With both the PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 5 Pro, the visual experience on Sony’s console is incredible, especially when paired with the right TV for gaming. Playing games at 4K resolution and 60fps on the PS5 Pro is fantastic, but to really get into it, you need the audio experience to match. You’ll do justice in a home theater setup with the proper 7.1 speakers or a great soundbar, but you probably don’t want to be rattling your walls at all times. That doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice sound quality – one of the most important PS5 accessories is a good gaming headset, and there are plenty out there.

I’ve rounded up my recommendations for the best PS5 headsets you can buy now. I’ve also split my picks into several categories to make the choice easier since prices vary and each headset emphasizes different features and qualities that may matter more to you than others. For example, the Pulse Elite is one of the best picks for PS5 since it’s a Sony first-party product that features some nice platform integration. But if you’re willing to spend more for pure audio quality, the newly updated Audeze Maxwell 2 is an easy choice, while the recent BlackShark V3 Pro put Razer back in the conversation with excellent noise cancellation. If you want to ditch having something clamping over your head entirely, the SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds elevate earbuds to the headset levels of performance.

TL;DR - These Are the Best PS5 Headsets

When it comes to our picks, you may notice some crossover in our best overall gaming headsets roundup since many of them have PS5-specific models that take advantage of the console’s specific features. There are also a few first-party options that make the most of the PS5 with features like Tempest 3D spatial audio and further customization that’s native to the platform. Regardless of what you go for, you’ll end up with something great, which I can attest to since I have first-hand experience with every product I recommend. Everything from sound quality and comfort to ease-of-use and feature set are all factors in deciding which headsets get my stamp of approval. Below, you can read my detailed explanations behind each pick to help you decide which one is right for you. As new headsets come out and I test more of them, I’ll update this list to make sure you’re looking at the top picks.

1. SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro

The Best PS5 Headset

2. PlayStation Pulse Elite

Best First-Party PS5 Headset

3. Sony InZone H9 II

Best PS5 Headset for 3D Audio

4. Audeze Maxwell 2

Best High-End PS5 Headset

5. Razer BlackShark V3 Pro

Best Noise-Canceling PS5 Headset

6. Turtle Beach Stealth 500

Best Budget PS5 Headset

7. HyperX Cloud III

Best Wired PS5 Headset

8. SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds

Best PS5 Earbuds

PS5 Headsets FAQ

How do you determine sound quality on a gaming headset?

There are ways to extract audio data from a headset to get a look at how they handle various frequencies, like artificial ear and audio analyzing software, but that alone won’t be able to tell you what the actual audio experience is like. Admittedly, it can be quite abstract to have someone describe what games, music, or movies sound like. Paying attention to descriptors like distortion, drowning, cleanliness, or balance when talking about frequencies are common ways to explain the sound quality of a device, and at some point you need to trust the reviewer’s trained ear.

There’s also the factor of driver size, the actual hardware that delivers the audio. Generally, bigger drivers means better potential for cleaner and bolder sound, but again, that alone isn’t going to determine whether or not a headset sounds good. Quality can also come down to spatial or positional audio which gives the impression of sound effects having distance and direction – it’s important for competitive settings but can make for audio more suited for cinematic games.

As I talk about further down, the PS5 in particular has embraced 3D audio in a way other platforms have not. It may seem like a gimmick at first glance, but when done right, it can give you a genuinely immersive experience – not just for direction and distance, but also verticality in the sound design. This gives headsets like the Pulse Elite and Pulse 3D an advantage when picking out the best PS5 headset since 3D audio definitely affects how good games can sound.

What makes gaming headsets different from headphones?

Gaming headsets tend to pack additional features that support the actual gaming experience, some of which may be gimmicky, but many that I would call essential. Not everyone wants to have a standalone microphone, for example, but the key feature that separates a headset from headphones is a built-in microphone. While most headset mics are passable in terms of clarity that can suffice for in-game communication, some go the extra mile to provide better clarity or mitigate ambient noise spilling through.

Good gaming headsets are generally tuned to pick up on certain sound effects and have a more intimate sound profile since you’re an active participant in the experience rather than a passive observer (especially in competitive games). When it comes to wireless capabilities, most gaming headsets come with 2.4GHz USB dongles for the lowest latency possible – something that wireless headphones rarely include. As you’ll see in the next section, software suites for USB-based headsets (wireless or otherwise) have gotten sophisticated and sometimes offer a level of customization for specific gaming scenarios.

Should I go wired or wireless for a gaming headset?

Of course, it depends on your needs. On PC, I still gravitate towards wired headsets and headphones since I tend to prefer the sound profiles of a properly-tuned analog audio device (I also tend to forget about charging devices until it’s too late, but that’s a me-problem). However, battery life and latency of modern gaming headsets have come so far that you rarely, if ever, see them being issues on the latest releases. Good software suites and apps can also help you get more out of your headset by letting you customize EQ settings or swap sound profiles for certain games.

Wireless headsets are also sometimes capable of multi-device connectivity and simultaneous Bluetooth, which makes them versatile and opens them up to more use-cases (especially swapping to a mobile connection within seconds). Even though they tend to be more expensive, there’s a lot of upside to going with a wireless gaming headset, just be sure you know what you’ll be getting out of it.

On PS5, you're better going off with a wireless headset, though. Since 3.5mm analog wired audio devices have to go through the DualSense controller's, there's an upper limit to how good they can sound. Don't get it twisted, though – headsets and headphones can still sound great when fed through the DualSense, but it'll be diminishing returns when using audiophile-type gear. After all, the console experience is best when free of wires.

Is 3D audio worth it?

Made specifically for the PS5, Tempest 3D AudioTech to simulate 360-degree audio in supported PS5 games. That means you can tell the direction the audio is coming from, be it a helicopter overhead or enemy fire coming from whichever direction, it's an experiential marvel more so than an advantage. It’s similar to Windows Sonic on the Xbox Series X/S, but Sony has embraced it to greater extent and its implementation on the PS5 is a really neat perk. And to boot, plenty of the best PS5 headsets support Sony’s 3D audio, including the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7P, Sony Pulse 3D, and PlayStation Pulse Elite wireless headset.

The Sony Pulse 3D does a good job showing off the PS5’s next-gen 3D audio tech, whereby noises and sounds are emulated to appear in a 360-degree space around your ears, and even expressing a greater level of verticality to positional sound in some instances. It’s straightforward to set up, comfortable, and surprisingly affordable for an official PlayStation headset, and a great choice if you want to see exactly what the PS5’s 3D audio can do.

Do you need a Bluetooth adapter for your PS5?

If you're hoping to connect wireless headphones and headsets to your PS5, you will need a compatible Bluetooth adapter. The PS5 does not currently support direct pairing with any Bluetooth headphones for audio output. However, when it comes to latency, you're best served using headsets with 2.4GHz dongles, which all our recommended headsets come with.

What is PlayStation Link?

PlayStation Link is Sony’s latest wireless connectivity standard that provides a lightning-fast connection, lossless audio, and ultra-low latency with easy switching between different devices. The PlayStation Portal is the only gaming device with the technology built-in. So, you’ll need the PS Link USB dongle when using the PS5, PS5 Slim, PS5 Pro, and PC. Still, at the moment, only a couple of Sony’s peripherals have this technology, including the PlayStation Pulse Elite wireless headset in this guide.

Michael is the tech reviews editor at IGN, but regularly contributes to games coverage with reviews, features, and news.

The Crunchyroll Store has officially launched its annual Warehouse Sale, which typically features some of the best deals of the year on anime media and merchandise. New items will go on sale each week, but plenty of these are limited stock collectibles that will sell out before the next cycle of deals. Leading up to Valentine’s Day, we’re already seeing up to 70% discounts on anime Blu-rays and figures as well as clothes and accessories.

Crunchyroll Launches Massive Warehouse Sale on Anime Merch

These discounts are spread across the Crunchyroll Store, with specific sections dedicated to figures and physical media. Starting on Thursday, the store will also unveil weekly “Super Steal” deals that only last 48 hours.

On top of the general selection of deals, each week will also highlight media and merch from specific anime series, with this week’s headliners being Jujutsu Kaisen and Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End (which happen to be airing new seasons), as well as Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Dragon Ball, and Naruto.

Plenty of deals extend beyond those series. For example, forever my top pick, Crunchyroll’s exclusive steelbook edition of the 1996 Berserk anime, has dropped below $50. The Solo Leveling Collector’s Omnibus Novel has also gotten a solid 50% discount, and a relatively clean One Piece sweater has dropped under $20.

As always, Crunchyroll member discounts may be stacked on top of eligible deals. Free shipping is also available through the Mega and Ultimate Fan tiers, and is otherwise automatically applied on any orders over $75.

A lot is going on in the world of anime streaming. Crunchyroll recently increased prices on its streaming service relatively soon after removing the option for free streaming with ads. The increase also followed the launch of the digital service Crunchyroll Manga. Since the hike, the anime hub has announced that it will be developing its own line of original video games for inclusion in the Crunchyroll Game Vault.

Blythe (she/her) is an Audience Development Coordinator at IGN who spends way too much time in character customization screens and tracking down collectibles.

Ah, the Big Game. An annual chance for football fans to root for their team (frequently, if you happened to grow up in New England in the dynasty era like I did), take in some world-class entertainment at the halftime show, and load up not just on dairy and carb confections, but that most delectable of American treats… advertising! Lots of those immaculately produced commercials are there to remind you of products and services you already love (horse beer! Sports gambling app!), but ‘round the ol’ IGN, we get especially excited for the sneak peeks of upcoming movies and TV shows.

Super Bowl LX featured previews of some of 2026’s most anticipated releases. We got new looks at Supergirl, Disclosure Day, Scream 7, Hoppers, The Adventures of Cliff Booth, Minions and Monsters, Project Hail Mary, and The Super Mario Galaxy Movie. Studios, networks, and streamers use Super Bowl ad space (and the truckloads of money it takes to buy it) to let general audiences know what they’ve got cooking, and why you and everyone else you’re watching the game with should be getting jazzed for it. Hell, Netflix even dropped a whole-ass Cloverfield movie on us during one of these spots a few years ago, and a lot of people who may not have otherwise cared ended up watching it because of that hype… even if popular opinion has settled into that whole-ass Cloverfield movie being kinda half-assed. Point being: You can drive a lot of eyeballs to your movie or show with a well-placed Super Bowl ad.

But there was one ad this year for a summer 2026 release that put a pit in my stomach.

The Mandalorian and Grogu just used 30 very expensive seconds of Sam Elliott voiceover and the bones of a Budweiser advertisement to incept Silver Man and Green Boy back into your brains without showing off more of the $150 million-plus budgeted movie the two star in, which releases in just a few months.

I have a bad feeling about this.

In the early days of The Mandalorian’s meteoric popularity on Disney+, it seemed like the idea of eventually wrapping up the show’s story with a big summer blockbuster could be rooted in a desire to legitimize the streaming series as just as worthy of a theatrical release as any of the other Skywalker Saga or legacy-heavy spinoff movies. Sentiment around the show has wavered over the years, and even still, I don’t consider myself one of those people who believe the show’s gone off the rails. Largely, I haven’t minded The Mandalorian’s shift into exploring Mandalorian culture from perspectives other than Din Djarin’s, even if I do agree that it’s kept the narrative from feeling as cohesive and punchy as it did in the earlier days. Has the Disney era of Star Wars been perfect? Of course not. But at the end of the day, I’m just a boy, holding his broom aloft, looking out at the sky and hoping to see a good Star War.

So why isn’t Disney showing us more of the new Star War?

In these complicated times, I’m a big fan of the philosophical frame of “Occam’s razor,” or the idea that the simplest explanation is usually the right one. The first (and, to date, only) trailer for The Mandalorian and Grogu debuted at D23 in August 2024 and, naturally, leaked online immediately after that. Those trailers are supposed to be special, “you had to be there” moments for attendees of those kinds of events, but even through the off-screen recordings, it was clear that this first look wasn’t evoking much sense that Din Djarin and Grogu were getting all that much of a glow-up in their transition to the big screen. No, the overwhelming response has seemed to be some version of “it just looks like an episode of the show” or, more succinctly, “...that’s it?” Not even the additional footage added in the official release of the trailer late last year, not even Jeremy Allen White’s stronkboy Rotta the Hutt has seemed to be enough to move the needle on fan excitement. At least not that I’ve been able to see on my scanners and radars.

Full spoilers follow for Primal Season 3, Episode 5, “The Dead Cast No Shadow,” which is available on Adult Swim and HBO Max now.

We’re at the halfway point of this season, and all of our main cast members are now reunited: Mira, Fang, Fang’s little ones, and of course, Spear. Or rather zombie Spear.

But look, zombie Spear is Spear deep down, even if it’s not obvious at first. And this episode is about Mira figuring that out, after their surprising reunion at the end of last week, even if it’s proving more difficult for Fang to come to terms with this new incarnation of her best friend.

Mira always sort of represented the best of the best of us, even by anachronistic pre-history standards, and so while it’s clear that she knows this is a (somewhat) revived Spear, she also seems willing to accept him for what he is now, even if he can’t quite form words or, well, sit down without some difficulty. (Also, his arm literally is falling off by episode’s end.) But, where it counts, he’s still the Spear she used to know, namely when putting himself on the line to save those he loves. That’s what got him in this whole being an undead zombie situation in the first place, after all.

Now is the time to retire that pedal-powered bike of yours and upgrade to electric. The price of electric assisted bikes has plummeted over the past year. Nowadays you can find a decent bike for well under $500. To kickstart the new year, AliExpress is offering the 5th Wheel AB17 500W 375Wh Electric Bike for a rock bottom price of $291.24 after you apply $30 off coupon code "USSS30". This bike ships locally from a warehouse in the United States, with most orders being delivered within a week. That means you don't have to worry about tariffs, import fees, or egregiously long shipping times.

5th Wheel AB17 500W 375Wh Electric Bike for $291.24

Control and Alan Wake developer Remedy Entertainment has named Jean-Charles Gaudechon as its new CEO.

The company’s board of directors announced the news with a post on its website today. Co-founder Markus Mäki will continue to serve as interim CEO until the leadership change takes effect March 1, 2026.

“I’m excited and honored to join Remedy at a pivotal time,” Gaudechon said in a statement. “The studio has a unique creative identity and a strong pipeline. My commitment is to protect what makes it special, deliver exceptional games, and scale Remedy in a way that builds lasting value.”

Mäki took over as interim CEO after former Remedy CEO, Tero Virtala, resigned from his position in October 2025. It was a sudden shakeup that arrived after the studio’s summer multiplayer FPS and its first self-published game, FBC: Firebreak, failed to impress on a commercial and critical level (we gave it a 6/10). Virtala was with Remedy for just over nine years, leaving the Espoo, Finland-based game company to search for a long-term replacement.

We now know Gaudechon has been picked to fill the role. His experience in the industry has seen him serve at EA as a studio head and executive producer over titles like Battlefield Heroes, as well as a general manager and executive producer for Eve Online developer CCP Games. Now, he’ll oversee a company he says “has the voice and the ambition to be a pillar of the industry’s future.”

“We will stay close to players, earn their time and trust, and strengthen our independence in how we build and publish our games, while continuing to work closely with the partners who have supported us along the way,” the soon-to-be CEO added. “I will be moving to Finland with my family and I’m incredibly excited about getting to work directly with the team at the studio.”

Meanwhile, fans of Remedy’s work are looking forward to its mind-bending sequel, Control: Resonant. Announced at the 2025 Game Awards, the follow-up is expected to launch sometime this year for PC and consoles. Max Payne 1 and 2 remakes are also in development and expected to launch at an unspecified point in the future.

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).

Brandon Sanderson recently revealed he's struck a deal with Apple TV to adapt his massive Cosmere universe for streaming. This has been huge news for those already in love with his books, but for those who aren't already familiar with Sanderson's literary works it may be the final push to finally they need to dive in and start reading. And with Amazon's current 'Buy 2, save 50% on 1' sale going on right now, there's never been a better time to start your journey into the Cosmere.

Not all of the details of the Apple TV collaboration have been revealed just yet, but Sanderson has confirmed he's writing the screenplay for a Mistborn movie and will be co-showrunner on a Stormlight Archive series. Those projects will be adapted from his most popular series' in the Cosmere universe, both of which currently have box sets included in Amazon's sale.

Brandon Sanderson Box Sets are Buy 1, Get 1 Half Off

Todd McFarlane Productions have announced a brand new miniseries in the Spawn Universe, She-Spawn, written by Gail Simone (Uncanny X-Men, Birds of Prey), and illustrated by Ig Guara (Batman: Arkham Knight, Teen Titans). The mini-series will consist of five issues, with the first one releasing on May 6.

She-Spawn will focus on Jessica Priest, who has been a lead in Image Comics' The Scorched comic series for close to 50 issues, which features Spawn, Gunslinger, Redeemer, Medieval Spawn, and She-Spawn. Priest has an assassin and superhero background, and the miniseries will draw from her history as a whole rather than from a standalone event – something that will help give a deeper view of her character, according to Todd McFarlane Productions.

If there is a theme running through my game deals of today, it's confidence without chaos. Games that know exactly what they are, respect your time, and quietly reward commitment rather than demanding obsession. I've played almost all of these, and in every case the discounts meaningfully shift the value conversation. So get amongst 'em before they're gone.

Contents

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

This Day in Gaming 🎂

In crusty gamer news, I’m summoning sweary imps to bake a 14-shaped cake for The Darkness II. Though I didn't adore this as much as the non-cel-shaded, Starbreeze Studios original at launch, how could I not greedily devour any game starring Jackie Estacado, the best “dark hero” this side of Spawn. Basically, this was a power fantasy of an FPS where akimbo pistoles held as much importance as your heart-eating demon tentacles and black hole conjurations. Also, the idea of having Jackie tell us gruesome mobster factoids during loading screens? Absolute chef’s kiss.

Aussie birthdays for notable games.

- Psychonauts (PC,XB) 2006. Get

- Rugby 06 (PC,PS2,XB) 2006. eBay

- The Darkness II (PC,PS3,X360) 2012. Get

Nice Savings for Nintendo Switch

• Pokemon Pokopia (-23%) - A$85 Similar to Animal Crossing, Pokopia looks set to offer a chill experience where you gradually learn and utilise Pokémon abilities to create a Xanadu for yourself and your fellow Pokemans.
• Donkey Kong Bananza (-19%) - A$89 Classic platforming confidence with just enough modern polish. Still built around timing and momentum, and still happiest when you stop overthinking jumps.
• Dragon Quest Treasures (-53%) - A$40.20 A lighter, loop driven take on the series that trades epic scale for constant forward motion. Charming, repetitive, and best enjoyed in short, deliberate sessions.
• Celeste (-75%) - A$7.50 Still the gold standard for fair difficulty. Every death teaches something, every retry feels earned, and the emotional beats land without ever slowing the climb.
• Crysis Rem. Trilogy (-60%) - A$30 A technical flex turned historical artefact. The ideas still hold up, even if the shooting occasionally reminds you how far design has moved on.

Or gift a Nintendo eShop Card.

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Exciting Bargains for Xbox

• Crash Bandicoot 4 It’s About Time (-45%) - A$55 Tighter and more demanding than nostalgia suggests. Brilliant level design, but it expects precision and will happily punish sloppy muscle memory.
• Like a Dragon Ishin! (-69%) - A$30.80 Familiar systems in historical dress, delivered with confidence. The combat is serviceable, but the real joy is watching the studio indulge itself without apology.
• Borderlands Leg. Col. (-80%) - A$17.90 An absurd amount of shooting for the money. The humour is uneven, but the loot loop remains dangerously effective if you enjoy numbers going up.
• Atomic Heart (-70%) - A$32.30 Visually striking and mechanically inconsistent. Worth seeing for the world alone, even if the moment to moment play never fully settles.
• Streets of Rage 4 (-65%) - A$13.10 Still one of the cleanest modern beat em ups. Tight inputs, readable chaos, and a soundtrack that does more work than it needs to.

Xbox One

• Digimon Survive (-72%) - A$20.60 More visual novel than tactics game. Slow, wordy, and occasionally brilliant if you are here for tone rather than constant interaction.
• Shovel Knight Treasure Trove (-60%) - A$22.90 A masterclass in restraint. Tight controls, smart callbacks, and expansions that respect the original without diluting it.
• Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater I + II (-56%) - A$30.80 Muscle memory comes roaring back. The remake understands exactly what to modernise and what to leave untouched.

Or just invest in an Xbox Card.

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Pure Scores for PlayStation

• Gran Turismo 7 (-41%) - A$73.30 Still meticulous to a fault. The experience on PS VR2 is peerless, but progression systems remain oddly hostile to anyone without endless patience.
• Tekken 8 (-48%) - A$44 Aggressive, readable, and finally welcoming without dumbing down. A rare fighter that rewards newcomers without losing its edge.
• No Man’s Sky (-29%) - A$49.30 The redemption arc is real. Systems now stack cleanly, exploration feels purposeful, and the sense of scale still quietly impresses.
• Visions of Mana (-45%) - A$54.40 Colourful and earnest, sometimes to a fault. Combat shines when it flows, but the pacing assumes you are happy to linger.
• Death’s Door (-75%) - A$7.40 A compact action adventure with real bite. Simple on the surface, quietly emotional underneath, and respectful of your time.

PS4

• Two Point Hospital Jumbo Ed. (-48%) - A$28.40 Management chaos with a dry sense of humour. Systems stack fast, and it shines once you stop trying to play efficiently.
• Trials of Mana (-44%) - A$43.20 A faithful remake that values vibe over reinvention. Combat is breezy, story is earnest, and expectations should be calibrated accordingly.
• Sonic Superstars (-70%) - A$28.40 Fast when it works, frustrating when it does not. Momentum is king, and patience is required when physics disagree with intent.

Or purchase a PS Store Card.

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Purchase Cheap for PC

• Metal Gear Solid Delta Snake Eater (-50%) - A$58.40 A respectful rework of a classic that still feels wonderfully strange. The pacing is deliberate, and that is part of the appeal.
• Stellar Blade (-45%) - A$76.90 Slick combat and immaculate animation carry it far. The challenge curve is honest, but the tone will not be for everyone.
• Doom The Dark Ages (-71%) - A$35.30 Familiar aggression with heavier armour. It rewards confidence, punishes hesitation, and never pretends subtlety is the goal.
• Death Stranding Dir. Cut (-75%) - A$13.70 Finally feels complete. Meditative, occasionally obtuse, and deeply committed to its own rhythm.
• Dredge (-65%) - A$12.70 Cozy fishing with a creeping sense of dread. The loop is simple, the atmosphere does the heavy lifting, and it lingers longer than expected.

Or just get a Steam Wallet Card

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The Dell Presidents Day Sale offically kicks off this week. Traditionally, this has been Dell's best sale during the early part of the year to score a big discount on both Alienware gaming PCs and laptops. Prices on prebuilts have risen in 2026 because of the increased demand for RAM and GPUs, so if you're looking to upgrade now, you don't want to miss this opportunity to get a new system without an egregious markup. All systems ship free and include a one year warranty. I will continue to add to this article as more deals go live closer to President's Day weekend.

Alienware Aurora R16 RTX 5080 Gaming PC for $2,180

Whether looking to score an awesome deal on a video game or grab an MTG Universes Beyond preorder, everyone will find something worth grabbing today. Maybe you need a Valentine’s gift that anyone will appreciate? Well, a DoorDash eGift Card is discounted. Also, save big on an insanely powerful gaming PC, or get a 4K-capable graphics card at a great price. Below are all the top deals for today:

MTG X TMNT Pizza Bundle Preorder Back In Stock

Other MTG x TMNT and MTG x Marvel Super Heroes Preorder Discounts

Check out all the Universes Beyond preorders available right now. There’s even been a nice price drop on the MTG x TMNT Commander Deck - Turtle Power!. It’s 14% off currently. Or, save 9% on the MTG x Marvel Super Heroes Play Booster Box.

$200 Off Sonos Arc Ultra

Get a $50 DoorDash eGift Card for $42.50

Silent Hill f for PS5 and XSX Is Just $39.99

Godzilla: World of Monsters Hits Lowest Price Ever

50% Off Sid Meier's Civilization VII for PlayStation 5

Get a 512GB Switch 2 MicroSD Express Card for $79.99

Save $1,200 on a Alienware Area-51 Ryzen X3D RTX 5090 Gaming PC

As part of the Dell President's Day Sale that kicks off this week, Alienware's only RTX 5090 equipped gaming computer sees its biggest discount (by far) of the year. The Alienware Area-51 Intel Edition RTX 5090 gaming PC starts at just $4,299.99 after an $1,150 discount with no coupon code or hoops to jump through. Arguably an even better deal is the Alienware Area-51 AMD Ryzen X3D Edition RTX 5090 gaming PC, which drops to $4,449.99. Both systems ship for free.

These are the best deals I've seen for an Area-51 RTX 5090 desktop and beats out 2025 pricing, despite the fact that RAM and GPU prices are on the rise. In fact, as of today, these are the lowest prices for an RTX 5090 prebuilt across all brands and retailers. Once these deals expire, they probably won't resurface for several months.

Alienware Area-51 RTX 5090 Gaming PC From $4,300

The Alienware Area-51 is Dell's flagship gaming PC. Unveiled during last year's CES, the Area-51 is a super-sized upgrade to the mainstream Aurora R16 system. The significantly larger chassis features more premium build quality and a redesigned cooling system with greater airflow. This is the only model that Dell allows you to configure with the hot and power hungry GeForce RTX 5090 graphics card (the Aurora R16 doesn't give you this option). The first wave of Area-51 systems featured Intel CPUs exclusively, with AMD X3D options released much later in November.

Depending on the configuration you choose, you're getting either an Intel Core Ultra 7 265F or AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D CPU, GeForce RTX 5090 graphics card, 32GB or DDR5-6400MHz RAM, and a 1TB SSD. Most of these specs are customizable. Additional system details include a 360mm all-in-one liquid cooling system for the CPU and a massive 1,500W 80Plus Platinum power supply that allows plenty of headroom for future upgrades.

The Core Ultra 7 is a good gaming CPU, but the Ryzen 7 9800X3D is better

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 is an excellent processor that will perform well in both games and productivity tasks, thanks to its 5.3GHz max turbo frequency and 20 cores. You can also upgrade to the Ultra 7 265K for just $50.

However, if you want plan to get this rig specifically for gaming, then the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D is considered to be one of the best gaming processors and outperforms any Intel or AMD non-X3D chip in games thanks to AMD's 3D-V-Cache technology. For only $150 price premium, it's worth the upgrade.

Although the 9800X3D is an absolute speed demon for gaming, it only has eight cores. If you regularly use your PC for non-gaming applications that benefit from as many cores as possible, then you can upgrade to an AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D 16-core processor, which doubles the core count while offering similar gaming performance, for an additional $250.

The RTX 5090 is the most powerful graphics card ever

The Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 has emerged as the most powerful consumer GPU on the market. Although with this generation Nvidia has prioritized software updates, AI features, and DLSS 4 technology to improve gameplay performance, the 5090 still boasts an impressive 25%-30% uplift over the RTX 4090 in hardware-based raster performance. If you want the absolute best performance for your gaming PC, there is literally no other option from any other brand.

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

Amazon is running another one of its excellent, yet confusingly worded, sales. Buy one eligible book, board game, or movie at regular price, and you’ll get another one for half price. The wording on the sale makes it sound like you have to buy two at regular price, but I assure you, it’s just one. So what kinds of board games, books, and movies are we talking? You can check out the whole sale here, or you can keep reading for our picks of the best of the bunch.

Amazon Buy 1, Get 1 Half Price Sale

The main sale link brings you to the full sale, with books highlighted on the page. You can scroll through those, or you can click into the department of your choice. Books and movies are obvious, but if you want board games, you’ll have to navigate to the “toys” department, because that’s where Amazon categorizes them.

Among the excellent items on offer in this sale are movies, both individual and collections. You can save on everything from modern masterpieces like Zodiac and Top Gun Maverick to older classics like the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles trilogy from the ‘90s or the Dark Knight trilogy.

For board games, tons of entry-level mainstays are represented here, like Catan and Ticket to Ride: Europe. There are murder mystery board games and cooperative games as well. And if you’re looking for books, you’ll find plenty of fantasy and sci fi and mystery titles ranging from Brandon Sanderson and George R.R. Martin to Mary Shelley and Gillian Flynn.

These sales are always popular among the IGN audience. I think that’s because there are so many eligible items. And many of them are already discounted well below their suggested retail price, which makes this a discount on top of a discount. Stacking deals is my favorite way to min-max bargains. Ninety-nine times out of a hundred, you just can’t beat the deals you can get outside of Amazon sales like this.

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

PlayStation users can stock up and save on some new games for their library through Amazon right now. The retailer is offering some excellent deals on a selection of PS5 games, including Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater (down to $30), Silent Hill f (down to $40), Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds (which is down to $25.24 after clipping a coupon), and more.

These are just the start of what's available. Have a look through more of our favorite PS5 games that are currently on sale at Amazon below.

Select PS5 Games on Sale at Amazon

What makes these deals even better is that some of the games above have hit their lowest prices yet at the retailer. Price tracker camelcamelcamel shows that this is the lowest price Silent Hill f, Civ VII, Double Dragon Revive, and Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds (with its coupon) have all hit at Amazon so far. Similar to Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds, with the help of the coupon on its store page, this also marks a new low price for Space Marine 2 at the retailer.

And while it's not the lowest price point it has ever hit at Amazon, Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater has matched its Black Friday price, which is certainly still a deal to celebrate. If you haven't added it to your library yet, now is a great time while it's still on sale for $30.

That applies to all of the available games: This is a great opportunity to scoop them up and save while they're still on sale. They're not the only game deals worth taking advantage of right now, though. If you're looking for more outside of PlayStation, February’s Humble Choice lineup has dropped for PC players as well, offering the chance to add 8 games to your digital library for just $15 when you sign up for a Humble Choice membership. This month leads with Resident Evil Village, which is definitely worth grabbing ahead of Resident Evil: Requiem.

Hannah Hoolihan is a freelancer who writes with the guides and commerce teams here at IGN.

Mondo is one step closer to assembling the full, iconic X-Men: The Animated Series roster, as the company has just revealed a truly epic Beast 1:6 scale figure.

IGN can exclusively debut the first images of the X-Men: The Animated Series - Beast 1/6 Scale Figure - Limited Edition. Check them out in the slideshow gallery below, along with a new Jim Lee X-Men poster and a Beast enamel pin:

The Beast figure is designed to fit alongside the rest of Mondo 1:6 scale X-Men figures. The figure includes a wealth of accessories, including several interchangeable heads and hands, an optional lab coat, a tech pack and tech gear, books, and even a Howard the Duck T-shirt.

Beast is priced at $255, and this deluxe limited edition version is limited to 1500 units worldwide. The figure will go up for preorder on February 17 on Mondo's website.

Also being offered alongside the figure is a new 24" x 36" screenprint poster reproducing one of the most iconic splash images from Jim Lee's X-Men run. This image is specifically taken from 1992's X-Men #11 and is titled "We Ask The Stars 'Why?'" Mondo is also releasing an enamel pin featuring Beast's face.

Will you be ordering any of these new X-Men collectibles? Let us know in the comments below. And to see more of Mondo's past X-Men releases, check out their Magneto figure, Gambit figure, and exclusive Wolverine figure.

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

Amazon and Sony have confirmed that Callum Vinson will play Kratos’ son, Atreus, in the upcoming live-action God of War show.

It’s yet another casting update for the hotly anticipated series adaptation of a classic PlayStation game, this time locking in what is no doubt one of its most important roles. Vinson will join Ryan Hurst’s Kratos when the two tear their way through Norse mythology on Prime Video at an unspecified date.

HBO’s upcoming Harry Potter TV series appears to be doing things a little bit differently than the books — and some of the changes they’re making are probably going to be catnip for fans. Specifically, I’m referring to the decision to include more of the Malfoys, Harry’s school enemy’s family, and their home life.

“I think with this adaptation, you get to see so much more than the books," said Lox Pratt, the young actor who will be playing Draco Malfoy in the upcoming show, during a chat with 1883 Magazine. “[The books] are very much over Harry’s shoulder, which is great, and that’s how they played the film as well. And I think Francesca [Gardiner] and Mark [Mylod] have been audible about this in their interviews, there’s just so much more that you get to see.”

If you’re reading this, you already know the importance of good audio when it comes to gaming, but it’s tough to find out which is the best gaming headset for you among the sea of options. As is the case when you're looking for a gaming mouse or gaming keyboard, there are several factors to consider. You'll want to account for your budget and seek out the best sound quality and comfort, as well as the kinds of features most important to you. The easiest way to find that personalized experience is to know exactly what you’re getting into and rely on those who have first-hand knowledge.

I’ve reviewed plenty of headphones and gaming headsets in my time, so I’m familiar with what makes them great, and I’ve put my expertise and ears-on experience to use here. Each pick was made with careful consideration for what each headset offers as a whole, but also for the aspects they excel in most based on their category. With that in mind, I’ve included options for the best mid-range wired headset like the HyperX Cloud III and the best high-end wireless option in the Audeze Maxwell 2, the recent refresh to one of my long-time favorites. But more sophisticated features like virtual surround, active noise cancelation, or customizable EQ profiles can be defining for certain wireless headsets like the Razer Kraken V4 or Razer BlackShark V3 Pro. And if money is no object and want the absolute best no matter what, well, we can confidently point you to the $600 SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite. There's a little something for everyone!

TL;DR: These Are the Best Gaming Headsets:

This guide is intended to be a comprehensive look at the best options based on specific categories in which certain headsets prioritize or do better than the competition. This doesn’t mean there aren’t amazing headsets outside of the ones I’m recommending, but these are all headsets I can vouch for based upon the first-hand testing done by me and my colleagues. These are also great options whether you play games on PC, PS5, Xbox, Switch 2, or any mix of consoles (just be sure to get the right model when picking something out). I will also be updating my picks as new ones come out and I test more of what’s out there, so be sure to check back periodically, or whenever you need some advice on choosing a new gaming headset.

1. SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless

Best Gaming Headset

2. Beyerdynamic MMX 300 Pro and MMX 330 Pro

Best High-End (Wired) Gaming Headset

3. Audeze Maxwell 2

Best High-End (Wireless) Gaming Headset

4. HyperX Cloud III

Best Mid-Range (Wired) Gaming Headset

5. Asus ROG Pelta

Best Mid-Range (Wireless) Gaming Headset

6. SteelSeries Arctis Nova 1

Best Budget (Wired) Gaming Headset

7. Turtle Beach Stealth 500

Best Budget (Wireless) Gaming Headset

8. SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite

Best Audiophile Gaming Headset

9. Razer Kraken V4

Best Surround Sound Gaming Headset

10. Razer BlackShark V3 Pro

Best Noise-Canceling Gaming Headset

11. SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds

Best Gaming Earbuds

How to Pick the Best Gaming Headset

First thing’s first: How much are you willing to spend? Next thing to ask yourself is, what are your biggest priorities when looking for a gaming headset? Is it overall sound quality, comfort, microphone clarity, durability, or something else? And if you want to go wireless, you have to consider battery life and what a headset’s software suite is capable of. You’ll likely want some mix of all those things, but while you don’t have to pick one particular feature or strength to seek out among a wide array of options, some headsets simply do certain things better than others.

Sound quality

For me, this is the primary factor to look for regardless of price range (it’s rather a matter of managing expectations with more budget-friendly options). While the size of the drivers – the actual hardware in each earcup that produces sound – is an easy shorthand for determining a headset’s potential, it’s certainly not the be-all-end-all. How the headset is tuned, the material and physical construction of the drivers, and how it sounds in specific scenarios are things you can only learn about through reviews and first-hand accounts, if you can’t test it for yourself.

Pay attention to what reviewers say about frequencies like bass/lows, mids, and highs and how they describe their experience. Sometimes bass drowns out other frequencies, mids might be distorted in hectic gameplay, or the highs are harsh at loud volumes – these are the types of things we say when describing audio shortcomings. Some folks like deep bass even if it’s overpowering, so some detractors may not matter as much to some, for example.

Positional or spatial audio

This is also crucial for competitive gamers. The best headsets are able to express the details and nuances of sound effects, not just produce clear frequencies. This helps you judge direction and distance of footsteps or gunshots in games like Counter-Strike 2 and Valorant, for example, and can also result in a more immersive experience in single-player games or even movies. Some of this can be simulated through software but things like Turtle Beach’s Superhuman Hearing tend to sound too artificial, so be wary.

Comfort

How comfortable a headset is can be challenging to understand without trying on a headset first. If you absolutely cannot try them on on first, pay attention to descriptors such as clamp force (how hard a headset latches onto one’s head), the density of the earpads, the type of material used to wrap the earpads, or how the headband rests above the user’s head. Materials like leatherette, sports mesh, and velour all have their pros and cons, with the former being better for sound isolation but not as great as the latter for airflow and mitigating sweat around the ears.

Durability

Many premium-level headsets use an aluminum frame, which may be heavier but can withstand much more contortion and mishandling. Some budget-friendly headsets opt for a flexible rubber-like plastic headband that offers a similar level of flexibility, so it doesn’t feel like you’re going to break the thing when putting it on or taking it off. Any gaming headset worth its salt shouldn’t have durability issues, but it is something to consider.

Builit-in microphones

I typically find the microphones on gaming headsets to be an afterthought, mainly because you can get much better sound quality from a standalone external microphone – that’s what I use most of the time. That doesn’t mean I overlook microphone clarity altogether.

It’s rare to find a headset outside of the premium price range with a great mic, but it’s something we as reviewers always test because it’s certainly nice to have. Something like the HyperX Cloud III was truly impressive for a mic on a $100 gaming headset, and the Beyerdynamic MMX 300 Pro is close to approaching mid-range standalone mics – and those who often use voice for communication or some sort of content creation can get a lot out of a good headset mic.

Noise isolation is worth paying attention to, as well as how well it picks up your voice – software-side features like controlling the noise gate can also be useful. And don’t overlook the importance of sidetone, which is a rare feature that automatically feeds your voice back to you.

Battery life

Wireless headsets have evolved to the point where battery life is either a non-issue or manageable with good habits of charging them whenever you can. But for headsets you’re planning on using for multiple purposes (like ones with simultaneous Bluetooth connectivity for music on mobile devices, for example), total battery life can be a more important factor. Many should last in the 40-hour range from a full charge and higher-end ones can last upwards of 80 hours, although several variables feed into how long they last in actuality.

Customization

The last thing I’ll mention is a headset's customization, at least through software. Every gaming peripheral manufacturer has its own software suite it wants you to download, and they tend to be all-encompassing apps for all its gaming gear. But good software lets you get granular with your headset, such as Turtle Beach’s Swarm app. You can fiddle with equalization, make your own EQ presets, use premade profiles, control certain aspects of your microphone, and so much more. While it’s not as important as the essentials like sound quality and comfort, a proper software suite can help you get the most out of your purchase.

Gaming Headset FAQ

How do you determine sound quality on a gaming headset?

There are ways to extract audio data from a headset to get a look at how they handle various frequencies, like artificial ear and audio analyzing software, but that alone won’t be able to tell you what the actual audio experience is like. Admittedly, it can be quite abstract to have someone describe what games, music, or movies sound like. Paying attention to descriptors like distortion, drowning, cleanliness, or balance when talking about frequencies are common ways to explain the sound quality of a device, and at some point you need to trust the reviewer’s trained ear.

There’s also the factor of driver size, the actual hardware that delivers the audio. Generally, bigger drivers means better potential for cleaner and bolder sound, but again, that alone isn’t going to determine whether or not a headset sounds good. Quality can also come down to spatial or positional audio which gives the impression of sound effects having distance and direction – it’s important for competitive settings but can make for more immersive experiences outside of trying to get an advantage over your opponents.

What makes gaming headsets different from headphones?

Gaming headsets tend to pack additional features that support the actual gaming experience, some of which may be gimmicky, but many that I would call essential. Not everyone wants to have a standalone microphone, for example, but the key feature that separates a headset from headphones, is a built-in microphone. While most headset mics are passable in terms of clarity that can suffice for in-game communication, some go the extra mile to provide better clarity or mitigate ambient noise spilling through.

Good gaming headsets are generally tuned to pick up on certain sound effects and have a more intimate sound profile since you’re an active participant in the experience rather than a passive observer (especially in competitive games). When it comes to wireless capabilities, most gaming headsets come with 2.4GHz USB dongles for the lowest latency possible – something that wireless headphones rarely include. As you’ll see in the next section, software suites for USB-based headsets (wireless or otherwise) have gotten sophisticated as well and sometimes offer a level of customization for specific gaming scenarios.

Should I go wired or wireless for a gaming headset?

Of course, it depends on your needs. I still gravitate towards wired headsets and headphones since I tend to prefer the sound profiles of a properly-tuned analog audio device (I also tend to forget about charging devices until it’s too late, but that’s a me-problem). However, battery life and latency of modern gaming headsets have come so far that you rarely, if ever, see them being issues on the latest releases. Good software suites and apps can also help you get more out of your headset by letting you customize EQ settings or swap sound profiles for certain games.

Wireless headsets are also sometimes capable of multi-device connectivity and simultaneous Bluetooth, which makes them versatile and opens them up to more use-cases (especially swapping to a mobile connection within seconds). Even though they tend to be more expensive, there’s a lot of upside to going with a wireless gaming headset, just be sure you know what you’ll be getting out of it.

Is virtual surround sound worth seeking out?

Virtual surround sound had been a bit of a gimmick when high-end headphones started simulating the experience of a 7.1 speaker setup. But I will admit that the technology has come a long way. It’s not always best suited for gaming, especially in the competitive scene – there’s some artificiality with virtual surround that can lead to misjudging audio cues. But damn does something like DTS Headphone:X or Dolby Atmos sound impressive when done right – especially in action games or movies.

Some virtual surround sound software requires you to purchase a license, and personally I find the overall applicability of them fairly niche, but that doesn’t take away from how they simulate theater-like qualities. Just because a headset is compatible with features like Dolby Atmos or DTS Headphone:X, it doesn’t mean you’ll get an equal virtual surround experience – the headset itself has to be equipped to express a level of nuance in its sound quality for it to work well.

Michael Higham is the tech reviews editor at IGN and has a passion for good audio, which often drives him nuts when picking out headsets, headphones, earbuds, and speakers. He graduated from downloading low bitrate music to seeking lossless versions of his favorite songs at an early age. Having grown up playing Counter-Strike 1.6, and now keeping up with the Valorant competitive scene, he finds positional audio to be just as important as sound quality. But he actually just wants the best and most immersive audio for all the RPGs he plays, especially the ones with banging soundtracks.

Pokémon TCG Mega Evolution's latest expansion, Ascended Heroes, is (as per usual) increasingly hard to get hold of right now. While Ascended Heroes cards are technically already available, stock is painfully low or nonexistent in major retailers.

Moreover, several products, including the Elite Trainer Box, are part of a staggered release all the way through to April 2026. If you're looking to bag yourself an ETB (or several) that sport a rather magnificent Mega Dragonite, in anticipation of its launch day on February 20, then here's where you can currently pick one up, and what prices to expect at each retailer.

“Zero Parades is an exploration of failure,” explains Jim Ashilevi, writer and VO director at ZA/UM. “What it means to lose everything and then keep going regardless. And then, since it's such a painful question, it inevitably becomes an exploration of what it means to be human. How uncomfortable and strange it is to exist in a body that has thoughts and feelings and responsibilities, and a past that they can't go back and fix.”

“This is why I love working here,” says ZA/UM’s head of studio, Allen Murray, with a smile. “I never had these conversations making Halo games.”

The studio behind Disco Elysium was, of course, never going to follow up its 2019 “disaster cop” RPG with a game about heroes saving the world. That’s not to say that it hasn’t moved into slightly more traditional video game territory, though. Its new game, Zero Parades: For Dead Spies, is an espionage spy thriller set in a dark, almost psychedelic reflection of the Cold War’s closing years. Global powers conspire, enemy agents lurk in the dark, and the entire world sits on the doorstep of the end of history. But while that could theoretically be the elevator pitch for any number of mainstream, combat-forward RPGs, ZA/UM is doing spycraft the only way it knows: Disco style.

“I think the one North Star that we have is that we have to be genuinely interested in the stories that we are choosing to tell,” says Ashilevi. “If we were to start mimicking someone else, or go bigger and more expensive and add production value and fighting mechanics and multiplayer, I think we would just destroy ourselves in the process.”

This “North Star” means that, on the surface, Zero Parades looks almost identical to Disco Elysium. It’s another dialogue-centric, introspective, isometric RPG with striking art direction. But that’s not to say it’s the exact same game dressed up in a John le Carré skin.

“I think you can see the team has really wanted to exceed their production chops with Zero Parades,” explains Murray, “in terms of having the world seem more reactive, more lived in. There's more action, more people walking around doing things.”

While ZA/UM had no intention of creating a “traditional” video game RPG, it did want to dig deeper into the genre’s more crunchy elements. This time around there are more skill checks, alongside a mental and physical health system that can be exerted to increase the chances of passing those checks. There’s further emphasis on multiple solutions to individual problems, the very foundation of BioWare’s celebrated Infinity Engine games. By pushing the depth of choice available and enhancing the world’s reactivity to those choices, the team saw the opportunity to create something that stood distinct from Disco Elysium.

“Sophomore efforts are really challenging,” Murray admits. “You don't want to repeat your first hit, nor can you really.”

It took a lot of time for the team to come to terms with that. During the years following Disco Elysium’s release and subsequent “Final Cut” version, ZA/UM experimented with a number of concepts – some were effectively direct sequels, while others explored “a completely different direction,” according to Ashilevi. The path to Zero Parades arrived with the decision to “not fully reinvent the wheel.” The goal, Murray says, was to “expand on what we know how to do, and make a bigger game, both mechanically and in terms of production scope, and do it well.”

Mission Control

Murray acknowledges that there were “years of drama” before the studio got to that point. For many fans of Disco Elysium, that will mean only one thing: the firing of several key creatives in 2022 and their subsequent accusation that ZA/UM’s executive management had seized control of the company through fraud. It’s a complicated chapter in the studio’s story, in which those exorcised from the company – including game director Robert Kurvitz, writer Helen Hindpere, and art director Aleksander Rostov – are characterised as either toxic disruptors or the victims of corporate conspiracy, depending on your source.

But there’s more to ZA/UM’s troubled recent history than those controversial dismissals: this is a studio that has repeatedly cancelled projects and, in early 2024, made 20 of its staff redundant. It all paints a picture of an inexperienced studio struggling to adapt to life after releasing an unexpected mega hit on the first attempt, with the workers caught in the crossfire. Perhaps unsurprisingly, ZA/UM’s UK-based workforce unionised last year.

But while collective bargaining is undoubtedly important, those workers also need strong leadership to avoid the woes of the past. Maybe they’ve found that in Murray, a 20-year veteran of the video games industry with previous tenures at Microsoft, Bungie, PopCap, and Private Division. He was appointed as ZA/UM’s new head of studio shortly after news broke about those painful redundancies, and over the past two years his goal has been “coaching the people in the studio, maturing our processes, helping people to really focus on what we're making, how we're making it, and why we're making it.”

“It was easy to have a lot of things sort of floating around,” he admits. “But how are we actually going to animate this, or how are we going to light this? What does this story really mean? What are you really trying to get across to the player?”

Today, ZA/UM is made up of around 90 members of staff. Several of them have, like Murray, been recruited from established developers such as Rocksteady in order to arm the studio with specialist video game experience. But the remaining members of the Disco Elysium team, which makes up approximately 35% of the studio’s total roster, plus many of the new recruits, “come from a background that has nothing to do with game dev,” says Ashilevi.

“As a studio, we still view ourselves pretty much as a collective of artists,” he explains. “The artistry comes first, the storytelling comes first. To me personally, it still feels like the whole video game development side of things is just like a happy accident.”

The Price of Power

That brings us back to Zero Parades, which tells the story of Hershel Wilk, codename “Cascade”, who’s pulled out of retirement for the all-time classic spy trope, One Last Job. By moving into the espionage genre, ZA/UM has been able to work at a notably different scale than it did with Disco Elysium. While Zero Parades takes place in a physical space not too dissimilar to that of the studio’s previous game, by stepping into the shoes of a spy rather than a local detective, the story naturally explores a much grander stage.

“You do have to contend with world powers,” Ashilevi reveals. “It's not just wallpaper, or stuff that you read from notes that people leave in drawers, or newspapers left on tables. You do have to come into close contact with some of the big players as well.”

This global stage is explored through Hershel’s very personal lens, so while the stakes are certainly heightened this time around, your actions are still conducted at street level. You may be able to turn the cogs of a mega corporation and shift the balance of worldwide politics, for instance, but to do so may require betraying your closest friend. Hershel’s own pain will be tangible, whereas those rotating cogs will feel distant, perhaps even unimportant, to her own life. Such is the toll of espionage.

The LEGO Ideas Vincent van Gogh The Starry Night set, one of our favorite LEGO art sets, has received quite the discount at Amazon, dropping to $139 from its original price of $169.99.

This appears to be a new low price for the set. While price tracker camelcamelcamel claims that it's never received a big discount before from Amazon, last year we reported on a deal that saw it reduced to $147.99. Today's discount price is lower than that, though, making now an even better time to grab it. Head to the link below to add it to your cart while the offer is still available.

LEGO Ideas Vincent van Gogh The Starry Night Set for $139

Blizzard has reportedly partnered with Korean gaming giant Nexon for yet another crack at turning StarCraft into a shooter.

While unconfirmed by Blizzard itself, the project is the subject of an article in The Korea Economic Daily, the country's largest business newspaper. The report states that Nexon has a development team dedicated to the project within its shooter division, with a StarCraft modder installed as its project lead.

Blizzard has long held ambitions to launch a shooter spin-off from its sci-fi real-time strategy series, while Nexon has recently found Western success within the shooter space as the owner of Swedish development studio Embark Studio — the outfit behind The Finals and Arc Raiders.

Still, the report is cautious on the project's development — noting that Nexon previously partnered with Square Enix to develop a Final Fantasy spin-off that faltered in the planning stages. A note of caution here is likely wise, too, considering Blizzard's own track record on abandoned StarCraft spin-off projects.

StarCraft Ghost, announced in 2002, was Blizzard's first attempt to expand the series beyond its real-time strategy origins. Planned as a tactical-action console game in which you played as a deadly Ghost operative in the employ of the Dominion, it was canceled in 2006 after a series of delays.

A second StarCraft shooter attempt, codenamed Ares, was canceled in 2019 so Blizzard could focus on Diablo 4 and Overwatch 2. Ares was reportedly "like Battlefield in the StarCraft universe," but, like Ghost, fell by the wayside. Finally, in 2024, Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier shared word of a third StarCraft shooter project then in development within Blizzard, with former Far Cry executive producer Dan Hay, who joined Blizzard in 2022, leading the charge.

Could Nexon's shooter be the same project as the one Hay had been leading, or a new iteration of it? This remains unclear, especially since Hay's project had apparently been in development two years ago, whereas Nexon's game sounds more recent — and developed on a different continent. IGN has contacted Blizzard for more.

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

Sports are foundational to gaming as a medium. From Pong to NES Baseball, the infancy of the medium was littered with just-about-recognisable renditions of real-life sports in an attempt to conjure a degree of familiarity to this fledgling form of entertainment. But in the mid ‘90s, the developers at Nintendo collectively had a light bulb appear above their head housing an idea that would change gaming forever – what if Mario and his friends played tennis?

The greatest Mario sports games are a perfect blend of those two words: Mario and sports. It has to be a simulation worth its salt, giving you a reasonable adaptation of what it’s truly like to play the sport in question. However, just as vital is the Mario part, splicing the sport with the Mushroom Kingdom’s trademark personality. In the decades following 1995’s Mario’s Tennis, Nintendo’s sports games evolved from simple sims to wacky adventures, before retreating back to a steady, if uninspiring, run of titles. The early days of Camelot Software’s handheld RPGs and chaos-inducing console sims are seemingly long gone, and today many of Mario’s sporting outings are greeted with more of a shrug than with anticipation.

But with Mario Tennis Fever releasing this month on Nintendo Switch 2, we could be about to enter a new era. So in celebration of a joyful future (or just a magical past) here’s the top 10 Mario sports games, ranked.

10. Mario Hoops 3-on-3

If many modern Mario sports games are poisoned by a lack of personality, games like Mario Hoops are the antidote. 3-on-3’s unique presentation blends 3D models with excellent sprite work, a striking approach that bridges the graphical styles of the GameBoy Advance and Nintendo’s then-new DS handheld. Nothing represents this mix better than the character select screen, the single greatest in all of Mario history, which lays the groundwork for a charming basketball romp.

Hoops could easily claim to be the best use of the DS’ touch screen. Tapping in different areas sees Mario and his friends dribble around the court, keeping the ball away from opponents and collecting coins and items. It’s an intuitive motion, and that use of the stylus extends to all the basics of basketball, like shooting and passing. Regrettably, Nintendo has rarely returned to the idea of basketball in the Mushroom Kingdom, but even if it did try again, few consoles would execute the idea better than the DS… well, as long as you’re not left-handed, that is.

9. Mario Tennis (Game Boy Color)

The early days of handheld Mario sports games produced some of the most unusual oddities in Nintendo’s history, and their lack of Mushroom Kingdom whimsey and focus on regular human characters is often looked back upon with a raised eyebrow. However, actually dive into the Game Boy Color’s Mario Tennis and you’ll find that eyebrow is put firmly back in place.

Mario Tennis features a wonderful RPG “Tour” mode that nails the genre’s basics. Being locked into three-set matches with a far more powerful opponent is akin to boss battles in a more traditional RPG. They become challenges that you relish, always pushing you to move more quickly after a serve or time your smashes to perfection. Working through the tour sees you levelling up your original character via a very satisfying process, with the grind required to improve specific skills never feeling like a chore. The graphics and controls are inherently limited by the console, but that simplicity lends Mario Tennis a lovely rhythmic quality that encourages repeat replays even a quarter of a century later.

8. Mario Golf: World Tour

For as slow and ponderous as the sport of golf can be, it’s a miracle that it consistently dovetails so beautifully with the chaotic and colorful world of Mario. World Tour nails the balance between both sides of the Nintendo sports coin, offering a quick and snappy way to execute precise and considered rounds of golf. With no need for complicated button schemes or deep systems, World Tour gives you a great sense of control that allows you to cut through the fiddly stuff and get to work on the eternal quest of improving your swing, just like a real casual golfer.

The 3DS and Wii U era was a difficult one for Mario sports titles, but World Tour stands out from a lacklustre crowd thanks to its personality-packed game modes like Point Tourney, Star Coin challenges and Speed Golf. Castle Club also adds a story mode centred on your Mii, complete with a fun upgrade system with stat-boosting cosmetics like clothes and clubs, which is reminiscent of Camelot’s handheld glory days.

7. Mario Superstar Baseball

Much like basketball, Nintendo has barely paid any attention to baseball across the past couple decades, despite knocking it out of the park on the first try back in 2005. Mario Superstar Baseball is a wonderful marriage of addictive baseball mechanics and Mushroom Kingdom chaos, played out in iconic Mario locations that have been contorted into baseball fields. Only in Wario Palace could a barrage of environmental hazards turn a home run into a devastating out.

Superstar Baseball boasts one of the Mario sports series’ most engaging story modes thanks to its “chemistry engine”. The relationships between your teammates dictates the speed and accuracy of their passes, meaning you won’t want to pair Mario with Wario and Bowser, but he’ll combine beautifully with Luigi and Peach. It’s a simple and effective way to bring depth to an already smooth experience that belongs in the Nintendo big leagues.

6. Super Mario Strikers

It’s amazing what a little pop of 2D animation and a few guitar riffs can do to make a subset of Mario sports games feel completely unique. Super Mario Strikers, the jumping plumber’s first foray into the world of soccer, has always had a rebellious edge. Anyone who was glued to their GameCube in the mid-2000s will look back on it with a special kind of fondness, especially in the light of its disappointing revival on Switch.

The nostalgia for Strikers isn’t just due to its bold presentation, though: its gameplay is perfectly calibrated. Each character controls just loosely enough to invite exactly the right amount of chaos into each and every match. If the dial was turned too far towards clean passing and shooting, Mario Strikers would be nowhere near as fun. Instead, developer Next Level Games created something aggressively competitive, wholly chaotic, and vibrantly unique – everything a Mario sports game should be.

5. Mario Golf: Advance Tour

Mario Golf: Advance Tour is one of the Game Boy Advance’s true gems, launched during a time when developer Camelot was proving itself as a Nintendo sports powerhouse. Compared to its predecessors it is genuinely beautiful; the GBA was an absolute haven for bright and colorful adventures and Advance Tour benefits greatly from the system’s then-advanced capabilities.

Those vibrant visuals are just the face of a game that takes the proven and perfected RPG structure from Camelot’s previous sports games and introduces even more Mario characters and locations to the mix. On the gameplay front, despite only having two face buttons available, Camelot designed a great-feeling, tight control scheme that ensured each shot you took felt measured and clean. That sharpness became a design philosophy that continues to stick around throughout every installment in the Mario Golf series. Advance Tour remains special to this day, though, thanks to its unique pixel art rendering of otherworldly courses, and the GBA’s form factor making it the perfect game to pack for on-the-go strolls through the Mushroom Kingdom’s premier golf courses.

4. Mario Tennis (Nintendo 64)

The moment you play your first shot in the Nintendo 64 version of Mario Tennis, something just clicks. The responsive gameplay, smooth animations, and freeing analog control creates an indescribable sense of elegance. Long rallies become like trances in which you find yourself less determined to win the point and instead simply addicted to the sensation of knocking the ball back and forth. Well, until you completely mistime a shot, Toad falls flat on his face, and you’re suddenly a couple sets down, that is.

Released in the year 2000, Mario Tennis is another example of deep gameplay that requires just two face buttons and directional controls, representing Nintendo at its most simple and effective. Subsequent tennis games went on to add ideas, gimmicks and modes that undeniably helped them surpass the offerings of this N64 title. But the bones of modern Mario Tennis are all here, a timeless gameplay loop perfected 26 years ago that endures throughout Nintendo’s history.

3. Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour

So much of what we expect from modern Mario sports games originated back on the GameCube, and the brilliant Mario Golf formula established by Toadstool Tour is one that Nintendo has defaulted to over the last couple decades. Its use of normal and power shots, manual or automatic swinging, and approach to camera control are all now staples of 3D Mario Golf titles for good reason: the simplicity just works.

That simplicity gives Toadstool Tour plenty of space to carry out an overwhelming charm offensive. There are so many different ways to play, especially in multiplayer, from the conventional Doubles and Tournament modes to the more eccentric Coin and Ring attacks, giving Toadstool Tour a shot at being the best party game on this list. It’s also the Mario Golf game that does the sport itself the most justice while still feeling quintessentially Mario. It’s simply a great bit of goofy, golfy goodness.

2. Mario Power Tennis

Everything that made Mario Tennis on the N64 so brilliant is preserved and built upon with the GameCube’s Mario Power Tennis. The console’s extra horsepower is used to add wild flourishes to the courts and characters, allowing the established, excellent 3D tennis formula to thrive alongside a deep collection of crazy Mario-isms. Smartly, developer Camelot decided against making full use of the GameCube’s iconic multi-button controller, understanding the enduring appeal of a simple control scheme, while still finding a way to add deeper mechanics, such as offensive and defensive skill shots.

Along with fun challenge courts that test specific tennis skills and Item Battles which create chaos over the net, Mario Power Tennis boasts feats of creative genius like Artist on the Court, a mode in which you use your tennis skills to paint a mural.These may not be flagship modes, but they add the kind of personality and flavour that you can’t get from anyone else but Nintendo in today’s gaming landscape.

1. Super Mario Strikers Charged

Much like how Power Tennis and Toadstool Tour benefited from the excellent foundations of their predecessors, Super Mario Strikers Charged takes every beloved detail from the original Strikers and advances them several steps further. Its refined design places increased emphasis on tactics; each character now has stats and special abilities, which makes playstyles and team composition as vital to victory as actually kicking the ball.

What makes Strikers Charged the very best game in this list, though, is how that tactical play is enhanced through Super Abilities and Mega Strikes, AKA the greatest gimmicks ever introduced to a Mario sports game. Abilities like Yoshi turning into a giant egg and flattening people across the pitch, or Bowser setting players on fire, or Petey Piranha spraying mud in every direction provides a variety of incredibly silly, yet highly tactical opportunities. The Mega Strikes, meanwhile, increase the level of hype around the proceedings, triggering a cut scene and allowing you to score up to six goals in one go. This is a great arcade soccer game, but Super Mario Strikers Charged is also completely out of its mind, and it’s that wonderful blend that makes a Mario sports game truly great.

And those are our picks for the very best Mario sports games. Did we get a hole in one, or have we suffered a triple bagel? Let us know your thoughts and favourites in the comments.

Discord has announced plans to enforce a new "teen-appropriate" experience by default next month, requiring age verification to access restricted content or change content settings.

In a blog post issued today, Discord said it was enhancing its age-appropriate protections for users worldwide while maintaining "privacy, community and meaningful connection on the platform."

The move comes just months after Discord admitted that hackers had gained access to images of 70,000 government IDs, uploaded to the servers of a third-party vendor that it had entrusted with the data, following user contact with its Customer Support or Trust & Safety teams.