Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Season 2 premieres Friday, Feb. 27 on Apple TV. New episodes drop weekly on Fridays.

Three years ago, Legendary’s “Monsterverse” expanded into the streaming realm with Apple TV’s big-budget series Monarch: Legacy of Monsters and immediately raised the bar for the franchise’s storytelling with its human characters. Structurally, the series is an ambitious, multi-generational saga with a heaping helping of cranky Titans adding an extra layer of drama. Episodes flipped back and forth in time between the creation of the monster-studying org Monarch in the ’50s by Dr. Keiko Miura (Mari Yamamoto), her husband Dr. Billy Randa (Anders Holm), and their best friend Lieutenant Lee Shaw (Wyatt Russell), and the events of 2015, a year after the infamous G-Day event when Godzilla first appeared to the modern world. And that continues into Season 2, as the Randa family in 2017 wrestle with the complicated consequences of Keiko’s retrieval from the Axis Mundi realm… and what inadvertently tagged along for the ride.

While its complex ensemble of characters and the Monarch vs. APEX Cybernetics plots might require a refresher before starting Season 2, co-creator/showrunner Chris Black and his writers have successfully refined their past/present storytelling this season so that the Titan and character problems of today are directly tied to Monarch discoveries or personal issues from the past. And that overall means plots are a lot easier to follow this season. The Titans are also far more present in Season 2, with a mix of Kong, Godzilla and the original Titan X monster given generous screen time with feature-film-quality visual effects work. Indeed, this season looks good. There were multiple times watching these 10 episodes that I genuinely lamented not being able to experience the scale of this season on a movie theater screen. It’s that impressive.

While Apple TV has embargoed the majority of this season’s plot points for pre-release reviews, what can be revealed is that Keiko takes point in the Season 2 storyline as her rescue from Axis Mundi makes her a woman out of time in 2017. While still discovering the effects of her years spent in Axis Mundi, Keiko gets to reunite with her grown son Hiroshi Randa (Takehiro Hira), meet her grandchildren Cate (Anna Sawai) and Kentaro (Ren Watabe), and be shocked by the growth of her once modest Monarch operation.

While the timeline of the series inches closer to the events of Godzilla: King of Monsters, this season exploits a sweet spot of unexplored real estate between the feature films; it’s a previously unfilled gap where plausible Titan encounters let the show’s characters do plenty of consequential business within the mythology. Aside from Keiko, Cate is still struggling to find purpose, but she rallies around not abandoning Col. Lee Shaw (Kurt Russell) behind in Axis Mundi, which activates her loyalty and drive to rescue the man who brought their grandmother back. Kentaro gets closer to his previously errant father, Hiroshi. Corah/May’s (Kiersey Clemons) hacker skills come into play for a substantial arc that involves Monarch’s Tim (Joe Tippett), a character who comes into his own as he’s folded back into the story on a much grander scale.

Meanwhile in the past, a 1957 Monarch research trip to Santo Soledad in South America with Keiko, Bill and Lee sets up the back story for the series’ first original Titan; the creature gets a meaningful story in keeping with the environmental subtext inherent to all of the franchise’s monsters. On the human side, the personal dynamics of the trio get infinitely more complicated, and that plays out through the entirety of the season in both time periods. Building on their already established chemistry in Season 1, Yamamoto, Holm and Wyatt Russell expand the depth of their character’s feelings and regrets in a way that makes the flashback segments feel vital and just as compelling as the present storylines.

Pace-wise, the first half of the season moves like a rocket with plenty of Titan set pieces of note as well as major plot twists and turns in the present and past. The back half slows down a bit until it introduces a clever device involving Axis Mundi that delivers poignant emotional turns that help close the season with unexpected resonance. In general, the cast rises to meet the complex material they’re provided with, which is why Monarch: Legacy of Monsters continues to shine as a franchise standout. Everyone in the ensemble gets something important to do with huge stakes at play. The only character who is sort of orphaned until the back end of the season is Kentaro, who gets stuck in a sullen rut that is enigmatic for plot purposes instead of feeling organic to his character. And his arc only stands out as less than satisfying because just about everyone else in the cast gets great material to move them forward in the season.

For those mostly interested in the Monsterverse mythology, you won’t be disappointed. There’s an abundance of tethers and connection points to the feature mythology, even Skull Island, Netflix’s animated sequel to Kong: Skull Island. Even better for those dissatisfied with major organizations, plot points or tech inventions that felt rather nebulous in the movies, look for many of those dangling issues to be better defined in the series, which in turn will enhance future rewatches of the movie-verse.

If you liked Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Season 1, there’s even more to love and appreciate about Season 2. Not to wholesale knock the major stars in the Monsterverse films, but the depth of this series’ characters, cast and storylines continues to run circles around what the features do. I pretty much go to the movies just for the Titans. Now, if I want great character work and monster moments, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters is my go-to.

Microsoft's new gaming boss Asha Sharma has responded to further scrutiny of her Xbox play history, and explained that her account had been shared among others at home.

Responding on social media to IGN's own Ryan McCaffrey, Sharma said she had not been "faking" her play history so it looked like she had more gaming experience. Instead, her account had previously been shared with others at home — something that is no longer the case, with her gamertag now set up for use by her only.

"Faking would be a terrible idea and wouldn't work," Sharma wrote, going on to reiterate that she would never "pretend to be the best gamer" anyway, as it's not her goal.

Daniel Vávra, director of the Kingdom Come: Deliverance franchise, is leaving game development to focus on making a Kingdom Come: Deliverance movie.

In an interview with Czech site CzechCrunch (via VGC), studio head Martin Frývaldský revealed that Vávra was stepping away from developing Warhorse Studios' next game to focus on Kingdom Come: Deliverance's big-screen adaptation.

"Dan has a new role. That’s the creation of the Kingdom Come movie," Frývaldský said (via machine translation). "We have been moving the Kingdom Come brand away from video games for some time now. So far we have been in comics, concerts, and tourism, but the film has attracted us the most. That is why Dan and I are working on getting it onto the screen or the big screen. There is also a draft script."

"I'm sure people will wonder if this is some kind of breakup with Warhorse," he added, "No, on the contrary, Dan himself wanted to move on. He made three games that were a global success, he has been wanting to try something different for a long time. Getting Kingdom Come to the screen [...] in the next few years is another milestone that we want to achieve, and that is Dan's new role. You won't see him in the office every day anymore, but in a broader sense he is still part of Warhorse."

Asked for the latest on those plans to adapt Kingdom Come: Deliverance for the big screen, Frývaldský said: "For a long time, people were around us who would like to make a film of KCD, but then Covid came and everything fell asleep. Now, after the release of the second game, we have returned to the idea with much greater drive.

"We feel the interest from the film world, negotiations are already underway. We don't just want to sell the rights, we want the film to be what we imagine it to be."

Frývaldský suggested that Vávra's new job title could be something like transmedia director as the team pushes to expand the franchise beyond games.

The first Kingdom Come: Deliverance video game, released in 2018, was a smash hit, selling over 10 million copies. Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 came out last year and has so far sold over 5 million copies.

IGN's Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 review returned a 9/10. We said: "Armed with excellent melee combat and an exceptional story, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is one part sequel and one part coronation, bringing a lot of the original's ideas to fruition."

If you're wondering just how much has changed in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 since the game released in early 2025, we've got you covered.

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

The Legend of Zelda celebrated its 40th anniversary this week, though you'd be forgiven for not noticing. Still, in Japan, you can now buy miniature versions of some iconic weaponry — which is nice, we suppose.

Nintendo has played down Zelda and Link's big 40th birthday, with no new game or remaster to mark the occaison and no real fanfare at all. It's a very different situation to Mario's 40th birthday celebrations last year, or Pokémon's impending 30th anniversary this Friday.

Today, however, Nintendo's official Japanese The Legend of Zelda social media account has come to life to announce the launch of "The Legend of Zelda Weapon Collection" — a highly-detailed set of miniature weapons, featuring some of the franchise's most iconic gear.

Made by Bandai, the nine-piece set includes the Master Sword, Hylian Shield, Royal Claymore, Zora Longsword, Seven Jewels Dagger, Great Eagle Bow, Stonecrusher, Lightscale Trident, and a rarer sheathed Master Sword variant.

The items are being sold in candy boxes, and Nintendo says you can find them in Japanese stores within "candy sections in stores nationwide." Or on eBay, were pre-sale listings for the full collection are currently circulating, priced around $100.

Why hasn't Nintendo made more of Zelda's 40th anniversary? Well, with no big Switch 2 game on the horizon (and likely still a few years away yet, considering the still 2023 launch of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, and the typical gap between mainline games), the franchise does not have a banner release to hang a celebration on.

Fans remain hopeful for something new-ish on Switch 2 this year (another remake?) perhaps nearer the holidays. 2026 is the franchise's 40th year for a while longer, after all.

Other than that, the franchise's next big moment will likely be the arrival of Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda live-action movie which is set to land in theaters on May 7, 2027. Need a Zelda fix sooner? LEGO has its The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time — The Final Battle set due on March 1.

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

When it’s time to unplug, shut off the TV and reduce screen time, board games always have your back when it comes to scratching that lingering escapist itch and drive to continue playing. Luckily, there exist countless board game tie-ins to some of the most popular video games around, and we’ve collected some of our favorites here. Whether you’re looking for a long-term campaign or a quick to setup party game, these board games will let you continue living in these worlds when you need a break from technology.

TL;DR – These Are the Best Video Game Board Games

• Sniper Elite
• Slay the Spire
• Bloodborne
• Resident Evil 2
• Dorfromantik
• Tetris
• Dark Souls the Board Game: The Sunless City
• Stardew Valley
• This War of Mine
• Elden Ring: The Board Game
• Metal Gear Solid: The Board Game
• Divinity: Original Sin the Board Game

Sniper Elite: The Board Game

Slay the Spire: The Board Game

Bloodborne: The Board Game

Resident Evil 2: The Board Game

Dorfromantik: The Board Game

Tetris Board Game

Dark Souls The Board Game: The Sunless City

Stardew Valley: The Board Game

This War of Mine: The Board Game

Elden Ring: The Board Game

Metal Gear Solid The Board Game

Divinity: Original Sin the Board Game

The studio responsible for The Simpsons: Hit & Run and Prototype, Radical Entertainment, appears to be back under a new name: New Radical Games.

An amalgamation of "Radical Entertainment plus Hothead Games," the studio's new website says, "it all started with Radical Entertainment back in 1991. Fast forward to 2025 and we have amassed invaluable experience along the way. We know how to capture the essence of world-class intellectual properties, and deliver licensed games that delight fans everywhere."

Vancouver-based Radical was bought by Activision in 2008, and was shuttered little more than five years later after living out its final years as a Destiny support studio. Hothead — also based in Vancouver — went bankrupt in 2024. The new studio is led by CEO Ian Wilkinson, who co-founded Radical, and COO Tim Bennison, who served as chief operating officer at Capcom's Vancouver studio and had previously worked at Radical, too, as executive producer and VP technology.

News of the new studio from the people who brought us games like Prototype, Scarface: The World Is Yours, and The Simpsons: Hit & Run has clearly excited fans, with many now crossing their fingers that the new outfit could be set on bringing those dormant IPs back to life.

"I LITERALLY JUST TALKED ABOUT THIS IN A THREAD ABOUT WHAT DEV STUDIOS WE WOULD REVIVE IF WE WERE RICH A COUPLE OF DAYS AGO!! HOLY S***!! I WILLED THIS INTO EXISTENCE!! I'M A GOD!!" exclaimed one very excitable fan.

"A few months ago, rumors started going around about a Prototype remaster. Today, Radical games has seemingly relaunched and their website prominently displays their older titles including Prototype and Simpsons Hit & Run," teased another.

Late last year, IGN reported that fans thought they'd uncovered proof that 2009 action game Prototype could be getting a new lease of life. While the game has mostly remained dormant on Steam since its release 16 years ago, eagle-eyed fans spotted a flurry of updates behind the scenes via SteamDB, as well as a revealing datamine effort that has discovered a mysterious change to the game's credits that adds in remaster studio, Iron Galaxy, and a curious reference to Ubisoft Connect.

That's not all, though. "So one of the OG modders for the game data mined the recent update and has found a lot of interesting things," a fan explained on the game's subreddit. "For Prototype 1, they have added some test maps and quite a few new names in the credits. There might be some hope for a remaster after all."

This isn't, of course, evidence that a remaster is actually happening — right now, we're purely going on vibes and crossed fingers — but New Radical must have been established to work on something, so keep those fingers crossed!

Calls for an official Simpsons: Hit and Run remake have similarly cropped up from time to time in the 20+ years since the original’s release, but it seems an unlikely project. In 2021 we spoke to Simpsons writer Matt Selman who said that while he "would love to see a remastered version of [Simpsons Hit & Run]", it would be "a complicated corporate octopus to try to make that happen."

For more, find out exactly where we placed The Simpsons: Hit & Run in our rundown of the best, worst, and weirdest Simpsons games.

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

Call of Duty publisher Activision has issued a rare, if brief, comment to seemingly deny a claim it planned to launch a standalone Zombies game.

Earlier this week, Call of Duty leaker TheGhostofHope stated on social media that Activision was prepping two separate Call of Duty games for the launch of Microsoft's next-gen Xbox console (currently expected to launch in 2027 at the earliest).

The claim described these two launches as "a traditional Call of Duty multiplayer and a standalone Zombies title presumably developed by Treyarch," and likened their release to when "Infinite Warfare and Modern Warfare Remastered where [sic] both released together."

That leak was then picked up by gaming blog Dexerto, to which Activision has now responded using its official Call of Duty social media account: "The rumor factory working overtime," Activision wrote. "This ain't it."

Activision typically does not respond to rumors or speculation, making this intervention notable. That said, the vague nature of the denial makes it unclear exactly which parts of the original claim Activision is now saying are untrue, or whether some element of this claim was true until plans ultimately changed.

On social media, Call of Duty's response comes specifically in reply to a thread of tweets discussing the standalone Zombies title, and the claim it was being prepped as a launch title for Microsoft's next console.

The original rumor suggested that Microsoft's shifting release plans for its next Xbox hardware had meant that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, the franchise's most anticipated upcoming release, would no longer be a launch title for the next-gen Xbox, as apparently had been planned. While not yet officially confirmed, Modern Warfare 4 is expected by fans to be this year's Call of Duty entry — but there's absolutely no suggestion that Microsoft is planning to launch new consoles this year.

Still, some kind of shakeup to Call of Duty's forthcoming release schedule is expected, following Activision's recent pledge to make significant changes to the franchise following the underperformance of Black Ops 7. The publisher has said it will never release back to back games in the same sub-brand (Modern Warfare, Black Ops) again, meaning it will likely need to come up with other options if it continues with an annual release schedule.

As for Microsoft's plans for new consoles, the company has confirmed it has fresh hardware in the works on several occaisons. In 2024, former Xbox president Sarah Bond said Microsoft was "moving full speed ahead on our next generation hardware, focused on delivering the biggest technological leap ever in a generation." A year later, the company publicly confirmed its partnership with AMD on its next-generation Xbox project. But a recent report suggested that 2027 was now a conservative estimate for the company's new hardware — which instead could now arrive later.

Sony is also reportedly considering delaying the launch of PlayStation 6 to 2028, or potentially even later, due to the ongoing AI-fueled chip crisis.

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

Amazon Games has canned its failed battle royale King of Meat, following its dismal Steam performance that only ever saw a few hundred people playing.

Although the game only released in October — that's just four months ago — developer Glowmade has confirmed the game will be formally sunsetted on April 9, 2026, after which time it will no longer be playable. All players are invited to apply for a refund via the store of the platform they bought it on (Steam, PlayStation Store, etc.), including any premium currency — called Stamps in this case — purchased, too.

Amazon had reportedly aimed for a player count in the hundreds of thousands for King of Meat, which it spent big on promoting via The Game Awards and a collaboration with YouTube star MrBeast.

"Despite the creativity and innovation Glowmade brought to King of Meat, the game has unfortunately not found the audience we hoped for," the team wrote. "As a result, we have made the difficult decision to conclude our investment in the game, and King of Meat's servers will close on April 9, 2026. Players will be able to access and play all existing content until then, so we encourage you to enjoy your remaining time in the game with your fellow Contenders.

"We want to sincerely thank every player who supported King of Meat and the wonderful community that formed around it. Your enthusiasm, imagination, and feedback have meant the world to us and to the team at Glowmade. We're grateful for Glowmade’ s partnership and passion throughout this journey and wish them continued success in the future."

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the team stressed that, from this point on, there are no further content updates, balance changes, or bug fixes planned for King of Meat during this sunset period, and the game — and the currency for it — can no longer be purchased.

It follows the similarly brutal action of Riot Games last week when, less than a month after the launch of its free-to-play 2v2 tag-team fighting game, 2XKO, Riot announced it was scaling back its development team. Admitting the news was "difficult to share," producer Tom Cannon said that despite securing a "passionate core audience," the new game "hasn't reached the level needed to support a team of this size long term."

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

Pokémon celebrates its 30th birthday this week and, as part of the celebrations, the brand has just revealed an astonishing 1025 variations of its 30th anniversary logo. Each design features a different creature peeking out of a Pokéball — and every single Pokémon species gets its moment to shine.

The official Japanese Pokémon account on X/Twitter is currently running a social media campaign. If you click the image in the post below and retweet it, you will receive one of the logos. Pokémon hunting Twitter users have until March 9 to 'catch' their Pokémon logo.

大阪なんば駅 pic.twitter.com/2ghHZc4192

— adi (@redlaysdedo) February 23, 2026

The logos can also be hunted down in five major cities across Japan. Large digital signboards that cycle through all the logos can be found in prominent locations, including Tokyo’s Shinjuku Station and Osaka’s Namba Station. The signboards feature all of the different logos arranged in a color spectrum on a white background.

The colors of each logo match the colors and elements of their respective Pokémon. Of course, well-known Pokémon like Pikachu, Charizard and Bulbasaur have their own logos, but newer and more obscure Pokémon are also being shown love, such as Paradox Pokémon Iron Bundle and the matcha-themed Poltchageist. Pokemon fansite Serebii.net has been cataloging the logo variations with help from the community.

Various releases to mark three decades of the game, anime and TCG franchise are also on the way. The original FireRed and LeafGreen are getting rereleased on Nintendo Switch on February 27th (the date on which the games were first launched in Japan back in 1996) — though there has been some controversy over their launch method and pricing, plus Pokémon Home compatibility.

Stateside, this month’s TIME Magazine has a special feature on Pokémon, complete with different cover variations. The Pokémon Trading Card Game is getting the First Partner Illustration Collection - Series 1, out on March 20th. These nostalgic cards celebrate the bond between the Trainer and their starter Pokémon. TCG will also be getting Perfect Order on March 27, a new expansion focusing on Pokémon from the Legends: Z-A game.

Over in Japan, the first permanent Pokémon theme park opened on February 5th — PokéPark Kanto (more about that here). As for new games, Pokémon Pokopia, the franchise’s first ever cozy farming/life sim, is coming to Switch 2 on March 5 — check out our video report on playing the preview version.

Expect to hear much more about the future of Pokémon later this week with the company's annual announcement broadcast Pokémon Presents, which is set to air this Friday, February 27 at 6am Pacific / 9am Eastern / 2pm UK.

Verity Townsend is a Japan-based freelance writer who previously served as editor, contributor and translator for the game news site Automaton West. She has also written about Japanese culture and movies for various publications.

Ahead of his big debut in Avengers: Doomsday as Doctor Doom, Academy Award-winning actor Robert Downey Jr. has officially been named the godparent of the Disney Adventure, Disney Cruise Line's newest and largest ship that is set to make its maiden voyage next month.

The Disney Adventure will first sail out of its home port in Singapore on March 10, and part of Downey Jr.'s responsibilities will be to "christen the ship, vowing to bring it a little luck and a lot of love." The godparent tradition is a huge one that goes back hundreds of years.

"It’s impossible to describe the majesty of the Adventure, and to be its godparent is an honor. As the largest ship in the Disney fleet, a gargantuan blessing must be bestowed … I’ll do my darndest,” Downey said.

“Our new ship continues Disney Cruise Line’s tradition of bringing great stories to life at sea, and we are honored that Robert Downey Jr., who has guided audiences through unforgettable Marvel stories, is the official godparent for the Disney Adventure,” added Josh D’Amaro, Chairman, Disney Experiences and incoming Chief Executive Officer of The Walt Disney Company.

Downey Jr. being the ship's godparent is quite fitting, as there will be tons of Marvel-themed activities for guests to enjoy, including Tony Starks' Ironcycle Test Run. Alongside being inspired by the character Downey Jr. played in the MCU, it will be the first roller coaster on a Disney Cruise Line ship and the longest of its kind at sea.

There will also be an 'Avengers Assemble!' live stage production in the open-air Disney Imagination Garden area, and a Marvel WEB Workshop inside Disney's Oceanner Club for young recruits to "try out new Super Hero suit prototypes and conduct training simulations using top-secret Avengers technology."

It's that time of year: filing your tax return. It's a good day for people who overpay their taxes throughout the year and receive a nice fat check in return. It's not so good of a day for people who have claimed too many exemptions. Whatever the case, most Americans will need to file a tax return no later than April 15 and that's just two months away.

File Your Federal and State Tax Returns for Free

Wolfbox just released a new model in its "Mega Flow" series of electric air dusters. The Wolfbox MF60 Cordless Electric Air Duster has a list price of $49.99, but Amazon is offering a 36% off coupon code "3WAQD8AD" that drops it to $31.94 with free shipping. The MF60 looks nearly identical to the $80 MF100 but with slightly less powerful airflow and fewer accessories. At less than half the price, it's definitely a better value. Wolfbox is well-rated for its great build quality and sustained, powerful cfm output at an affordable price.

Wolfbox MF60 Cordless Electric Air Duster for $32

New release

Now is the time to retire that pedal-powered bike of yours and upgrade to electric. The price of electric assisted bikes has plummeted over the past year. Nowadays you can find a decent bike for well under $500. To kickstart the new year, AliExpress is offering the 5th Wheel AB17 500W 375Wh Electric Bike for a super low price of $279.41 after you apply $40 off coupon code "USSS40". This bike ships locally from a warehouse in the United States, with most orders being delivered within a week. That means you don't have to worry about tariffs, import fees, or egregiously long shipping times.

5th Wheel AB17 500W 375Wh Electric Bike for $279.41

I have absolutely no business adding to my backlog, yet here we are. This week’s multi-platform drop is one of those quietly dangerous ones where the quality ceiling is high and the prices are suspiciously low. I have played most of these, paid full freight for a few, and can confidently say some of these discounts sting in retrospect.

Contents

• Retro
• Nintendo
• Xbox
• PlayStation
• PC

This Day in Gaming 🎂

In retro celebrations, I’ve lit 21 stylus-themed candles for the original Nintendo DS. To say I was excited when I slapped down my A$199 at launch would be quite the understatement. This was, after all, Nintendo’s first bona fide step into something truly different and 3D-capable after 16 years of resizing Game Boy footprints while steadily beefing up their innards.

A bright frontier (that was actually well backlit) opened up to me when I lifted the two (!!) screen clamshell of this strange silver beast. The happy days that followed were punctuated by wireless PictoChat messages of questionable taste, circle strafing duels in the bundled Metroid: Prime Hunters: First Hunt demo, and mild RSI from doing so. In the fullness of time, the DS birthed the DS Lite, DSi, and DSi XL to the tune of 154M units sold. It also gave us iconic experiences like Mario Kart DS, Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow, and New Super Mario Bros. to name but a few bangers in its insane 3,000+ games library. Make no mistake; I simply adore my DS.

Aussie birthdays for notable games.

- Nintendo DS launch, 2005. eBay

- Super Mario 64 DS (DS) 2005. eBay

- Metroid Prime Hunters: First Hunt (DS) 2005. eBay

- WarioWare: Touched! (DS) 2005. eBay

- Black (PS2,XB) 2006. eBay

- Kirby's Epic Yarn (Wii) 2011. eBay

- Bulletstorm (PC,PS3,X360) 2011. Redux

Nice Savings for Nintendo Switch

• REANIMAL (-11%) - A$49 A grim co-op horror that feels built for siblings who enjoy mild trauma bonding. Short, sharp, and stylish, though the discount is modest. Worth it if the aesthetic already has you.
• BioShock: The Col. (-61%) - A$35 Three all-timers in one tidy package. Rapture still drips atmosphere, and Columbia still swings big. Shooting feels dated in spots, but the world-building carries it easily at this price.
• Tales of Vesperia: Def. Ed. (-31%) - A$54.90 A confident, character-driven JRPG with combat that opens up beautifully after a slow start. Yuri remains one of the series' better leads. Thirty percent off makes the time investment easier to justify.
• Kingdom Come Deliverance: Royal Ed. (-90%) - A$7.90 Stubbornly realistic and occasionally cruel, but unmatched if you want medieval life without fantasy padding. Expect friction. At under eight dollars, that friction feels earned rather than punishing.
• Pokemon Sword (-26%) - A$59 Streamlined and divisive, yet still a comfortable loop of catching and battling. The Wild Area was a clear turning point. Not the cheapest ever, but solid for newcomers.

Or gift a Nintendo eShop Card.

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Exciting Bargains for Xbox

• Baldur's Gate 3 (-25%) - A$78.70 Dense, reactive, and almost suspiciously generous with player choice. Turn-based combat sings once systems click. Still premium priced, but you are buying months of decisions.
• Cyberpunk 2077 (-65%) - A$31.40 Finally the sleek, systems-driven RPG it promised to be. Gunplay feels tight and Night City breathes properly. Early scars linger in memory, not in performance.
• Prince of Persia The Lost Crown (-62%) - A$19 A slick Metroidvania pivot that respects the series' roots while moving briskly. Combat is snappy and traversal smart. At under twenty dollars, it is hard to argue.
• DOOM Eternal (-80%) - A$10.90 Relentless, demanding, and still one of the best arena shooters ever made. Forces you to play properly. Ten bucks for this much adrenaline feels almost rude.
• It Takes Two (-80%) - A$11.90 Inventive co-op that refuses to repeat itself. Every level throws a new mechanic at you. Requires a reliable partner, which may be the real challenge.

Xbox One

• XCOM 2 (-57%) - A$29.90 Still brutally fair in that special Firaxis way. Missed shots hurt, victories feel earned. Performance is not perfect, but the tactics remain elite.
• Diablo III: Eternal Col. (-56%) - A$44.30 Polished loot treadmill with years of refinement behind it. Seasonal play keeps it fresh. Not groundbreaking anymore, but comfort food ARPG done right.
• Overcooked! All You Can Eat (-50%) - A$28.60 Chaotic couch co-op that tests friendships with surgical precision. Simple systems, escalating panic. Half price is fair compensation for the yelling.

Or just invest in an Xbox Card.

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Pure Scores for PlayStation

• Final Fantasy XVI (-40%) - A$50.60 A bold action-forward swing with spectacular boss fights. Story leans heavy and serious. Forty percent off softens the departure from classic party systems.
• Tales of Arise (-44%) - A$30.80 Flashy combat and a surprisingly grounded character arc. Pacing wobbles late, but the early hours are strong. Under thirty one dollars feels right.
• Astro Bot (-19%) - A$89 Pure platforming joy with hardware flex built in. A celebration of PlayStation history. Discount is light, yet the craft is obvious.
• God of War Ragnarok (-29%) - A$89 Bigger, denser, and more confident than its predecessor. Combat options expand meaningfully. Still a premium tag, but the production value is absurd.
• Armored Core VI Fires of Rubicon (-55%) - A$44.90 Tight, mission-based mech combat with deep build tinkering. Bosses demand adaptation. Half price is the sweet spot for experimenting with loadouts.

PS4

• Borderlands 3 (-66%) - A$34 Slick gunplay and mountains of loot, even if the humour misses occasionally. Co-op remains its best form. Two thirds off makes the chaos easy to recommend.
• Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor (-75%) - A$6.20 The Nemesis system still feels ahead of its time. Combat borrows confidently from Batman. For six dollars, it is a fascinating design study.
• NieR Replicant ver.1.22 (-70%) - A$26.90 Melancholic, strange, and structurally bold. Combat is improved over the original, though repetition lingers. Seventy percent off suits its cult status.

Or purchase a PS Store Card.

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Purchase Cheap for PC

• Disco Elysium - The Final Cut (-75%) - A$14.20 Razor sharp writing wrapped in a broken detective spiral. No traditional combat, just consequences. At this price, it is essential if you value narrative craft.
• What Remains of Edith Finch (-75%) - A$7.40 Short, inventive, and emotionally precise. Each vignette experiments with perspective. Not long, but unforgettable, and priced accordingly.
• Metro 2033 Redux (-90%) - A$2.90 Claustrophobic survival shooter with real bite. Ammo scarcity keeps you honest. Three dollars is barely a commitment for this much tension.
• Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii (-70%) - A$29.90 Wild premise, earnest heart. The series' shift toward turn-based systems still works, though side content will distract you for hours.
• Star Wars Jedi: Survivor (-75%) - A$18.70 Larger, moodier sequel with refined lightsaber combat. Performance issues once dominated the conversation. At seventy five percent off, the force feels balanced.

Or just get a Steam Wallet Card

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Not everyone is the DIY type. If you're in the market for a prebuilt gaming PC, Dell is one of the best brands we'd recommend. Alienware desktops and laptops feature solid build quality, top-of-the-line gaming performance, excellent cooling (further improved on the newer models), aggressive styling, and pricing that is very competitive with other pre-built options. Best of all, there are plenty of sales that happen throughout the year, so it's not difficult to grab one of these computers at considerably less than their retail price.

Dell and Alienware Coupons

Alienware Area-51 Gaming PC Deals

If you're seeking the absolute best of the best in PC gaming performance, look no further. Dell unveiled the new Alienware Area-51 gaming PC at CES 2025. The product photos don't give it due justice; this is a big chassis that towers over the Aurora R16 model with superior build quality and a redesigned cooling system with even greater airflow. This is the only model that can be configured with the hot and power hungry GeForce RTX 5090 graphics card. The first wave of Area-51 systems featured Intel CPUs exclusively, with AMD X3D options only available since late November.

Alienware Aurora R16 Gaming PC Deals

The Aurora R16 is Alienware's bread and butter gaming PC. It can be equipped with an Nvidia RTX 5060 graphics card all the way up to an RTX 5080 and the prices for Cyber Monday are extremely competitive with other brands. For example, currently Alienware has the least expensive prebuilt RTX 5080 gaming PC that I've found anywhere. Most of these systems are customizable, however it's not difficult to upgrade your own RAM and storage yourself.

Alienware Aurora Gaming Laptop Deals

Alienware's newest mainstream gaming laptop is dubbed the "Alienware Aurora" and it replaces the previous generation's x16 and m16 series of laptops. It comes in two models: the 16 and 16X. The 16 is the more economical model, but gamers should definitely opt for the higher-end 16X model. If you're looking for build quality and performance on par with the previous generation m16, then the 16X is its spiritual successor. It features an anodized aluminum lid and base, a higher quality display, a more powerful CPU, and a GPU that isn't throttled for maximum gaming performance.

Alienware Area-51 Gaming Laptop Deals

Alienware 18 Area-51 (18")

Alienware 16 Area-51 (16")

The Area-51 is Alienware's new flagship gaming laptop for 2025. It features an anodized aluminum shell for both the lid and bottom chassis with a gorgeous iridescent finish. The frame is made of a durable and lightweight magnesium alloy. Cooling has been upgraded with generous amounts of copper and a new thermal interface material to better transfer heat away from your hottest components as well as more fans and bigger cutouts for greater airflow. Dell claims that the laptop can handle a higher power ceiling of up to 240W TDP without raising acoustics.

Design-wise, the Area 51 has a sleeker, more contoured shape compared to previous models, with rounded edges and soft corners replacing the traditional squared off design. The hinges are internally positioned so that they're near invisible. There's a transparent window on the undercarriage to show off the internal components. As befits an Alienware laptop, there's plenty of RGB illunimation, although most of it can be turned off if you want your laptop to be a bit more subtle.

Eric Song is the IGN commerce manager in charge of finding the best gaming and tech deals every day. When Eric isn't hunting for deals for other people at work, he's hunting for deals for himself during his free time.

PlayStation’s Direct store is holding a sizeable sale on PS5 games, controllers, and even consoles, but there’s an added incentive for fans of Hideo Kojima’s Death Stranding 2: On the Beach.

The game is (for the time being), a PS5 exclusive, and marked one of 2025’s biggest releases on PS5, and you can snag its limited edition DualSense at a $20 discount right now.

Forza Horizon 6 comes out in May for PC (later for PS5), so why not get ready with this excellent deal on a popular racing wheel? For a limited time, Amazon is offering the Logitech G29 Racing Wheel and Pedal Set for just $179.99 with free shipping after you clip the coupon on the product page. That's a hefty 45% off and the lowest price I've seen on a brand new Logitech racing wheel so far this year. The G29 is compatible with both PlayStation 5 and PC.

Logitech G29 Racing Wheel and Pedals for $179.99

Amid the official statements and many tweets that followed one of the biggest shakeups ever at Xbox, one of its creators believes Microsoft’s true plan is to bring its gaming business to an end.

Seamus Blackley co-created Xbox at Microsoft, bringing to life Microsoft’s console hardware in 2001 before leaving just a year later. He has watched his former company hit the headlines as Phil Spencer and would-be successor Sarah Bond announced their exit. And in a new interview, he revealed what he believes to be new Xbox CEO Asha Sharma's actual mission — which sounds like nothing good for Xbox fans.

Speaking to GamesBeat, Blackley said that Xbox is not a core part of Microsoft’s all-encompassing AI push, and so “is being sunsetted.” Drafting in Sharma, who Blackley points out came from Microsoft’s AI team with no gaming background, is further evidence of the company’s true strategy, he claimed. “They don’t say that, but that’s what’s happening,” he went on. “I expect that the new CEO, Asha Sharma, her job is going to be as a palliative care doctor who slides Xbox gently into the night.”

Ryan Coogler’s The X-Files reboot is moving forward at Hulu with Danielle Deadwyler (Carry-On, Till) as one of its two stars.

Deadline reports the sci-fi revival from the mastermind behind last year’s Sinners has finally received a pilot order at the streamer after word of its existence emerged in 2023. In addition to gaining a co-lead in Deadwyler, the site says that See, The Copenhagen Test, and Dexter writer Jennifer Yale has been brought on as showrunner.

Here's a great opportunity to pick up a fully featured 3D printer for a supremely low price. AliExpress is currently offering the Anycubic Kobra 3 V2 3D Printer Combo - which also includes the Ace Pro multi-filament printing module - for just $199 with free delivery. You must sign in to see the $231 price drop to $199 (no coupon code is necessary). This is the first time I've seen this model sell for under $200. The exact same combo sells for $380 on Amazon.

You're buying it from Anycubic's official store on AliExpress. It ships free locally from the United States and arrives within 1 to 2 weeks. The Kobra 3 is an excellent option for any newcomer to 3D printing; it's easy to setup, it produces great 3D prints with minimal fiddling, there are plenty of mods available (that you can print yourself), all at a budget price.

Update: If you aren't seeing the price, try disabling any popup blockers. Don't forget to sign in.

Anycubic Kobra 3 3D Printer Combo for $199

Includes the Ace Pro Multi-Filament Printing Module (for multiple colors)

Looking for a PS5 game deal in the PlayStation Direct Store sale that’s full of action? You could do a lot worse than Stellar Blade.

Shift Up’s popular 2024 title is just $39.99 right now, a clean $10 off of its Black Friday pricing from last year. That’s a great deal, and Target is even matching it if you prefer to buy from there, netting you 43% off whichever way you slice it (get it? Because it’s a blade? Never mind).

Nowadays it's quite difficult to find an RTX 5070 Ti prebuilt for under $2,000, but not impossible. Lenovo currently has a Legion Tower 5 RTX 5070 Ti gaming PC for just $1,859.99 after you apply two stackable coupon codes "EXTRAFIVE" and "BUYMORELENOVO". It's paired with an Intel Core Ultra 9 processor and 32GB of DDR5 RAM.

Thinking of saving money by building your own DIY RTX 5070 Ti system? Think again. With the rising prices of GPUs, the RTX 5070 Ti graphics card is currently selling for at least $250 over MSRP. Other comparable options, such as the Radeon RX 9070 XT or RTX 5080, also have a steep markup.

Lenovo Legion Tower 5 RTX 5070 Ti Gaming PC for $1860

Use stackable coupons "EXTRAFIVE" and "BUYMORELENOVO"

The ever-reliable PlayStation Plus leaker billbil-kun has revealed the headline game for March 2026.

As reported on dealabs, PGA Tour 2K25 will be available to download from March 3 to April 7 free for all PS Plus subscribers (Essential, Extra, and Premium). Expect an announcement from Sony this Wednesday, February 25.

PS Plus is a regular stomping ground for old 2K sports games (indeed previous PGA Tour games have hit PS Plus), so the addition of PGA Tour 2K25 comes as little surprise. The golf sim launched on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S, and PC in February 2025, so it hits PS Plus just over a year later. A Nintendo Switch 2 version came out earlier this month.

IGN’s PGA Tour 2K25 review returned an 8/10. We said: “PGA Tour 2K25 comes back strong, with substantial changes to how it looks and plays bringing it within striking distance of the competition.”

The rest of March’s PS Plus lineup remains under wraps for now (expect the additional games to be confirmed alongside PGA Tour 2K25 on Wednesday). You’ve got until March 3 to grab February’s games before they’re rotated out of the subscription service.

PlayStation Plus February 2026 Monthly Games Lineup

• Undisputed (PS5)
• Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown (PS4)
• Ultros (PS4, PS5)
• Subnautica: Below Zero (PS4, PS5)

While you wait, check out which game we crowned the best PlayStation game of 2025 alongside all of our other big winners of the year. And for more on what PlayStation has in store for 2026 and beyond, check out our roundup of this month's State of Play showcase.

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.

Nothing posted an image of the Nothing Phone 4a on X today, showing off the upcoming clear-backed phone. The 4a has an updated rear design, including a new "Glyph Bar," an evolution of the Glyph notification lights feature on past Nothing Phones. Its one of a few teasing posts the company has published in recent days, ahead of a fuller reveal at 2:30AM PT on March 5th.

The Glyph Bar will be one of the most noticeable differences versus the Nothing Phone 3a. The company teased the new feature in a post last week, writing that it would feature nine individually-controllable squares of LED lights instead of the curved lightstrips that the phones have had in the past. The company says they'll be 40% brighter than its older a-series phones, and will feature "a more natural, neutral, bleed-free glow." Visually, the phone otherwise looks a lot like its predecessor.