At first glance, you might mistake Atomfall for a Fallout-style game. Perhaps, even, an actual Fallout game set in a post-apocalyptic England rather than a post-apocalyptic America. Atomfall is first-person, it’s post-nuclear (it’s called Atomfall for a reason), and it has an alt-history design, as Fallout famously does.

Ryan Greene, art director at developer Rebellion, totally understands where the Fallout comparisons are coming from. Not only that, but the development team knew Atomfall would be compared to Fallout as soon as it was revealed.

“Once you play the game, you realize it's not Fallout, but yes, we knew,” Greene told IGN.

“And one of our owners, Jason Kingsley, he's a big Fallout fan, so inevitably there was going to be some parallels in that any kind of survival in the apocalypse, immediately Fallout's going to come up as a thing. And those guys are great at what they do. And that's cool.”

But Atomfall isn’t really like Fallout at all. This is something IGN pointed out August last year when we reported that Atomfall is something much more interesting than a British Fallout.

Indeed, Greene warned that the Fallout comparison is “misleading.”

“Once you play it for a bit, you're like, oh, this is its own thing for sure,” Greene said. And, Greene pointed out, Rebellion isn’t Microsoft-owned Bethesda. The independently owned British studio behind the Sniper Elite franchise has created an ambitious game, relative to its other games, but we’re not talking about an Elder Scrolls or Fallout-sized experience here.

“The reality is, here’s this very successful franchise and we're version 1.0,” Greene continued. “To be compared to those guys… thank you very much… Yes, we appreciate it because that’s a skillful team that's making that stuff.”

An average Atomfall playthrough, Greene said, is “probably 25-ish hours.” However, completionists can stretch that “a long way.”

To find out how the game plays, be sure to check out IGN’s most recent Atomfall hands-on preview, in which our Simon Cardy went off the deep end and killed everyone during his playthrough.

It turns out, you can go through the entire game killing everyone and it will cope with that. “You can kill anyone or everyone if you choose,” Greene confirmed. “That's fine. We have multiple finishes to the game, so some of those would shut down if you were supposed to work with them throughout, but you'll find multiple other routes to finish the game and achieve a result.”

Atomfall doesn’t have a main quest or a side quest in the traditional RPG sense. Rather, “it's a spider web of connected story,” Greene explained.

“So even if you sever one thread, you can usually find another thread that leads you back to the overall mystery.”

Conversely, you can play through Atomfall without killing anyone. At least, Greene is “fairly certain” you can. “I've made it about nine hours in, probably close to halfway running at a pretty fast dev play speed and killed no one,” he said. “I'm fairly certain you can do it and there's no gating of having to kill anyone ever.”

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

The speedrunning community is trying to wrap its head around a technological phenomenon that is seemingly causing the SNES to run games faster as it ages.

Alarm bells rang in early February when Bluesky user Alan Cecil (@tas.bot) spread the word that the Nintendo's iconic console seemed to be running games slightly faster now than when it left production lines in the 1990s. It’s a theory that would mean the nearly 50 million SNES units sold may now feature improved performance with games like Super Mario World, Super Metroid, and Star Fox instead of wearing down as the years go on.

The idea of a video game console — or any kind of technology — working more efficiently simply thanks to the passage of time sounds ludicrous, but Cecil’s findings suggest a single component may be what’s setting the SNES apart from the rest.

The Fastest Thing Alive

As explained in an interview 404 Media conducted with Cecil, official Nintendo specs say the SNES’s audio processing unit (APU) SPC700 has a digital signal processing (DSP) rate of 32,000Hz dictated by a ceramic resonator that runs at 24.576MHz. Retro console fans have documented that these details aren’t quite accurate, with recordings from the last few decades showing slightly altered DSP rates depending on the physical conditions — such as temperature — the SNES is recorded in. It means the console is often processing audio and sending it to the CPU at a different rate than Nintendo has communicated, and as the DSP fluctuates, so too does the game’s speed even if it’s in small, unrecognizable ways.

Navigating the world of live TV alternatives can be a daunting task as there are so many options to choose from. One of the best options available today is Hulu + Live TV, which features everything Hulu has to offer plus a robust library of channels that includes popular live sporting events and entertainment. Even better, Hulu + Live TV also bundles in Disney+ and ESPN+ at no additional cost, giving you access to even more streaming options that include the very best of Marvel, Star Wars, Pixar, and more!

If you're interested in checking out Hulu + Live TV, you're in luck. Scroll down for information on the current free trial offer, as well as details about what's included in the service, pricing, and where it's available to stream.

Does Hulu + Live TV Have a Free Trial?

Yes, Hulu + Live TV offers a three-day free trial that allows you to take the live TV streaming service for a spin. You'll gain access to more than 95 live TV channels that include sporting events and the most popular entertainment channels. Hulu + Live TV also includes the Disney Bundle, which means you'll also be able to enjoy the entire Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+ catalogs at no additional cost. It's the only streaming free trial offering a total of four services at once.

When you're ready to sign up, click the link below to sign up for the free trial. After your trial period ends, you'll be automatically charged for your subscription if it's not canceled.

Thank your own personal deity—possibly Kratos—it’s Friday! Even though it’s Autumn for Aussies, it’s time to spring into ludicrous Spring Sale savings on Steam. If the picks of that litter don’t interest you, I’ve sniffed out console-based bargains on grand adventures, pulse-pounding action, or quirky indie gems; there’s a little something for everyone.

This Day in Gaming 🎂

In retro news, I'm (somehow) celebrating the 23rd birthday of the OG Xbox, a console that blew my mind at launch (even though I was happily married to a PS2). This was the chunky vehicle that brought Microsoft into the console gaming world. And while it didn't have the prettiest design or the greatest library of games, it gave us two important contributions to gaming: Halo and Xbox Live.

While some N64 enthusiasts may argue that GoldenEye paved the way for quality console first-person shooters, it was Halo that revolutionised the genre. Almost every FPS that came after Halo utilised its control scheme and a modified version of its health system. But where Halo truly succeeded was in providing console gamers with the first-of-its-kind 16-player LAN battles. This was the first shooter that made my PC gaming mates jealous, and I still own and adore my Limited Edition Crystal Xbox. Even though ants once tried to take it over and turn it into a very expensive vivarium.

Earlier this month Roblox announced that its The Hunt: Mega Edition Event would come with a $1 million grand prize for one super skilled gamer, and today the event officially started, revealing the 25 different Roblox experiences players will need to compete in to walk away a millionaire.

Roblox's last event, The Hunt: First Edition, attracted 34 million users without promising enough money to buy 1,428 PlayStation 5 Pros and still have money left over for a decent library of games, so expect The Hunt: Mega Edition to be the focus of the Roblox community until the event hits its live-streamed final in April. For that final the top ten The Hunt: Mega Edition competitors will be invited to Roblox HQ for their shot at the jackpot.

The full list of 25 different Roblox experiences that make up The Hunt: Mega Edition Event are:

• A Dusty Trip
• Arsenal
• Basketball Legends
• Bayside High School
• Blade League
• Clip It
• Car Crushers 2
• Chained [2 Player Obby]
• Drive World
• Eat the World
• Fisch
• Hell's Kitchen
• Infection Gunfight
• It Girl
• Metro Life
• Natural Disaster Survival
• Pet Simulator 99
• PRESSURE
• Regretevator
• RIVALS
• SpongeBob Tower Defense
• Tower Defense Simulator
• Untitled Boxing Game
• Untitled Tag Game
• World Zero

That's quite the variety, meaning to get to the big prize players will need to show their skills in games like life sim Bayside High School, cook up a storm as Gordon Ramsay's next executive chef in Hell's Kitchen and survive zombie FPS Infection Gunfight.

The only catch is to win the money you need to be 13 years-old or over, but even if you out of the running for the cash there are still special ultra-rare digital items created exclusively for The Hunt: Mega Edition to win. For all the terms and conditions head on over to the official The Hunt: Mega Edition site.

Rachel Weber is IGN's Managing Editor.

If you're in the process of building out a new gaming PC and you're looking for the best gaming processor, this is it. Right now, the recently released AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D AM5 desktop processor is back in stock on Amazon and Best Buy at its retail price of $479 shipped. This is the official launch price with zero markup, and it's not bundled with anything you don't want or need. The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D is the best gaming processor currently on the market (across both AMD and Intel) and a better choice for gamers than the more expensive Intel Core Ultra 9 285K.

Back in Stock: AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D Desktop Processor

AMD's X3D series processors are optimized for gaming. In that respect, they bench better than even the most expensive of AMD's standard lineup of CPUs thanks to AMD's 3D V-Cache technology. Although perfectly capable of handling multitasking, rendering, and creation, the limited number of cores means they aren't the ideal processors for those tasks. At its retail price of $479, the 9800X3D is $110 cheaper than the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K ($589) and $170 cheaper than the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X, even though it outperforms both of them in gaming. Unless you're a staunch Intel fan, or you're still on AM4 and don't want to upgrade all of your components, the 9800X3D is the obvious choice for your next gaming rig.

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

Dell and Alienware Coupons

Dell and Alienware Gaming PC Deals

Dell and Alienware Gaming Laptop Deals

Dell and Alienware Monitor Deals

You can quickly browse through all of the listed products on sale above. See below for our favorite picks.

Alienware Aurora R16 RTX 5080 Gaming PC

Alienware Aurora R16 RTX 4090 Gaming PC

Dell Tower Plus RTX 4090 Gaming PC

Alienware Area-51 RTX 5080 Up for Preorder

New Price Drop

Alienware m16 Gaming Laptops

Alienware x16 R2 Gaming Laptops

Alienware m18 R2 RTX 4080 Gaming Laptop

Dell G-Series Gaming Laptops

Few sports feel more primed for the whole “being a video game” thing than professional wrestling, but it’s also kind of a weird pairing when you stop to think about it: While undoubtedly a feat of athleticism, the WWE is more akin to an elaborately choreographed fight sequence in a movie than it is an actual competition, whereas the goal of the games based on it is to fight to win. But inherent contradictions aside, I can confidently say — thanks to its much-improved Showcase and MyRise modes, several smart additions like intergender matches, “they’re always good” modes like WWE Universe and MyGM, and generally great game feel — that WWE 2K25 is pretty grand. There is a new guy on the undercard called The Island, and he sucks, which kinda drags the whole thing down a little — but not enough to get me to stop watching.

Even though I’ve been playing wrestling games since the N64 days, my first stop in an annualized series like this is usually the tutorial because, unless things have gone very wrong, something is always a little different (this year, for instance, sees the long-requested return of Chain Wrestling). WWE games have had a good introduction for a while now, especially compared to other sports game franchises. (Hi, Madden! Your skills trainer is great, but it needs to be about three times its current size!). WWE 2K25 has an incredibly detailed tutorial that will walk you through everything you need to be a champ in the ring, with in-depth explanations of what moves do and how to execute them. The Performance Center is a great teaching tool whether you need a quick refresher or you’re learning to do an Irish Whip for the first time. This may seem like an odd thing to spill ink over, but every version of a game is someone’s first – or maybe their first in a while – and I’m glad developer Visual Concepts seems to remember those people.

Once I’d refreshed my memory, I spent a while just looking around. WWE 2K25’s got an absolutely stacked roster, whether you’re here for classics like Bret “Hit Man” Hart, wrestlers-turned-movie-stars like Dave Bautista and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, megastars like “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, or weirdos like Doink the Clown. I also appreciate that there are several versions of the same dudes from across their history in the WWE. Why yes, WWE 2K25, I do need a handful of Triple Hs, each with their own different stats, thank you! Did you know that, compared to the modern version of The Rock, the 1997 version is kind of a bum? Me neither, but that’s what the stats say! Remember what Rhea Ripley’s visual style was in 2020? Or 2017? When was the last time you thought about “Ravishing” Rick Rude? This granularity is great, and what’s better is you can edit just about every aspect of these wrestlers, from how the crowd reacts to them to tweaking individual stats and changing out moves if you don’t like Visual Concepts’ take on them. The ability to tweak individual wrestlers is not new, but as this roster gets bigger, it’s good to be reminded of how impressive all of it is.

That goes for the in-ring action, too. WWE 2K25 doesn’t deviate much from WWE 2K24, which is one of those “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” deals, but it does include the welcome return of Chain Wrestling. This is a minigame that mostly takes place early in the match, where you advance through (or fight to get out of) a series of increasingly impressive holds and maneuvers before landing a signature move or finisher to wrap things up. The system can be confusing initially as you have to move the analog stick around a circle to find a sweet spot before your opponent does, but once you learn it, it’s a neat addition that replicates some very cool, complex moments in pro wrestling. If anything, the only bummer here is that it’s generally relegated to the beginning of a match and extremely situational at any other time.

I’ve also really enjoyed the new match types. Intergender matches aren’t functionally different than any other kind of match beyond “you may have a dude and a lady in the ring at the same time,” but it’s cool that you can do that now – and I, for one, enjoyed having Rhea Ripley fight Kevin Nash. I can say similar things for the Underground matches, which are more like a traditional fighting game (there are no ropes on the ring, and you win by either KOing someone or depleting all their health), and the more chaotic Bloodline Rules bouts. These additions are fun in and of themselves, and match/mode variety can make or break a game like this, so more is good.

Speaking of good, let’s talk about this year’s Showcase mode, which follows the Bloodline and the Anoa’i, Fatu, and Maivia families. Paul “The Wiseman” Heyman hosts the thing this year, and he’s clearly having a very good time chewing the scenery and providing the backstory that explains who the players are and why these matches are significant. There’s a lot of archival footage here, as in years past, though the problem of awkwardly blurring out some folks’ faces (maybe due to rights issues?) persists.

Regardless, Showcase feels better than last year’s version, partially because we’ve got full ring entrances and the mid-match commentary is really excellent for every fight. A fun twist this time around is that you’re sometimes asked to change the outcomes of matches that members of these families lost in the real WWE storyline or create new “what if?” matches entirely. There are also no longer any cuts to match footage that interrupt your gameplay – big moments are instead recreated in-game, which means they play out more organically, even if you’re not following the checklist (though there’s something to be said for showing what happened through archival footage). That said, it’s a net positive overall, and I had a blast doing things like beating the ever-loving snot out of Hulk Hogan with Yokozuna or pitting “High Chief” Peter Maivia against George “The Animal” Steele in a steel cage match.

The optional in-match objectives, especially timed ones, can be irritating. Yeah, I get that in the real match, X wrestler might’ve done Y thing so many times in Z seconds, but recreating that in-game means hoping that the computer doesn’t pull a reversal or we don’t get caught in the “you hit me and then I hit you and then you hit me until one of us screws up” mini-game. At that point, you’re better off restarting the match. It’s still worth doing these optional objectives because of the rewards like new wrestlers and arenas, but man, some matches are easier than others in ways you’ll feel.

The other problem with this year’s Showcase is how much of it boils down to “the Bloodline is great because they win all the time, but if they didn’t win, we have to correct that injustice because of how great they are.” That’s fine, but it’s thematically inconsistent in a weird way. Great wrestlers lose all the time and that doesn’t make them less great. I don’t know what the answer to this is since nobody likes playing a game where you’re forced to lose, but I think I would have rather had more real matches with real outcomes.

The other standout mode is MyRise, where your customized character (WWE 2K25 still has one of the best character creators in the world) battles an infiltration by NXT Superstars who are trying to take over the WWE and be the last brand standing. In my run, my “bold and brash” technical wrestler teamed up with his “comedic and fun” ex-girlfriend to fight back against the invasion. The voice acting is… questionable in MyRise, but the scenarios are goofy fun that alternate between “this is a business that combines soap operas and combat sports and we’re going to approach it like that” and “this is serious business” with alarming frequency. But it’s fun to make decisions that change the flow of what happens and it’s cool that you can re-import your characters to start again fresh and make different choices.

The MyGM and Universe modes also return, and they’re largely unchanged from last year, but there’s a couple of nice additions: MyGM is online now, which is great for those who wanna compete against their friends to book the best shows, and Universe finally gets the long-awaited return of promos. I prefer to run with a single wrestler (I have already made Randy Orton the WWE Undisputed Champion, because RKOing people even more fun when you have a big belt that says “look at me, I’m great”), so Universe is more my bag, but if you’re looking to book matches across the WWE, you can’t really go wrong with either option.

MyFaction is also back, and… look, man, it’s a card game, okay? You’ve seen this a million times before. You collect wrestlers and do challenges or take your faction online and compete against other players so you can get new cards and watch the shiny pack-opening animations designed to make your brain produce dopamine and…. Jesus Christ, I’m tired just describing it, please end my misery. It’s Ultimate Team but wrestling, and it’s designed to separate you from your hard-earned cash. The challenges can be fun, and I imagine if you’re really into this kind of thing you’ll enjoy WWE 2K25’s version of it, but I’m not, and the more I play modes like these, the dirtier I feel.

But wait, it gets worse! When I say that MyFaction makes me feel sparkling clean compared to when I played The Island… yeah, that should tell you something. There’s a cool idea here somewhere — WWE God-King Roman Reigns invites you to come to an island and compete for a WWE contract by earning his favor, because apparently That’s a Thing That Happens — but the actual execution made me want to walk straight into the sea. This is really, really bad, folks. Like NBA 2K25’s The City, The Island is a big, open PvPvE space, but it’s mostly quiet, empty, and boring, filled with single-player challenges that are book-ended by static JPGs and text-boxes that get old fast. Meanwhile, the multiplayer in this mode exists to do one thing: Part people from their money, particularly whales who will spend inordinate amounts to make their customized wrestlers beasts off the bat. If you don’t do that, well… you’re gonna have a bad time. I didn’t want to spend long here, as it feels like it exists solely for 2K’s shareholders. It also makes me worry WWE 2K as a series might incorporate more of this in the future at the expense of everything else that makes these games great (hi, Ultimate Team!) as publishers continue to nakedly chase the almighty dollar.

But even The Island, as terrible and money-grubbing as it is, wasn't enough to ruin my fun with WWE 2K25 because everything else about it is great. Visual Concepts deserves their flowers for proving that an annual sports (sports entertainment?) game can feel excellent to play and look good year over year. The WWE series has always been a looker, but this iteration has managed to make things noticeably prettier than ever. Bruises, blood, and sweat are more realistic, and you can tell how long a match has been going, who is winning, and where the guys in the ring are taking the most punishment at a glance. It’s really impressive.

Konami's latest Silent Hill Transmission has arrived and it was focused completely on Silent Hill f, the upcoming entry in the beloved horror franchise that will take players to 1960s Japan.

Silent Hill f was was first announced in 2022 and was described as a game that looks to take place in a "beautiful, therefore terrifying” world. It was also confirmed Silent Hill f was being written by Ryukisshi07, the acclaimed Japanese visual novel writer behind the Higurashi and Umineko series.

After almost three years, we are finally learning a lot more about Silent Hill f, and you can read all about it below.

Silent Hill f Aims to 'Find the Beauty in Terror' and Present Players With a Beautiful Yet Terrifying Choice in 1960s Japan

Konami shared a brand-new trailer for Silent Hill f and a ton of new details, including that it will aim to "find the beauty in terror" and present players with a beautiful yet terrifying choice in 1960s Japan.

The team wasn't ready to spoil what the decision would be, but it did unveil a bit of the story, and we'll leave it to Konami to set the stage;

"Shimizu Hinkao was living her life as an ordinary teenager," the official description reads. "That is, until her town is suddenly shrouded in fog and begins to change in a horrific way. Now, she must explore a town she no longer recognizes while solving puzzles, fighting strange enemies, and doing everything she can to survive... in order to face the ultimate decision that she must make. This is a tale about a beautiful yet terrifying choice."

This new game will be an original story that will be a great place for new players to jump in, but there will be certain Easter Eggs waiting for series veterans. Konami also discussed a few more details on the game, including that it will take place in the fictional Japanese town of Ebisugaoka - which is based on a real place called Kanayama, Gero, in the Gifu Prefecture.

Next, creature & character designer kera presented a message that should excite fans, as it teases what horrors await them in Silent Hill f.

"I love the Silent Hill series, and it's been a big influence on me," Kera said. "In particular, I am constantly remembering Silent Hill 2, and the messages on the walls, the music, and the monster designs. So, when it came to Silent Hill f, and bringing the setting to Japan, we had to come up with something that felt just a little different, and I had to really think about how to get that feeling.

"The monster designs were the hardest. I had to consider everything that's come in Silent Hill before, and figure out how to take this game in a different direction, but still be Silent Hill. It might not be the exact same blood-smeared, rusting scenery, but I sincerely hope you'll enjoy our vision and the world we've created."

Music will also be a very important part of Silent Hill f, and the team is bringing together long-time Silent Hill composer Akira Yamaoka and Kensuke Inage (Dynasty Warriors series and more) to create music for both the Fog World and Otherworld, respectively.

"I have composed music for an unsettling yet beautiful world that uses imagery from shrines, blending ancient Japanese court music with ambient echoes," Inage said. "I wove in various techniques that will connect the player to the protragonist's agony, internal conflict, fear, and other emotions."

While we didn't get a release date, it was confirmed that Silent Hill f will be released on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.

Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Adam Bankhurst is a writer for IGN. You can follow him on X/Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on TikTok.

I don't post very many deals on LG's Gallery Series OLED TVs because they're usually obnoxiously expensive. Today's deal isn't exactly "cheap", but it's one of the best deals I've seen for one of the nicest TVs you can get. For a very limited time, Walmart and Amazon are offering the 83" LG Evo G3 Gallery Series 4K OLED Smart TV for under $2,700 with free delivery. To emphasize just how good of a deal this is, the 2024 83" LG G4 TV currently sells for a whopping $5,300. The Gallery Series TVs are LG's highest end OLED TVs and perhaps the best OLED TVs, period.

83" LG G3 Gallery Series 4K OLED Smart TV for $2,634.21

The best portable chargers are an effective way to extend the battery of your smartphone or other devices. Unfortunately, many of these bricks can get a bit clunky. A battery case provides a sleeker solution tailored to your phone, and you’ll get to skip the cable management that often comes with traditional power banks.

TL;DR – The Best Smartphone Battery Cases:

Battery cases must be able to add extra juice to your phone and provide damage protection. You’ll also want something that doesn’t interfere with your phone's features, like NFC or ports, nor add too much bulk. Wireless charging and quick charging make battery cases even more convenient. However, there are some duds out there that either make your phone a little too chunky or fail to deliver a reliable charge. To help you in this search, we've rounded up five battery cases for the top phones on the market.

1. Mophie Juice Pack Battery Case

Best iPhone 16 Pro Battery Case

2. ZeroLemon Battery Case

Best iPhone 16 Pro Max Battery Case

3. Mophie Juice Pack Wireless

Best iPhone SE Battery Case

4. Newdery Battery Case

Best Samsung Galaxy S25 Case

5. Mophie Juice Pack Connect

Best Battery Case for Any Phone

How to Choose the Best Battery Case

You might think picking the right battery case for your phone is just a matter of finding an option with the biggest capacity. That's a surefire way of buying something too big to fit in your pocket. Choosing an ideal charging case comes down to hitting the right balance between battery capacity, size, and price.

If you're looking for a battery case to just throw in your bag when you need it, you might as well grab a portable charger. There's no point in buying something molded to fit your phone if you're never going to use it with the charging case, which leaves space that otherwise could have been used for more energy cells. With that in mind, you need to find a battery case that'll actually fit into your pocket or bag without adding too much weight or bulk while adding protection to your phone.

Another problem with choosing the highest capacity battery is that it's often its only feature. Most of the highest capacity battery cases we've seen sacrifice quick charging and Qi charging capabilities for storing more energy. That latter feature is important if you like to keep the charging chase on your phone at all times. It’s also especially handy for wirelessly charging your phone and battery case simultaneously.

Battery Case FAQ

Are battery cases safe for your phone?

Yes, a battery case shouldn’t damage your phone’s battery, as long as it’s used properly. Your phone takes power directly from the battery case, and after the case is drained, it’ll start using the phone’s battery. Smartphones also come with the ability to monitor your battery as it charges, preventing overloading. The only major issue you could run into is overheating if the case doesn’t offer proper ventilation.

Should you drain your battery case before charging?

No, it isn’t necessary to drain the lithium-based batteries found in battery cases. If you let your battery fully drain completely, it may even damage it, reducing the capacity over time.

Mark Knapp is a contributing freelancer for IGN covering everything electronics and gaming hardware. He has over 10 years of experience in the tech industry with bylines at PCMag, Reviewed, CNET, and more. Find Mark on Twitter @Techn0Mark or BlueSky at @Techn0Mark.

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

Jeff Strain, co-founder of ArenaNet and co-creator of State of Decay, along with his wife Annie Strain, are suing Marvel Rivals creator NetEase for $900 million, alleging that NetEase caused the devaluing and ultimate closure of their studio by spreading rumors among investors that the Strains had committed fraud with their most recent venture, Prytania Media Group.

In a case filed in January in the civil district court for the parish of Orleans in Louisiana and since moved to federal court, the amended complaint seen by IGN opens with a hefty accusation: "This case is about the destruction of the careers of two gaming industry veterans and their company by a Chinese entity seeking to avoid compliance with United States law."

The story told by the Strains in the complaint is a complex one that does not fully fill in the many questions left last year when Prytania Media's subsidiaries unexpectedly shut down, one by one. Per their account, NetEase invested early in one of Prytania's subsidiaries, Crop Circle Games, taking a 25% share and seating Han Chenglin on the company board, with Jeff and Annie Strain taking the other two positions.

At first, they say, the relationship was a positive one. However over time, they say that NetEase leaders and representatives began to express concern about compliance with U.S. laws regarding foreign investment, including in at least one email asking the Strains to keep their investment "low profile" so as to avoid having to comply with rules laid out by The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS). The complaint says they were asked to open branches in Canada or Ireland in order to make it easier for NetEase to invest.

A significant portion of the complaint endeavors to outline NetEase's alleged ties to the Chinese Community Party, suggesting NetEase wanted to keep those connections confidential from the United States government, and citing both Tencent's declaration as a "Chinese military company" by the U.S. government earlier this year, and reports that NetEase CEO Ding Lei allegedly used the threat of CCP retaliation against Activision Blizzard back in 2023 in its dealings with the company over licensing.

The pair also claim they were told that Lei was in the process of immigrating to the United States into a $29 million Bel-Air mansion sold to him by Elon Musk in 2020. They say that Lei expressed concern that his immigration would be threatened if NetEase's investments were publicized.

The Strains say that they continued to ask questions and push the company about regulatory compliance, and over time their relationship with NetEase began to break down. It also seems that the company began to have money troubles at some point during this period, because in early February of 2024, Crop Circle Games laid off some of its staff and furloughed others, and IGN understood at the time from sources close to the studio that internally there was significant confusion, fear, and later anger internally at how the situation was handled.

In the Strains' complaint, they say that on February 22, Jeff Strain received a text from a managing director of one of the venture firms that invested in Prytania saying that Crop Circle Games was being accused of fraud and misuse of funds. The Strains claim they traced the rumors back to its source, saying that the director claimed he had heard this from NetEase. In a board meeting in March, Han Chenglin admitted that he told his coworkers "I'm really surprised that the company is running out of runway so quickly," and suggested this was where the rumor had come from.

The Strains allege that following this incident, other investors began to pull funding from Prytania, and the company could not find any new investors to work with. According to the complaint, in the ensuing weeks and months Prytania Media and all its subsidiaries came to be "worth nearly nothing," having once been estimated to be worth $344 million. Prytania shuttered Crop Circle Games entirely at the end of March last year.

Then, in April, Annie Strain published a lengthy letter on the company website in which she blamed the recent industry economic downturn and inability to find funding for the company's struggles. She also repeatedly mentioned an alleged article being written by Kotaku reporter Ethan Gach that she claimed would have outed her own personal health struggles without consulting her. The letter was taken down not long after, and Kotaku never published the article in question. However, Prytania subsidiary Possibility Space shuttered a week later, with Jeff Strain blaming employees leaking information to the press for the closure. Neither NetEase, nor allegations of fraud were mentioned at this time.

Jeff Strain, Annie Strain, and Prytania Media are suing NetEase for defamation, unfair trade practices, tortious interference with business relations, and negligence. They are seeking damages in excess of $900 million, triple their company's prior valuation.

NetEase shared the following statement with Polygon in response to the suit:

The allegations by Prytania Media and its founders Annie and Jeff Strain are wholly without merit, and we emphatically deny and will vigorously defend ourselves against them. Our record as a global gaming company speaks for itself, and we remain committed to conducting business with integrity. We are confident that the legal process will vindicate our position and shed light on the real reasons behind the demise of the Strains’ studios.

Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. You can find her posting on BlueSky @duckvalentine.bsky.social. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.

This review contains spoilers for season 3, episode 8 of Invincible, “I Thought You’d Never Shut Up.”

After “What Have I Done” ended on a high – promising action hand-in-hand with vital advancement for the characters – the season 3 finale “I Thought You’d Never Shut Up” drops the ball. Narratively scattered and thematically incoherent, it’s the first bad episode Invincible has ever had, one that draws on familiar sights and stories from the show and other superhero media, but presents them with little to nothing beneath the surface.

The arrival of the elderly, one-armed Viltrumite warrior Conquest, at a time when Mark is caught once again between killing or not, sets the stage for a moral dilemma that never arrives, but whose conclusion is presented as though it were agonized over for 40 minutes. Instead, we’re treated to a finale centered entirely around Conquest, who’s better suited to playing a transitional bad guy, rather than the final boss of such an emotionally loaded season. Not only have we never seen Conquest prior to last week’s closing moments, he’s also devoid of any real ideology. Claiming to love only death and destruction makes him a useful foil to Mark, but as an exclamation point on season 3, he’s a giant shoulder shrug with little connection to anything meaningful within Invincible.

Conquest’s antics force Mark to put civilians in danger once again, a development our hero doesn’t even acknowledge, despite it being such a potent part of his recent arc. “I Thought You’d Never Shut Up” ignores any left over angst from the Powerplex saga despite reenacting the supervillain’s origin story: A Viltrumite big bad using Mark as a battering ram to slaughter innocent bystanders. But Conquest ending season 3 the way Nolan ended season 1 lacks weight. Rather than Mark feeling each death, the people are merely collateral damage, and the guy forcing Mark to kill them isn’t someone he knows. It’s Invincible doing an encore of one of its greatest hits, but in completely uninteresting fashion, making it damn near impossible to invest in the climax of this uneven season.

Oliver veers in and out of the final battle, and Eve arrives as well the moment she wakes up from her coma. That they’re both at risk of being killed at least lends some stakes to the fight, but when Eve is gravely injured (she has her jaw broken and her insides strewn about), it’s hard to get on board with the idea that she might actually die – the GDA possesses near-magical technology capable of healing any injury, after all. But even before we’re faced with this reality, the air is let out of “I Thought You’d Never Shut Up” when Eve heals herself thanks to a power-up rooted in actual magic, pretty much out of the blue.

Mark wailing away on Conquest is, therefore, a purely physical act with no emotion behind it. The Viltrumite is a complete stranger, and giving him lengthy monologues this late into the season (and so soon after his arrival) feels entirely pointless, as though Invincible were straining to grant him some semblance of heft or relevance. The results are dull, and they ensure that the edges of the episode’s violence are all sanded down. While the question of Sinclair’s work for the GDA (which now extends to Invincible cyborgs) looms, it exists only as a hint for later seasons, rather than something that matters in the moment.

Similarly, when the finale wraps up, it points towards vague, oncoming developments for numerous side characters like Battlebeast and the demon detective Damien Darkblood, though there’s still no sign of the all-important, absent-for-several-weeks Nolan. When “I Thought You’d Never Shut Up” is near its end, we finally learn that Rex actually did, in fact, die – it’s hard to tell who’s dead for real, given the sudden resurrections of late. But before anyone (let alone his girlfriend, Rae) really has time to grieve, the focus shifts back to Mark and Eve’s relationship. Mark claims to have been deeply affected when he believed Eve was dead, but since this lasted for only a handful of minutes, and because this is the last we’ll see of Invincible until season 4, we’re left to wonder what impact it’ll actually have on him, and on their dynamic. Things wrap up neatly for Debbie, who’s happy to have her kids back, and the finale features a few ominous hints of how far Cecil is willing to go. But for the most part, “I Thought You’d Never Shut Up” leaves Invincible in stasis, with little resolution, and only nominal, minor developments toward what comes next.

One of the earliest appealing factors of streaming services when they first became popular was convenience. You could binge all of your favorite shows all at once and not get interrupted by commercial breaks like you would watching linear TV. But as more and more companies have moved over to a streaming model, ads have made their way into streaming. If you want an ad-free experience now, you need to pay for the "premium" service.

Obviously it isn't ideal to have to pay more just to keep the streamlined experience you had before. But where do you draw the line? Are you willing to pay more for the ad-free experience of your go-to streaming service, or do you just ignore and mute the commercial breaks to keep your streaming bill down?

I've always been willing to pay more for the ad-free experience, but the first time I broke from that was when Amazon Prime started to include ads. My Amazon Prime subscription is something I mostly use for shopping and Prime Video always felt like a bonus add-on. So when the option came to pay more to avoid ads, I chose to just ignore the ads. For a streaming service like Hulu or Netflix where I am specifically paying to be able to watch things, I will most likely cancel before I ever downgrade to the ad-filled experience – especially when there are so many free streaming sites that don't cost me anything.

What Do You Think?

Where do you stand on ads in streaming? With prices constantly going up across services, are you willing to stomach some commercials to continue your subscription? There is currently a Disney+ promotion going on right now that bundles a subscription with Hulu for $2.99 a month for the first four months, but is that a low enough price to even consider dealing with ads? Let us know what you think in the comments below!

When you’re setting out to build or upgrade your gaming PC, the best graphics cards are often the first thing that comes to mind. There’s a simple reason for that: When it comes to PC games, GPUs are the most impactful component in determining your rig's raw frame rates. Quite simply, most of the time, a better graphics card directly results in better performance – at least up to a point. With Nvidia's RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 cards out now (though it's nearly impossible to actually get one), here are the best graphics cards on the market.

TL;DR: These Are the Best Graphics Cards:

These days, GPUs have legitimately become a luxury good. With graphics cards like the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 costing upwards of $1,999, you can expect to pay top dollar for top performance. Prices are still way higher than they were when the GTX 970 blew my mind in 2014 – even when adjusted for inflation. However, if you temper your expectations, you can still get a solid gaming experience for a fraction of that price, especially if you're okay with gaming at 1440p or 1080p.

I’ve been reviewing graphics cards for the last four generations, and I’ve personally benchmarked, built with, and played games using every GPU on this list. However, if none of these strike your fancy, feel free to comment below what kind of gaming experience you’re looking for, and I’d be happy to help you find the perfect card for your build.

What to Look for in a Graphics Card

While it would be easy to just tell you to get the most powerful graphics card on the market for the best gaming experience, the truth is that picking a GPU is something you need to put a bit more thought into. not all graphics cards are created equal, you see, and everyone is going to need something a little different out of their PCI-E brick.

The resolution you play games at is going to be the first thing you want to figure out. Whether you already have a gaming monitor you love or you're looking to build up an entire gaming battlestation, decide on your resolution first. This is because a graphics card that's great at 4K isn't exactly going to translate to an amazing 1080p graphics card. Just take a look at the Nvidia RTX 5090. While the new flagship flies at 4K, it can actually be slower than much cheaper graphics cards at 1080p, due to CPU bottlenecking. Instead, if you're playing at 1080p, something like the Intel Arc B580 is going to be a much better fit. You're still going to get solid gaming performance, but at a much lower price, which you can use to, well, buy more games. Likewise, 1440p gamers are probably best off buying something like the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT or the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 Super.

Budget is also a huge concern, and graphics cards are only getting more expensive these days. It would be awesome if everyone could afford an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090, but that's just not the world we live in. These days, the floor sits around $200-$250. For that price you can get a solid 1080p graphics card, without having to go back to a previous generation. If you have a bit more cash, something like the Nvidia RTX 4060 will unlock all of Nvidia's exclusive bells and whistles – though they're much less important on a lower-end GPU.

If you really want to go all-out, you can get an amazing graphics card for around $1,000. Both the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX and Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080 will provide an awesome 4K gaming experience, and the one you choose should ultimately depend on how much you care about ray tracing. For most people that just want raw gaming performance, the Radeon RX 9070 XT is probably going to be a better option, but you're going to want to wait a minute for AMD's next-generation offering. I don't know how well the Radeon RX 9070 XT is going to perform until I benchmark it, but it should prove to be great for 4K gaming, especially with the upcoming FSR 4.

Luckily, it looks like this generation of graphics cards is going to make 4K gaming much more accessible. When I reviewed the Nvidia RTX 5070 Ti, I found that it had no problem breaking 60 fps in even demanding games like Black Myth Wukong. However, more expensive and powerful cards like the RTX 5080 and 5090 are going to give you more breathing room for future PC games.

With more expensive graphics cards, however, power is going to be a big concern. You're going to want to make sure you check which power supply you have, and check it against the power requirements for the graphics card you're looking at. Something like the Intel Arc B580 can get away with a 450W PSU, but you're going to want to make sure you have something much more powerful for the Radeon RX 7800 XT, for instance. You don't need to go overboard and fork over the cash for a power supply that offers twice the recommended power, just make sure you have enough juice to keep your GPU going.

1. AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT

The Best Graphics Card for Most People

2. Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 Ti

The Best Mainstream Graphics Card If You Want to Spend a Bit More

3. Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090

The Best Nvidia Graphics Card

4. AMD Radeon RX 9070

The Best AMD Graphics Card

5. Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060

The Best GPU for 1080p

Upcoming GPUs

The new generation of graphics cards has almost completely landed. With the most recent launches, the entire market is covered from the high-end with the RTX 5090 to the budget market with the Intel Arc B580. While there are some new cards that will trickle out over the coming months – looking at you RTX 5060, wherever you are – we probably won't see the market shake up again until at least 2027.

Still, now might not be the best time to jump in and buy a graphics card, especially if you already have a passable gaming PC. Most of the best graphics cards are sold out right now, and demand is making the ones that remain much more expensive than they should be. My advice is to wait until you can find one of these graphics cards reasonably close to their launch price, even if it means waiting a couple of months. It'll be worth it.

Best Graphics Cards FAQ

AMD or Nvidia? Or Intel?

When it comes to which brand of graphics card you should get, it ultimately comes down to your personal preference – even if each brand has its own unique advantages. Intel graphics cards are the most affordable option on the market right now, but its graphics cards aren’t exactly the fastest in the land. On the other hand, Nvidia makes the most powerful GPUs around, but you’re going to have to pay out the nose for that performance.

AMD graphics cards strike a pretty good balance between the two, but while the company loves to use open-source graphics APIs, it means you don’t get access to some of the exclusive features that Nvidia owners enjoy – features like DLSS (and the new DLSS 4). AMD has alternatives for literally every Nvidia software feature, but some of them simply aren’t as good. See our guide to AMD vs. Nvidia GPUs for more info.

What power supply should I get?

Graphics cards, especially high-end ones, are sucking up more electricity with every passing year. If you’re looking to build a new gaming PC, or even upgrade from an older graphics card, you should really consider upgrading to one of the best power supplies.

Some of the graphics cards out there right now can take upwards of 450W of power by themselves, so you may want to consider a 1,000W power supply – especially if you’re going for the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090.

GTX vs. RTX

Nvidia has both an RTX, or Ray Tracing Texel eXtreme, and GTX, Giga Texel Shader eXtreme graphics cards series, with the RTX offerings being newer, more powerful, and more expensive.

That boosted performance is thanks to the architecture of RTX cards, which offer both Tensor and RT cores alongside CUDA cores for better graphics and rendering. Tensor cores enable AI and high-performance computing tasks bringing support for DLSS tech to help with upscaling and sharpening. RT cores are dedicated to ray tracing, allowing for more realistic lighting and shadows in scenes. Nvidia’s GTX graphics cards have a much simpler architecture and don’t offer Tensor or RT cores. Though they still work for budget builds, GTX cards will soon be obsolete.

Where to Get the Best Graphics Cards in the UK

There aren't too many differences when it comes to the graphics cards you can pick up in the UK, but the main takeaway is where you can purchase them. All of the following links have been updated with UK vendors, saving you some time and money if you're interested in picking up any of the graphics cards we've mentioned.

Jacqueline Thomas is the Hardware and Buying Guides Editor at IGN. When she's not helping her friends and family buy computers, you can usually find her tinkering with her own PC.

One of the original dungeon-crawling board games that sought to recreate the excitement and danger of tabletop RPGs like Dungeons & Dragons, HeroQuest was first released more than 30 years ago. Putting players into roles like the mighty Barbarian and spell-slinging Elf, HeroQuest let a group of friends play out their heroic fantasies right at the kitchen table in a matter of only a couple hours compared to the afternoon-long sessions a traditional TTRPG may take. With its massive amounts of plastic miniatures that came packed in its iconic box and multi-quest long story, HeroQuest established a passionate fan base that would continue to sing its praises decades later and rally behind it when Hasbro asked if folks wanted it to return through its HasLab crowdfunding platform.

And here we sit, several years after the campaign, and new and old fans alike have plenty of HeroQuest to enjoy in the form of the new release and all of its expansions! To help folks who may be interested in working together to slay the evil Zargon and stop his machinations in their tracks, this buyer's guide will help you plan adventures!

HeroQuest Game System

HeroQuest First Light

Kellar’s Keep

MSRP: $33.99 USD

• 1-5 players (solo play requires the free HeroQuest companion app)
• Ages 14+

Contents

• Quest book w/ 10 new quests
• 19 miniatures (8 orcs, 6 goblins, 3 abominations, 2 doors)
• Sheet of cardboard tiles
• 14 cards

As the first of the expansions for HeroQuest, Kellar’s Keep is one of the lighter offerings among the options available today and its a faithful rerelease of the Kellar’s Keep expansion for the original HeroQuest from the 90s. Kellar’s Keep feels very much like a continuation and extension of the base HeroQuest, thanks in part to a lot of similar monster minis being included. It’s still a fun time and an easy way to understand how expansions work. Kellar’s Keep is the perfect offering for anyone who isn’t necessarily looking for a spike in difficulty but just more HeroQuest.

Return of the Witch Lord

MSRP: $33.99 USD

• 1-5 players (solo play requires the free HeroQuest companion app)
• Ages 14+

Contents

• Quest book w/ 10 new quests
• 18 miniatures (8 skeletons, 4 mummies, 4 zombies, 2 doors)
• Sheet of cardboard tiles
• 14 cards

That dastardly Witch Lord you dealt with in the base Game System is back with his armies of the undead! Return of the Witch Lord is very similar to the Kellar’s Keep expansion, giving players more miniatures from found in the base game, but this pack also includes some pretty cool looking new tiles that are used in over the course of its 10 quests - including the menacing skull on the ground! Return of the Witch Lord is a classic quest that longtime players of the game will recognize and brings about a nice feeling of conclusion carried over from the Game System an Kellar’s Keep storylines. The three together really feel like the beginning trilogy of the HeroQuest series.

Prophecy of Telor

MSRP: $33.99 USD

• 1-5 players (solo play requires the free HeroQuest companion app)
• Ages 14+

Contents

• Quest book w/ 13 new quests
• New Warlock class
• 15 miniatures (13 translucent orange enemy minis, 2 warlock character minis)
• Set of 6 translucent orange D6 Dice
• 14 cards

Previously one of the two expansions exclusive to the Mythic tier during its crowdfunding phase on Haslab, Prophecy of Telor is now available to everyone in this new premium release. With a menacing set of translucent orange monsters, dice and a brand new character class in the Warlock to play as, the Prophecy of Telor expansion give all players a chance to experience this story. The new Warlock class is particularly fun, being able to change into a demonic form to do battle, making for some wonderful new party composition options for all of your HeroQuest adventures.

Spirit Queen’s Torment

MSRP: $33.99 USD

• 1-5 players (solo play requires the free HeroQuest companion app)
• Ages 14+

Contents

• Quest book w/ 14 new quests
• New Bard class
• 15 miniatures (14 translucent teal enemy minis, 1 bard character mini)
• Set of 6 translucent teal D6 Dice
• 15 cards

Spirit Queen’s torment is very much similar to the Prophecy of Telor - both being premium mass market releases of previously mythic tier exclusives, awesome translucent monsters and die (this time in an icy teal), and a brand new character class with the Bard. You will deal with dark magics and explore mysterious locations like the Wyvern Keep over the course of the 15 adventures included. And now, at long last, you can play out all your greatest bard fantasies in HeroQuest, singing your magical tunes that will put your enemies to sleep, heal your friends, and grant bonus attack dice to your friends. You will need to homebrew rules to try and seduce monsters though, so be sure to work with your Zargon for all your flirty needs.

Against the Ogre Horde

MSRP: $44.99 USD

• 1-5 players (solo play requires the free HeroQuest companion app)
• Ages 14+

Contents

• Quest book w/ 10 new quests
• New Druids class
• 28 miniatures
• 2 sheets of cardboard tiles
• 29 cards

For the group that likes to fight and kill a lot of enemies, Against the Ogre Horde will be right up your alley. This latest expansion to release is also a remaster of one the classic modules released for the original HeroQuest back in the day. For fans of the original, much of it will feel incredibly familiar, but there have been slight tweaks and adjustments to account for modern tastes. The miniatures included are some of my favorite offerings so far, with the giant Ogres and massive throne that are included. The new enemies help make this a fun box to snag if you enjoy creating homebrew quests to send your friends on too.

The Mage in the Mirror

MSRP: $44.99 USD

• 1-5 players (solo play requires the free HeroQuest companion app)
• Ages 14+

Contents

• Quest book w/ 10 new quests
• 33 miniatures
• Sheet of cardboard tiles
• 35 cards

With the Realm of Reflection to explore, the Mage in the Mirror expansions tasks your heroic group of heroes with saving a princess, finding a legendary sword, and contending with an evil archmage - basically some good ol’ classic high fantasy goodness. Mage in the Mirror includes a new body type and set of cards for the Elf class that comes with the base Game System in addition to a number of highly detailed environment objects, new tiles, and monster minis. This expansion tells the first part of a story that concludes in the Rise of the Dread Moon set, so it may be worthwhile to get both at once.

Rise of the Dread Moon

MSRP: $44.99 USD

• 1-5 players (solo play requires the free HeroQuest companion app)
• Ages 14+

Contents

• Quest book w/ 10 new quests
• New Knight class
• 29 miniatures
• Sheet of cardboard tiles
• 58 cards

Picking up where The Mage in the Mirror questline left off, Rise of the Dread Moon brings with it a number of brand new mechanics like the Elven mercenaries but also a new character class as well with the sword-and-board wielding Knight. With a bunch of cool new tiles, objects and monster minis, Rise of the Dread Moon is great for fans that like to make their own quests too. However, if you plan to play through the story and not just utilize the pieces the come in the box, be sure to get and playthrough the Mage in the Mirror expansion first to get the best experience!

The Frozen Horror

MSRP: $44.99 USD

• 1-5 players (solo play requires the free HeroQuest companion app)
• Ages 14+

Contents

• Quest book w/ 10 new quests
• 23 miniatures
• Sheet of cardboard tiles
• 35 cards
• 6 combat dice
• 2 movement dice
• 1 pad of character sheets

Bundle up heroes as the Frozen Horror will send you into the Frozen Wastelands. For Barbarian fans, this expansion will be for you, being a very focused experience tailored to the class - even including a new barbarian miniature with a new body type. There are a bunch of really neat monster sculpts present too with icy blue war bears, and the incredibly imposing title monster, the Frozen Horror, along with a host of mercenaries too. One particularly interesting aspect to the Frozen Horror expansion is that the adventure starts with a series of solo character quests before the group quests resume. If smacking things really hard is your style (and you want a cool new set of blue dice to play with) then The Frozen Horror expansion may be for you.

Jungles of Delthrak

Character Packs

Hero Collection: Rogue Heir of Elethorn

MSRP: $14.99 USD

Contents

• New Rogue class
• 2 miniatures (2 different body sculpts for the Rogue)
• 13 cards (12 game cards, 1 story card)

Every good adventuring party needs the sneaky stabbing rouge character, and with the Rouge Heir of Elethorn character pack, that’s exactly what you get. This box comes complete with models and cards featuring two different body types and has skills that utilize throwing daggers, attacking multiple times, and dealing more damage when a foe is already engaged with a teammate. The only downside is the lack of any real story or quests that explore more of the character.

Hero Collection: Path of the Wandering Monk

MSRP: $14.99 USD

Contents

• New Monk class
• 2 miniatures (2 different body sculpts for the Monk)
• 8 game cards
• 1 scroll prop

One with the elements and with fists as deadly as any blade, the Monk is one of the more unique classes you can pick from in HeroQuest. By utilizing the elements of wind, water, earth and fire – each with two special effects associated with each element - the monk has a lot of utility that can prove helpful in a pitch. From sailing over traps with the power of the wind to blasting an energy blast from their hands with the power of fire which can hit a large number of enemies at once, the Monk could fill that spot as a last-ditch trump card. In order to use those powerful Fire attacks though, will have required you to have the other three elements expended first. As a master of unarmed combat, the monk doesn’t come with starting armor or a weapon, but with three defend dice and getting two attack dice when attacking unarmed, doesn’t mean they are a pushover. Much like the the Rogue Heir, the main downside to this small character pack is that it doesn’t come with a quest or two that dives into their story.

The End

Hasbro and Avalon Hill show no signs of slowing down their support for the heroes and their questing anytime soon. A whole new generation of players are getting to dungeon dive and learn from the wise Mentor, creating memories they will cherish for the rest of their lives. While HeroQuest may be a bit light on mechanics for an older and more experienced crowd trying out this legacy for the first time, the community has created a wealth of custom rules and unique quests that may help with that.

HeroQuest remains a classic in the board gaming hobby, and its future looks bright.

For more, check out our picks for the best escape room board games, as well as the best board games for teens. And if you have a sizable group for game night, also see the best board games for 6 players.

Scott White is a freelance contributor to IGN, assisting with tabletop games and guide coverage. Follow him on X/Twitter or Bluesky.

When I was in high school, I would stay up ‘til all kinds of ungodly hours of the night playing PC games. I even stayed up five days straight once, just to get to the end of Baldur’s Gate II ‘Throne of Bhaal,’ but what fascinated me about PC games most was how inventive they could be.

One that struck my imagination powerfully was Red Faction, which caught my eye because it had some of the hallmarks of DOOM (a high-tech, first-person shooter set on Mars, you say?) yet it added an essential wrinkle; terrain deformation. Red Faction is set in the mines of Mars, and I could fire explosive weapons at walls, creating holes or destroying them, and even tunneling through rock to circumvent checkpoints. It was all about charting your own course and finding your own path to accomplish your goals. It was incredible.

Unfortunately, not a lot has been done with that idea in the intervening years, but when Rainbow Six Siege came out, the ability to freely climb and rappel up and down buildings, and shoot through or destroy walls and ceilings sent a delightful little tickle through my Red Faction-loving brain.

While Siege began as a far more focused (and less exploratory) affair than the old Volition shooter, that (and quite a bit more) is about to change with the arrival of the upcoming Siege X update. Apart from gameplay, graphical, auditory, and UI enhancements, it introduces what is shaping up to be a fantastic new permanent multiplayer mode: Dual Front.

In Dual Front, a predetermined seasonal Operator pool will dictate who you can play, and team sizes are bumped up to six per side. Instead of spawning directly inside (or outside) one target area, there are three large areas to choose from, each with its own objective, so your team of six will need to split up to focus on both defending and attacking different locations simultaneously.

While the scope has expanded, much of the great core gameplay remains the same. When a match starts, each team will spawn in their squad HQ and one of two locations in your team’s sector will start a countdown to a Defend mission. The is true for your opponents, so each team will need to defend one spot while attacking another. How you handle that, and where you decide to go, is up to you.

What’s more, there is a neutral zone in between the mirrored zones held by each team, and extra objectives will appear there. Completing those objectives, such as rescuing a hostage and getting them to an extraction point, will give your team a big boost in the back-and-forth struggle for supremacy, so even if you fail to defend your first location or attack the enemy base, victory is still possible.

Since Dual Front expands the contested space so significantly, I was moving between attacking and defending to suit the team's needs, creating a more free flowing experience with way more variation between matches than your standard Siege match. What results is a fluid, chaotic mess I had a blast with.

The seasonal Operator pools will be updated every month, and because your squad will need to do a little bit of everything, you’ll have access to both Attacker and Defender Operators on the character select screen. When you die during a match, you’ll quickly respawn and re-select your Operator, so changing strategies on the fly to counter your enemies is a central (and delightfully fun) part of the game now.

Several times during my preview, it looked like my current (attacking) team was in a great spot, so I would rush across the map to help my other beleaguered comrades who were fighting for their lives to defend our own base objective. Sometimes, everything was as it seemed: I arrived in time, and our team brought home a victory. Other times, I got separated from my team only for them to be ambushed by reinforcements. Each match was tense, because in maps as large as Dual Front’s, it’s difficult to know where the enemy is until they become a capital “p” Problem.

Speaking of navigating larger areas, I should mention some of the new gameplay additions. You can now rappel around corners of buildings and even sprint while rappelling, so it’s easier to poke around and find ways to get inside structures. New fire extinguishers create concussive blasts and visual obfuscation when destroyed, gas pipes can be shot or damaged to create jets of fire before exploding and scattering fire around on the ground, and metal detectors can be disabled temporarily or permanently. Overall, it’s more fun to play in the space, and there is a lot more space to play in on Dual Front’s mirrored map.

Siege X also marks a shift in monetization. After the update, Siege will adopt a free-to-play model, and for casual versus competitive stuff, here’s the skinny: casual and onboarding playlists, unranked quickplay, and Dual Front are all free, and will grant access to up to 26 Operators and skins. Siege Cup and Ranked modes will be pay-to-unlock, and grant access to all 50 Operators. So if you are jumping in as a casual player, there are no barriers to entry, but new players who want to get more serious on the competitive side will need to fork over some cash. If you already have Siege, don’t worry; you will keep everything you have, and retain access to all modes (and as an added bonus, Siege players will get a badge showing off the year they started and a little bonus for each year of Siege they played).

Some other updates in the Siege X package include five modernized maps (Clubhouse, Chalet, Bank, Kafe, and Border), enhanced visuals, audio, first-person shadows, new menus, better player onboarding, the ability to inspect weapons, and a lot more. The dev team has also committed to introduce a new Operator (or remastering an existing one) each season, and a bunch more.

But all those enhancements pale in comparison to Dual Front, which is on track to become my favorite mode for Siege, and once Siege X launches, it’s likely to be the only mode I’ll play as Siege marks its upcoming tenth birthday in an incredibly fun way.