Marvel and DC have a lot riding on 2026. After a year that ranged from decent to disastrous, it’s tough to argue that “fatigue” isn’t a factor, but true believers are holding firm that next year will change everything. Spider-Man is going back to the streets, Supergirl is poised to build on Superman’s momentum, and all eyes are on Avengers: Doomsday – the ultimate test of Marvel’s remaining muscle.

The stage is set for box office redemption and a new path forward for superhero cinema. It’s the end of the post-post-pandemic era, a once-in-a-generation chance for a fresh start. If they mess this up, the genre might be truly cooked; next year could be the last chance to save comic book movies and shows from their flop era. That’s why we’re looking forward to 2026, the make-or-break year for superhero media.

One caveat before we begin: All dates are subject to change. Schedules can and likely will slip, but as far as we know, this is what’s on deck for 2026. So, let’s start with the main event…

Marvel Movies

2025 was not exactly the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s finest hour. None of the three theatrical films released under the Marvel Studios banner were the breakout successes Disney hoped for, and two of them were borderline catastrophes. Captain America: Brave New World was plagued by strike-related delays and extensive reshoots, culminating in a box-office stumble that no one could spin as a win. Thunderbolts* was even worse: The movie was good, critics and fans loved it… and almost nobody else went to see it. That’s a problem, considering that Thunderbolts* was designed to establish the New Avengers lineup that would lead us into Phase 6. Then there’s the Fantastic Four, Marvel’s flagship “first family” meant to kick off the new phase and pave the path to Doomsday.

It did not.

Fantastic Four’s box office wasn’t quite so dire, but it barely cracked half a billion and left fans mildly pleased and largely indifferent. Now Doomsday has twice the work to do to win them back, which is an uphill climb heading into 2026. Marvel and Disney need to get their act together, and next year is their best chance to do it. There are only two movies on the docket for the year, both of which could be bangers. First up...

The holidays are almost here, and we've rounded up the best deals for Saturday, December 27, below. Don't miss your chance to save on these late discounts or gifts!

Ninja Gaiden 4 for $49.99

The latest core series entry in the Doom franchise, The Dark Ages, which came out earlier this year, is seeing a major discount on physical copies of the Standard Edition for both PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. Right now, you can grab Doom: The Dark Ages for 50% off off from Best Buy during its Year-End Sale. That’s $35 in savings for one of the best shooters of 2025. It’s a better deal than Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

Take 50% Off Doom: The Dark Ages for Xbox and PS5

2026 is here, and comic book fans have a whole year’s worth of exciting new stories to look forward to. Marvel will be ushering in a new era for the X-Men line and building to what looks to be one of its most consequential crossover events in years, Armageddon. DC will move forward from the DC K.O. crossover with a new wave of titles, even as they expand the fan-favorite Absolute Universe. And elsewhere in the industry, we’ve got our eyes on everything from Skybound’s Energon Universe to the new Archie Comics reboot.

Scroll down to see our most anticipated comics of 2025, and be sure to let us know in the comments what you have on your to-read list this year.

IDW’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

IDW’s TMNT publishing line has been in top form in 2025, and we see no reason why that would change in the new year. If you’ve ever considered diving into this universe, now really is the time.

The flagship TMNT comic recently underwent a major evolution, as the new creative team of Gene Luen Yang and Freddie E. Williams II just took over the series and introduced a major new villain called Ujigami. Issue #13 delivered quite the twist on that front, and we’re excited to see where the series goes from here. Plus, there are all the worthwhile spinoffs like TMNT: Casey Jones and TMNT: Shredder.

We’re also hoping that 2026 will bring more news on the future of the Last Ronin saga. We know that writers Tom Waltz and Kevin Eastman are working on a third act of the Last Ronin trilogy. Could it see release in 2026? Here’s hoping.

X-Men: Shadows of Tomorrow

It's no secret that Ninja Gaiden has had a huge 2025. Things kicked off early in the year with Ninja Gaiden 2 Black, a new version of the beloved classic brought to modern platforms with enhanced visuals. Later on, we got Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound, a 2D sidescroller from The Game Kitchen. However, perhaps nothing was more exciting than Ninja Gaiden 4, the long-awaited follow-up to Ninja Gaiden 3. If you haven't had a chance to check out this brand-new entry, you can pick up a copy for $49.99 today at Walmart.

Ninja Gaiden 4 for $49.99 at Walmart

2025 has been one of the strongest years for anime in ages, building on what is clearly a new Golden Age in the Japanese animation industry. With widening viewership, more access to anime on streaming, and its popularity growing around the globe, there’s more brilliant anime than ever. From the slice-of-life shonen silliness of Sakamoto Days that took Netflix by storm, to the immense success of Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle, which opened to 80 million dollars, 2025 was an epic year for some of our favorite series. But that's a different article (check out our Best Anime Series of 2025 award); instead, we're here to take a look at our most anticipated anime of 2026 – a year that could potentially top 2025 when it comes to iconic releases and anticipated returns.

Inspired by the massive success and continued cultural impact of anime, 2026 is stacked with unbelievable new series and blockbuster follow-ups, such as: the sophomore season of Frieren: Beyond Journey's End, the emotionally-driven fantasy quest that got everyone talking; a new take on Ghost in the Shell, one of the most seminal anime of all time from one of the best studios working today; and the highly anticipated debut of Witch Hat Atelier. And that’s just a few examples of the anime that could make 2026 another incredible year.

We're excited to see which genres blow up, which existential themes stick, and where the future of anime is headed. Who are our favorite creators? Which manga has been selling off the charts? What genre have we not had a hit in for a long time? We’re taking all of that into consideration as we present our list of the anime that we can't wait to watch in 2026!

Frieren: Beyond Journey's End Season 2

There's a reason that Frieren: Beyond Journey's End made our Top Anime of 2024 list, and now we're closer than ever to finally finding out where our favorite adventuring party is now. Asking what happens when the war is over and the demon king is defeated, this surprisingly existential and always fantastic twist on the dungeon-raiding anime became an instant classic. The series follows the titular immortal elf Frieren as she deals with the loss of her campaign party – Eisen, Himmel and Heiter – with whom she won the war. It's only through her friendship and adventure with a new human apprentice that she begins to come to terms with her loss and what she could have done differently. This is majestically mature and magical stuff.

Oshi no Ko Season 3

Featuring one of the most insane and unique set-ups ever – a doctor and his former patient are reincarnated as twins born to their favorite pop idol, who is then murdered – this show is a total must-watch. A murdery mystery supernatural crime thriller set in the stunning landscape of idol stars, Oshi no Ko has been going strong since it debuted in 2023. The third season will follow the children, Aqua and Ruby Hoshino, as they continue their careers in the entertainment industry, which will cause a rift between them to grow. The manga upon which the show is based recently ended to much controversy, so it'll be intriguing to see if the show stays faithful to the source material or strays from that path.

Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3

After the shocking events of the Shibuya Incident, Season 3 of Jujutsu Kaisen has a lot to take on. There were tragic deaths, massive loss, and unexpected team-ups, but the biggest things that we have to deal with are the oncoming execution of Yuji and setting up the wild Culling Game arc, which will see the crew take part in an insane Jujutsu Kumite! It's one of the biggest shonen anime in the world, and one of the most-read manga too, so if you haven't caught up yet, now is the time to get ready before Season 3 hits and changes everything we know about the series.

Daemons of the Shadow Realm

Fans of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure and Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials will adore the concept of this new anime series, which will debut in early 2026. It comes from the mind of Fullmetal Alchemist creator Hiromu Arakawa, and adapts her manga of the same name. This is peak shoju storytelling with a shonen twist, as a brother and sister must fight to unite in a world where a select group of humans are able to manifest powers through "supernatural duos,” or Daemons. Together, estranged twins Yuru and Asa will have to find each other and learn how to control their powers in order to save the world from those who cannot.

Witch Hat Atelier

No one was sure if Kamome Shirahama's stunningly intricate work could be brought to the screen with as much care and detail as it needed. Bug Films actually delayed the production of Witch Hat Atelier so that director Ayumu Watanabe and his team were able to take all the time they needed to make the anime just as good as the smash hit manga deserves. In case you've yet to check out the massive Kodansha magic academy series, it centers around a young girl who wants nothing more than to master magic. When she accidentally learns the secret of the art from a visiting witch, she becomes his apprentice and discovers much more about the fantastical world she's joined. From the trailer, this looks like it’s got what it takes to become a classic; next year, we'll find out!

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Part 7: Steel Ball Run

It's always exciting when we get a new entry into Hirohiko Araki's insane crime epic JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. It still is, after decades, one of the most unique and entertaining anime and manga around. The new sixth season adapts the seventh manga story arc, Steel Ball Run, which features new clan member Johnny Joestar, who is a former jockey and paraplegic in the American West. Functioning more like a standalone story than any of the other arcs, this is a great place for new viewers to jump in. It certainly has an undeniable hook: Johnny must team up with an executioner to take on the cross-country horse race known as the Steel Ball Run. Expect racing, battles, and fashion that would make the most daring dressers blush.

Fate/strange Fake

Speaking of unique and vibrant takes on tropes that we love, the light novel series Fate/strange Fake is a wild take on fantasy questing as well as a thought-provoking story about how much any of us can control our destiny. Of course, we can't wait for the historical anime adaptation to come to screens, especially for those that might not know the shocking set-up or what it means for the characters we meet. For those of you who love Sword Art Online or Lord of Mysteries, or any of the other titles in the Fate series, you'll likely fall head over heels for this when it hits in 2026.

The Apothecary Diaries Season 3

As noted before, we're living in a new Golden Age of anime, and one of the biggest and best examples of this is The Apothecary Diaries, in which a street urchin is pulled into a walled palace and must use her wits to survive as she becomes entangled in never-ending court intrigue. Earning her place thanks to her incredible detective skills and abilities as an apothecary, Maomao exists in a unique setting for a series that operates on a mystery-of-the-week formula. This is an unexpectedly deep and thoughtful show that has dealt with numerous complex topics while being consistently entertaining and surprising. It'll be interesting to see how Season 3 maintains those stakes while building on the emotional heart at its core.

The Ghost in the Shell (2026)

Sure, it's another take on one of the most famous anime of all time, but it's coming from the genius minds at Science Saru, so there's no way this couldn't make it on our list. We're extremely hyped to see what one of the most adventurous and groundbreaking studios does with the trailblazing, iconic cyberpunk anime by Masamune Shirow. In case you've yet to discover Ghost in the Shell – lucky you – it follows a high-tech cyborg cop named Motoko Kusanagi, who tracks down a hacker targeting cyborgs like herself. Given its pedigree, this could be the biggest smash anime hit of 2026.

Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War – The Calamity

Disney+ is finally back in the big-name anime game with Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War's fourth and final installment: The Calamity. Intended as the end of the epic, this will tie up all the loose ends of Soul Reaper Kurosaki Ichigo's adventures in the demon-filled world he protects. It's going to be beautiful, brutal, and one of the most talked-about anime endings in years, so make sure you don't miss the discourse and drama when The Calamity hits in 2026!

What are your most anticipated anime of 2026? Did we miss a fave? Are you even more excited than us by one of our picks? Let us know in the comments.

It’s not just holiday decor discounted today. Our favorite phone controller for mobile gaming is back down to its lowest price ever, matching Black Friday savings. The Backbone Pro has $35 knocked off its price tag, so you can grab it for just $134.99. You can find that sale pricing from Amazon, Best Buy, and Target. Sure, it’s still an expensive option, but few phone controllers offer the versatility of the Backbone Pro. Whether you’re in the Android or iPhone (USB-C) camp, if you’re looking to get in some gaming on the go, this is a deal you’ll want to check out.

Score Over 20% Off the Backbone Pro Mobile Gaming Controller

Today’s top smartphones have some unbelievable capabilities, delivering enough oomph to play console-level games. However, tapping around on a touchscreen makes the experience fall short. The Backbone Pro remedies the problem, bringing the traditional controller experience along with some handy extra features to your phone.

Just like many top phone controllers, the Backbone Pro lets you slot your phone into its expandable middle section and connect via USB-C. This Pro model, an upgrade of the original Backbone One, also adds Bluetooth support, known as FlowState. That means you’re in for a simple wireless connection to other devices, like tablets, PCs, VR headsets, and even some TVs. Dual batteries, lasting up to 40 hours on a single charge, are housed in the grips, adding some nice heft and extending playtime up to 40 hours.

In IGN expert Matthew Adler’s review of the Backbone Pro, he found many other meaningful improvements from the Backbone One, stating, “The addition of full-size thumbsticks, upgraded triggers, customizable rear buttons, and virtually silent face buttons and D-pad more than justify the ‘Pro’ name.” Overall comfort is also improved, thanks to ergonomic grips with a laser-etched surface that keeps the controller firm in your hands, even during heated marathon gaming sessions.

All of this awesome functionality pairs with Backbone’s impressive app, which combines top game streaming services with a user-friendly interface. From PS5 to Xbox games, playing on your phone should be seamless and streamlined. Additionally, a built-in retro game emulator and expanded customization options further enhance the experience.

With top-tier comfort, impressive controls, built-in Bluetooth, and ample customization opportunities, the Backbone Pro is an especially great deal if you get while it's on sale. Be sure to grab it while you still can.

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

Spoilers follow for Stranger Things Season 5, Vol. 2.

In the Season 5 episode of Stranger Things, "Chapter Six: Escape from Camazotz," Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) lays out for the Hawkins gang (and the audience) exactly what’s going on with the Upside Down. Per Dr. Brenner’s journal, all of the chaos comes down to a wormhole that’s been acting as a bridge between Hawkins and Vecna’s machinations.

If you’re an observant viewer, there have been plenty of breadcrumbs leading to this reveal, including earlier in Season 5 when Mr. Clarke (Randy Havens) was teaching his science class about wormholes. In an interview with IGN, series creators Matt and Ross Duffer said they committed to that idea going all the way back to Season 1 when Netflix required that they outline their endgame for the series.

The Duffers Have Known How Stranger Things Ends for Years

The brothers have previously said that they've known what the final scene of the show will be for "six or seven years." And it sounds like many other elements of the show's final season have been in the works even longer than that.

“Netflix came to us very early on in the writing of Season 1 and were just asking to explain some mythology,” Ross said. “We said, ‘Well, we don't want to tell the audience everything in the first season.’ It's really from the point of view of the characters, and we wanted a mystery. And they said, ‘That's great, but for us, you write it down.’”

Ross told IGN that they sat down with their writers’ room, and that’s where they developed the wormhole underpinning: “It wasn't called The Abyss then, but the idea was that there was this other dimension that all of the evil and our Demogorgons and our monsters came from. It's been in the works for a while, so it's nice to finally be able to reveal it at last.”

Asked if the complexity of the various high-concept ideas about the Upside Down, The Abyss and the science of it all ever broke their brains, Matt admitted, “Sometimes it does hurt your brain. I'm not gonna lie.”

But he also pointed to their talented writers, especially Paul Dichter who has been with the series since Season 1. Matt said Dichter has the “superpower” of being a sci-fi expert.

“He's read every single hard sci-fi book in the world. Ross and I have not,” Matt chuckled. “He's very smart in areas like this, so he's able to keep all of this in his brain. And so whenever we get confused or the other writers get confused, Paul sets us straight.”

Another key collaborator from the start is executive producer/director Shawn Levy who helped them close out the series. In fact, for the first time in the history of the show, they co-directed an episode together, "Chapter Seven: The Bridge."

Matt Duffer said initially that was just a Duffer Brothers episode, but it became impossible for them to do it alone and finish writing the series finale, and they knew they couldn’t screw that up.

Full spoilers follow for Stranger Things: Season 5, Vol. 2, which consists of three of Season 5's eight episodes. Vol. 2 premieres December 25 on Netflix and the series finale debuts December 31. Read our review of Vol. 1 here.

Fear not, Stranger Things watchers who are nervous creators Matt and Ross Duffer can’t possibly answer all of their unsolved mysteries – Season 5, Vol. 2 is an answer-palooza for many of the mythology mysteries that have plagued the residents of Hawkins going back to Season 1. There’s so much going on in this trifecta of episodes, it’s a little overwhelming to process just how much is revealed about the mythology – and between characters – in the three-and-a-half hours that span this volume.

And that’s not to mention that you might want to dig out your Texas Instruments scientific calculators, because Mr. Clark (Randy Havens), Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo), Erica (Priah Ferguson) and even Murray (Brett Gelman) will be taking us all to school — in a very entertaining way — as we get the real 411 about the Upside Down, the Rightside Up and something called the exotic matter holding it all together.

"Chapter Five: Shock Jock” is the second episode this season directed by Frank Darabont (The Shawshank Redemption, The Mist) and picks up from the cliffhanger where Noah Schnapp’s Will the Sorcerer went all Eleven on the Demogorgons. In the wake of his destruction, the heroes of Hawkins take stock of their losses… and realize that all 12 kids have been kidnapped into the Upside Down by Mr. Whatsit/Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower). He’s plugged all of them into his hive, but they just think they’re being protected in his faux-perfect Creel house. Having learned from Holly Wheeler’s (Nell Fisher) wandering, he’s got them locked down for safe-keeping until he needs to use his “perfect vessels” for his endgame plan.

In the Rightside Up, Will and company figure out that he’s able to siphon power from Vecna because of their connection. So, unlike Eleven’s (Millie Bobby Brown) powers, proximity is required for Will to get juiced up to fight Vecna. And Lucas’ (Caleb McLaughlin) theory that November 6 will be the day that Vecna’s plans will become known triggers an implied countdown clock that fuels these episodes, and which unspool over one day. Darabont has a deft hand in keeping “Chapter Five” light on its feet, shifting between multiple settings, some high-concept quantum physics chatter, and several much-needed character moments — hello, Nancy (Natalia Dyer) and Jonathan (Charlie Heaton).

All of that is set-up for the ultimate mythology deep dive in "Chapter Six: Escape from Camazotz," directed by series executive producer Shawn Levy. Consider this the science class episode of the bunch, as Dustin downloads his big wormhole theory that connects Hawkins and Vecna’s The Abyss. All the praise to writer Kate Trefry for packing a tremendous amount of science talk into this segment while parceling it out in ways that make it understandable for all the Steve Harringtons in the house. Does all of it need to be so layered and complex? Probably not, but it’s handed off amongst several characters who excitedly share the details with one another like everyone is stupid (us included). They make the exposition medicine go down easy.

Also tempering the heaviness of those theories is the parallel adventures of Max (Sadie Sink) and Holly working together to get out of Henry’s head (aka Max’s cave). If we’re awarding MVPs for this volume, Fisher’s Holly earns a gold star for being such a charming addition to the lineup so late in the game. She holds her own in every emotional scene with Sink, and does the character work needed to invest the audience in her plight. Not an easy feat when she could have easily come across as stealing precious time from more established characters.

"Chapter Seven: The Bridge" is yet another grand convergence for the cast as all the various factions come back together at WSQK to figure out a plan strong enough to prevent Vecna from merging realities and wiping out their very existence. Everyone plays a part, including minor characters who share in the hero energy like Robin’s girlfriend Vickie (Amybeth McNulty), Mr. Clark, and another feisty turn by Karen Wheeler (Cara Buono).

Another positive is how Kali/Eight (Linnea Berthelsen) is woven into these last hours in such a satisfying way. It’s like the Duffers recognized how unfair it was that she became synonymous with the most maligned episode of the series — Season 2’s "Chapter Seven: The Lost Sister," — so they’ve given her a gracious do-over. The show’s leaning into her shared history with El means Hopper now has some competition in the familial overprotective department. Kali and Eleven’s sisterly bond is entirely unique to their history, and putting them back together adds a new layer of complications when it comes to the decisions that El makes. They survived an immeasurable level of trauma together in Brenner’s lab, so there’s a lot of weight behind Kali’s argument that it's their duty to prevent it from happening again, even if that interferes with El’s plans for a “happy ending.”

On the checklist of things that don’t work so well, Linda Hamilton’s Dr. Kay is, so far, the Duffers’ least developed of their roster of ‘80s-era actors cast in the series. Don’t get me wrong – Hamilton hasn’t lost her skills when it comes to throwing around dumb underlings, or snarling out orders. But as a well-defined character, Dr. Kay is but a pale shadow of Dr. Brenner. There’s still no context for why she’s all-in about bringing back the number program, which makes her disappointingly one-note. I would have loved to see Hamilton get Paul Reiser-quality material, but that seems unlikely with just two hours left to the series.

Also, this isn’t the best season for Winona Ryder’s Joyce, as she’s strictly been in mom mode. And while that’s important for Will’s character and their bond, it’s limiting for a character who has grown so much up to this point. It’s clear that the romance between Hopper and Joyce — which fueled all of Season 4 — has reverted to best friend mode again. Sure, they’re together, but where’s the love? They don’t need to make out but this season is robbing us of the kind of emotional scenes these two can rip our hearts out with.

Aside from those quibbles, Stranger Things Season 5, Vol. 2 absolutely moves the needle consequentially when it comes to those all-important who, what, where, and when answers to the questions the audience has been waiting for. Now, we wait for the big one… why? As Max reminds us, Vecna started out as a human and there’s still some left in there. Will that be the key to his defeat? If they figure out his secrets, can they bring him back to the light and save Hawkins too?

Boxing Day sales are usually loud, bloated, and full of discounts of the "quotation mark kind" that look better than they feel, so I went in deliberately picky this time. I've ignored the filler, skipped the eternal backlog traps, and pulled out the handful of deals that genuinely deserve attention across consoles and PC. These are the games I would recommend to mates with little to no caveat, because the price is right and the experience still absolutely holds up.

Contents

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

This Day in Gaming 🎂

In retro news, I'm celebrating the 26th anniversary of Turok: Rage Wars, pretty much the only birthday worth talking about today. I've got to be perfectly honest by saying that it didn't personally blow my mind like a shot from Turok 2's cerebral bore gun. I guess I just wasn't interested in a plotless MP-focused entry in the series at the time (and GoldenEye was still the undisputed king of 4P split-screen anyway).

That said, I still played many a round of FFA, CTF, and a goofy Frag Tag where somebody randomly became a monkey. Rage Wars also continued, and indeed expanded upon, the franchise's stable of creative and chaotic weaponry. Case in points: the "Inflator" that used needles of compressed air to violently explode people and the Aliens-tastic "Chest Burster" rifle. Pretty straightforward, that last one.

If you're after a high-end PC handheld, the hottest options are invariably powered by AMD's Z2 Extreme processors, like the headline-grabbing Asus ROG Xbox Ally X and OLED-equipped Lenovo Legion Go 2. There is a third choice now – MSI's new Claw A8 BZ2EM, which comes between the Asus and Lenovo machines in price, while offering a large 8-inch display, long battery life and the new Xbox Full Screen Experience. Does the new Claw do enough to shift the needle, or is the BZ2EM destined to the same anonymous fate as MSI's first Intel-powered Claw handheld?

MSI Claw A8 BZ2EM – Design

The Claw A8 BZ2EM offers a few design tweaks versus the previous Intel-powered Claw A8 AI+, with a redesigned button layout and relocated fans that aren't too dissimilar to the competing Asus ROG Xbox Ally X or Lenovo Legion Go 2. However, the sharp, angular lines and relatively slim dimensions do set it apart, especially from the more rounded Lenovo machine. My review unit came in white, but a lime green model is also available; the construction is plastic throughout.

The back of the device looks a bit basic compared to its more sculpted rivals, with prominent ridges running near the left and right sides to give your hands extra purchase, and relatively small shoulder buttons and triggers, but there's only a small net compromise in terms of overall comfort. I didn't find the device too heavy to hold for longer gaming sessions, but coming to this class of device from something like a Switch or Switch 2, then there is still a noticeable increase in heft.

The Hall Effect sticks and triggers work brilliantly, and ought to last much longer than the potentiometer-based alternatives on earlier gaming handhelds and last-gen gamepads. There's also RGB lighting circling the joysticks, which can be customised or disabled, and two further buttons on the rear which can be customised.

The good news is that the speakers and display (on which more in a bit) are generally excellent, so you can become quite immersed, especially while holding the Claw close to your face. Of course, there's also Bluetooth, plus a 3.5mm port and two USB-C (Thunderbolt 4) ports up top for connecting headphones. The two USB-C ports are capable, supporting DisplayPort Alt Mode, but as they're right next to each other, extremely wide USB-C dongles may block the other port. I prefer devices that split USB-C ports between the top and bottom for that reason – the Ayaneo 2S even comes with two at the top and one on the bottom! – but at least you get multiple USB-C ports in general, making USB-C hubs slightly less essential. A fingerprint reader is built into the power button on the top left, so you don't need to use the touchscreen (or gamepad) to log into Windows.

The BZ2EM comes with a larger 2280 NVMe slot compared to its Intel-powered brother, meaning full-size desktop NVMe SSDs can be installed if you fancy a storage upgrade; these are typically cheaper per gigabyte than the smaller 2230 drives often required for PC handhelds. With 1TB by default, you're probably unlikely to need that upgrade too soon, though.

A MicroSD slot is also available, and makes for an even more affordable way to add (slower) game storage. 24GB of RAM is also included, which is less than the 32GB found on the Intel-based Claw but the same as the other Z2 Extreme handhelds from Asus and Lenovo.

MSI Claw A8 BZ2EM – Display

The MSI Claw A8 is equipped with an eight-inch 1920 x 1200 IPS display that's a tad taller than that on the ROG Xbox Ally X, with a 16:10 aspect ratio instead of the usual 16:9. That extra screen real estate isn't hugely impactful for most games or watching videos, but it is nice for reading news and scrolling through your library. You do pay a small price in terms of performance though, with the extra pixel count meaning that frame-rates in fully GPU-limited scenarios ought to be around 90 percent of what they would be on an equivalent 1920x1080 display. We'll see if that difference is reflected in the performance numbers, but there are plenty of other factors with the potential to impact frame-rates, so it's not a deal-breaker by any means.

The Claw's screen does support high refresh gaming, topping out at 120Hz, which provides a nice boost to temporal resolution that is key for fast-paced or timing-sensitive games, whether tracking targets in Call of Duty or timing parries in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. Perhaps more critically, VRR is also available to smooth out uneven frame-rates, reduce judder and eliminate screen tearing without the traditional input lag penalty of v-sync. VRR is still not standard amongst handheld displays, despite these handhelds being much more resource-constrained than desktop PCs or consoles, so its inclusion here is worth celebrating.

I spend an embarrassing amount of time watching prices move, partly out of professional duty and partly because I hate paying full price. This week’s crop finally rewarded the obsession. There are a few deals here that feel less like discounts and more like apologies. Happy hoidays and even happier savings to you all.

Contents

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

This Day in Gaming 🎂

In retro news, I'm celebrating the 29th birthday of Christmas NiGHTS into Dreams, arguably gaming's greatest seasonal freebie. Mind you, last year's Christmas level update for Astro Bot sure does come a close second.

Sega threw Chrissy NiGHTS in with my purchase of a select Sega Saturn game, and it was basically a little advent calendar whose content shifted in sync with my console's internal clock. Beating a level (reskinned in a wintry and/or outright Christmas theme) earned you limited chances to solve a tile-matching puzzle to unlock 25 "Presents." The best of the bunch? A mini-sandbox level starring Sonic the Hedgehog that ends with a satisfying Eggman scrambling. I adore this demo disc and replay it every year without fail.

Aussie birthdays for notable games.

- Link: The Faces of Evil (CD-i) 1993. eBay

- Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon (CD-i) 1993. eBay

- Christmas NiGHTS into Dreams (SAT) 1996. eBay

- Art Academy (DS) 2009. eBay

Nice Savings for Nintendo Switch

• Hollow Knight (-50%) A$8.70 A masterclass in atmosphere and map design from Team Cherry, and still one of the best examples of how far patience and polish can carry a small studio.
• Borderlands 3 Ult. (-50%) A$44.60 The full loot-shooter package with every major expansion included, and far better paced now than it was at launch.
• Gris (-82%) A$4.20 A wordless platformer about grief and recovery, elevated by art direction that still gets cited in design talks years later.
• Immortals Fenyx Rising (-85%) A$8.90 Ubisoft Quebec’s playful take on open world design, packed with myth jokes and puzzle shrines that clearly learned from Breath of the Wild.
• The Witcher 3 Comp. (-75%) A$19.90 Still one of the strongest RPG narratives ever made, and borderline witchcraft that it runs this well on Switch.
• Rogue Legacy (-90%) A$1.60 A roguelite that popularised generational progression, and remains dangerously moreish in short bursts.

Or gift a Nintendo eShop Card.

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Exciting Bargains for Xbox

• Nightreign Sekker's Ed. (-60%) A$34 A lavish physical release for Elden Ring fans who enjoy maps, art books and a bit of shelf flex.
• Diablo IV (-73%) A$30 After multiple seasonal overhauls, Blizzard’s action RPG finally feels tuned for long term play rather than launch week spikes.
• Like a Dragon: Ishin! (-58%) A$42.30 A historical spin-off that swaps neon streets for samurai drama, while keeping the series’ trademark absurd side stories intact.
• Blasphemous (-80%) A$7.40 Grim, pixelated soulslike combat inspired by Spanish religious art, and far more unsettling than its screenshots suggest.
• Dredge (-60%) A$13.90 A fishing loop that slowly reveals cosmic horror, built around risk management rather than reflexes.

Xbox One

• Assassin's Creed Valhalla (-61%) A$39 A sprawling Viking epic best enjoyed as a slow burn, with side arcs that often outshine the main plot.
• Red Dead Redemption 2 (-75%) A$22.40 Rockstar’s most meticulously detailed world, where even minor NPC routines feel authored with obsessive care.
• Xbox Wireless Controller Carbon Black (-26%) A$74 Still one of the most comfortable controllers around, and a sensible spare if yours has survived too many rage quits.

Or just invest in an Xbox Card.

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Pure Scores for PlayStation

• Kingdom Come Deliverance II (-50%) A$57.40 A hardcore medieval RPG sequel that doubles down on historical accuracy, right down to combat techniques drawn from manuscripts.
• Marvel's Spider-Man Miles Morales (-48%) A$49 Shorter than the first game but packed with confidence, and still one of the best showcases for PS5 performance.
• Triangle Strategy (-60%) A$36.30 A tactics RPG that prioritises political storytelling, with choices that genuinely lock and unlock narrative paths.
• Hogwarts Legacy (-85%) A$14.90 A richly detailed wizarding sandbox that rewards exploration, especially if you enjoy poking behind every moving staircase.
• Yoku's Island Express (-90%) A$2.40 A joyous mashup of pinball tables and platforming that feels hand built for smiling through a single sitting.

PS4

• Neo The World Ends With You (-53%) A$39.90 A stylish sequel that modernises its combat systems without losing the series’ fashion obsessed identity.
• NieR Replicant Ver. 1.22 (-50%) A$44.90 A melancholy RPG remaster that contextualises Automata, filled with narrative tricks that still catch players off guard.
• Persona 5 Strikers (-55%) A$45 A surprisingly faithful sequel that swaps turn based combat for musou action while keeping character chemistry intact.

Or purchase a PS Store Card.

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Purchase Cheap for PC

• Dead Island 2 (-90%) A$7.40 Weighty melee combat and absurd gore tech combine into a zombie game that knows exactly what it wants to be.
• Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (-50%) A$52.40 A confident continuation that expands the remake project, layering character moments between bombastic set pieces.
• Kena Bridge of Spirits (-70%) A$17.90 A debut from former animators that looks like a Pixar film, but hides a tougher combat edge than expected.
• Death's Door (-80%) A$5.90 Tight isometric combat and a surprisingly sincere story about burnout, told through a sword wielding crow.
• Overcooked All You Can Eat (-75%) A$14.20 Chaotic co-op perfection that stress tests friendships, now bundled with every kitchen and quality of life upgrade.

Or just get a Steam Wallet Card

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Christmas Eve is here, and if you still haven't managed to find a gift for the holiday season, today is your last chance to save on a PlayStation 5 Pro. PlayStation's holiday sale started a few weeks back, and this discount on the PS5 Pro will end tomorrow on Christmas Day. If you've been holding out, don't miss your chance to save $100 off Sony's most premium console.

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The highest scores on IGN’s review scale are 9 for “Amazing” and 10 for “Masterpiece.” This year, only sixteen films received the highest marks from IGN’s roster of critics, and of those, only two films received a perfect score of 10.

Horror movies were particularly well received by our reviewers, as were indie films, but the most obvious throughline with all of these picks is that they were films made by great directors such as Paul Thomas Anderson, Spike Lee, Guillermo del Toro, Ryan Coogler, and Kelly Reichardt, just to name a few. Surprise! Great directors usually make great movies.

Here are IGN’s best reviewed movies of 2025, starting with all the 9s:

“We’re the Real Monsters”

From one of the most iconic creatures in cinematic history to blues-lovin’ vampires and a new breed of the Infected, this was a big year for monster movies. And by monsters, we mean humans; there are no Xenomorphs or killer sharks to be found on this list.

Guillermo del Toro finally realized his decades-long ambition to adapt Frankenstein, which IGN’s Scott Collura called “a crowning achievement for the beloved genre director and one of the most effective adaptations of the Mary Shelley story ever put to film.” In his review, Collura hails del Toro for going “for a tale of tragedy, romance, and redemption rather than a straight horror flick. Which isn’t to say that there isn’t plenty of gore or creepy moments, but that’s the trimmings of this film, as blood-red as they are. No, del Toro’s really interested in – to paraphrase the Creature – why violence so often feels inevitable. And what it takes to stop it.”

Oscar Isaac’s Victor Frankenstein and Charles Dance as his nasty dad are the true monsters in the film, with the Creature being written by del Toro and, in a revelatory performance, played by Jacob Elordi as “a sympathetic, sad-sack SOB who just wants a friend. That the actor also seems to be channeling the body work of GDT regular and creature-player extraordinaire Doug Jones only accentuates how different Elordi’s Creature is from past incarnations.”

Ryan Coogler also found the humanity in the monsters of his film Sinners, with Eric Goldman writing in his review: “They’re sufficiently creepy and bloodthirsty, but Coogler also leans hard into the idea that vampires, in many cases, are depicted as seductive, sexual creatures – and there’s an allure to joining their undead ranks.”

“The vampires of Sinners share something of a hive mind. Amid all the racism and other senseless reasons humans turn on each other for – which Smoke, Stack, and their loved ones are especially familiar with given where they live – here is a society that moved beyond such petty hatred. If you’re a vampire, you’re accepted, regardless of your skin color. You only need to watch out if you’re not one.”

And there’s Weapons, Zach Cregger’s darkly funny horror-thriller that examines an entire community of people. “The mystery of a mass disappearance and its impact on a small town unfold in a fascinatingly layered way that gives every character a chance to shine; the wise decision to break their stories up into multiple, time-scrambling chapters creates multiple cliffhangers that set up a shattering finale,” Tom Jorgensen wrote in his review.

“From that primal starting point, Weapons unfurls itself in time-hopping chapters that afford the story a tremendous sense of scope in spite of its relatively diminutive setting. Each segment takes its time to dig into how the disappearances have affected the lives of those closest to the situation, and Cregger takes care to introduce the audience to the characters in quiet, personal moments of struggle. No one person’s perspective feels more important than any other’s; what’s revealed by these various vantage points makes us constantly reassess our own view of Weapons' bigger picture.”

Across the pond, director Danny Boyle and screenwriter Alex Garland revisited post-apocalyptic Britain in 28 Years Later. The movie introduced the Alpha, a subspecies of the Infected who procreate and run around buck naked and buck wild; they’re returning for the upcoming sequel, 28 Days Later: The Bone Temple. “These crazy-ripped, nigh invincible hulks immediately ratchet up the tension any time they’re on screen, with finishers that would make even Sub-Zero exclaim ‘flawless victory’ in satisfied wonder,” Tom Jorgensen wrote in his review. “But as is often the case in zombie fiction – here, let me just lean in and whisper real quick… maybe we’re the real monsters,”

In the film, generations of young Brits have had to grow up too quickly and have only ever known life with the Rage Virus. “The way Holy Island’s citizens are lionizing Spike’s ascension to the hunter role, good-natured though it is, has a haunting, violence-begets-violence quality to it, underlined by the montages of child soldiers and the war poetry of Rudyard Kipling peppered into the edit,” according to Jorgensen.

Elio: The Pixar Box Office Bomb We Loved

Pixar Animation once had the Midas touch at the box office, but in the wake of flops like The Good Dinosaur and Lightyear, they’re no longer a sure thing commercially. That’s too bad, because we found their most recent film, Elio – about a boy who wants to venture into outer space to live with aliens – to be an audience-pleaser despite its dismal box office performance.

“With incisive humor, radiant, eye-catching animation, and peculiar alien characters, there’s enough entertainment value in Elio to satisfy viewers who are the protagonist's age or younger,” Carlos Aguilar wrote in IGN’s review. “But it’s the heartfelt insight about universal (literally and figuratively) sorrows and joys that make this one of the studio’s most poignant projects to date – even if it leaves you wishing some of its imaginative concepts and creations would have received more screen time.”

This Is Bananas

One film has a pop star chimp, the other has an evil wind-up monkey toy, and both received a 9 from our critics.

First up is the Robbie Williams biopic, Better Man, which depicts the British singer as a CGI chimp brought to life by Weta. “The bold risk of transforming Robbie Williams into an enjoyable CGI chimp pays off both emotionally and visually,” Hanna Ines Flint wrote in IGN’s review. “Turning his back catalogue into epic musical numbers with stunning choreography and heart-wrenching storytelling, Better Man comes out swinging and winning.” (Editor’s note: Better Man had a limited theatrical release in North America during the Christmas week of 2024 before it opened wide on Jan. 10, 2025; our review was posted on Jan. 8, 2025, so we have included the film among this year’s releases.)

Then there’s Osgood Perkins’ horror film, The Monkey, which we hailed as “a multifaceted rollercoaster of a midnight movie that elicits as many laughs as shocks or gross-out gags.” IGN’s Tom Jorgensen wrote in his review that “The Monkey marches to the beat of its own bloodstained drum – and it’s an irresistible rhythm to groove to. Osgood Perkins and cast balance the horror and comedy inherent in the movie’s silly premise exceptionally well, and the surreal, absurd touches the Longlegs director adds to a world sketched out by Stephen King only help to set it apart from less imaginative, body-count-obsessed movies.”

The Return of the Indie Auteurs

Two of the biggest names in ’90s and ’00s indie cinema had new films out this year. Kelly Reichardt was back with The Mastermind, which our critic Chase Hutchinson noted in his review features “career-best work from Josh O’Connor” and cements Reichardt’s place as “one of the best filmmakers working today, cutting deeply into both character and country to make a great new American heist film.”

That OG slacker, Richard Linklater, had not one but two new movies this year, Nouvelle Vague and Blue Moon, the latter earning a spot on this list. In his Blue Moon review, Siddhant Adlakha praised Linklater’s film about “the final days of Broadway songwriting legend Lorenz Hart (a magnificently melancholy Ethan Hawke) on the opening night for one of his former creative partner’s biggest hits. Jealousies and creative anxieties fly as Hart tries to maintain balance through friendly conversations, all while the specter of World War II hangs overhead, posing the question of what makes art, artists, and audiences tick during difficult times.”

A Cut Above

Not one but two action movies about vengeful women with samurai swords have landed on our list of best reviewed movies of 2025… albeit one movie is actually a combination of two films released over 20 years ago.

Although it screened at film festivals years ago, Quentin Tarantino waited until he could own the rights before seeking theatrical distribution for the four-and-a-half-hour-long Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair.

“The film is as vicious, fun, and sentimental as it’s always been, and although you could technically rewatch Vol. 1 (2003) back-to-back with Vol. 2 (2004) for a similar experience, nothing rivals the delights of watching Tarantino’s cross-cultural mash-up the way it was meant to be seen,” Siddhant Adlakha explained in his review.

“It’s perhaps the mash-up maverick’s most overt work of cultural bastardization-slash-homage, a thin line he traipses with gusto by combining the sounds and styles of spaghetti Westerns, spy B movies, Japanese chanbara (or swordplay) and Chinese wuxia, all choreographed by Hong Kong stunt legend Yuen Woo-ping. However, the long-overdue release is also a more mournful tribute to bygone eras of cinema, simply by virtue of the passage of time: Many of its stars have since departed, including David Carradine, Sonny Chiba, Michael Madsen, and Michael Parks, as well as the film’s editor, Sally Menke. Kill Bill should have always been this way, but it’s better late than never.”

Tarantino veteran Tim Roth, meanwhile, plays the villain in Slow West director John Maclean’s period action film, Tornado. Hanna Ines Flint’s review said “Maclean brilliantly captures the brutality and hardship of 18th-century Britain in a bleak but blistering coming-of-age tale loaded with nods to the samurai stories of Akira Kurosawa. Japanese actor Kōki is sharp and passionate in the lead role, Tim Roth impresses as a tired but ruthless crimelord, and Takehiro Hira and Jack Lowden are compelling in their supporting roles. With a blistering score and a darkly comic undercurrent, Tornado is a timeless revenge thriller filled with hurt and heart.”

A24’s Big Year

Indie distributor A24 released many notable films this year, many of which were well received but – IGN score-wise – fell short of meeting this article’s threshold of a 9 or above. Among the A24 films that didn’t make the cut were Civil War, Eternity, Eddington, Bring Her Back, Ne Zha II, Friendship, Opus, The Smashing Machine, and The Legend of Ochi.

However, Josh Safdie’s table tennis dramedy, Marty Supreme, featuring a stellar lead performance by Timothée Chalamet, earned a 9 from IGN’s Michael Calabro. In his review, Calabro forecast that “Marty Supreme and Uncut Gems will spawn many of their own Goodfellas/Casino debates in the future. It doesn’t matter what side you take; we’re insanely lucky all these films exist.”

Meanwhile, Spike Lee was back in a big way with Highest 2 Lowest, his remake of an Akira Kurosawa classic that Siddhant Adlakha explained in his review “begins as an austere class melodrama, but soon gives way to some of the most exciting, visceral images of Spike Lee’s career. It filters the kidnapping conundrum of its source materials through a kaleidoscope of Black culture, anchored by the great Denzel Washington at his most Shakespearean. It’s been nearly 20 years since the director and actor last collaborated, but neither man has lost a step.”

Celine Song followed up her Oscar-nominated Past Lives with Materialists, a romantic drama about dating in middle age. In his review, Adlakha wrote that Song “uses the screen presences of lovelorn leads Dakota Johsnon, Chris Evans, and Pedro Pascal to play with rom-com expectations. The result is an unexpected love triangle of cynics, both rich and poor alike, caught in a world where dating can be a game of numbers, forcing them to harden themselves towards romance. But as the possibility of the real thing rears its head, Song presents it in deeply alluring hues without ever shying away from the realistic allure of even the most bitter alternatives.”

But our highest-rated A24 film of the year – Sorry, Baby – is also one of only two films we awarded a perfect score of 10.

The 10s: Our Top Two Films of the Year

Films that earn a score of 10 are labeled by IGN as Masterpieces, which our review scale explainer describes as “classics in the making.” But what does that actually mean? IGN’s Michael Calabro wrestled with that very question in his One Battle After Another review:

“Frankly, when trying to come up with my final score for this movie, I’ve spent an absurd amount of time trying to figure out the difference between a 9 out of 10 and a 10 out of 10. What does an abstract “one better” mean? Then it hit me: Who says our review scale is linear, with each number being equally spaced from the other? We’re ‘measuring’ art with numbers, for Christ’s sake; it’s all a construction we’ve collectively made up.”

In delivering his score, Calabro ultimately concluded that “the elements that separate an ‘amazing' film from a ‘masterpiece’ are minor. … There are so many little details, seemingly inconsequential touches – the filmmaker’s style, if you will – that all add up bit by bit to turn this amazing movie into a masterpiece.” But Paul Thomas Anderson’s politically charged and darkly funny saga of revolutionaries and fascists wasn’t the only film to receive a perfect score from us in 2025.

Eva Victor made a stunning directorial debut with Sorry, Baby. Carlos Aguilar called it a “bittersweet, unassuming stunner,” writing in IGN’s review that “Sorry, Baby pulls off astounding feats of storytelling. It’s not only because it jumps across multiple time periods with powerful impact, but also because it addresses a challenging topic like the trauma of sexual assault with nuance, restraint, and even effective and consistent humor. Writer-director-star Eva Victor has made a movie that’s at once approachable, incredibly perceptive, and subtly stirring.”

What are your picks for the best movies of 2025? Let us know in the comments below, vote in our poll, and be sure to check out our various other best of awards for 2025 across film, TV, gaming, and comics. We’ll see you in 2026.

A musical biopic fittingly composed of religious ballads, The Testament of Ann Lee chronicles the life of its eponymous 18th century religious leader, played with tremendous passion by Amanda Seyfried. It spans several decades and traces Ann’s travels from Manchester to New York as well as the newly-invented religious dogmas that guided her journey. It’s a film of spiritual ecstasy that lives on the edge of realism – for better and for worse – while mythologizing an oft-forgotten historical figure whose unusual beliefs about celibacy had altruistic ends, making for a particularly compelling experience.

Directed by The Brutalist co-writer Mona Fastvold and co-written by that film’s director and other co-writer, Brady Corbet, The Testament of Ann Lee arrives with all the lush historical detail you’d expect, made even more inviting by William Rexer’s 70mm cinematography. It begins with a decontextualized vista of women in bonnets and religious robes moving rhythmically in the woods in the late 1700s. This image, removed from time, is all that’s known to most people about the United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Appearing, also known as the “Shakers,” a particularly enduring Christian sect – their number recently rose to 3. Ann was once their prophet, one of the rare female figures of such importance at the time.

Want to swap your bulky gaming headset for something a little more compact and comfortable? Best Buy just dropped the price of the SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds to a new low, beating Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales. Today only, you can grab our favorite gaming earbuds for just $119.99. That’s an epic $80 in savings. And if you happen to live near a Best Buy that has the earbuds in stock, you could potentially get them today to have under the tree Christmas morning. It’s an awesome last-minute gift any gamer will love.

40% Off SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds

Gaming earbuds might not get as much hype as top gaming headsets. Still, there’s a case to be made for these ultra-portable and versatile alternatives, especially for gamers who like to play on the go. The SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds are the best option, and work great whether you’re connecting via Bluetooth 5.3 to your phone or opting to use the reliable low-latency USB-C dongle when playing on your PS5, Switch, PC, or gaming PC handheld. That dongle is what puts these earbuds in a completely different realm from non-dedicated gaming options. Oh, and the sound isn’t too shabby either.

The SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds feature 6mm neodymium magnetic drivers ready to pump out well-balanced sound and even simulate bass. With ANC baked in, you can focus on the action rather than outside distractions, while spatial audio delivers directional cues to give you a leg up on opponents. If you’re not a fan of the out-of-the-box sound, the earbuds are loaded with over 100 different EQ presets, which can be easily adjusted based on the types of games you play using either the SteelSeries mobile app or PC software.

Comfort is key, no matter what gaming headset you use, and the SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds don’t disappoint. These tiny earbuds don’t add any pressure to your ears, and instead rest securely with three different eartip size options to choose from. Plus, the 10-hour battery life with 40 additional hours from the case is solid. There’s a reason IGN expert Michael Higham stated, “few earbuds are able to cover every base as competently as the SteelSeries GameBuds,” in his review of the SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds.

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

Beyond the humongous stage, tense in-game stand-offs and hard-fought Winner Winner Chicken Dinners of PUBG United 2025 (the combined Global Championships for both PUBG MOBILE and PUBG) fans and players in the host city of Bangkok were reminded that PUBG MOBILE is more than a game; it’s also a platform where creators, artists and players can bring their ideas to life, contribute to the game’s creative ecosystem and receive recognition and rewards for their hard work.

For aspiring creators, WOW and PDP are more than platforms, they’re launchpads for ambition and imagination. This month, creators from around the world gathered at the PMGC in Bangkok, where 16 standout creators were celebrated on a global stage at the PUBG MOBILE Creative Vision Awards 2025, which recognises contributions across World of Wonder (WOW), PUBG MOBILE’s in-game creation platform, and the Ptopia Design Project (PDP), the platform of the game’s global design contests. If you’re interested in becoming a creator yourself, there’s good reason, thanks to the incentives from the WOW $10 million dollar prize pools and more across PDP contests – and with modern creator tools, a supportive community and a focus on accessibility, there’s virtually nothing to stop you.

Who better to learn from than the winner creators themselves; here’s what they have to say about their creative process, and how PUBG MOBILE provides them with creative freedom.

Where to Start in This World of Possibilities

Warning: Spoilers follow for Season 1 of Pluribus, Carol.

Have you been watching Pluribus, the new sci-fi show from Vince Gilligan of X-Files, Breaking Bad, and Better Call Saul fame? Apple TV has confirmed that it’s the most watched show in the platform’s history, and that’s an impressive feat since between series like Severance, Foundation, For All Mankind, and Silo, Apple TV has been the place to be for science-fiction programming for a while now. Even among such esteemed company, Pluribus is an excellent addition to the sci-fi canon (see IGN’s own stellar reviews for more).

With the first season now wrapping up with the Season 1 finale “La Chica o El Mundo” (which translates to “The Girl or the World” in Spanish), and a Season 2 confirmed to be on the way, IGN interviewed Gilligan and his writing/directing/producing partners Gordon Smith and Alison Tatlock. Smith and Tatlock co-wrote the finale, with Smith directing, so we dove with them into some of the biggest events of Season 1’s ending – and what they could mean for Season 2.

As the hype train for Avengers: Doomsday picks up steam, the realization that Dune: Part 3 shares the same release date as Marvel’s behemoth is spreading across social media — and Shang Chi star Simu Liu has come up for the perfect name for this double bill: DUNESDAY.

At the time of this article’s publication, Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part 3 is still on track for release on December 18, 2026 — the same day as Avengers: Doomsday. This heavyweight science fiction blockbuster clash will be a bonanza for theaters and cinemagoers, you’d imagine. But can it prove to be 2026’s version of the ‘Barbenheimer’ phenomenon of the summer of 2023?

For now, it’s all hype. Simu Liu, who is set to reprise his role as Shang-Chi in Avengers: Doomsday, took to Twitter / X to declare: “Prepare for DUNESDAY.”

But will DUNESDAY actually come to pass? While Warner Bros. still has Dune: Part 3 down for December 18, 2026, it perhaps wouldn’t come as much of a surprise to see the company bring the film forward, even by a week or two, just to get out of the way of the actual Doomsday. As of now, though, a year from launch, we’re set for a clash.

We’re still waiting for the debut trailer for Dune: Part 3, which will see Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Florence Pugh, Jason Momoa, Josh Brolin, Rebecca Ferguson, and Anya Taylor-Joy all reprise their roles from the previous films. Meanwhile, we have our first teaser trailer for Avengers: Doomsday, which confirms the return of Chris Evans’ Steve Rogers, apparently with a baby in tow. A leaked Thor-themed second trailer is expected to hit theaters alongside Avatar: Fire and Ash later this week.

In a post on Instagram, the Russo brothers, who directed both Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame, issued a statement on Steve Rogers' return: "the character that changed our lives. The story that brought us all here together. It was always going to come back to this…"

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.

For years Grand Theft Auto fans have wondered whether Rockstar might take the franchise out of its traditional America setting into cities in other countries. But according to one former developer, that’s never going to happen — and fans just need to accept it.

In an interview with Gameshub, former Rockstar Games technical director Obbe Vermeij, who worked at the company from 1995 to 2009, said there were “ideas” about post-Liberty City, San Andreas, and Vice City GTA games set in Rio de Janeiro, Moscow, and Istanbul, but it was GTA: Tokyo that “almost actually happened.”

According to Vermeij, who left Rockstar just after finishing GTA 4, another studio in Japan was going to take Rockstar’s code and develop GTA: Tokyo (Vermeij didn’t say which studio). “But then that didn’t happen in the end.”

Why? It sounds like Rockstar came to the realization that American cities are the natural and best setting for GTA, and given it takes so long to release new games in the series, going international is too big of a risk.

“People love having these wild ideas but then when you’ve got billions of dollars riding on it it’s too easy to go let’s do what we know again, and also America is basically the epicenter of Western culture, so everybody knows the cities, even people who haven’t been there,” Vermeij said. “They have a mental image of the cities.

“I think it’s unlikely it’s going to be in Bogota next time, especially since there’s just more and more money involved as the project gets bigger. It doesn’t make sense to set it in some left-field location for novelty. GTA: Toronto? It just wouldn’t work.”

GTA 6 is of course set to return to Vice City, the GTA series’ fictionalized take on Miami, Florida. But then what? Will Rockstar ever take GTA international and set it across mainland Europe or in London?

“It’s just not realistic,” Vermeij countered. “I would love it, and if games still took a year to make then yeah sure, you can have a little fun, but you’re not going to get that when there’s a GTA every 12 years.

“You’re not going to set it in a new location. You don’t really need to either because the technology changes so much. Nobody is going to say that they’re not going to play GTA 6 because they’ve already played Vice City. That doesn’t make sense. It’s completely different.

“They’ll revisit New York again. They’ll go back to LA or maybe Las Vegas. I’m afraid we’re stuck in this loop of about five American cities. Let’s just get used to it.”

Vermeij’s comments here echo those of Rockstar co-founder and former boss Dan Houser, who recently explained why the Grand Theft Auto series won’t leave the United States in terms of its setting.

Speaking on the Lex Fridman podcast, Houser said that — GTA London apart — Grand Theft Auto remained firmly rooted in the United States because it leans so heavily on Americana.

“We made a little thing in London 26 years ago — GTA London — for the top-down for PS1. That was pretty cute and fun, as the first mission pack ever for PlayStation 1. I think for a full GTA game, we always decided there was so much Americana inherent in the IP, it would be really hard to make it work in London or anywhere else.

“You know, you needed guns, you needed these larger-than-life characters. It just felt like the game was so much about America, possibly from an outsider's perspective. But that was so much about what the thing was that it wouldn't really have worked in the same way elsewhere.”

Indeed, such is GTA’s relationship with America, built up over the course of its many video games, that a University of Tennessee history professor will teach a GTA college history class early in 2026. Professor Tore Olsson recently told IGN: “Video games are great at conjuring fictional worlds, but they also impact players’ thinking about real-world times and places. And just as Red Dead Redemption 2 has shaped folks’ perception of the nineteenth-century American West or Ghost of Tsushima has informed their vision of feudal Japan, millions of people around the globe imagine contemporary America through the lens of the Grand Theft Auto franchise. Just think of how many GTA veterans have recognized landmarks in Los Angeles and New York thanks to their hours in Los Santos and Liberty City!”

Houser’s position on GTA is similar to that of the creators of post-apocalyptic role-playing game series Fallout, which has also remained in the United States. Last year, Bethesda development chief Todd Howard ruled out leaving the U.S. behind for a future Fallout video game, saying he’s a big fan of the “Americana naivete” that informs so much of Fallout’s tone.

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.

CD Projekt has said huge discounts on Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Complete Edition displayed on the Nintendo Switch 2 eShop this week were a mistake, but it will honor any sales made at the discounted prices.

Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition for Nintendo Switch 2 went on sale with a whopping 75% off in the U.S. earlier this week, making the normally $69.99 game just $17.49. Making this deal all the more eye-catching is the fact the Ultimate Edition includes the DLC expansion Phantom Liberty. This DLC normally costs around $30 (or around $21 with a discount), which meant the base game plus the DLC was cheaper than the DLC itself if you bought it with the discount. As you'd expect, plenty of people bought the game at that price. "I couldn’t believe it lmfao," one fan said. "I bought as soon as I saw the price. I had been waiting for it to go on sale but was amazed at the discount." Said another: "I was on the fence for a few hours, and would have skipped it if it was $20. So they got money out of people like me who weren’t super interested. Bought it on PC years ago and barely started it. Hoping the switch 2 edition/cross save gets me to finish the game."

Now, CD Projekt has corrected the discount so Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition costs $39.99 (a 42% discount). The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Complete Edition, meanwhile, now costs $14.99 with a 75% discount properly applied.

CD Projekt issued the following statement on social media:

The discounts for Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Complete Edition displayed on Nintendo Switch 2 eShop in the Americas on December 22, 2025 were incorrect.

The situation is a result of an error we made when submitting the discount. We have corrected the error and new discounts have now been applied.

Purchases made at the previous discount rate are unaffected by this change.

As you'd expect, CD Projekt's statement is going down well with fans of the company and its games, and in particular with those who jumped on the discount error before it was corrected. "At that price it's basically a no-brainer impulse buy. Props to CDPR for honoring it though, lot of companies would've just cancelled the orders and blamed a 'system error.' Makes me want to support them more," said one fan.

If you’re jumping into Cyberpunk 2077 for the first time this Christmas, check out our huge guide. Similarly, if you’re getting to grips with The Witcher 3, we’ve got a sweeping guide to help.

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

The Fallout TV show is packed full of characters, factions, locations, and items familiar to any who has played the beloved RPGs. There are so many easter eggs to spot that we found 111 video game details in Season 1 alone. With season two heading to a fan-favourite part of the Fallout universe, New Vegas, naturally, a whole new flood of iconography is set to make its way from the games into the Prime Video series. So, we’ll be digging into each and every episode and picking out everything we’ve noticed that relates to the source material.

You can check out everything we found in episode one, but here, we’ll be taking a look at every video game easter egg and details we spotted in episode two of Fallout Season 2.

Characters, Factions, and Locations

This review contains spoilers for Fallout Season 2, Episode 2, “The Golden Rule,” which is available to stream now on Prime Video.

Last week I wondered if, by holding back the return of Maximus and the Brotherhood of Steel beyond the premiere, we’d have to spend a chunk of this week’s episode further recapping events and re-introducing ideas. Thankfully no such issues weigh down Fallout Season 2’s second chapter, “The Golden Rule,” which wastes no time not only expanding the scope of the Brotherhood, but also sowing the seeds of violent rebellion among its members.

Uneasy friction between factions is the defining factor of Fallout: New Vegas, the video game this season draws most heavily from, and it’s a great idea to replicate that in the movements of the Brotherhood, which turns out to be an uneasy alliance of multiple chapters rather than a unified force. Now conspiring with groups from the Grand Canyon, Yosemite, and Coronado, it’ll be fascinating to see how Quintus (Michael Cristofer) attempts to seize control of the Brotherhood from the Boston-based Commonwealth chapter – especially with the last-minute arrival of its liaison, Kumail Nanjiani’s Paladin Harkness.

The Elder Cleric’s first steps on that journey provide quite a spectacle. The circling vertibirds, spinning wind turbines, wide-angle desert shots, and Ramin Djawadi’s exceptional Brotherhood of Steel signature theme all combine to lend the reveal of Quintus’ new military base a little Dune-flavoured grandeur. Of course, Fallout can’t deliver all that with a completely straight face, so the base is Area 51 and there’s an alien hidden in the freezer – both among the episode’s funniest reveals. These sequences also never forget to emphasise that the Brotherhood’s incredibly imposing, efficiently violent, power-armoured knights are hilariously stupid. This episode is perhaps the best example so far of their child-like tendencies, with the warriors constantly beating each other up or fiddling with live plasma grenades.

With civil war brewing, it seems like the Brotherhood itself will have one of the season’s most significant storylines, rather than simply being the background fluff for Aaron Moten’s Maximus again. That’s not to say he’s been reduced to simply part of an ensemble, though. Now an obedient Brotherhood dog who’s totally numb to violence, he’s been crushed and reshaped by Quintus in the weeks that bridge each season’s events, so much so that the sneering Cleric finally admires him. Maximus has always been weak, unsure of what to do and easily manipulated, but it’s now clearer than ever that he has no control of who he is or his own destiny. Yes, he’s finally the knight he lied his way into becoming, able to kill a man twice his size, but none of it is his doing.

Maximus’ pathetic existence is made all the more tragic by the episode’s cold opening, which takes us back to his childhood in the ill-fated Shady Sands. Writer Chris Brady-Denton successfully captures the emotion of Maximus’ family saying their hurried goodbyes, knowing full well that they’re about to be nuked off the face of America. As the boy is bundled into the kitchen refrigerator (a tactic presumably taken from the Indiana Jones school of survival), his father reassures him that “you will be a good man.” How disappointed he’d be, then, to see what a spineless creature Maximus has become. The two time periods contrast perfectly, and establish the path down which Maximus must surely walk this season. It’s time to make dad proud.

Talking of proud dads, Shady Sands’ demise was, of course, the work of Hank MacLean. The flashback really does cement him as a truly evil piece of work, as this is the first time we get to see what the town had flourished into. Once little more than a few crop fields and buildings during the timelines of Fallouts 1 and 2, it became an incredible bastion of progress with access to clean water… and Hank took it all away in a flash. We always knew that he was motivated to do so because his wife and daughter ran away from his vault to live there, but Season 1 left the half-answered question of how the bombing was linked to Vault-Tec’s wider corporate plans. That question only gets more complicated now we’ve seen that the explosion was achieved through the use of the mind-control chips that Mr. House was testing in last week’s flashback. Hank, House, and Vault-Tec are all linked, but I don’t think the relationship between the three is as simple as the Season 1 finale’s board meeting made it seem – this will be a great mystery to be unpicked over the next few episodes.

Of course, anything with Kyle MacLachlan in it can’t be 100% sinister, and his mouse-testing trial-and-error montage is one of the episode’s comedic highlights. There’s so many fun details – the cheerful tune, the tiny rodent Vault-Tec office, the constant yo-yoing, and the perfect timing of each bursting mouse. And while it’s fun, it’s all in aid of showing how flawed the control-chip tech is. A similar trick is executed in the Shady Sands flashback, with the mind-controlled travelling trader repeating “Patrolling the Mojave almost makes you wish for a nuclear winter” on a never-ending loop. That’s a nod to the New Vegas video game, where budget restrictions meant dozens of characters across the wasteland would parrot the same line ad nauseum. But here, the meme becomes a smart, funny way to depict the tech’s deficiencies.

Also providing a few chuckles is Norm, who has found himself in charge of a gaggle of clueless middle managers after thawing the entire population of Vault 31 last week. In a smart recognition of how little screentime this storyline has, things move at a rapid pace, and the entire group are out on the surface before the credits roll. Norm’s story was a slow burn last year, and while it ultimately paid off, it did require patience as it built from frivolous distraction into one of the show’s key reveals. I’m pleased the momentum continues here, rather than being reset, and does so while still dropping a bunch of “idiot vaultie” jokes along the way. It fulfills the show’s more dedicated comedy needs without feeling inconsequential – something I hope the storylines of vaults 32 and 33, which are absent this week, will adopt when we rejoin them in later episodes.

As Norm sees the ocean and sky for the first time in his entire existence, his sister continues her long walk to find dad almost 300 miles inland. Slightly frustratingly, Lucy and The Ghoul are once again stuck in recap mode this week, as they go on a side quest that closely echoes the events of last season’s trip to the Super Duper Mart, where Lucy could have abandoned The Ghoul after he betrayed her, but instead gave him the life-restoring drugs he needed. It’s largely the same story here – Lucy is poised to leave him for dead after yet another bout of needless violence, but she promises to return for him, proving that she’s “nothing like” him in the process. The parallel between these two scenes is made all the more clear by having the duo’s original tiff in the “previously on Fallout” recap, and so once again it feels like this relationship is treading water… or perhaps it’s such an incompatible pairing that growth is impossible. Only with the entire season in the rear-view will we know if this sense of arrested development worked or not.

That’s not to say Lucy and The Ghoul don’t have any fun, though. Far from it. We have an enjoyably chaotic run-in with radscorpions, a quintessential Fallout monster brought to life with some top-notch visual effects. Also brought over from the games is the classic “choose between these two people in need” dilemma, in which Lucy must decide which dying person is most deserving of her final stimpack. Of course, to have Lucy pick the tunic-wearing woman, seemingly the obvious choice between a vulnerable mortal and a 200-year-old mutant, only for that choice to lead her right into the den of Caesar’s Legion, New Vegas’ cruellest faction, is a wonderful translation of the video games’ unforeseen consequences. Next week’s episode, where we’ll learn more of Lucy’s infamous captors, is sure to be a treat.

The second teaser trailer for Avengers: Doomsday is currently playing in front of Avatar: Fire and Ash in theaters. This time, it’s Chris Hemsworth’s Thor who enjoys the spotlight, as he prays to his late father and seeks to reunite with his daughter Love (India Rose Hemsworth). Clearly, all is not well in New Asgard.

In fact, the biggest takeaway from this brief new footage is that Thor himself is mired in a newfound darkness. As far as we’re concerned, that can only mean good things for Doomsday. Thor is a character who needs a little darkness to balance out the levity, and it’s about time that Marvel remembered that.

Thor’s Inconsistent MCU History

Hemsworth’s Thor is certainly one of the most prominent characters in the MCU. He’s headlined no fewer than four solo films and played a key role in all four Avengers movies. Yet as often as Thor pops up in the MCU, Marvel seems to have a real problem with nailing down his characterization and striking a consistent tone with his adventures.

Look at how wildly different those Thor movies are in terms of style and voice. The original two are far more dramatic, even Shakespearean. That approach worked out pretty well for 2011’s Thor and much less so for 2013’s Thor: The Dark World. It helps that the former had a director of Kenneth Branagh’s stature at the helm.

But the franchise took a decidedly more comedic turn when Taika Waititi took over with 2017’s Thor: Ragnarok. Waititi really leaned into Thor’s sillier side there. A lot of MCU fans seemed to connect with that approach, certainly, judging from the critical and commercial reaction. But even if Ragnarok proved to be the most purely entertaining Thor movie to date, it does raise the question of how silly is too silly. At times, the film undercuts its more dramatically weighty moments. Case in point, no sooner does Asgard explode into fiery ruin than Waititi’s Korg pops in with a goofy one-liner.

Ragnarok’s successor, 2022’s Thor: Love and Thunder, doubled down on that approach, much to its detriment. Despite adapting some of Marvel’s absolute best Thor comics (Jason Aaron’s Thor: God of Thunder and The Mighty Thor), Love and Thunder squandered that material on a script that is far too inane and joke-y for its own good. Can a superhero movie become so silly that it’s no longer even funny? Yes, apparently.

Of Thor’s numerous MCU appearances, only one movie has really managed to nail his characterization and strike that critical balance between humor and pathos. That would be 2018’s Avengers: Infinity War. If Ragnarok undercut the drama in Asgard’s destruction, Infinity War at least explores the emotional fallout well. Hemsworth delivers his best Thor performance here, painting a portrait of a weary king trying to put a good face on things despite falling so fast and so far.

Even the sequel, 2019’s Avengers: Endgame, struggled a bit in carrying that torch. For every scene that really dials in on Thor coming to terms with his absolute failure, there are three or four fat jokes. Still, it’s clear that directors Joe and Anthony Russo and screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely understand the character better than anyone in the MCU at this point.

Thor in Avengers: Doomsday

That’s one major advantage of the fact that Avengers: Doomsday is getting the majority of the band back together. The Russos are back in the directors’ chairs, and McFeely is co-writing alongside Loki’s Michael Waldron. The potential is there to finally right the Viking ship and restore Thor to the cinematic greatness he enjoyed in Infinity War.

If this new teaser is any indication, they’re well on their way to achieving that goal. The second teaser is similar in style to the first Steve Rogers teaser, striking a somber mood and dialing in on one character. We see Thor praying to his late father, Anthony Hopkins’ Odin, as he seeks to be reunited with his adopted daughter, Love.

“Of all the crowns, the kingdoms, the pride, I ask for none,” Thor says in his monologue. “Father, hear your son. I am not worthy of life, but still, I beg you to let the thread lengthen. Not for thunder, not for war… let me remain long enough to see my Love once more.”

Now this is a proper thunder god. The quips and the humor are finally gone, replaced by a father deeply committed to the singular mission of reuniting with his daughter. This is a Thor who has a regal quality, yet is humbled by his past failures and losses. The pained, grieving hero of Infinity War is finally back.

Obviously, we can only judge Hemsworth’s Thor so much by a single, minute-long teaser. We still don’t know exactly how Thor fits into the plot or what his exact beef with Robert Downey, Jr.’s Doctor Doom is (we can hopefully speculate more on that front when the rumored Doom-centric teaser hits next week). And, to be sure, Hemsworth is going to be jockeying for screen time with a massive cast of heroes. Will there even be room to give Thor the attention he deserves?

But this teaser is nothing if not an encouraging sign for Thor fans. After a big misstep with the most recent Thor film, things look to be getting back on track as the Odinson reunites with his Avengers buddies. And, with any luck, a few tears will be shed when Thor inevitably reunites with his wayward brother, Tom Hiddleston’s Loki.

Now bring on the next Doomsday teaser.

For more, see why we’re feeling discouraged by Chris Evans’ return in the first Avengers: Doomsday teaser.

Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on BlueSky.