2025 was somewhat of a quiet year for PlayStation. Yes, we got the Game of the Year-nominated Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, and Sucker Punch’s exciting sequel to Ghost of Tsushima, Ghost of Yotei. But aside from that, there wasn’t really a lot of activity from Sony’s first-party studios. Instead, you had to look to developers outside of Sony’s stables, who thankfully kept the PS5 ticking over with an array of interesting games. Right at the back end of 2024, Infold launched the console-exclusive Infinity Nikki and has been delighting stylists around the globe over the past 12 months, and smaller projects such as Sword of the Sea, Dispatch, and Baby Steps have all been enjoyed on PlayStation 5.

Of course, the fact that there were not many console exclusives didn't mean there weren't a whole host of great games to play on our PS5s last year. Quite the opposite, in fact. Awards-sweeper Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, the long-awaited Hollow Knight: Silksong, and acclaimed RPG Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 led the third-party offerings. Plus, 2025 really was the year of Xbox going fully multiplatform with its library, as Forza Horizon 5, Gears of War Reloaded, and The Outer Worlds 2, to name just a few, all made their way to PlayStation. And that’s showing no signs of slowing down in the coming year, either, with a certain Master Chief set to grace a Sony console for the first time.

The truth is, Sony has just been pretty quiet when it comes to exclusives of its own, with little new to shout about from a hardware perspective, either. And that’s before we even get into the problems Bungie (now a PlayStation Studio, remember) has faced with Marathon. So, are things looking more exciting in 2026? Well, Marathon will certainly be hoping so as it aims to combat PlayStation’s recent live-service travails. Let’s dig into it, as well as everything else to expect from Sony this year.

First-Party and Exclusives

Heading into 2026, all eyes are on Logan, as Insomniac aims to bolster its long winning streak of Ratchet and Clank and Spider-Man games by taking on another comic book hero. Marvel’s Wolverine is currently pencilled in for a “late 2026” launch, although we’ll see if those plans change at all due to a certain Rockstar game moving to a similar timeframe. Whenever it does release, though, we look to be in for a treat if our first look at gameplay during September’s State of Play is any indication.

While much is still yet to be revealed about its story, we’re eager to learn more and see just who else from the X-Men and the wider Marvel Universe will be popping into Logan’s world. Mystique and Omega Red have already been confirmed, but surely Sabretooth is a must, as well as a cameo at the very least from either of Insomniac’s Spideys, Peter Parker or Miles Morales. Which of the X-Men do you want to see most?

As for PS5 exclusives that actually have release dates confirmed, there’s only Saros, Nioh 3, and Phantom Blade Zero. The former is Housemarque’s follow-up to the acclaimed Returnal, and looks to be sitting in a similar mould of colourful, particle-filled, challenging shooter within an alien planet shell. Now arriving on April 30 after a slight delay, it will take players on an expedition to a lost colony as we step into the shoes of Rahul Kohli’s Arjun Devraj and kill and die our way to uncovering its mysteries through its repeating, roguelike structure.

Nioh 3 is a console exclusive for PlayStation, as it's also arriving on PC when it launches on February 6. A chronological sequel to the events of the series’ first game, Team Ninja is back with a fresh dose of its own brand of punishing soulslike action in feudal Japan. Things are being shaken up this time, though, thanks to the introduction of a “ninja playstyle” which promises to control completely differently from the traditional samurai option. Trust a studio called Team Ninja, which is also responsible for the Ninja Gaiden series, to want to add ninjas to Nioh. That's enough ninjas for one sentence, I think.

Phantom Blade Zero is a hotly anticipated wuxia action RPG coming from Chinese developer S-Game. The lead character is called Soul, so you can probably guess what genre this project also borrows heavily from, too. I can confirm this myself – after briefly going hands-on with it at gamescom 2025, I found that there is indeed a punishing combat system with a complex skillset to master. But there are other action game influences, too, so the combat tempo is much higher than in your typical Soulslike. Up for some punishment? Well, you’ll have to hold on a little longer yet, as Phantom Blade Zero will be released on September 9.

Now onto the stuff we’re led to believe will be coming in 2026, we just don’t know when yet. First up is Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls, the new superhero fighting game from Guilty Gear developer Arc System Works. A uniquely stylised interpretation of the Marvel universe, it looks set to be a real contender in the fighting game community if its recent closed betas are anything to go by.

Freshly revealed at The Game Awards, 4:Loop is a new co-op shooter from Left 4 Dead creator Mike Booth and Bad Robot Games, the video game wing of film director J.J. Abrams' production company. A PS5 and PC exclusive, it seems to infuse some roguelike elements with a sprinkling of Helldivers and Left 4 Dead. No release date has been given yet, but playtesting will start soon.

Then we have Marathon, the new extraction shooter from Destiny developer Bungie, which was initially meant to arrive in 2025, but had a rough year to say the least. Delayed into this year and now coming out in March, the studio will be hoping for a big comeback story this year and buck the trend of recently failed Sony live-service shooter offerings such as Concord. Instead, it’ll be looking to the likes of the wildly successful Arc Raiders and PlayStation’s very own Helldivers 2 for a template to follow. Shooter pedigree doesn’t come much stronger than Bungie, so fingers crossed that it can turn around those initial impressions.

Speaking of live-service shooters, Fairgames is reportedly still in development at Haven Studios despite the departure of its founder, Jade Raymond, in May of 2025, and even more recently, the game’s creative director, Daniel Drapeau, leaving in September. With still no gameplay to be seen and no sign of a release date for this “competitive heist shooter”, serious questions now have to be raised about whether it will ever see the light of day.

Laser swords more your cup of tea? Well, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet might be the one for you. We’re very much dreaming if we think this is coming any earlier than 2027, but hopefully, we get a good look at gameplay for Naughty Dog’s new sci-fi game over the next 12 months. Expectations are high from one of Sony’s most beloved developers, though, with creator Neil Druckmann calling it the “most ambitious game” they’ve ever made.

But what about all of those other PlayStation studios cooking up exclusives? Well, Guerrilla may not be developing the recently revealed mobile MMORPG Horizon: Steel Frontiers itself, but has been recruiting for its own multiplayer entry into Aloy’s universe. Could we see that in 2026? What about Santa Monica’s next project? Is it finally time to see what Cory Barlog’s mystery game is, if a new God of War isn’t imminent? All good questions. None of which I have the answers for.

I could run through each of the remaining Sony studios here, but, truthfully, I did that back in August, and very little has changed since. So, you can read that here.

Third-Party and Multiplatform

Another look forward to the year ahead in games, and another opportunity for me to say how excited I am for GTA 6. Surely, after its most recent delay to November, 2026 is the year we finally get our hands on the latest Grand Theft Auto. Please, Rockstar, don’t do it to us again.

Our loss is a bunch of games’ gain, though, with Spring opening up wide for a fair few to fill that GTA-shaped void. These include Capcom’s latest entry into its legendary horror series, Resident Evil Requiem and IO Interactive’s first non-Hitman project in a long time, James Bond adventure, 007 First Light. Plus, Pearl Abyss’ expansive open-world action of Crimson Desert will be soaring onto consoles and PC in March as well. Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight is looking to pick up where Rocksteady’s Arkham trilogy left off and infuse its satisfying melee combat with that indelible minifig charm when it launches on May 29.

But so much of 2026 remains uncertain — likely largely due to GTA shifting around more than James Brown did on stage in the ‘70s. Let’s start with some multiplatform games we are pretty confident are coming this year, before moving on to ones that will likely remain rooted in our dreams.

Yes, Master Chief will soon be controlled by a DualSense. Halo: Campaign Evolved is heading to the PS5 in 2026 as Microsoft continues to unleash its library onto other platforms. This Unreal Engine 5 remake of the 2001 Xbox classic could prove the spectre at the feast for Bungie, the original developers of Halo: Combat Evolved, if its own Marathon launch doesn’t go as planned. At least it won’t be competing in the multiplayer market, as this new edition of Halo only includes the story campaign.

Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra recently shifted out of its original window of early 2026 to “beyond early 2026”, so your guess is as good as mine as to when we’ll be playing Amy Hennig’s Captain America and Black Panther in World War 2 story. Legendary PlayStation hero Lara Croft will be returning in a “reimagining” of her original game, titled Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis, and Finnish developer Remedy is back with another entry in its connected universe, Control: Resonant. Also announced at The Game Awards was the pleasantly surprising Star Wars: Galactic Racer from the makers of Burnout and Need For Speed that is scheduled to drop in 2026.

Capcom is also set for a big year outside of Resident Evil, with Onimusha: Way of the Sword and Pragmata both set to hit. As was the way in 2025, 2026 also looks set to keep you happy if you’re a fan of katanas and unnerving robots. As it will for vampire fans too, with The Blood of Dawnwalker looking really promising thanks to a non-linear narrative and sandbox-like structure, crafted by a team led by former Witcher 3 devs. Then there’s Mixtape, a game I’ve added to this list as one of my personally most anticipated of 2026. The sophomore project from The Artful Escape studio Beethoven & Dinosaur, this 80s-inspired coming-of-age adventure is definitely one to keep on your radar.

Is 2026 finally the year we get to play a new Ken Levine game? The Bioshock creator hasn’t given us one since 2013’s Infinite, and Judas has been in development for a long time now. Let’s hope this is the year, because it’s something I need in my life. As is The Witcher 4, but even I’m not foolish enough to believe that CD Projekt Red’s Ciri-led RPG is coming anytime soon. But feel free to surprise me. I’d love that.

Hardware and Tech

We’re not necessarily expecting any big hardware splashes this year, with the next console generations theoretically not due until late 2027 at the earliest. Sony tech wizard — and most importantly, creator of Knack — Mark Cerny did recently discuss new graphics capabilities in a conversation with AMD, which sparked PlayStation 6 speculation into overdrive, but it's still likely a couple of years away at least.

Rumours are also abound of a new PlayStation handheld, after suggestions were made over the past summer that Sony could even be following Nintendo’s blueprint for the Switch, and turning the PS6 into a hybrid home and portable console. Of course, this is all just wild speculation, but with powerful hardware only reducing in size and cloud capabilities ever-growing, it doesn’t feel like too much of a stretch to imagine. As I said, though, we’re still quite a way off hearing anything concrete in regards to the future of PlayStation hardware.

And that’s everything we know, along with a few guesses thrown in, about what to expect from PlayStation in 2026. What games are you most excited for this year? Let us know in the comments below.

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.

The Witcher 3 maker CD Projekt has a secret new expansion for its beloved role-playing game in the works, various reports have suggested.

Word that the studio was planning more content for its 2015 blockbuster originally dates back to a report published online last summer, in which Polish games industry insider Borys Nieśpielak first spilled details of the supposed project.

At the time, Nieśpielak claimed that development was being handled by Fool's Theory — the studio that CD Projekt has also tasked with remaking The Witcher 1. Today, in a report by Eurogamer, Nieśpielak doubled down on his initial claim and pointed to a recent hint by CD Projekt itself that the content was quietly in the works.

"Given our current progress, there is a chance that new content hinted upon in recent calls and reports may see release in the coming year," CD Projekt chief financial officer Piotr Nielubowicz said in the company's latest financial report, published in November 2025. Without naming the content, Nielubowicz went on to suggest that it could have "an impact" on the company's upcoming results — potentially suggesting it would arrive relatively soon, and be relatively meaninful in scope.

This isn't the only official mention of an unnamed project, either. In a follow-up investor call following the aforementioned results, joint studio CEO Michał Nowakowski also made mention of an "other project" that Fool's Theory was working on, in the same breath as mentioning its The Witcher 1 remake and support for the upcoming The Witcher 4.

Yet another whisper of the project came just before the end of last year from Polish analyst Mateusz Chrzanowski, who said he expected "the next paid add-on (DLC) for The Witcher 3 to be released in May 2026." All of this points to CD Projekt, via Fool's Theory, having something new for The Witcher 3 fans in just a few months' time — an exciting prospect, and one that would make some sense.

As "full production" on The Witcher 4 continues, CD Projekt has cautioned fans not to expect its launch in 2026, as the company plans an ambitious six-year roadmap in which it will also launch The Witcher 5 and The Witcher 6. Before all of that, there's a window this year for even more Witcher, and a fresh slice of content that could potentially help bridge the gap.

A new DLC feels like a smart idea to reawaken lapsed interest ahead of the series' next chapter, via extra content sold to The Witcher 3's existing audience of more than 60 million players. This content could be used as a reason to sell the game anew, to bring fresh fans to the decade-old role-player, and potentially set up plot points to be expanded upon in The Witcher 4.

Finally, of course, it could offer fans one last oppurtunity to play as Geralt — before the franchise's next trilogy focuses on Ciri. So, one last adventure?

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

Netflix reportedly wants to keep movies in theaters for just 17 days after it buys Warner Bros.

In a report from Deadline on the Stranger Thing Season 5 finale, which made $25 million in theaters after it released at the same time theatrically as it did on Netflix, Hollywood was said to be worried about what the streamer considers to be “industry-standard windows” before movies are made available on its platform.

And then the bombshell:

Sources have told Deadline that Netflix have been proponents of a 17-day window which would steamroll the theatrical business, while circuits such as AMC believe the line needs to be held around 45 days.

It’s worth noting this isn’t confirmation that Netflix will settle on a 17-day window for Warner Bros. movies if and when its deal is approved. The theater companies may end up negotiating a lengthy window, perhaps somewhere between 45 days and the 17 days Netflix reportedly is a fan of. But what’s clear is that there will be a great deal of tension within Hollywood as this is all worked out, with Netflix’s priority — as you’d expect — bolstering streaming.

If Netflix does force through a 17-day window, it could affect everything from James Gunn's DC Universe movie, Man of Tomorrow (July 9, 2027), to The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum (December 17, 2027). Then there's Matt Reeves' The Batman: Part 2, which is due out October 1, 2027, and Godzilla x Kong: Supernova, due out March 26, 2027. How would the likes of James Gunn, Andy Serkis, Matt Reeves and other directors of Warner Bros. movies react to their work having less than three weeks in theaters before hitting Netflix?

The $82.7 billion Netflix / Warner Bros. deal has sparked a tough response from some members of Congress, and it is expected to face significant scrutiny under antitrust laws. Meanwhile, at least one HBO Max subscriber has already sued Netflix, claiming the deal threatens to reduce competition in the U.S. subscription video-on-demand market. Warner Bros.-owned streaming platform HBO Max includes everything from Game of Thrones to Harry Potter, James Gunn's DC Universe to Barbie, and its content is expected to be added to Netflix if and when the deal goes through.

After its announcement, Netflix sent subscribers an email of reassurance amid concern over potential price rises. The email — reviewed by IGN — promised subscribers that nothing was changing “today,” and confirmed that HBO Max and Netflix would continue to operate separately until the deal closes. It did not rule out future price rises, but did promise that current membership plans would remain in place at least until the deal goes through. As for when that will be, Netflix said it expects to close the transaction in 12-18 months — so, at the earliest December 2026, but it could be as late as summer 2027.

In an investor call attended by IGN, Netflix chief Ted Sarandos struck a confident tone when asked about the deal’s chance of success. "We're highly confident in the regulatory process," he said. "This deal is pro-consumer, pro-innovation, pro-worker, it's pro-creator, it's pro-growth.”

As part of the same call, Sarandos said Netflix would continue to release Warner Bros. movies in theaters for now, though expected theatrical release windows to shorten over time to become "more user friendly."

"We've released about 30 films into theaters this year, so it's not like we have got this opposition to movies into theaters," Sarandos said. "My pushback has been mostly in the fact of the long, exclusive windows that we don't think are that user friendly."

"I wouldn't look at this as a change in approach for Netflix movies, or for Warner movies for that matter," Sarandos continued. "I think over time the windows will evolve to be much more consumer friendly, to be able to meet the audience where they are, quicker. All those things we'd like to do. But I'd say right now you should count on everything that is planned as going to the theaters through Warner Bros., will continue to go to the theaters through Warner Bros."

Last month, Rian Johnson expressed frustration at the limited theatrical release of his new Benoit Blanc Netflix film, Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery. Netflix released Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery in theaters on November 26, in time for the Thanksgiving holiday, before releasing it on Netflix itself on December 12. But it only released in “select” theaters, as opposed to nationwide — something that left the Star Wars: The Last Jedi writer and director unimpressed.

Meanwhile, Avatar director James Cameron has said Netflix buying Warner Bros. would be a “disaster.”

“Sorry, Ted [Sarandos], but geez,” he said on The Town podcast. “Sarandos has gone on the record saying theatrical films are dead. ‘Theatrical is dead. Quote, unquote.’” Indeed, Cameron remains unconvinced that Netflix would truly commit to any meaningful theatrical distribution if it expanded. “It’s sucker bait," he said. "‘We’ll put the movie out for a week or 10 days. We’ll qualify for Oscar consideration.’ See, I think that’s fundamentally rotten to the core. A movie should be made as a movie for theatrical, and the Academy Awards mean nothing to me if they don’t mean theatrical. I think they’ve been co-opted, and I think it’s horrific.”

That said, Cameron isn't opposed to Netflix playing the game if it actually, well, plays the game. “They should be allowed to compete if they put the movie out for a meaningful release in 2,000 theaters for a month,” Cameron noted.

One report has claimed Netflix is particularly keen to obtain Warner Bros.' vast content library as the streamer ramps up its potential to offer AI-generation tools and content in the future.

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

The Pokémon franchise has begun its 30th anniversary celebrations with the reveal of a special new logo, an animation featuring Fat Pikachu, and the promise of more to share in less than two months' time.

2026 is the 30th anniversary of Pokémon, which began its path to world domination with the Japanese launch of Pokémon Red and Pokémon Green back on the Game Boy three decades ago. (The series then arrived in the USA two years' later, launching with Pokémon Red and Pokémon Blue.)

As the clock ticked over to January 1, 2026 in Pokémon's home region of Japan, the brand began its celebrations with the reveal of a new 30th Anniversary Pokémon logo featuring Pikachu, introduced by none other than Fat Pikachu — the mascot's far plumper original design that's now rarely glimpsed in official Pokémon media. Here he is in action:

ポケモン30周年、はじまる！
『ポケットモンスター 赤・緑』の発売から30年。
2026年2月27日（金）にポケモンは30周年を迎えるよ。
今年は最高の1年になる予感！
お楽しみに！#ポケモン30周年 pic.twitter.com/iPXR83Ib66

— ポケモン公式 (@Pokemon_cojp) December 31, 2025

"Pokémon 30th Anniversary, Here We Go!" the brand wrote in a post on social media. "30 years since the release of Pokémon Red and Green. On February 27, 2026 (Friday), Pokémon turns 30. We have a feeling this year is going to be the best one yet! Look forward to it!"

Expectations for this year's celebrations are sky high, following last year's so-called Teraleak of Pokémon game development data that spilled various details of the franchise's highly-anticipated 10th generation of games. Alongside a fresh roster of new creatures, fans expect these titles to feature new gameplay mechanics and procedurally-generated areas for the first time.

2026 will also see the launch of promising-looking Pokémon life simulation spin-off Pokémon Pokopia, which arrives exclusively for Nintendo Switch 2 on March 5. A blend of Pokémon characters with gameplay more similar to Animal Crossing, the game seems likely to find success.

More details on all of that are expected to arrive on the brand's big 30th anniversary, now less than two months' away on February 27. While not formally confirmed just yet, this date has now become the annual date fans expect to sit down and watch a new Pokémon Presents, the company's Nintendo Direct-style announcements showcase. There's not long to go now.

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

If you’re planning to do a bit of hibernating till spring (like me), you’ll want to stock up your gaming library with a few titles to get you through those long winter nights. While the holiday season may officially be over, that doesn’t mean there aren't some epic deals still to be found. In fact, some titles have dropped back down to their lowest prices ever, or in at least one case, are seeing their deepest discount yet.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows, the Standard Edition for either PS5 or Xbox Series X, is only $29.99 today at Best Buy. That’s 57% savings. Anyone who's been debating grabbing a copy of the latest Assassin’s Creed main title will want to jump at these awesome savings while you still can. Unfortunately, you won’t see these discounts for the Nintendo Switch 2 version of the game, which just came out in December.

Save 57% on Assassin’s Creed Shadows for PS5 and Xbox Series X

The Stranger Things Season 5 finale epilogue and its end credits were inspired by The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, creators the Duffer brothers have revealed.

Warning! Spoilers for Stranger Things Season 5 Episode 8, The Rightside Up, follow:

Stranger Things ends with Season 5 Episode 8, dubbed The Rightside Up, and an epilogue set 18 months after the events that showed the destruction of the Upside Down, the death of Vecna, the apparent death of Eleven, and the rescue of the kidnapped children.

We see relatively happy endings for pretty much all the main characters as they move on with their lives, kicking off with the core characters’ graduation from Hawkins High School. The show comes to a close with the end of the Dungeon and Dragons campaign that kicked off the Netflix series nine years ago, and the passing of the torch to a new generation of D&D fans made up of Holly Wheeler, Derek Turnbow, and more.

A decent chunk of the final episode’s 2-hour 8-minute runtime is devoted to this epilogue, which even finds room for a successful marriage proposal from David Harbour’s Jim Hopper to Winona Ryder’s Joyce Byers. Fans are then treated to end credits that show famous scenes as D&D illustrations, characters in the style of D&D character profiles, maps of locations from the show, and a final image showing Stranger Things as a D&D players manual.

the ending credits was so cool though #StrangerThings5 pic.twitter.com/63rHUdpFMD

— clueified 🤍 (@clueified) January 1, 2026

The epilogue and the end credits were inspired by The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Matt and Ross Duffer told Deadline.

“We thought about [The Lord of the Rings] Return of the King a lot, just in terms of the length of the epilogue,” Matt Duffer said. “I always defend the Return of the King epilogue, but I’m one of those hardcore Lord of the Rings fans, to the point where I’ve watched all extended editions in a row on a single day. If you do that, the epilogue feels absolutely perfect and not long at all. In fact, if it felt shorter, it would feel absolutely distressing.

“I think, Stranger Things, if you watch Season 5 all the way through, it’s going to feel great. You just want to spend extra time with these characters. Anyway, that was sort of the reference for the epilogue. Then we love the credits at the end of Return of the King. So that was the initial idea, and they were these very simple illustrations.”

And on the end credits, Ross Duffer confirmed: “we wanted to be able to pay tribute to our cast and how much they’ve grown through the years. Obviously, it’s not to say the whole show was a D&D campaign. It was just a way to pay tribute to everyone and also let the audience, hopefully, take in this journey that they’ve been on for nine years.”

If you’ve watched The Return of the King you’ll know what the Duffers are talking about here. Peter Jackson’s epic trilogy ends with an epilogue set four years after the hobbits return to the Shire. Frodo leaves Middle-earth for the Undying Lands with Bilbo, Gandalf, and the remaining Elves. He gives Sam the Red Book of Westmarch, detailing their adventures, bids farewell to Sam, Merry, and Pippin, and departs. A saddened Sam returns home and is comforted by his family.

As for the end credits, The Return of the King shows the main characters in illustrative form, also as a goodbye following their extensive adventures.

We've got plenty more on Stranger Things, including the Duffer brothers explaining what they were going for with the Season 5 finale and Eleven's ending, and first details on the live-action spinoff.

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.

Physical copies of Star Wars Racer Revenge are suddenly selling for over $300, as word spreads that an exploit in the game can be used to jailbreak PlayStation 5 consoles.

Recently-completed eBay listings for the PS4 re-release of Star Wars Racer Revenge show multiple copies selling for $300 or more over the past 24 hours — with prices only increasing.

On December 31, more than a dozen copies of the game were sold through eBay priced between $80 to $166. On January 1st, a further 11 were shifted, with prices ranging between $180 and $364.50. And now, dozens more copies have been listed for sale — with prices currently around the $300-$400 mark or even higher.

Why the sudden rush to buy boxed copies of a Star Wars racing game for PlayStation 4 that launched back in 2019? Well, Racer Revenge's code is reportedly crucial to fire off a new method of jailbreaking PlayStation 5 — essentially unlocking the ability to play illegally pirated games — when the game's physical disc is present.

Of course, this isn't to say that every copy sold or up for sale on eBay will be bought by someone who's definitely going to do this. Indeed, retail site Resell Calendar has issued an alert to anyone with a copy (or who might know local pre-owned game shops that might have one) advising them that they're suddenly sitting on a game that's just shot up in perceived value.

Eight hours and more than 10,000 parries later, a Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 superfan is being praised for beating one of the game's toughest bosses in frankly ridiculous conditions.

Underpowered but undeterred, Reddit user Recordbreaks has posted a screenshot showing that they beat the super strong Duollistes boss after managing 10,545 successful parries — which feels like more than I've completed in the entire game.

The encounter took eight hours, two minutes and 36 seconds, during which time Recordbreaks says they "took one break maybe for about 5-10 minutes" in order to go get snacks, then "went back to it."

The creators of Stranger Things have responded to a conspiracy theory that claims there exists a ‘Snyder Cut’ of Season 5 Volume 2 amid a petition with nearly 400,000 signatures.

Earlier this week, Stranger Things actor Randy Havens, who plays school teacher Mr. Clarke, pushed back on claims there is a secret 'Snyder cut' of Season 5 Volume 2, as a petition calling on Netflix and the show's creators the Duffer brothers to respond garnered hundreds of thousands of signatures online.

Ahead of the Stranger Things Season 5 finale on New Year’s Eve, Havens appeared to respond to an unverified, fan-made Google Doc detailing allegedly shortened storylines that had gained attention on social media. The Change.org petition that calls on Netflix to release the alleged “unseen footage” has over 378,000 signatures, at the time of this article’s publication.

The most-liked comment on the petition comes from someone who seems convinced that footage was cut from Season 5 Volume 2 for nefarious reasons. “We have been waiting since 2022 to see this last season,” they wrote. “To be robbed of scenes by Netflix which really could have gelled the show all together is absolutely unacceptable, and I speak on behalf of all fans that we have been betrayed for the show we love. We don’t sit down and do nothing, we need to show the Duffer brothers, Netflix, and especially Shawn Levy. We want our full episodes, we want the scenes which change everything. We want our show back.”

Stranger Things fans have slammed the petition and the Google Doc that appears to have inspired it, while praising Havens for hitting back on social media. Now, in a Variety interview, the Duffer brothers insisted the Google Doc is “obviously… not a real thing,” confirmed no scenes were cut from Season 5, and denied accusations of interference from Netflix.

“I don’t think there’s a single cut scene in the entire season,” Ross Duffer said, before Matt Duffer added: “The show has just grown so massive. Online, there’s just so much misinformation. Just tons of it. We would be here for hours trying to bat down the stuff that was not true. But at the end of the day, hopefully the work speaks for itself, and it is the show that Ross and I wanted to make. Netflix was, and has always been, incredible. I mean, there’s no interference or direction at all from them on us. They really trust us, and that’s been true from Season 1 on. It’s never changed, even though the show and the size of the audience have grown.”

Meanwhile, Stranger Things has suffered from review bombing after Season 5 Episode 7 met with lower audience scores than the Netflix series has typically seen. While the fifth and final season of Stranger Things had sparked complaints from some fans about the exposition-heavy writing, the varying quality of the actor's performances, and the plot armor some of their characters seemingly enjoy, Episode 7, called ‘The Bridge,’ became the focal point of a vociferous debate that spilled over into review aggregate websites.

Will Byers' coming out scene appears to have fueled this review bombing. In it, Will, played by Noah Schnapp, issues a lengthy monologue in which he tells a gathering of characters that he “doesn’t like girls.” The scene, which takes place as supervillain Vecna applies the finishing touches to his masterplan for world domination, ends with an emotional Will comforted by his friends.

The Duffer brothers were asked about the review bombing in the Variety interview, and explained Will’s coming out scene shouldn’t have come as a surprise. “The coming out scene is something we’ve been building to for nine years now,” Ross Duffer said. “It was a really important scene for us, and a really important scene for Noah — not just from a thematic point of view, but also a narrative point of view. This show has always been about our characters overcoming evil, and in order to overcome this evil, Vecna, in so many ways, represents all the dark thoughts and the evil of society. And for our characters to overcome that, it really becomes about embracing themselves, and then also embracing one another and coming together.”

Matt Duffer called the scene “the final step in Will’s journey.” He continued: “and Will is, in so many ways, the key to defeating Vecna. Volume 1 is really about self-acceptance, right? I mean, that’s sort of step one. And then step two is Will is talking to Robin — it’s something that he wants to do. He’s trying to figure out how to come out, and he knows that he needs to do that, and that that’s the final step for him. And he finds the courage to be able to do it. And it’s really the ultimate fuck you to Vecna. That was the intention.”

As for the review bombing campaign, Matt Duffer said the creators were not prepared for it. “Because it is, as Ross said, something we’ve been building for a really long time. I always say, Ross and I are many things, but subtle is not one of those things!”

Matt revealed that he’s been texting with Noah Schnapp after the coming out scene aired, “and he’s in a really good place. He’s very proud of the scene, and we’re proud of the scene.”

We've got plenty more on Stranger Things, including the Duffer brothers explaining what they were going for with the Season 5 finale and Eleven's ending, and first details on the live-action spinoff.

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.

Nintendo has said it was unwilling to backtrack on the design of Metroid Prime 4: Beyond's controversial open world hub despite seeing "changed" attitudes to open-world games, as the project had already been rebooted once already.

The Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 blockbuster launched last month to mostly positive reviews, but also a broad swathe of criticism specifically for its annoying supporting characters and bland open-world desert hub where you ride around rather aimlessly on a motorbike.

Now, in an interview with Famitsu (translated via ResetEra / Nintendo Everything), the Metroid Prime 4: Beyond development team has revealed that it struggled balancing Nintendo's desire to experiment with open-world gameplay with the Metroid series' core exploration, and ultimately had to stick to its original plan for the game rather than risk delaying it any further.

"At the start of the project, perhaps due to the influence of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, we saw a lot of comments on the internet saying 'we want to play an open-world Metroid,'" Nintendo said. (The interview does not label comments from individual developers by name.)

"However, Metroid's core element of 'increasing the amount of explorable areas by unlocking powers' is not very compatible with the 'freedom to go anywhere from the beginning' of open worlds," Nintendo continued. "Thus we thought to design a limited area that could be freely explored, and have that be a hub that could connect to other areas. Then we thought that if one could move around on the bike in a satisfying way in that area, it could be a segment that mitigates the tension from exploration, and paces the whole game."

In other words, the hub design seen in the finished Metroid Prime 4: Beyond was Nintendo's original compromise for including some open world elements while sticking to the franchise's core exploration in its main areas.

"In the end, the game took much longer than expected to finish, and we realized that players' impressions toward open-world games had changed," Nintendo added. "That being said, development had already been reset once before (when we started again from scratch with Retro Studios) so backtracking development again was out of the question, and we resolved to move forward with our original vision."

Arriving 18 years after Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, the last game in Retro Studios' beloved Prime trilogy, Prime 4 was officially announced at E3 2017. Initially, Bandai Namco was put in charge of development, but development was rebooted in January 2019 back at Retro Studios after Nintendo decided the game's development had fallen short of expectations.

Nintendo's comment that the open-world hub was part of its "original vision" for Prime 4 certainly suggests it was not Retro Studios' design, though the implication is that Nintendo only realized the flaws with it after the game's development was begun anew.

"During this time, shooting games and action games went through evolutions, with an increase in game speed in particular, but taking in those changes would have made it difficult to construct the tempo of an adventure game, so we actively chose to not take them into account," Nintendo concluded. "Therefore, I think this game is pretty much divorced from the changing of times."

The idea of Samus gaining psychic abilities also predated Retro Studios' reboot, and originated as an explanation for why she is now able to control the Charge Beam's directional shot. After Retro took over the project, Nintendo said it asked the studio to implement further gameplay features that expanded on the idea of Samus gaining a psychic power set.

"Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is an excellent, if relatively uneven, revival that reaches heights worthy of the Metroid name in its best moments," IGN wrote in our Metroid Prime 4: Beyond review, scoring the game 8/10.

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

If you’re all caught up on Stranger Things, you’ll be aware of a plot thread left dangling in the Season 5 finale that has to do with a briefcase. It turns out this will be addressed in a live-action Stranger Things spinoff — although there’s no word when.

Warning! Spoilers for Stranger Things Season 5 Episode 8, The Rightside Up, follow:

In the Season 5 finale, we see Henry Creel / Vecna finally face his greatest fear: the traumatic memory of the day he was infected by the Mind Flayer and gained his powers. In this scene set inside Henry’s mind, we finally find out what was inside the briefcase that child Henry opens after bludgeoning its previous owner, an unnamed scientist, to death. Inside is a mysterious rock, which glows with an unknown energy before fusing with Henry. This, we understand, is how Henry became one with the Mind Flayer, and sets in motion all the events of Stranger Things that followed.

Deus Ex lead actor Elias Toufexis has branded the franchise's owners as "psychopaths," as the wait continues for a new entry in the dormant stealth action series.

In a post on X, Toufexis laid out his work schedule for 2026, which he said included Bungie's upcoming shooter Marathon and three unannounced projects. Of course, this tease prompted Deus Ex fans to suggest that at least one of these mystery projects was a long-awaited new Deus Ex sequel — something Toufexis was quick to shut down.

"...no Deus Ex because the people in charge are psychopaths," Toufexis wrote.

Toufexis has been vocal in support of a new Deus Ex game materializing over the years, though it has now been a decade since the arrival of 2016's Deus Ex: Mankind Divided. Developed by Eidos Montreal, the game arrived on PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One to positive reviews.

But rather than develop a follow up, the next few years saw Eidos Montreal put to work on Square Enix's failed Marvel's Avengers live-service game, as well as its own take on Guardians of the Galaxy, alongside its continuing role as a support studio for the Tomb Raider franchise. With these franchises taking priority, Deus Ex fell by the wayside.

Fan excitement for a new Deus Ex was rekindled after Square Enix sold Eidos Montreal — and the Deus Ex franchise — to publisher Embracer, and indeed, a new game in the series was reportedly worked on for two years. Alas, this project was reported to have been canned in 2024, amid Embracer's widespread restructuring.

"As you guys all know, Jensen is one of the characters I’ve played who is near and dear to my heart. It seems I will always be associated with him and that’s just fine with me," Toufexis wrote in a subsequent reddit post, after word of the game's cancellation spread.

"Alas, his story seems done. I’m relatively certain the game that was canceled was not an Adam Jensen story, so the cancellation angers me more than anything else because friends at Eidos got laid off. Video game companies right now are in a weird place. I hope it gets straightened out."

A year ago, Insider Gaming reported that Eidos Montreal was once again pitching an idea for a new Deus Ex title, though there was no suggestion this idea had been successful. Next up for the series will be Aspyr's recently-delayed Deus Ex Remastered, a polished up port of the franchise's original entry, which has been pushed from its original February 2026 launch date following fan concerns over its quality. The project currently lacks a new launch window, and pre-orders have been refunded.

Toufexis previously claimed he spent two years working on Far Cry 3, recording lines as the game's protagonist Jason Brody, before Ubisoft replaced him in the role. The voice actor claimed the reason for this switch was his work as the Deus Ex protagonist, whose voice had become too "popular" and recognizable.

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

Stranger Things creators the Duffer brothers have explained the Season 5 finale and its ending, which has sparked much debate among fans.

Warning! Spoilers for Stranger Things Season 5 Episode 8, The Rightside Up, follow:

Stranger Things ends with a definitive wave goodbye to all the central characters except Eleven, played by Millie Bobby Brown, who appears to sacrifice herself to ensure she cannot be used to create super weapons, another Vecna / Henry, or another bridge between our world and The Abyss.

18 months after that traumatic event, we see the central characters meet up for graduation and say their goodbyes. It’s at this point that Mike Wheeler, played by Finn Wolfhard, has a thought: what if Kali Prasad, also known as Eight (Linnea Berthelsen), used her dying breath to create the illusion of Eleven’s death, and an invisibility spell on Eleven herself, leaving her free to escape unseen?

Finn teases this revelation to the Dungeons & Dragons group as their final campaign comes to an end, suggesting Eleven cooked up a plan with Kali to fake her own death, then traveled to a far away small village — bordered by three waterfalls — to live out her days in peace. But this ending is unconfirmed. Finn and the others choose to believe it, and it’s left up to the audience to decide what they choose to believe as Stranger Things finally comes to an end.

So, why did Matt and Ross Duffer decide to leave Eleven’s ending on such an ambiguous note? Netflix published a Q&A with the brothers to accompany the season finale, and in it they explained what they were going for here.

“What we wanted to do was confront the reality of what her situation was after all of this and how could she live a normal life,” Matt Duffer said. “These are the questions that we’ve been posing this season that Hopper just doesn’t even want to think or talk about. Mike’s obviously talked about it a lot, but it’s sort of this fantasy version that would never work. There are two roads that Eleven could take. There’s this darker, more pessimistic one or the optimistic, hopeful one. Mike is the optimist of the group and has chosen to believe in that story.”

Ross Duffer added: “There was never a version of the story where Eleven was hanging out with the gang at the end. For us and our writers, we didn’t want to take her powers away. She represents magic in a lot of ways and the magic of childhood. For our characters to move on and for the story of Hawkins and the Upside Down to come to a close, Eleven had to go away. We thought it would be beautiful if our characters continued to believe in that happier ending even if we didn’t give them a clear answer to whether that’s true or not. The fact that they’re believing in it, we just thought it was such a better way to end the story and a better way to represent the closure of this journey and their journey from children to adults.”

“And the reality is, if Eleven is out there, the most that they could hope for is a belief that it’s true because they can’t be in contact with her,” Matt concluded. “Everything falls apart if that were the case. So if that’s the narrative, this is really the best way to keep her alive. And it’s about Mike and everyone finding a way to move past what’s happened.”

It sounds like Eleven’s ending will never be resolved, but there is more Stranger Things to come via a spinoff with completely new characters, a new town, and a new mythology. And if you’re now feeling at a loss for what to watch this year, check out The Biggest TV Shows Coming to Every Streaming Service in 2026.

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

The year’s barely out of the wrapping and the streaming gods are already flexing, hurling an avalanche of shiny new shows and movies straight at our eyeballs. Apple TV+ is keeping things relatively chill, but everyone else has clearly chosen chaos, flooding the apps with more content than any sane human could ever hope to finish. If your spare time is limited (or your tolerance for doom-scrolling thumbnails is already hanging by a thread), you’ll want to head straight for our carefully curated hits.

So let’s get you sorted. We’ve rounded up the must-watch films, binge-worthy series, and unexpectedly brilliant originals across Australia’s biggest platforms. Just pick your service, zero in on the gems, grab a snack, and settle in for quality screen time.

Table of Contents

• Foxtel/Binge
• Netflix
• Disney+
• Apple TV+
• Amazon Prime Video
• Stan

New in January on Foxtel and Binge

TV litter pick: RUN – 1 Jan : A six-part crime drama that dramatizes the true story of Brenden Abbott, an infamous Australian bank robber known as the "Postcard Bandit".

Movie litter pick: Freaky Tales – 4 Jan : A vibrant, genre-blending anthology film featuring four interconnected stories set in 1987 Oakland, California.

What notable movies are coming to Binge?

• Freaky Tales – 4 Jan
• The Postcard Bandit – 7 Jan
• The Strangers: Chapter 2 – 23 Jan
• Mr Burton – 31 Jan

What notable series are coming to Binge?

• RUN – 1 Jan
• Ponies Season 1 – 16 Jan
• Animal Control Season 4 – 16 Jan
• Scared of the Dark Season 1 – 16 Jan
• Bake Off: The Professionals Season 10 – 19 Jan
• The Great American Bake Off Season 8 – 27 Jan

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New in January on Netflix

TV litter pick: Stranger Things 5: The Finale – 1 Jan : Virtually anything I say about this will be taken as a spoiler. Not going to risk it. So maybe just watch it.

Movie litter pick: The Rip – 16 Jan : A high-stakes crime thriller that follows a team of Miami cops whose trust in one another unravels after they discover millions in cash inside an abandoned stash house.

What notable movies are coming to Netflix?

• People We Meet on Vacation – 9 Jan
• How to Train Your Dragon – 9 Jan
• How to Train Your Dragon 2 – 9 Jan
• How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World – 9 Jan
• The Rip – 16 Jan
• Lost in Translation – 29 Jan

What notable series are coming to Netflix?

• Stranger Things 5: The Finale – 1 Jan
• Run Away – 1 Jan
• Unlocked: A Jail Experiment Season 2 – 7 Jan
• His & Hers – 8 Jan
• Agatha Christie’s Seven Dials – 15 Jan
• Love Through a Prism – 15 Jan
• WWE: Unreal Season 2 – 20 Jan
• Bridgerton Season 4, Part 1 – 29 Jan

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New in January on Disney+

TV litter pick: Marvel’s Wonder Man – 28 Jan : A satirical, self-aware "love letter to Hollywood" that follows an aspiring actor who unexpectedly gains superpowers.

Movie litter pick: Hoops, Hopes & Dreams – 19 Jan : This doco tells the untold story of how Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and an all-star team of civil rights activists used basketball to connect with young voters and build community.

What notable movies are coming to Disney+?

• Hoops, Hopes & Dreams – 19 Jan
• The Bourne Identity – 1 Jan
• The Bourne Supremacy – 1 Jan
• The Bourne Ultimatum – 1 Jan
• The Bourne Legacy – 1 Jan
• Jason Bourne – 1 Jan

What notable series are coming to Disney+?

• Chicago Fire Seasons 1–11 – 7 Jan
• A Thousand Blows Season 2 – 9 Jan
• Tell Me Lies Season 3 – 13 Jan
• Pole to Pole with Will Smith – 14 Jan
• Hey A.J.! – 14 Jan
• FX’s The Beauty – 22 Jan
• Tracker Season 3 – 28 Jan

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New in January on Apple TV+

TV litter pick: Shrinking Season 3 – 28 Jan : S3 introduces new faces, including Michael J. Fox and Cobie Smulders as Jimmy's love interest, alongside returning cast members as they try to embrace change and new beginnings.

What notable series are coming to Apple TV+?

• Drops of God Season 2 – 21 Jan
• Shrinking Season 3 – 28 Jan
• Yo Gabba Gabbaland Season 2 – 30 Jan

Sign up for a free 7–day trial of Apple TV+

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New in January on Amazon Prime Video

TV litter pick: The Night Manager Season 2 – 11 Jan : Jonathan Pine (Tom Hiddleston) embarks on a new mission in Colombia involving a dangerous arms dealer, Teddy Dos Santos (Diego Calva) and his seductive associate Roxana Bolanos (Camila Morrone).

Movie litter pick: Caught Stealing – 26 Jan : a dark crime thriller about a burned-out former baseball prodigy named Hank Thompson who inadvertently gets caught in a violent struggle between rival New York City gangsters.

What notable movies are coming to Prime Video?

• Steal – 21 Jan
• Caught Stealing – 26 Jan
• The Wrecking Crew – 28 Jan

What notable series are coming to Prime Video?

• Spring Fever – 6 Jan
• Beast Games Season 2 – 7 Jan
• The Night Manager Season 2 – 11 Jan
• Molly Mae: Behind It All Season 2 Part 2 – 16 Jan

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New in January on Stan

TV litter pick: Dear Life – 1 Jan : Lillian (Brooke Satchwell) grieves the tragic death of her fiancé, Ash, an organ donor, by secretly seeking out the recipients of his donated organs, leading to unexpected connections.

Movie litter pick: When A Stranger Calls – 11 Jan : Babysitter Jill Johnson receives terrifying phone calls while watching kids; things escalate until the police discover the close proximity of the caller.

What notable movies are coming to Stan?

• How To Train Your Dragon – 1 Jan
• How To Train Your Dragon 2 – 1 Jan
• How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World – 1 Jan
• Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story – 2 Jan
• Boyz N' The Hood – 5 Jan
• The Witches (2020) – 6 Jan
• When A Stranger Calls – 11 Jan
• Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie – 17 Jan
• Space Jam: A New Legacy – 17 Jan
• Space Jam – 17 Jan
• Source Code – 19 Jan
• Hairspray (2007) – 21 Jan
• Nobody – 23 Jan
• Sunshine – 24 Jan

What notable series are coming to Stan?

• Dear Life – 1 Jan
• Red Eye: S02 – 2 Jan
• Power Book IV: S03 – 2 Jan
• Changing Ends Season 2 – 3 Jan
• Gods of Tennis Season 1 – 10 Jan
• Accused: S02 – 15 Jan
• Regular Show: S01 – S08 – 21 Jan
• The Walsh Sisters: S01 – 22 Jan

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I have a bad habit of saying I am done buying games, then immediately proving myself wrong. This week was one of those moments where curiosity, discounts, and a slightly weak spine all lined up. I have played most of these, loved many of them, and a few still live rent free in my brain years later.

Contents

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

This Day in Gaming 🎂

Today in My God You're Aging News, it's a thin list for birthdays to celebrate. Nevertheless, I happily baked a 10-shaped cake for Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker, a WiiU classic. This was basically a minigame found within Super Mario 3D World that was red mushroomed up into a full title experience. Obviously, old mate Shroom Head didn't have the same abilities as Muzza, but he can pick up items to clock familiar Mushie Kingdom foes as you solve environmental puzzles. Brilliant for casuals and OGs alike, the Switch version is a treasure worth tracking.

Aussie birthdays for notable games.

- Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker (WiiU) 2015. Get

Nice Savings for Nintendo Switch

• Metroid Prime 4: Beyond (-24%) A$68 Samus returns after an absurdly long wait, and early impressions suggest Retro is once again obsessed with atmosphere, scanning everything, and making you feel alone in space.
• Subnautica (-75%) A$11.20 A survival game powered by curiosity and dread, where the story unfolds through exploration and the ocean constantly reminds you that you are not welcome.
• The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (-23%) A$69 Nintendo doubled down on player creativity, and somehow made building nonsense machines the most compelling progression system of the year.
• Prince of Persia The Lost Crown (-52%) A$24 A confident return that blends tight platforming, smart combat, and some genuinely clever map design ideas.
• The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (-67%) A$24.70 Still kinda broken in spots, still brilliant, and still somehow a game I end up reinstalling every couple of years.

Or gift a Nintendo eShop Card.

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Exciting Bargains for Xbox

• Star Wars Outlaws (-78%) A$24 A scoundrel focused Star Wars game that shines when it leans into crime, reputation, and living on the galaxy's edges.
• Castle Crashers Rem. (-50%) A$9.90 Pure co-op nonsense with timeless humour, surprisingly crunchy combat, and the ability to ruin friendships in under five minutes.
• Assassin's Creed Valhalla (-55%) A$44.90 Best enjoyed as a Viking saga you dip into, rather than something you try to clear in one heroic sitting.
• Crisis Core FF7 Reunion (-56%) A$37.10 Zack Fair's story hits harder now, and the modernised combat does a lot of heavy lifting.
• Diablo III: Eternal Col. (-57%) A$43 Still one of the most dangerously playable action RPGs ever made.

Xbox One

• GTA V Premium (-58%) A$23 A ridiculous amount of content, and somehow still the backbone of Rockstar's entire empire.
• Battlefield 1 (-70%) A$8.90 One of the most atmospheric shooters DICE has ever made, with sound design that still flexes.
• Red Dead Redemption II (-73%) A$23 Slow, deliberate, and devastating in the best possible way.

Or just invest in an Xbox Card.

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Pure Scores for PlayStation

• Astro Bot (-42%) A$64 A joyful showcase of PlayStation history that understands fun better than almost anything else on the platform.
• Hogwarts Legacy (-55%) A$49.90 The fantasy of being a student at Hogwarts, realised with surprising confidence and care.
• Spider Man Miles Morales (-48%) A$48.90 Short, sharp, and bursting with style, this still feels incredible on a DualSense.
• Star Wars Outlaws (-78%) A$24 Even better when treated as a space western rather than a power fantasy.
• The Last of Us Part I (-36%) A$79.90 Still one of the strongest narrative experiences in the medium, rebuilt with real care.

PS4

• Immortals Fenyx Rising (-92%) A$7.90 A surprisingly funny and inventive open world game that deserved more love.
• Gran Turismo 7 (-48%) A$56.90 A stunning driving sim that balances car culture obsession with accessibility.
• WHAT THE GOLF? (-70%) A$7.70 A comedy game disguised as golf, and one of the funniest things I have played.

Or purchase a PS Store Card.

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Purchase Cheap for PC

• 40K: Space Marine 2 (-58%) A$37.50 This game understands that feeling powerful is half the appeal, and leans all the way in.
• Baldur's Gate 3 (-25%) A$67.40 Reactive, generous, and endlessly surprising, this is modern RPG royalty.
• Total War: Three Kingdoms (-100%) A$0 Free strategy of this calibre feels illegal, but I am not asking questions.
• Atomic Heart (-65%) A$31.10 Bizarre, bold, and never boring, even when it completely loses the plot.
• Crysis Rem. Trilogy (-59%) A$29.90 Still a benchmark for technical ambition, now without melting your PC.
• Red Dead Redemption 1 + 2 Bndl (-64%) A$57.40 Two all time greats that reward patience, empathy, and long rides into the sunset.

Or just get a Steam Wallet Card

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If you were gifted a Nintendo Switch 2 over the holidays, you’ll want to grab all the best Switch 2 accessories for a great playing experience in the new year. While there are tons of products for the gaming handheld, a controller should be near the top of your list. Even with the latest, upgraded Joy-Con, playing in docked mode connected to a great Switch 2 TV will be significantly better with a proper controller. Best of all, you don’t need to break the bank to get one. Right now, you can grab the PowerA Advantage Wired Controller for Nintendo Switch 2 for only $27.30. That’s over 30% savings, and the lowest price we’ve seen since it came out a few months ago.

Save 32% on This Wired Controller for Nintendo Switch 2

Now, this PowerA Advantage controller was designed specifically for the Nintendo Switch 2 and is officially licensed. It comes with a 10-foot USB-C cable for a seamless connection to the console. Plus, given it’s wired, you’ll never need to worry about battery life for endless hours playing Donkey Kong Bonanza or Hades 2. And you’ll be comfortable marathon sessions, as the ergonomics on this controller are on point and far superior to the Joy-Con. In our review of the PowerA Advantage Wired Controller for Switch 2, it even went head-to-head with the Switch 2 Pro Controller, and is especially well-suited for those who prefer a lighter option.

As for actual performance chops, this controller punches far above its price point. It has all the features you’d expect from a top Switch 2 controller, including the new C button and programmable back buttons. All of the buttons and triggers proved to be reliable and responsive during testing, and with Hall Effect sticks, drift shouldn’t be a big worry either.

Of course, given the sub $30 price tag, a few compromises will need to be made, so you won’t find a gyroscope, HD rumble, or Amiibo support. Still, if you want something for cozy winter nights spent in front of the TV, the PowerA Advantage Wired Controller for Nintendo Switch 2 is an awesome, affordable option. Don’t forget to add some of our favorite Nintendo games of 2025 to your library, too.

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

Happy new year, or almost new year, or just… whatever time it is when you’re reading this. For me, it’s the very tail end of 2025, and what better time to take a look ahead at some of the games coming out in the new year? Here are 2026’s biggest game releases

Before we get into it, just a heads up that this is by no means a 100% comprehensive guide to all the games coming out in 2026, as many of those haven’t even been announced yet. Also, as always, release dates are subject to change - I made something very much like this exactly a year ago in which I told you that GTA would be the biggest game of 2025… assuming it came out in 2025, which it didn’t. So, this is true in our regular monthly game release updates, but it’s especially true when we’re talking about games that are 11 months away, or games that don’t have release dates yet.

January

On January 15, Animal Crossing: New Horizons gets a new lease on life, and also a new mortgage to pay off when the beloved debt, yard work, and interior decoration sim comes to Switch 2 - and if you happen to be one of the 50 million people who bought Animal Crossing on the original Switch, you’ll be happy to hear that you can upgrade to the Switch 2 version for just 5 bucks. Meanwhile, if you’re still playing on Switch 1, you’ll still be getting access to a ton of new features with the 3.0 update, which adds a ton of new features including hotel renovation, and in-game items based on other Nintendo properties, as well as LEGO’s line of Animal Crossing sets.

You can’t spell “Purchase a Game In January” without JRPG, or a lot of other letters, but this is the time of year when fans of that particular genre are bound to be especially busy. Still on the 15th, there’s The Legend of Heroes: Trails Beyond The Horizon, which is the seventeenth installment in The Legend of Heroes series, or the thirteenth installment in the Trails series, and a direct sequel to 2022’s Legend of Heroes Trails Through Daybreak II. That’s coming to all the Switches, PlayStations, and PC.

New year, new you? Yeah, okay. Look, if you're going to seriously get yourself in shape in 2026, you might as well do it with the best gear while saving a small fortune on brand tax. Plus, you'll need something cool to watch in the background whilst you work out to keep your mind engaged.

Well, it's a good thing Amazon just dropped massive discounts on best-selling Peloton bikes, treadmills, and accessories. Plus, there are a ton of cult classic 4K + Blu-ray steelbooks on sale, too. We're talking about savings of over $600 here, so let's get into it:

TL;DR: Top Deals for Today

4K + Blu-Ray Steelbook Sale

Studio Ghibli fans, this sale is for you. With everything from Howl's Moving Castle to Spirited Away. Transformers: The Movie is here too, and it's the best way to listen to the best movie theme song in the world from Lion (I'll die on that hill).

From newer releases such as Straight Outta Compton to cult classics like The Blues Brothers, there's something for everyone in this sale, with the highlights shown above.

Save 64% Off Rosetta Stone Lifetime Subscription

Peloton + Fitness Sale

It's hard sticking to the gym, especially when you have a family and a full-time job to hold down. Peloton is a popular option for its quality equipment and a membership that gives you smart class recommendations based on your stats. And we've all tried buying cheap exercise bikes at somepoint, and in my opinion they ruin the positive start you're looking for on your fitness journey. It's an investment in yourself at the end of the day.

Peloton bikes and treadmills are pretty much like having a personal trainer inside your workout equipment whenever it suits you. Plus, accessories such as cycling shoes and dumbbells are up to 70% off, so it's a good time to give yourself the healthy kickstart you need for 2026.

Manga Box Set Sale

If you're planning on freeing up space to store One Piece manga, box sets one to four are all on sale. That's volumes 1–90 for a combined $636.26, down from $959.96, saving a massive $323.70. That's a little over $7 per manga, which usual are usually priced at $11.99.
If you're a Dragon Ball fan like me, the Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z box sets are locked in the sale too for $97.99 and $175.66 respectively. That's a total of $273.65, down from $449.98, for the filler-free best way to experience the series. The way Akira Toriyama presents his panels is ridiculously expressive and a masterclass in what Shonen Jump manga is and should be.

Magnetic Building Blocks (150PCS)

Hand Warmers

Cheapest at Amazon: MTG

Commander Masters is the best set to get into if you love playing Commander, getting you legacy card reprints that are ideal for the format. It's not cheap, but Amazon currently has the best pricing for Set and Draft booster boxes.
If you missed out on the Final Fantasy Universes Beyond set when it dropped earlier this year, the game edition of Cloud Strife's Commander Deck, Limit Breaker, is at market value on Amazon right now. That just means you're getting it for a fair price compared to the secondary market, whilst being able to take advantage of that sweet Prime shipping.

Cheapest at TCGPlayer - MTG

TCGPlayer is still holding the top spot for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Play Booster Box preorders. It's a full $20 cheaper from its merchants right now, a saving worth getting over Prime shipping. The same goes for the Lorwyn Eclipsed Play Booster Box, a full $30 cheaper over Amazon's price.
Amazon has its preorder price guarantee, but that only counts if they drop the price before release. You can't price match other retailers with this guarantee, so if you see a steep discount on a preorder elsewhere, take your chances.

Cheapest at Amazon: Pokémon TCG

It’s great to see popular sets like Surging Sparks and Phantasmal Flames Elite Trainer Boxes crop up for less on Amazon, with the former being below market value alongside the Destined Rivals triple booster.

Cheapest at TCGPlayer: Pokémon TCG

It’s strange to see Silver Tempest sealed product showing up on Amazon right now. Perhaps we’ll see more Sword & Shield-era reprints on store shelves? Regardless, TCGPlayer has the Silver Tempest Elite Trainer Box for far less than Amazon, and the same goes for the Prismatic Evolutions ETB.

TCGPlayer also has the best deal on Destined Rivals Booster Bundles, currently sitting at $52.50. That means you get double the booster packs compared to the three-pack booster deal in the last section for less than double the price. TCGPlayer really has the no-brainer deals right now.

Skytech Gaming PC Holiday Sale

Considering we’ve just entered a memory chip shortage across the board, with even DDR4 RAM going for silly money, getting an RTX 5060 build with 32GB DDR4 for $1,079 is a great deal. You’ll have solid 1080p gaming with either an Intel i5-14400F or AMD Ryzen 7 5700 processor to boot. Personally, I’d go for the Crystal build. It costs the same and gives you far more room for bigger GPU upgrades down the line.

If you’re looking to go all-in with 4K gaming out of the box for under $3,000, the $2,799.99 Aqua build comes with a gorgeous clear white and blue case, complete with CPU liquid cooling, an RTX 5080, 32GB DDR5, and the absolute beast that is the Ryzen 7 9800X3D.

Christian Wait is a contributing freelancer for IGN covering everything collectable and deals. Christian has over 7 years of experience in the Gaming and Tech industry with bylines at Mashable and Pocket-Tactics. Christian also makes hand-painted collectibles for Saber Miniatures. Christian is also the author of "Pokemon Ultimate Unofficial Gaming Guide by GamesWarrior". Find Christian on X @ChrisReggieWait.

2026 is a huge year for Persona, with the series celebrating its 30th anniversary. If you've yet to catch up on the series, now is the best time to do so. Beyond the standard mainline games, Persona has seen spin-offs here and there, but Persona 5, in particular, has seen a suite of them.

Persona 5 Strikers from Omega Force is actually set after the events of Persona 5, and the recently released Persona 5: The Phantom X brings many new characters into the fold. However, the most interesting spin-off is arguably Persona 5 Tactica, a strategy-based spin-off that is similar to XCOM. If you've yet to check out this game, Best Buy has a great deal to pick up a copy for only $10.

Persona 5 Tactica for $9.99

Sony has announced the PlayStation Plus monthly games for January 2026, and the new year kicks off with Need for Speed Unbound, Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed, and Core Keeper.

As detailed by PlayStation.Blog, these three games will be available to all PlayStation Plus members from January 6 until February 2.

This is also a great time to remind PlayStation Plus members that they also have until January 5 to add December's games to their library, which include Lego Horizon Adventures, Killing Floor 3, The Outlast Trials, Synduality Echo of Ada, and Neon White.

2022's Need for Speed Unbound leads the pack on PS5 and will give racers a chance to try out the latest entry in the beloved franchise. Unbound has separate single and multiplayer campaigns and encourages players to "race against time, outsmart the cops, and take on weekly qualifiers to reach The Grand, Lakeshore's ultimate street racing challenge."

In our Need for Speed Unbound review, we said it "hasn’t strayed very far from the fundamentals of 2019’s Heat, but its bold new animated style impresses."

Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed is up next on PS4 and PS5, and it's a gorgeous remake of the 2010 title that first appeared on Nintendo Wii. In this 3D platformer, players become Mickey Mouse and venture to the Wasteland, a realm of forgotten Disney characters. And yes, you do get to encounter Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, who was Walt Disney's first big character before Mickey.

In my preview of Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed, I said, "what impressed me the most about Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed is how much it looks and, perhaps most importantly, feels like a 2024 game."

Rounding out the bunch is Core Keeper on PS4 and PS5, a 1-8 player mining sandbox adventure where you can "harvest relics and resources, craft advanced tools, build your base, and explore a dynamically evolving world waiting to be unearthed."

Core Keeper is getting a big Void & Voltage Update (and a Switch 2 release!) on January 28, 2026, so this is a great time to jump aboard. The update includes a new biome called Breaker's Reach, a new boss named S.A.H.A.B.A.R., an Advanced Automation Table, and much more.

For more, check out which game we crowned the best PlayStation game of 2025 alongside all of our other big winners of the year.

Adam Bankhurst is a writer for IGN. You can follow him on X/Twitter @AdamBankhurst, Instagram, and TikTok, and listen to his show, Talking Disney Magic.

We're in the final hours before a new year. Here at IGN, we're already looking forward to some highly-anticipated video games (looking at you, GTA 6), big movie releases, and plenty of TV shows. In the meantime, though, it's time to defrost from the holiday season and catch up on streaming.

Disney+ will be kicking off the new year with the return of one of the best movie marathons, the continued release of Percy Jackson and the Olympians Season 2, and a surprisingly fun Venom movie. Without further ado, here’s everything coming to Disney+ in January.

Everything Coming to Disney+ in January

January 1

• Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
• Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
• Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark
• Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom

The original Indiana Jones movies were removed from Disney+ in late 2024 after licenses expired with Paramount, but their grand return will kick off 2026. Disney+ will once again stream the first four Indiana Jones movies, which join the most recent release, The Dial of Destiny.

January 2

• The Big Year
• Cheetahs Up Close with Bertie Gregory
• Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, Tim Burton’s 2016 adaptation of Ransom Rigg’s dark fantasy children’s book, is finding a new streaming home at Disney+. Samantha Ladwig’s review of the movie for IGN highlights, unsurprisingly, the “imaginative visuals.” The 2011 comedy The Big Year will also be returning to Disney+ after it was removed back in 2022.

January 4

• Incredible Northern Vets S2

The second season of a documentary series following three Indigenous veterinarians who work across climates and communities in Western Canada.

January 5

• I AM BOXER (New Episode)

I AM BOXER, a Korean reality competition series hosted by Don Lee, will stream new episodes every Monday.

January 7

• Made in Korea (New Episode)
• Percy Jackson and the Olympians S2 (New Episode)

The crime thriller Made in Korea will release new episodes on Disney+ and Hulu every Wednesday, when we’ll also be getting new episodes of Percy Jackson and the Olympians Season 2. Feel free to check out our review of the Season 2 premiere and, if you're curious, the recent debut of the Camp Half-Blood squad in Fortnite.

January 9

• The Tale of Silyan
• Theme Song Takeover S5

From National Geographic, The Tale of Silyan follows an injured white stork’s journey to recovery with a struggling farmer, taking inspiration from North Macedonian folklore. Disney+ will also get the latest batch of Theme Song Takeovers, Disney Channel shorts where characters “redo” the theme songs from other Disney series.

January 10

• The Artful Dodger S1
• Marvel’s Spidey and His Amazing Friends S4 (New Episodes)

The Hulu series The Artful Dodger will be making its way to Disney+ before the second season releases in February. I imagine we’ll see more titles moved between these services as the Hulu library gets fully integrated into the Disney+ app.

January 12

• I AM BOXER (New Episode)

January 14

• Hey A.J.!
• Made in Korea (New Episode)
• Percy Jackson and the Olympians S2 (New Episode)
• Pole to Pole with Will Smith

Hey A.J!, a new children’s series based on the book of the same name, will hit Disney+ the day after premiering live on Disney Jr. The streamer will also get a new iteration of National Geographic’s travel show Pole to Pole, this time featuring Will Smith.

January 16

• Agent P, Under C: Shorts

Agent P, otherwise known as Perry the Platypus, is getting a spread of eight new shorts to complement the continued reboot of Phineas & Ferb.

January 17

• America's Funniest Home Videos (New Seasons)
• Phineas and Ferb S5 (New Episodes)

Speaking of, the first batch of new Phineas & Ferb episodes landed on Disney+ back in June. The second half of the reboot season will arrive in mid-January, along with several more seasons of the pre-Tik Tok classic America’s Funniest Home Videos.

January 19

• I AM BOXER (New Episode)
• Playdate with Winnie the Pooh: Shorts S3

A new season of Playdate with Winnie the Pooh shorts will premiere simultaneously on Disney+ and Disney Jr. This season introduces a new character, Owl, who has a particular passion for books.

January 21

• Percy Jackson and the Olympians S2 (New Episode)

January 22

• Venom: Let There Be Carnage

The second Venom movie is making its way to Disney+ after its contracted stint at Starz. Francesca Rivera wrote in her review that “Andy Serkis directs a fun and action-packed sequel that highlights Venom as his own character,” noting that the movie takes itself less seriously than its predecessor. Sony’s Spider-Verse may have reached its end, but I will personally always be grateful we got to witness Tom Hardy having this much fun in a role.

January 23

• Minnie’s Bow-Toons: Pet Hotel

January 26

• I AM BOXER - (New Episode)

January 27

• Wonder Man

One of the only MCU additions this month, Wonder Man was announced back in 2022 and has had quite a development cycle since then. In early 2026, it’s finally happening. The series follows Simon Williams, an aspiring actor who secretly has superpowers. Star Yahya Abdul-Mateen II has described the series as a ‘self aware’ superhero flick, suggesting it will take aim at superhero fatigue.

January 28

• Disney Jr. Ariel - The Little Mermaid S2

The second season of the animated Ariel series, inspired by both the 1992 and live-action 2023 film, will hit streaming after airing on Disney Jr.

January 30

• Pupstruction Construction

In a continued effort to introduce more short-form content, Disney+ will start streaming Pupstruction Construction, spin-off shorts where Phinny explains the real machines behind construction projects.

TBA

• Disneyland Handcrafted

While we don’t have a streaming release date, we do know that Lesie Iwerk, the director behind The Imagineering Story, is premiering a new documentary at D23 on January 8 that will likely come to Disney+ soon after. Disneyland Handcrafted covers the year of development that gave rise to Disneyland, featuring never before seen archival footage.

Last Chance to Save on New ESPN Unlimited Bundle

If you’re in the market for a live sports streaming service, keep in mind that Disney+ is offering a discount on its new bundle with ESPN Unlimited until January 5. The discount lasts for the first 12 months of your subscription, getting you access to all of ESPN's linear networks and, if you don’t already happen to have it, Hulu.

Blythe (she/her) is an Audience Development Coordinator at IGN who, when she isn't following streaming news, spends way too much time in character customization screens and tracking down collectibles.

The Xenomorph from the Alien film franchise is one of the coolest, most nefarious movie monsters ever hatched, with its acid blood, mouths-within-mouths, and diabolical claws. It pretty much single-handedly (and multi-teethily) invented the space horror genre and gave an entire generation a new boogeyman to fear. After we got the first Alien TV show with Alien: Earth, you may be wanting to do a full rewatch of the Alien franchise (including the Alien/Predator films, which are set on Earth).

But what's the correct order to watch them in? We've got you covered. Below you'll find full listings for the Alien movies, in both chronological order and by release date.

Jump to:

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

How Many Alien Movies Are There?

There are a total of nine movies and one TV series in the Alien franchise — four in the mainline series of films, two Predator crossovers, two prequels from Ridley Scott, and a standalone movie from Fede Álvarez. The newest addition, Alien: Earth, is currently airing its first season.

Alien Movies in Chronological Order

1. AVP: Alien vs. Predator (2004)

The story of the Xenomorphs begins, time-wise, in the first of the two crossover films for the franchise, AVP. Set in 2004, Alien vs. Predator, from Resident Evil/Event Horizon's Paul W. S. Anderson, brought to life a "battle of the titans" concept that first originated in a 1989 comic. In the film, humans discover that Predators (aka the "Yautja") have been coming to Earth for thousands of years. Old cults worshipping them would sacrifice themselves to a Xenomorph Queen's brood -- the facehuggers -- producing adult Xenomorphs, so the Predators could hunt the "ultimate prey." Sufficed to say, things go badly during the Predators' 2004 hunting trip.

2. Aliens vs Predator: Requiem (2007)

Still set in our modern times, and therefore still happening before everything else in the Alien franchise, crossover sequel Aliens vs Predator: Requiem picks up right where AVP left off. An Alien-Predator hybrid -- the "Predalien" -- is now on the loose in a small Colorado town. A skilled, veteran Predator arrives to help clean up the mess and an ample amount of carnage ensues. This would be the final crossover film of the Alien franchise. You can see our guide to the Predator movies in order for more info.

3. Prometheus (2012)

Oscar-winning director Ridley Scott returned to the franchise he created in 1979 with the star-studded prequel film, Prometheus. Here, in the late 21st Century, Peter Weyland (presumedly a descendant of AVP's Charles Weyland) funds a cosmic trip into the unknown, following a star map left on Earth that might lead the crew of the Prometheus to the beings who created humankind. Sadly, the crew also stumbles across these creators' bio-weapon -- the Xenomorph. Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Idris Elba, and Charlize Theron star.

Read our review of Prometheus.

4. Alien: Covenant (2017)

Still in prequel mode here, as Alien: Covenant is a sequel to Prometheus, the story picks up 11 years later and follows a colonization ship. The crew gets pulled out of stasis years early and heads to a different target planet, a possible "utopia," to track down a distress signal. The downed ship emitting the message, however, is connected to the previous movie and contains all sorts of sinister things -- ranging from Xenomorphs to androids. The film doesn't exactly take us up to the doorstep of 1979's Alien, as there's room for more story if deemed so, but it does get us close. Katherine Waterston, Billy Crudup, Danny McBride, Demián Bichir, and a returning Michael Fassbender star.

Read our review of Alien: Covenent.

5. Alien: Earth (2025)

Alien: Earth premieres tonight, so this description is going to be light on plot details, but one thing we know for sure is how the series fits into the Alien timeline. Alien: Earth takes place just two years before the original Alien movie, in the year 2120. The series follows the survivors of the space vessel Maginot after crash-landing on none other than our very own Earth, where they come face to face with one of the universe's strongest threats.

Read our spoiler-free review of Alien: Earth Season 1

6. Alien (1979)

Space would never feel the same after Ridley Scott's landmark horror film, Alien, which featured the hardscrabble crew of a commercial space tug, the Nostromo, accidentally discovering a moon full of Xenomorph eggs. With no knowledge of what these creatures are or how they cocoon inside humans before bursting out and rapidly growing into killing machines, these underpaid workers -- played by Tom Skerritt, Veronica Cartwright, Harry Dean Stanton, John Hurt, Ian Holm, Yaphet Kotto, and hero-in-the-making Sigourney Weaver -- find themselves going toe-to-toe with a cosmic nightmare.

Aliens also made our list of one of the best Sci-Fi movies of all time.

7. Alien: Romulus (2024)

The newest Alien movie is a standalone film from Fede Alvarez (Evil Dead) that takes place about 20 years after the events of the first Alien. Rain Carradine (played by Cailee Spaeny) and her brother join a group of young space colonizers' efforts to escape a life of deadly labor on their incredibly isolated home planet. When an abandoned Weyland-Yutani vessel appears in the planet's atmosphere, the group believes their best chance at escape is using the ship's cryo pods. Of course, however, they soon discover the terrifying reason the vessel was abandoned in the first place. Alvarez takes plenty of inspiration from previous Alien movies for his addition to the franchise, as well as Alien video games and even The Last of Us.

Read our review of Alien: Romulus

8. Aliens (1986)

Terminator director James Cameron, before creating his own landmark sequel with T2: Judgment Day, gifted us with Aliens, taking the slow-boil brutality of the Ridley Scott original and ramping it up into a full-tilt masterpiece. Sigourney Weaver, returning as Ellen Ripley, would solidify herself as an action hero icon in this thrilling, endlessly-quotable film that would introduce the world to idea of space marines AND space marines getting their asses kicked, pal! Aliens would handily feature more than one Xenomorph (hence the plural title) as well as stars Michael Biehn, Bill Paxton, Paul Reiser, Lance Henriksen (who would play Charles Weyland decades later in AVP) and Carrie Henn.

9. Alien 3 (1992)

An appreciation for Alien 3 eventually bubbled up over the past 30 years but at the time David Fincher's directorial debut (three years before Se7en) would be deemed thin, grim, and, essentially, disappointing regarding Ripley's story (despite it giving us one of the most iconic images from the franchise, seen above). Alien 3 picks up right where Aliens left off, as the Colonial Marine spaceship, the Sulaco, is destroyed from within by a Xenomorph and an escape pod carries Ripley to a planet housing a penal colony. There, she and the inmates must deal with a rampaging alien before it massacres them all.

10. Alien Resurrection (1997)

The final film in the Ripley Saga, Alien Resurrection, hurls us 200 years beyond the events of Aliens and Alien 3 and into the inner workings of a military project aboard the USM Auriga that uses Ellen Ripley clones (and kidnapped humans) to try and successfully breed Xenomorphs. The City of Lost Children and Amélie's Jean-Pierre Jeunet directs this bizarrely-horrific chapter with cartoonish flare, casting Ron Perlman, Dan Hedaya, J. E. Freeman, Brad Dourif, and Michael Wincott as the story's new space grunts. The film ends with a possible tease of Xenomorphs headed to Earth, though we'd never get that story as a follow up (only in crossover prequel form with AVP).

What's Next for the Alien Franchise?

Ridley Scott recently announced his departure from the franchise in an interview with Screenrant. After the success of last year's Alien: Romulus, there have been talks of a sequel, with director Fede Alvarez revealing that the new film could start shooting this year. An official release date has not been set, but it's a promising update from the latest Alien director.

Beyond the big screen, the first Alien TV series hit FX and Hulu earlier this year with a second season already on the way. While Alien: Earth, is another prequel to the original Alien films, showrunner Noah Hawley isn't too attached to the backstory reveals from Prometheus.

Otherwise, Alien references made their way into Predator: Badlands, potentially hitting at more crossovers in the future.

More Alien Deep Dives

• Every Xenomorph (and Alien) from the Alien Movies
• The Terrifying (and Sometimes Terrible) History of Alien Games
• Every Alien Blu-ray Set and Special Edition

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

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

Jump to:

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

How Many Pirates of the Caribbean Movies Are There?

There are five feature-length Pirates of the Caribbean movies and one short film. Several other Pirates stories have been told through novels, comics, and video games. However, this list exclusively covers the film series. With only five films, it's a good series to plan a movie marathon for any time of year.

Where to Stream Pirates of the Caribbean

Pirates of the Caribbean in Chronological Order

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Future Pirates of the Caribbean Movies

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

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

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

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

In the early 1980s, filmmaking legends George Lucas and Steven Speilberg created Hollywood’s seminal action-adventure franchise starring Harrison Ford as a thrill-seeking archeologist and college professor named Indiana Jones. The adventures of Indy have now spanned over four decades, culminating in the most recent film, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.

Scroll down to find out how to watch the Indiana Jones films in order, by narrative chronologically or release date.

Jump to:

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

How Many Indiana Jones Movies Are There?

The Indiana Jones film saga includes five movies. The franchise’s canon also includes The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, a TV series that ran for two seasons (and four made-for-TV movies) in the ‘90s. If you're curious to know where you can stream all five of the films, we have a breakdown of where to stream every Indiana Jones movie online to point you in the right direction.

Dozens of other Indiana Jones stories have been told through novels, comics, and video games. However, for the sake of this list, we’ve only chronicled the films and TV series.

Indiana Jones Movies in Chronological Order

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

0. The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles (1992-1996)

Though nonessential to the Indiana Jones film saga, The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles is the story’s canonical starting point. It’s optional viewing, but we’ve included it on this list for those interested in the whole story.

The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles stars four iterations of the intrepid adventurer: the child (played by Corey Carrier), the teen/young adult (Sean Patrick Flanery), the middle-aged man (played in a single episode by Harrison Ford), and the elder (George Hall).

The series primarily follows Flanery’s teenage/young adult Indy adventuring around the world, encountering and working with real-life historical figures, including former U.S. president Theodore Roosevelt, writer Leo Tolstoy, artist Pablo Picasso, infamous gangster Al Capone, famed jazz musician Louis Armstrong, and neurologist Sigmund Freud, among others. The series also explores Indy’s background, notably his relationship with his father.

1. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)

Temple of Doom is the first Indiana Jones movie chronologically, despite being released after Raiders of the Lost Ark. Set a year before its predecessor, Temple of Doom kicks off with Indy surviving an assassination attempt in Shanghai before parachuting out of a cargo plane into northern India. There, alongside companions Willie Scott (Kate Capshaw) and Short Round (Ke Huy Quan), Indy agrees to help the locals locate their missing children and stolen sacred stone.

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom is considered the series’ “darkest” movie — the film’s dozens of deaths include a man’s heart being ripped from his chest, while a grotesque dinner scene features delicacies such as live snakes, giant beetles, eyeball soup, and monkey brains served fresh within their decapitated heads. Temple of Doom, alongside Gremlins, led to the creation of the MPAA’s PG-13 rating. (The rating system previously consisted of G, PG, M, and X.)

2. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

Over 40 years ago, Raiders of the Lost Ark kicked off the Indiana Jones franchise. Set in 1936, Raiders of the Lost Ark takes Indy on a globetrotting adventure from South America and the U.S. to Africa and Asia. His first on-screen adventure pits Indy against Nazi forces, a recurring antagonist group in the series. The two parties race to retrieve the Ark of the Covenant, a gold-plated chest believed by Adolf Hitler to house divine power capable of aiding the Nazis in world domination.

3. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)

Indy’s next global adventure featured another quest for an ancient artifact: the Holy Grail, a relic said to hold the power of immortality. Indy’s estranged father, Henry (Sean Connery), spent much of his life researching the Grail, eventually going missing in its pursuit. Guided by his father’s extensive notes, Indy sets off to find both his father and the relic, once again racing against the Nazis. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade is the last film before the time jump to newer films.

4. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)

After a nearly 20-year hiatus, Indiana Jones returned in 2008 with Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. The series’ fourth and most recent entry introduced Shia LaBeouf as Mutt Williams, the son of Indy and Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen), who returns for the first time since Raiders of the Lost Ark. Cate Blanchett stars as the primary villain, a Soviet agent named Irina Spalko.

Kingdom of the Crystal Skull once again sees Indy and his companions racing against a nefarious entity (this time the Soviets) to obtain another artifact of great power: a telepathic crystal skull with which the Soviets plan to control the masses. In addition to the familiar globetrotting and double-crossing, Kingdom of the Crystal Skull introduces extraterrestrial elements into the series formula.

Read IGN’s Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull review.

5. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023)

The next and final Indiana Jones movie is Dial of Destiny – the first Indy movie since Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was released 15 years ago. Alongside Harrison Ford and Mads Mikkelsen, Dial of Destiny stars Boyd Holbrook, Antonio Banderas, John Rhys-Davies, Toby Jones, and Phoebe Waller-Bridge as Indy’s goddaughter Helena. The story follows the latter's reunion with Indy, as the two of them work together to chase down an ancient artifact with incredible power.

James Mangold (Logan) directed the film, making Dial of Destiny the franchise’s first film not helmed by Steven Spielberg. (Spielberg told Deadline he was “peripherally involved” with the movie.) It's also the first Indiana Jones movie distributed by Disney, following its purchase of Lucasfilm in 2012.

Read IGN's review of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny or see where to watch Dial of Destiny.

Future Indiana Jones Stories

While Dial of Destiny is being called the conclusion to Indiana Jones's story, Disney and Lucasfilm were said to be "actively" pursuing a Disney+ TV series as of November 2022.

Outside of movies/television, Microsoft released Indiana Jones and the Great Circle back in 2024, an original story in the franchise set during "the height of" Indy's career. IGN awarded it a review score of 9, calling the action-adventure game "an irresistible and immersive global treasure hunt, and far and away the best Indy story this century."

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