only available to Switch 2 owners with the Expansion Pack.

Every Fire Emblem Game on Nintendo Switch

Fire Emblem Warriors (2017)

The first Fire Emblem game released on Switch was the Dynasty Warriors crossover Fire Emblem Warriors. The mashup incorporates the best elements of each series, blending Fire Emblem’s team-based strategy with Dynasty Warriors’ button-mashing, hack-and-slash action. It’s a worthwhile spinoff for action fans, though the light story makes it inessential to those concerned with Fire Emblem lore.

The game was developed by Dynasty Warriors studio Omega Force in collaboration with the action gurus at Team Ninja (Ninja Gaiden, Nioh).

Fire Emblem: Three Houses (2019)

Fire Emblem: Three Houses was a milestone release for the series. It was the first Fire Emblem game released on a home console in 12 years, the first mainline entry released on Switch, and a critical and commercial success that carried forward the momentum of Awakening seven years before it.

Three Houses is a massive tactical RPG that balances the grand with the intimate. Large-scale battles progress an overarching story of politics and religion within a continental war, while quieter moments between battles are spent in the monastery training, teaching, exploring, and bonding with other characters through well-written and -acted conversations.

Three Houses is Fire Emblem at its best, and what we'd recommend as a starting point if you’re looking to jump into the series on Switch.

Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore (2020)

In 2020, Nintendo released Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore, an expanded port of the original Wii U release. Encore added new story content, characters, and music to the Nintendo-Atlus crossover game, which blends Fire Emblem’s “weapon triangle” combat mechanic — swords have an advantage over axes, axes over lances, lances over swords — with the flashy style, dungeon-crawling, and moment-to-moment combat of Atlus’s Shin Megami Tensei and Persona games.

The story is a comical, often over-the-top send-up of Japanese pop-culture that, as in Warriors before it, takes a backseat to the action.

Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes (2023)

Nintendo re-teamed with Omega Force for Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes, the companies’ second Fire Emblem-Dynasty Warriors crossover following Fire Emblem Warriors. Three Hopes is a retelling of Three Houses set in an alternate timeline where Three Houses’ protagonist Byleth serves as the main villain.

Three Hopes is a more robust blend of the two franchises than its predecessor, integrating more of Fire Emblem’s social and tactical mechanics with Dynasty Warriors’ fast-paced action.

Fire Emblem Engage (2023)

Fire Emblem Engage is the series’ latest game and its second mainline entry on Switch. Engage is a progression of Three Houses’ excellence and an ode to Fire Emblem's past: It refines and scales down the social and hub mechanics of Three Houses while shifting its primary focus to the series’ longstanding tactical combat, most notably reintroducing Fire Emblem’s “weapon triangle" system.

The story of Engage follows a Divine Dragon named Alear, who’s tasked with collecting 12 rings to defeat the Fell Dragon and save the continent of Elyos. Engage’s original story connects to the series past through these 12 rings, each of which houses the spirit of a past Fire Emblem protagonist, allowing you to summon past heroes such as Marth, Ike, Celica, and Byleth.

Fire Emblem Games Available With Nintendo Switch Online

The Legend of Zelda is one of the most iconic video game series of all time. Starting on the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1986, The Legend of Zelda follows various incarnations of Princess Zelda and Link as they fight to save Hyrule from the evil that is Ganon. While the series has always been popular, the Nintendo Switch has catapulted Zelda into one of Nintendo's best-selling properties with landmark titles in Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom.

Echoes of Wisdom released toward the end of the original Nintendo Switch's life cycle, but Nintendo has already revealed quite a bit about the next generation of adventures in Hyrule. Here's every Legend of Zelda game on the Nintendo Switch as well as new Zelda games coming to the Switch 2.

How Many Zelda Games Are There on Nintendo Switch?

In total, five Zelda games, three Hyrule Warriors games, and one spin-off game have been released specifically for the Nintendo Switch. This includes both mainline entries and spinoff games that were released from 2017 to 2025. All of these Zelda games are playable on the Switch 2.

All Zelda Switch Games in Order of Release Date

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - 2017

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was the first Zelda title released for Nintendo Switch. Launching alongside the system, this title marked a turning point in the Zelda series, bringing a style of open world gameplay that we'd never seen before. You can traverse to anywhere you can see in the world. Link awakes after a 100 year slumber, where he is tasked by the spirit of Hyrule's former King to save Princess Zelda from Calamity Ganon - a primal evil trapped inside Hyrule Castle.

Read our original review of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild or see what we thought of the Switch 2 version.

Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition - 2018

Hyrule Warriors is an action hack and slash title developed by Omega Force and originally released for the Wii U. Characters from all kinds of Zelda games make an appearance, whether as playable characters or villains. The game was brought over to Nintendo Switch in 2018 in the form of Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition, and includes all characters, stages, and modes from the original game in addition to Breath of the Wild inspired costumes for Link and Zelda.

Read our review of Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition.

Cadence of Hyrule - 2019

Cadence of Hyrule is an extremely unqiue collaboration between Brace Yourself Games and Nintendo. The game combines the roguelike rhythm gameplay of Crypt of the NecroDancer with the world of The Legend of Zelda and its characters. This spinoff offers an incredible soundtrack and beautiful pixelated graphics. Up against Octavo, a musical villain, Zelda and Link team up with Cadence to thwart his plans and save the Hyrule.

Read our review of Cadence of Hyrule.

The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening - 2019

The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening is a remake of 1993 Game Boy title developed by Grezzo. This charming platformer sees Link castaway at Koholint Island, where he must solve the mystery of the Wind Fish, a legendary being said to be on the island. Unlike some of the more modern Zelda titles, Link's Awakening takes you across many different dungeons and areas to collect the Instruments of the Sirens. If you never got the chance to play the original Link's Awakening, this is the definitive way to experience one of the Zelda series' most unique titles.

Read our review of The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening.

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity - 2020

The second Switch entry in the Hyrule Warriors series, Age of Calamity is set 100 years before the events of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Here, you can experience firsthand the events that occured in the fight against Calamity Ganon. All of your favorite Breath of the Wild cahracters are here and playable, including Link, Zelda, the Champions, and so many more. Omega Force created a fun and expansive title, with two waves of DLC you can check out after completing the main story.

Read our review of Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity.

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD - 2021

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD is the long-awaited remaster of the classic Wii game. Set at the beginning of the Zelda timeline, Skyward Sword takes Link to the skies as he traverses across the world to save his childhood friend Zelda. You'll uncover the Master Sword was created as part of this journey, among other things. The remaster includes the iconic motion controls you can operate with the Joy-Con and a new button-only gameplay style for those looking to play without motion.

Read our review of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom - 2023

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom hit the market in 2023, selling over 10 million copies in just three days as well as quite a few special edition Switch consoles. Set a few years after the events of Breath of the Wild, Link is tasked once again with finding Princess Zelda after Ganondorf is resurrected. Tears of the Kingdom takes to both the skies of Hyrule and the depths below the land. This creates one of the largest maps you'll find in any game, leaving for hundreds of hours of exploration to be had. All in all, it's the best Zelda game of all time and a hard one to follow.

Read our original review of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom or see what we thought about the Switch 2 version.

The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom - 2024

But, of course, Tears of the Kingdom was not the end of this beloved Nintendo franchise on the original Switch. The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom was announced during the June 2024 Nintendo Direct before launching on the Switch in the fall later that year. While Echoes has the titular Princess take the story's reigns, and features a more 2D art style à la Link's Awakening, it should not be mistaken as a spin-off or side project. This is a full-blown, magical Zelda game, that lets you unlock your creativity to try and save Link and the rest of Hyrule in entirely new ways.

Read our review of The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom.

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment - 2025

The latest Zelda-adjacent release is a new entry in the Hyrule Warriors series. Nintendo has heavily emphasized that the story is canon, giving us a deeper look at the Imprisoning War in what is essentially a prequel to Tears of the Kingdom. You get to play as a spread of different characters, including Princess Zelda, who has been sent into Hyrule's past and must work with new allies in the fight against Ganandorf.

Read our review of Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment

Available Zelda Games With Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack

If you're interested in checking out some of the older Zelda titles, the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack service has loads of Zelda titles from Nintendo's older consoles. Here is every Zelda game currently available on the service:

• The Legend of Zelda
• Zelda II: The Adventure of Link
• The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
• The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past - Four Swords
• The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
• The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX
• The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
• The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap
• The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages
• The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons
• The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker*

*On the GameCube library exclusive to the Switch 2

What's Next for Zelda on Switch 2?

There has been no news of upcoming mainline Legend of Zelda games. We'll be sure to let you know as soon as it's announced, because it's almost certainly in Nintendo's pipeline. In the meantime, Nintendo has announced other plans with the franchise.

LEGO The Legend of Zelda

First up, Nintendo has officially teased a new LEGO The Legend of Zelda set as a follow-up to the LEGO Great Deku Tree. The next set seems to be inspired specifically by Ocarina of Time and will be released at some point in 2026, when we're also expecting the first LEGO x Pokemon collab.

Upcoming Zelda Movie

In addition to the games themselves, Nintendo has also announced they will be bringing Hyrule to the big screen with a live-action Legend of Zelda movie. In terms of details, the movie's director, Wes Ball (Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes), has expressed his desire to make a more "grounded" Zelda adaptation that feels like live-action Miyazaki. The Zelda movie will be releasing in theaters on March 26, 2027 and Nintendo has officially confirmed the actors playing both Link and Zelda.

See the full list of upcoming Switch games for everything coming to the system.

Noah Hunter is a freelance writer and reviewer with a passion for games and technology. He co-founded Final Weapon, an outlet focused on nonsense-free Japanese gaming (in 2019) and has contributed to various publishers writing about the medium.

When you have a series that's consistently gotten new games for almost 40 years, you have to think about how younger generations will be able to play them. That, and, of course, thinking about your bottom line, has led every publisher to lean more and more into multiplatform releases. On top of PC ports, Square Enix has released a decent amount of remasters and special editions of the Final Fantasy series specifically for Nintendo's handheld.

The Final Fantasy games hitting Switch isn't entirely unprecedented. The connection between Final Fantasy and Nintendo dates back to the series’ infancy, when the first game debuted on Nintendo's Famicom system in 1987. In fact, the first six mainline Final Fantasy games debuted on Nintendo platforms before Square Enix jumped to PlayStation as the series’ primary platform with Final Fantasy 7.

We've got a lot to look forward to on both Switch systems in 2026, including Final Fantasy VII Remake Integrade on Switch 2 and physical Switch editions of Final Fantasy VII through IX. Below, we’ve compiled a complete list of Final Fantasy games available on the Nintendo Switch and what to expect next.

How Many Final Fantasy Games Are Available on Switch?

There are 21 Final Fantasy games you can play on the Switch — 12 mainline games, one prequel, and eight spinoffs. These games have been split into two sections below: mainline games (ordered by original release date) and other games (ordered by Switch release date).

Every Mainline Final Fantasy Game on Switch

Final Fantasy 1–6 Pixel Remaster

The first six Final Fantasy games are all available on Switch as part of Square Enix’s Pixel Remaster collection. Each game has been overhauled with new graphics, rearranged soundtracks, updated UIs, and new galleries for players to explore the creatures, illustrations, and music from all six games. If you're interested in diving into the original Final Fantasy experience, this is the best way to do it.

The Pixel Remasters are available individually ($12–18 USD/each) or as part of the six-game Final Fantasy I–VI bundle ($75 USD). If you're looking at the games individually, I'd recommend FF6, as it has one of the more immersive storylines.

Final Fantasy 7

One of the series’ most beloved games, Final Fantasy VII, is also available on Switch. This is not a remastered version of the game but rather a port of the 1997 original with three extra features: a 3x speed mode, the ability to turn battle encounters off, and a battle enhancement mode to make encounters easier. While the newer remasters, Remake and Rebirth, introduce modern action RPG mechanics to Cloud Strife's battle against Sephiroth, the Switch edition of FFVII is one of the best opportunities to experience what made the original PlayStation game so impactful.

Final Fantasy 8 Remastered

The series’ next entry is also available on Switch as Final Fantasy VIII Remastered. This updated version was released in 2019, 20 years after FF8 originally debuted on PlayStation. Additions to the remastered version include a 3x speed mode, the ability to turn off random encounters, and battle assist options to lessen the difficulty of combat.

Final Fantasy 9

Final Fantasy IX on Switch, like FFVII before it, is a port of the original RPG, which, despite not being quite as "famous" as Final Fantasy VII, is considered to have one of the best storylines in the series. The Switch version includes a few extras compared to the 2000 original, including high-speed and no-encounter modes, an autosave feature, and HD cutscenes and character models.

Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster

Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster is a bundle of Final Fantasy X and its sequel X-2 (the series’ first-ever direct sequel). The two games feature over 100 hours of RPG content, according to IGN sister site How Long to Beat, and include upgraded graphics and reworked audio (with the ability to switch back and forth between the new and original sounds).

Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age

Skipping the now-shuttered MMORPG Final Fantasy XI, the series’ next mainline game available on Switch is Final Fantasy XII The Zodiac Age. The Zodiac Age, a remaster of the 2006 original, features HD graphics and a re-recorded soundtrack, as well as the Zodiac Job System, an increased battle tempo, an optional high-speed mode, and autosave functionality.

Final Fantasy 15 Pocket Edition HD

Final Fantasy XIII and XIV: Online are not available on Switch, which brings us to Final Fantasy XV Pocket Edition HD. It’s the latest mainline game available on the platform, as FFXVI is still only available on PS5 and PC.

Final Fantasy 15 Pocket Edition HD is an abridged version of the original game with cartoonish character models, simplified combat, a reduced skill tree, and fewer side quests. Pocket Edition HD does, however, retain the full FFXV story, boys on the road and all.

Other Final Fantasy Games on Switch

World of Final Fantasy Maxima (2018)

World of Final Fantasy Maxima, co-developed by Square Enix and prolific Japanese developer Tose, came to Switch with new content and the subtitle ‘Maxima’ two years after it was first released on PS4 and Vita. It’s an accessible RPG aimed at younger audiences that combines the series' Active Time Battle system with the ability to capture Mirages (i.e., creatures) to use in battle.

Chocobo's Mystery Dungeon: Every Buddy! (2019)

Chocobo’s Mystery Dungeon: Every Buddy! is a remastered version of the 2007 Wii game Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo's Dungeon. This Final Fantasy spinoff is a turn-based RPG with randomly generated dungeons and a buddy system that allows players to bring other creatures or characters along for the dungeon-crawling chaos.

Collection of Mana (2019)

This collection of three Mana games is on this list due to its inclusion of the 1991 Game Boy game Final Fantasy Adventure. Despite beginning as a Final Fantasy spinoff, the Mana series dropped those ties with the release of its second game, Secret of Mana, and has since remained an independent franchise.

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Remastered Edition (2020)

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Remastered Edition is an enhanced version of the 2004 RPG/dungeon crawler originally released for GameCube. Crystal Chronicles for Switch features a cute aesthetic, online co-op, and the addition of English voiceover for the first time. It’s a graphical improvement upon the original that also added new areas, monsters, weapons, and a higher-difficulty option.

Collection of SaGa Final Fantasy Legend (2020)

Collection of SaGa Final Fantasy Legend compiles three Game Boy games: Final Fantasy Legend I–III. We’ve included these games in service to creating a comprehensive list, though these are only Final Fantasy games in name; the SaGa games belong to an independent franchise of RPGs inspired by but not necessarily connected to Final Fantasy. The first three SaGa games were given the Final Fantasy name to capitalize on the brand recognition with western audiences.

The collection adds a high-speed mode and Switch-specific enhancements like adjustable screen magnification and the ability to play with your Switch oriented vertically (when in handheld mode, with Joy-Cons detached).

Crisis Core –Final Fantasy VII– Reunion (2022)

A prequel to Final Fantasy VII, Crisis Core –Final Fantasy VII– Reunion is a remastered version of the 2007 PSP RPG. The game stars a young warrior named Zack Fair, whose connection to Cloud and FFVII is revealed throughout the story. Reunion features remastered graphics, new character and background models, fully voiced dialogue, a newly arranged soundtrack, and a refined battle system.

Theatrhythm Final Bar Line (2023)

A rhythm game that celebrates the music of Final Fantasy, Theatrhythm Final Bar Line launched with 385 tracks from across the Final Fantasy series, though that has since grown to include music from other Square franchises for a total of 505 tracks. The Final Fantasy music pulls from 46 games, according to Squre, including FFI–XV. Theatrhythm Final Bar Line features over 100 characters and online multiplayer support for up to 8 players.

Chocobo GP (2023)

Chocobo GP is a Final Fantasy-themed kart racer developed by Arika (Tetris 99). While there are better kart racers available on Switch, Chocobo GP is a fun respite from the more involved RPGs that make up the majority of the Final Fantasy franchise. Like other kart racers, it features time challenges, tournament-style races, and options for multiplayer racing.

Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles (2025)

A remake of Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles recently came to PS5 and Switch with enhanced graphics, voiced dialogue, and various quality of life improvements over the original PS1 game. Ronny Barrier's review for IGN says the remake of the tactical RPG removes "the cruft of Final Fantasy Tactics while surfacing what made it special through smart UI tweaks, convenience features, and excellent new voice acting."

Upcoming Final Fantasy Games on Nintendo Switch

Square Enix has confirmed that all of the Final Fantasy VII remakes will be making their way to the Nintendo Switch 2 over time. While the Switch 2 has been available for a while now, we only recently got news of the first remake coming to the new console at the September Nintendo Direct. Final Fantasy 7 Remake Integrade is finally being released on the Switch on January 22, 2026 and preorders for the game happen to come with a free MTG booster pack.

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

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

With the original X-Men cast returning in Avengers: Doomsday, we thought the best way to get ready for the future was to honor the past. Without further ado, here is our mostly spoiler-free look at how you can watch the X-Men movies in timeline order!

Jump to:

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

X-Men Movies in Release Order

Just looking for a quick list of the X-Men movies in the order they originally came out? Here you go:

Which X-Men Movie Should You Watch First?

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

X-Men Movies in Chronological Order

1. X-Men: First Class (2011)

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

Read our review of X-Men: First Class.

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

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

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

3. X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)

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

Read our review of X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

4. X-Men: Apocalypse (2016)

Maybe you made a New Year’s resolution to take your game streaming more seriously, want to upgrade your current setup, or even start a podcast? A top-notch microphone is the best place to start, since you won’t grow an audience with poor-quality audio. The SteelSeries Alias Pro, which features an XLR mic and Stream Mixer, is a high-end microphone for streaming up for the task. And it happens to be available for a mid-range price, thanks to an epic nearly 60% mark down.

Regularly $369.99, you can get the SteelSeries Alias Pro for only $159.99 on Amazon. That’s the lowest price ever, beating Black Friday and Cyber Monday savings. It’s a killer deal for an XLR microphone kit, which includes a special interface, providing near plug-and-play ease of use while delivering almost studio-level quality at home.

Save $210 on the SteelSeries Alias Pro — XLR Mic + Stream Mixer

Unlike typical XLR microphones that require a separate audio interface, the SteelSeries Alias Pro streamlines the setup process by including the Stream Mixer. This Stream Mixer may look simple, but it’s capable of a whole lot. In addition to providing a powerful preamp and phantom power, it delivers programmable inputs, allows for easy on-the-fly adjustments, acts as a meter, and can even match volume levels. The Stream Mixer also features two USB ports, making it easy to connect to multiple PCs or other devices.

SteelSeries’ impressive Sonar software provides ample customization opportunities. However, in our hands-on testing of the SteelSeries Alias Pro, reviewer Chris Coke found the out-of-the-box sound to be already great. The larger capsule on the microphone captured lower frequencies better than other mics and delivered excellent clarity. He even went on to say, “The SteelSeries Alias Pro is an excellent microphone that’s capable of elevating the quality of your content. Paired with Sonar, it can completely replace more complicated setups and potentially increase quality in the process.”

While the original price of the SteelSeries Alias Pro might’ve been a bit eye-watering, with $210 knocked off, it’s a steal for such an impressive microphone kit. Whether you’re a newbie or even an experienced creator, anyone looking to take Twitch streams, Discord chats, or your latest podcast episodes to another level can benefit from this setup.

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

2025 proved to be a fairly quiet year for the Star Wars franchise, although it’s hard to sniff at something as great as Andor Season 2. Still, it’s safe to say fans are jonesing for new Star Wars content like death stick addicts. Fortunately, Lucasfilm seems poised to deliver in 2026.

2026 promises to be a much more active year on the Star Wars front. For one thing, we’re finally getting a new live-action Star Wars movie, seven years after The Rise of Skywalker landed in theaters. And with a healthy lineup of new shows (both live-action and animated), comics, and even a game, there’s a lot to look forward to in the next 12 months. Let’s break it all down.

Star Wars Returns to Theaters

Again, it’s been a surprisingly long time since there’s been a new Star Wars movie in theaters. The fairly frosty reception to The Rise of Skywalker definitely has a lot to do with that. But if anyone can reverse Disney’s fortunes on the big screen, it’s Mando and his cute little son.

Disney will release director Jon Favreau’s The Mandalorian and Grogu in theaters on May 26. This new film is a continuation of the Disney+ series The Mandalorian. In fact, all signs point to it effectively being The Mandalorian Season 4 in a more condensed form. Once again, we’re going to see Pedro Pascal’s Mando and little Grogu accept a mission on behalf of the New Republic. They’ll again do battle with the remnants of the Empire and clash with all manner of scum and villainy.

While we’ll see some familiar faces from the series return (including co-creator Dave Filoni’s character Trapper Wolf and Steve Blum’s Zeb Orelios), the film will introduce several new players in the Mando-verse. That includes Sigourney Weaver as New Republic operative Col. Ward, Jonny Coyne as an Imperial warlord, and Jeremy Allen White as the oddly buff Rotta the Hutt (whom you might remember from the original Clone Wars movie).

The Mandalorian has definitely been one of the big successes of the Disney Star Wars era, but does it have the power to pull in moviegoers in this increasingly fickle theatrical market? We’ll see, especially after the somewhat mixed reaction to Season 3. At least Disney no longer has to worry about releasing in the same period as Grand Theft Auto VI.

Beyond The Mandalorian and Grogu, we’re expecting that Star Wars fans will get a taste of Disney’s 2027 theatrical slate as well. Production recently wrapped on Shawn Levy’s Star Wars: Starfighter, so we’re almost guaranteed to get a trailer for that movie at some point in 2026 (perhaps in time for Star Wars Day?).

We also know that the long-running rumors are true about Disney releasing the classic, non-Special Edition versions of the Original Trilogy in theaters. Those three restorations will hit theaters in 2027, but hopefully we’ll see trailers for them well ahead of time and get an idea of just what this remastered footage looks like.

Star Wars on Disney+

The Star Wars lineup on Disney+ this year isn’t quite as stacked as it was in 2023 and 2024. Lucasfilm is definitely pulling back a bit with new streaming releases. Still, there are several key projects to look forward to in 2026.

While not definitively confirmed for a 2026 release, we’re hoping to see Season 2 of Star Wars: Ahsoka at some point in the latter half of the year. Season 2 will pick up right where the original left off in 2023. Rosario Dawson’s Ahsoka Tano and Natasha Liu Bordizzo’s Sabine Wren are marooned in another galaxy, while Lars Mikkelsen’s Grand Admiral Thrawn has returned to aid the dying Empire in its fight against the New Republic.

Like the first, Ahsoka Season 2 will consist of eight episodes, all written by creator Dave Filoni. Fans can expect most of the Season 1 cast to return, which also includes Ivanna Sakhno’s Shin Hati, Eman Esfandi’s Ezra Bridger, Mary Elizabeth Winstead’s Hera Syndulla, and Hayden Christensen’s Anakin Skywalker. The one major exception is that Rory McCann will replace the late Ray Stevenson as fallen Jedi Baylan Skoll.

Again, Lucasfilm has yet to confirm a 2026 release, though filming on Season 2 did wrap up back in September 2025. We’re expecting this show to be a key part of the studio’s Star Wars strategy going forward, as it’s probably going to directly set the stage for Filoni’s live-action Star Wars movie.

One show that is a lock for 2026, though, is the animated series Maul: Shadow Lord. Like Star Wars: The Bad Batch, Shadow Lord is a Clone Wars spinoff set in the early days of the Empire’s reign. Having recently escaped Republic custody, Maul is determined to rebuild his criminal empire. The series will show us how Maul came to be where he is in 2018’s Solo: A Star Wars Story, though we’ll have to see how much of the timeline it ultimately covers.

Sam Witwer will reprise his role as Maul, while the series is executive produced by Filoni, Brad Rau, Athena Yvette Portillo, and Matt Michnovetz.

Also on the animated Star Wars front, Star Wars: Visions is getting a miniseries spinoff called Star Wars: Visions Presents - The Ninth Jedi. As the title suggests, this series will be a continuation of Production I.G.’s “The Ninth Jedi” shorts from Visions Season 1 and 3. It’s a natural choice, as there’s clearly far more story left to tell in this bleak yet adventurous take on the Star Wars mythos.

Star Wars Games: Now This Is Podracing

2025 was pretty quiet on the Star Wars gaming front, with the only notable release being some DLC and a Nintendo Switch 2 port for Ubisoft’s Star Wars: Outlaws. The good news is that we can expect at least one major new release in 2026. We hope you like podracing.

Star Wars: Galactic Racer is the spiritual successor to 1999’s Star Wars Episode I: Racer and 2002’s Star Wars Racer Revenge. It’s an arcade racer where players take control of those deadly machines in high-stakes contests across the galaxy. And as the trailer reveals, the game even features Sebulba trying to reclaim his crown, so there may be more of a plot this time around.

Galactic Racer is developed by Fuse Games and published by Secret Mode. That’s a good thing, as Fuse Games is made up of several ex-Criterion Games developers. The game will release on PC, PS5, and Xbox at some point in 2026.

Beyond that, it remains to be seen if we get any new Star Wars gaming content in 2026 outside of the mobile world. We’re crossing our fingers that we’ll at least learn more about the future of the Knights of the Old Republic franchise. Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic was recently revealed at the Game Awards. That game may be too far out for another trailer next year, but you never know. And reports suggest that remakes of the first two games are still in development, so it’s always possible we’ll get a trailer for one of those.

What’s Up With the Star Wars Comics?

Normally, Marvel’s Star Wars line is one of the more dependable sources of new content each year. But there’s a big question mark hanging over that corner of the franchise heading into 2026. Despite launching several new ongoing series in 2025, it looks like Marvel is abruptly ending them in the early months of the year. Star Wars writer Alex Segura recently confirmed that his series is ending with issue #10, cutting short this saga of a post-Return of the Jedi Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and Princess Leia. The Kylo Ren-focused Star Wars: Legacy of Vader is also ending with issue #12 in January.

That leaves only a handful of smaller projects on the books for 2026. We know that Marvel will publish Star Wars: Shadow of Maul, a miniseries that serves as a prequel to the upcoming Shadow Lord cartoon. There’s also a Jar Jar Binks one-shot co-written by none other than actor Ahmed Best.

But beyond that, we’re not really sure what to expect from Marvel on the Star Wars front. We assume the publisher has something in mind to fill the void left by books like Star Wars and Legacy of Vader. The franchise might not be quite the chart-topper it was 10 years ago, but they’re not going to simply phase out publishing Star Wars comics. Will they continue to flesh out the Sequel Trilogy era or move elsewhere in the timeline? Hopefully, we’ll learn more sooner rather than later.

But if you prefer novels to comics, the future is looking a little rosier. Random House has several new Star Wars novels hitting next year. That includes author Mike Chen’s Outlaws: Low Red Moon, a prequel to the game starring Jaylen Vrax and ND-5, Madeleine Roux’s Legacy, focused on Rey’s Jedi training, and Rebecca Roanhorse’s Reign of the Empire: Edge of the Abyss, the second book in the trilogy that traces the early origins of the Rebel Alliance.

And that’s what to expect from the Star Wars franchise in 2026 across film, streaming, games, and books. Which Star Wars project are you most looking forward to this year? Vote in our poll and let us know what you think in the comments below.

For more, check out every Star Wars movie and series in development.

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

God of War’s Norse-set masterpieces has cemented it as one of PlayStation’s most iconic franchises. Born during the PS2 era, the God of War franchise made a name for itself with excellent action gameplay, an intriguing tale of divine revenge, and a memorable lead in the Spartan demigod Kratos. 20 years later, God of War has grown into gaming’s seminal action-adventure series, blending that increasingly fine-tuned action with deeper lore and a stronger narrative hook, anchored by an older, more empathic Kratos.

With God of War Ragnarok having earned its place in the pantheon of all-time greats, we’ve created this chronology of the series for those interested in playing (or replaying) it from the start.

Jump to:

• How to play chronologically
• How to play by release date

How Many God of War Games Are There?

Sony has released 10 God of War games in the series — six on home consoles, two on portable consoles, one on mobile, and one text-adventure on Facebook Messenger.

We’re excluding its second mobile release, God of War: Mimir’s Vision, as this AR game doesn’t add to the ongoing narrative but instead provides players with background lore from the world of God of War. We’re also excluding PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale in this chronology, despite its comical inclusion in the God of War canon.

There are several God of War stories told through novels and comics as well, though this list only includes games.

Which God of War Game Should You Play First?

Although technically the first game in the series chronologically was God of War: Ascension, realistically you'll probably want to start with God of War (2018). Not only is it available on both PS4 and PS5, you can also play it on PC. It's a great starting point for anyone just getting into the series.

God of War Games in Chronological Order

These blurbs contain mild spoilers for each game, including characters, settings, and story beats.

1. God of War: Ascension (2013)

Ascension, the seventh God of War game by release date but the first chronologically, is a revenge tale that explores the early days of Kratos’s transformation from a Spartan demigod into the God of War.

Ascension takes place months after Kratos was manipulated into killing his wife and daughter by the Greek God of War Ares (more on this under the original God of War section below). Kratos, traumatized by the killings, refuses to honor the oath he swore to Ares, setting into motion the story of Ascension. Ares seeks revenge through the game’s antagonistic Furies, three beings tasked with punishing betrayal, whom Kratos must kill in order to free himself from his oath. The story ends with Kratos leaving his Spartan home behind, still tormented by his grief.

2. God of War: Chains of Olympus (2008)

Kratos’s next adventure is told in the PSP game aptly named God of War: Chains of Olympus. Olympus takes place halfway through Kratos’s ten-year servitude to the gods (five years before God of War) — a servitude that, once completed, will free him from the torturous visions of his past.

The main plot tasks Kratos with rescuing Helios, the Titan God of the Sun, from the underworld at the behest of Athena. There, he encounters the game’s primary antagonist Persephone, Queen of the Underworld. Persephone presents Kratos with an opportunity to reunite with his daughter, and Kratos wrestles with the apocalyptic repercussions of that reunion and his promise to return Helios to the gods.

3. God of War (2005)

Set roughly 10 years after Ascension, the first God of War game begins with Kratos succumbing to his grief and jumping off a cliff into the Aegean Sea. Before he hits the water, we flash back three weeks to discover what led the Spartan off the brink.

Kratos, nearing the end of his servitude to the gods, is given one final task by Athena: defeat Ares and save the city of Athens from his siege. With the promise of forgiveness for his past atrocites as his reward, Kratos sets out to obtain Pandora’s Box and kill Ares. The task takes him to hell and back, with Kratos ultimately facing off against the God of War. Victorious yet no less troubled by his past, Kratos jump off the bluff as we saw in the game’s opening. Athena pulls him from the water and offers him a throne on Olympus, completing his 10-year ascension to becoming the God of War.

Throughout the game, a narrator provides crucial backstory about Kratos’s life through cut scenes. Kratos once served as a revered captain in the Spartan army. On the verge of death and defeat against a massive force of barbarians, he offered himself to Ares in exchange for victory. Ares answered the call, defeated the barbarians, and claimed Kratos as his servant, fusing his arms with the Blades of Chaos.

4. God of War: Ghost of Sparta (2010)

Ghost of Sparta, the series’ second PSP game, takes place between God of War and God of War 2. The subtitle references the nickname given to Kratos due to his pale-white appearance, the result of an oracle’s curse that fastened the ashes of his wife and child to his skin.

Ghost of Sparta provides closure to two familial narrative threads: Kratos travels to Atlantis where he encounters both his mortal mother and his long-lost brother Deimos, who was kidnapped by the gods during childhood to prevent the fulfillment of Olympus’s prophesized demise.

The climax sees Kratos and his brother reunited, doing battle with the Greek God of Death, Thanatos. Despite victory, it’s another unhappy ending for Kratos. By the time the credits roll, Kratos has grown even wearier and more furious with the other Olympians.

5. God of War: Betrayal (2007)

This mobile 2D sidescroller is officially part of the God of War canon, according to Sony Santa Monica animation director Bruno Velazquez. The gods, displeased with Kratos’s bloodlust, attempt to stop his latest conquest with Argos, a many-eyed giant that serves Hera, Queen of the Gods. Kratos is framed for the killing of Argos by an unidentified assassin in an attempt to further fracture his relationship with Olympus. Later, Zeus sends a messenger to put an end to Kratos’s continued destruction. Kratos responds with violence, once again defying the other gods. Betrayal leaves players with this message, setting up the events to come in God of War 2: “Soon, the fury of Zeus would rain down upon [Kratos].”

God of War: Betrayal was released in 2007, before the rise of smartphones, and isn’t available on modern mobile storefronts. It can be skipped without consequence, but those who want to play it will have to access it via a Java emulator.

6. God of War 2 (2007)

God of War 2 pits Kratos against Zeus, the King of Olympus. Kratos, already ostracized due to his yearslong rampage, rejects Athena’s plea for peace and continues wreaking havoc throughout Greece. It’s the final straw for Olympus; Zeus descends to the battlefield and kills Kratos.

Kratos finds a new ally in Gaia, the mother of Titans and Earth. She provides Kratos with a way to rewrite the past and save his own life. After a trip to the Underworld, Kratos follows Gaia’s instructions, leading him to the Sisters of Fate. After more bloodshed, Kratos takes control of the Loom of Fate and returns to the scene of his death. Kratos’s plan to kill Zeus is thwarted when another Olympian steps in front of his blade. It’s here that we (and Kratos) learn about his true parentage. Kratos uses the power of the Loom to recruit the Titans of the past to his future war. Back in the present, Kratos leads the Titans in an assault on Mount Olympus, setting up God of War 3.

7. God of War 3 (2010)

Taking place directly after the previous game, God of War 3 concludes Kratos’ Greecian saga and resolves his war with Zeus and the Olympians.

Kratos and the Titans battle with the Olympians to catastrophic effect. Kratos (once again) has his trust betrayed and (once again) descends into the Underworld. There, Kratos teams up with an old ally to take down Zeus once and for all. Back on Earth, Kratos faces the wrath of Titans and Gods alike, leading him on an epic killing spree toward a final showdown with Zeus.

Kratos declares an end to his vengeance, and with the world in ruin, makes a sacrifice to release hope to mankind.

8. God of War: A Call from the Wilds (2018)

God of War: A Call from the Wids is a Facebook Messenger text-adventure released ahead of 2018’s God of War. The ~30-minute story introduces Kratos's son Atreus and provides background on the character's extrasensory abilities, while adding a bit of flavor to his relationships with Kratos and his mother, Faye. The story is set sometime before God of War 2018 when Faye is still alive.

A Call from the Wilds seems to no longer be playable, though like God of War: Betrayal, this is a story that can ultimately be skipped. Those who want to experience it can find complete playthroughs on YouTube.

9. God of War (2018)

Set many years after God of War 3, 2018’s God of War transports Kratos from Greece to the Norse realm of Midgard, where Kratos now resides with his son, Atreus. Kratos and Atreus plan to fulfill Faye’s dying wish: to have her ashes spread from the top of the highest peak in the Nine Realms.

Their journey is no straightforward hike; the duo travel through multiple realms, encountering friends and foes from Norse mythology, including Baldur, Freya, Thor’s sons Magni and Modi, the last living giant Jörmungandr, and Mimir. Along the way, Kratos struggles with fatherhood and the truths he keeps hidden from Atreus — about his past and Atreus’s identity.

Following their adventure, the Nine Realms enter Fimbulwinter, a three-year-long precursor to Ragnarök, the end of the world.

10. God of War Ragnarok (2022)

God of War: Ragnarok, the most recent and story-rich God of War game, is set three years after 2018’s God of War, as the Nine Realms near the end of Fimbulwinter and the beginning of Ragnarök.

Many characters return from 2018, alongside newcomers such as the All-Father Odin and his son Thor, but it remains focused on the adventures of Kratos and Atreus with a greater emphasis on the latter, who explores his newly discovered identities and powers. As Kratos and Atreus, you’ll traverse all nine realms and the Realm Between Realms on personal quests of identity and a greater quest to defeat the Asgards and survive Ragnarok.

We won’t spoil the journey, but Ragnarok leaves the door open for future God of War stories to be told. Though you can play the God of War Ragnorok New Game Plus mode if you've already finished the game.

What’s Next for God of War?

Sony has yet to announce another God of War game, though given the critical and commercial success of God of War (2018) and Ragnarok, we expect future entries in the series.

A God of War TV series is also in the works, joining a host of upcoming video game adaptations. The live-action show, in development for Amazon’s Prime Video streaming service, will adapt the story of 2018’s God of War. Production hit a snag in 2024 following the departure of showrunner Rafe Judkins and executive producers Hawk Ostby and Mark Fergus. The series is now being led by Ronald D. Moore, whose credits include Star Trek: The Next Generation, For All Mankind, and Battlestar Galactica's 2000s reboot. We got the chance to speak with Moore at Comic Con earlier this year, learning more about what drew him to the God of War franchise and how he's approaching the show adaptation.

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

The debut trailer for Sword and Fairy 4 Remake is out in the wild — and it looks a lot like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.

Developed by Chinese studio Up Software and published by Cube Game, Sword and Fairy 4 Remake is a single-player turn-based role-playing game made in Unreal Engine 5 due out on PC and consoles at some point.

The official trailer, dubbed “Unpredictable Divine Will,” has already drawn comparisons to Clair Obscur: Expedition 33’s eye-catching battle system, from the dynamic user interface to the action heavy parry system. Even the camera perspective and the way the camera moves during battle rekindles memories of Sandfall Interactive’s hugely popular RPG.

Sword and Fairy 4 Remake - Official Trailer “Unpredictable Divine Will” is here! Developed by Up Software and published by Cube Game, this single-player turn-based RPG is reborn in Unreal Engine 5 with the latest technology.
Set off on a journey to find the immortals with Tianhe… pic.twitter.com/dKlfnDJsta

— Cube Game (@CubeGameCN) December 29, 2025

“Set off on a journey to find the immortals with Tianhe Yun’s team,” reads the official blurb. “In the meantime, a hidden truth that has been sealed for a long time is revealing itself.”

The Legend of Sword and Fairy is a Chinese video game franchise that encompasses nine mainline Chinese mythology/xianxia-themed role-playing computer games. The first game launched in 1995 for PC and enjoyed critical and commercial success across China. Many sequels and spinoffs have followed in the years since.

The Legend of Sword and Fairy 4 is in fact the fifth installment in the mainline video game franchise, and acts as a prequel to the third game. The latest game, The Legend of Sword and Fairy 7, came out in 2021 as the ninth mainline entry on PC, with an English version released for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X and S in 2022 under the name Sword and Fairy: Together Forever. It was seen as an alternative to the recent mainline Final Fantasy games, which of course inspired Clair Obscur: Expedition 33’s development.

Fans are drawing a line from Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 to Sword and Fairy 4 Remake, and some are accusing its developer of copying Sandfall’s game. “Totally not copy and paste combat, style, parry, from Clair Obscur Expedition 33,” said one commenter. "Is this DLC of Expedition 33?" said another. "We got Expedition-like genre now," added another fan. Others, however, are saying Sword and Fairy 4 Remake just looks like a modern turn-based RPG in the Persona style, and are pointing to previous entries in the series as evidence of its credentials.

The first E33-like is already on its way from China and it's through the announcement of the remake of "Legend of Sword and Fairy 4". pic.twitter.com/jfiVnNn42X

— Dream's Longest Day (@Dreamboum) December 29, 2025

Cube Game has said an English version of the trailer will be revealed in the coming days by a “regional publisher.” We’ll hopefully learn more about Sword and Fairy 4 Remake then.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, meanwhile, is enjoying a new surge of interest off the back of a record-breaking haul from The Game Awards 2025, where it took home the coveted Game of the Year. At the awards, Sandfall shadow-dropped Clair Obscur DLC.

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.

Malcolm in the Middle: Life's Still Unfair has a debut trailer and an April 10, 2026 release date on Hulu.

The trailer for the revival shows how Malcolm (Frankie Muniz) is dragged back into his family’s orbit after shielding himself from them for over a decade. We see Hal (Bryan Cranston) and Lois (Jane Kaczmarek) demand his presence at their 40th anniversary party, but poor Malcolm, it seems, would rather be left well alone.

“My life is fantastic now,” Malcolm says in the trailer. “All I had to do is stay away from my family.” Hilarity ensues.

Indeed, the entire original cast returns with the exception of little brother Dewey. Erik Per Sullivan, who originally played the character, won’t return to the show, with Caleb Ellsworth-Clark taking over the role for the revival. Cranston recently revealed the news in a conversation on Dana Carvey and David Spade’s Fly on the Wall podcast. “I talked to Erik and I said, ‘Hey, we got the show! It’s going to come back,’” he explained. “He goes, ‘Oh, that’s fantastic!’ And I go, ‘Yeah, so we’re looking forward to having you back.’ He goes, ‘Oh, no, no, I don’t want to do it. But it’s fantastic.'”

The former actor, who is now 33-years-old, has a pretty good reason for sitting this one out. “He’s actually going to Harvard,” Cranston said during the podcast. “He’s really, really smart, and he’s getting his master’s at Harvard right now. He said, ‘Oh God, no, I haven’t acted since I was nine or something. So I’m not into it.'” Following the show’s original run from 2002-2006, Sullivan stepped back from acting just four years later at age 19 to pursue other interests.

Malcolm in the Middle: Life's Still Unfair is a special four-part mini-series set for Hulu and via Disney+.

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.

Video game console sales cap out each generation at around 250 million, so how will the console manufacturers break through that barrier? By learning a crucial lesson from the videotape format war, one former PlayStation executive has suggested.

Speaking on the Pause for Thought and Naomi Kyle YouTube channel, Shawn Layden, former boss of Sony Interactive Entertainment America (SIEA), said the console video game market has hit a limit, and significant change is needed to expand beyond it.

“We talk about gaming as being this $250 billion industry, which it is, and have hundreds of millions of users, which it does,” he began. “But of course that includes if you're playing Wordle, you're a gamer. If you're playing Candy Crush, you're a gamer in that number. But the number of discrete consoles sold over any particular generation caps out about 250 million. If you line up all the PS1s, Sega Saturns, and N64s, and you go by generations, it's all about 250. The one time it popped to almost 300 was the generation that had the Wii, and people thought you could buy Wii Fit and lose weight. So, we got some non-traditional gaming audience to buy into the gaming industry at that time. But that was an anomaly and we've still kind of flattened out. So we need to crack that cap, that barrier.”

But how? Layden said the video game industry should study the past as it looks to the future, in particular Betamax’s loss to VHS in the videotape format war.

The videotape format war was a late 1970s/1980s battle between Sony's Betamax and JVC's VHS for dominance in home video recording, with VHS ultimately winning due to longer recording times, broader licensing (more manufacturers), and key partnerships with movie studios, making movies available for rental/purchase on VHS more readily, despite Betamax often having slightly better initial quality.

“Betamax lost to VHS for one reason only: that VHS licensed its format across many different manufacturers,” Layden explained. “Sony held the unique Betamax patent trademark and everything. There was a license we did with Toshiba towards the end of the lifecycle, but it never went wide like VHS.

Avatar creator James Cameron has said he’ll hold a press conference and tell the world what he would have done with Avatar 4 and 5 if he doesn’t get the chance to make the movies.

Or, the legendary writer and director has said, he’ll write Avatar novels himself, although he doesn’t think there’s a business case for books anymore.

Avatar: Fire and Ash is now up to $760.4 million at the global box office as the Disney sci-fi sequel heads towards one billion dollars from theaters. While that’s a huge amount for any movie after just two weekends in theaters, questions remain over whether Avatar 3 will end up making enough money theatrically to convince Disney to greenlight Avatar 4 and 5.

The special effects-heavy Avatar films cost a huge amount of money to produce, but they have historically made billions of dollars at the box office. Avatar 1 remains the highest-grossing movie of all time (not adjusted for inflation), and has earned a staggering $2.9 billion across several theatrical runs. Avatar: The Way of Water earned $2.3 billion, meanwhile, cementing it as the third-highest grossing film of all time — just ahead of Cameron's own Titanic.

Avatar 4 currently has a December 21, 2029 release date, with Avatar 5 due out December 19, 2031. Cameron, now 71, would be close to 80 years old by the time it all wraps up.

Now, speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Cameron sounded further words of caution about continuing the franchise, despite the fact Disney has set release dates for Avatar 4 and 5. And he revealed his plan if Fire and Ash flops — in Disney’s eyes, of course.

"If we don't get to make 4 and 5, for whatever reason, I'll hold a press conference and I'll tell you what we were gonna do. How's that?" he said.

An alternative is to write Avatar novels, going into significant detail on the world and telling the stories of the sequels. "There's so much culture and backstory and lateral detail in these characters that's been worked out,” he said. “I'd love to do something that's at that level of granular detail."

However, “there's no business model for it anymore. People aren't reading. But anyway, it might be good to have the canonical record of what it was all supposed to be.”

According to EW, that’s a reference to recent research from the University of Florida and University College London that states the proportion of people reading for pleasure daily in the United States has declined by more than 40% over the last 20 years.

These comments from Cameron echo those he made in the run up to Fire and Ash’s release, when he admitted he was feeling nervous about the film’s box office performance and expressed concern about the “forces” working against theatrical releases in 2025.

Speaking on The Town with Matthew Belloni podcast, Cameron said there’s potential for “sequelitis.” He added: "people tend to dismiss sequels unless it’s the third Lord of the Rings film and you want to see what happens to everybody, which in my mind this is — this is the culmination of a story arc, but that may not be how the public sees it.” And there’s the “one-two punch” of streaming and Covid, which means fewer people are going to the movies — 75% of the number in 2019, Cameron suggested.

When pressed on how much Avatar: Fire and Ash cost to make, Cameron wouldn’t be drawn into divulging a figure, only suggesting it was a lot of money, and so the movie will have to make a lot of money to turn a profit.

“It is one metric f**k ton of money, which means we have to make two metric f**k tons of money to make a profit,” he said. “I have no doubt in my mind that this movie will make money. The question is, does it make enough money to justify doing it again?”

Stranger Things is nearly over, with the Season 5 finale set to bring an end to the long-running Netflix show and finally confirm the fate of its much-loved characters.

Who will die by the time the show is done and dusted has been the big Stranger Things question for years now. There are many theories, which we’ll briefly run through below.

Warning! Spoilers for Stranger Things Season 5 follow:

Steve, played by Joe Keery, often comes up in conversations about potential Stranger Things character deaths. But there are also concerns for Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), who some believe will end up sacrificing herself to destroy Vecna, thus allowing the rest of the Stranger Things crew to survive, and Jim Hopper (David Harbour), who has already revealed himself to be on something of a suicide mission this season.

Meanwhile, some believe Will (Noah Schnapp) will bite the dust, using his new power to finally bring Vecna’s tyranny to an end but killing himself in the process. But according to IGN's poll on the matter, below, Jonathan Byers, played by Charlie Heaton, is the most popular pick for Season 5 death, with 22.4% of the vote.

We won’t know until the series finale airs at 5pm PT on New Year’s Eve, of course, but recent comments from the Duffer Brothers have hinted that fans shouldn’t expect a bloodbath when it comes to character deaths. That is to say, Stranger Things is not like Game of Thrones, and there’s no Red Wedding equivalent scene.

For the uninitiated, the Red Wedding is perhaps the most famous moment in the entire Game of Thrones saga. It sees much-loved characters, many of whom had been central to the story up to that point, murdered in graphic detail, shocking readers and viewers alike.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Matt Duffer insisted the series finale shouldn’t be compared to Game of Thrones, and jokingly singled out Steve as the most discussed character when it comes to being killed off.

“It’s not Game of Thrones. We’re not in Westeros,” he said. “I love Game of Thrones, but it’s just a very different type of show than that. There’s not going to be a Red Wedding situation. I think some things happen in the finale that are very surprising, but we’re not trying to shock or upset anyone. I hope by the time people get to the end of the finale that it just feels like there’s something inevitable about what happens, and that it doesn’t feel painful but feels satisfying. We’ll see. But as for Steve’s fate. I don’t know. I can’t say. It would be the next logical step. He keeps getting beaten up more and more. The only way we could take it further is death. (Laughs.)”

The Stranger Things Season 5 finale, Episode 8, is called The Rightside Up, and has an official runtime of 2 hours 8 minutes. It will be screened in theaters nationwide at the same time it is shown on Netflix. Ross Duffer has told fans they should only see it in theaters if they’re cool with crying in a crowded room.

"The finale. Theaters. New Year’s Eve," Duffer wrote in a social media post alongside a photo of the drawing Lucas and Max used to ask each other on a date in Season 4. "This is something my brother and I have dreamed about for years. If you don’t mind crying in front of strangers, GO. And if you’re in LA… maybe we’ll see you there."

Check out our Stranger Things: Season 5, Vol. 2 spoiler review for more.

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.

Wicked: For Good launches on VOD platforms on December 30 having crossed the $500 million mark at the global box office.

The musical sequel will be available to buy or rent from digital platforms with an exclusive sing-along version and never-before-seen deleted scenes.

Wicked: For Good currently has a global box office haul of $504 million, having hit theaters on November 21. Its digital release comes just over five weeks later.

The VOD film comes with two versions of the movie: an exclusive sing-along for fans; and over one hour of bonus features, including deleted scenes, a 50+ minute exclusive look into the making of the movie with Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, and the cast and filmmakers, and more behind-the-scenes featurettes.

Wicked: For Good exclusive bonus features when you buy or rent:

SING-ALONG - ALTERNATE FEATURE-LENGTH VERSION – Rejoicify! The time has come to raise your voice and unleash the magic of Oz. Sing with all your heart as Elphaba and Glinda’s destiny unfolds in the spellbinding Sing-Along Edition of WICKED: FOR GOOD.

DELETED SCENES

• Brick Making - A musical montage shows Munchkins busily shaping and painting brilliant golden bricks, bringing the Yellow Brick Road to life.
• Glinda Train Tour - As Glinda leaves Emerald City, the citizens erupt into musical fanfare, sending her off with radiant cheers and lavish celebration - Featuring Ariana Grande, Michelle Yeoh and Bowen Yang
• Even You, Fiyero - Elphaba retreats to her lair, wrestling with the sting of Fiyero’s betrayal and the weight of her heartbreak - Featuring Cynthia Erivo
• Return to the Governor’s Mansion - Lost and abandoned, Elphaba returns to the one place she swore she’d left behind - her childhood home - Featuring Cynthia Erivo
• Friendship Montage - A lively montage unfolds as Elphaba, Glinda, Fiyero, Boq, and Nessarose spend a carefree afternoon together—playing games, laughing, and relaxing over a cheerful picnic - Featuring Ethan Slater, Marissa Bode, Jonathan Bailey, Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo
• The Wizard is Sentimental - Glinda steps into her ethereal bubble to float above Emerald City, contrasted with the Wizard’s nostalgic hot air balloon ascension as he reprises “A Sentimental Man” - Featuring Ariana Grande and Jeff Goldblum

MAKING WICKED: FOR GOOD – Step behind the curtain for an exclusive look at the magic of Oz. Through never-before-seen footage and candid interviews, discover how the cast and crew brought this epic story to life — from the artistry of building Oz brick-by-brick to the challenge of filming two sweeping productions at once. A talent-led journey you won’t want to miss.

THE TRUE WIZARD - An exploration of why Jon M. Chu was the ideal director to bring WICKED: FOR GOOD from stage to screen. See how his inventiveness as a filmmaker and passion for WICKED are key ingredients for the humanity and joy we feel in every shot.

MORE THAN JUST A PLACE - A closer look at Elphaba's new song in WICKED: FOR GOOD.

Cynthia Erivo, Jon M. Chu, Stephen Schwartz, and others reflect on its emotional resonance, Elphaba's vulnerability, and the expressive movement artists portraying the animal characters she sings to.

THE GIRL IN THE BUBBLE - A closer look at Glinda's brand new song for the WICKED: FOR GOOD film. Ariana Grande, Jon M. Chu, Stephen Schwartz, and more discuss how the song comes at such a pivotal moment for Glinda why filming the sequence was such a feat of technical mastery.

KIAMO KO - Return to Kiamo Ko, where the film's climax unfolds. Cast and filmmakers reflect on Elphaba's embrace of her identity as the Wicked Witch, the poignant reunion with Glinda, and the bittersweet consequences that follow in this emotionally charged sequence.

FEATURE COMMENTARY WITH DIRECTOR JON M. CHU

Last month, Universal Pictures indicated that plans were already underway to continue the Wicked franchise, following the success of the two movies — even though the story of the Wicked musical had now well and truly been told.

"Because of Wicked's success but also the fanship, we have almost a responsibility to figure out how we can continue in this universe," Universal chief marketing officer Michael Moses told Vulture.

Across the two Wicked movies, the 2 hour 30 minute musical's story is expanded to almost five hours. But the musical itself is based on just the first of a series of Wicked novels. Later stories largely follow a fresh generation of characters, including Elphaba's son Liir.

"I think the Glinda and Elphaba story feels complete — but there are other aspects that could be explored," Wicked's original composer Stephen Schwartz recently told The Ankler. "Gregory Maguire, the original Wicked novelist, has several books, for example.

"There's another idea that Winnie [Holzman, Wicked and Wicked: For Good co-writer] and I are discussing: not a sequel, but an adjunct. Let me put it that way," Schwartz teased.

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.

The third Avengers: Doomsday teaser trailer appears to have leaked online, and it revolves around the X-Men in a devastating battle.

As we know, Avengers: Doomsday is confirmed to feature a number of X-Men characters played by their original actors, including Kelsey Grammer (Beast), Patrick Stewart (Professor X), Ian McKellen (Magneto), Alan Cumming (Nightcrawler), Rebecca Romijn (Mystique), and James Marsden (Cyclops).

Warning! Potential spoilers for Avengers: Doomsday teaser trailer three follow:

As was with the case for the first Avengers: Doomsday teaser trailer, which confirmed Chris Evans’ Steve Rogers returns, this time as a father, and the second, which confirmed Chris Hemsworth’s Thor alongside his adopted daughter, Love, the third trailer has leaked online in poor quality, with takedowns following soon after.

We see Ian McKellen reprise his role as Magneto, although not in battle costume. Patrick Stewart’s Professor X wears a costume that bears a resemblance to the militaristic suit he wore in the comics, although his much-loved yellow chair is nowhere to be seen. Overall, it looks like Avengers: Doomsday is looking to the 90s for inspiration for the X-Men's design, which will no-doubt delight veteran fans of the mutant superhero team and align with the popular animated X-Men series.

It looks like the footage we see in the leaked trailer is set in the X-Mansion, also known as Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. In one shot, we see Cyclops let rip with an optic blast, and near him is a giant boot, which we presume belongs to a mutant-hunting Sentinel. Like with the Thor trailer, the tone here is dead serious. Magneto talks about death coming for everyone eventually, which is a lovely thought.

This ties into set photos that appeared to tease a huge battle at the X-Mansion. At the time, fans speculated that this battle would feature Robert Downey Jr. controlling Sentinels that attack the X-Men as part of an incursion, and that it would go very badly for the X-Men, potentially even wiping the mutants out. The theory is that this would establish the universe-ending potential of Doctor Doom, in a similar way Avengers: Infinity War kicked off with Thanos beating Hulk so badly Hulk basically went into hiding for the rest of the MCU phase.

But the highlight is a comic book accurate live-action version of Marsden’s Cyclops. This is something fans have been waiting 20 years for, after Fox’s X-Men movies made a point of distancing themselves from the comics by going with black suits. Cyclops tears off his visor and lets rip as the X-Mansion erupts in flame around him. It feels like a hail mary, and now I’m worried Cyclops is going to sacrifice himself to save the rest of the team.

The question is, who makes it out of this battle alive? Will whoever’s left of the X-Men team up with the Avengers and other superheroes confirmed to appear in Doomsday to take on Doctor Doom, or do they spend most of their time fighting each other throughout Doomsday, only putting their differences aside for 2027’s Avengers: Secret Wars? Either way, the X-Mansion looks like it’s toast — again.

If Marvel Studios follows the pattern it established earlier this month, this X-Men trailer will replace the Thor trailer in theaters alongside Avatar: Fire and Ash later this week, and we’ll get the official release of the Thor trailer online. Following that, we’ll no doubt get this X-Men trailer online once its week-long run in theaters ends and is replaced by a supposed fourth teaser trailer, which fans are hoping finally reveals Doctor Doom himself.

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.

I have told myself I am absolutely not buying more games at least five times this week, and yet here we are. This batch is dangerous in that very specific way where titles you already love suddenly feel like sensible purchases. I have played most of these, I can vouch for them, and yes, my backlog is a crime scene.

Contents

• Retro
• Nintendo
• Xbox
• PlayStation
• PC
• PC Gear
• LEGO

This Day in Gaming 🎂

In retro news, it's time to hold onto yer butts and celebrate the 32nd birthday of (arguably) the best Jurassic Park game of the '90s. My "friend of SNES-owning convenience" who lived over the road from me had this. We spent hours marvelling at a movie tie-in title that was way better than it had any right to be (the Wolfenstein 3D sections were particularly ambitious for the hardware).

Avatar: Fire and Ash is now up to $760.4 million at the global box office as the Disney sci-fi sequel heads towards one billion dollars from theaters.

$217.7 million has now been made domestically, but Avatar: Fire and Ash is doing particularly well internationally, where it has an impressive $542.7 million haul after an impressive 25% overall drop. Avatar 1 and 2 were the world’s number one film for a number of weeks following launch, and each ended up earning over $2 billion. The hope for Disney is that Avatar 3 shows similar staying power in theaters, and it's drip-feeding Avengers: Doomsday teaser trailers alongside the movie to encourage repeat viewings from super fans. James Cameron’s three Avatar films have now earned over $6 billion to date globally, including Fire and Ash.

The lingering question for Cameron is whether Avatar 3 does enough business to convince Disney to greenlight Avatar 4 and 5. Avatar: Fire and Ash launched to a huge $345 million at the global box office, which was enough to secure the second largest opening weekend of 2025 so far. But it was down significantly on its predecessor Avatar: The Way of Water’s opening weekend haul.

The special effects-heavy Avatar films cost a huge amount of money to produce, but they have historically made billions of dollars at the box office. Avatar remains the highest-grossing movie of all time (not adjusted for inflation), and has earned a staggering $2.9 billion across several theatrical runs. Avatar: The Way of Water earned $2.3 billion, meanwhile, cementing it as the third-highest grossing film of all time — just ahead of Cameron's own Titanic.

Avatar 4 currently has a December 21, 2029 release date, with Avatar 5 due out December 19, 2031. Cameron, now 71, would be close to 80 years old by the time it all wraps up.

But Cameron has sounded words of caution recently. Speaking on The Town with Matthew Belloni podcast, Cameron admitted he was feeling nervous about Avatar: Fire and Ash’s box office performance, and was mindful of the “forces” working against theatrical releases in 2025. There’s the potential for “sequelitis,” Cameron noted. "People tend to dismiss sequels unless it’s the third Lord of the Rings film and you want to see what happens to everybody, which in my mind this is — this is the culmination of a story arc, but that may not be how the public sees it.” And there’s the “one-two punch” of streaming and Covid, which means fewer people are going to the movies — 75% of the number in 2019, Cameron suggested.

When pressed on how much Avatar: Fire and Ash cost to make, Cameron wouldn’t be drawn into divulging a figure, only suggesting it was a lot of money, and so the movie will have to make a lot of money to turn a profit.

“It is one metric f**k ton of money, which means we have to make two metric f**k tons of money to make a profit,” he said. “I have no doubt in my mind that this movie will make money. The question is, does it make enough money to justify doing it again?”

And on that point, Cameron admitted he was “absolutely” ready to walk away from Avatar if Fire and Ash flops.

“I’ve been in Avatar land for 20 years,” he said. “Actually 30 years because I wrote it in ‘95, but I wasn’t working continuously on it for those first 10 years. Yeah, absolutely, sure. If this is where it ends, cool.”

But what about open story threads?

“There’s one open thread. I’ll write a book!” Cameron responded.

While the holidays may be over, there are still many great deals live. We've rounded up the best deals for Sunday, December 28, below. Don't miss your chance to save on these late discounts or gifts!

Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora From The Ashes Edition for $29.99

Target is offering gift cards up to $100 with the purchase of select Logitech gaming gear, including some already discounted items. One of the best deals I’ve come across is on the Logitech G502 X Plus Wireless Gaming Mouse. This mouse is already on sale for $139.99, knocking $40 off the regular price. On top of that, you’ll receive a $55 Target gift card, so you’re essentially getting this ergonomic, highly-capable gaming mouse for only $85. While the gift card deal lasts until January 3rd, the Logitech G502 X Plus is only $40 off until December 29th, so be sure to grab it now to stack the savings.

The catch? A Target Circle membership is required to score this deal. Luckily, it’s completely free to become a member and simple to sign up. After logging into your Target Circle account, you can just apply this deal at checkout, and the gift card will be added to your account for use towards another purchase.

Get $55 Target Gift Card With the Already Discounted Logitech G502 X Plus

In IGN expert Mike Epstein’s hands-on testing of the Logitech G502 X Plus Wireless Gaming Mouse, it received a rave review, scoring a 9/10. From the sleek, modern design accented by a flashy RGB lightbar to the Hero 25K sensor for responsive and snappy performance, this is one of the best gaming mice you can grab.

The Logitech G502 X Plus is comfortable to grip during even marathon gaming sessions, and features 12 buttons, the majority of which are customizable. That’s an excessive number of inputs for a non-MMO mouse. Still, those extra controls can be useful, letting you rest your keyboard hand a bit and potentially leading to more reactive gameplay. And its Lightforce switches deliver some tactile feedback.

Getting this elite gaming mouse on sale, along with a $55 Target gift card, is one heck of a deal. However, if you’re not interested in the gift card, you can find it discounted at Best Buy and Logitech for $129.99. While that’s not nearly as good a deal, it’s not a bad price.

Check Out These Other Logitech Target Gift Card Deals

Target has plenty other Logitech gaming gear that includes an additional Target gift card with Circle membership. Below, I’ve highlighted a couple of items worth checking out. However, not all these gift card deals are that great. I’d steer clear of the Logitech racing wheels that come with a $100 Target gift card, as you can find them cheaper from Amazon, Best Buy, or Logitech.

Marvel and DC have a lot riding on 2026. After a year that ranged from decent to disastrous, it’s tough to argue that “fatigue” isn’t a factor, but true believers are holding firm that next year will change everything. Spider-Man is going back to the streets, Supergirl is poised to build on Superman’s momentum, and all eyes are on Avengers: Doomsday – the ultimate test of Marvel’s remaining muscle.

The stage is set for box office redemption and a new path forward for superhero cinema. It’s the end of the post-post-pandemic era, a once-in-a-generation chance for a fresh start. If they mess this up, the genre might be truly cooked; next year could be the last chance to save comic book movies and shows from their flop era. That’s why we’re looking forward to 2026, the make-or-break year for superhero media.

One caveat before we begin: All dates are subject to change. Schedules can and likely will slip, but as far as we know, this is what’s on deck for 2026. So, let’s start with the main event…

Marvel Movies

2025 was not exactly the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s finest hour. None of the three theatrical films released under the Marvel Studios banner were the breakout successes Disney hoped for, and two of them were borderline catastrophes. Captain America: Brave New World was plagued by strike-related delays and extensive reshoots, culminating in a box-office stumble that no one could spin as a win. Thunderbolts* was even worse: The movie was good, critics and fans loved it… and almost nobody else went to see it. That’s a problem, considering that Thunderbolts* was designed to establish the New Avengers lineup that would lead us into Phase 6. Then there’s the Fantastic Four, Marvel’s flagship “first family” meant to kick off the new phase and pave the path to Doomsday.

It did not.

Fantastic Four’s box office wasn’t quite so dire, but it barely cracked half a billion and left fans mildly pleased and largely indifferent. Now Doomsday has twice the work to do to win them back, which is an uphill climb heading into 2026. Marvel and Disney need to get their act together, and next year is their best chance to do it. There are only two movies on the docket for the year, both of which could be bangers. First up...

The holidays are almost here, and we've rounded up the best deals for Saturday, December 27, below. Don't miss your chance to save on these late discounts or gifts!

Ninja Gaiden 4 for $49.99