There’s a plethora of great gaming mice out there. But more so than picking out a great gaming headset, finding the right mouse has a lot to do with personal preference. Don’t get me wrong, when reviewing gaming mice, several factors make some demonstrably better than others, but you’ll want to consider things like weight, size, ergonomics, extra buttons, or even what types of games you play. Because of this, I’ve broken down my picks for best gaming mouse based on a number of categories to help you make the best choice for your needs.

For example, the Logitech G502 X Lightspeed is one of the most comfortable mice that prioritizes ergonomics, but I would recommend the Viper V3 Pro to those who want an edge in competitive rounds of Valorant. Some may even want a versatile gaming mouse that makes sense in work settings with good Bluetooth and battery life, which the Turtle Beach Pure Air fits admirably. Meanwhile, those extra buttons on the Corsair Scimitar Elite sure look nice to those who want to program all their MMO/MOBA commands off the keyboard. But if I had to just choose one mouse out of them all as a blanket recommendation, the DeathAdder V4 Pro from Razer gets my vote. Throughout this guide, I break down my hands-on experience with each of the gaming mice I recommend to showcase why I think they’re the right fit for their category.

TL;DR – These Are the Best Gaming Mice

Of course, these aren’t the only great gaming mice – products have matured over the years so features like sensor accuracy, responsiveness, and durability are better than ever, and anything worth its salt will have those bases covered. That said, there are still many aspects to consider when it comes to new technologies and features being crammed into modern mice. With that in mind, at the end of the guide I’ve outlined some important questions to ask when looking for a gaming mouse on your own. And as always, we’ll update this guide with new recommendations as we get hands on and review more gaming mice in the future, so be sure to check back whenever you need some buying advice.

See our list of the best gaming mouse pads, too!

Additional contributions by Danielle Abraham

1. Razer Deathadder V4 Pro

Best Overall Gaming Mouse

2. SteelSeries Rival 3 Gen 2

Best Budget Gaming Mouse

3. SteelSeries Aerox 3 Wireless

Best Budget Wireless Gaming Mouse

4. Logitech G403 Hero

Best Wired Gaming Mouse

5. Logitech G703 Hero

Best Wireless Gaming Mouse

6. Razer Viper V3 Pro

Best FPS Gaming Mouse

7. Corsair Scimitar Elite

Best MMO/MOBA Gaming Mouse

8. Turtle Beach Pure Air

Most Versatile Gaming Mouse

9. HyperX Pulsefire Haste 2 Mini

Best Small Gaming Mouse

10. Asus ROG Keris II Ace

Best Lightweight Gaming Mouse

11. Logitech G502 X Lightspeed

Best Ergonomic Gaming Mouse

Gaming Mouse FAQ

How do you determine what makes a good gaming mouse?

Much of what makes a good gaming mouse comes down to your personal preferences or what exactly you want to get out of a mouse. For example, I wouldn’t recommend the Viper V3 Pro to someone who wants a compact versatile mouse that’s still good for gaming – but I would for an aspiring Valorant pro! While I certainly have my own preferences, testing and reviewing a wide variety of mice over the years has opened me up to the intricacies between different models, giving me the opportunity to experience first-hand what makes one better than another.

The first thing you’ll want to consider is your preferred grip style: palm, claw, or fingertip. Generally, a bigger mouse is a better choice for palm grips while lighter and smaller mice are better suited for fingertip grips. Do you like having a more ergonomic feel with deep-set grooves for your thumb and pinky to help hold onto the mouse? Does using something super lightweight matter more for when you’re whipping the mouse around during clutch moments in Counter-Strike 2? For me, I gravitate towards the latter since I’m most comfortable with a claw grip.

Again, it comes down to preference, but reviews will illustrate the way different mice contour to the user’s hands and how weight factors into whether or not it is easy to wield. Some mice are ambidextrous/symmetrical, which should work just fine for right-handed users while giving lefties out there a viable option. However, mice built specifically for right-hand use may fit more like a glove for, well, right-handed players.

Button feel is a tough thing to suss out when researching mice, but I make it a point in my mouse reviews to determine the squishiness or springiness of mouse clicks since that’s an important factor for both comfort and performance. Manufacturers tend to differ on the kinds of mechanical switches used from mouse to mouse, but the more firm and tactile the clicking feels, the better, since it helps with rapid firing in shooters or repeated clicks in MMOs/MOBAs.

Another feature that’s become standard is programmable side buttons. Most mice offer two around the thumb area, but they come in all shapes and sizes. Comfortable positioning and being easy to actuate in a moment's notice are things we account for when determining whether or not a mouse’s side buttons are good. You may also be interested in mice that go the extra mile with additional buttons, such as the ergonomic-minded Logitech G502 or the MMO/MOBA powerhouse that is the Corsair Scimitar Elite – they’re nowhere near as nimble as other mice, but that’s the compromise they make to offer those unique benefits.

Another variable to account for is the sensor, which tracks movement. Almost every brand name gaming-grade mouse today is equipped with an accurate and fast optical sensor that’s more than enough to line up shots in a competitive shooter. A higher maximum DPI (dots-per-inch, which is one variable that affects sensitivity) used to be shorthand for a mouse’s performance ceiling, but it has gotten to the point of diminishing returns.

What’s the deal with high polling rate on gaming mice?

Gaming mice come standard with a 1000Hz polling rate nowadays, which means your mouse updates your PC with movements and inputs every millisecond (1 ms). That’s plenty fast for most gamers, but a recent trend born out of the esports world is equipping mice with higher polling rates – up to 8000 Hz. Pro-grade mice such as the Razer Viper V3 Pro and Asus Keris II Ace are capable of this, offering polling rates of 1000Hz, 2000Hz, 4000Hz, and 8000Hz. It’s technically impressive, but does it really affect performance? It can, under specific circumstances.

* General range using the Razer DeathAdder V3 HyperSpeed as an example.

Polling rate doesn’t necessarily reduce latency, rather it increases the frequency at which your mouse movements are read. This can lead to an increase in smoothness since your PC is picking up and tracking the more incremental movements. Basically, polling rate is the measurement of how often the mouse sends data to your device (see chart above).

However, you won’t be able to actually reap the benefits if the rest of the input pipeline isn’t up to snuff. Two things to keep in mind are the resolution you’re playing at and the refresh rate of your screen. With higher pixel density (and screen space), the more those incremental movements matter. But also, higher refresh rates (such as 144 Hz and above) are important too. To benefit from those high refresh rates, your PC needs to be powerful enough to produce the high frame rates to match. In other words, there’s a lot that goes into PC gaming before you can start to notice the advantage of a mouse’s higher polling rate.

Full spoilers of Season 3 of The Diplomat, now streaming on Netflix, ahead.

The highest praise I can give the new season of The Diplomat – Netflix’s gripping, propulsive, and often hilarious political thriller starring Keri Russell and Rufus Sewell – is that that it blends the ingredients of the best political TV shows of the past 25 years (The West Wing, Veep, and House of Cards to name a few) into something comfortingly familiar yet wholly unique.

The series follows Kate Wyler (Russell), the United States’s Ambassador to the UK, as she navigates intrigue and political turmoil in what is normally a stress-free post. When a British warship is attacked and scores of sailors are killed in Season 1, Wyler and her sometimes-estranged husband / fellow diplomat Hal (played by Sewell) are drawn into a web of life-and-death political stakes involving everyone from the British Prime Minister to the President of the United States.

Season 2’s big twist revealed that Vice President Grace Penn (Allison Janney in a delicious, scene-chewing performance) masterminded the attack in an effort to prevent Scotland from seceding from the UK (which would have jeopardized the United States’s ability to dock their nuclear submarines in Europe). Season 2 ends with the American president William Rayburn suddenly dying and Penn assuming office.

Season 3 begins right where Season 2 left off, with Penn elevated to the presidency and the Wylers left scrambling to figure out where they fall in the new world order. In an early twist, Kate – who in Season 1 was thrust into the role of ambassador in part as an audition to replace Penn as VP – is passed over for the job, which goes to Hal instead. Kate decides to stay in London while Hal moves to Washington, adding a literal ocean to the metaphorical one already dividing their marriage.

The November 17 release date on Steam and Xbox PC for action RPG Solo Leveling: ARISE OVERDRIVE is quickly approaching, and to celebrate, it will have a booth at TwitchCon in San Diego this week where players can try out a new demo and win special merch.

Solo Leveling: ARISE OVERDRIVE lets you step into the world of the massively popular Solo Leveling franchise, centering on protagonist Sung Jinwoo. It’s been built for PC and console (it’s scheduled to release on consoles in 2026) and includes the original story along with new adventures that are exclusive to the game.

If you’re not familiar with the series, it takes place in a world where people with supernatural abilities known as Hunters must protect mankind from a never-ending onslaught of monsters. Usually, Hunters’ abilities and strength level are determined when their powers first manifest. But Jinwoo gets a unique ability: he can level up. So even though he starts off as a low-tier Hunter, he can grow more powerful the more foes he defeats. And now he’s on a personal quest to become the world’s strongest Hunter.

It should be pretty obvious why this premise lends itself to a game, it basically already has RPG progression systems baked in. Solo Leveling: ARISE OVERDRIVE builds on that base with a skill tree that branches into eight different job advancements. Through the course of the webtoon, Jinwoo transforms into the Ultimate Monarch of Shadows, and now you can experience his evolution for yourself.

As you can see in the video above, Jinwoo can switch between weapons and combine basic attacks with flashy special abilities to build up combos. But you can’t just mindlessly attack, you need to keep an eye on enemies and respond to their strikes and AoE attacks. You can execute perfectly timed parries or dodges to cancel out damage and unleash powerful counterattacks to keep the fast pace flowing and combo meter climbing.

However you defeat enemies, they’ll drop loot that you can use to craft new weapons, including ones pulled directly from the original webtoon, like Kasaka’s Venom Fang and the Demon King’s Daggers. There are several weapon types available, and your combat style will be determined by your weapon and skill tree choices. That makes for a variety of styles, like in the original story, giving you the opportunity to try out different options and figure out what works best for you.

You’ll face off against a ton of enemies and bosses solo, but some are too strong for even a leveled-up Jinwoo to deal with. That’s where multiplayer comes in. You can team up in four-player co-op raids to take on commanders that series veterans will recognize, and you can play as Jinwoo or one of the other available Hunters with their own set of unique skills.

If you’re interested in seeing more, don’t miss TwitchCon, which starts Friday, October 17 and will be open until Sunday, October 19. The Solo Leveling: ARISE OVERDRIVE booth is open to the public, so any in-person attendees can come by and try out the demo. And there will be some popular streamers playing the game at the booth (iiTzTimmy, RDCGaming, EsfandTV, Agent00, ExtraEmily, and more). The booth will also have activities available, and people who complete them can earn exclusive merch.

If you’re not able to attend in person, no worries. There will also be streamers dropping by the in-booth streaming room to play the demo and share gameplay with their channels. The game releases November 17 on Steam and Xbox PC, with a planned release on consoles next year.

It’s available for pre-order now, and the story, boss raids, and multiplayer content are included. If you want to stay up to date on the latest info, you can check out the official website or follow on Twitter, YouTube, or Discord.

I've had my hands on a lot of fancy mice in recent years – the Razer Viper V3 Pro, the Turtle Beach Kone II, and the HyperX Pulsefire Haste 2 to name a few. They're packed with top-of-the-line features and performance suited for pro-level play, but they're quite expensive. Not everyone needs or wants that, though, and not everyone has $100-plus to spend on a peripheral. In exploring more budget-minded mice, I find that the updated SteelSeries Rival 3 hit a sweet spot between cost and performance, because while I do notice a difference between it and the best gaming mice out now, the gap isn't quite as large as pricing would suggest. So, if you just want a simple, inexpensive gaming mouse that can also keep up in competitive scenarios, SteelSeries might just have what you're looking for.

SteelSeries Rival 3 (Gen 2) – Design and Features

This new Rival 3 largely maintains the design principles of the original one, using a symmetrical, ambidextrous shape with shallow grooves along the side and through the left and right mouse buttons. While I do wish the side grooves for my thumb and pinky were a bit deeper for better grip, the mouse's modest 77g weight keeps it easy to whip around in intense games and use comfortably throughout the work day. And the six-foot braided USB cord doesn't drag or create friction at any moment.

Since it's a somewhat lower-profile mouse, the Rival 3 is mostly fit for claw and fingertip grips, which I both found comfortable during gaming and normal usage. It doesn't sport a notable hunch on its body so there's a lot of room left to fill when trying a palm grip – if you absolutely need to go with a palm grip, you'll want to look elsewhere. Otherwise, it's an easy mouse to swipe quickly and accurately, which is also a credit to the slick PTFE feet on the bottom that glide well across my SteelSeries QCK+ Balance mouse mat.

On paper, the TrueMove Core 8.5K optical sensor may not blow you away considering many top-level mice boast 25K to 35K sensors – these ratings indicate the maximum DPI (dots-per-inch) setting for the sensor. Technically speaking, higher resolution tracking gives you a more accurate mouse, but at a certain point, there are diminishing returns especially when most users don't come close to going with the max DPI. All you need to know is that for a budget mouse, 8,500 DPI is more than enough.

Budget products need to get the fundamentals right, and the Rival 3 delivers on most fronts. The left and right click switches are firm and responsive, making them fantastic for rapid tapping which is a necessity in games. While they boast a 60 million-click durability and a short 1.35ms response, the bottom line is that the feel and performance is up there with the best. There are two side buttons that are also responsive upon actuation, but they're quite thin and it’s a bit hard to distinguish between the two because of their positioning and shape. The Rival 3 isn't a bulky mouse so there isn't a ton of room to work with, but I wish the side buttons were larger and more distinct.

The scroll wheel is indicative of the Rival 3 as a whole; nothing fancy, but perfectly suited for the task at hand. Each notch is distinct enough for incremental scrolling, but smooth enough blaze through pages of PDF documents. And the scroll wheel click button is slightly firm without feeling too stiff to reliably use as a key action in games you’d want to map it to. Below the scroll is the DPI switch, and it stays out of the way while being easy to locate in case you do fancy DPI switching mid-game.

Other than the SteelSeries logo at the palm, the only real visual flair is the five-zone RGB lighting that beams along the base of the mouse. It creates a vibrant underglow that remains tasteful, and if you're the type of person who switches DPI on the fly for specific in-game situations, you can tie each DPI setting to the RGB lighting as a clear visual cue.

SteelSeries Rival 3 (Gen 2) – Software and Customization

As with most SteelSeries products, the Rival 3 is customizable through the SteelSeries GG software suite. It's a bit of a headache to navigate depending on what you want to customize – while you can do some pretty intricate things with RGB lighting on the Rival 3 with color patterns and effects, the app's interface could be more intuitive.

However, when adjusting other features like DPI, angle snapping, button assignments, and acceleration, the graphs and sliders laid out to show the settings are quite clear. If anything, I'm just thankful that SteelSeries GG isn't as bloated as other software suites from its contemporaries and that there isn't much to customize with a mouse as straightforward as the Rival 3.

SteelSeries Rival 3 (Gen 2) – Gaming and Performance

I quite enjoyed my time testing the Rival 3 in stressful gaming situations, because as with most of my previous mouse reviews, I was working with state-of-the-art tech that had the expectation of justifying its price point. But trying to maintain high-level gaming when evaluating something that's a fraction of the cost puts their perceived performance gap into perspective. That little bit of advantage you get from a more sophisticated mouse can make a difference in the right hands – however, it's not as wide as the spec sheets would indicate.

In games of precision and split-second actions, those things are important, yet great performance is still achievable with something like the Rival 3, though. In my main competitive games of Counter-Strike 2 and Valorant, I do notice a slight improvement in tracking with a higher polling rate, like using 4000Hz or 8000Hz on my current favorite in the Razer Deathadder V4 Pro – also because I am playing at 4K resolution with a 144Hz refresh rate, which creates a higher ceiling for a high polling rate mouse. But even at those graphics settings, I quickly settled into the performance capabilities of the Rival 3 and its 1000Hz polling rate (which is the standard for gaming mice these days). As someone who takes ranked matches quite seriously, but isn't anywhere near pro-level play, the Rival 3 was never really the thing holding me back.

Holding my corners, taking well-timed shots after peaking, and maintaining my aim along with recoil patterns all felt natural when using the Rival 3. And in the few moments I had to pick up sniping, I was able to land my shots with enough confidence. I think the more one-size-fits-all symmetrical shaping of the mouse itself makes it feel less like an extension of my hand, so it’s not my preferred option if I have the choice, but by no means is SteelSeries’ budget mouse a slouch.

Ahead of the holiday season, Dell is offering an Alienware Aurora R16 gaming desktop equipped with the GeForce RTX 5080 graphics card for under $2,000 with free delivery. Most RTX 5080 prebuilts you'll find elsewhere, including the more affordable brands you find on Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart, are priced closer to $2,500 and up. That's impressive considering Alienware usually commands a higher price premium. Such a system would have cost as much as $3,000 at the beginning of the year, but Nvidia GeForce RTX 50 prices have been trending downwards lately.

Alienware Aurora RTX 5080 Gaming PC From $1,960

Apple has announced a new refresh of the iPad Pro that’s set to release October 22, starting at $999 (see it at Amazon). You can get the new tablet in either 11-inch or 13-inch options. It’s powered by the new M5 chip, which also drives the newly announced 14” MacBook Pro that’s releasing the same day. If you want to know where you can pick up these new tablets and what kind of power to expect from them, keep on reading.

Where to Preorder the New M5 iPad Pro

Apple has announced a 14-inch MacBook Pro refresh that’s powered by the new M5 chip. It’s available for preorder now, starting at $1,599, and will ship on October 22 (see it at Amazon). Basically, if you’re in the market for a new MacBook Pro, this is the one you should probably get. It’s new, it’s faster than previous models – I mean, come on. Let’s check in on where you can preorder this new workhorse machine and what makes it stand out compared to previous models.

Where to Preorder the New 14” M5 MacBook Pro

Looking for a desktop charging station that has enough ports and delivers enough power to satisfy all of your needs? Amazon has discounted the hefty Sabrent 8-Port 252W USB Desktop Charging Station to just $59.99, a savings of $20 and the lowest price I've seen. This charger features both USB Type-A and Type-C ports and can deliver as much as 100W of power per port. A roughly comparable Anker charging station (6-ports, 250W max, 140W per port) costs $100.

Sabrent 8-Port 252W USB Desktop Charger

The first two episodes of Anne Rice’s Talamasca: The Secret Order premiere October 26 on AMC and AMC+, with the remainder of the series dropping weekly after that.

Anne Rice fans lost their gothic horror hero with her passing in 2021, but at least they’ve been able to enjoy a Rice-essance happening at AMC. The Anne Rice Immortal Universe, based on the writer’s mythology and books, launched in 2022 with the exceptional Interview With the Vampire series. In 2023, there was the less satisfying Anne Rice's Mayfair Witches series. And now from showrunner/creator John Lee Hancock (Saving Mr. Banks) is Anne Rice’s Talamasca: The Secret Order, an absorbing take on the world that presents the intrigues of the shadowy Talamasca as a supernatural-infused spy thriller. What that group is and how it operates is experienced through the eyes of recently recruited outsider Guy Anatole (Nicholas Denton) who ably navigates us through this taut, unpredictable mystery as a rare hero to root for in this morally grey universe.

Set in contemporary New York and London, Talamasca: The Secret Order exists within the connective tissue already established by the prior series. Cribbing from Buffy the Vampire Slayer terminology, the Talamasca is much like the Watchers' Council. Here, the Talamasca extends its influence through “motherhouses” around the globe where their agents research and monitor the supernatural world, particularly vampires, witches, and demons. As needed, it maintains order and protects civilians, sort of like a supernatural CIA. The New York house is run by the enigmatic Helen (Elizabeth McGovern) who has taken it upon herself to covertly monitor management at the London house. When a bloody eyeball and a note saying “We see you” ends up on her desk, she immediately sets out to recruit an “off book” fresh face to help her infiltrate that facility for a closer look.

Enter Guy, a broke but brilliant recent NYU law school grad interviewing for his first job. Guy also has secrets, as he’s spent most of his life hiding his often painful clairvoyance powers by existing apart from the masses as much as possible. As it turns out, he’s long been on Helen’s radar, and she finally appears in his life to offer him a robust salaried job within the Talamasca as said London field agent. Her offer also confirms the disquieting truth that the world harbors supernatural creatures, and Guy’s ability to read minds makes him exceptionally well-positioned (with some training) to straddle both worlds. She’s been his unseen “Auntie Xavier” for most of his life, curating opportunities to prepare him for this very moment. Too bad he’s uninterested until she dangles the carrot that his long dead mother is indeed not, so he takes the gig intending to use the Talamasca’s resources to find mom.

A series like this lives or dies based on how well the audience responds to Guy, so the AMC powers-that-be deserve a pat on the back for choosing Denton, a knockout choice to carry the series. He immediately finds a sweet spot for Guy, balancing sympathetic fish out of water vibes with a shrewd awareness of how to leverage his powers and smarts to stay afloat. Disarmingly relatable from the start, Denton’s Guy is vulnerable but never stupid as he gauges friend or foe status with everyone he meets. He’s also got great chemistry with everyone in the ensemble, particularly McGovern’s Helen who keeps him, and us, guessing about her true motives.

Another plus for this series is that Guy’s arc and story is original. Having no connection to the books unburdens the audience from carrying any existing expectations into Talamasca: The Secret Order. Unlike the other two series, every twist, turn and revelation here is a surprise to experience as it happens. And pre-existing knowledge of the other series is also unnecessary to fully enjoy what unfolds, a rarity with interconnected universes these days. However, if you do know Rice’s world or the other shows, you’re rewarded with useful mythology expansion and well-placed cameos from Eric Bogosian’s Daniel Molloy and Justin Kirk’s Raglan James.

In the pilot, which Hancock wrote and directed, he establishes a Three Days of the Condor vibe for the series, but that’s dampened in Episode 2 and after by the clear budget constraints overall. The Secret Order is nowhere near as richly production-designed as Interview With the Vampire, instead using Manchester, England as a production stand-in for London. As a result, the episode directors have to use a lot of tight shots and angled frames to cheat the locales. However, that smaller perspective services the growing claustrophobia that comes with Guy’s tightly maintained footprint near the London motherhouse.

The Tomtoc Slim is one of the best compact Nintendo Switch 2 cases you can get and it's on sale today. Amazon is offering the Tomtoc Slim in your choice of black, white, or gray for just $27.74 after a 25% off instant discount. Several other colors are also on sale (albeit at a smaller 20% discount), including Matcha Green, Ocean Blue, Iris Purple, and Cherry Blossom. This is a much better deal than the official Nintendo Switch 2 case which currently sells for $39.99.

Tomtoc Slim Nintendo Switch 2 Carrying Case From $27.74

Valve may have revolutionized mobile PC gaming with the Steam Deck, but more and more handheld gaming PCs keep coming to market, giving it some stiff competition. There are even handhelds out there like the Legion Go S that use Valve's handheld operating system but with more powerful hardware. Microsoft isn't sitting on its hands, either. The company teamed up with Asus to launch the excellent ROG Xbox Ally X, which debuts a new Xbox Full Screen Experience that should be making its way to other handhelds within the next few months. (Hopefully, Microsoft also takes that time to iron out some of the kinks with the new UX.)

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

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

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

1. Asus ROG Xbox Ally X

The Best Handheld Gaming PC

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

The Best SteamOS Handheld Gaming PC

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

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

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

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

The Go S also has one of the most beautiful LCD displays I've seen in a while and proves that OLED isn't the only way to get a great picture in 2025. It's not quite as colorful as the Steam Deck OLED, to be fair, but it still made any game I played on it look awesome.

3. Valve Steam Deck

The Best Budget Handheld Gaming PC

4. Lenovo Legion Go 2

Best Gaming Handheld With an OLED Screen

Upcoming Handheld Gaming PCs

Now that the Asus ROG Xbox Ally X and the Lenovo Legion Go 2 is out, we're kind of in a holding pattern for a while. We'll probably see other handhelds using the Z2 Extreme trickle out over the next year or so. It's also likely that we'll see some Intel-powered devices featuring the new Panther Lake architecture.

Beyond that, we will probably see a Steam Deck 2 at some point, but Valve has repeatedly said that it's waiting for a "more significant" generational lift to launch its sequel. Given that the Steam Deck is nearing four years old, we could see a new device launch sometime next year at the earliest. We'll see!

Handheld Gaming PC FAQ

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

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

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

What’s the best Steam Deck alternative?

The Lenovo Legion Go S is one of the best Steam Deck alternatives. This gaming handheld offers the same easy-to-use interface as the Steam Deck, along with speedy performance, and a stunning design. It does run into some of the same problems as the Steam Deck, notably around installing games that aren't on Steam – but you can get around that with some tinkering.

How does the Switch 2 compare to the Steam Deck?

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

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

If you're looking for a Pokémon TCG card to invest in before it gets to over $1,000 raw*, Pikachu with Grey Felt Hat is a solid bet right now.

Originally announced in 2023 with Amsterdam's Van Gogh Museum, and later given out as a treasure hunt prize on exiting the exhibition, Pikachu with Grey Felt Hat is the infamous 85th promo card in the Pokémon TCG's Scarlet and Violet series.

Often cited as one of the world's most valuable media franchises, Pokémon is a household name that's been a Nintendo staple since the Game Boy. The beloved series is home to hundreds of amazing creatures you can catch in-game or collect as trading cards, with each new generation bringing loads more to discover. Every console released by Nintendo has had plenty of Pokémon games released for it, and the Nintendo Switch is no exception.

Pokémon Day brought tons of new announcements about what's next for the franchise. Below, we've compiled every Pokémon game that has been released on Nintendo Switch and the information we have on a number of upcoming Pokémon games releasing on the Switch 2.

How Many Pokémon Games Are There on Nintendo Switch?

In total, 13 Pokémon games have been released for the Nintendo Switch. This includes the mainline games for the 8th and 9th Pokémon generations as well as plenty of spinoffs. For the sake of this list, we've counted mainline entries with two versions as a single release. We also don't include the Pokémon games offered through Nintendo Switch Online, but you can check out that list below.

All Pokémon Games on Nintendo Switch (in Release Order)

Pokkén Tournament DX (2017)

Pokkén Tournament was originally released for the Wii U in 2016. A year later, Nintendo and Bandai Namco prepared a deluxe version of the game for Nintendo Switch, adding new characters and updated visuals to take advantage of better hardware. This three-on-three battle system is a blast to play with friends both in person and online.

Pokémon Quest (2018)

Pokémon Quest turns all your favorite Pokémon into miniature cube form. This free-to-play Switch game features a fun and simple combat system where you send Pokémon on expeditions. Equip different abilities to your Pokémon to handle all types of encounters.

Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! & Let's Go, Eevee! (2018)

Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! & Pokémon: Let's Go, Eevee! are remakes of the beloved 1998 Pokémon Yellow. These titles were the first mainline Pokémon games ever to release on a home console, since none made it to the Wii U. Set in the Kanto region, all 151 original Pokémon appear with varying forms from previous mainline installments. With heavy accessibility features, these remakes were a great first step for the series on Nintendo Switch for newcomers and veterans of the series.

Pokémon Sword & Shield (2019)

Pokémon Sword & Shield marked the first installment in the series to feature aspects of an open world. Dubbed the Wild Areas, these regions allowed for free traversal and battles with wild Pokémon. Gyms also made a return for the first time since X & Y. Additionally, Sword & Shield introduced the eigth generation of Pokémon, which included Dynamax and Gigantamax forms of previous Pokémon.

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX (2020)

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX is a remake of the 2005 titles Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team & Blue Rescue Team. Surprisingly, this is the first Pokémon spinoff remake ever, with development handled by Spike Chunsoft. The gameplay consists of completing jobs in different dungeons and unlocking new Pokémon along the way.

Pokémon Café ReMix (2020)

The other Pokémon release of 2020 was Pokémon Café ReMix featuring similar gameplay to other puzzle games like Disney Tsum Tsum, which requires you to connect Pokémon together to solve puzzles. In Pokémon Café ReMix, you and Eevee own a café and must serve the Pokémon who come for food or a little drink. This charming service game is free-to-play via the Nintendo eShop.

New Pokémon Snap (2021)

After more than 20 years, the Nintendo Switch is the console that finally received a sequel to Pokémon Snap. Developed by Bandai Namco, you traverse around different biomes and areas with an on-rails camera to capture pictures Pokémon in the wild. You can unlock new courses by taking good pictures in New Pokémon Snap, leaving for a sizeable amount of content to unlock and discover. You never know what you might find during each session!

Pokémon Unite (2021)

This free-to-play game marked Pokémon's first entry into the MOBA genre. You command and control a team of five Pokémon in head-to-head battles against other players online. There's a solid amount of Pokémon to choose from, so you can adjust your team to best fit your needs. Pokémon Unite went on to be featured in different esports tournaments, with multiple championships held for the game.

Pokémon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl (2021)

Pokémon Brilliant Diamond & Pokémon Shining Pearl are remakes of Pokémon Diamond & Pearl, which originally released in 2006 for the Nintendo DS. As the fourth generation of Pokémon, Diamond & Pearl feature a wide variety of Pokémon to battle against and discover. The remakes feature a new chibi art style that was created to stay faithful to the original titles while still remaining fresh.

Pokémon Legends: Arceus (2022)

Pokémon Legends: Arceus is often praised as one of the best Pokémon games available on the Switch. This original title takes place far in the past, somewhere in the Hisui region. With a focus on exploration, you can freely walk all around the map to capture Pokémon, explore different environments, and so much more. Pokémon can be spotted wandering around all over the map, which requires you to be strategic if you're looking to avoid battle.

Pokémon Scarlet & Violet (2022)

The latest mainline Pokémon games officially kicked off Generation 9, bringing along an entire new approach to gameplay and world design. In Pokémon Scarlet & Violet, an open world awaits with freedom to explore wherever your heart takes you. The DLC pass, titled The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero, is now wrapped up, making it a perfect time to check out Scarlet & Violet.

Detective Pikachu Returns (2023)

One game and one movie later, the sequel to Detective Pikachu is finally available on Nintendo Switch. Tim's father is missing, and it's up to Detective Pikachu to solve the case! This sequel features new puzzles and investigations, where you can investigate scenes and use your notebook to get to the bottom of the mystery. If you're a fan of both Pokémon and mystery games, this is a great game to consider.

Pokemon Legends: Z-A (2025)

Pokémon Legends: Z-A is the most recent release in the series, launching on both Switch systems on October 16. Rebekah Valentine's review-in-progress for IGN marks a significant shift from the downfalls of the previous generation, describing that "what elevates Lumiose City far above the much larger overworld of Scarlet and Violet is that it’s dense with interesting landmarks, items, obstacle courses, stores, Wild Zones, shops, and people."

The game takes place in the French-inspired Lumiose City, with familiar starters in Tepig, Chikorita, and Totodile, all of which get new Mega Evolutions. A big change in this game is the combat system, which introduces more real-time action.

Gen V and The Boys creator Eric Kripke has a stark message for fans who want Amazon to greenlight Gen V Season 3.

“We’re fortunate in that we’ve always gotten a lot of support. We still have to deliver ratings,” he explained to The Wrap in a recent interview in which he was asked about how leadership changes at Amazon might affect the show going forward. “It’s a very classic, old-school TV thing, but we need viewers to show up to justify more of them.”

Kripke then got blunt with the outlet:

“We have a plan for Gen V Season 3, and we’re psyched about it, but we need enough viewers to watch Season 2 to justify Season 3. Now’s the time that they’re paying attention to the numbers. So don’t watch even a year from now. Turn on Prime [Video] and watch it now. If enough people watch then we’ll get a Season 3. Same applies to Vought Rising Season 1. We have plans for a Season 2, if we can. They’ve been nothing but supportive, and they’re giving us our opportunities. But it’s a business and we also have to deliver. So hopefully the audience shows up.”

Last month, Peter Friedlander was named Amazon’s new global head of TV after spending 14 years as an exec with Netflix. That said, it does seem, like Kripke said, as though there is generally the same expectation placed on most if not all shows for Kripke’s work, even with the change in leadership. A steady, demonstrable viewership will always lead toward a greenlight.

And Kripke really wants that greenlight — because he definitely has more work he wants to do within the universe of The Boys and Gen V.

“As long as there’s an interesting story to tell and new facets to reveal, I’m in. Without spoiling anything, I think the universe post-’The Boys’ Season 5 is such a fascinating universe, there’s a lot to explore,” the showrunner told the outlet. “It’s so much more of the wild west in terms of, like, f–king anything goes — without giving anything away. And I think that would be a blast to put the ‘Gen V’ kids in the middle of.”

You can say that again. The fifth season of The Boys is expected to premiere next year, while the second season of Gen V is currently airing weekly on Prime.

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

The Flash director Andy Muschietti has defended his DC Extended Universe box office bomb, insisting people “like to talk s***” about films they haven’t seen.

2023 superhero movie The Flash, starring Ezra Miller, was a critical and commercial flop, pulling in just $271 million worldwide during its theatrical run. Both it and the entire DCEU are now defunct too, with James Gunn spearheading a rebooted DCU.

But in a new interview with The Playlist to promote IT prequel series Welcome To Derry, Muschietti insisted The Flash was a good movie, and some of the criticism it suffered came from people who hadn’t even seen it.

“A lot of people did not see it,” he said. “But you know how things are these days — people don’t see things, but they like to talk s*** about it, and they like to jump on bandwagons. They don’t really know. People are angry for reasons that are unrelated to these things.”

Muschietti then acknowledged the impact of Ezra Miller’s off-screen controversies on the movie. “Of course, we had a publicity crisis with Ezra that is undeniable,” he said. “And I’m not questioning that. But yeah, we love the movie. And actually, we really recommend it.”

He continued: “And again, we love the movie. We, you know, we gave it our blood, sweat, and tears all the way to the end. And I watched it, like a week ago, and loved it again.”

In January, Muschietti said The Flash failed at the box office because "a lot of people just don’t care about the Flash as a character."

Muschietti said the film failed to appeal to "the four quadrants" — a movie industry term meaning to appeal to everyone — enough to justify its $200 million budget.

"The Flash failed, among all the other reasons, because it wasn’t a movie that appealed to all four quadrants. It failed at that," Muschietti said. "When you spend $200 million making a movie, [Warner Bros.] wants to bring even your grandmother to the theaters.

"I’ve found in private conversations that a lot of people just don’t care about the Flash as a character. Particularly the two female quadrants. All of that is just the wind going against the film I’ve learned."

The four quadrants, as defined by Hollywood, are males under 25, males over 25, females under 25, and females over 25.

Muschietti's mention of "all the other reasons" The Flash failed likely refer to its poor critical reception, criticism of its reliance on computer generated imagery (CGI) including to recreate deceased actors without consulting their family, its placement towards the end of a now defunct film universe, and the controversy surrounding Ezra Miller.

This seemingly hasn't stopped DC from keeping Muschietti around, however, as he is reportedly set to direct The Brave and the Bold, the first Batman film in James Gunn and Peter Safran's new DC Universe.

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.

Today is all about some class preorders, and Amazon won't charge you until it ships, so what do you have to loose? You'll also be able to take advantage of Amazon's preorder price guarantee so you know you'll get the best price come release day.

Top of the list is the LEGO Speed Champions Delorean Time Machine from Back to the Future. It's a pretty cool kit for $27.99 and releases 1st January, 2026. Then we have Disney Lorcana's latest set, Whispers in the Well booster box up for preorder for $143.99. Lorcana is one of the mnost popular TCG sets right now and is well both securing a box.

TL;DR: The Best Deals for Today

3-Months of Game Pass Ultimate for $54.99? That's right, Amazon dropped $5 off the membership amist incoming price hikes, so it's a great time to stack up if you want Game Pass access for less on console and PC. There's plenty more to look through today, including where to buy Pokémon Legends: Z-A now it's launched. What are you wating for? Let's get into it:

Hulu + Live TV Deal

LEGO Speed Champions Time Machine from Back to The Future

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate – 3 Month Membership

LISEN USB C Cable 60w, 5-Pack [3.3/3.3/6.6/6.6/10FT]

Hallmark Keepsake Christmas Ornament 2025

Ravensburger Disney Lorcana TCG: Whispers in The Well Booster Pack Display

Pokémon Legends: Z-A Is Out Now

It's time trainers! Today see's the release of the most radiacally different mainline Pokémon game, Legends: Z-A. Set as a continuation of Pokémon X and Y and continuing the game mechanic changes seen in Legends: Arceus, Legends: Z-A is going full real-time combat over it's tried and tested turn-based battle style. It's going to be a landmark moment for the worlds most popular entertainment franchise.

MTG Price Watch

One of the biggest catches today is the Final Fantasy collectors edition commander deck set. Amazon thinks it can draw $760.23 out of your bank account, and I think not. TCGPlayer is selling this bundle for $555, that's just over $205 cheaper. You could literally preorder a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Play Booster Box with the money saved here. It pays to shop around, and i've already done that for you, so have a glide through the carousel for over 20 price checked deals so you know you're not wasting money and time.

Cheapest at Amazon: Pokémon TCG

Kicking off with the Mega Evolution Elite Trainer Box, we know $92.65 isn't MSRP and Amazon should be selling it as such, but this is how it is in Pokémania 2025 for now. It's 7% below the current market value and a good deal if you're struggling to get stock. Meanwhile the Mega Evolution three pack blister is only a dollar cheaper, but that dollar is better in your pocket. The other savings range between $1 to $5, so fill your boots!

Cheapest at TCGPlayer: Pokémon TCG

TCGPlayer is really showing up big box retailers. The secondary market is saving trainers a fortune right now, and will continue doing so until the Pokémon Company floods the marketplace with sealed product, which will happen eventually. A good example here is the Surging Sparks ETB, which is currently $92.94 on Amazon. If you check over on TCGPlayer right now, you'll pay $74.95. That's nearly $20 over market value, and there's plenty more where that came from in the carosel above.

MTG: TMNT Preorders are Live

New game mode aside, MTGs latest Universes Beyond addition is another huge IP with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Play Boosters are available, so getting a box is a great idea before preorders sell out and it becomes harder to build a deck. The Commander Deck is ideal if you want a solid foundation for a game of Commander but want to modify it with single cards down the line. Of course, the TMNT bundle comes with a few goodies including 9 play boosters, foil alt art promo card, 30 land cards and some tidy accessories.

Final Fantasy IX (Nintendo Switch)

The weather is getting a little bit chillier, and if you're looking for some fun activities to do indoors over the next few months, a 3D puzzle is a great project to work on. At the moment, Woot is offering a few options from 4D Build for under $10 as part of its 'Games, Cards, Puzzles Galore!' event so you can stock up. This includes the Grogu 3D model kit, the 3D model kit of Thor's hammer Mjolnir, and a few more which you can see below.

Keep in mind that this sale event only lasts through the rest of today, so if one of these builds catches your eye it's best to grab it quick before it's all gone.

Save on 4D Build Puzzles at Woot

4D Build is a 3D puzzle brand that we featured quite a few times in our roundup of 3D puzzle alternatives to expensive LEGO sets, as they're a great pick for those looking to build display models for their collection from their favorite franchises without paying a hefty price. There's a nice selection for fans to choose from at Woot right now, from Star Wars to Marvel to House of the Dragon.

Now's a great time to pick up puzzles in general. Alongside these deals on 3D puzzles at Woot, Amazon also has a whole bunch of jigsaw puzzles included in its latest 'Buy 1, Get 1 Half Off' sale. No better time than now to stock up on some options to keep you busy throughout the rest of the year.

For even more puzzle recommendations, it's also worth checking out our breakdown of the best jigsaw puzzles for adults to see some of our favorites. Our roundup of the best jigsaw puzzle brands can also point you in the direction of puzzle companies we think are worth your time and money.

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

The LEGO Death Star, available now, is excessive. It's excessive in size, spanning nearly three feet tall and three feet wide – the pictures don't really do it justice; your jaw will drop a bit at seeing it in person. It's excessive in scope, encompassing six floors of detailed Star Wars iconography, plus 38(!) minifigures of Sith Lords, Jedi, Imperial officers, and Rebel scum.

And yes, it is excessive in price. The LEGO Death Star costs $1,000, making it the most expensive set in LEGO's history. Thanks to LEGO and Disney's third-party licensing agreement, it is at least $100 more expensive than conventional wisdom would dictate.

I do believe there is – in the theoretical realm of possibility – a LEGO building experience that is worth $1,000. But this set falls short of that.

The psychological impact of crossing the $1,000 threshold demands something unprecedented, the likes of which we've never seen before. Perhaps, it could pose a formidable challenge for the advanced LEGO builder, like 2021's R2-D2. Or perhaps it could embody the decadent detail of 2024's Jabba's Sail Barge, a massive, transcendently incredible set which manages to justify its price tag. Or perhaps it could slide by on sheer nostalgia and visual accuracy, like 2024's TIE Interceptor.

The LEGO Death Star, however, is standard stuff (high standard, but still standard), and the piece count just means there's a whole lot of it. One element of this build is truly next level: a working turbolift that moves, via turning gears, to all six floors of the set. The rest of the set's features are anywhere from "good" to "very good." But "good" isn't what most people are looking for when evaluating a set this prohibitively expensive.

One element of this build is truly next level: a working turbolift that moves, via turning gears, to all six floors of the set.

The LEGO Death Star comes in a massive box with three smaller nesting boxes, which combine to form an image of Darth Vader. There are 81 bags in this build, with anywhere from 25-27 bags per box. The first box contains a single sticker sheet, although the designers also scattered several printed tiles throughout the build as well.

The first thing you'll notice (or have already noticed) about the build is that it's not a sphere, even though all prior LEGO Death Star iterations have been spheres. This Death Star model is more akin to a thick slice – a cross-section of a sphere – that gives you a shadow box view of the scenery. If you view the Death Star from the back:

You get a look at how the elevator works, but not much else. But if you view it from the front:

You can see everything. Along the model's bottom is the ship hangar, which also includes a separate Imperial shuttle craft. To the left of that is the trash compactor room, which you can compress and expand with the turn of a knob. Above that is a generic hallway, which Han runs down in order to escape the Stormtroopers. On the right end of that hallway is a chute where, if you drop a minifigure into it, he'll end up in the trash compactor, which is a neat bit of narrative consistency.

Above that is the detention area, where Vader keeps Leia after her interrogation. The interrogation droid is actually stored in the leftmost room at the end of the hallway, one floor down. But you can easily move it upstairs and clip it into Leia's holding cell if you're roleplaying torture.

The LEGO Death Star contains multiple control rooms. There's one for the massive Superlaser on the left side, which also contains a flippable display of Alderaan, both "before" and "after." There's another control room for the detention block in the middle. Lastly, there's a hangar control room all the way on the right, which directly overlooks the hangar bay.

Above this third control room is Darth Vader's meditation chamber. To the left of that is the narrow walkway that leads to the tractor beam controls, which Obi Wan shuts down to escape the Death Star. Above that is a retractable walkway, with a straight rod attached to the ceiling that turns on a gear. Here, you can recreate the scene where Leia and Luke swing across to make a daring escape. To the right of that is the Imperial officer conference room, where Vader force choked the officer who dared to insult his religion ("I find your lack of faith disturbing.").

Nearly done. In the top left corner is a cool Easter Egg: a rec room for a LEGO Star Wars Stormtrooper, featuring a hot tub and a karaoke machine. There's a secret compartment containing a massive laser cannon all the way on the right. And lastly, the Emperor's Throne Room, where Luke and Vader have their climactic duel in Episode VI, takes up nearly a floor-and-a-half by itself. Back in 2023, LEGO sold a small-scale diorama of the Throne Room to celebrate Return of the Jedi's anniversary.

So imagine if you built more than one of these miniature Star Wars dioramas – one for the trash compactor, one for the throne room, and one for the meditation chamber, for example – and then stacked them up. That's the best way to explain what the LEGO Death Star is. It's a massive diorama composed of smaller dioramas; they share a common theme, but they're islands unto themselves. There's no real attempt to create narrative or practical coherence between the rooms, which are too cramped to roleplay without first taking the model apart.

Make no mistake: each room is nice enough. But I never felt like I was building a massive Death Star – just individual setpieces arranged in the appearance of one. Or, to paraphrase Palpatine: This is not a fully operational battle station.

To paraphrase Palpatine: This is not a fully operational battle station. 

Thus, the LEGO Death Star is for hardcore Star Wars fans with disposable income – enough disposable income that the price tag is a literal non-factor. Put another way: if the thought of buying this set makes you wonder, "Is it worth it?" then you're probably not its target audience.

If you are in the target audience for the LEGO Death Star, you'll have fun with this. Just know that this is not a playset; it is a room centerpiece designed with display in mind, and it will dominate whatever space you put it in. It's big enough and fragile enough that one should not buy it without a predetermined spot to display it and a reinforced shelf to hold it steady.

As for the rest of us: the best LEGO Star Wars set this year, believe it or not, is the new LEGO Gingerbread AT-AT! It's a holiday-themed build with candy canes for cannons and Christmas lights and sugar for surface detail. It opens up to reveal a Christmas scene, and it comes with a gingerbread Darth Vader. I loved building this set, and it's only $60 – a mere 6% of what the LEGO Death Star costs, for even more of the charm.

LEGO Star Wars: Death Star, Set #75419, retails for $999.99, and it is composed of 9023 pieces. It is available now, exclusively at the LEGO Store.

Kevin Wong is a contributing freelancer for IGN, specializing in LEGO. He's also been published in Complex, Engadget, Gamespot, Kotaku, and more. Follow him on Twitter at @kevinjameswong.

Hollow Knight: Silksong post-launch support continues again today with patch version 1.0.28954, now available via the game's Steam public beta branch.

This update's key feature is a "basic implementation" of a new Simplified Chinese translation, following an earlier backlash to the game's initial Chinese language support included at launch that led to a spate of negative Steam reviews, and a subsequent pledge by Silksong developer Team Cherry to improve the feature.

After that blowback, it feels like Silksong developer Team Cherry is taking a cautious approach to the rollout of this fresh translation, with the studio now inviting further feedback from players using the Simplified Chinese translation to provide feedback on its clarity, style and spellings.

Otherwise, Silksong v1.0.28954 includes another list of game fixes — though Team Cherry has said that this list is still a work-in-progress, with more bugs likely set to be squashed before the patch rolls out more widely.

For now, the update is set to improve controller support on Steam, correct instances where Hornet's plasmified state was being erroneously cleared, and ensure that Styx always hands over rosaries when given the Queen's Egg.

Silksong remains one of the most-played games on Steam following its huge September 4 release. Here are some essential guides for your journey upwards: the Silksong Interactive Map, how to grind for Rosary Beads, our ever-expanding Walkthrough with boss videos and guides, how to get your first life bar upgrade (first four mask shards), and a great guide to the Simple Keys and the doors they open.

The full patch notes lie below.

Hollow Knight: Silksong update 1.0.28954 patch notes:

• Updated Simplified Chinese translation with a new script for public testing. This is a basic implementation only, to be refined and updated based on player feedback.
• Various localisation fixes implemented across all languages
• Switched to Unity's Input System to improve overall controller support. This includes rumble features now working for various controllers, and additional controllers being recognised. Some issues may remain. For a full list of supported controllers and features, please visit: https://docs.unity3d.com/Packages/com.unity.inputsystem@1.14/manual/SupportedDevices.html
• Fixed Styx not giving rosaries when delivering the Queen's Egg
• Fixed Druid's Eyes sometimes not equipping correctly when first acquired
• Fixed some down attack colliders getting stuck on in rare instances
• Fixed several instances of Hornet's plasmified state clearing when not intended (eg Bellway travel)
• Fixed issues entering the plasmified state when killing a Winged Lifeseed, rather than using the Plasmium Phial
• Reduced unintentionally long bind time when using Multibinder with the Shaman crest
• Updated Multibinder's initial bind to clear maggots, per community comments
• Various smaller tweaks and fixes

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

Bosses are woven into the fabric of Crimson Desert’s world. Judging by the many, many different ones we’ve now seen across multiple hands-on demos and videos, it appears that they’re frequently a showstopping spectacle that puts all of your abilities to the test. One such headline attraction is Golden Star, a monstrous mechanical dragon that we fought at the Seoul offices of developer Pearl Abyss in preparation for this month’s IGN First. If you watched our last gameplay video, you’ll have already seen this mighty boss in action, but here we’re going to take you behind the scenes to show you how it was designed, all the way from the sound of its beating wings to the method of its downfall.

It’s safe to say that Crimson Desert’s continent of Pywel offers classic fantasy with a twist, often blending unexpected elements into the mix, including (but not limited to) rideable dinosaurs and supercharged mechs. The Golden Star, with its combination of classic fantasy beast and sci-fi metallic sheen, is this philosophy personified. Members of the Pearl Abyss design team explained that they’d put a lot of focus into trying to blend the organic and the mechanical together, but as part of that, perhaps surprisingly, they also wanted there to be a level of believability. The art team noted that, even though Golden Star looks like a sci-fi dragon, a lot of the materials used in its character model were inspired by everyday materials that could be found not just in modern times, but even back in the more fantasy-adjacent Middle Ages. It’s an approach Pearl Abyss applied not only to the Golden Star, but also to all the robots, industrial buildings, and steam trains that you can find in the game. While these elements lean closer towards science fiction, the design team was insistent on maintaining a sense of believability.

All this helps us buy into the idea that this is a beast that could have genuinely been constructed by Marni, the inventor who sends you out on a quest to battle Golden Star. Exploring Marni’s office in the run-up to this encounter further educates us on the dragon’s origin, as the room is littered with paperwork concerning its construction, as well as industrial machinery that foreshadows the beast’s mechanical nature.

When you finally meet Golden Star, whose claws crumble age-old masonry with ease, you can clearly see how the machine mimics the organic. The Crimson Desert design team made sure that the gears and chains beneath its armoured shell “realistically” operate in unison. Together, these components take the shape of something you’ve never quite seen before, but simultaneously it also feels familiar — the beast’s swooping golden wings and earth-shaking roar can’t help but conjure up memories of Bioshock Infinite’s Songbird, an equally impressive mechanical invention that’s also a man-made creation engineered from a fantasy framework.

The sounds generated by Golden Star presented the team with a very specific challenge: having to combine the organic motions of a winged beast with the mechanical clanks and whirrs of something man-made in nature. On our visit to Pearl Abyss’ South Korean headquarters, we were shown around its purpose-built Foley recording studio and given a walkthrough of all of these different elements, and an insight into the enjoyably explorative process.

First on the agenda was the flapping of its wings, which also became the basis for all other dragons in the game. While Golden Star is mechanical, you’ll notice that its wings are giant sheets of fabric, and so their sound is also created by moving fabric: the waving of a leather jacket. The weathered rustling of the material evokes the sound of a wing’s membrane cutting through the air and provided a solid starting point for how to add aural layers to this creature, with the ultimate goal of creating something previously unheard.

Next up was to give it metallic heft, hence the closing of a creaky, clanking cabinet door being introduced to the mix. It’s followed by a ribbed, plastic hose — the kind you’d normally expect to see at the end of a vacuum cleaner — being pulled along the corner of that cabinet to further add texture to the dragon’s many moving parts. A smaller plastic pipe is then pulled and pushed like an accordion, as this friction, surprisingly, adds an almost cyber-like tone to the beast. It’s this experimentation and commitment to using everyday objects in unexpected ways that make this process look very fun. On top of that, a large fork was dragged along a metal chain while the fingers of an armoured gauntlet were fiddled with at the joints to punctuate the sound of the wings' smooth motion, providing the effect with a mechanical edge. It all blends into a symphony of noises that creates a soundscape as engineered as the in-game dragon itself.

The Foley studio is just one impressive aspect of the cutting-edge facilities found at Pearl Abyss' mammoth office building, which also houses a full 3D scanning centre and a performance capture space where many of the game’s cutscenes and combat animations were recorded. I found particular enjoyment in watching my colleague, Matt Purslow, experience the latter for himself, as he stepped into a mocap suit and swung a foam sword around, which was then mirrored in real-time on a neighbouring screen. It’s all very impressive tech, even if Matt could admittedly do with a little weapons training to fully take advantage of it. The pen is mightier than the sword and all that, though.

This tech fuels Pearl Abyss’ creative ambitions, with each boss fight in Crimson Desert not only posing a challenge to the player, but also pushing the limits of the studio’s creativity. The design team wanted to “find out their boundaries and limitations,” and Golden Star presented a particular conundrum due to its sheer bulkiness and ability to fly around at speed. That was very much a problem for a ground-bound, human-sized player to take down. This David vs Goliath effect was desired by the developers, though, who explained that they “wanted to make you feel overwhelmed by the overall size and force of the Golden Star”. To take it down, you’ll need to find its weakness.

As with many of the bosses in Crimson Desert, there is a method to defeat this beast proficiently designed into the encounter, although it’s not the only way to achieve victory, as to incubate that feeling of being able to approach this world’s combat in any way you want to. You can brute force your way through this fight, reading its attack patterns and dealing damage to its gleaming head whenever it rears it. But Golden Star’s true Achilles heel is the power of an EMP blast. Though not strictly a puzzle boss, there are some elements of that style in this fight, such as luring the dragon into breathing fire onto pillars dotted around the arena, which heat up and, in turn, power machines that generate EMP bullets for your arm cannon. Fire enough of these into its body, and the Golden Star will be stunned, allowing you to wail on its collapsed skeleton.

The Crimson Desert combat team revealed that they didn't want to make the boss into too much of a puzzle. While there are certain conditions that you need to fulfill in order to get the EMP to work, there are definitely other ways to defeat it. The team specified that you can damage the dragon using a bow and arrow, or your combat skills. They hope that players will work out interesting strategies and eventually share them with others when Crimson Desert is finally available next March.

The EMP method is certainly an effective one, and something the team made sure was seeded on the path up to the fight. Earlier skirmishes in this quest were designed to show off the capabilities of an EMP, as you take on an army of robotic fiends. The idea, the team explained, was to ensure that the mechanic was a consistent theme in the run-up to the Golden Star battle, and so that when you reached the boss itself, using the EMP would be second nature. You’d understand that Golden Star was a robotic enemy affected by your EMP devices and instinctively know what to do. This approach required focus on the placement of mechanics and gimmicks, ensuring the creation of a natural learning curve up to the boss fight.

Variety is very much the name of the game in Crimson Desert, as our story that took a deep dive into combat explained, and that variety permeates through everything, especially boss design. Nowhere else, outside of a pilotable battle robot, have we seen EMPs utilised in this adventure in our several hours of hands-on with it. It's a further example of how each mission, each moment spent in this world, is aiming to be different from the last.

While mechanical variety is clearly important, the team also noted that variety was inspired by the bosses being considered as characters within the world. The team explained that they tried to put themselves into the shoes of each boss and really consider what their motives would be. That inspired their moves and overall design, and helped generate diversity among the dozens of bosses present in the game. It’s a philosophy that is certainly on full display when you place all of the bosses we’ve seen so far in Crimson Desert alongside each other.

Simon Cardy is a Senior Editor at IGN who can mainly be found skulking around open world games, indulging in Korean cinema, or despairing at the state of Tottenham Hotspur and the New York Jets. Follow him on Bluesky at @cardy.bsky.social.

Stranger Things fans, start sounding the alarms: you’re about to find out all the secrets of the show’s expansive world during the upcoming fifth and final season — at least as it relates to the Upside Down.

Ross Duffer revealed in an expansive new interview with Variety that the most important task in Season 5 was to explain “about what the Upside Down was.” The co-creator and showrunner of the series, a job he shares with twin Matt Duffer, added: “Every season would be like, ‘Should we talk about it?’ And we’d go, ‘No, let’s wait.’ And then finally, we’re like, ‘Well, we have to now!’”

That said, Matt also noted that he and his brother aren’t super interested in trying to "increasingly expand what could become an insanely convoluted mythology" following the final season. There is, in fact, a spinoff series in the works but because of the desire to not complicate the lore, that installment in the greater universe of the show will "live in a bit of a different world," though "there's going to be connective tissue,” according to Ross.

It seems the Duffer Brothers don’t want to make things more difficult than they need to be because they’ve found a way to make all five seasons of the show interlock like a puzzle. “It doesn’t feel like we dropped a storyline — it all connects,” Ross told the outlet.

“We do every last remaining thing we wanted to do with the Demogorgons and Mind Flayer and Vecna and the Upside Down and Hawkins and these characters,” Matt noted. “This is a complete story. It’s done.”

The creative arm behind Stranger Things has been working tirelessly for, frankly, an insane amount of time to make this show what it’s become since 2016 — and it’s clear the Duffers are focused on giving fans an ending to remember. “We’ve spent 10 years on this,” Ross explained. “We’re trying to put 100% energy in just making sure we land this plane. So no thought is going elsewhere at the moment.”

Stranger Things Season 5 will be released in three separate episode drops. The first four episodes premiere on Netflix on November 26, the next three debut on Christmas Day, and the final episode is set to be released on New Year’s Day. Ross Duffer recently confirmed the Stranger Things Season 5 episode runtimes, squashing all the rumors.

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

Capturing the point is the backbone of many multiplayer games, and it’s often the most exciting moment of a match. It’s when Zarya drops a Graviton Surge that glues the entire enemy team together, ready to be obliterated by D.Va’s Self-Destruct. Or when your Super gauge finally fills and you’re able to unleash your Guardian’s point-clearing powers. Or when you unlock the perfect Killstreak that rains down a warehouse-worth of munitions, obliterating the opposition seconds before they can capture the zone.

But no one does capture points like Battlefield.

I recently played a Conquest match of Battlefield 6 that saw a point on Operation Firestorm gradually attacked and seized over a couple of minutes. At first it was just on-foot soldiers, charging in and popping smoke to conceal their assault. Then the tanks turned up. Cannons roared, chunks of masonry scattered. Sparks fizzed as engineers patched up armour. And then, like some kind of finale fireworks, a jet screamed overhead, its deployed payload securing the objective from the final enemies who were holding out.

As this was happening, the internet’s favourite Scorsese meme came to mind. “Absolute Cinema.”

Battlefield’s large-scale, combined arms, destructive multiplayer is unlike anything else. “Cinematic” is a quality that typically feels antithetical to multiplayer shooters, which are generally required to be more clean and precise. Clear sightlines. Hard counters. Precision-engineered, three-lane maps. Intense competition. There’s no room for spectacle, which is reserved for single-player campaigns. Not in Battlefield, though. To play Battlefield 6 is to be an actor in a war movie. And what a feeling that is, especially after years of sweaty battle royales and esport tactical shooters ruling the charts while prior, lesser accomplished Battlefield games languished on the sidelines.

It's official: the release of Battlefield 6 has been a huge success, with an enormous 7 million copies sold over the game's first three days. Simply put, it's the franchise's best launch ever.

A triumphant press release today from EA describes Battlefield 6's arrival as "record-shattering," "explosive" and — in the words of Battlefield boss Vince Zampella — "momentous."

"We never take moments like this for granted, so I want to express our sincere gratitude to our global Battlefield Studios and passionate community that has helped get us to this point," Zampella said. "We appreciate you joining us for Battlefield 6's momentous launch. We have so much more to come in the weeks ahead."

Some more stats from Battlefield 6's opening weekend: fans played more than 172 million matches, and clocked up more than 15 million hours watching gameplay streams. On Steam, Battlefield 6 saw a huge launch with a whopping 747,440 peak concurrent players. Sony and Microsoft do not make player numbers public.

Next up for Battlefield 6 will be the launch of its Season 1 on October 28, which adds Rogue Ops, new map Blackwell Fields, and a 4v4 mode.

It's a stunning return for the Battlefield franchise after the failure of Battlefield 2042, and will likely ramp up the pressure on this year's Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, due to launch on November 14.

Battlefield 6 launched for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S a week ago today, on October 10. The BF Studios team has kept up communication in the days since, delivering hotfix after hotfix as it works to adjust to the desires of a player base that quickly exploded upon its release. And while the game's campaign has garnered a mixed response, IGN's Battlefield 6 multiplayer review returned an 8/10 score.

For more on Battlefield 6, visit IGN's Battlefield 6 guide for a complete list and video of all campaign collectible locations, tips for getting an edge in multiplayer, and more.

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

We may be between sale events at the moment, but Amazon's dropped a sweet little LEGO sale for shoppers to enjoy in the meantime. There's so many different discounts available in this sale right now, including plenty of Harry Potter sets. Quite a few of them are even marked down to their lowest prices yet, so now is an excellent time to grab the ones that have been on your radar.

Whether you're looking for something massive to build, like the 2,660 piece Hogwarts Castle and Grounds set, or something a little smaller, like the 165 piece Flying Ford Anglia set, we've included a few of our favorites from Amazon's sale below. To see everything available in Amazon's LEGO sale, check out the sale page here.

Amazon LEGO Sale

As mentioned before, some of these LEGO sets have dropped to new low prices, including the Dobby The House-Elf set, the Ollivanders & Madam Malkin's Robes set, and the Flying Ford Anglia set, to name a few. The Hogwarts Castle and Grounds set is just a few cents away from its lowest price of $135.95, so it's still more than worth it to pick up while it's on sale right now. These include some of the best LEGO Harry Potter sets available.

Until Black Friday kicks off next month, this is a great little sale to take advantage of if you've been hoping to pick up some new LEGO sets to keep you busy over the cooler months. And if you're looking to pick up a newer release from LEGO right now instead, check out our breakdown of new LEGO sets for October to see what's dropped this month, including the massive new Death Star build. If you don't mind its hefty $1,000 price tag, it looks like a fantastic set to piece together this year.

In addition to this Amazon sale, Target has also been slashing prices on new LEGO sets for 2025. That sale is set to end on October 18, so you still have time to check it out.

New LEGO Sets for October 2025

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