We've made it, friends. The last month of the year has arrived, and it's bringing a handful of new PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, Switch 2, and PC games to see us through until the new year. Most (but not all!) of the biggest games of 2025 have already arrived, but a few more are yet to come. This month we get games like Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, Octopath Traveler 0, and perhaps most importantly, Terminator 2D: No Fate. Read on to see release dates for all the biggest games and expansions coming out this month and beyond. Let's have a look.

If you're the preordering type, you can click the links for the platform of your choice to see the game at Amazon (if available).

December 2025 - Video Game Release Dates

• Marvel's Cosmic Invasion - December 1 - (PS5, PS4, Switch 1/2, Xbox, PC)
• Assassin's Creed Shadows - December 2 - (Switch 2)
• Destiny 2: Renegades (expansion) - December 2 - (PS5, Xbox, PC)
• Holy Justice: Galaxy Outcast - December 2 - (PC)
• Rising Heat - December 2 - (PC)
• She's Leaving - December 2 - (PS5, Xbox, PC)
• Simogo Legacy Collection - December 2 - (Switch, Switch 2, PC)
• Let It Die: Inferno - December 3 - (PS5, PC)
• Popucom - December 3 - (Switch)
• Blood: Refreshed Supply - December 4 - (PS5, PS4, Switch, Xbox, PC)
• Cloudheim - December 4 - (PC)
• Elden Ring Nightreign: The Forsaken Hollows (DLC) - December 4 - (PS5, Xbox, PC)
• Metroid Prime 4: Beyond - December 4 - (Switch, Switch 2)
• Night Swarm - December 4 - (PC)
• Northgard: Definitive Edition - December 4 - (PC)
• Octopath Traveler 0 - December 4 - (PS5, PS4, Switch, Switch 2, Xbox, PC)
• Routine - December 4 - (Xbox, PC)
• Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition - December 4 - (Switch 2)
• Thief VR: Legacy of Shadows - December 4 - (PSVR 2, Quest 2/3, Steam VR)
• Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 - December 8 - (PS5)
• Yakuza Kiwami 1+2 - December 8 - (PS5, Xbox)
• Unbeatable - December 9 - (PS5, Xbox, PC)
• Farming Simulator: Signature Edition - December 10 - (Switch 2)
• Montezuma's Revenger: The 40th Anniversary Edition - December 10 - (PS5, Switch, Xbox)
• Mutant Football League 2 - December 10 - (PS5, Xbox, PC)
• Bluey's Quest for the Gold Pen - December 11 - (iOS)
• Star Trek: Infection - December 11 - (Meta Quest, PSVR 2)
• Pioneers of Pagonia - December 11 - (PC)
• Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader - December 11 - (Switch 2)
• Terminator 2D: No Fate - December 12 - (PS5, PS4, Xbox, Switch, PC)
• Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora - From the Ashes (DLC) - December 19 - (PS5, Xbox, PC)

January 2026 - Video Game Release Dates

• Dragon Warriors Origins - January 22 - (Switch, Switch 2)
• Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade - January 22 - (Switch 2, Xbox)
• The Seven Deadly Sins: Origin - January 28 - (PS5, PC)
• Code Vein II - January 30 - (PS5, Xbox, PC)

February 2026 - Video Game Release Dates

• Nioh 3 - February 6 - (PS5, PC)
• Dragon Quest VII Reimagined - February 5 - (PS5, Switch, Switch 2, Xbox, PC)
• Mario Tennis Fever - February 12 - (Switch 2)
• Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties - February 12 - (PS5, PS4, Switch 2, Xbox, PC)
• High on Life 2 - February 13 - (PS5, Xbox, PC)
• Virtual Boy: Nintendo Classics (NSO) - Feburary 17 - (Switch, Switch 2)
• Styx: Blades of Greed - February 19 - (PS5, Xbox, PC)
• Tides of Tomorrow - February 24 - (PS5)
• Resident Evil Requiem - February 27 - (PS5, Xbox, Switch 2, PC)
• Resident Evil 7 - February 27 - (Switch 2)
• Resident Evil Village - February 27 - (Switch 2)

March 2026 - Video Game Release Dates

• Pokemon Pokopia - March 5 - (Switch 2)
• Monster Hunter Stories 3 - March 13 - (Switch 2)
• Crimson Desert - March 19 - (PS5, Xbox, PC)
• Dynasty Warriors 3 Complete Edition Remastered - March 19 - (PS5, Switch, Switch 2, Xbox, PC)
• Mouse: P.I. for Hire - March 19 - (PS5, Switch, Switch 2, Xbox, PC)
• 007 First Light - March 27 - (PS5, Xbox, Switch 2, PC)

September 2026 - Video Game Release Dates

• Halloween: The Game - September 8, 2026 - (PS5, Xbox, PC)

November 2026 - Video Game Release Dates

• Grand Theft Auto 6 - November 19, 2026 - (PS5, Xbox)

Upcoming Video Games - Release Date TBA

• The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales - 2026 - (Switch 2)
• Animo - 2026 - (Xbox, PC)
• Aphelion - 2026 - (PS5, Xbox, PC)
• ArcheAge Chronicles - 2026 - (PS5, Xbox, PC)
• Ark 2 - TBA - (PC)
• At Fate’s End - 2026 - (PS5, Xbox, PC)
• Atomic Heart 2 - TBA - (PS5, Xbox, PC)
• Battlestar Galactica: Scattered Hopes - Early 2026 - (PC)
• Beast of Reincarnation - 2026 - (PS5, Xbox, PC)
• Black Myth: Jhong Kui - TBA
• Blackfrost: The Long Dark II - TBA
• Blade Runner 2033: Labyrinth - TBA - (PS5, Xbox, PC)
• The Blood of Dawnwalker - 2026 - (PS5, Xbox, PC)
• Bloodstained: The Scarlet Engagement - 2026 - (PS5)
• Borderlands 4 - TBA - (Switch 2)
• Bubsy 4D - TBA - (PS5, Switch, Xbox, PC)
• Cairn - 2026 - (PS5)
• Chronicles: Medieval - 2026 - (PC)
• Chronoscript: The Endless End - 2026 - (PS5, PC)
• Clockwork Revolution - TBA - (Xbox, PC)
• Coffee Talk Tokyo - 2025 - (Switch, PC)
• Contraband - TBA - (Xbox, PC)
• Danganronpa 2x2 - 2026 - (Switch, Switch 2)
• Directive 8020: A Dark Pictures Game - H1 2026 - (PS5)
• The Duskbloods - 2026 - (Switch 2)

• Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition - 2026 - (Switch 2)
• The Eternal Life of Goldman - Holiday 2025 - (PS5, Switch, Xbox, PC)
• Everwild - TBA - (Xbox, PC)
• Fable - 2026 - (Xbox, PC)
• Fallout 4: Anniversary Edition - 2026 - (Switch 2)
• Fatal Frame 2: Crimson Butterfly Remake - Early 2026 - (Switch 2)
• Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave - 2026 - (Switch 2)
• Forza Horizon 6 - 2026 - (Xbox, PC, PS5 later)
• Frostpunk 1886 - 2027 - (PC)
• Game of Thrones: War for Westeros - 2026 - (PC)
• Gears of War: E-Day - TBA - (Xbox, PC)
• Hail Macbeth - Q1 2026 - (PC)
• Hela - 2026 - (Switch 2)
• He-Man and the Masters of the Universe: Dragon Pearl of Destruction - TBA - (PS5, Switch, Xbox, PC)
• ILL - TBA - (PS5, Xbox, PC)
• Indiana Jones and the Great Circle - 2026 - (Switch 2)
• Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet - TBA - (PS5)
• Invincible Vs - 2026 - (PS5, Xbox, PC)
• John Carpenter's Toxic Commando - Early 2026 - (PS5, Xbox, PC)
• Judas - TBA - (PS5, Xbox, PC)
• Jurassic Park: Survival - TBA - (PS5, Xbox, PC)

• LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight - 2026 - (PS5, Switch 2, Xbox, PC)
• Little Devil Inside - TBA - (PS5, Switch, Xbox)
• Lord of the Fallen II - 2026 - (PS5, Xbox, PC)
• Marathon - TBA - (PS5, Xbox, PC)
• Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra - TBA
• Marvel Tokon Fighting Souls - 2026 - (PS5, PC)
• Marvel's Blade - TBA - (Xbox, PC)
• Mio: Memories in Orbit - 2025 - (Switch)
• Mixtape - 2026 - (PS5, Xbox, PC)
• Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection - 2026 - (Switch 2)
• Mortal Shell 2 - 2026 - (PS5, Xbox, PC)
• Mudang: Two Hearts - 2026 - (PS5, Xbox, PC)
• OD - TBA - (Xbox)
• Okami 2 - TBA
• Onimusha: Way of the Sword - 2026 - (PS5, Xbox, PC)
• Persona 4 Revival - TBA - (PS5, Xbox, PC)
• Phantom Blade 0 - 2026 - (PS5)
• Phantom Hellcat - TBA - (PS5, Xbox, PC)
• Pokemon Champions - TBA - (Switch, mobile)
• Planet of Lana 2: Children of the Leaf - 2026 - (PS5, Xbox, Switch, PC)
• Pragmata - 2026
• Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time remake - 2026 - (PS5, Xbox, PC)
• Professor Layton and the New World of Steam - 2026 - (Switch, Switch 2)
• PVKK - Summer 2026 - (PC)
• Replaced - 2026 - (Xbox, PC)
• Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy - 2026 - (PS5, Xbox, PC)
• Rhythm Heaven Groove - 2026 - (Switch)
• Road Kings - 2026 - (PS5, Xbox, PC)
• Romeo Is a Dead Man - 2026 (PS5)
• Saros - 2026 - (PS5)
• Scott Pilgrim EX - 2026 - (PS5, Xbox, Switch, PC)
• Screamer - 2026 - (PS5, Xbox, PC)
• Sea of Remnants - 2026 - (PS5)
• The Sinking City 2 - 2026 - (Xbox, PC)
• Slay the Spire 2 - early access in 2025 - (PC)
• Solo Leveling Arise Overdrive - 2026 - (Xbox, PC)
• Splatoon Raiders - TBA - (Switch 2)
• Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic Remake - TBA - (PS5)
• State of Decay 3 - TBA (Xbox, PC)

• STEINS;GATE RE:BOOT - 2026 - (PC)
• Super Mario Bros Wonder: Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Meetup in Bellabel Park - Spring 2026 - (Switch 2)
• Super Meat Boy 3D - Early 2026 - (PS5, Xbox, PC)
• Terminator: Survivors - TBA - (PS5, Xbox, PC)
• There Are No Ghosts at the Grand - 2026 - (Xbox, PC)
• Tides of Annihilation - TBA - (PS5, Xbox, PC)
• Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream - Spring 2026 - (Switch)
• Turok Origins - TBA - (PS5, Xbox, PC)
• Valor Mortis - TBA - (PS5, Xbox, PC)
• Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 - 2026 - (PS5, Xbox, PC)
• Warhammer 40,000: Dark Heresy - TBA (PS5, Xbox, PC)
• Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 4 - 2026 (PC)
• Warhammer Survivor - 2026 (PC)
• Witchbrook - 2026 - (Switch, Xbox, PC)
• The Witcher 4 - TBA
• The Wolf Among Us 2 - TBA - (PS5, Xbox, PC)
• Wolverine - Fall 2026 - (PS5)
• World of Warcraft: Midnight (expansion) - 2026 - (PC)
• Wu-Tang: Rise of the Deceiver - TBA - (PC)
• Yoshi and the Mysterious Book - Spring 2026 - (Switch 2)
• Zero Parades - 2026 - (PS5, PC)

For more release dates, check out our ongoing list of 4K UHD and Blu-ray release dates.

Chris Reed is a commerce editor and deals expert for IGN. He also runs IGN's board game and LEGO coverage. You can follow him on Bluesky.

Post Black Friday and Cyber Monday, Lenovo continues to dish out great deals on its Legion gaming lineup thanks to some coupon codes that are still live. For example, you can pick up this Legion Tower 7 RTX 5080 gaming PC for just $1,979.99 after you stack two coupon codes: "EXTRAFIVE" and "LENOVOHOLIDEAL". If you're looking for a future-proof system, this PC is powerful enough to set you up for high-fps 4K gaming for years to come.

Lenovo Legion Tower 7 RTX 5080 Gaming PC for $1,980

For TV/gaming enthusiasts on a budget, we live in a remarkable time: A 65" 4K television can be had for as little as $300. Before you get too excited, we’d argue that this Big Box Retailer Special class of TVs is compromised in so many ways that the gaming experience is simply not good enough. At best, you'll be getting a dim TV with poor viewing angles, limited color depth, no high refresh rates, and lackluster pixel response times.

These TVs don't look much different from a mid-range TV pulled straight out of 2016, and they likely won't last anywhere near as long. Can you play games on it? Sure, but based on our testing, we’ve found the true entry point for gaming TVs really starts around $650. That’s where we finally get access to tech that was just barely creeping into very expensive, high-end sets a decade ago. I'm confident enough to say that our winner for the best budget gaming TV, the TCL QM6K, has met and/or exceeded that previous top-end performance.

But first, a bit about our criteria.

All candidates in the budget gaming TV category had to meet three specific requirements:

1. Full array local dimming
2. Quantum dot or other enhanced backlight
3. 120Hz + refresh rate with Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) support

There are a lot of “decent” televisions out there that meet some of these criteria ($300 buys you none), but in 2025, great HDR gaming requires all three. Edge-lit TVs can’t show the stark local contrast that makes HDR content pop, and they suffer from serious blooming, especially off-angle. Standard LED backlights also fall well short of covering the DCI-P3 color space, leaving pictures dull and lifeless. And with modern gaming consoles fully supporting 120Hz “performance” modes with VRR, a fixed 60Hz refresh rate means the gaming experience is tarnished with the tearing and judder associated with typical V-Sync behavior.

We know that $650 seems steep for a budget category, but we’re honestly impressed with TCL’s ability to deliver high-end features – ones that make HDR gaming quite literally a game-changing experience – into a package that only costs $650. TCL isn’t alone, though; Hisense is also incredibly competitive at the entry level, and its U65QF was right up there in contention for the win. Both are great sets (the U65QF is brighter and more colorful), but the QM6K gets the nod because its motion performance – critical for blur-free gaming – is stand-out better.

Speaking of motion performance, LG’s entry-tier B5 OLED, with its perfect response times, is still the superior option for gamers who demand the best, pure gaming experience, but at $1,000 for the 65” version, it represents a serious hike in price, stretching the bounds of our budget category.

TL;DR: These Are the Best Budget Gaming TVs

1. TLCL QM6K

Best Budget Gaming TV

2. Hisense U65QF

Second-Best Gaming TV

If only Hisense paid a bit more attention to its response time tuning, the U65QF would be the easy choice for budget gamers. Smeary motion lets down an otherwise brilliant, high refresh rate screen: 1,000 nits at entry level, deep, vibrant colors, and well behaved local dimming with 300 zones make HDR really pop.

Let’s get it out of the way: the U65QF would have taken top spot over the QM6K in our budget recommendation if Hisense spent more time cleaning up and tuning the panel’s pixel response times.

Preliminary results from my upcoming review are done, and the measurements indicate that Hisense has all the necessary ingredients for a great HDR gaming display: I measured 1,000-nit highlights over 25% of the screen, 300 backlight zones from a 30x10 array keep blooming and haloing in check while keeping blacks seriously dark, and its KSF enhanced backlight delivers excellent coverage of the DCI-P3 color space. This means it’s both brighter and more colorful than the TCL.

The two sets are otherwise remarkably similar. Both support 4K 144Hz via two primary HDMI 2.1 ports, have VRR and ALLM for stutter free gaming, and have low input lag in their Game modes. They also share similar weaknesses. Their semi-gloss screens don’t do a great job of reducing reflections in bright rooms, and both share limited viewing angles, inherent to VA LCD technology, although we were impressed with the QM6K’s ability to maintain saturation and contrast off-angle.

TestUFO pursuit shots of the Hisense, though, paint a scary picture for gamers. The long trails behind the aliens are the result of very slow gray-to-gray transitions, often in the 20-30ms range. Hisense, unlike TCL, hasn’t implemented any type of overdrive to speed up some of these transitions, so gaming will look a lot like the TestUFO shot above: smeary. It’s such a shame, too, because Hisense is so close to delivering a real budget winner for gamers.

If you’re a stickler for motion performance like I am, the QM6K is the clear winner for the budget gaming category. TCL’s effort and work tuning their pixel overdrive simply makes it the better gaming display. But if you do more than just game, Hisense’s U65QF offers a better HDR experience for TV and movies – one that’s unmatched at this price point. Just be prepared to tolerate a little blur when gaming.

3. LG B5 OLED

Best Stretch-the-Budget Gaming TV

Budget gamers who demand the best motion performance should really take a look at LG's entry level OLED, the B5. While not particularly impressive in bright rooms, in a dedicated (read: dark) gaming room, the B5 simply offers a far better experience than LCD competitors.

I know, $1,000 is a tough pill to swallow for a supposedly “budget” pick, but in spite of Herculean efforts by major LCD manufacturers, the chasm between the pixel response of LCD and OLED has not been overcome and will likely never be; smudging, smearing, trailing, overshoot, and inverse ghosting are all, to some degree or another, part-in-parcel with LCD tech. Not so with OLED. OLEDs are also immune from the distracting loss of contrast and color off-axis typical of VA LCD panels.

OLED is the alternative for those sensitive to these foibles, and LG’s B5 is the lowest priced entry into large format OLED displays, with the 65” version currently on sale for $1,000. But dropping a grand buys you perfect, square wave response times for sample-and-hold limited clarity in games, no matter the frame rate, with the requisite support for G-SYNC/FreeSync VRR. If you haven’t played a 120fps title on an OLED, I really recommend giving it a try.

It also buys you excellent, punchy HDR highlights north of 800 nits. While this isn’t quite as bright as something like Hisense’s U65QF (1,000+ nits), the B5 has far superior local contrast: 8.3 million pixels, “zones” that can be individually controlled. The Hisense has 300. Even TVs with 10x that zone count still aren’t fully immune from bloom and haloing.

Biggest downside (and this is a big one) is fullscreen brightness, where the B5 is particularly weak: 150 nits. To get an idea of just how dim this is, the image above shows the stark difference in a bright room between 780 nits and 250. If your space looks anything like my living room, the B5 is a no-go if you were planning on doing any gaming during the day. LG’s higher tier C5 and G5 models get substantially brighter if you’re willing to pay a premium, but I just wish the B5 wasn’t given such short shrift.

My intention isn’t to be too harsh on the B5; if you can control the lighting in your space, it really does offer a better gaming experience than the other two budget LCD picks. As a gamer, I’m a “convert to the OLED” team. Samsung’s S90F, our best overall gaming TV, convinced me, and I devote a decent portion of that review to explaining why. Yes, the B5 is more expensive than our budget winner, TCL’s QM6K, but if you’re anything like me, the jump to OLED is more than worth it.

The Lenovo Legion Go S was on sale for most of Black Friday and Cyber Monday. This was far and away the best deal I saw on any handheld gaming PC. Fortunately, the deal is still available for just a little while longer. Lenovo is currently offering the Legion Go S Ryzen Z2 Go SteamOS handheld for $449.99 with free delivery after a $200 off instant discount. I'm not sure how long this deal will last, but once it's gone, it won't come back at least for 2025.

$200 Off Lenovo Legion Go S Z2 Go SteamOS Edition

Harry Potter is one of those sprawling franchises that has fans in just about every age group. There are the adults who have core memories of the series as well as youngsters who are just now discovering the books and movies for the first time. I myself have been a fan of the Harry Potter franchise since I was first able to read full novels. I remember waiting in line at my local Barnes & Noble for each new book in the series and devouring every word as soon as I got my hands on it.

Now that Harry Potter has infiltrated almost every medium and not just one of the best-selling books of all time, there are enough gifts for Harry Potter fans out there to fill the depths of Gringotts. If you're looking for the perfect Potter thing to buy for yourself or the fan in your life, I've gone ahead and narrowed it down for you with some of my top gift picks from over the years, all of which are great for Christmas.

Gifts for LEGO Fans

Gifts for Fans of the Books

Gifts for Fans of the Movies

Gifts for Gamers

Gifts for the Home

Gifts for Puzzlers

Are you one of the lucky deal hunters who score the Ninteno Switch 2 Cyber Monday console deal (if you haven't, it's still available)? Have you been holding off on a memory card upgrade until prices have dropped? If you answered "yes" to both questions, then you, my fellow Nintendo gamer, are in luck.

On Black Friday and Cyber Monday, a couple of Switch 2 compatible MicroSD Express cards went up for sale. Most of these deals are now expired, save for the most popular one. Amazon is still offering the 512GB Samsung P9 MicroSD Express card for $74.99. This is still the best price I've seen to date for a 512GB Switch 2 memory card and you should get it now before it expires. You'll probably need to expand your storage down the road anyway, so you might as well do it while it's on sale. It would also make an excellent gift idea for any Switch 2 owner.

Samsung P9 MicroSD Express Memory Cards

Nintendo Switch 2 compatible

Big Pokémon plush energy is back on the menu, with major price cuts on premium-level plushies at both Walmart and Amazon.

Both retailers have quietly rolled out fresh discounts on the wildly popular 24-inch premium Pokémon plush line, with prices slashed as low as $20, marking savings of up to $78 depending on the Pocket Monster.

No matter what kind of Pokémon fan you are, there’s a giant cuddle-monster waiting to be adopted at a price that feels almost suspiciously generous.

These oversized plushies, officially licensed and produced by Jazwares, have become something of a big hit thanks to their exacting anime-style details, ultra-soft material, and massive amount of plush for your buck.

Each plush stands a full two feet tall, meaning scale accuracy has been tossed out the window in favour of pure, unrepentant huggability.

The standout deal once again goes to everyone’s favourite feline, Sprigatito, whose usual premium price hovers close to triple digits. Walmart now have the Grass Cat Pokemon listed for just $20, making it the best bargain of the bunch.

Pikachu, Psyduck, and Dragonite are also joining the price-cut parade, matching the same low $20 offer depending on retailer availability. If you’ve ever wanted Psyduck’s derpy face on your couch or Dragonite’s comforting dad-energy by your bedside, this is the bargain for you.

What makes these plushies so appealing altogether, though, is the craftsmanship. Embroidered faces, reinforced stitching, and dense, pillow-like stuffing give them that ‘premium but still huggable’ feel that cheaper character plushies just can’t replicate. They’re durable enough for kids, fir for display by collectors, and cosy enough for anyone who needs a reliable nap companion.

We don’t expect all of these to last long, especially for Sprigatito, so grab one now rather than later if you’re keen.

Ben Williams – IGN freelance contributor with over 10 years of experience covering gaming, tech, film, TV, and anime. Follow him on Twitter/X @BenLevelTen.

Amazon appears to have removed an English dub track that featured AI voices from the anime series Banana Fish after fans spotted that there was an “AI beta” of an English dub included in the ‘Audio Languages’ option on the streamer.

A video that highlighted the AI voices used in the dub made its way through social media and led to some serious criticism from subscribers, fans, influencers, and more. “Amazon has started using AI to add English Dubs to anime like BANANA FISH,” one streamer wrote on Twitter/X alongside a clip with the dub included. “It’s really quite terrible and shows how important real actors are.”

Amazon's AI English Dub for Banana Fish is hilariously bad at times.#BANANAFISH pic.twitter.com/CtiE47W4yh

— Otaku Spirit (@OtakuSpirited) November 29, 2025

It appears as though Amazon saw the blowback and pulled the option from the Prime offering — and because of the removal, there is now no English language dub option at all.

This isn’t the first time anime has been the target of AI controversies lately. The upcoming series Sekiro: No Defeat recently came under fire for alleged usage of AI art, but Crunchyroll went on to go on the record and state that the show, which will arrive in 2026 will be “a fully hand-drawn 2D animation” project.

The company and streamer also went as far as to recently confirm that they won’t use AI in their creative process, which includes hiring real voice actors.

"We consider them to be creators because they are contributing to the story and plot with their voice," Crunchyroll CEO Shams Purini told Forbes in an interview back in April. Let’s hope other streamers start to see it the way Crunchyroll does.

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

Black Friday and Cyber Monday may be over, but Sonos has decided to continue the deals extravaganza with a new 48-hour Cyber Sale. For Tuesday and Wednesday, you can score some new discounts on select certified refurbished soundbars, speakers, and subs. Sonos refurbished products come like new, in pristine packaging with all the original accessories. They even come with the same one year warranty as a brand new product.

Sonos Era 100 Smart Speaker

Last week, we reported that disturbing horror game Horses had been banned from Steam, with developer Santa Ragione claiming that Valve refused to provide a clear reason for the ban or discuss it further with the studio. Now, at the last possible minute before the game was set to release widely across other PC store fronts, Epic Games Store has also banned Horses.

This news was shared with us by Santa Ragione, who passed on a press release stating that Epic informed them 24 hours before the game's release that it would not be distributing Horses, despite the studio's build being approved for release weeks earlier. Per the developer, no specifics on what content was at issue were provided, "only broad and demonstrably incorrect claims that it violated their content guidelines." The studio has shared the text of the email sent to them from Epic banning the game, which an Epic Games Store representative has confirmed is accurate. It is as follows:

We are unable to distribute Horses on the Epic Games Store because our review found violations of the Epic Games Store Content Guidelines, specifically the ‘Inappropriate Content’ and ‘Hateful or Abusive Content’ policies. The ‘Inappropriate Content’ policy prohibits content which “contains explicit or frequent depictions of sexual behavior or not appropriately labeled, rated, or age-gated.” The ‘Hateful or Abusive Content’ policy prohibits content that promotes abuse and animal abuse. This content is prohibited by our Guidelines and cannot be distributed on the Epic Games Store. Additionally, when we [Epic] filled out the IARC Questionnaire based on the content that we reviewed, it received an Adult Only (AO) rating. Products with AO ratings cannot be distributed on the Epic Games Store (the only exception is for products in cases where an AO rating was applied solely due to the usage of blockchain or NFT technology). You have some options on how to move forward: 1. You can make updates to your product to ensure compliance and resubmit it for review. 2. If you believe we made a mistake, you also have the ability to appeal this decision. You can appeal by replying to this email or creating a private discussion on our Developer Support site. Select "Epic Games Store" as the topic. 3. You cannot change the title or content to repurpose it for another game. If you choose not to move forward, we'll refund your submission fee for this product.

When Santa Ragione appealed, the studio says it was denied 12 hours later "without further explanation." Notably, the studio has also stated on social media that its own IARC Questionnaire submission came back with an "M" for "Mature" rating rather than "AO". It is unclear what caused the discrepancy.

As Santa Ragione explains the situation:

Epic's decision comes after the overwhelming support Santa Ragione received last week upon the disclosure of Steam's ban, including the public announcement by Epic's and Steam's competitor GOG that they would promote and support the game. We do not know what triggered Epic's sudden decision. Following the announcement of Steam's ban, Horses became highly visible online, with strong support and a small but vocal opposition. It is difficult not to wonder whether this visibility played a greater role in Epic's choice than any newly discovered issue with the game itself.

IGN asked Epic Games for comment, and received the following statement from an Epic Games spokesperson: "We set clear guidelines for the content that can be distributed on the Epic Games Store and found violations of those guidelines during our extensive review."

At the time of this article's publication, Horses is still listed as "Coming Soon" on the Epic Games Store.

Horses was previously revealed several years ago, and has made appearances in showcases like The Indie Horror Showcase and Day of the Devs. It's gained some attention for its deeply unsettling premise: a young man travels to a remote horse farm to work for several weeks over the summer, only to find the farmer's "horses" are actually enslaved, naked humans with horse masks affixed to their heads. Horses, says Santa Ragione, is meant to be upsetting: it's at least partly a commentary on what sorts of morally horrifying things people will accept or even participate in without pushback, a subject we found was executed artfully, if upsettingly, in our 7/10 review of the game.

And yet, the game has been banned from now both Steam and Epic. Last week, we reported that developer Santa Ragione said it was rejected from Steam after the team submitted an unfinished but playable build of the game in order to create a store page, an unusual request that Valve said was necessary. Valve then rejected Horses, generally citing its Steam Onboarding Documentation, as well as the sentence, "Regardless of a developer’s intentions with their product, we will not distribute content that appears, in our judgment, to depict sexual conduct involving a minor."

Santa Ragione has since guessed this was in relation to a scene in the game at the time that depicted a fully clothed child "riding" one of the horses on their shoulders. However, the studio says it has since changed that scene to involve an adult instead of a child, and that all characters in the game are clearly adults in their 20s and up, a fact that has remained true in the final version of the game that IGN reviewed, ironically, on the Epic Games Store. Santa Ragione says it was not given the opportunity to resubmit a build to be reconsidered by Valve, and remains unsure if this scene was even what triggered the ban in the first place. The studio claims that without being able to reach Steam's much larger audience, it is likely it will have to shut down following the launch of Horses.

In response, Valve issued a statement claiming it "gave the developer feedback about why we couldn’t ship the game on Steam, consistent with our onboarding rules and guidelines" and that its internal content review team discussed a re-review "extensively" but decided against it.

Horses is now available on itch.io, GOG (which publicly expressed support for the game last week), and Humble (which Santa Ragione says confirmed to the studio it would be available).

Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.

PlayStation hardware architect Mark Cerny has recalled his time working at Sega in the late 1980s, a period in which he likened conditions at the company behind Sonic the Hedgehog to a "sweatshop."

Speaking on the My Perfect Console podcast, Cerny made clear he was talking about Sega's Tokyo office during a specific period of time, when the company was under immense pressure to compete with the hugely dominant Nintendo, and teams sizes across the video games industry were tiny compared to the projects worked upon today.

"Atari had been one person making a game, maybe two or three," Cerny recalled. "By this point there were actual teams, it tended to be about three people at Sega making a cartridge. So you'd have a programmer — that was me — a designer and an artist.

The Nintendo Switch 2 is here! If you grabbed one (or ended up being one of the lucky early holdouts who managed to catch a Switch 2 at its first-ever discount), keep in mind that it only has 256GB of storage built-in. If you want to load up on games without having to deal with uninstalling and reinstalling over and over, you’re going to want to expand that storage. Unlike the original Nintendo Switch, the new console requires a MicroSD Express card – which are faster, but more expensive than other UHS-based SD cards.

The Best MicroSD Express Cards for Switch 2 Right Now

MicroSD Express cards have been around for a while, but there are only a few on the market right now as creative professionals haven’t really found much of a use for them. However, with the Switch 2 launch, there's been a deluge of Express cards to fill that gap.

My colleagues and I are in the process of testing these cards – including that super cheap Walmart-brand one, which is fine – but if we were to recommend any based on experience, these are the MicroSD Express cards (an essential Switch 2 accessory!) we'd say to buy right now. These come from reputable manufacturers that have a track record of making excellent storage expansion cards. We'll be updating this as we play around with the Switch 2 and SD cards.

Why MicroSD Express?

Unlike many devices, the Nintendo Switch 2 is mandating a MicroSD Express card for storage expansion. Nintendo hasn’t really explained its reasoning behind the decision, but it’s not hard to see why it might want to require faster storage.

For one, the flash storage built into the system is the same kind of UFS flash that powers most smartphones. This storage is much faster than the eMMC drive in the original Switch, and it’s likely Nintendo wanted its developers to be able to count on that kind of storage speed, no matter if the game is being stored internally or on an expansion card.

The only thing you can use a regular old MicroSD card for is loading screenshots and videos you took on your first-gen Switch. That means unlike something like the PS5, which allows you to store last-generation games on slower external drives, Nintendo isn’t allowing for any wiggle room here. If you want to expand the Nintendo Switch 2 storage, you’re going to need a MicroSD Express card.

1. Lexar Play Pro

The Best MicroSD Express Card

2. SanDisk MicroSD Express

Best 256GB MicroSD Express Card

3. Samsung MicroSD Express for Switch 2

The Best (and Only) Official MicroSD Express Card

4. Onn MicroSD Express Card

Best Budget MicroSD Express Card

The Cyber Monday sale event may technically be over now, but some retailers aren't slowing down their savings just yet. Woot's 'Video Game Mega Sale!' is still going strong, and if you've been hoping to grab a new Xbox controller, it's offering a Carbon Black model with a USB-C cable for $37.99 (see it here). Usually this controller retails for $64.99, so this discount knocks it down by 42%.

Xbox Wireless Gaming Controller (Carbon Black) + USB-C Cable for $37.99

We're just a few weeks away from 2026, and LEGO is ready to kickstart the new year with some brand new Star Wars sets. The company has revealed three new builds that are gearing up to be released on January 1, 2026: an AT-AT, a Venator-Class Attack Cruiser, and a build of BB-8. What's even better is they're already available to preorder, so you can secure a set for yourself now to start piecing together at the start of the year.

The AT-AT set is currently available to preorder for $64.99, the Venator-Class Attack Cruiser set comes to $79.99, and BB-8 is listed at $89.99. Below, you can learn a little bit more about each of these builds as well.

LEGO AT-AT Set (75440)

LEGO Venator-Class Attack Cruiser (75441)

LEGO BB-8 Astromech Droid (75452)

Our IGN First "cover story" game for December is High on Life 2, the upcoming comedy first-person shooter sequel to the 2022 original breakout hit from Squanch Games. We got our coverage warmed up with yesterday's funny in-universe ad for Humanzapro, but today we're kicking things off proper with ten minutes of exclusive new gameplay from early in the campaign set in Pinkline Harbor, one of three in-game hubs you'll explore.

High on Life 2 doubles down on what worked in the original, with new and returning talking guns voiced by the likes of JB Smoove (Curb Your Enthusiasm), among others. It also adds plenty of new gameplay, such as skateboarding, which you can see in action in this gameplay. Watch it below.

Check out the original announcement trailer if you missed it, and stay tuned all December long for more exclusive High on Life 2 content, including more gameplay, new weapon reveals, interviews with the developers, a fresh hands-on preview of the latest build, and more!

Ryan McCaffrey is IGN's executive editor of previews and host of both IGN's weekly Xbox show, Podcast Unlocked, as well as our monthly(-ish) interview show, IGN Unfiltered. He's a North Jersey guy, so it's "Taylor ham," not "pork roll." Debate it with him on Twitter at @DMC_Ryan.

Whether it be games, films, paintings, or any other form of creative endeavor, art has long been a vehicle for transgression and subversion, providing curious observers an avenue to ruminate on uncomfortable, often taboo aspects of society. Take David Lynch’s surreal horror epic Lost Highway, or Half Mermaid’s mesmerising puzzle mystery Immortality – their uncompromising and dark ambience leaves you changed, and often with more questions than answers. Horses, the latest game from developer Santa Ragione, uses the medium to tell its own morally challenging story, asking you to complete increasingly distressing tasks as a naive farmhand. Guaranteed to make you uncomfortable, Horses is an affecting first-person horror game that, despite a few pacing and signposting issues, tells a story that is sure to stick with you, whether you want it to or not.

Before we get too deep, it’s worth mentioning that Santa Ragione does provide a lengthy content warning before you begin playing due to its heavy subject matter. It details the themes you’ll encounter, which include gory imagery, psychological abuse, and suicide. That warning goes on to explain that you will also likely take part in activities that are oppositional to your own moral beliefs. How you feel about what Horses asks of you is ultimately very personal. Still, I was pleased to see the developers clearly outline what’s ahead for those who may struggle with certain moments, as I did — you should take this warning seriously.

You step into the boots of Anselmo, a troubled 20-year-old who's been shipped away from college to work on a rural farm for two weeks at the behest of his parents. It becomes immediately apparent that something is wrong here, though, as you meet the titular horses, who are in fact naked humans with horse masks permanently affixed on their heads. From this point forward, almost every action you complete, from simple farming tasks to tormenting veterinarian work, is intentionally intended to make you feel conflicted as Horses forces you to participate in the farmer’s sick power fantasy. Over approximately three hours, I was compelled and constantly curious, but still found myself struggling to push through the haunting world Santa Ragione has conjured, with its grey moral code and disturbing paraphernalia.

Horses is, in effect, an interactive silent film, with unsettling lines of dialogue delivered through old-timey title cards amongst a smattering of live-action and 3D animated sequences with limited first-person interactions between them. Every scene plays out in black and white, and you’ll be held captive staring at the farmer’s mouth as it enunciates monologues through vile grins, spliced with real-world footage of vegetables being watered (as well as other, far more troubling visuals I wouldn’t want to spoil here). A minimal soundscape adds to the off-putting atmosphere, buffeted by the constant whirring of film that taunts you at all times, ensuring you feel isolated as you endure the weeks of work. This blend of audiovisual torment is unnerving from the start, and only escalates as you catapult closer to the striking finale.

At the dawn of each day, you’re provided a list of tasks to complete, like feeding the dog, chopping firewood, and cleaning the stables of the horses. The jobs are seldom as simple as they seem on paper, and often lead to confronting scenes that gradually illuminate the farmer's goals, and how the horses came to be his “property.” Your inventory is limited, and you can only handle two items at a time. As such, you’ll often find yourself running back and forth across the small map, between pens, the tool shed, and the house. As much as it is an open space, the threatening elements within it are constantly shifting and smartly toying with your expectations. NPCs like the farmer’s dog, Fido – another subjugated human in a mask – can and will move around the space, complicating your jobs, and often giving you a fright.

Avoiding too many specifics, at one point I was responsible for finding horses that had gotten loose and returning them to their cramped stall unharmed. The search eventually led me out the front gates, where I witnessed a confronting interaction between a horse outside the gates and one still trapped inside. Such unusual moments ramp up in intensity over the course of Horses' runtime, effectively reinforcing the starkness of the world around their nightmarish, hay-filled isolation.

Across the summer, you’ll meet a handful of curiously animated locals who are complicit with the farmer's actions, including a veterinarian, a wealthy businessman, his daughter, and a knowing priest. While there isn’t a ton of dialogue to cycle through in these short interactions, the unnerving writing and sinister characterisation of each citizen increased my sense of dread as it became clear that your freedom, in life or on the farm, isn’t a guarantee. As the inevitability of my new reality came into focus and the trepidation set in, I found myself questioning the farmers' treatment not just of the ‘animals’ or the outsiders, but of me. What misstep could I make that would land me in his prison? This is the central qualm you’ll ponder during and after your time with Horses.

The horror doesn’t end with the working day, of course, and occasionally, when the sun sets, Anselmo slips into a dreamlike state where reality bleeds into their imagination. In these moments, the spectre of the farmer and his sexual and religious trauma manifests through dark allegories that you experience in a raw, challenging, and uncensored format. Instead of relying on text dumps, Horses’ penchant for sharp dialogue and symbolic iconography gives the player room to unpack its singular, heavy story.

It’s a shame, then, that with such a strong concept, there are a handful of comparatively mundane signposting issues throughout that can muddle the pacing, leaving you to pixel hunt for the right piece of equipment or overthink simple puzzles when you could have been contemplating one of Horses’ many jarring visual metaphors. For example, one day I simply needed to feed the horses – but despite meeting the basic requirements, nothing changed, and I was unable to prompt the farmer to provide further information. With no clear next step, I searched the area until I happened to find a specific item I didn’t know I needed to progress. In a game that feels so intentional and curated, such moments kill the ambience, and it feels awkward to wander around aimlessly in this psychologically punishing environment, especially when you’ve been imbued with the impetus to solve its mysteries.

Like a pile of sugar cubes, Horses often has you in the palm of its hand, but unlike other, more cohesively arresting horror games like Mouthwashing or No, I’m Not A Human, Santa Ragione’s attempt struggles to keep you there. The low-stakes gameplay feels like the culprit here, as there’s not much to chew on if you’re not gripped by the unfolding story and its characters. A short runtime only magnifies these limitations, messing with the cadence of an otherwise well-orchestrated experience.

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 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 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 chassis is a super-sized upgrade to the Aurora R16 system with aesthetic and cooling redesigns. The internal components have been refreshed with a new motherboard, faster RAM, and bigger power supply to accommodate the new generation of CPUs and GPUs. With a high-end system like this, it's only fitting that it be equipped with an RTX 5080 or RTX 5090 graphics card, so these are the configurations I've listed here. Note that Dell Outlet refurbished PCs come with the same warranty as buying new.

Alienware Aurora Gaming Laptop Deals

Alienware's new mainstream gaming laptop for 2025 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.

Gaming Monitor Deals

Dell makes some of the highest quality gaming monitors around. They're easily on par with the best that other brands like Samsung, LG, and Asus have to offer. For Cyber Monday, they're also incredibly well-priced. For example, the venerable 34" Alienware AW3423DWF Qfor $499.99 is the lower price I've ever seen for a 34" OLED monitor. By the way, if you do opt for a Dell or Alienware OLED monitor, you also get a 3 year warranty that includes OLED burn-in protection.

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.

One of the hallmarks of Cyberpunk 2077, particularly after its Phantom Liberty update, is its dynamic police chases. In these, a player committing crimes might find themselves quick surrounded by cops and, a few crimes later, the extra spicy MaxTac. But what you might not have caught onto is that when trying to avoid this massive swarm of cops, you're essentially playing a really, really sophisticated version of a very, very old arcade game: Pac-Man.

At the Game Industry Conference in Poznań, Wielkopolska, I attended a talk by CD Projekt senior AI programmer Maciej Celmer entitled "Heat, MaxTac, and Blockades: Police System, in Cyberpunk 2077 and more." In the talk, Celmer went into a lot of interesting detail about how exactly Cyberpunk 2077's police chase system was revamped following criticism from players that at launch, the system was way too forgiving and unengaging.

The new system, implemented in 2023, was far more dynamic and popular with players. And according to Celmer, it had an unusual inspiration: Pac-Man.

"Remember the game of Pac-Man, and the fact that every ghost had a different approach on how to catch the player?" Celmer said during his talk. "We did a similar thing in our car chases. For instance, one of them can try to reach the player on the shortest possible path, while the other can try to flank him or intercept on the intersection. There are seven different strategies that we applied to our cars with that part of the chase."

We reached out to CD Projekt following the talk to get a little more detail on what Celmer meant. Over email, he confirmed that Pac-Man was one of "many" inspirations for the police chase update, "especially for the designers who came up with the idea. We wanted to surround the player with chasing vehicles but, at the same time, always try to leave at least one 'road to freedom' — basically, a way to escape. However, the situation in Night City, especially during a chase, can be very dynamic, so 'try' is definitely the right word here."

Celmer broke down the aforementioned seven "strategies" that police cars would take in a chase for us too. Each strategy combined a mix of logic for where the vehicle would spawn with its behavior after spawning, and which strategy was used was dependent on the heat level, the state of the police system (relaxed, alerted, or combat) and other factors. From there, cars could also perform different maneuvers depending on the situation, such as ramming, shooting, blocking, overtaking, or aligning with the chased car. The seven strategies were, in Celmer's words:

• Drive towards the player — Move directly toward the player in a straight line. Used in the Alerted state.
• Drive away from the player — Move directly away from the player. Used in the Alerted state.
• Patrol the quadrant — Patrol the area around the player.
• Intersection trap — Try to flank the player at the next intersection.
• Get to the player from anywhere — The aggressive one.
• Search for the player — Perform an initial search around the crime scene. Used in the Alerted state.
• Search from anywhere — A fallback strategy used when we can’t find a suitable spawn point for strategy 6, so the car simply spawns anywhere and begins searching for the player.

The result was, if you look at Cyberpunk 2077's roads from the top down, something like a game of Pac-Man where the ghosts are the police cars chasing the player. In Pac-Man, each ghost has its own strategy it will typically perform, such as Pinky trying to ambush the player or Blinky chasing him directly. "We simply wanted to do something a bit different from other games with similar systems," Celmer said. "The combination of a classic game AI design inspired by Pac-Man seemed like a great fit for implementing police chases in Cyberpunk 2077."

Cyberpunk 2077's turnaround is one of the most dramatic in video game history. After its disastrous launch in December 2020, CD Projekt continued to update the game, and now, as it nears its fifth birthday, it's sitting on an incredible 35 million copies sold. Indeed, Cyberpunk 2077 is currently CD Projekt's main source of revenue.

In a recent financial briefing, CD Projekt said it was “laying the foundations” for Cyberpunk 2, outlining plans to scale up its development teams in Boston, Warsaw, and Vancouver and through to the end of 2027. 135 people were working on Cyberpunk 2 as of October 31, 2025, up from 116 at the end of July.

At GIC Poland, I also chatted with the director of Valor Mortis about difficulty options in Soulslike games and whether Valor Mortis should count as a Soulslike. I also went hands-on with the dog secret agent game Barkour.

Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.

Helldivers 2 developer Arrowhead has created a “slim” version of its explosive co-op third-person shooter that massively reduces its file size on PC.

For some time now PC gamers have complained about Helldivers 2’s bloated installation size on PC, and Arrowhead recently outlined plans to bring it closer to the size of the console version. In a post on Steam, Arrowhead said it had worked with Sony-owned PC port specialist Nixxes to reach its goal sooner than expected, reducing the PC installation size from 154GB to 23GB for a total saving of 131GB (85%).

Arrowhead has now rolled out this slim version of Helldivers 2 as part of a public technical beta, which PC players are free to opt into. “Our testing shows that for the small percentage of players still using mechanical hard disk drives, mission loading times have only increased by a few seconds in the worst cases,” Arrowhead explained.

The studio had warned that changing the file size of Helldivers 2 might have increased load times by a factor of 10 — indeed that’s why it duplicates data with update releases. But it turns out that its worst case projections did not come to pass.

“These loading time projections were based on industry data — comparing the loading times between SSD and HDD users where data duplication was and was not used,” Arrowhead explained. “In the worst cases, a 5x difference was reported between instances that used duplication and those that did not. We were being very conservative and doubled that projection again to account for unknown unknowns.

“Now things are different. We have real measurements specific to our game instead of industry data. We now know that the true number of players actively playing HD2 on a mechanical HDD was around 11% during the last week (seems our estimates were not so bad after all). We now know that, contrary to most games, the majority of the loading time in Helldivers 2 is due to level-generation rather than asset loading. This level generation happens in parallel with loading assets from the disk and so is the main determining factor of the loading time. We now know that this is true even for users with mechanical HDDs.”

Once the beta confirms no issues, Arrowhead will roll out the slim version of Helldivers 2 to all players and make it the default version for everyone. Assuming all goes smoothly, the legacy version will be discontinued some time next year.

The slim version arrives at the same time as Helldivers 2’s big 5.0.0 patch as well as its jungle-themed Python Commandos Warbond, which adds a number of fan-requested weapons including a minigun.

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.

Face front, True Believers! With Tribute Games’ side-scrolling beat 'em up Marvel Cosmic Invasion launching onto every system under the sun, we thought it would be the perfect time to look back on the history of Marvel video games and select the most standout entries featuring our favorite Marvel superheroes. This list features games based on any Marvel license, from solo vigilantes to teams of Earth’s mightiest heroes.

First, some ground rules: we’ve picked just one game per subseries, so don’t expect to see all three Insomniac Spider-Man games on here, for example. All entries are primarily based on a Marvel IP, so we’re not including things like Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2 just because Spidey makes an appearance, or Fortnite for having a lot of Marvel collaborations. The game can’t be 100% unplayable (RIP Gazillion’s Marvel Heroes), and overall quality, historical relevance, and how successful it is at fulfilling the superhero fantasy of feeling like you’re within the Marvel Universe are all taken into account.

With that covered, let’s dive into IGN’s Top 10 Marvel Video Games.

10. X-Men: The Arcade Game

Konami was the king of arcade hits throughout the 1990s, delivering many instant classics like The Simpsons, TMNT: Turtles in Time, and Dance Dance Revolution. Also included in that lineup is its take on X-Men, which continues to be one of the most endlessly replayable arcade games in Konami’s catalogue. Based on the Pryde of the X-Men animated pilot – a precursor to X-Men: The Animated Series – X-Men Arcade features six playable mutants traveling across the globe in an effort to thwart the schemes of Magneto, the villainous Master of Magnet (his words, not ours).

X-Men Arcade doesn’t even take a full hour to complete, but its classic beat ‘em up design is polished to a mirror shine, so much so it’s impossible not to enjoy it with a group of friends. The goofy translations (“Welcome to die!”) only add to the game’s charm, and punching your way through armies of Sentinels, Reavers, and Magneto’s lieutenants is still as entertaining now as it was back in 1992. The last time it was re-released outside of specialty arcade cabinets was on the Xbox 360 and PS3, so we’re going to need a fresh port of it, stat.

9. Captain America: Super Soldier

The Marvel Cinematic Universe changed the game for quite a few classic Marvel heroes, most notably those associated with the Avengers. Iron Man, Thor, and Captain America were hardly nobodies before the MCU, but their popularity skyrocketed thanks to the success of Marvel Studios’ first wave of films. Said films also received a few game tie-ins courtesy of Sega, but the only one that’s worth looking back on is Captain America: Super Soldier.

Starring the First Avenger on a WWII mission not shown in the film, the game features semi-open level design that unfolds across the campaign, and a rhythmic melee combat system – both of which are clearly inspired by Batman: Arkham Asylum. There are many foes to face, including several important villains from the comics, such as Baron Strucker, Madame Hydra, and Iron Cross.

Video games based on movies don’t typically play out well, but the key reason Captain America: Super Soldier fares better than its forgettable MCU tie-in peers is because it’s the only one that truly goes to lengths to make you feel like the hero it’s based on. Throwing Cap’s shield, deflecting enemy projectiles, and cracking Hydra skulls with a plethora of unique special move animations feels fantastic, and really sells the fantasy of playing as a super soldier.

8. Lego Marvel Super Heroes

One of the best examples of Lego’s long, long video game history also happens to be a Marvel game: Lego Marvel Super Heroes, released in 2013 by veteran brick game developer Traveller’s Tales. Featuring over 100 playable characters from the comics universe, Lego Marvel Super Heroes unquestionably has the best roster of any Lego Marvel game, since it doesn’t excise Fantastic Four and X-Men characters like its successors, Lego Marvel’s Avengers and Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2. That’s not to say there isn’t fun to be had in those games, but the first Lego Marvel adventure was one of the last games to feel like it was based on the classic era of Marvel comics, before everything became strangled by MCU synergy during the mid-2010s. Running around a Lego version of New York with your favorite Marvel heroes while working to thwart the schemes of Doctor Doom and eventually defeating a giant Lego Galactus is still some of the most fun you can have in a game flaunting the Lego brand.

7. Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3

After developing multiple Marvel fighting games in the early ‘90s, such as X-Men: Children of the Atom and Marvel Super Heroes, Capcom crossed over one of their own brands with the Marvel Universe in X-Men vs. Street Fighter. The rest, as they say, is history, and the Marvel vs. Capcom series has remained one of the company’s most beloved franchises ever since.

Choosing between MVC2 and MVC3 was hard; the former is arguably more historically important and has a larger character roster, but the latter has secured this spot thanks to its gorgeous 3D graphics, improved musical score, and absolutely chaotic gameplay, which has been driving fighting fans bonkers since the game’s original release. The incredible animation work makes each match a visual feast to behold, and the game brought in many new important roster choices such as Phoenix, Dormammu, and MODOK. The Ultimate release added even more iconic Marvel heroes, like Doctor Strange, Hawkeye, and Rocket Raccoon, thus making it the definitive version of one of the best fighting games ever made.

6. Marvel Rivals

It’s hard to launch a new live service game in today’s market; just ask Warner Bros. about Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice Leagueign c or Sony about Concord. But NetEase Games managed to pull it off with Marvel Rivals, the most literal interpretation of the “hero shooter” genre. From slicing through enemies with Magik’s soulsword, to diving on opponents as Venom, or swallowing whole teams as the adorable Jeff the Land Shark, Rivals fulfills the fantasy of playing as Marvel’s most iconic heroes. These characters shoot (or otherwise maim/support) each other across a variety of maps that also pull from Marvel’s rich comic history, using the multiverse to deliver a wide variety of locations such as Asgard, Krakoa, K’un-Lun, and the Tokyo of 2099.

The base formula of moreish 6v6 matches and excellent art direction have been supplemented by a tsunami of fresh content over the game’s first year, including a dozen new playable heroes and numerous new maps and modes. It’s difficult to evaluate games like Rivals since they’re constantly evolving and adding new stuff, but as it stands, it’s exactly the sort of game that’s easy to get lost in while playing with friends or climbing ranks in Competitive. For your daily dose of Marvel gaming, it doesn’t get much better than this.

5. Spider-Man 2 (2004)

When it comes to movie tie-in games, few have been as well-received as Spider-Man 2. Released alongside the Sam Raimi film of the same name, it eschewed traditional self-contained levels for an open world approach – something deeply ambitious back in 2004 – and allowed you to freely swing around New York City to your heart’s content.

While not technically the first superhero game to use the open world format (would you believe that honor goes to the 1997 Batman & Robin game?) Spider-Man 2 did popularize the idea with the gaming masses. The web swinging mechanics were revolutionary for their time, as you needed to actually attach your webs to environmental geometry instead of just firing them up for them to latch on to the skybox like in previous games. Developer Treyarch also expanded the movie’s story with characters from the comics, including fan-favorites like Black Cat, Mysterio, and Rhino on top of the requisite encounters with Doc Ock. It all adds up to an entry that changed how superhero games would be made for years to come. Plus, what other game lets you deliver pizza as a side activity?

4. Marvel: Ultimate Alliance

If you’re looking for a game that truly transports you into the Marvel Universe, then one of the best examples has to be Raven Software’s Marvel: Ultimate Alliance. Built off a foundation developed for the studio’s earlier X-Men Legends games, Ultimate Alliance is a cooperative action RPG where you guide a team of four Marvel heroes in their fight through an epic adventure that’s essentially a company-wide crossover event come to life. Doctor Doom has assembled the Masters of Evil, and the Avengers, Fantastic Four, X-Men, and other unaffiliated heroes like Spider-Man have to team up to take them down. Such a strong roster means you’re free to recruit your own super team made up from your favorite heroes.

The reason Ultimate Alliance is still so beloved by Marvel fans is because it makes full use of the Marvel mythology, featuring characters and locations from virtually every corner of the Marvel Universe instead of just one. And unlike Lego Marvel Super Heroes, which has the abstraction of everything being made of Lego bricks, Ultimate Alliance feels like the world and characters of Marvel comics have been ripped right off the page and transplanted onto your TV screen without any compromises. It might not be the newest or prettiest game on this list, but the vibe and experience hasn’t been replicated by anything before or since, even its own sequels.

3. Marvel’s Midnight Suns

You might not expect Firaxis, the developer behind Civilization and XCOM, to create one of the best Marvel games, but that’s exactly what we got with Midnight Suns. A tactical RPG with turn-based combat, deck-building, and life-sim mechanics, Midnight Suns is a bizarre mix of elements that somehow coheres into something rather special. You take on the role of The Hunter, an original character who fights alongside established Marvel heroes like Blade, Ghost Rider, Iron Man, and numerous others.

The Hunter and their allies fight in battles that emphasize strategy and team synergy, and then hang out between missions to develop interpersonal relationships. Featuring a lengthy single-player campaign, an engrossing narrative with strong character writing, and plenty of ways to customize the build of your Hunter and their allies, Midnight Suns is an underappreciated gem that’s sure to charm if you’re willing to go along with its quirks. But next time, Marvel, don’t call them “friendship” levels. Let us date our favorite Marvel heroes. You can’t tease me with a Scarlet Witch romance and not deliver.

2. Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy

After the disappointment of Marvel’s Avengers, who knew that Square Enix would publish one of Marvel’s best ever games shortly afterwards? That would be Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy from developer Eidos-Montreal, a single-player action-adventure game starring the space-faring super team. Taking on the role of Star-Lord, you can give orders to Gamora, Rocket, Groot and Drax during combat, comboing teammate abilities for maximum effect.

But the combat isn’t the star of the show here; it’s the story, which is a beautiful, character-driven tale that gets surprisingly emotional on multiple occasions. With fantastic performances from the main cast, a sharp script that merges elements of the Guardians’ comic personas with the MCU’s revisionist takes on the characters, and an incredible musical score from Richard Jacques, this game is arguably a more satisfying blockbuster experience than any of the Guardians movies. If you haven’t played it, you’re missing out on one of the best superhero stories released in any medium in years.

1. Marvel’s Spider-Man

Speaking of great superhero stories, Insomniac Games of Ratchet & Clank and Resistance fame delivered one of the very best in its first Spider-Man game. Creating an original version of Spidey’s mythology, Insomniac used a fresh version of a familiar world as part of a larger effort to refine the many gameplay advancements that had been made in Spider-Man games since Treyarch’s ground-breaking web-swinging, and balanced all that with top shelf production values to deliver the most satisfying Spider-Man game ever released.

Some may argue in favor of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, but the sequel’s novel focus on switching between playing as Peter Parker and Miles Morales, as well as minor gameplay improvements, are offset by a much weaker script that doesn’t emotionally resonate in the same way the first one did. And so Marvel’s Spider-Man is the best overall Spider-Man game, featuring a lively world brimming with side activities, smart reworks of many of Peter’s supporting cast, and plenty of action from start to finish. We’ll see if Insomniac will finally top its best effort with the upcoming Wolverine game and the inevitable Spider-Man 3, but for now, this is the best it gets if you want to play as everyone’s favorite Web-Slinger. And as Marvel’s flagship character, it just feels right that his best game is also the greatest Marvel game ever made.

And there we have it, the 10 best video games to have come out of the House of Ideas. Did your favourite make the list? Let us know what you think of our rankings in the comments, as well as your thoughts on the best Marvel games.

Carlos Morales writes novels, articles, and Mass Effect essays. You can follow his fixations on Twitter.

The internet is thrilled that our favorite Madison Avenue men (also known as, you guessed it, Mad Men) are back on our TV screens in a big way with HBO Max bringing the new 4K transfer of the entire series to its platform — but it turns out it made a glaring visual error in doing so.

In the last couple of days, fans have noticed — and IGN has verified — that the HBO Max version of an episode in Season 1 includes a shot in which John Slattery’s character Roger Sterling throws up in the office, but you can also see crew members operating a puke machine with tubes behind himt. Yeah, it immediately takes the audience out of the immersion of the show, but it’s funny nonetheless.

Confirming that you can see a crew member adjusting Roger's puke stream in the new 4k rip of Mad Men on HBO Max. pic.twitter.com/G8mlX07633

— IGN (@IGN) December 2, 2025

“The new 4K transfer of Mad Men on HBO somehow does not have any of the post-production edits added in,” one fan highlighted alongside a screenshot of the error on Twitter/X, where the post received over 19,000 likes and 740,000 views. “Which means you get stuff like this where you can see the crew member manning the puke machine after Roger has too many oysters lmao.”

The mistake was also featured on the Mad Men subreddit, where fans speculated that the post-production team must have forgotten to edit the crew members out of the shot and that the powers that be potentially used this version of the shot instead of the edited one.

Interestingly enough, the episode that contains the error is also mislabeled on the platform. The incident in question with Sterling’s vomit happens in the seventh episode of the first season, titled Red in the Face. But you’ll find the mistake in the episode prior, titled Babylon, on HBO Max for some reason.

Production snafus like this are not all that uncommon in Hollywood, and there have been some famous ones over the years. My favorite is the final season error in Game of Thrones, where a Starbucks cup sits blatantly on a table in frame next to Emilia Clarke’s character Daenerys Targaryen in Episode 4. Back in 2023, crew was accidentally visible filming the snowy landscape around them during an overhead shot for The Last of Us — so these issues, they do come up.

Regardless of the error, Mad Men is an excellent show and it’s now available to stream in 4K on HBO Max, so get on it.

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

LEGO has just announced what looks to be the ultimate set for Stranger Things fans, a $300 version of The Creel House stuffed full of Easter eggs from each of the show's five seasons.

The 2,593-piece set is described by LEGO as its first-ever transforming house design, allowing you to build and rebuild the mansion into its varying states, and relive various iconic moments from the series.

Could this include unrevealed secrets from the upcoming Stranger Things finale, set to air on Netflix and in theaters on December 31? Curiously, the set will only be able to pre-order from New Year's Eve at 5pm Pacific time, and become available to actually purchase once the show's grandfather clock has ticked over to New Year's Day 2026.

For now, we know the set will include all manner of props (Max's cassette tape! Henry's mind flayer sketch!), vehicles ( Steve's car! Will's bike! The WSQK radio station van!) and a generous 13 minifigures. Indeed, you'll be able to fill The Creel House with all your favorite characters: Eleven, Will, Mike, Lucas, Dustin, Holly, Steve, Nancy, Robin, Jonathan, Max, Mr. Whatsit and Vecna.

As an early bonus for fans, purchases made until January 7, 2026 will also include a Stranger Things: WSQK Radio Station set as a Gift with Purchase, which will add both Joyce and Hopper minifigures as well, while stocks last.

Two other characters (not included in the set) rather excited about all of this are Stranger Things creators Ross and Matt Duffer, who had the following to say: "We grew up obsessed with the LEGO brand, so seeing Stranger Things rebuilt in bricks is honestly surreal. With the show heading into its final chapter - and hitting the 10-year mark - bringing the Creel House to life this way feels like the perfect celebration of the world and the fans who made all of this possible."

Shelter - the upcoming action movie starring Jason Statham, Naomi Ackie, and Bill Nighy - just dropped its first trailer, which you can view in the player above. Now the director is revealing new details about the film. I spoke exclusively with Ric Roman Waugh about how Shelter showcases “Jason Statham at his best” and why the movie will make people want to put their “ass in a theater” when it releases early next year.

“(Statham’s character is) this mysterious guy that’s been living in this abandoned lighthouse for over 10 years alone, isolated on this island,” Waugh says. “A young girl and her uncle keep bringing him supplies. He won't give them the time of day until one day he has to save her life, and now is stuck with her. He gets exposed to the world, and you realize that he has this mysterious past that has haunted him and he's now a wanted man that's on the hunt. It becomes a great movie about our own morality today and about a guy that was wrongfully accused and tried to do the right things. What you get is this great big action ride with two lost souls that find each other and become family.”

Waugh says the key to Shelter’s story is the relationship between Statham’s character, Mason, and a girl named Jessie, played by Hamnet's Bodhi Rae Breathnach. “When we did the chemistry test, she was the first young girl that came in. Jason and I looked afterwards and we were like, what do we do now? Because we know that's her. The heart of it became about the way that you're looking for Natalie Portman in The Professional (or) Dakota Fanning in Man on Fire. Who's going to bring it?

“It's a movie that there were scenes directing it where it's a bit of a tear-jerker about two lost souls trying who find family and don't want to lose it; a man trying to do the right thing by this young girl and dealing with the dark cloud behind them.”

Rounding out the all-star cast are Bill Nighy (Pirates of the Caribbean), Naomi Ackie (Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker), and Daniel Mays (Rogue One). But the heart of the movie lies with Statham.

“This is Jason Statham at his best,” Waugh says. "This is Jason Statham the action star, and this is the guy that will show you and prove again what an amazing actor he is. He gives a performance that just will blow your mind and will win your heart over. It's the full package. (He) knows the story inside out, (he’s) prepared and (is) both going to challenge the process in a way of being respectful and wanting to raise the bar. You couldn't ask for a better dance partner.”

Shelter hits theaters January 30, 2026.

Michael Peyton is the Senior Editorial Director of Events & Entertainment at IGN, leading entertainment content and coverage of tentpole events including IGN Live, San Diego Comic Con, gamescom, and IGN Fan Fest. He's spent 20 years working in the games and entertainment industry, and his adventures have taken him everywhere from the Oscars to Japan to Buenos Aires, Argentina. Follow him on Bluesky @MichaelPeyton

Netflix has confirmed the full list of cities and theater locations for fan screenings of the final episode of Stranger Things Season 5.

The decade-long sci-fi series finally comes to an end at the end of the year, with the Season 5 finale set to rubber stamp the characters’ fates. Netflix has taken the unusual step of releasing the final episode in theaters at 5pm PT on December 31, the exact same time it hits the streamer. The screenings will take place in over 500 theaters in the U.S. and Canada (check the list here) starting on December 31, 2025 at 5pm PT, timed to the finale’s global premiere on Netflix, and run through January 1, 2026.

Netflix has also confirmed the run time of the Stranger Things Season 5 finale: 2 hours 5 minutes.

Stranger Things creators and showrunners the Duffer Brothers said: “We’re beyond excited that fans will have the chance to experience the final episode of Stranger Things in theaters — it’s something we’ve dreamed about for years, and we’re so grateful to Ted, Bela, and everyone at Netflix for making it happen. Getting to see it on the big screen, with incredible sound, picture, and a room full of fans, feels like the perfect — dare we say bitchin’ — way to celebrate the end of this adventure.”

In October, Ross Duffer told fans they should only come and see the Stranger Things Season 5 finale in front of a cinema screen if they’re cool with crying in a crowded room.

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

Ross and his brother Matt had previously expressed major excitement about the idea that some of these Season 5 episodes — which run much longer than an average episode in the series — could be a prime opportunity for theatrical exhibition.

“That would be amazing,” Ross told Variety recently. “Because the fans could be there with other fans, and experience it as a communal thing — it would be incredible.” Matt added: “People don’t get to experience how much time and effort is spent on sound and picture, and they’re seeing it at reduced quality. More than that, it’s about experiencing it at the same time with fans.”

However, Netflix remains steadfast in its focus on streaming, with chief creative officer Bela Bajaria telling Variety that Stranger Things didn’t need a theatrical exhibition to continue to be a cultural phenomenon in its final season.

“A lot of people — a lot, a lot, a lot of people — have watched Stranger Things on Netflix,” she explained. “It has not suffered from lack of conversation or community or sharing or fandom. I think releasing it on Netflix is giving the fans what they want.”

Stranger Things 5 releases on Netflix across three premiere dates: Volume 1 is now streaming globally (Episodes 501-504), Volume 2 comes out on December 25 (Episodes 505-507), and The Finale releases on December 31 (Episode 508). Each volume releases at 5pm PT.

Stranger Things Season 5 release dates:

• VOL 1 - November 26, 5pm PT
• VOL 2 - Christmas, 5pm PT
• THE FINALE - New Year’s Eve, 5pm PT

We’ve got plenty more on Stranger Things, including Ross Duffer’s call to arms for fans to turn off “garbage” TV settings before watching Season 5. And be sure to check out our Stranger Things: Season 5, Vol. 1 spoiler review to find out what we think of how the show is going.

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.