Nintendo’s latest console, the Switch 2, is steadily building a library of amazing games, but which are the best? Well, here are what we think are the 15 most essential games to spend your time with on the handheld/home console hybrid.

As for our criteria, we’ve chosen not to go with just any game that is available on the Switch 2, and instead have selected only those that have been specifically created for Switch 2 and were not previously available on the original Nintendo Switch (well, with one single exception). Basically, we’re not counting upgrades of years-old Switch 1 games, such as Breath of the Wild, Tears of the Kingdom, or Kirby and the Forgotten Land, etc, but you will find the odd multiplatform in this list that’s arrived on Nintendo hardware for the first time

Does that make sense? I do hope so. Anyway, let’s get on with it and reveal our picks for the Top 15 Best Nintendo Switch 2 Games.

15. PowerWash Simulator 2

PowerWash Simulator 2 is very much a sequel that abides by the mantra, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”, and we wouldn’t have it any other way. A relaxing set of levels that are ever-expanding in size and complexity, scrubbing and soaking this new bunch of impossibly grimy vehicles, buildings, and furniture is the perfect way to spend a relaxing evening in with your Switch 2. It’s just good, clean fun.

14. Pokémon Legends: Z-A

With Legends: Z-A, it finally feels like Pokémon is really finding its feet when it comes to adapting the series’ classic template for a 3D world. Not just another monster-battling RPG, Z-A makes the bold decision to remove turn-based combat completely and replace it with a much more dynamic real-time system. It may take a little getting used to, but it is a genuine evolution of the now 30-year-old formula that is more than welcome. With improved performance thanks to the Switch 2’s superior power, the best way to play this latest Pokémon adventure is on Nintendo’s latest console.

13. Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment

Koei Tecmo returns for another bite of the Hyrule Warriors apple, following up 2020’s Age of Calamity with Age of Imprisonment, which serves not only as a muso action spectacle, but also a prequel to The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Its story may not reach the heights of the best of the Zelda series, but the satisfaction found in its combat is undeniable, and this time the hardware can keep up with the action. All that makes it one of the best Switch 2 exclusives so far.

12. Ball X Pit

Brick-breakers are practically as old a video game genre as you can find, but none have ever quite done it like this. Ball X Pit borrows from the kaleidoscopic pixel mayhem action of Vampire Survivors and translates that score-chasing sensation into a selection of superpowered balls of wild variety that can be bounced off against enemies until they all fall down and clear the path along its steadily scrolling screen. Throw a light bit of settlement management into the mix, and you’ve got one of the hardest Switch 2 games to put down.

11. Kirby Air Riders

A sequel to 2003’s Kirby Air Ride certainly wasn’t on our Switch 2 bingo card for this year, but perhaps even more surprising is that it's genuinely great. Perhaps that shouldn’t come as a shock, though, due to legendary Kirby creator and Smash Bros. supremo Masahiro Sakurai being behind the wheel of this combative racing game that borrows as much from Smash as it does Mario Kart. Looking for a bit of chaos? Try out Kirby Air Riders on your Nintendo Switch 2.

10. Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time

A cosy combination of action-adventure RPG and life sim management, Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time hits a perfect sweet spot for the Nintendo Switch 2 in the absence of a brand-new Zelda adventure or Animal Crossing town to spend time in. We’re going to bend our rules ever so slightly here, as it did first release on the original Switch and other consoles on May 21, 2025, before making its way to Switch 2 as a day one game with enhanced visuals, but we think it's worth it to shout out a treat of a series that has been criminally underplayed.

9. Mario Kart World

Mario Kart World takes some risks as it barrels out of the confines of the series’ familiar circuit surroundings and out onto open roads for the first time. A mixture of colourful and expansive courses and open-world time trials and challenges, World changes up the Mario Kart methodology in the most impactful way since Double Dash hit the GameCube. A day one Switch 2 release, it's destined to be one of the console’s most-played games for the rest of its lifespan.

8. Split Fiction

Hazelight Studios has become the go-to place for co-op games over the past few years thanks to A Way Out, It Takes Two, and, now, Split Fiction. You and a friend take control of authors Mio or Zoe, who dive in and out of sci-fi and fantasy worlds conjured from their creative imaginations. It's a feast of varied gameplay design and a true test of teamwork. Available to play both online and locally, it’s a great fit for the Switch 2 and its pair of detachable Joy-Con controllers.

7. Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition

Being able to play CD Projekt Red’s dense and detailed sci-fi RPG on a Nintendo handheld seems like it should almost be illegal, and yet you can do exactly that. Now a far cry from the state it arrived in during the rockiest of launches, Cyberpunk 2077 has been retooled and refined into the fantastic open-world action RPG that it is today, with the vibrant Night City playing host to a tale of underworld revolutions and corporate-level betrayals. When you also throw in the magnificent Phantom Liberty expansion as part of this ultimate edition, then you’ve got one of the greatest RPGs of recent years in the palm of your hand, whenever and wherever you want it on Switch 2, even if it may not run quite as smoothly or look as stellar as it does on other platforms.

6. Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake

Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake takes two classic RPGs and brings them into the modern age to beautiful effect. Both games are given a welcome facelift here, but successfully retain the retro magic that made them both so beloved when they were first released way back in 1986 and 1987, respectively. Nearly four decades on, they’ve never been more playable, and are among the best games you can now play on your Nintendo Switch 2.

5. Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles

A remaster of 1997’s Final Fantasy Tactics, 2025’s The Ivalice Chronicles has recently become the definitive way to play one of Square’s most acclaimed RPGs. Its tactical battling system is as tight as it ever was, with some welcome tweaks only making it kinder to engage with, along with a graphical boost that still captures the charm of the PlayStation original. Now fully voiced-acted, its story full of intrigue and conspiracy is ready to be enjoyed by a whole new generation of players, and is a perfect fit to be enjoyed in the Switch 2’s handheld mode.

4. Deltarune

A chapterised follow-up to Toby Fox’s beloved cult-classic, Undertale, Deltarune picks up where its predecessor left off in terms of subverting the RPG genre and delivering something wholly singular. Heartfelt and often hilarious, its story captivates from start to finish, with its unorthodox approach to battling just one of the many ways it surprises through inventive gameplay systems. To say much more would be a spoiler. With more chapters still planned to be released as free updates, Deltarune promises not only to be one of the Switch 2’s best games right now, but long into the future, too.

3. Hollow Knight: Silksong

It was also going to be difficult to live up to the hype that built up during Hollow Knight: Silksong’s long, long development, but somehow, developer Team Cherry didn’t disappoint. Hornet’s snaking metroidvania world is littered with unwelcoming locations filled with even less inviting enemies and pesky platforming, but it is one that also begs to be explored. Yes, it’s punishing, but equally as rewarding, with secrets lurking in hidden corners and behind every challenging boss fight. The satisfaction found throughout is nearly unparalleled on the Switch 2.

2. Donkey Kong Bananza

Donkey Kong Bananza finally gives Nintendo’s most famous ape a 3D platformer that can proudly sit alongside its Mario counterparts. In turn, it also gave Switch 2 owners one of the very best games to play on their new consoles. A delectably destructive smashathon, DK Bananza borrows elements and ideas from Super Mario Odyssey, but breaks them down and reshapes them into a Donkey Kong context brilliantly. With numerous worlds begging to be sculpted in your image, and hundreds of precious bananas to be uncovered, platformed, and puzzled their way to, it's a real showcase for what this new generation of Nintendo can look like, while never once forgetting to root itself in that decades-old wild creativity.

1. Hades 2

A Switch 2 console exclusive, Hades 2 somehow manages to improve on its masterful predecessor as developer Supergiant Games evolved the idea of its narrative-led roguelike action to God-tier levels. Melinoë’s journey to the depths of the underworld and the heights of Mount Olympus is layered with detail, whether it be in its intricate weapons and skill systems, or the majesty of its striking art direction that pops both on a big TV screen or on the Switch 2’s handheld display. The peak of its genre, Hades 2 is hard to tear yourself away from, and, simply put, the most fun you can have on your Nintendo Switch 2 right now.

And those are our picks for the best Switch 2 games that you can play right now. What have been your favourites so far? Let us know in the comments! Hungry for more Nintendo? Then check out our list of the Top 100 Best Nintendo Games of All-Time.

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.

Macaulay Culkin isn’t just open to a new Home Alone movie, he has a killer idea for it.

The 1990 Christmas movie classic is one of Hollywood’s most enduring films. It starred a 10-year-old Macaulay Culkin as the quick-thinking Kevin McCallister, who defends his home from thieves by setting dastardly traps that tore Joe Pesci’s Harry and Daniel Stern’s Marv to bits in Tom & Jerry style comedic violence.

The similarly successful Home Alone 2: Lost in New York followed two years later and saw Culkin, by this point a child star, reprise his role as Kevin. But he skipped the subsequent, less well known sequels: 1997’s Home Alone 3, 2002’s Home Alone 4, 2012’s Home Alone: The Holiday Heist, and 2021’s Home Sweet Home Alone.

Now, over 30 years since he last played Kevin, the 45-year-old Culkin has expressed interest in returning to the world of Home Alone, and has even revealed his idea for the sequel. Speaking during his “A Nostalgic Night with Macaulay Culkin” tour, as reported by Variety, Culkin confirmed he “wouldn’t be completely allergic” to returning as Kevin in a Home Alone sequel, insisting “it would have to be just right.”

Then, the pitch:

“I kind of had this idea. I’m either a widower or a divorcee. I’m raising a kid and all that stuff. I’m working really hard and I’m not really paying enough attention and the kid is kind of getting miffed at me and then I get locked out. [Kevin’s son] won’t let me in… and he’s the one setting traps for me.”

So, instead of Kevin defending his home from robbers, he becomes the robber in a role flip. Culkin added: “the house is some sort of metaphor for our relationship.” In the movie, Kevin would have to “get let back into” his son’s heart. “That’s the closest elevator pitch that I have,” he said. “I’m not completely allergic to it, the right thing.”

But will Culkin get the chance to make this pitch? In August, Chris Columbus, who directed the first two Home Alone movies, said he didn’t want Hollywood to return to the series.

“I think Home Alone really exists as, not at this timepiece, but it was this very special moment, and you can’t really recapture that,” he told Entertainment Tonight. “I think it’s a mistake to try to go back and recapture something we did 35 years ago. I think it should be left alone.” Also in August, Columbus issued his verdict on which is best, Home Alone or Home Alone 2?

In the shorter term, Culkin voices Cattrick Lynxley in Zootopia 2, and is set to star in Fallout Season 2 on Prime Video.

If you're hunting for the best offers this week, we're actively rounding up the strongest Black Friday deals on video games, tech, and more. You can find all our top picks and price drops in our full Black Friday hub, or check out our relevant pages for PlayStation, Nintendo, and Xbox deals.

Photo by Rodin Eckenroth/WireImage.

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.

NBA Jam has remained one of the most iconic basketball video games since its release in the ‘90s, but Tim Kitzrow, the actor behind its announcer, says he only made “like $800-and-change” when recording his lines.

The voice behind “boomshakalaka” opened up about his history as a sports gaming voice actor during a recent conversation with The Escapist. Kitzrow’s career includes voicework for NFL Blitz, MLB Slugfest, and even themed pinball machines, but it’s his work on the over-the-top NBA video game that many believe has stood the test of time.

While many lines from his play-by-plays likely still ring in the minds of ‘90s gamers who dropped coins into the original arcade experience, it’s “boomshakalaka” that is remembered by most today. Despite its staying power, Kitzrow looks back at the string of syllables as more of “a gift from the gods” than a carefully considered quote.

“A fellow in the studio, John Carlton, was listening to Sly & The Family Stone,” he explained. “The song I Want to Take You Higher. The chorus is ‘boom shaka-laka-laka, boom shaka-laka-laka’.”

Kitzrow continued: “He goes, ‘Hey Tim, say boomshakalaka’. Now, me being a basketball guy – I watched every game on TV with Marv Albert – I’d never heard anyone say ‘boomshakalaka’. I’m just trying to get the reference, like, ‘What the hell are you talking about? This is not a basketball term.’ I said, ‘What is this?’ He goes, ‘Just say boomshakalaka… like that.’”

Now, 32 years later, boomshakalaka is still the kind of celebration basketball fans love to quote. At the time, though, Kitzrow’s work on NBA Jam seemed like any other voice acting gig. Without an agent and his pinball work usually netting “a few hundred bucks at best,” he says his work on Midway’s sports video game seemed like any other job.

“It was $50 an hour,” Kitzrow said. “Same as the pinball. I’d go in, do a couple of sessions – maybe 15 hours total – and that was it. I wasn’t smart enough, savvy enough to know the business, to go, ‘Gee, these games make a lot of money, maybe I should make more than $50 an hour.’”

It wasn’t until after NBA Jam launched to tremendous success that Kitzrow realized he may have been denied an easy layup.

“When the game came out and I found out it made a billion dollars, that’s when I realised I’d made like 800-and-change, maybe something like that,” he said with a laugh. “I thought, ‘Well, I’m probably being underpaid. I might want to raise my rate.’”

NBA Jam went on to receive numerous re-releases on various platforms. The series eventually saw releases from Acclaim Entertainment and EA, too, including 2003 and 2010 reboots, in addition to its Midway run.

Kitzrow returned to provide his work as one of the most excited announcers in games in many of the offshoots as they arrived through the years. He also managed to bring back some of his most iconic lines for a sports-themed Easter Egg in Bethesda Softworks’ Rage 2. Next, football fantasy fans can expect to hear him in Mutant Football League 2, which leaves early access with a full launch for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X | S December 10.

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

Paris-based game developer Reissad Studio has launched the first major update for its Unreal Engine 5 FPS, Bodycam, since its 2024 early access launch.

The team, which has grown to include more than 100 people, detailed all of the changes included in the new update in a post on its Steam community page. It marks the first major update for the multiplayer shooter since launching for PC two summers ago and aims to improve performance and stability while fleshing out the Zombie Mode with new content.

Reissad says it spent recent months gathering feedback in hopes of tackling a “massive amount of bug fixes,” as well as other performance improvements across the board. The goal is to set a more solid foundation with more updates going forward, with the last year mostly focusing on smaller updates and hotfixes. Other talking points – such as servers, anti-cheat, and a “full UI rework” – are in the works for the future and “remain very high priority.”

“We know that optimization and stability were non-negotiable for our community, and this update represents the first major fulfillment of that promise," Reissad studio director Luca Dassier said in a statement detailing the company's commitment to continuous development. "By migrating to Unreal Engine 5.5 and establishing a dedicated internal QA team, we have fundamentally strengthened our development foundation. This structural growth, supported by additional staffing, ensures we can consistently deliver high-quality, game-changing updates throughout the Early Access period. We are actively listening and committed to making Bodycam the ultimate visceral FPS experience."

Bodycam players will notice the major update also comes with Village, a new location the studio calls its “biggest Zombie map to date,” along with Zombie spawn and behavior tweaks. Though Reissad says it still sees Zombie Mode as secondary to the core multiplayer offering, players are told to expect more Zombie content in the future, with today’s update also adding a new crossbow weapon. The new CQB Powergun multiplayer map, meanwhile, is based on a real-world airsoft location in France.

Bodycam dropped into Steam Early Access June 7, 2024, as a tactical multiplayer FPS with what Reissad calls a “true body-camera view in Unreal Engine 5.” We gave it a 5/10 review upon its launch.

“Bodycam’s early access version is an interesting proof of concept for a good looking, GoPro-view shooter, but has little else to offer once the novelty wears off,” we said at the time.

You can see the Bodycam November 2025 update patch notes below.

Bodycam November 2025 Update Patch Notes

Patch Notes (Summary)

PERFORMANCE & OPTIMIZATION

• Migrated from Unreal Engine 5.2 → 5.5, fully adapted to Lumen and Virtual Shadow Maps (VSM).
• Optimized GPU and CPU usage across all major maps.
• Reduced draw calls, dynamic render targets and shadow complexity on multiple maps.
• Cleaned redundant sublevels, merged meshes and lowered texture streaming overhead.
• Improved shader complexity and light culling to reduce overdraw.
• Reduced Slate tick in the Play Menu frontend from 4.3 ms → 0.66 ms.
• Lowered Play Menu memory usage from 250 MB → 180 MB.
• Optimized asynchronous texture loading and streaming for both UI and environments.
• Part of our team is now dedicated to GPU optimization to ensure we improve the rendering pipeline.
• Efficiently integrated Virtual Shadow Maps across all maps (CQB, Rome, Bomb House, Airsoft, etc.).
• Switched around 90% of textures to Virtual Textures with proper LODs and compression settings.
• Improved texture grouping, compression and global texture memory usage.
• Re-baked lighting passes across all maps to align with VSM + Lumen.
• Optimized post-process effects and volumetric fog for better visibility and depth.
• Improved load times and streaming consistency overall.
• Polished props, materials and set dressing for better visual cohesion.
• Improved settings management and input responsiveness.
• Continued cleanup of legacy systems and deprecated logic.
• Achieved higher and more consistent frame rates on Paintball, Logistics, Hospital, CQB, Public Pool, Airsoft, Bomb House, Russian Building, Shooting Range, Rome.
• Fixed FSR 3 so it now applies the correct screen percentage.
• Enabled FSR Frame Generation when DLSS is active, without requiring FSR 3.

BUG FIXES & STABILITY

• Fixed the lobby crash when hosting or loading a game after a friend invite (previously the most common crash).
• Fixed Bodycam friends detection (green squares) not displaying correctly.
• Fixed several cases of incorrect scores shown on the TAB scoreboard.
• Removed duplicate players appearing in the friends list UI.
• Fixed Steam invite issues preventing disconnected clients from rejoining sessions.
• Resolved softlocks during map loading on certain maps (for example Paintball and Hospital).
• Fixed a UI bug that could show "Defeat" after actually winning a match.
• Restored missing sections in the server list and improved friend visibility in lobbies.
• Fixed spawn bugs, stuck players and invalid collisions across multiple maps.
• Fixed several map collision issues and player stuck spots.
• Resolved a voice chat initialization crash.
• Fixed replication errors when the host or client disconnects: clients now properly return to the lobby.
• Fixed weapon switching and camera issues when cycling between weapons.
• Resolved an infinite loading bug in the locker shop.
• Fixed round win or loss desync in online matches.
• Fixed multiple input rebinding issues introduced during the engine migration.
• Fixed missing bomb sounds and invalid event triggers in multiplayer logic.
• Fixed bots being immobile on certain maps (Airsoft, CQB, etc.).
• Fixed bots that never reloaded their weapons.
• Fixed multiple map vote issues: black screen, players kicked out, host stuck in freecam, etc.
• Fixed freecam spawns on Rome in Team Deathmatch and Bodybomb.
• Fixed unbalanced teams when hosting with friends in Teams mode.
• Fixed all issues related to end of round and match screens:
  • "Victory" incorrectly displayed as Defeat for clients.
  • Score or result not appearing at the end of a round.
  • Wrong label "Round Lost" despite a victory.
  • "Round" displayed instead of "Match" on the end screen.
• Fixed a ragdoll issue where some players stayed stuck in ragdoll and never switched to spectator.
• Improved handling of two player games to avoid weird edge cases in team assignment.

GAMEPLAY & SYSTEMS

• Added the Crossbow, first introduced in the new Zombie Village map.
• Expanded Zombie spawn and behavior systems with improved wave pacing, loot areas and special enemy types.
• Added a map voting system at the end of matches.
• Updated Sprint to work as a toggle instead of requiring the key to be held.
• Comprehensive fixes to the input binding system:
  • Keys already in use now properly display a warning message.
  • The "Reset inputs" and "Clear / Reset" buttons work as expected.
  • It is once again possible to bind the O key.
  • The Pause Menu now opens correctly with Escape in both packaged and standalone builds.
  • Fixed an issue where a night vision message could pop up when rebinding certain keys.
• Improved zoom and camera navigation in several interfaces for smoother, more natural movement and focus.
• Limited weird player rotations when turning the head too far to the sides or looking too high or too low while opening certain interfaces.
• Posthumous grenade kills (kills after you die) now award the correct points.
• Adjusted bomb timer to avoid rounds ending too quickly.
• Bots now defuse the bomb correctly after the player dies.
• Fixed and validated several achievements or trophies and their in-game tracking.

ZOMBIE MODE

• Fixed zombie audio replication so clients hear the correct sounds in online sessions.
• Fixed a severe FPS drop when zombie sprinters spawned.
• Sprinters are now easier to identify by sound, with an increased audio range.
• Added and tuned a specific audio cue for both sprinters and the scarecrow.
• Reworked Mystery Box SFX for a more satisfying feel.
• Fixed an issue where sprinters might fail to spawn correctly during the first wave.
• Fixed multiple cases where zombies got stuck or despawned incorrectly on Village (windmill tower, doors, specific areas).
• Fixed a crash related to explosions on the Village map.
• Adjusted the zombie clothes system and several end of wave sounds (for example bells firing multiple times).
• Fixed a bug where snow could appear incorrectly on players.

MAPS & ENVIRONMENT

• Added the new Village (Zombie) map.
• Added the new CQB Powergun multiplayer map.
• Airsoft: a few fixes plus a new staircase to improve flow.

Multiplayer maps (CQB Powergun, Paintball, Public Pool, Rome, Russian Building, etc.)

• CQB Powergun
  • Large optimization and polish pass (Tech Art, collisions, lighting).
  • Fixed bots getting stuck on CQB.
  • Fixed footstep sounds on metal surfaces such as stairs.
• Paintball
  • Fixed a broken wall material.
  • Completed a full Tech Art validation and fix pass.
• Public Pool
  • Fixed a Hardpoint that was inaccessible to players.
  • Completed a Tech Art validation and fix pass.
  • Corrected overly dark starting lighting.
  • Polished Hardpoint locations for a better gameplay flow.
• Russian Building
  • Fixed walls and environment elements.
  • Fixed a sky that was too bright at night.
  • Corrected a Hardpoint that did not function correctly.
  • Fixed a starting state where the map could be too dark.
  • Restored the characteristic blur effect, now applied consistently across all maps for visual cohesion.
  • Fixed a spot where players could get stuck when reentering via a wooden plank.
  • Removed a leftover "trailer bot" that spawned by mistake on the map.
• Warehouse
  • The map is no longer locked in debug mode without bots and is playable again.
• Worn House, Hospital, Asylum, Bomb House, Shooting Range, The Backrooms
  • Full Tech Art passes (collisions, materials, lighting, readability).
  • Added or fixed missing Hardpoint locations on several maps.
• Airsoft
  • Fixed bots that were immobile on the map.
  • Completed Tech Art validation plus a post process polish.
• General
  • Fixed several stuck spots for players across different maps.
  • Improved Village and background areas with more foliage and visual detail.

UI / UX

• Integrated full aspect ratio scaling and partial controller support for all menus.
• Optimized Play Menu performance using asynchronous texture streaming.
• Added new Play Card visuals and data assets for map and mode selection.
• Implemented a functional Pause Menu with proper layering and back navigation.
• Redesigned the input rebinding interface for Unreal 5.5's Enhanced Input System.
• Optimized font scaling and unified global UI visuals for consistency.
• Fixed scoreboard, map voting and match end displays so they are consistent and reliable.
• Fixed scaling issues on non standard resolutions and aspect ratios.
• Fixed a bug where the rank UI appeared blurry due to the blur effect.
• Fixed player nameplates not correctly following players.
• Improved global visibility by fixing eye adaptation issues that could break player visibility.
• Fixed the Bodycam detection icon (green square) so it displays correctly again.
• Improved the overall behavior of the Escape key, menus and global navigation (map list, back button, etc.).
• Long player names (for example from Steam) no longer break UI layouts.
• The Score Tab now shows clearer information about the match state (time left, win conditions, etc.).
• Fixed the Back button that could break navigation and clear the map list.
• In the shop, when scrolling, the first item of the newly visible area is now automatically selected for smoother navigation.
• When editing a class, the camera no longer zooms out to the full weapon and instead stays focused on the edited element.
• Additional eye adaptation fixes were made to further improve visibility.

AUDIO & VFX

• Integrated new footstep, impact and melee sound effects.
• Removed looping bird and ambient noise clutter on several maps.
• Balanced the global audio mix and adjusted sound occlusion, especially on Village.
• Added end of wave audio cues and new voice lines for zombie spawns.
• Fixed greybox VFX that appeared after the Unreal 5.5 migration.
• Updated Niagara particles for blood, muzzle flashes, debris and impacts.
• Reworked blood decals and improved their reflections in the lighting.
• Enhanced post process visual feedback such as motion blur, depth of field and chromatic aberration.
• Added the Main Zombie Theme.
• Rebalanced:
  • Global reverb and environmental ambience to make maps feel more coherent.
  • Footsteps and surface variations.
  • Bullet impacts, fly by and ricochet audio to boost immersion.
• Improved environmental ambience and audio on Village.
• Adjusted wind sounds while turning and restored several blood related particles to get a feel closer to the previous versions.
• Fixed audio parameters that were not applied correctly on some sounds.

NETWORKING & MULTIPLAYER

• Improved the host to client disconnection flow: clients now consistently return safely to the lobby.
• Fixed incorrect game mode transitions in some cases.
• Enhanced replication performance and reduced lag spikes during player updates.
• Improved lobby and matchmaking flow with better state synchronization.
• Optimized server travel and reduced session recreation times.
• Fixed disconnected clients that could not join a new host.
• Fixed duplicate entries for a single player in the lobby.
• Fixed an issue where map voting could kick players and put the host into freecam.
• Fixed a bug where joining or rejoining a lobby could cause an infinite loading loop.
• Fixed several issues with player names displayed in the TAB score and end screens.
• Completed VOIP QA checks to stabilize and validate voice chat behavior.
• Fixed nameplates replication so they track players correctly for all clients.
• Adjusted edge cases where two player matches could behave strangely with team assignment.

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

The Black Friday streaming deals have officially arrived, but there's a significant shortage of sports streaming services participating in this year's discounts. The lack of deals comes after a rather tumultuous month for live sports streaming. Disney and Google got into a bit of a legal battle over ESPN channels, and YouTube TV subscribers had to deal with an outage for almost half of November before an agreement was reached.

Disney's ongoing battle for supremacy in the world of sports streaming isn't new, and it has only been further amplified since it launched ESPN Unlimited earlier this year. The new direct-to-consumer ESPN service has had a big draw so far, largely because the price is actually really good. Even months after launch, the Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN Unlimited bundle price is still the best sports streaming deal around.

ESPN Unlimited Black Friday Deal

As a major new update adds fresh story to Assassin's Creed Shadows, including the game's first proper dollop of Isu content, Ubisoft has defended the game's microtransactions and attempted to set expectations among long-term fans for the game's post-launch plans.

Shadows is notable among Assassin's Creed entries for featuring next to no mention of the Isu, the franchise's mysterious precursor race who pop up in pretty much every game (and who played a huge role in the story of the preceeding Assassin's Creed Valhalla). Instead, Shadows is a different beast — treating its Japanese setting with an unusually straight face, and avoiding anything in its core narrative that's too sci-fi or mythological.

But, finally, a new quest changes all that. Available now in-game, players can pick up the fresh story chapter A Puzzlement, which sees heroes Naoe and Yasuke meet up again with a pair of poachers (you'll have forgotten about them, but they were in the game's intro). Interestingly, new players will have this quest inserted into the game's flow early on, as it also helps better flesh out Naoe and Yasuke's relationship.

A Puzzlement is designed as a fun extra story with Naoe and Yasuke learning more about each other (and in a nice touch, completing the quest will unlock a fresh skill for each character based on the other's abilities). But the new mission will also set players on a much longer path — one that will see them, many hours later, opening up a mysterious Isu door and exploring a secret vault within.

Assassin's Creed lore fans have long been awaiting the addition of Isu content into the game, but Ubisoft has notably decided to set expectations of what this vault actually holds — without spoiling its contents directly. (If you really want to know, well, we'll get into all that further below.)

"Don't expect a full Isu Temple and a crazy two hours adventure in here," Assassin's Creed Shadows associate game director Simon Lemay-Comtois told Access the Animus. "That's not what it is. It's a vault that you need to open and there's some cool stuff and reveals in it.

"It's not side content, but it's deep lore for people who appreciate that content," he continued, stressing that A Puzzlement's story chapter featuring Naoe, Yasuke and the poachers was intended as "the main event."

Following the launch of its first paid expansion Claws of Awaji, Assassin's Creed Shadows has returned to offering monthly free updates that have offered a mix of additional quests and quality-of-life changes, as well as new crossover events such as this week's other big addition — an Attack on Titan crossover.

At the same time, Shadows' in-game store has been kept topped up with optional cosmetic items, something that Assassin's Creed has offered for almost a decade, but some fans continue to criticize in a full-priced game.

"Microtransactions, for all the flak it gets, it allows us to do the Isu stuff, the quest stuff, the parkour updates, all of it," Lemay-Comtois said, arguing that post-launch support for Shadows required some level of ongoing funding.

Intriguingly, the developer also confirmed the decision to belatedly add Isu content into the game was not something that had always been on the cards. "Oh, yeah. It's a post-launch decision," Lemay-Comtois added. "Soon as no one's looking, I'm putting Isu in the game."

So, what does that Isu cave contain? For those who don't want to spend dozens of hours trekking across Shadows' map finding hidden glyphs in order to unlock its secrets, well, the answer to it all is of course already up on YouTube — or we'll get into the details below.

Warning! Spoilers for Assassin's Creed Shadows' new Isu content follow.

As Lemay-Comtois stated, the Isu cave is indeed just a small location, though it provides fresh First Civilization weaponry for both Naoe and Yasuke (a tanto dagger and a naginata) in chests.

The cave is clearly Isu in origin, with the race's familiar glowing technology running through its walls. But, more excitingly for fans, the cave has been used far more recently — by immortal Assassin's Creed Odyssey heroine Kassandra. Various weapons and objects from her Greek home country can be seen, as well as what looks like an Egyptian item.

Most obviously, the cave is filled by a giant statue of Kassandra (it's a bit weird she had that made, but sure) which you can add to your Shadows hideout. And among the notes from Kassandra you can read, there's also one new dialogue line — which plays as a surprise to Naoe/Yasuke as they leave the cave. Is this a tease for more Kassandra in the future? The fan-favorite did return in Valhalla in a major post-launch quest, after all. Or, perhaps, this is designed as Shadows' equivalent. Time will tell.

In the meantime, Assassin's Creed Shadows is currently half price in Amazon's Black Friday sale. And in other news, the co-star of Netflix's upcoming live-action Assassin's Creed TV series has reportedly been revealed, with British-born Australian actor Toby Wallace set to play an unnamed Italian character.

If you're hunting for the best offers this week, we're actively rounding up the strongest Black Friday deals on video games, tech, and more. You can find all our top picks and price drops in our full Black Friday hub, or check out our relevant pages for PlayStation, Nintendo, and Xbox deals.

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

The works of William Shakespeare are so ingrained within the popular consciousness that it can sometimes be difficult to remember that they were in fact written by a man as human as the rest of us. He had a life and a job and a family much like any other, and the dizzying amount of influence he would have on the world after his death is likely something he had no knowledge of during his life. It’s impossible to know for sure what Shakespeare was thinking and feeling when he wrote his plays, but Hamnet – both the film and the Maggie O’Farrell novel it’s based on – tries to guess at what could have influenced the Bard to compose his most acclaimed work. It’s a highly fictionalized take on his life with a heavy focus on his wife Agnes (she’s more commonly known as Anne, but the movie opts for the former) and the tumultuous family life they shared.

The creator of the original Thomas the Tank Engine mod for Skyrim has now put Thomas in Morrowind, apparently in defiance of legal pressure from Mattel.

Really Useful Cliffracers, a recently released mod for Bethesda’s The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, replaces cliff racers (flying creatures found in Vvardenfell) with Thomas the Tank Engine. It’s the work of modding superstar ‪Trainwiz‬, who created the infamous 2013 Thomas the Tank Engine mod for Skyrim that spawned a meme that endures to this day.

Recent comments from ‪Trainwiz‬ both on Nexus Mods and social media suggest that Thomas the Tank Engine owner Mattel has applied legal pressure, but Trainwiz‬ has modded Thomas into Morrowind anyway.

Doctor Strange star Benedict Cumberbatch has said he knows when he'll back as Marvel's caped sorcerer — suggesting an imminent return may now be on the cards.

Cumberbatch's name was mysteriously absent from Marvel's big chair reveal confirming the main stars of Avengers: Doomsday. But fans have long suggested the multiversal character has to be in the movie in some capacity, even if he is being kept under wraps. (And, certainly, there's been suggestion that other, spoilery MCU stars have also returned without being announced.)

Now, Cumberbatch has said in an interview that his character is indeed "coming" back to the MCU, and knew when this would be. But the actor stopped short of saying whether he knew because he had filmed fresh scenes as Strange already, or whether he had simply been booked to shoot something in future.

Avengers: Doomsday has now wrapped its principal photography ahead of its release on December 18, 2026, but it's expected the movie will get Marvel's standard package of additional shooting at the start of next year, ahead of Avengers: Secret Wars principal photography beginning after that.

So, even if Cumberbatch hasn't filmed anything yet, there's still a chance he'll pop up in Doomsday — and it's hard to believe Marvel won't give him at least a cameo. As one of the MCU's characters with the best knowledge of multiversal shenanigans, you'd expect he'd be at the forefront of sorting out whatever Robert Downey Jr's Doctor Doom is up to.

But perhaps that's why he's not being given a front seat — as he'd sort it all out too quickly. Story-wise, Marvel may feel it better to save Strange for a post-credits scene in Doomsday, or even just for Secret Wars entirely.

"I have more than a sense, but I can't share it," Cumberbatch told Collider, when asked if he knew when audiences would see Strange again. "He's coming. At some point you definitely will."

Cumberbatch was last seen in the MCU battling the Scarlet Witch back in 2022's Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which already feels like some time ago. The film ended on a couple of cliffhangers, with Strange inexplicably sprouting a third eye, then being whisked off by Charlize Theron's Clea to fix another multiversal incursion — and that's the last we've heard of him since.

The actor's answer is similar in tone to the knowing response recently given by Wolverine star Hugh Jackman, who was also asked about a return for his fan-favorite clawed character. "I am never saying 'never' ever again," Jackman quipped, while holding firm on the details. As of yet, there's been no suggestion he'll appear in Doomsday either.

But clearly Marvel already has a good sense of who it wants to include in Secret Wars, too, since a recent report tipped Stranger Things actress Sadie Sink as also appearing in the 2027 sequel, reprising her mysterious role that she's set to debut in next year's Spider-Man: Brand New Day.

If you're hunting for the best offers this week, we're actively rounding up the strongest Black Friday deals on video games, tech, and more. You can find all our top picks and price drops in our full Black Friday hub, or check out our relevant pages for PlayStation, Nintendo, and Xbox deals.

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

A PC version of Death Stranding 2 looks set for an announcement soon, after a listing for the game was spotted on the Entertainment Software Rating Board website.

Gematsu reported that the publisher listed on the PC rating for Death Stranding 2 is Sony Interactive Entertainment. The PC version of the first Death Stranding game, which arrived eight months after the PlayStation 4 release, was 505 Games.

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach launched exclusively on PlayStation 5 in June this year, so we could be set for a similar timeframe for the expected PC version, or perhaps a little sooner this time. Perhaps the port will be announced at next month's The Game Awards.

Death Stranding launched on PS4 in November 2019, then hit PC in July 2020. The Director’s Cut came out on PS5 in September 2021, with a PC version following in March 2022. Mobile versions followed, as did a version for Xbox Series X and S in November 2024.

IGN’s Death Stranding 2 review returned a 9/10. We said: “Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is a triumphant sequel that emphatically delivers on the promise of its original.”

It’s a busy time for developer Hideo Kojima and the world of Death Stranding. Earlier this month, an all-new original animated series based on Death Stranding was announced for Disney+. Death Stranding Isolations' story will be told through "a traditional, hand-drawn 2D animation style," with some of Japan’s top "animation talent at E&H production [...] working to bring the series to life."

Elsewhere, there’s a Death Stranding live-action movie in the works, which Kojima and director Michael Sarnoski have confirmed will tell a new story instead of retelling the events of the games. In other words, those hoping to see some of Death Stranding's real-life movie stars reprise their roles for the live-action film may be out of luck. There's also a separate Death Stranding animated film called Death Stranding: Mosquito.

And away from Death Stranding, Kojima is busy working on a number of new projects, including horror game OD for Xbox Game Studios. He revealed the first trailer for it last month, sparking speculation that it is connected to P.T. in some way. The mysterious game will star Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves' Sophia Lillis and Euphoria's Hunter Schafer, with the trailer showcasing Lillis' character in a spooky house, lighting candles before meeting a malevolent figure.

And then there’s Physint, the upcoming PlayStation action-espionage video game often described as a spiritual successor to the Metal Gear series.

If you're hunting for the best offers this week, we're actively rounding up the strongest Black Friday deals on video games, tech, and more. You can find all our top picks and price drops in our full Black Friday hub, or check out our relevant pages for PlayStation, Nintendo, and Xbox deals.

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.

Plans are already underway for the future of the Wicked franchise, following the smash-hit debut of Wicked: For Good.

Apart from the obvious money-making oppurtunities on offer, Universal Pictures' marketing chief has said that the clear strength of the Wicked fandom meant the studio had "almost a responsibility" to deliver more — 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.

Exactly what kind of franchise continuation might be possible, however, Moses seemed less sure. "Have we figured it out yet? No," he added. "But there are things underway."

Across the two Wicked movies, the 2 hour 30 minute musical's story has already been 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."

Still, having built the success of Wicked around the friendship of Elphaba and Glinda, it would be hard to see any follow-up ignoring those familiar characters completely — something Schwartz apparently agrees with. (And anyway, we still need to find out what Ariana Grande whispered at the end of the movie.)

"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.

Could fans get yet another version of Wicked's story, this time perhaps told from the perspective of another character — the Wizard himself, perhaps, or Nessarose? How about another story set in Shiz University, where Glinda and Elphaba are students? Or, could the Wicked team just be considering the obvious — a musical version of the original Wizard of Oz, now incorporating the story elements that Wicked introduced? Maybe we'll finally see Dorothy's face on screen, after the actress playing her in Wicked was deliberately kept out of focus.

One thing's for certain — Universal is keen to replicate the huge box office success of both Wicked and this year's follow-up. After just its opening weekend, Wicked: For Good has brought in $226 million globally, defying the gravity of a string of other Hollywood disappointments in recent weeks. Indeed, the movie has conjured a bigger debut than Superman and The Fantastic Four, and is behind only this year's live-aciton Lilo & Stitch remake, Jurassic World Rebirth, and A Minecraft Movie.

If you're hunting for the best offers this week, we're actively rounding up the strongest Black Friday deals on video games, tech, and more. You can find all our top picks and price drops in our full Black Friday hub, or check out our relevant pages for PlayStation, Nintendo, and Xbox deals.

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

The creator of Skibidi Toilet and the boss of the company now in charge of its YouTube channel have each issued statements presenting a united front amid recent concern over creative control of the web series.

Skibidi Toilet is a series of web shorts created by animator Alexey Gerasimov using Source Filmmaker, Valve’s 3D computer graphics software. Some assets used in the series are taken from video games such as Half-Life 2 and Counter-Strike: Source, which form the basis of the Garry's Mod physics sandbox.

Fans have for some time now worried about Gerasimov’s apparent lack of involvement with the ongoing production of videos on the DaFuq!?Boom! YouTube channel, which has 46.9 million subscribers. And in recent days those concerns were exacerbated when an X / Twitter account published online messages attributed to Gerasimov that, it was claimed, showed he had lost creative control over Skibidi Toilet and the YouTube channel to a company called Invisible Narratives. The initial tweet making those claims has had over 5 million views.

Netflix's upcoming live-action Assassin's Creed series will star British-born Australian actor Toby Wallace and be set in Italy, it's been reported.

Wallace will play one of the show's two leading roles, Deadline has reported, without further information on who exactly this might be.

Still, word that the series will be filmed and set in Italy has unsurprisingly sparked a mountain of speculation among Assassin's Creed fans, many of whom still see dashing Renaissance hero Ezio Auditore da Firenze as the long-running franchise's star.

Lenovo's most powerful Legion gaming PC just dropped to a new price low. The Lenovo Legion Tower 7i Gen 10 gaming PC equipped with an Intel Core Ultra 9 285K processor and RTX 5090 graphics card is marked down to $3,399.99 after you stack two coupon codes "EXTRAFIVE" and "LENOVOHOLIDEAL". This is currently the least expensive RTX 5090 prebuilt I've seen so far for Black Friday. The Alienware Area-51 from Dell Outlet comes close, but it's a refurbished product.

Lenovo Legion Tower 7 RTX 5090 Gaming PC for $3,600

LEGO will soon be retiring another batch of sets, but luckily you can pick some of them up at a discount during early Black Friday deals from Amazon and Target. These are only a handful of sets that will be sunsetted sometime early next year, but you can check out an exhaustive list on BrickEconomy for a full breakdown of which LEGO sets are on the way out.

LEGO's official Black Friday sale doesn't kick off until November 28, so be sure to check back this Friday for more LEGO deals on sets retiring soon.

LEGO Sets Retiring Soon On Sale For Black Friday

All of the above are great LEGO sets for adults, especially if you're a big Star Wars fan. The Droideka buildable model is an impressive almost one-to-one recreation of its onscreen counterpart and even rolls into a ball. The Tantive IV and Mos Espa Podrace models are also good picks that look great in a home office space. All three of these sets are part of the LEGO Star Wars 25th Anniversary collection and come with info plaques printed onto bricks.

The LEGO Ideas line turns LEGO fans' creations into actual sets, and the Insect Collection is a colorful, super detailed kit featuring a buildable beetle, praying mantis, and butterfly. Target has the Ideas Viking Village model, which harkens back to a LEGO era circa 2007 before the majority of their set were depicted licensed properties. This comes with four Viking minifigures and tons of little details in the 2,103-piece build.

LEGO Black Friday Deals at Best Buy

Amazon and Target aren't the only retailers offering discounted LEGO sets for this year's Black Friday. Best Buy has a handful of fun sets to pick from on the cheap, including a few of the sets that will be retired soon.

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

A handful of fun Lord of the Rings board games are on sale at Amazon as part of its Black Friday sale. Most of these are Amazon Lightning Deals, meaning they're only available while supplies last. You can save between 15% and 30%, depending on the game you pick, and they vary in play style from hours-long campaign style games to shorter sessions for a quick game night.

The Lord of the Rings Board Games On Sale For Black Friday

Risk: The Lord of the Rings Trilogy Edition is a classic with an iconic skin. This version of the popular board game comes with maps of Middle-Earth locations like Gondor, Mordor, and more, making you feel like you're actually doing battle with hordes of orcs. There's also The Lord of the Rings: Journeys in Middle-Earth card game and the Spreading War Expansion, two very in-depth campaign games that'll definitely make you lose a few hours.

For a little quicker and lighter, the Duel For Middle-Earth strategy game has players choose between the Fellowship or Sauron in an epic battle that only takes about 30 minutes to complete. In our hands-on review of the game, we said "Lord of the Rings: Duel for Middle-Earth deserves to be lauded for presenting such an exciting and varied game off the back of such an accessible setup."

I'd also recommend the Fellowship of the Ring Trick-Taking game we reviewed earlier this year. This roughly 20-minute experience takes you through the story of the first book, using cards to either progress or avoid peril. In our hands-on review we mentioned "Its simple rules and working together gameplay make it great for families, but its twists on the trick-taking formula and storytelling beats make it deserve a much wider audience."

Whichever game you decide to try out, it will offer plenty of replayability for dozens of hours of board gaming.

More Lord of the Rings Gifts

If you're not that into board games, we also have a detailed Lord of the Rings gift guide to look through, perfect for holiday shopping for that special Middle-Earth fan in your life. We cover everything from LEGO sets and Magic: The Gathering cards, to jigsaw puzzles and the massive Deluxe Illustrated Editions of all the books. Or if you're looking for something a little different, the Lord of the Rings Trilogy Soundtrack on vinyl is part of the Amazon's popular buy 2, get 1 free deal on vinyl and CD's, books, movies, and more.

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

Black Friday is a great time of year to stock up on Blu-ray copies, 4K and otherwise, of your favorite movies and TV shows. Take A Nightmare on Elm Street's seven-film 4K Blu-ray collection, now at its lowest price yet of just $82.89 at Amazon for Black Friday. That's down from $104.98, and just under $12 per movie!

Black Friday Deal: Save on A Nightmare on Elm Street 4K Collection

The PlayStation 5 has been around for going on five years, and Sony’s system shows no sign of slowing down. In that time, we’ve had exclusives like Spider-Man 2, Ghost of Yotei, and Death Stranding 2: On the Beach. Plus, with Marvel’s Wolverine slated for 2026, there's plenty more to look forward to.

And, thanks to Amazon’s Black Friday deals, you can save $100 on a PS5 just in time for Christmas. My favorite pick is currently the PS5 NBA 2K26 Bundle, now $449.99.

As it includes a free game in NBA 2K26, you're getting another $70 in value (or $30 in the sales), so this is arguably the best console deal in the sale.

Save $100 On A PS5 for Black Friday

At Amazon, you can snap up a PS5 Slim with a disc drive for playing physical games and media for $449, or a Digital Edition for $399. That includes the new Black Friday Fortnite bundles, as well.

There's also $100 off the PS5 Pro, which uses PSSR upscaling for enhanced resolution without sacrificing frame rate, and it has advanced ray tracing in supported games, as well as a 2TB internal SSD. The console is down to $649.

For Black Friday, Lenovo has dropped Legion Tower 7 RTX 5080 gaming PC to the absolute lowest price I've ever seen. You can get a nicely configured system for just $2,089.99 after you apply coupon code "EXTRAFIVE" in cart. This beats out the previous low by over $300. It's not the least expensive RTX 5080 prebuilt for Black Friday (the Alienware Aurora R16 starts at $1,815), but it's easily one of the most well-rounded configurations for its price.

Lenovo Legion Tower 7 RTX 5080 Gaming PC From $2,090

When I fired up Cricket 26 for the first time and hopped into a quick five-over game to get my eye in, I was pleasantly surprised by how substantially smoother it all seemed in contrast with the messy launch state of 2023’s Cricket 24. Cricket 26’s lighting and player models all really pop, the inputs feel far snappier, and the fielders all seem like they actually know there’s a game being played – unlike the dawdling doofuses in Cricket 24 who all seemed to stand around with their hands in their pockets. Then my match between the Mumbai Indians and the Delhi Capitals crashed at the change of innings. At which point I reloaded it, and it crashed again. And again. In fact, the longer I played Cricket 26, the more obvious its numerous technical flaws became, to the point that I’d have to say that my experience with Big Ant Studios’ latest has been a bit like playing on a cricket pitch in Perth – the grass looks greener on day one, but it’s not too long before the cracks start to show.

Still, there’s no question that when it works, Cricket 26 presents a much more enjoyable representation of the sport than Cricket 24 was ever capable of. Batting, in particular, feels far more responsive and natural – whether you’re using the arcade-style button controls or the more intuitive dual-stick setup. For the first time in a long time with this series, I feel like I’m able to consistently direct my strokes where I actually intend them to go, unlike Cricket 24 which often felt a bit predetermined in the way I’d keep knocking off-drives straight to the same cover fielder no matter where I aimed or how well I timed it.

That’s not to say that scoring runs has become too easy, however, and I’ve found myself playing down the wrong line and getting beaten on the inside and outside edges of the bat, which also feels far more true to life. Even on the default difficulty setting, batting in Cricket 26 has provided an absorbing challenge for the most part. I’m yet to feel the need to dig deep into the menus to painstakingly fiddle with the various timing and physics sliders in an effort to make it feel more realistic like I did with Cricket 24, which takes a lot of the trial and error out of the experience.

Bowling, on the other hand, hasn’t changed quite as much but it still feels engaging. I had hoped that the wobble seam delivery would have been added to Cricket 26, especially given that it’s become such a common variation these days that Pat Cummins has basically made it his stock ball, but sadly that’s not the case here – and the floaty knuckleball that a number of Indian pacers have added to their arsenals over the past decade or so hasn’t been included either. However, while the delivery types themselves remain the same, there has been some added nuance introduced in the form of the effect of wind on the ball. An arrow on the edge of the pitch map indicates the direction and strength that a gale is blowing, and that can be used to enhance the amount of swing on a delivery (or if you’re batting, how much further a lofted shot will travel should you aim it downwind). It’s a thoughtful addition that brings some extra strategy to each ball you face or deliver.

There’s clearly been a lot of work put into player animations too, especially as far as unique bowling actions are concerned. It’s great to see Nathan Lyon’s signature right-handed flick to the side as he leaves the top of his mark, or Mitchell Santner’s shark fin-like front hand carving through the air above his head as he’s about to release the ball. Some of these unique bowling actions aren’t just for show, either – I’ve found facing Jofra Archer to be noticeably more awkward than other fast bowlers, not just because of his speed on the ball but also the way he seems to lumber in so casually before suddenly exploding through the crease. It’s kept me more conscious of making subtle adjustments to my shot timing as the opposing team rotates from one bowler to the next.

Elsewhere, fielding has been substantially overhauled, although certain frustrating quirks still remain. There’s now much less of a delay between a fielder gathering the ball and making a return throw, and there are some new catching animations that see them diving and sliding around in a more agile fashion than they ever did in Cricket 24. However, the slow-motion runout system almost always makes me throw to the opposite end that I intended, and wicketkeeper behaviour is erratic. One moment they’re stubbornly refusing to swipe the bails off during a genuine stumping chance, the next they’re taking a superhuman catch around their ankles down the leg side. Yet, by and large, Cricket 26’s fielders display a level of alertness that more closely resembles the real thing, and it’s nice to see them run in pairs for relay throws or dive towards the rope for a tap-back.

Un-urned

Given that it’s been branded as ‘the official game of the Ashes’, you’d think that Cricket 26’s special mode dedicated to the freshly reignited Australia-England rivalry would have been given extra attention from the developers to ensure that it really capitalised on what has been one of the most hyped test series in recent memory. However, there appears to have been about as much thought and effort put into it as England’s approach to batting on day two of the recent first Ashes test. Sure, you do get to play all five test matches in the series in all of the relevant Aussie venues, including a day-night pink ball test at the Gabba, but there really is little else here to distinguish the mode from just building a series yourself using the tour creator that returns from Cricket 24.

There are no practice matches to play for the touring side, although given English coach Brendon McCullum’s ‘it will be alright on the night’ philosophy for player preparation, perhaps that’s true to life. Instead, the build up to each of the five matches in the series goes like this: you press a button to travel to the city hosting the match, complete a fairly modest and non-tailorable training minigame that involves bowling precisely three deliveries and a handful of batting strokes, select your final 11 from your squad of 16, mindlessly spam your way through painfully generic answers in a press conference, and then play the match itself. Repeat that four more times and you’re done.

There is a team confidence meter to maintain, and optional match objectives to complete as well, but it all feels a bit nebulous. Team confidence fluctuates depending on match results, success or failure in the training minigames, and your responses to press conference questions, but it’s all applied so inconsistently and absolutely none of it seems to have a measurable effect on anything. I failed my first training session and my team confidence took a dive, meaning I went into the opening test at Perth with my Australian team seemingly flagging at 55% confidence. It clearly didn’t make much of a difference, though, since I still ended up smashing England inside three days.

The pre-match press conferences are particularly hard to engage with, given that the questions you have to field are often factually incorrect. I kept getting asked about how I felt about securing a draw in a previous match, even though I’d won it, or I’d be asked to reflect on my performance at a certain venue even though I hadn’t played there yet. It feels less like facing a press room full of proper sports journalists and more like being punked by a crowd of teenage TikTok pranksters.

Successfully completing optional match objectives also gives team confidence a boost, but these goals seem to veer wildly from the realistic to the ridiculous. In one match I was tasked with scoring 64 combined runs with the tail, which was tricky but ultimately attainable, while in another my objective was to bat at above eight runs an over, which is an insane demand for a test match innings. You could field a team of 11 Harry Brooks and still struggle to score at that rate. You couldn’t field a team of 11 Brendan Doggetts, though, or even a single Brendan Doggett for that matter, given that he’s disappointingly absent from Australia’s Ashes squad in Cricket 26 despite making his international debut last week.

Armchair-man of the Board

So the Ashes mode is more slapdash than fierce clash, and Cricket 26’s only other new mode of note, the management career, is equally as half-baked. To be honest, I’m typically not one to dabble in the front office side of sports simulations, so perhaps I’m not best equipped to evaluate this series’ first crack at allowing players to run a cricket club. However, after investing several hours into this fairly superficial squad management sim let’s just say I’m unlikely to become a convert any time soon.

There’s just not an enormous amount to it. You don’t get to manage the budget for player salaries, or hire a coaching staff, for example. You basically just pick your team and either play the matches or simulate them, not unlike the existing player career mode minus the training minigames and net sessions in between. It also seems a shame that there’s no option to watch a generated highlights package when you simulate the result like you can in the Football Manager series. Unless you want to be fully hands-on with each match, your only exposure to the team’s performance is via static scorecards and text-based match reports that pop up in your email inbox, which feels pretty dry.

If you do opt to play the games yourself, there doesn’t appear to be any management options during a match that make it feel any different to the general gameplay featured elsewhere. You can’t, say, run tactical team instructions out to the middle with the 12th man during a drinks break, or send a substitute fielder on because your ageing opening batsman injured his back playing a golf tournament the day before the game. Strangely enough it also doesn’t seem to factor in the unavailability of players with national team duties either. I was able to steer the NSW Blues to the top of the Sheffield Shield, largely because the likes of Australian test team stars Steve Smith, Pat Cummins, and Mitchell Starc were inexplicably available to be picked for every match of the domestic summer.

Cricket 26’s management career just feels underdone and, in some aspects, partially broken. You can adjust training schedules for each of your players, like assigning them recovery sessions to reduce fatigue or team bonding sessions to boost their individual morale meters. However, I struggled to really get a feel for the impact of these options given that the training section of the management menu often just completely failed to load. I also encountered a bug that would cause Cricket 26 to crash everytime I tried to finalise my line-up. The irony that the design of Cricket 26’s dedicated management mode appears to have been somewhat mismanaged certainly isn’t lost on me.

Elsewhere, Cricket 26 possesses most of the same feature set as Cricket 24, from the largely unaltered player career mode to the microtransaction-riddled card collecting of Pro Team – with the latter featuring a new mode called Centurian. At the time of writing this just has a ‘Coming Soon’ message posted on it, leaving me completely in the dark as to what it might actually entail. The robust suite of customisation tools for everything from players to bats to stadia remain present and useful, while the actual number of licensed teams stays more or less the same. On the upside, all but one of the 10 IPL teams are now officially included, but on the downside you still need to rely on the talents of community creators to import Indian and South African squads into Cricket 26, and New Zealand’s Dream11 Super Smash competition has seemingly been ditched entirely.

Patches Fix Matches

In every area in which Cricket 26 excels, though, the shine is regularly taken off it as though it’s been polished with a piece of 60 grit sandpaper pinched from David Warner’s kit bag. It feels exhilarating to setup a batsmen by pushing a few straight balls across him before pulling the trigger on a hooping in-swinger than cannons into his pads, but it’s infuriating to slave away in search of a wicket only to watch a thick edge sail into the keeper’s gloves and have it given not out for no clear reason, with no option to challenge the umpire’s decision (at one point, this happened to me three times in the space of one over). It’s satisfying to swivel-pull a short ball into the crowd for six, but absolutely deflating to hook it down to deep backward square and get caught on the boundary, only to watch the fielder very clearly step on the rope, and still be given out anyway.

I like that matches can now be affected by rain and outcomes can be decided by the Duckworth-Lewis method, but so far my only exposure to it came when I was a mere three overs into the first innings of a T20. Without warning, the game was abruptly called off due to rain and my team was declared the winner – even though I was the only one who’d had a chance to bat. This is not to mention the regular crashes I’ve experienced during the 20 hours or so I’ve invested into Cricket 26 on the PlayStation 5 so far, or the many UI glitches – like the scoreboard for The Hundred that seems to be a placeholder hastily cobbled together in MS Paint. Or the many unrealistic AI behaviours, like bowling a bunch of short stuff in the opening over of a test – or indeed opening the bowling with one of its batsmen.

Meanwhile, and as has long since become customary with Big Ant’s cricket games, the in-game commentary is about as accurate as often as a broken wristwatch. I welcome the presence of cricket luminaries like David Gower and Adam Gilchrist to bring their insights to the game, but not when it seems like they’ve been blindfolded and spun around in a circle before they entered the commentary box like they’re playing a verbal game of pin the tail on the donkey.

In spite of these issues, I find myself far more invested in Cricket 26’s future because the core experience out in the field is such a major step up from the previous game that I’m willing to live with the noticeable rough edges. Assuming that Big Ant can stamp out most of the bugs, this could yet turn out to be one of the best cricket simulations the Aussie developer has ever produced. Yet even though the developer does have a track record of providing plenty of post-release support to its cricket games – and there have already been four patches for the PlayStation 5 version in the first week since launch – it’s hard at this point to be confident that it will rectify all of my complaints. As if to justify my slight pessimism, I fired up Cricket 24 this week to compare it side by side with Cricket 26, only to discover that Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett’s facial textures had disappeared completely. I know the English batting order has a tendency to lose their heads, but this is ridiculous – and then my test match crashed before I could even bowl a ball. To be clear, that’s after more than two years of post-launch patching.

The legendary Black Friday sales are here, and hundreds of amazing video game deals are live across Amazon, Target, and Best Buy. Among these, the latest Yakuza game – Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii – is down to only $25. If you missed this one back in February, there has never been a better time to jump in and sail the seas with Goro Majima.

Score Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii for $25 During Black Friday

Black Friday Week has officially arrived, with early Amazon deals causing a domino effect across the world wide web. I've got PlayStation 5 console and game deals, Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 bargains, reasonably priced Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, highlights from Walmart's Black Friday sale, cheap Hulu add-ons for 12 months and fricking Xbox Crocs. Xbox. Crocs.

There's something crazy in the air today, and it's early Black Friday deals that could very well get you sorted for the holidays before Black Friday drops on 28th. Let's get straight into it:

LEGO Christmas Tree

Best PlayStation Deals Today

Elden Ring for $15, Assassin's Creed: Shadows for $30 and the same goes for Kingdom Come: Deliverance II. Even Battlefield 6 is going for below MSRP at $52.99. This year's Black Friday video game deals are crazy. Plus, the PS5 Pro is down to $649.99 right now and is a great time to buy at this price.

Best Nintendo Deals Today

Whilst we've got more chance of GTA VI releasing this week than getting a big discount on Nintendo Switch 2, there's plenty of game and accessory discounts to tide us over. Legend of Zelda: TotK amiibo have rocked up for $9.99 (like my Goron jokes!), big first party titles for Nintendo Switch that have free Switch 2 upgrades are also available for $30, like Super Mario Odyssey, Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door Remake and The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom. The same goes for Star Wars Outlaws on Switch 2, which is a great technical display on what Nintendo Switch 2 can do (if nothing else).

Best Xbox Deals Today

A Xbox Series X controller for $27.99? I couldn't care less if it's Amazon Resale at that price, and this service is pretty solid to boot. It's also a good time to accept the writing on the wall for Game Pass price hikes, considering you can still get 3 months of Ultimate for $59.99. There's some great game picks for $29.99 each such as Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 and EA Sports FC 26.

Top Walmart Black Friday Deals So Far

Walmart has brought its game this year, with deals like AirPods 4 for $69, AirPods Pro 2 for $139 and a 65-inch 4K LED HDR TV for $228. Gaming deals are strong here too, such as the Fortnite PS5 Digital console for $399 that includes nearly 10 in-game cosmetic items including a skin and 1000 V-bucks. That's a perfect present idea right there.

Walmart Pokémon Plushies for $25

Some of these plushies go for over $70 throughout the year as they're bigger at 24" in size. They're official and made by Jazwares, the creators of Squishmallows. Expect these plushies to be soft and made with premium materials. They're brilliant stocking fillers that in no way, shape or form could fit in a stocking.

Black Friday Streaming Deals

Yep, I'm starting to feel the pinch of streaming services now costing more than what a cable subscription used to, which pretty much defeats the object of streaming in the first place. However, some of the biggest platforms (and some niche ones) have some fantastic Black Friday deals to save a small fortune. Mega Fan Crunchyroll is $99.99 for 12 months, which will have your animé itch scratched. Hulu has a number of Disney+ combos and very cheap ways to add services such as HBO Max and stars for $2.99 per month, too.

Xbox Classic Crocks Now Available

The ROG Xbox Ally X and Xbox Ally consoles have finally arrived, offering the power and portability of a PC gaming handheld with Microsoft's newly redesigned Xbox interface. Our reviewer liked the ROG Xbox Ally X very much, hailing it the new standard for handhelds moving forward. (We'll be testing the ROG Xbox Ally in the near future too – stay tuned.) While both Xbox Ally models come with a 65W charger and a stand, there are some other clever accessories available that'll let you get the most out of your new gaming machine. From storage upgrades to protective cases and useful docks, we've rounded up the best accessory options available right now.

We've been testing PC gaming handhelds like the Xbox Ally consoles for years, so we've got some good baseline recommendations for some of the most important accessory categories ready to go for launch – and we'll keep this article updated with our latest picks as we get new gear in for testing. But if you're itching to stock up on extras ASAP, these are the accessories we can vouch for with confidence.

Best Xbox Ally X MicroSD Cards

More graphically intensive games often come with hefty storage requirements that can soon outstrip the 512GB built into the Ally or 1TB built into the Ally X, but it's simple to add more storage using great value MicroSD cards. We've restricted our recommendations to cards that meet the A2 standard, as this is a good indicator of reasonable loading time performance. MicroSD cards are now available in sizes up to 2TB, with Samsung, SanDisk and PNY all represented amongst our picks.

Best Xbox Ally X SSD Upgrades

As well as inserting a MicroSD card, you can also upgrade the high-speed NVMe SSD built into the 512GB ROG Ally and 1TB Ally X with a bigger alternative. Asus has opted for a full-size (2280) socket here, so you're not limited to the physically smaller 2230 standard as was the case on the original ROG Ally and Valve's Steam Deck. We've opted for PCIe 4.0 drives that offer a healthy storage increase over the default drives, while also balancing price and performance.

Best Xbox Ally X Screen Protectors

As the Xbox Ally X and Ally share screens with the earlier Asus ROG Ally and Asus ROG Ally X, plenty of screen protector options are available. The DBrand tempered glass screen protector remains our top choice for its overall quality and idiot-proof application, but you've got plenty of cheaper alternatives to pick from should you prefer to stay under $10.

Best Xbox Ally X Gaming Headsets

The Xbox Ally handhelds are designed to be played wherever, so we've selected a quartet of headsets that are also fully mobile. The Arctis GameBuds are our top pick, offering low-latency and high-quality USB-C or Bluetooth audio in a convenient pocketable package, but you could also consider full-size options that are cheaper (the wired HyperX Cloud III) or more expensive (the on-ear Turtle Beach Atlas Air wireless headset and the luxurious Arctis Nova Pro Elite). In general, the more you expect to play these consoles on the go, the more we'd recommend a headset that is light, wireless, and has great ANC.

Best Xbox Ally X Cases

Cases are one of the more model-specific categories, but the free market has responded with a good selection of first-party and third-party options. We've selected both, including a good inexpensive option that's specially adapted for the wider shape of the Xbox Ally and Ally X, the official Asus case that offers a detachable accessory pouch, a classic shoulder bag and the always-popular DBrand Killswitch protective cover. Whether you prefer something slim and simple, or capacious and capable, there are at least a couple of great options to mull over here.

Best Xbox Ally X Docks

Best Xbox Ally X Portable Chargers

Best Xbox Ally X Controllers

Robert Kirkman's first two trade paperback Invincible Compendiums are part of Amazon's early Black Friday buy 2, get 1 free sale, a great excuse to catch up on the comic that inspired the Amazon show, and pick up another graphic novel for free. Already own one of them? Don't worry – Invincible Compendiums One and Two are 33% and 31% off respectively. As for Invincible Compendium Volume 3, that's on sale for a generous 42% off, but is not included in this bundle deal.

Invincible Compendiums On Sale At Amazon

Published by Image Comics, Invincible quickly become one of the highest praised independent comics around. So much so that it has a multi-season show on Prime Video and its own fighting game on the way. The three Compendiums collect the comic series' entire 144-issue run into three tidy books with complementary spines that should look nice together on any comic fan's bookshelf. If you're more of a digital comics reader, check out our guide on how to start reading Invincible for free online.

And if traditional books are more your style, the buy 2, get 1 free deal has a handful of great box sets of popular series like The Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Dune, The Chronicles of Narnia, and so much more you can bundle together.

Buy 2, Get 1 Free On More Comics

If you've already read through Invincible, this sale has dozens of other comics included as well. All-Star Superman is one of the best stories featuring our favorite Boy Scout around, while TMNT: The Last Ronin tells an uncharacteristically dark tale compared to the campy, colorful cartoons that gave the Ninja Turtles their mainstream success. I'd also recommend Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, as it's the inspiration for the upcoming film starring Milly Alcock in the title role.

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