Avowed is the latest Xbox Game Studios creation to head to PlayStation, developer Obsidian announced today.
This news came as part of an interview on the New Game+ Showcase, where Obsidian developers shared that the February 17 launch on PS5 would coincide with the game's promised anniversary update on all platforms.
The anniversary update contains a number of long-requested features, including a New Game Plus mode, a Photo Mode, the ability to play three new races (Aumaua, Orlan, and Dwarves), a new weapon type, the ability to change appearance in the overworld, and a number of other asked-for upgrades.
Pre-orders for the PS5 version will go live today, and the update will be available for free for those who already own it on other platforms.
Avowed came out almost a year ago (hence the anniversary update), and we gave it a 7/10 at the time. While we said it has "awesome worldbuilding and stellar character writing", it also "plays it quite safe with a by-the-numbers fantasy adventure."
Avowed's move to PlayStation is part of a larger trend of Xbox releasing its first-party games on its competitor platform, including recently Forza Horizon 5, Doom: The Dark Ages, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, and even Halo.. It's a strategy that seems to be working for them okay in some respects - in one quarter of last year, six of the ten best-selling games on PlayStation were Xbox-published. And its leadership has publicly embraced the idea that consumers find platform exclusivity to be "antiquated."
Will this strategy serve them well as hardware prices skyrocket and players gravitate more toward forever games? We took a stab at guessing how Xbox's 2026 will go, and you can read those predictions here.
Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.
Embark Studios says it ‘should do a lot more’ with trading in Arc Raiders, but some players are worried about how a potential in-game market might affect the experience.
CEO Patrick Söderlund expressed interest in a more robust trade feature for the popular extraction shooter during a recent interview with GamesBeat. The chat, which took place during an Arc Raiders session that lasted nearly two hours, saw the studio head touch on everything from movie deals to aggression-based matchmaking, but it’s the topic of trading that managed to get the community riled up.
keep it out. there’s no need for trading. All it will encourage is RMT or cheater services. leave out any type of player developed economy. Pls
“We’re going to want to do more [with trading] because it’s fun. It’s a good part of the game,” Söderlund teased. “I agree: We should do a lot more of the trading component in the game, and also allow people to trade amongst each other, etc. I think it’s fun. It’s something that we absolutely have to look at long term.”
Although some players have found their own ways to swap weapons and other rare loot between each other, proper trading support is largely absent from Arc Raiders. While Embark is interested in changing that, portions of the community aren’t thrilled about how something like an in-game marketplace, or even auctions, could impact the sci-fi shooter.
As Söderlund’s comments made their way to the internet, so, too, did posts from users concerned that trading could take away from the thrill of extracting. For these players, it’s a matter of keeping the fundamental Arc Raiders gameplay loop intact.
“The entire point of this game is to find loot and extract safely with it,” one Reddit user explained. “If you add a system where people can stockpile coins and then purchase everything without any risk, what is the point? Where will be that moment where you find something you're looking for and rush to an extract on the edge of your seat?”
“I hope they won’t add a player to player trading system,” another added. “There is no need for that. All we need is nice events, new content/maps once in a while and a fix for micro stutters. Love the game.”
Fear of a fleshed-out trade system for Arc Raiders also seems to stem from those who believe players will simply be able to purchase any weapon or item they want. Some Escape from Tarkov fans have also stepped in to warn of how they feel trading affected that game, with one player saying, “Once trading is added, everything turns into a dollar value and that’s all that matters.” Others question how additional trade support would even work in Arc Raiders in its current form.
“What the hell am I supposed to trade with people?” another post asks. “Reset was 3 weeks ago and I have pretty much everything again. There's not nearly enough loot in this game for a trading system to work. Unless they introduce items with random attributes, like in Warframe or Diablo, which would destroy balance.”
There is a section of the Arc Raiders player base concerned about trading, but there are also those who believe slight changes for player-to-player exchanges could actually improve the experience. Some have already organized trading services outside of the game itself, with others believing that an in-game system, if done right, could encourage the more casual fans to stick around.
Either way, players should note Embark has far from confirmed that official Arc Raiders trading additions are on the way, nor has it explained what shape something like that could take.
“There’s nothing that we’ve decided yet, but that’s the fun part of building something like this: This is really the start of something,” Söderlund added. “We believe that there’s so many things that we can look into and do and add to the game. It’s fun.”
Michael Cripe is a freelance writer with IGN. He's best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).
Greenland 2: Migration arrives in theaters on Friday, January 9.
Gerard Butler and Morena Baccarin are back as the extinction-surviving Garritys in Greenland 2: Migration, now joined by Roman Griffin Davis as their son, Nathan. In this above-average sequel to 2020's Greenland, our first family of of the apocalypse must find a new home after their quaint, claustrophobic years of living in a bunker get dangerously disrupted by moving tectonic plates.
There are about as many crazed, unbelievable moments here as one can expect from a global disaster flick, but Migration moves fast, and like the first movie, focuses on the three main characters, relying on our investment in their safety and well-being to pull us through the wreckage and suspend our discerning, doubting tendencies. The horrors and hazards in Migration are found in the ravaged post-apocalyptic world itself, from violent natural threats to the evils of desperate humans, and the story does a nice job of staggering, varying, and escalating these obstacles. It should be mentioned though that Nathan's diabetes, which was a major part of the first film, only gets lip service here, presumedly so that new complications can be explored.
Ultimately, in wasteland adventure like this, it doesn't matter if it's comet fragments or radiation storms or zombies (there are no zombies, to be clear). The message is simple: Outside is bad and shelter is good. The goal for John and Allison Garrity is to get their son to a possible paradise so that he can actually live and not just survive. Yes, the ginormous Clarke comet crater itself could contain a viable, thriving environment free of toxins and disasters, but it will mean getting all the way to Southern France.
Migration doesn't forge new ground or break any molds, but it is a mindful continuation that hits the right emotional notes and provides some solid jumps.
Migration doesn't forge new ground or break any molds, but it is a mindful continuation that hits the right emotional notes and provides some solid jumps. Butler has played cops and soldiers, but he's even better as an "everyman," using his warm gravely voice and charisma to carry the weight of the (destroyed) world as he and his family squeak through cursed crucibles, sidestepping perils left and right. Butler knows his cinematic lane, and because of this, he's become one of the most stealthily successful B-movie bankabilities in the business. In fact, he and Jason Statham are probably the only two dudes getting theatrical releases for their mid-budget action movies right now; if they ever star in a film together, there might be a multiversal incursion.
With that said, Greenland is the latest of Butler's better-than-expected projects to get a sequel after his Has Fallen series, Den of Thieves, and 2023's Plane (though that's continuing as a Mike Colter vehicle). And Greenland worked in the first place both because of Butler's anchoring presence and the fact that the story focused on the Garrity family instead of just treating the story like a one-man show. Morena Baccarin is a big reason why the first movie resonated, with Allison sharing the spotlight as a full character during the global turmoil. Migration recognizes the importance of its three principal leads, and especially John and Ali's bond. It's a lean dystopian machine, swiftly taking our heroes through moments of brief chaos and briefer calm as they take a huge risk in betting on the crater containing some sort of natural utopia.
Migration isn't as ferocious as, say, a 28 Days Later, but it's also not cornball like most Roland Emmerich End Times movies. It resides in a safe, enjoyable middle that's both violent and bloodless. Director Ric Roman Waugh (who, yes, does have a Jason Statham movie coming out at the end of the month) keeps a confident hand on the wheel, providing only the necessary and delivering some cool, harrowing set pieces (like the gorge/ladder moment shown above). For those wondering if there was actually a story to tell after the first Greenland, the answer is yes, especially if you felt the first film was possibly leading up to a big character moment that never happened. Migration puts the Garritys through it again while also closing the Clarke comet hellscape book in a satisfying manner.
Primate is an inarguably silly movie and yet it leans into that silliness in just the right way. Though it never actually turns into meta commentary or self-parody, you still get the feeling that all involved, starting with director and co-writer Johannes Roberts, knew this should be a goofy good time. And crucially, Roberts also knew it would be best served as a goofy gory good time, delivering a movie far more brutal and graphic than the trailers have indicated, which helps make it an even more satisfyingly over-the-top experience. Seriously, they really should have gone with a redband trailer for this one to more properly sell what it has to offer!
Roberts sets the bar with the film’s in medias res opening, which includes a rather fantastic and attention-getting moment of killer chimp violence that elicited unexpected early applause from the audience I saw it with. I wouldn’t be shocked if the decision to begin with this flash-forward was done in the editing room, because the actual story set-up that follows feels a bit too drawn out for this type of movie. And yet the promise of that opening lingers over everything, as an assurance that we shouldn’t worry; the reason we’re all here is on its way and it’s going to deliver.
The eventual killer in question in the story is Ben, a domesticated chimp living alongside popular author Adam (Troy Kotsur) and his daughters, Lucy (Johnny Sequoyah) and Erin (Gia Hunter), in their beautiful cliffside Hawaiian home. Lucy is just returning home after a long absence in the wake of her mother’s death, with a bit of backstory about her mom being a linguistics expert to explain how Ben came to live with them. If Primate is trying to suggest why you shouldn’t domesticate an animal like Ben, it’s only there as background rather than anything overt or meaningful, but that’s fine for this type of movie. Ben is a loving part of the family until he’s not, and though we get a quick glimpse of the chimp as the sweet-natured guy he always was until now, the movie’s tone ultimately goes to extremes that don’t ask us to cry about the tragedy of what’s happening so much as cheer on the mayhem like we would in a slasher film. If you sometimes end up still feeling Team Ben, well, that makes sense too, because he’s just giving the crowd what they want.
If you sometimes end up still feeling Team Ben, well, that makes sense too, because he’s just giving the crowd what they want.
Once we get through the family drama backstory and the unnecessary inclusion of a brewing competition between Lucy and her pseudo-friend Hannah (Jessica Alexander) over the affections of Lucy's longtime crush, Nick (Benjamin Cheng), Primate is commendably lean and mean. The story takes place over one long night as Lucy, her sister, and her friends try to fend off Ben after he snaps and begins brutally killing anyone who crosses his path. At that point, it thankfully concentrates on delivering the goods in terms of tension and exciting kills vs. too many unnecessary elements for a story of this nature. My only big distraction? Trying to figure out why the book signing Adam has traveled to seems to be happening pretty damn late at night for such an event.
This story streamlining (Ernest Riera wrote the script with Roberts) includes skipping past some of the specifics for the how and why of what’s happened to Ben. We know from the start that it’s an oldie but goodie horror set-up – rabies – that will make Ben turn homicidal, as Primate kicks off with a helpful block of text to give us some rabies history. At one point, one character incredulously notes rabies isn’t found in Hawaii, but that line simply serves the purpose of acknowledging this fact rather than leading to a bigger reveal. We never get the expected scenes showing how, say, someone smuggled an animal they shouldn’t into Hawaii that turned out to be carrying rabies…and yet we really don’t need to get that. It’s enough to know that somehow rabies got to Hawaii, a mongoose with rabies bit Ben, and now we’re enjoying the bloody results.
Roberts, whose previous credits include The Strangers: Prey at Night and 47 Meters Down, does a very good job of mixing the straightforward, visceral thrills of his gruesome kill scenes with some genuine moments of tension. He probably has Ben suddenly appear right next to someone a couple times too many, but it works like a charm more often than not. You can also often feel that Roberts is in on the joke, most especially when two horny, drunken douchebag bros (Tienne Simon and Charlie Mann) who are absolutely begging to be massacred by a killer chimp turn up for just that purpose.
The cast, including Sequoyah and Victoria Wyant (as Lucy’s best friend), do solid work in the midst of this innately wacky scenario. Yes, it’s funny to see the charming Kotsur in this type of popcorn movie just a few years after winning an Oscar for CODA, but hey, that’s life in Hollywood. Roberts incorporates the deafness of both Kotsur and his character, Adam, into the story using effective cinematic methods we’ve certainly seen before, including moments of full silence when we cut to Adam’s perspective. Also providing a crucial element is composer Adrian Johnston, who gives the film a 1980s-style synth score that has a cool and creepy vibe.
As for Ben himself, huge kudos to everyone involved in the creation of this character. Rather than using CGI like you might expect these days, Ben was brought to life using an impressively complex animatronic suit created by Millennium FX, with actor and movement specialist Miguel Torres Umba actually wearing the costume and playing Ben. The end result of the partnership between Millenium FX and Umba is that Ben truly looks great; you can easily buy into him as a full-fledged and increasingly angry and deranged character, as he first hunts his prey and then bashes, smashes, and tears them apart in various ways.
Hey, fellow Undertale and Deltarune fan. Did you know there was a Deltarune ARG going on? Did you know it's technically been going on for three years now? Yeah, neither did I!
I first learned about the Deltarune ARG (Alternate Reality Game) earlier this week, when a video about it surfaced in my YouTube recommendations. I started out just mildly curious, but I quickly fell down a rabbit hole that had me digging through massive spreadsheets, scouring Reddit threads, and pouring over weird corners of the official Deltarune website. And now, I'm going to infect you with it too.
In order to fully unpack the entire ARG in a way that covers every little bit of what's happened and what it could mean, I would have to spoil all four chapters of Deltarune, probably some bits of Undertale, and dive into a deep, deep, deep pit of Deltarune fan theories. So I'm going to try to keep the explanation as high level as is possible while still making sense. But as a warning ahead of time: this will contain spoilers for Chapters 1 and 2 of Deltarune, especially the "Weird Route", and some very light allusions to characters and events in Chapters 3 and 4. Read on at your own risk:
The Deltarune ARG actually began in September 2022, during an event called the Spamton Sweepstakes celebrating Undertale's seventh anniversary, which raised money for the charity Child's Play. Most of the event was fun, silly, and non-ARG-related, themed around the eccentric Chapter 2 character Spamton and including a lot of fun new merchandise courtesy of Fangamer.
However, at the time, the ever-vigilant Deltarune community stumbled upon some unusual hidden content within the pages on the Deltarune website dedicated to the sweepstakes. At the time, most of it consisted of fun Easter Eggs, and I don't want to get into it all, but it was the first major sign that something was up. It wasn't until May of 2025 (two and a half years later) that things really kicked off. Fans suddenly noticed that there were even more secrets on the Deltarune website dedicated to the sweepstakes. There were a number of new hidden pages, all of which made reference to the game's deeply eerie and hidden "Weird Route", but the one that matters most to the ARG was deltarune.com/chapter4/thankyou. At the time, the website consisted of two very small blanks where users could input text, and a blank button that allowed them to submit it. There were no clues as to what needed to go into the blanks, save for a single question:
"How long did it take her to smile?"
Deltarune fans very quickly guessed that the "her" being referenced was Noelle, a beloved character and the childhood best friend of Deltarune protagonist Kris. She's also the focal point of the aforementioned Weird Route, in which the player (a separate character from Kris) manipulates Noelle into doing something terrible in the interest of becoming stronger. Fans also figured out that the first blank was looking for an email address, with the second blank being for the actual "answer" to the question. Unfortunately, the form was only open for a day, before being replaced with text that just said "Thank You." Those who had submitted their email in the form began receiving effectively a confirmation email that just contained "You answered [THEIR ANSWER]." No further explanation. Nothing! For months!
Notably, when all this happened, Chapters 3 and 4 weren't out yet. Those released earlier this year, and with them, more Weird Route content and a couple of horrifying, hidden scenes focused on Noelle in particular. Then two weeks ago, those who had received the confirmation email the first time received a new email that just said, "Second chance," and found that the form had been reopened. The community efforts were more coordinated this time, with people experimenting with different combinations of time amounts in days, seconds, years, as well as other textual responses they felt made sense. A number of community members tried to document submissions to avoid duplications, though given the short notice and short time period the form was open, this was once again difficult to do.
The form closed again, and once again, participants received emails. But this time, they were different. Individuals were getting one of a collection of different responses that seemed to be based on what they submitted. For instance, those who said "1 Day" received back "Then, 'The next day you'll see her smile.'" People who inputted very small numbers, such as 4 seconds, got back, "So, 'she never stopped smiling'". There are a bunch of other creepy answers, like "Do you think that means she still can?" and "Then, 'It was the first time she ever smiled in her life.'"
Many emails ended with another sentence: "Move forward with this answer," seemingly indicating the submission was on the right track.
That was two weeks ago, and the form has been closed ever since. There's no indication of whether anyone got the right answer, what the next step is, or if the form will ever open up again. In preparation for a third attempt, a number of content creators have been rallying fans into communities to track what answers garnered what responses, and piece those responses together to try and figure out a "correct" answer if the form reopens. There are multiple massive spreadsheets out there cataloging confirmed responses, as well as others assigning different answers to each participant ahead of time, so no one wastes an answer on a duplicate.
But what does it all mean? We're...not exactly sure. The general consensus is that all this has something to do with where Chapter 4's "Weird Route" leaves Noelle, and speculation about what's to come in Chapter 5 at the "festival" event we know is going to take place during it. But even though that's the most likely context, it's a pretty unusual one: the Weird Route is extremely hard to figure out without assistance from the internet, and its dark consequences make it unlikely that the vast majority of players would ever see it or understand what any of this is about. If this ARG is going to reveal some deep lore, or even impact the game somehow, it's likely that very few people will understand or even care about the result.
That may be by design, though. Critically, the second time the form opened, only people who participated and received feedback from it the first time were able to use it again. If you're just learning about this (as I am), you may be entirely too late to participate at all. It's also possible there's no progress on whatever this is for months, even years. We've already waited along time just for this.
I'm really just scratching the surface here, and probably sound like I'm completely crazy. If you've played Deltarune and didn't know about any of this, you probably had a pleasant time with a cool, well-written RPG with funny, lovable characters, and left it at that. That's an extremely normal way to enjoy this game, and probably will be most people's experience! But since Deltarune's Chapter 1 release, there's been a whole ecosystem of secrets, fan theories, and conspiracies surrounding the question of what this game actually is, how it relates to Undertale, and what the implications of its hidden, darker narrative might be for the game's lighter side. It's complex, weird, and fun as hell to dig into, and we probably won't know the full scope of it for years to come.
Which is all to say, good luck to the secret hunters, and I'm genuinely sorry I can't help. I've inadvertently gotten invested in this mystery even though I will not personally touch the Weird Route with a ten-foot holiday pencil. Deltarune chapters 1-4 are out now and combined make a very good place to jump in if you've been holding off thus far. Chapter 5 is expected to come out this year, likely in the second half.
Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.
Embark Studios has outlined its plan to deal with Arc Raiders cheaters after they became a hot topic in the community earlier this week.
Cheaters are a concern for nearly all multiplayer games, but they’ve become an especially controversial subject amongst players recently. Reports of cheaters seem to be increasing in recent weeks, as players share clips and stories of others shooting them through walls and from unreachable areas. The conversation then reached a boiling point when popular streamers like Ninja, Nadeshot, and Shroud began publicly voicing their concerns.
"This might be my last day playing for a very long time... Embark has zero control over their game right now"
Embark confirmed it is taking action against the cheating problem in a message posted in its official Discord server. The note comes with an acknowledgement of the discussion surrounding cheaters in the community, promising that the studio is “taking this issue very seriously” as it awaits further feedback.
“Over the next few weeks, we are implementing significant changes to our rulesets and deploying new detection mechanisms to identify and remove cheaters,” Embark said. “This includes updating our Anti-Cheat systems for improved detection and bans, as well as applying client-side fixes specifically addressing the ‘out of map’ glitch.”
It’s unclear if Embark’s efforts will be enough to deter the most problematic Arc Raiders offenders, but it’s at least a sign the studio will take action through January. The message also comes with a promise specifically for streamers, saying the team is “introducing tools for streamers to help mitigate stream sniping.”
“Thank you for your valuable feedback and for helping us make ARC Raiders a fair and fun experience for everyone,” the message concludes.
Michael Cripe is a freelance writer with IGN. He's best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).
2013's Batman: Arkham Origins may not be the most critically beloved entry in the series, but many fans would argue it's the game with the best Batman costume design. Now Hot Toys is finally giving that costume its due with a truly stunning 1/6 scale figure.
Check out the slideshow gallery below for an early look at Hot Toys' Batman: Arkham Origins figure:
This figure stands an impressive 12.7 inches tall and features a detailed recreation of the character model from the game. The head boasts individually rotating eyeballs and interchangeable faceplates that allow for different expressions.
The figure also includes various other accessories you'd expect, including Batman's various gadgets and weapons, electric gauntlets, and interchangeable hands.
This is hardly Hot Toys' first time exploring the Arkham universe. In the past, they've released figures based on Batman's Arkham City and Arkham Knight designs, along with several of the alternate suits from those games and villains like Joker and Harley Quinn. As for Arkham Origins specifically, Hot Toys previously tackled Deathstroke (who makes a cameo appearance in the photos above) and Batman's armored XE Suit.
The Batman: Arkham Origins figure is priced at $300 and is available to preorder on Sideshow Collectibles. The figure is expected to release between January and June of 2027.
Warning: Spoilers follow for various TV finales from years past...
There have been many series finales that have split fandom over the years, whether they involved visits to the Iron Throne, the afterlife, or even Holsten's (and maybe the afterlife, too, in that case?). It's often clear when it comes to ending a favorite TV series that it's hard to keep everyone happy, and frequently viewers are left steaming, even if some others are satisfied.
Stranger Things has become the latest series to divide the fan community with its long-awaited and very controversial series finale. There's even a term for this particular phenomenon - "Conformity Gate" - with some fans clinging to the hope that Netflix would drop a secret real finale episode. Needless to say, that theory didn't pan out.
So with the furor over Stranger Things still raging, let's take a look at some of the more outrageous, divisive series finales in TV history. These aren't bad finales, just ones that made bold creative choices that didn't sit right with a large portion of the audience. Read on for the full list...
In the end, many felt let down by the fates of most characters, along with the nice and neat epilogue that crowned a new ruler of the realm. Even those who didn't hate the finale would readily admit it wasn't exactly the best ending possible. Yes, this particular Song of Ice and Fire saga split the kingdoms and sent Westeros to war one final time.
Lost: "The End"
Lost chose to deliver an emotional finale - based more on the feelings, desires, and ultimate happiness of the characters - over one that answered lingering questions fans had stockpiled over the years. Many liked the focus on the heartstrings while others were frustrated with the lack of specifics.
And no, they weren't "dead the whole time." Well, except for those in the flash-sideways scenes during the final season. They were in a type of purgatory. But the others weren't. Some lived on after the island and died from natural causes. It was then that they all joined up in the limbo church for a final farewell. The fact that none of this was abundantly clear though probably means the episode, and season, didn't do a bang up job exactly.
Battlestar Galactica: "Daybreak"
BSG's three-part mega close-out also wrapped things up with quiet emotion, as the notes from "All Along the Watchtower" created coordinates that led our heroes to a habitable planet filled with primitive humans. Our Earth. Sure, the stripping away of all technology rubbed a few fans the wrong way, but it was the crazy 150,000-year time jump, and the "humanity is doomed to make machines too sentient again" messaging, that split the viewers. It's always going to be risky to leap that far ahead, to the point where every character you cared about is a fossil, for a moral that many fans already understood.
The Sopranos: "Made in America"
Like the BSG closer, The Sopranos' finale really lost people right at the very end. Right when the music stopped and the screen turned to black and a lot of fans thought their TVs went out.
The creative swerve got a ton of flak at the time, though now, years later, many fans and critics have come around on it as one of the more daring examples of "different" done right. And it certainly hasn't hurt The Sopranos in the annals of TV history as it's still considered one of the best series of all time.
Seinfeld: "The Finale"
Yes, it became abundantly clear over the years that Jerry, George, Elaine, and Kramer weren't great people. In fact, once the show leaned into their shallowness, it hit its creative stride. But sending the guys to prison? Because they weren't great people? It was just a bit too much for many Seinfeld loyalists.
None of this stopped the episode from being a ratings juggernaut though, or the series itself from going out as the number one show on TV. Like The Sopranos, the finale didn't make a dent in the show's legacy. What can we say? Sometimes it's the journey and sometimes it's the end.
St. Elsewhere: "The Last One"
What if there was a popular, long-running, acclaimed '80s medical drama that, right at the very end, told the audience that nothing they'd seen for 137 episodes was even real. And then that weird ending became the show's overall legacy, spoofed for decades by other shows.
This is the case of St. Elsewhere, which closed things out with the reveal that the entire hospital was inside the snow globe of an autistic boy named Tommy. Tommy had been dreaming that his father was the hospital's medical director when, in fact, as revealed in the final scene, he worked in construction. I guess the title St. Elsewhere should have clued people in, right? Anyhow, this final beat left many fans bewildered and belligerent.
Star Trek Enterprise: "These Are the Voyages..."
Though Star Trek Enterprise isn't really considered one of the top tier Trek series, it still had a ton of fans. Some of whom were left stunningly cold after the show's finale jumped six years into the future and split the narrative between the regular cast and a holodeck adventure featuring TNG's Will Riker and Deanna Troi.
This "valentine for the fans," that was meant to connect Enterprise to TNG, fell flat for many as Captain Archer's story wound up feeling like second-billing and under-rug-swept.
Felicity: "Back to the Future"
If you had to guess which TV show suddenly dove deep into time travel for its final installment, not many would have guessed "late '90s college love triangle dramedy" Felicity. Unless you thought it was possible for all J.J. Abrams shows.
Actually, the time travel stuff started a few episodes earlier (after the show had planned out its final episode and the WB Network ordered five more) and viewers got to experience an alternate timeline in which Keri Russell's Felicity got to go back (thanks to a spell from her goth roommate) and make different choices.
Regardless, many said the show just didn't feel like the show anymore by the time it ended. Including the cast. And that might be a recurring element here when it comes to divisive finales -- when, for whatever reason (pacing, tone, freakin' impromptu time travel), the story no longer feels like the one you've been following for years.
Which TV finales did you find to be the most outrageous and divisive? Vote in our poll and discuss in the comments!
Nintendo Switch 2 sales over the holidays reportedly fell short of those recorded by the console's predecessor back in 2017, during its first end-of-year season.
As revealed by The Game Business, Switch 2 sales in the US and within key markets in Europe fell behind the equivalent pace of Switch 1 — something an unnamed senior Nintendo source blamed on a "complicated" economic climate today, and the "absence of a major Western game" during the year-end period.
That particular analysis will likely raise eyebrows among Nintendo fans, as the company launched the long-awaited Metroid Prime 4: Beyond during the period — albeit to a more muted critical response than the franchise's beloved original trilogy. Nintendo has so far made no announcement on how that game has fared.
The Game Business reports that US Switch 2 sales over the holiday period were down around 35% versus the Switch 1's sales performance back in 2017. In the UK, a similar comparison saw Switch 2 lagging Switch 1 by 16%. Even in Nintendo's homeland of Japan, Switch 2 holiday sales couldn't match Switch 1, and were down by 5.5% over the year's final nine weeks.
In France, 2025's final tally of Switch 2 sales was down by "over 30%" versus the amount Switch 1 notched up back in 2017, meanwhile.
While these numbers may take some of the shine off of a successful first year for Switch 2 overall, it's not all doom and gloom. Switch 2's lifetime sales in Japan are still above what Switch 1 managed in its first year, with less time on sale. And in the UK, Switch 1 continued to sell well enough that it made up Switch 2's holiday sales deficit.
Looking ahead, Nintendo has a smattering of first-party games already planned for 2026, including Mario Tennis Fever, Yoshi and the Mysterious Book and Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave, as well as Switch 2 upgrades for Super Mario Wonder and Animal Crossing: New Horizons. There's also the FromSoftware exclusive The Duskbloods to look forward to, and the promising-looking Pokémon Pokopia life sim.
But as the Switch 2 prepares to celebrate its first anniversary in June, all eyes will be on Nintendo to roll out a truly new blockbuster entry in one of its biggest franchises. Back in 2017, Switch 1's first year was marked by the launch of both Super Mario Odyssey and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Nintendo has not released a major new 3D Mario platformer since, while it will soon be three years since the arrival of 2023's The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.
Switch 1's other top-selling titles include Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and Animal Crossing: New Horizons — and for now, there's no suggestion a big new entry in either franchise is forthcoming. Smash Bros. series boss Masahiro Sakurai has only just finished work on Kirby Air Riders, while Nintendo is opting to update New Horizons for Switch 2 this year, as previously mentioned.
Could we see a new 3D Mario in 2026? Nine years on from Super Mario Odyssey, now feels like the right time. And then there's Pokémon, which celebrates its 30th anniversary next month. Could we get a glimpse soon of the series' long-awaited 10th generation? The arrival of these titles would certainly help Switch 2 keep its momentum, following last year's explosive launch.
Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
Predator: Badlands is making its physical media debut with its own steelbook release alongside a standard 4K and Blu-ray. For those who are dying to add this one to their library, it's thankfully not too long of a wait, as it's set to be released in just over a month on February 17.
Below, we've broken down where you can preorder the film right now, alongside information on the bonus features it comes with. For those who love a good behind-the-scenes breakdown, it seems like there will be plenty to enjoy.
The steelbook case for Predator: Badlands boasts quite the action shot on the front and comes with a 4K UHD, Blu-ray, and digital copy of the film. The 4K and Blu-ray covers are a bit busier and mainly feature the characters front and center, but the former also comes with a 4K, Blu-ray, and digital copy of the film. The Blu-ray release just comes with a Blu-ray and digital copy.
Predator: Badlands 4K/Blu-Ray Bonus Features
There's plenty of great bonus features to look through on the physical release of Predator: Badlands, whether you're itching to watch behind-the-scenes featurettes or deleted scenes. Here's everything you'll be able to watch:
Embodying the Predator - Meet the artists as they bring one of the most terrifying creatures to life on screen.
Authentic Synthetics - Join Elle Fanning as she describes crafting her two characters.
Building the Badlands — Uncover how real locations were transformed into a threatening landscape.
Dek of the Yautja — See the development of the Yautja's home world, spacecraft, and family dynamics.
Audio Commentary by Director Dan Trachtenberg, Producer Ben Rosenblatt, Director of Photography Jeff Cutter and Stunt Coordinator Jacob Tomuri
Deleted & Pre-Visualization Scenes with Audio Commentary by the Director and Filmmakers
We had a lot of fun with Predator: Badlands, giving it an 8/10 in our review. IGN's Clint Gage said that, "Badlands, in shifting the perspective to a Yautja main character, actually highlights what’s been great about this franchise in its better moments. Dek and Thia are an unexpectedly fun pairing that bring a new energy to the franchise and an altogether different kind of hunt. It might not be pulling the skull and spine out of us and screaming in bloody victory, but it gets close." If you're eager to join the hunt sooner rather than later, the movie has also arrived on digital.
If you're hoping to add more movies and shows to your library this January, check out our roundup of upcoming 4Ks and Blu-rays. Here, we've broken down what's coming out over the next few months, so you can plan ahead on what's worth adding to your library.
Hannah Hoolihan is a freelancer who writes with the guides and commerce teams here at IGN.
Corsair's Galleon 100 SD is the keyboard I've been asking for for years: a mechanical gaming keyboard with proper Stream Deck keys, complete with the built-in screens, wide Elgato ecosystem integration and customization that make them so useful.
The Stream Deck keyboard looks exactly as you'd expect given the concept, with the usual number pad on the right-hand side of a full-size keyboard excised for a grid of 12 Stream Deck keys. You might not have anticipated the other inclusions though, including a surprisingly expansive 5-inch LCD display above the key grid and two knobbly dials above that.
The Galleon represents a trade-off, as you lose out on the satisfying key feel of a proper mechanical switches for that number pad area, but the flexibility that you get in return from this number of customisable keys, the display and the knobs feels fair.
As well as being able to control Elgato lighting, microphones or cameras, launch programs and make audio adjustments while listening to music or taking calls, Corsair's Galleon 100 SD page shows significant game integrations. Games shown include Helldivers 2 (see your current audio mix and easily perform call-ins with a single key), Star Citizen (activate common functions on foot or while piloting a ship), Final Fantasy XIV Online (identify and perform actions via their thumbnail, rather than by memorising a key assignment) and Cyberpunk 2077 (with both immediate quick actions and further folders for less commonly used controls). It'll be interesting to see how many other games have pre-made profiles on launch.
Of course, the whole other 80% of the keyboard is also important, and here the Galleon looks to follow in the footsteps of recent Corsair flagships like the Vanguard Pro 96. There are Corsair MLX Pulse magnetic switches and an 8000Hz polling rate for minimising input latency, 'flashtap SOCD' for expert counter-strafing in FPS games and a game mode for 'instantly switching to competition-optimized settings'. Typing feel is also accounted for, with the keyboard's aluminum frame packed with multiple sound dampening materials and gasket-mounted switches to guarantee smooth and deep-sounding key presses. A palm rest, passthrough USB ports and per-key RGB lighting are also nothing new, but complete the package.
Of course, all of this tech doesn't come cheap – and the Galleon 100 SD is the most expensive keyboard Corsair has ever produced, costing $350 in the US and £310 in the UK. That's a huge sum, but Corsair is no doubt betting that anyone already depending on their Stream Deck ecosystem would be willing to pay a premium for a product that combines a Stream Deck with a top-end mechanical keyboard. The Galleon 100 SD is available for pre-order now and ships from January 29th.
Artist Dan Dos Santos has left a big mark on the Marvel Universe in recent years, as he's the painter responsible for the 2022 Marvel Masterpieces trading card series. Dos Santos' gorgeous oil paintings for that series and other works will now form the basis of Clover Press' newest Marvel art book.
With the crowdfunding campaign for The Marvel Art of Dan Dos Santos now live, IGN can exclusively debut a new preview of the Spider-Verse-themed portfolio set that will be included as an optional extra. Get a closer look in the slideshow gallery below:
The Marvel Art of Dan Dos Santos is a 9" x 12" hardcover that clocks in at over 200 pages. The book features many of Dos Santos' published paintings alongside rare and unseen artwork. The Kickstarter campaign includes optional bonuses like the aforementioned portfolio, stickers, a slipcased edition, and even original art sketches.
“I’m incredibly excited about this new collection of my Marvel artwork,” said Dos Santos in a statement. “Over 30 years ago, as a young teen, it was my exposure to a similar collection of Marvel art that set me on the path of wanting to be a professional artist in the first place. So it is incredibly apt, and really thrilling, to see it all come full-circle in this new collection of my own. This book represents years of work, and contains hundreds of paintings that I feel are my finest work to date. I labored tirelessly to breathe as much life and backstory into each of these modern mythological heroes as I could. It is my hope the next generation of young artists and fans will find these characters as inspiring as I found them so many years ago.”
Sometimes it's fun to match wits in a board game with other players in competitive matches. But many of the best board games go the other way and embrace the spirit of cooperation. Co-op board games come in a wide variety of themes, with varying levels of complexity so you can find one for players of all ages. Below, we've selected our favorites on the market. For more game night ideas, check out our other roundups, including the best board games for kids and the best two-player board games.
The Spiel des Jahres is the most coveted prize in board gaming, but it had never been won by a 2-player only title until 2024, when Sky Team scooped the gong. Its secret is giving two players the thrill of a fistful of dice to roll and the challenge of an instrument board that requires all sorts of different values and combos to satisfy as they try to land a plane, but then limiting communication, making for an incredibly tense time as you try not to accidentally step on each other's toes. Add in a slew of different scenarios of increasing challenge in different conditions at different airports and you've got the ultimate two-player cooperative experience.
Slay the Spire: The Board Game
f you've every played the video game on which this is based, you'll realise that it's only a short hop to take its insanely addictive deck-building formula and port it to tabletop. And, as we explained in our Slay the Spire: The Board Game review that's exactly what this does, and it's just as insanely additictive as you remember except now you have the added joy of getting to play it alongside friends which, as it turns out, is the big step-up that the game never knew it needed, allowing you to celebrate your triumphs, plot your strategies and bemoan your luck to enrich every tower run.
The Fellowship of The Ring: Trick-Taking Game
The trick-taking concept is so baked into traditional competative playing card games like Hearts that it comes as quite a surprise to find it can be repurposed for cooperative games. But that's exactly what happens here and not only is it just as challenging, exciting and fun as it is when playing head-to-head, but this box of delights also adds a narrative layer that sees you playing through the first book of Tolkein's masterwork via a series of missions, as we broke down in our Fellowship of the Ring: Trick Taking Game review. As a bonus, the production is absolutely lovely, especially at such a reasonable price point.
Nemesis: Lockdown
Lots of board games have tried to replicate the success of the Alien franchise, but it took this unlicensed homage to perfect it. Players must work together to survive a terrifying incursion of hostile lifeforms into a Martian base. You're on a constant high wire between staying slow and quiet or getting things done fast but attracting alien attention. It’s full of detailed mechanics that can spin the game out in crazy directions, from literal firefighting to a gung-ho battle against the extraterrestrial foe. The challenge is tough, the narrative detailed and the tension always escalating. But the real kicker is that it's possible for your friends not to be friends at all thanks to hidden goal cards that could be supportive or could be murderous, or the corporate military wing could be coming to take you all out to ensure your silence.
Narrative-heavy board games have always faced a content problem: there’s only so much variety you can achieve with boards and cards. Sleeping Gods belongs to a family of adventure games that bypassed this problem by putting everything into a huge flip-book, featuring a mix of maps for different quests. Sleeping Gods stands head and shoulders above its peers thanks to two things. First, it’s outstandingly rich storytelling, as you run through a rich mixture of encounters, characters and side-quests as you attempt to guide the lost ship, The Manticore, and her crew home from the strange dimension in which it finds itself. Second, is the detail with which the ship is brought to life, both in terms of strategic resource management to keep her going and her presence in the game world. Such is the wealth of content available that you can easily see a whole different story on a second play through, and such is the fun of doing so that you’ll surely want to try.
Marvel Champions: The Card Game
This is a “Living Card Game,” which means it’s kind of collectable, like Magic: The Gathering, but there’s no random element. You just buy sets and expansions knowing what cards are in each. And unlike a lot of LCG's, deck building is easy because it’s modular, seeing players pick fixed sets of cards to create decks for their hero and the villain you’re all working against. The meat of play features some classic concepts like dual-use cards alongside novel ideas like each player being able to flip from their hero to their alter-ego, with different abilities and hand sizes. This sets up some really interesting combo-based play where you pull off cinematic moves as you work together to thwart the villain’s schemes and save the day.
Frosthaven
To call Gloomhaven a fantasy adventure game is technically accurate, but a bit reductive. It tells the story of mercenaries chasing different goals in a changing world, and the legacy they leave behind. Gloomhaven takes the legacy system from Pandemic Legacy and weaves it into an epic fantasy campaign that takes place over generations. Each hero comes with a personal goal that, when completed, sends the hero into retirement and unlocks new classes and story elements. Upon retiring a hero, you will take control of another, which results in an impressive sense of time progression. The game includes several sealed boxes that are only opened upon reaching certain milestones, which makes Gloomhaven a game with a grand scale that is unmatched in the board game medium.
This epic game is out of print, but now has a sequel, Frosthaven, with an all-new narrative and fresh subsystems which see you expending and guarding the titular town.
Paleo
At first glance, this game of Stone Age survival doesn’t look anything special. You create a deck of cards for the scenario you want to play and distribute them between the players. Then you take it in turns to flip a card from your pile and face the challenges thereon with the skills and stone tools available to your tiny tribe. The magic happens when tribes come together, pooling their resources to overcome one tough encounter, but doing so loses them the chance to interact with the other tribe’s card. All at once, this mirrors a real slice of stone-age life, agonizing over passing up opportunities in order to secure an important prize, while giving players real emergent cooperation in how much they choose to aid each other. The survival narrative and variety of scenarios are just the icing on the rock cake.
Pandemic Legacy: Season 1 (Blue Version)
Pandemic Legacy: Season 1 (Red Version)
Pandemic put cooperative games on the map, and for good reason. Much of the genre’s hallmark mechanics originated here, from action point allocation to player roles with unique abilities. It also spawned a bevy of expansions and spinoffs, but Pandemic Legacy is the best and more revolutionary take on the virus-eradicating co-op game.
It takes the core rules of Pandemic and stretches them into a campaign-length adventure played out over several sessions as you race to cure disease and prevent epidemics. This version introduces permanence as a mechanic, as the rules force you to rip up cards, sticker the board and alter the physical components in other ways as things (inevitably) don’t go your way. The only potential drawback is that you must play with the same players each session, but because the game is so good everyone will be eager to jump back in.
Robinson Crusoe – Collector’s Edition
Robinson Crusoe: Adventures on the Cursed Island is a daunting and dark game, but players willing to wade through the sea of iconography, hefty rulebook and stifling theme will be rewarded with a satisfying survival simulation that rewards communication and teamwork. Based on the 1719 novel, players take on the role of survivors of a shipwreck that are must work together to gather food, build shelters, stave off attacks and explore the island. The combination of different scenarios and player characters ensure good replayability, while the survival mechanics do a fantastic job of selling the theme.
A lot of games on this list are, to a greater or lesser extent, strategy affairs. But cooperation is a great mechanic to use in party games too, and Just One tops the list. All the players bar one get to see a clue, and they have to write down a word related to that clue. Then all the clues get revealed to the remaining player who has to guess the original word. Sounds too simple, except the catch is that if any of the clues are the same they get wiped, leaving the guesser far less to work with. It’s an ingenious idea that leaves players caught in an uncertain vice over just how obscure they cant get away with being, while still being worried they might be the victim of doublethink.
The Crew: Mission Deep Sea
You likely know trick-taking games from long time classics like Whist and Bridge. The Crew: Mission Deep Sea cleverly repurposes the concept into a cooperative game through the use of missions, demanding that certain players win tricks of particular types. So you might have to win a trick containing a yellow one, for example, or two consecutive tricks or even no tricks at all. This would be easy if you could show each other your cards, so your communication is limited to one card for the entire hand, recasting the game as a strategic puzzle with plenty of tension as you wait to see whether having to follow suit will tease out a critical card or fail the mission. Fast, fun and with fifty varied undersea missions, this is a pearl of a design. This game earned a spot on our best family board games list as well.
Return to Dark Tower
Some of you may have childhood memories of the original Dark Tower, an extraordinary 1981 fantasy board game powered by an electronic gizmo that gave it a real sense of magic and wonder. Most copies of that original no longer work, but it’s been resurrected and revamped in this new edition, which features an all-new, all-tech tower that connects to a mobile app via bluetooth. It allows you to select from a far wider variety of characters and quests, villains and monsters than the original. The board layout and major concepts of the original, such as collecting warriors, are retained, but between the app and a raft of new mechanics, the game is transformed into a narratively rich, strategic challenge where you must prioritise and deal with a series of ever-growing threats: it can also be played cooperatively as well as the competitive setup of the original. The app provides detail such as dungeon exploration, while the tower lights up and rotates of its own accord, spilling deadly skulls out into the kingdoms below.
Arkham Horror: The Card Game
If your co-op group could use an eldritch touch, get Arkham Horror: The Card Game to the table. In this cooperative card game, players take on the role of detectives who are investigating various supernatural occurrences within HP Lovecraft’s world of cosmic horror. It’s a scenario-based experience with each mission at the mercy of an arcane Mythos, a set of conditions that must be met lest the investigators succumb to insanity.
Arkham Horror features customizable decks that are built around each investigator’s special abilities, and most scenarios can play out over a handful of sessions, lending a feeling of progression to the game. As you investigate new location cards, gather clues, and fight monsters, your detective will amass weaknesses that can hinder future games which, thematically, illustrate the mental toll of dealing with arcane horrors. It's a great horror board game you can play with loved ones.
Spirit Island
Protect your island from a vicious mob of colonizers in this heavy co-op experience. Players are spirits of the land, and must use their unique powers to fend off settlers. Every turn, you’ll play a card from your deck of powers. Matching a card’s element with the element of the spirit usually grants a bonus effect, meaning that careful planning is necessary.
As the game goes on, the colonists will inevitably spread and ravage the land, making Spirit Island a race against the clock. They’re predictable, though, and if you plan efficiently you can head them off before they do too much damage. Players’ cards combo off of each other nicely, too, and there are few things in tabletop gaming as satisfying as eliminating a host of settlers in one fell swoop. Spirit Island is substantially more complex than other games of this style (Pandemic, Forbidden Island, etc.), making it an ideal choice for those seeking a meatier co-op experience.
Matt Damon took getting in shape for Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey seriously — and that included slimming down to his high school weight for the role.
"I had a beard like yours for like a year," he told Jason and Travis Kelce on a recent episode of their podcast New Heights. "I was in really good shape. I lost a lot of weight. [Nolan] wanted me lean but strong."
He also noted that a specific change in diet helped him get there. "Just because of this other thing that I did with my doctor, I stopped eating gluten,” Damon explained. “I used to walk around at between 185 and 200, and I did that whole movie at 167. And I haven't been that light since high school. So it was a lot of training and a really strict diet."
The Ocean’s Eleven star also told the hosts how training so intensely for the role felt playing a season of professional sports. "I imagine what that feels like for you guys, where you're preparing," Damon said to the Kelces. "It's just part of your day, it's part of your job, and you get really routinized about it and kinda build your day around all that stuff."
Damon also revealed that he has yet to reintegrate gluten into his routine post-shooting The Odyssey. "I'm done. I'm gluten-free everything," the Good Will Hunting actor declared. "I found a gluten-free beer. It's been so long since I've had gluten, I can't tell if it's good or not. So that's a good sign."
The Odyssey was written and directed by Nolan and stars Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o, Zendaya, Charlie Theron, and more alongside Damon. It’s the first of Nolan’s movies to be shot on IMAX 70mm film.
The adaptation of Homer’s epic poem from ancient Greece is only a few short months away — the film premieres in theaters on July 17 — so fans will get to see Damon’s slim frame in action very soon. In fact, it’s probably going to be the highlight of the summer if you ask me.
Lex Briscuso is a film and television critic and a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. You can follow her on Twitter at @nikonamerica.
Mission Impossible legend Tom Cruise dropped in on the set of Star Wars: Starfighter via helicopter and ended up filming a lightsaber duel.
Starfighter director Shawn Levy, who also helmed 2024's Marvel hit Deadpool & Wolverine, revealed Cruise's set visit as part of an interview with The New York Times, and said that viewers will be able to watch the actor's work behind the camera when the upcoming Star Wars movie arrives in theaters next year.
"Last week Steven Spielberg was here," Levy recalled. "And now Tom Cruise is wielding a camera, ruining his very nice shoes." The director recalled welcoming Cruise to the set — which he landed on in his own helicopter — by playing the Mission Impossible theme via loudspeakers.
Levy joked that Cruise, who had said he just wanted to visit and watch the filming, should jump behind a camera. But Cruise took Levy's offer seriously, and splashed out into a "muddy pond" to film a lightsaber battle between several unrevealed characters.
Aside from the fact that Tom Cruise helped film some of a major upcoming Star Wars movie — something that is, quite frankly, notable enough — many fans have expressed surprise at this anecdote confirming that lightsaber battles will be a part of Levy's project.
Now, yes, lightsaber battles in a Star Wars movie may not sound like much of a surprise. (Next we'll find out the movie has aliens!) But this confirmation has still raised a few eyebrows among fans today, as Starfighter has — so far at least — been pitched as something unconnected to the wider Skywalker Saga's Jedi shenanigans, and rather more down to earth.
Admittedly, much of Starfighter's plot remains under wraps, but we know that the movie will focus on a scruffy-looking scoundrel-type character played by Ryan Gosling, as well as his young nephew. Production images released by Levy so far have seen the pair next to a speeder and on some kind of sci-fi raft, with a vibe that seems far removed from the franchise's usual galaxy-defining space conflicts.
That said, both Matt Smith and Mia Goth have also been cast on the project, with rumors and fan speculation around their mystery roles suggesting they could be playing members of the Sith. Could the pair fight each other, or does Starfighter also include Jedi that the Doctor Who and Dracula actors both fight together? Time, and also now possibly Tom Cruise, will tell.
"This is a standalone. It’s not a prequel, not a sequel," Levy previously said at Star Wars Celebration 2025 in April. "It’s a new adventure. It’s set in a period of time that we haven’t seen explored yet." Star Wars: Starfighter is currently due to launch on May 28, 2027.
Image credit: Henry Nicholls/AFP via Getty Images
Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
Whether you’ve set yourself a reading goal for the upcoming year or are on the lookout for a great new book or series to get stuck into, there are plenty of fantastic releases to get excited about in January 2026.
From fantasy and romantasy to psychological thrillers, contemporary fiction, and a modern retelling, we’ve included a mix of standalones and continuations of ongoing series to take all the hard work and hassle out of picking your next read - or reads.
There's also a brand new Audible deal that absolutely must be brought to attention, as it matches the recent Black Friday discount ($0.99 per month / £0.99 per month). But, for now, here they are, the best new books to pick up this month!
Half His Age by Jennette McCurdy
Release date: January 20
After the incredible success of her memoir, I’m Glad My Mom Died, former Nickelodeon child star, Jennette McCurdy brings us her first work of fiction - Half His Age - to start the year off with a bang. And it’s easily one of our most anticipated reads of 2026.
Seventeen-year-old Waldo is a creature of want. But what is at the top of her list, you might ask. It’s not the latest fashion trend or the boy in her class, it’s her creative writing teacher, Mr Korgy. An insightful commentary on teenage girlhood - the Britney Spears song ‘I’m Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman’ comes to mind - Waldo doesn’t know why she wants him, only that she will stop at nothing to do so. We’re really looking forward to seeing Jennette’s take on what could be some rather difficult subject matter.
My Husband’s Wife by Alice Feeney
Release date: January 20 (US) and January 27 (UK)
We can always rely on Alice Feeney to keep us on the edge of our seats. And with the adaptation of her bestselling novel, His & Hers, hitting Netflix this month, you might have found yourself wanting more. That’s where her latest release, My Husband’s Wife comes in.
After moving into Spyglass, an old seaside house with her husband, Eden gets back from a run only to discover that her key no longer fits in the lock and a woman, who looks uncannily similar to her, is opening the door. Her husband assures her that this stranger is, in fact, his wife. Yet, just six months earlier, Birdy inherits Spyglass and upon moving in, she finds herself drawn to an alluring clinic that claims to be able to predict the exact day each person will die, including Birdie. We can’t wait to see what twists and turns are in store with this.
Bookish Deal Alert: 3 Months of Audible for $0.99/Month
This offer is set to last until January 21 in the US, and January 29 in the UK, but if you're a big audiobook user it's a deal that's absolutely worth taking advantage of while it's available.
It's also worth noting that, after your first three months, the plan will auto-renew at a monthly cost. However, this is a great opportunity to give the service a test before commiting to it.
Dragon Cursed by Elise Kova
Release date: January 6
From the bestselling author of last year’s smash hit, Arcana Academy, Elise Kova returns with a new YA tale, Dragon Cursed. And, as you might be able to tell from the title, this could be the new January book to grab if you continue to be drawn to all things dragons.
After the dragons take over, only one human city remains, however, even if someone has survived until now, being Dragon Cursed is the worst fate possible and something that could happen to anyone at any time. Turning humans into mindless beasts who destroy everything and everyone that they love, as soon as someone turns eighteen, they are subject to a series of brutal tests to separate the Dragon Cursed from the dragon hunters. And that’s exactly where Isola finds herself. It’s also worth mentioning that this is the start of a new series from the author, one that we can’t wait to sink our teeth into, dragon-style.
Twelve Months (The Dresden Files, #18) by Jim Butcher
Release date: January 20 (UK) and January 27 (US)
If you’re not already familiar with the enigmatic wizard, Harry Dresden is back for its eighteenth outing this January. And the latest story drops us straight in at the deep end, following the events of the last book. After barely managing to save Chicago from being destroyed, it will take time for the city to begin to recover and rebuild. Yet, that’s something that Harry doesn’t have a lot of.
With Ghouls prowling the streets and killing innocent civilians, alongside his own brother dying, there’s also the small issue of Harry being promised to a vampire to help build a new alliance. Will he be able to save the city once more? There’s only one way to find out.
Beth Is Dead by Katie Bernet
Release date: January 6 (US) and January 15 (UK)
If you’re looking for a fun and contemporary twist on a literary classic, Beth Is Dead by Katie Bernet reimagines Little Women, but with the intriguing angle that - as the title suggests - Beth March has been found dead after a New Year’s Eve party.
With plenty of suspects, from Amy’s flirtatious mentor and Meg’s manipulative best friend, to the surviving March sisters themselves, Jo, Meg and Amy must band together to work out who could have possibly murdered their beloved sister. Given that it is new year and we’ve been known to give the original Little Women story a reread at this time of year, January is the perfect time to pick this one up.
The Poet Empress by Shen Tao
Release date: January 20
With such a great line-up of fantasy series to get swept up into these days, we always appreciate a good standalone story, and that’s exactly what The Poet Empress is. With comparisons already being made to R.F. Kuang’s epic The Poppy War trilogy, this has quickly climbed to the top of our TBR (to be read) list for the start of 2026.
In a world where it is forbidden for women to learn and practice magic, and the once-great Azalea Dynasty is heading towards a civil war, Wei Yin knows the importance of words and poetry. Used correctly, words can be weapons and poetry can unlock an ancient magic. So, with nothing to lose, after being torn from her family to become a concubine to the cruel Prince Terren, her choices prove that the future can actually be rewritten. All she has to do is compose the perfect poem - one so powerful, it can kill any man, even the next emperor.
Inside Man: A Head Cases Novel by John McMahon
Release date: January 13
If you’re already a fan of Criminal Minds or the FBI franchise of shows, we have a feeling that John McMahon’s Head Cases books will be right up your street. And January sees the release of the second story in the series.
Focusing once more on the PAR (Patterns and Recognition) unit, their latest case pertains to a militia group who appear to be stockpiling weapons. But all isn’t as it seems when their CI (confidential informant) is killed and it becomes clear that the militia weren’t the ones to off him. It’s only when they discover an unidentified man, who could be connected to a series of serial murders, was one of the last people to see the CI alive. How will a team normally tasked with decoding puzzles and riddles, be able to solve the two cases and bring the killer - or killers - to justice? You’ll need to pick up a copy to find out.
Graceless Heart by Isabel Ibañez
Release date: January 13 (US) and January 15 (UK)
We know we shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but there’s just something so enchanting and magical about the latest release from Isabel Ibañez. Transporting us back to Renaissance age Italy, and a city where - again - magic is forbidden, Ravenna’s revelation of a rare mystical talent sees her kidnapped by the powerful Luni family. If she fails her task then it will almost certainly mean death at the hands of their heir, yet as she starts to get closer to him, could all that change?
With a slow-burn, forbidden, enemies-to-lovers romance at its core alongside a captivating historical tale, Ravenna is seen as a potential weapon by some of the higher ups, including The Pope. But how will she navigate what she has to do? And what will the impact be, not just on her own life, but on Florence as a whole?
Vigil by George Saunders
Release date: January 27
From the previous Booker Prize winner, George Saunders, comes a tale about the end of life, but not quite as we know it. With plenty of dark humour throughout, it follows Jill ‘Doll’ Blaine who is tasked with accompanying her latest charge to the afterlife. Despite having completed this task well over 300 times, oil tycoon K.J. Boone, isn’t like the other individuals that she’s ferried from one life into another.
Even on his deathbed, he feels assured that he lived his life without any regrets and left the world better than it was when he entered it, but as his final moments tick down, he finds himself being visited by an array of both worldly and otherworldly visitors as they assemble for his reckoning. This certainly sounds like a compelling read, and we have a feeling it might make it onto many top books of 2026 lists.
Most Eligible: A Novel by Isabelle Engel
Release date: January 13 (US) and January 16 (UK)
And if you want to ease yourself back into reading this year, or are looking for a great new romance to pick up, Most Eligible by Isabelle Engel blends the likes of Love Island, The Bachelor and one of our favourite TV shows - UnREAL - into an unputdownable rom-com.
Instead of going on the hit reality dating show, Love Shack, to find love, Georgia has finagled her way in to write an exposé on the producers. The only kink in her plan - the new host just so happens to be country singer Rhett Auburn, the man she had a somewhat memorable one-night stand with a year ago. If it wasn’t already going to be tricky enough keeping her identity and reason for being there a secret, this history with Rhett could threaten everything. What is more important, taking down the show or risking everything for a second chance with Rhett?
Ellis is a freelance journalist, based in the UK, with a love of all things books. She also routinely chairs bookish events up and down the country, getting the scoop from some of the biggest and bestselling authors to keep you in the know.
Searchlight has found a new star for its upcoming film Behemoth! in none other than Will Arnett, who Deadline reports will now join the project and star alongside Pedro Pascal, Olivia Wilde, Eva Victor, and Matthew Lillard.
The movie, which will be directed by The Bourne Identity writer Tony Gilroy, was originally set to star Stranger Things alum David Harbour, before his recent departure from the project. The actor had already filmed some scenes, as production began in late October, but according to the outlet, Harbour’s involvement so far had been minimal enough that reshoots won’t be a big part of the process.
Deadline cited his participation in the Stranger Things press cycle as a major part of why there’s not too much to redo, and the outlet claims that the recasting also won’t keep the movie from wrapping on schedule sometime in the weeks to come.
As far as what the film is about, the studio has kept mum on a synopsis but we do know that the film focuses on a cellist, so it does seem to be music related in some capacity. Alongside Arnett and the other A-Listers, Margarita Levieva and Alexa Swinton will have supporting roles in the film, which was also written by Gilroy. The writer-director is also producing the project with Sanne Wohlenberg and John Gilroy.
Interestingly enough, this isn’t the first replacement incident for this film. Oscar Isaac was originally set to star in Pascal’s role, but Pascal replaced him months later after he exited the project.
It kind of feels like Arnett is having a bit of a resurgence these days — mainly because of his latest project, a well-liked Searchlight dramedy about standup called Is This Thing On? — so it’s great to see him getting another high-profile role where he can show off his skills. Arnett's new film has a huge drama edge, and it’s always fun to see comedic actors remind us they can do both.
Image credit: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
Lex Briscuso is a film and television critic and a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. You can follow her on Twitter at @nikonamerica.
Stranger Things actress Jennifer Marshall, who played Max's mom Susan, has called out her character's absence in the show's final season — and said that being able to film scenes would have helped fund her own cancer treatment.
Marshall appeared in a recurring role during Stranger Things' second season, where Max (played by Sadie Sink) was originally introduced. Marshall then reappeared in the series' fourth run, but was unable to complete filming due to ill health.
The actress and former military veteran publicly announced in 2022 that she had been diagnosed with stage 3 cancer that had spread to her lymph nodes. By the time it came to film Stranger Things' fifth and final season, however, the actress now says she had been in remission.
"I had cancer, I get it," Marshall wrote in a post on Instagram. "But I was in remission during the shooting of season five. Shooting would have helped me obtain my health insurance through the union.
"It would have helped me not only financially, but would have been a mental and emotional uplift after battling cancer for almost two years," Marshall said. "Either way, no one is entitled to a role, cancer or not. My heart remains grateful, and I will always give those involved in the decision-making the benefit of the doubt."
Of course, Stranger Things season five featured Marshall's on-screen daughter Max in hospital — something that could have provided the perfect reason for the show to feature her mom once again. Other actors playing parents of the main cast also made guest appearances, too.
Ultimately, however, Susan never returned — and it sounds as if Marshall herself still isn't sure why.
"Maybe they had too many characters, idk," Marshall wrote, saying that she thought about Susan's whereabouts every day. "Obv Susan Hargrove is THE WORST MOTHER EVER LMAO."
Somewhere that Susan definitely won't return is in Stranger Things' mythical secret final episode, which only existed in theory form within the minds of some fans unhappy at how Netflix's series ultimately panned out. Yesterday, the so-called Conformity Gate theory was dealt a huge blow by Netflix when the streamer released a flashy trailer for unrelated TV shows and movies — rather than anything related to Stranger Things, as some fans were expecting. And today, the official Stranger Things social media account appeared to officially settle the matter, by confirming that "all" episodes of the show were now streaming.
Photo by Randy Shropshire/Getty Images for SAG-AFTRA Foundation
Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
These next few months of winter are a great time to settle in with big games until spring arrives. Recently, Amazon's been offering some great discounts on a variety of options to help you stock up your library this January for a little less than usual. Among some of the games on sale right now is Assassin’s Creed Shadows for PS5 (see it here at Amazon), which has dropped back to its lowest price so far of $34.99 at the retailer.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows (PS5) for $34.99
This makes for a huge 50% discount from its usual list price of $69.99, which is an excellent offer to make a move on. This limited edition Amazon Exclusive copy also comes with the Sekiryu Character Pack, which gets you a gear and weapon set for Naoe, the Sekiryu Beast, and a Dragon Tooth trinket alongside the base game.
We think it's a game well worth picking up, too. Our review gave it an 8/10 score, with writer Jarrett Green saying it, "takes a flashing blade to the series’ established norms, trimming them to a more precise form in lieu of chopping them down outright."
The review continues on to say that, "Combat is aggressive and requires more intentional parrying and skill management than in the past, and exploring the gorgeous provinces of Sengoku-period Japan is encouraged thanks to the revamped map that deemphasizes collecting icons and checking off lists." Not to mention, "Naoe and Yasuke are well-realized and memorable protagonists, even though most of the story they drive follows pretty predictable paths."
Nintendo has unveiled its first set of alternative Switch 2 Joy-Con colors, which feature cool pastel shades resembling violet and teal.
Officially named "Light Purple" and "Light Green" (the latter looks closer to blue to my eyes, but sure), these imaginatively-named colors will go on sale alongside the upcoming Mario Tennis Fever on February 12.
If you're keen, you can already pre-order a pair of the new controllers now, at the same $99.99 price point that Nintendo of America sells the original Switch 2 Light Blue and Light Red Joy-Con.
Nintendo raised the price of Switch 2 Joy-Con controllers to $100 back in August 2025, up from $94.99. The Switch 2 itself was spared a price rise, but Nintendo added significant extra margins onto the cost for its original Switch (now $339.99, up from $299.99), Switch OLED ($399.99, up from $349.99) and Switch Lite ($299.99, up from $199.99). Even the price of Nintendo's Alarmo clock was increased by $10, up to $110.
No specific reason was given by the price rises, but analysts widely pointed to the impact of US tariffs on imports from China, Japan and Vietnam, where much of Nintendo's manufacturing is based.
So, do you fancy a snazzy new Light Purple and Light Green (Blue) pair?
Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
One of the biggest highlights of this winter anime season is the return of Jujutsu Kaisen. The Culling Game Part 1 kicks off this week on Crunchyroll, picking up after the chaos of the Shibuya Incident in Season 2. Here’s everything you need to know.
Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3 Episode Release Schedule
The third season of Jujutsu Kaisen is expected to run for between 24 and 26 episodes total. These episodes will be split up into two cours, thus The Culling GamesPart 1. Depending on the full episode count, each cours will include 12 or 13 episodes.
The new season will premiere with two episodes, releasing on Crunchyroll on January 8 at 9am PT. Subsequent episodes will be released weekly on Thursdays. Here’s the episode release information we have so far:
Aside from an unknown episode total, it’s also unclear whether the season will take a break between cours (the most likely outcome) or carry through into the next anime season. We’ll continue to update this guide as more information gets announced.
Where to Stream Jujutsu Kaisen
The new season of Jujutsu Kaisen will stream exclusively on Crunchyroll in the U.S., where you’ll also find the first two seasons as well as the prequel movie, Jujutsu Kaisen 0. Here’s the full series in release order, for reference:
Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3 Voice Cast and Characters
Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3 continues to adapt Gege Akutami’s manga with animation from MAPPA. Here’s the Japanese voice cast confirmed for this season:
Junya Enoki as Yuji Itadori
Yuma Uchida as Megumi Fushiguro
Mikako Komatsu as Maki Zen’in
Megumi Ogata as Yuta Okkotsu
Daisuke Namikawa as Choso
Noriko Hidaka as Yuki Tsukumo
Yoshiko Sakakibara as Master Tengen
Kazuya Nakai as Kinji Hakari
Yuki Sakakihara as Kirara Hoshi
Koji Yusa as Naoya Zen’in
Tomokazu Sugita as Hiromi Higuruma
Satoshi Tsuruoka as Fumihiko Takaba
Yutaka Aoyama as Reggie Star
Neeko as Kogane
You can check out the Crunchyroll site for key visuals and more information about the animation staff.
Blythe (she/her) is an Audience Development Coordinator at IGN who, when she isn't following streaming news, spends way too much time in character customization screens and tracking down collectibles.
After Xbox Game Studios boss Matt Booty teased the return of Microsoft's now-annual Xbox Developer Direct showcase last month, the publisher has now confirmed the details. The 2026 Dev Direct will air live on Thursday, January 22 at 10am PT. You can watch it live here on IGN or on IGN's YouTube channel.
Booty had already confirmed the presence of accomplished Xbox Game Studios developer Playground Games at the event, and now we know for certain that both its upcoming blockbusters will be shown: Forza Horizon 6 and Fable.
Given that both are expected to release this year and they are two of Xbox's biggest first-party offerings – and that we've yet to see proper gameplay from either one – we're due a proper look at gameplay. And that, according to Microsoft's announcement this morning, is exactly what we'll get. On X, the official Fable account posted, "We’ve been working on Fable for a really, really long time. It’s time to show you more. Much more."
There's no confirmation of any other games under the Microsoft umbrella being included, such as Gears of War: E-Day, the prequel that's bringing back Delta Squad to the time period before Emergence Day; or Halo: Campaign Evolved, the Unreal Engine 5-based remake of the original Halo's campaign. I played it, if you'd like to read or watch my first impressions.
Typically Microsoft does include at least one surprise title, however. Could this be where we get a glimpse at the newly-leaked Life is Strange: Reunion? It's perhaps worth noting that the franchise's previous game Life is Strange: Double Exposure was unveiled back during the Xbox Showcase in June 2024.
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.
When a series such as Trails lasts as long as it has, sometimes things start to get weird. We’ve seen giant mechs, supernatural beings, and even multiversal time travel. After all of that, where else is there to go? Oh yeah, outer space! The vast, unknown territory of the final frontier is filled with possibilities, and The Legend of Heroes: Trails beyond the Horizon breaks through the atmosphere in order to tell a compelling sci-fi fantasy story filled with deception and intrigue. It also continues to refine the Daybreak saga’s hybrid action/turn-based combat system, with battles that are more engaging than ever before. The cliffhanger ending could make for a rocky re-entry for some, but when the dust settles, Trails beyond the Horizon manages to safely touch down as another enthralling RPG.
Picking up where Trails through Daybreak 2 left off, Trails beyond the Horizon sees the nation of Calvard attempt humanity’s first manned spaceflight, called Project Startaker. Like Trails into Reverie, the roughly 60 to 70-hour campaign is split between the perspectives of three characters: Rean Schwarzer, the Trails of Cold Steel saga’s protagonist, Kevin Graham, the lead of Trails in the Sky the 3rd, and Daybreak’s mercenary hero Van Arkride. Trails beyond the Horizon manages this balance well, but (unsurprisingly) it does mean this isn’t a good starting point for new fans – Van is the star, but it treats each of the three as a “main” character in their own way, so you’ll need to have played the two previous Daybreak games and be familiar with the Cold Steel saga, Reverie, and the third entry in the Sky trilogy to really get everything that’s going on.
That said, this story is still good on its own merits. Rean’s route kept me glued to the screen as he uncovered the real objective of Project Startaker and the conspiracy surrounding it. Kevin’s storyline is just as captivating as he picks up the mantle of “Heretic Hunter” once again,learning more about who his assassination target is and how to come to grips with it. Surprisingly, Van’s section is the most boring of the three (at least at first) as he and his crew fight off a mysterious new faction called the Vestiges. Van’s path is as long as the other two combined, and while that makes sense since Trails beyond the Horizon is his story, the first half of his route takes too long to build up, making the faster pacing of the other protagonists’ tales much more exciting by comparison. However, the way their stories tie in with Van’s towards the finale ultimately redeems it.
Trails beyond the Horizon also successfully manages the character bloat that plagued some previous Trails crossovers. It only includes a few key cast members from Rean’s Thors Academy days as both student and instructor, such as the lively student council president Towa Herschel and the calm but calculated Altina Orion. Kevin has Reverie’s Rufus, Nadia, Swin, and Lapis in tow, and new additions to both his and Van’s casts are smartly kept to a minimum as well.
Don’t fix what ain’t broken
If you played Daybreak 2, this review might sound familiar in spots, as Trails beyond the Horizon sticks quite close to that formula outside of combat. For instance, the Marchen Garten roguelite dungeon returns in the form of Grim Garten, and it’s the same drill as usual. You navigate it by playing a minigame, moving across a board and fighting monsters until you reach a floor’s boss. Only the first half of the dungeon is required for story purposes, with the second being entirely optional, but it’s a shame that Grim Garten isn’t available to continue playing through after the credits roll like Marchen Garten was. That’s a slight downgrade, as Marchen Garten gave a satisfying “post-game” feeling to Daybreak 2, letting me clean up other tasks as I prepared to jump into New Game Plus, that’s now missing.
Thankfully, Grim Garten still has the same worthwhile incentives to explore it periodically throughout the story. You can earn valuable skill points to level up your party’s attacks, as well as unlock cosmetics and useful items (all of which are earned in game, with no microtransactions involved whatsoever), and even learn more about the backstories of certain characters, which was particularly interesting for some of the antagonists.
Optional activities like this have always been an important part of previous Trails games, and deep side quests and fun bonding events make a return to Trails beyond the Horizon as well. Not only do they reward you with useful and rare items, they also provide a vast amount of insight into the world and the people who inhabit it. It was fun to see how Rean contacted Van, asking if he could accept requests from the city bulletin on his behalf in order to experience the mercenary life. One of my favorite quests involved busting an illegal casino chip trade, with the culprit behind it being a recurring character who has been cooking up schemes since the Crossbell games, Trails from Zero and Trails to Azure, 16 years ago. It’s a nostalgic touch that showcases how expansive this series is.
The LGC morality system from the first two Daybreak games makes a return, too: Sometimes when Rean, Van, and Kevin finish quests, they have the option to decide the outcome, which increases their affinity to either Law, Gray, or Chaos. In the first Daybreak game, your affinity determined which allies joined Van towards one of the later chapters. Disappointingly, like Daybreak 2, there’s no such impact in Trails beyond the Horizon, which made me once again question why the LGC system still exists in its current iteration at all. It was initially a standout feature that separated Van from other Trails heroes, so it’s disheartening to see the mechanic has actually regressed instead of evolved in any meaningful way, especially since it’s now tied to other protagonists as well. For example, what would a “chaos” aligned Rean look like, similar to his berserk “ogre” form from Cold Steel III and IV? Ideas like this could’ve been cool to explore.
At least the bonding events, called Connections, remain consistently delightful and charming, letting you hang out with other party members during major story beats. Not only do they offer fantastic character development, but they can also increase a character’s parameters, such as their attacking stats or chance that they’ll initiate a follow-up attack in battle. A favorite bonding event of mine was when Rufus reflected with Kevin about where he’s at in life – introduced all the way back in the first Cold Steel game, Rufus was a high-tier noble at the upper echelon of society, being recognized and revered wherever he went. A fall from grace and several (in-game) years later, he now spends his days in the shadows with his hair down looking after kids, but is content with himself. It’s a satisfying full-circle moment that had me reminiscing about my college days when I started playing the Trails series on my PlayStation Vita.
Teaching a new dog old tricks
Like the previous Daybreak games, Trails beyond the Horizon uses a hybrid turn-based/real-time action combat system. Out in the field, you can wail on enemies in real time in order to stun them. After successfully doing so, you can then transition to the turn-based battle system with an advantage, dealing extra damage right out of the gate. This was an imperfect but exciting system I liked when it was first introduced, and further refinements here make the field battles feel more fleshed out.
There are now ZOC abilities that let you temporarily stop time and get a few extra hits in, but the biggest game changer is the Awakening mechanic. Van, Rean, and Kevin can power themselves up to dish out more damage before going into turn-based combat. These Awakenings include Rean’s Spirit Unification, Van’s Grendal, and Kevin’s Stigma, which are clever ways of marrying a story-based power up and a previously turn-based exclusive-mechanic into a real-time action one. Even if the turn-based combat will always be where Trails thrives the most, it’s admirable that developer Falcom is continually iterating on the real-time elements to make them equally engaging.
Further refinements make the field battles feel more fleshed out.
The bulk of the turn-based combat is the same as previous Daybreak and Trails games at large. At the top of your screen sits a turn order timeline that you can plan around and manipulate. There are several bonus icons that will randomly align with either an ally or enemy on the timeline, which can range from bursts of healing or bypassing the casting time for magic to let a character fire off a spell right away. It’s important to pay attention to the timeline order as these bonuses can change the flow of battle, which makes for a compelling combat puzzle.
While “stealing” bonuses was possible in Daybreak 2, you could only do so when enemies were stunned or unconscious, and Trails beyond the Horizon slightly revised this mechanic to make it more accessible. If you activate a Shard Boost from your Boost Gauge to power up your next attack and then strike an enemy, you’ll grab whatever bonus was aligned with it and transform it into a more powerful “Plus” version, increasing the effectiveness of it for yourself. Steal a Zero Arts bonus? Not only will your next spell be cast immediately, but its power jumps up by 50%! This adds an extra layer of clever planning to an already well-thought out battle system.
Alternatively, you can still use skills that can inflict Delay on an enemy, pushing a bonus further down the timeline to hopefully land on an ally. In fact, this tactic has even gotten an update in Trails beyond the Horizon as successfully delaying an enemy while under a Shard Boost will also spawn a “Plus” version of that same bonus on the timeline during the next turn. These minor yet impactful boons make the combat more strategic and engaging. They can mean the difference between victory and defeat, especially against the hardest enemies later on.
Positioning, once again, is also crucial to combat. Each skill has a certain attack pattern, whether it’s a circle, cross, or a straight line. Maneuvering your characters so that you can hit as many enemies as possible ensures you get the most out of each action you take. Skills also have secondary effects. For example, Rean’s Sixfold Gales skill inflicts Delay, but also gets a damage buff if the enemy is struck from behind. Even if Rean can’t get behind an enemy, the skill is still useful as the Delay effect can help push a timeline bonus away from it. Trails has always had these mechanics, but the consistent quality and improvements between all of the entries is impressive, and a big part of what makes this combat system unique.
The biggest addition to Trails beyond the Horizon’s turn-based combat is the introduction of Shard Commands. These are basically upgraded versions of Brave Orders from Cold Steel III, IV, and Reverie. By consuming portions of your Boost Gauge, you can apply party-wide buffs that last for a limited number of turns. They can drastically turn the tide of battle, with effects like reducing incoming damage down to 30% or decreasing casting time for spells. Shard Commands are also more flexible than Brave Orders. In previous Trails games, bosses could enact their Brave Orders, called “Disorders,” to overwrite your own, but you couldn’t do the same thing back. You’re now able to overwrite boss Anti-Shard Commands with your own, but it’ll consume an extra bar in your Boost Gauge on top of the normal cost. It’s a smartly implemented trade-off that levels the playing field and feels fair.
Additionally, using two bars of your Boost Gauge activates ZOC and lets characters act twice in a row. In previous Daybreak games, you were incentivized to mainly conserve your Boost Gauge to fire off a character’s S-Crafts (ultimate attacks), so between Shard Commands and ZOC, as well as the aforementioned new bonus stealing mechanics, you have exciting new choices for how to spend it.
Finally, the customization options remain largely unchanged from the two previous Daybreak games, but that’s not a bad thing since it provides the same kind of fun as tinkering in a toybox and getting lost for hours while optimizing your party’s full potential. Slotting elemental gems, called Quartz, into one of four available lines for a variety of perks is still a clever system. It’s fun to experiment with different elemental combinations and values in order to unlock more potent Shard Abilities, including ones that can help outside of battle – like Golden Eye, which marks every treasure chest on your map in the area, ensuring that you’ll never miss any useful items. The Quartz system has been polished over the past two decades and has become one of the most flexible in any modern RPG.
Dragon Quest VII Reimagined is set to release February 3, 2026 if you buy the more expensive editions, or February 5 for the standard edition. It’s coming to PS5, Switch, Switch 2, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. A from-the-ground-up remake of the original PS1 game, this remake brings the epic RPG adventure to modern platforms with modern visuals and storytelling. It’s available in several editions, all of which are detailed below. Let’s dive in.
If you want to try it before you buy it, you can now download a demo that lets you play the opening hours of the game. It's free on all platforms, and your save data even carries over to the full game if you decide to purchase it.
The standard edition just comes with the game itself, plus the preorder bonus (detailed below). It’s also worth noting that physical editions for Switch 2 are Game-Key Cards, and don’t contain the game on the cartridge.
Dragon Quest VII Reimagined - Digital Deluxe Edition
The Square Enix Store-exclusive collector’s edition comes with the following physical and digital extras:
Physical Items
Steelbook Case
Ship in a Bottle Figure
Smile Slime Plush
Digital Items
Luminary’s Livery costume set
Road of Regal Wretches battle arena content
Jam-Packed Swag Bag - assortment of helpful items
White Wolf Costume
Dragon Quest VII Reimagined Preorder Bonus
Preorder Dragon Quest VII Reimagined, and you’ll receive a couple of in-game items to help you on your way. Here’s what you get:
Trodain Togs
Seed of Proficiency x3
What Is Dragon Quest VII Reimagined?
Dragon Quest VII Reimagined is a full remake of Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past, a JRPG that first launched in 2000 for the original PlayStation console. It’s previously been ported to Nintendo 3DS and mobile platforms, but this is, as the title suggests, a full reimagining of the game.
DQ7 is a famously long game, with an average of 75 hours to complete the main story in the 3DS edition, according to Howlongtobeat, with a completionist time of 130 hours. The PlayStation version has even longer completion times.
The game is a traditional single-player JRPG that has your unnamed character and a team of adventurers sailing around, traversing islands, and completing quests to help people out on each one.
As for the art, Square Enix wrote in its announcement, “The character designs, originally crafted by world-renowned manga artist Akira Toriyama, have been reimagined into a charming 3D art style using dolls actually created in the real world.” That’s wild. The graphics look great, though, almost toy-like in that Link’s Awakening remake sort of way.
Connexion
