Cassian Andor is back for a second and final season, fomenting rebellion and inching closer to the seasoned operative we first met in 2016’s Rogue One. But as good as the first season was, having the title character’s end point firmly in sight is the exact reason why Andor is even better in the second season.

The first season of Andor took a lot of us by surprise, I think. The prequel series to a prequel movie, on paper at least, starts out in a bit of a hole thanks to the simple fact that we know how Cassian Andor’s story ends. More than that, we know what happens with the entire rebellion itself. This was always the challenge with Andor as a series. Thanks to Rogue One we know exactly what’s going to happen to this guy and most of his friends. But instead of that making the proceedings any less interesting, Tony Gilroy and the writers and directors behind Andor use it to their advantage. Season 2 of Andor cements this series and these characters as a truly entertaining and tragic bit of drama.

Now, Star Wars of course is no stranger to prequels. Ever since George Lucas decided to call the second movie Episode V, the prequel die had been cast. It’s been how Star Wars has done business since The Phantom Menace in 1999 and, especially with the more recent Disney era, I believe the difference between a good Star War and bad one, has been how well it handles being a prequel.

Andor handled it very well in season 1 and in season 2, it’s an absolute master class. Not only does this season create a really engaging story around characters whose fates have already played out on screen, the writers use that fact to their advantage, writing it into the actual plot of season 2. Where season 1 talks about the price that needs to be paid to overthrow the Galactic Empire, season 2 very actively shows it – and how it’s starting to feel too expensive for some. There’s an exhaustion that’s very present and on the surface. Losses are felt more heavily. An inevitability begins to seep in, one these characters can’t escape, and that is where Andor season 2 is truly successful where other prequels in the Star Wars universe might not have been.

Because we know that most of these people are doomed, focusing on just the nuts and bolts of their story is the biggest mistake Andor’s creators could have made. The show, of course does that too – but first and foremost, Andor is about what it’s like to be doomed and continuing to fight anyway. The first season did an admirable job touching on that, but the second season does an excellent job of focusing on it.

For example, we know that Cassian and K-2S0 are in Rogue One, so yeah, of course we know that they get out of this or that scrape, and will survive any trap they walk into. Ditto any time we think Mon Mothma might be in danger. But these moments are, frankly, the least interesting parts of this series. There are a few spots that feel like it’s just action for action's sake, but nearly always those scenes are centered around a character of whose fate we aren’t as sure. That’s the kind of thing the creators of Andor clearly kept in mind in order to keep the outcomes of these scenes at least somewhat up in the air – and the proof of that is in just how much we’re made to care about these new characters.

The impact of the Empire and the rebellion is made personal at every turn. Everybody we meet, for even a scene or two, has something invested in this conflict, whether it’s how the rebellion impacts business interests or the banality of Coruscant politicians carrying on as though nothing out of the ordinary is happening. That makes for a great juxtaposition in the season, by the way. On one hand there’s a scrappy and not all-together rebellion struggling to survive; on the other, there’s the persistence of the status quo among the galaxy’s rulers. It points the rebellion’s fight toward minds that need changing as well as military victories that need winning.

As a small, but I think important aside, Andor season 2 picks up a thread that was started in the very beginning of season 1, where the first episode included a title card for BBY 5. Andor season 2 picks up a year later with a similar title card reading BBY 4. Before the Battle of Yavin is a dating system that’s used only for our benefit, as a way for us real-worlders to keep track of how many years before the destruction of the first Death Star these episodes take place. BBY 5 is meaningless to the characters that exist within Star Wars. Now this may seem like a small and “no duh” sort of point, but this detail is not insignificant. It’s a part of the whole, contributing to how effectively Andor navigates the challenges of existing in a canon that’s as thoroughly fleshed out as Star Wars. It also adds to the anxiety of knowing how things end for Cassian. As we move from BBY 4 to BBY 3, we’re not just able to fix the point in time during which the series takes place, but it’s also a countdown to the events of Rogue One.

Small but meaningful title cards, however, are not the only thing Season 2 continues successfully from season 1. The structure of the 12 episodes, treating it more or less like 3 or 4 different arcs, is cleaner and more delineated in season 2. In fact, it’s a little hard to even call this a 12-episode season, actually. It’s not quite 4 movies, either. Disney knows it, too – it’s why they’re releasing Season 2 in 3 episode chunks. I think the most accurate way to talk about it is like it’s just 4 episodes, since that’s how you’ll be watching it anyway.

The biggest effect of very cleanly splitting these episode drops is the year that takes place in between each. We see things happen to characters one week, then the following week we’ll see how those things have subtly changed those characters over the course of an entire year. So nearly all of those changes happen off screen, which does a couple things. One is that it gives the struggle of the rebellion a real sense of scale. The rebellion is playing the long game and it’s wearing down the heroes and villains of Andor. Secondly, that structure really highlights just how good the performances in this series are.

Cassian’s growth from a petty thief to a leader of the rebellion doesn’t happen gradually. It takes big leaps in the intervening time between episodes, and that comes through in the way Diego Luna plays him. The changes we see in Cassian are bigger, there’s no transitional phase of his character growth and that, again, feeds into the vibe of how much of a grind this rebellion is.

Stellan Skarsgaard’s Luthien Rael and Genevieve O’Reilly’s Mon Mothma are particularly interesting in this regard as well. Both of them are obliged to wear two faces and the weight of those masks affects them both in different ways throughout the 4 years depicted in this season. But where Season 2’s performances really stand out for me are the villains. Denise Gough and Kyle Soller as Dedra Meero and Syril Karn – two incredibly ambitious, but still wildly different people – are getting to do some incredibly interesting work as their characters begin to see behind the Empire’s curtain a bit and understand the nature of their role in it.

Now, having said all that, the closer Andor gets to its final destination, the more season 2 loses me just a little bit. There are some moments towards the end of the season that become more concerned with setting the table for Rogue One than completing the stories of the characters that have gotten us this far. In that sense, it’s hard to say it comes to a satisfying ending because, well, it’s not the ending. Rogue One is the end of Andor, effectively becoming season 3 of the show. Which means the two seasons of the Disney+ series have largely left its resolution up to how you felt about Rogue One.

Again, this is kind of the cost of doing business where prequels of prequels are concerned. At some point, you just have to manage that. For Andor, it’s only bits and pieces though, mostly concentrated in the final acts of the season, where some of the storytelling starts to feel a little more business-like than the rest.

I found myself seeing where the show was going and not wanting it to get there. Some of that I chalk up to my own preference for stories that don’t rely too much on connections to existing canon, but more than that, I just really liked this story and these people.

A new season full of anime is here to check out! A miracle drug mystery, fighting with fire, and the unlikeliest of heroes are what you can expect this Spring anime season. There's a new season full of anime to check out this Spring like the return of Fire Force's Company 8, Shinichirō Watanabe’s Lazarus, and the visually vibrant Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX. Across Crunchyroll, HIDIVE, Hulu, and Netflix, as well as others, there are a lot of places to enjoy anime at the moment.

Check out some anticipated series in the video above or the slideshow gallery below, followed by the full list of new Spring season 2025 anime and where to watch them in the U.S. and their respective streaming platforms. Anime listed are available now unless otherwise stated.

To Be Hero X (Crunchyroll)

A new hero series is hitting this spring with To Be Hero X. The series follows Lin, a nobody who, through unforeseen circumstances, takes the place of an existing hero. The world of To Be Hero X is interesting with this Peter Pan-like belief in their heroes, which gives them their abilities. Hero story aside, the visuals for this series are surprising in a good way. LAN Studio alongside Pb Animation and Paper Plane Animation use 3D and 2D in quite a refreshing way. It’s reminiscent of Arcane, but To Be Hero X jumps between both purposefully in its storytelling. The series just premiered, but the visuals plus the mysteries already have me intrigued about what the rest of the season is going to look like. To Be Hero X is available now on Crunchyroll.

My Hero Academia: Vigilantes (Crunchyroll)

Speaking of heroes, My Hero Academia: Vigilantes drops this spring season! The new series follows Koichi, an aspiring hero who helps strangers with small menial tasks. He runs into some trouble when a mysterious vigilante intervenes and looks to take Koichi under his wing. This story takes place years before Deku and the gang become heroes in the main series, so it’s great for fans interested in the world-building. Bones Film, an offshoot of studio Bones which worked on the main series, is handling animation production on this spinoff, so fans can expect more of the My Hero Academia they love. My Hero Academia: Vigilantes is available now on Crunchyroll.

Wind Breaker Season 2 (Crunchyroll)

The school of protective misfits is back with Wind Breaker Season 2. Last we saw our protagonist, Sakura, he volunteered to help a fellow classmate whose childhood friend is involved with a gang. The new season jumps back right where we left off, and chaos ensues soon after. CloverWorks, the studio known for Bocchi the Rock! and The Elusive Samurai, returns to helm animation production for Season 2, so expect more amazing fight choreography and action sequences for the eyes. Wind Breaker Season 2 is available now on Crunchyroll.

One Piece Egghead Arc Part 2 (Crunchyroll)

The hiatus is finally over for One Piece fans! After the big cliffhanger and lore drops in the middle of the highly anticipated Egghead Arc, the series returns right where it left off. Out of the frying pan and into the fire as more Marines encroach on Luffy and the gang. As seen during the previous Wano arc, Toei Animation has really stepped up their game, so it’s exciting to see how the rest of the Egghead Arc goes after a somewhat brief break. One Piece Egghead Arc Part 2 is available now on Crunchyroll.

Fire Force Season 3 (Crunchyroll, Hulu, Disney+)

Another anticipated series returning after a large chunk of time is Fire Force with Season 3! It’s been almost five years since we last saw Shinra and friends of Company 8. After some training alongside some unfortunate news, a major battle looks to be on the horizon. David Production, the studio well known for JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure and Cells at Work!, returns to helm animation this season. If you’re a fan of Atsushi Ohkubo’s other work like Soul Eater, now’s the time to get into this fiery, action-packed series. Fire Force Season 3 is available now on Crunchyroll, Hulu, and Disney+.

Lazarus (Max, Adult Swim)

One of the most highly anticipated anime of the year is here with Shinichirō Watanabe’s Lazarus! The series follows Axel, the smooth-talking protagonist with a penchant for escaping prisons. He is forcibly recruited into a suicide squad-like team after a world-renowned scientist revealed that a miracle drug that the population has been using for years is a death sentence. With a limited amount of time, this group of specialized individuals must find this doctor and get the cure. MAPPA, known for Chainsaw Man and Jujutsu Kaisen, is leading animation production for this series, and it shows! The premiere alone showcases snazzy fight choreography alongside some fun chase sequences that Watanabe fans are familiar with. There are some high expectations for this series so it’ll be interesting to see how the rest of the season progresses. Lazarus is available now on Max and Adult Swim.

Witch Watch (Crunchryoll, Netflix, Hulu, Disney+)

Looking for a fun supernatural series this spring season? Witch Watch may be the anime for you! The series follows Nico, a young witch who reconnects with a childhood friend who happens to be an ogre. In typical comedy fashion, the two end up living together while trying to navigate Nico’s new magical powers. Bibury Animation Studios, known for The Quintessential Quintuplets Season 2 and The 100 Girlfriends Who Really Really, Really, Really, Really Love You, is leading animation production on the series. So far, the premiere and trailers have shown some hilarious predicaments that these two face, so it’ll be fun to see how the rest of the season pans out. Witch Watch is available now on Crunchyroll, Netflix, Hulu, and Disney+.

Anne Shirley (Crunchyroll)

A nice surprise this season is a new adaptation of the period piece novel Anne of Green Gables. The series follows Anne Shirley, an imaginative orphan who is mistakenly brought to a new family. Even though it wasn’t planned, the family has chosen to take her in for now. The Answer Studio, which has worked on Tower of God Season 2, will be at the helm of animation production. There is already an Anne of Green Gables anime from back in 1979, produced by some Studio Ghibli veterans like Hayao Miyazaki, so it’s nice to see the return of Anne Shirley for a new audience. If you want a change of pace this season with a grounded and wholesome story, this series may be a good fit for you. Anne Shirley is available now on Crunchyroll.

YAIBA: Samurai Legend (Netflix, Hulu, Disney+)

Another series making its anime return in a new form and after so many years is YAIBA: Samurai Legend! With this new adaptation, it will be over 25 years since the long-running series first aired in 1993. Wit Studio, known for Attack on Titan and Vinland Saga, is taking on YAIBA: Samurai Legend. Just from the premiere alone, the stunning movement and action sequences will get any shonen fan interested in the series. It’ll be very exciting to see how the rest of the season goes for this new take on a classic. YAIBA: Samurai Legend is available now on Netflix, Hulu, and Disney+.

Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX (Amazon Prime)

Finally, the ever popular mecha series returns with Mobile Suit Gundam GquuuuuuX! This new series follows Amate, a young girl who finds herself in the middle of a mobile suit fight on a space colony. With courage and luck, she ends up in a Gundam unit, linking perfectly to the suit. Studio Sunrise and Khara are producing the rest of the episodic series just like they did for the special movie GQuuuuuuX Beginning. The designs of the characters and Gundam are very refreshing, bringing in a more playful vibe than the more dramatic storylines that came before. With that said, the visuals are quite amazing and it’ll be interesting to see how this all shakes out as the season continues. Mobile Suit Gundam GquuuuuuX is available now on Amazon Prime.

Those are some anticipated new and returning anime available to watch this spring 2025 season. If you want more anime, check out our list of the Biggest Anime Coming in 2025 and also our list of the winter 2025 anime in case you missed the last batch of new series.

All the New Anime Arriving in Spring 2025

Here’s the full list of anime coming out in Spring 2025 that will be available to watch in the US:

Crunchyroll

• #COMPASS2.0 ANIMATION PROJECT
• A Ninja and an Assassin Under One Roof
• Aharen-san wa Hakarenai Season 2
• Anne Shirley
• Apocalypse Hotel
• Black Butler -Emerald Witch Arc-
• Bye Bye, Earth Season 2
• Can a Boy-Girl Friendship Survive?
• Catch Me at the Ballpark!
• Classic★Stars
• Fire Force Season 3
• Food for the Soul
• GUILTY GEAR STRIVE: DUAL RULERS
• I'm the Evil Lord of an Intergalactic Empire!
• I've Been Killing Slimes For 300 Years And Maxed Out My Level Season 2
• Kowloon Generic Romance
• Maebashi Witches
• mono
• My Hero Academia: Vigilantes
• Once Upon a Witch's Death
• One Piece Egghead Arc Part 2
• Our Last Crusade or the Rise of a New World Season 2
• Please Put Them On, Takamine-san
• SHIROHIYO - Reincarnated as a Neglected Noble: Raising My Baby Brother With Memories From My Past Life
• SHOSHIMIN: How to become Ordinary Season 2
• Summer Pockets
• Teogonia
• The Beginning After the End
• The Brilliant Healer's New Life in the Shadows
• The Gorilla God’s Go-To Girl
• The Shiunji Family Children
• The Too-Perfect Saint: Tossed Aside by My Fiancé and Sold to Another Kingdom
• The Unaware Atelier Meister
• To Be Hero X
• WIND BREAKER Season 2
• WITCH WATCH
• ZatsuTabi -That’s Journey-

Netflix

• MOONRISE
• Witch Watch
• Yaiba Samurai Legend

Hulu

• Fire Force Season 3
• GO! GO! Loser Ranger! Season 2
• Witch Watch
• Yaiba Samurai Legend

HIDIVE

• Rock is a Lady’s Modesty
• Sword of the Demon Hunter: Kijin Gentoushou
• Yandere Dark Elf: She Chased Me All the Way from Another World

Disney+

• Fire Force Season 3
• GO! GO! Loser Ranger! Season 2
• Witch Watch
• Yaiba Samurai Legend

Amazon Prime

• From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman
• Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX
• The Dinner Table Detective
• Umamusume: Cinderella Gray

Max

• Lazarus

Adult Swim

• Lazarus

What anime are you watching this Spring? Let's discuss in the comments!

Destruction has been a hallmark of Battlefield over the years, and for the next Battlefield game, DICE looks to be amping up the rubble-producing chaos even more.

The developer recently dropped a video and Battlefield Labs Community Update, to spotlight what's in store for the next entry in the Battlefield series. In the pre-alpha footage, we can see some of the destruction designed by DICE, as an explosive takes down the side of a building, opening up a new pathway through the structure.

We’re back with another Battlefield Labs Community Update focused on destruction! Check out an early pre-alpha example of destruction that showcases the ability to destroy a wall to quickly traverse through the building. Read the full article now! #Battlefield pic.twitter.com/bgDcPgZRbg

— Battlefield (@Battlefield) April 18, 2025

Destruction can lead to creative solutions for players, and in the Community Update, DICE said it is working to add more gameplay depth by letting players reshape the environment around them. Whether you bring down a wall to launch an ambush or open a new path towards a critical point, sometimes getting those pesky buildings out of your way can help.

"We're designing destruction around easily identifiable visual and audio language that lets you understand what can be destroyed, altered, or transformed through gameplay," DICE said. "We aim to make destruction an integral part of your Battlefield experience to create an intuitive, fun, and rewarding environment where you feel empowered to shape the world around you."

Different impacts will affect structures like walls; while explosions obviously work, bullets will also chip away, so players can shoot through them. Audio VFX cues will let players know that their efforts are working.

The aftermath of all this destruction also leaves tangible effects on the battlefield. Rubble created by destroying a piece of a building, for example, will remain on the field, and could be used as cover. The next Battlefield certainly seems to have destruction on the mind.

The next Battlefield game, colloquially "Battlefield 6," is slowly taking shape. Not too much has been officially confirmed, though there have been some gameplay leaks that have received positive responses from Battlefield fans. It's heading to a modern setting for the series and it's expected to arrive sometime in Electronic Arts' fiscal year 2026, or between April 2025 and March 2026. Of course, things could change if certain massive, industry dominating competitors lock in a date.

With a lot of effort behind this next entry, this new Battlefield seems to be pulling out all the stops. Getting all the level destruction right certainly feels like a step in the right direction.

Eric is a freelance writer for IGN.

As one HBO primetime show ends (farewell, The White Lotus), another must rise to take its spot. Two years after The Last of Us first aired on Max, the video game adaptation starring Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey is returning for a second season.

The Last of Us game and the first season of the show both end with a cliffhanger that has... consequences. Anyone who’s already played The Last of Us Part 2, myself included, is probably feeling as much terror as excitement at the thought of witnessing what comes next on screen. In IGN’s review of Season 2, Simon Cardy acknowledges that it was “always going to be a challenge to adapt The Last of Us Part 2’s sprawling, twisting story into a television show," so it makes sense that the story will continue over a third season.

If you’re planning to tune in for the premiere of The Last of Us Season 2 or still need to catch up on Season 1, check out the details below.

How to Watch The Last of Us Season 2

The first season of The Last of Us show adapted the entirety of the first game with some creative liberties. Season 2 brings us to the storylines of The Last of Us sequel, which will be split up across the next two seasons.

Both Naughty Dog games have been remastered, with new edition of The Last of Us Part 2 arriving on PC just last week. This is Naughty Dog, so a new "Complete" edition of both games has also been announced, with a physical release arriving this summer. Aside from the games themselves, Sony also released a special edition DualSense controller to celebrate the series.

The Last of Us Season 2 Cast and Crew

The Last of Us Season 2 is led by the original game’s creator, Neil Druckmann, and Craig Mazin (Chernobyl), both of whom feature as writers alongside Haley Gross, who co-wrote The Last of Us Part 2 game. Each individual episode has its own director, with the full list including Mark Mylod (Succession, The Menu, Game of Thrones), Peter Hoar (It's a Sin, Daredevil, Doctor Who), and Stephen Williams (Lost).

Here’s the main cast starring in the new season of The Last of Us:

• Pedro Pascal as Joel Miller
• Bella Ramsey as Ellie
• Gabriel Luna as Tommy
• Rutina Wesley as Maria
• Kaitlyn Dever as Abby
• Young Mazino as Jesse
• Isabela Merced as Dina
• Danny Ramirez as Manny
• Ariela Barer as Mel
• Tati Gabrielle as Nora
• Spencer Lord as Owen
• Catherine O'Hara as Gail
• Jeffrey Wright as Isaac Dixon
• Joe Pantoliano as Eugene
• Alanna Ubach as Hanrahan
• Ben Ahlers as Burton
• Hettienne Park as Elise Park
• Robert John Burke as Seth
• Noah Lamanna as Kat

Don't be surprised if you don't recognize some of these names; several original characters are being introduced in the new season. You can check out our full breakdown of which characters are new or returning for more details.

After months of rumors and leaks, it looks like Bethesda is finally ready to make its remake of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion a real announcement tomorrow.

Tomorrow, 11:00 am EST. https://t.co/CKo7HKjs7j and https://t.co/dgz4EnloQ0 pic.twitter.com/K36jZmFUO9

— Bethesda (@bethesda) April 21, 2025

In a post on Twitter/X today, the official Bethesda account announced an announcement for tomorrow at 8am PT/11am ET across both YouTube and Twitch. While they didn't specify exactly what the announcement would be, the big "IV" in the center of the image and the background that looks suspiciously like a well-known piece of official Oblivion art kiiiiiind of gives it away.

A remake of Oblivion has been rumored for it seems like forever now, with rumors turning to leaks in more recent weeks. We first learned it might be in the works thanks to a 2020 Bethesda release schedule that leaked as part of the FTC vs. Microsoft trial in 2023, which said an Oblivion remaster was planned for fiscal year 2022. At the time, the document was old enough (and the release window long past) that it was possible to write this off as a canceled project. But then, in January of this year, another leak dropped, this time painting the remaster as a full-blown remake being made by Bethesda alongside support studio Virtuos. And just last week, those leaks were all-but-confirmed when even more leaks, this time from Virtuos' website, showed up, including images of the remake in action.

If the leaks from last week remain true, The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion Remastered will launch on PC, Xbox, and PlayStation, and will include a Deluxe Edition release with horse armor alongside the basic version.

Tune in tomorrow to, hopefully, hear all this confirmed and more details besides.

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.

Within the PC gaming community, 1440p and 4K monitors dominate the conversation. But, according to Steam's Hardware Survey, the majority of gamers enjoy 1080p. There's a lot of reasons for this, cost and ease of performance ranking high among them. If you're shopping for a new monitor, this also means that you'll find the market flooded with new monitors with options and no clear answer about which is best.

Well, fear not, because that's exactly what I'm here for. I've been covering gaming monitors for years and know exactly what it takes for a monitor to rise from merely acceptable to legendary, like my top pick here, the Asus TUF Gaming VG279QM. If you're ready to save time shopping and instead devote that to having a great gaming experience, look no further. These are the best 1080p gaming monitors of 2025.

TL;DR – These Are the Best 1080p Gaming Monitors:

Opting for a 1080p gaming monitor comes with several advantages. They tend to cost significantly less than their 1440p and 4K competitors, can offer high refresh rates all the way up to 500Hz (and inching higher all the time), and can still offer support for things like AMD FreeSync and Nvidia G-Sync.

One of their biggest advantages is simply that they are easier to run and don't require high-powered and high-priced graphics cards to push to their limits since they have fewer pixels overall. It's possible to have a great gaming experience even on an entry-level GPU.

They're not as crisp, however, and can look noticeably soft above 27 inches. If you're looking for something with a higher resolution, be sure to check out our list of the best gaming monitors of 2025.

1. Asus TUF Gaming VG279QM

Best 1080p Gaming Monitor

The best 1080p gaming monitor for most people is the Asus TUF Gaming VG279QM. For less than $300, you get a fast and deliciously colorful screen that's able to run at a rapid 280Hz. It comes with low input lag, variable refresh rate support, and a high peak brightness to ensure that your games always look their best and that you can enjoy a great picture with crisp motion clarity when you need it the most.

I didn't review this monitor personally, but our reviewer was very impressed at how well it balances its features. Whether you're running an AMD or an Nvidia GPU, you can count on variable refresh rate support with AMD FreeSync or Nvidia G-Sync. Screen tearing isn't an issue because of these features, but you can also count on near instantaneous response time thanks to its exceptionally fast 280Hz refresh rate.

It's also the perfect size for its resolution: 27 inches is big enough to feel spacious without making the image look noticeably soft or revealing individual pixels. Its brightness is also quite good at 400 nits, so you can use it in a brightly lit room, even if you're not gaming in direct sunlight. Its high peak brightness allows it to offer improved dynamic range and makes colors pop off the screen.

It's also DisplayHDR 400 certified, though you shouldn't count on the kind of dynamic range "true" HDR typically requires 1,000 nits, so it's best to keep your expectations in check.

The VG279QM is truly the sum of its parts. Between its price, features, and performance, it sits as king of the hill so far in 2025.

2. Samsung Odyssey G30D

Best Budget 1080p Monitor

Shopping for a gaming monitor on a budget can feel perilous. There are lots of brands, usually that you've never heard of before, all promising great things. In cases like this, I recommend the Samsung Odyssey G30D. It's a very affordable 24-inch monitor from a major brand that promises good colors and solid responsiveness for about $120.

For this cost, you're getting an IPS panel that offers vibrant colors and a gaming-grade 1ms response time. It's also able to run at a high 180Hz refresh rate for even better responsiveness and motion clarity. At the same time, it offers variable refresh rate support with compatibility with AMD FreeSync and Nvidia G-Sync. The combination of high refresh rate and VRR support means that gameplay will not only be smooth, it will be free of any tearing, and will still offer an enjoyable experience between 30 and 60fps if you're running an older GPU.

For the money, it's a surprisingly full-featured package, but there are two main sacrifices. The first is that it only offers a single HDMI port and DisplayPort each. This isn't a monitor designed to connect multiple devices at once, but if you're only using it with one computer, it's not a major drawback. Instead, much more meaningfully, is that its peak brightness isn't that high. On average, it's rated for 250 nits, which does impact its vibrancy some and your ability to use it in direct sunlight. In typical room lighting, it's fine. In low light scenarios, you aren't likely to notice it at all.

But let's be real here. Part of what you're paying for with this monitor is the assurance of buying from a well-known brand. Should anything go wrong, it comes with a one-year warranty that you'll actually be able to draw on. This model seems to be quite reliable, but that peace of mind has a value of its own.

Overall, it's a full-featured package at a very reasonable price. Its shortcomings are workable, and its gaming performance is great, making it an excellent value for gamers on a budget.

3. AOC Gaming C27G2Z

Best Curved 1080p Monitor

Coming in around $150, we have the AOC Gaming C27G2Z, a curved 240Hz gaming monitor that aims to redefine value for the dollar. This display features a 1500R curve, 300cd/m² of average brightness, a 240Hz refresh rate, and a 0.5ms response time. With this display, your games will not only look great, but every move will feel instantaneous for that competitive edge you crave.

The C27G2Z's 1500R curve is what I like to call the Goldilocks curve. It's a bit more pronounced than the very gentle 1800R curvature, but significantly less arched than the 800R, which seems to wrap into your peripheral vision. In other words, it offers just enough to help elicit the feeling of being drawn into the center of the screen and adding a bit more depth to your gaming experience without the drawback of text warping.

This monitor uses a VA panel. While a number of 1080p monitors use IPS panels for their richer colors, rest assured that it's no slouch. Its VA panel is still color-rich, and it offers a 3000:1 contrast ratio for improved blacks and shadows. This improved dynamic range directly translates to picture quality, and with calibration, can be quite accurate.

Its biggest selling point is easily its responsiveness. It comes with a 240Hz refresh rate, complete with VRR support for both AMD and Nvidia. AOC has also driven the panel such that it's able to offer a 0.5ms response time, enhancing its competitive capabilities. This positions the monitor squarely in the category of being competitively capable without carrying the usual premium of other esports monitors.

The most notable drawback is that its out-of-the-box settings aren't dialed in for the best picture quality. Turning it on for the first time, both colors and contrast lacked the usual pop I expected from AOC. But, this is a simple fix if you're willing to spend some time adjust its picture settings. Likewise, creative professionals will want to perform their own calibration using a colorimeter since it looks good for gaming but can be improved for creative work with additional fine tuning.

For only $150, and even if it was a bit more under the $200 mark, the AOC C27G2Z is a great value for 1080p gaming between its spacious screen, great responsiveness, and Goldilocks curve. It's an easy recommendation for me to make.

4. Acer Nitro ED6 (ED306C Xbmiippx)

Best Ultrawide 1080p Monitor

One of the newest options on this list, and also one of the best, is the Acer Nitro ED6. This monitor features a spacious 30-inch screen with an ultra-wide 21:9 aspect ratio. Its VA panel is capable of great colors and contrast, and Acer has overdriven it to run at an impressively rapid 200Hz for smooth and crystal-clear single-player and competitive gaming.

Its screen truly makes this monitor something special. At 30 inches, it's just about the perfect size for its 2560x1080 resolution. While that's technically greater than 1080p, it's the ultra-wide variant of it, and because its vertical height is close to that of a 24-inch monitor, you don't need to worry about the image appearing soft or individuals pixels being visible. In fact, this display approximates having two 24-inch monitors side-by-side without that pesky bezel in the middle.

Like many of the best gaming monitors around this price, the Acer Nitro ED6 uses a high-quality VA panel with a 3000:1 contrast ratio. Its color reproduction is very good, and its contrast is deep, paired with its 200Hz refresh rate. It checks virtually every box that you would hope for from an affordable 1080p monitor in both picture quality and performance.

Its design allows it to be versatile for different types of games. You can just as easily play a single-player RPG and get lost in a virtual world as you can play a competitive shooter at a high level. Its 1500R curve is both gentle enough and pronounced enough to make the gaming experience more engaging, and you'll experience very good motion clarity this side of 240Hz (aka dedicated esports territory).

Acer was clearly out to impress with this monitor. Its fantastic balance of design, price, and performance makes it the premier pick for a 1080p ultrawide. Since it's coming from one of the biggest brands in the business, you know that you can count on proper warranty support should you ever need it. For any 1080p gamer looking for their ultrawide fix, look no further.

5. BenQ Zowie XL2586X+

Best 1080p Monitor for Esports

How to Choose a 1080p Monitor

If you're shopping for a 1080p monitor, there are a few key things you should be on the lookout for. These break down to size, panel type, refresh rate, brightness, and any additional features it may offer, increasing its value.

Size: Choose a monitor that matches your space. Going too big or too small can easily introduce barriers to an enjoyable gaming experience. To avoid visible pixels (aka the screen door effect), I recommend limiting size to no more than 27 inches.

Panel Type: These days there are two key panel types to choose from, and one less common that is best avoided unless you're aiming to play high-level competitive esports. The two primary types of panels are in-plane switching (IPS) and vertical alignment (VA). Twisted Nematic (TN) panels have largely been phased out and I suggest leaving them as relics of the past.

IPS panels offer the best colors and viewing angles at the expense of comparatively low contrast. VA panels offer good colors, if less accuracte than IPS, and much better contrast but have worse viewing angles. They also are not susceptible to backlight bleed due to how the technology handles light.

Since most gaming monitors claim 1ms or less response time, issues of ghosting or poor responsiveness are much less of a concern than they have been in the past. As long as the panels you're choosing between offer at least 1ms of response time, you can be free to choose the panel type that resonates more with your particular tastes and needs.

TN panels, on the other hand, can really only claim fast response time. Their colors tend to look washed out, and both contrast and viewing angles are lackluster. Yet, for esports, BenQ Zowie is still an incredibly popular brand for the routinely fantastic responsiveness, motion clarity, and reliability of its monitors. In general, TN isn't the best choice for most people, but for competitive esports, it's still the fastest option.

Refresh Rate: A monitor's refresh rate is how many times it updates the image on its screen per second (measured in hertz). A productivity monitor typically runs at a 60Hz refresh rate. These days, the majority of 1080p gaming monitors are able to offer 120Hz or higher refresh rates. Compared to 60Hz, this offers a significantly smoother gaming experience with better motion clarity. Anything above 200Hz tends to cost more and is best suited for competitive shooters and esports. Generally speaking, 144Hz is considered a sweet spot.

Brightness: How bright a monitor can get is measured in nits or candela per meter squared (cdm/2). The best 1080p gaming monitors are able to hit 400 nits or higher, which allows them to offer a bright, vivid picture. Many land in between 300 nits and 400 nits, which, away from direct sunlight, is still very usable. Anything below 300 nits, however, is likely to look a bit dim and isn't suited for use in direct sunlight.

Additional Features: The best gaming monitors offer additional features to increase their value. One of the most common is variable refresh rate support, which aligns the monitor's refresh rate with your in-game fps to eliminate screen tearing and create a smoother gaming experience. For AMD, this is known as FreeSync, and for Nvidia, it's G-Sync, though both accomplish the same task and at 1080p will be mostly indistinguishable from one another. Keep an eye out for other features like on-screen reticles and timers, software support, or hotkeys to quickly access its different settings.

1080p Gaming Monitor FAQ

Is a 1080p monitor worse than 1440p?

To answer this question, we first have to understand what each of those terms means. A 1080p monitor is one with a resolution of 1920x1080 pixels. This totals 2.07 million pixels. 1440p, on the other hand, refers to a resolution of 2560x1440, or 3.69 million pixels. Naturally, a 1440p monitor is going to offer a crisper image.

There's more to the story than simple pixel count, however. The size of your monitor also makes a big difference. At 24 inches, for example, you aren't likely to notice a major difference in picture clarity. What you will notice is how much more difficult 1440p is to run.

Its ease to run and relatively low cost are the two biggest reasons most people choose a 1080p gaming monitor with most graphics cards designed to hit 1080p resolution as a baseline, and many significantly higher. It's easier to run games at high frame rates and high settings with a less expensive GPU, like an Nvidia RTX 4050. This card is comparatively cheap but is very capable of running even demanding games at 1080p resolution. An xx60 or xx70 series card or their AMD equivalents will achieve higher frame rates but at a significantly higher cost and with minimal impact on the smoothness of your actual gaming experience (depending on the game, of course).

What is the best size for a 1080p monitor?

I recommend sticking to 27 inches or below. 1080p resolution is perfectly fine for displays at this size and under. While larger monitors are available, they are likely to make individual pixels visible and lead to a screen door effect and an overall softer image. The ideal size for 1080p for crispness, clarity, and space is around 25 inches.

How much should I pay for a 1080p monitor?

This depends on its size, capabilities, and features. But in general, 1080p gaming monitors should be significantly less expensive than 1440p or 4K displays. It's perfectly possible to get a very good 1080p monitor for under $200. I would suggest new PC gamers shopping for their first monitor to target this price point but allow themselves a little wiggle room for features and specs that best meet their needs.

Christopher Coke has been a regular contributor to IGN since 2019 and has been covering games and technology since 2013. He has covered tech ranging from gaming controllers to graphics cards, gaming chairs and gaming monitors, headphones, IEMs, and more for sites such as MMORPG.com, Tom’s Hardware, Popular Science, USA Today’s Reviewed, and Popular Mechanics. Find Chris on Twitter @gamebynight.

With season two of The Last of Us in full swing (episode two only just aired), there's no better time than now to sign up for a subscription to Max. If you've been waiting for a good time to jump into its library, now's your chance with Max offering a limited time deal on its yearly plans (see here at Max). These come in three tiers: Basic With Ads, Standard, and Premium. They usually cost $99.99/year, $169.99/year, and $209.99/year, respectively, but with this deal they've dropped to $79.99/year, $139.99/year, and $169.99/year.

This discount only covers the first year of your subscription before returning to its normal price. It's also only live until May 7, so act fast to get set up with a discounted yearly plan today.

Save on Max Yearly Plans

I think it’s time we all collectively admit that Amazon has started acting like a scalper with a Prime badge. The Pokémon TCG: Journey Together Elite Trainer Box is back in stock, but now it’s sitting at an eye-watering $99.49, more than double what it went for just days ago. And the real kicker? It’s being sold and shipped by Amazon directly. Meanwhile, the much better-value Booster Bundle, which includes six packs and none of the fluff, is quietly buried under a separate listing and priced closer to its actual RRP at $37.97. If you’re just in it for the cards (and not the 45 energy you already have), it’s the smarter move by far. Keep an eye on the ETB though, its price seems to fluctuate more than a stressed-out Gyarados.

Featured in this article

Beyond the Amazon pricing weirdness, there are a couple of other deals worth highlighting today. Humble dropped a massive cosplay book bundle with 40+ guides for $18, covering everything from foam armor builds to SFX makeup to pattern collections for just about every part of a costume. It's an incredible value for beginners or cosplay vets looking to up their game without spending a fortune. And over in the IGN Store, Resident Evil fans can now preorder an absurdly detailed Mother Miranda statue. It’s massive, LED-lit, and dramatic enough to haunt your shelves through 2026 and beyond.

Pokémon TCG: Scarlet and Violet - Journey Together Booster Bundle

Pokémon TCG - Scarlet & Violet: Journey Together - 1 Blister Pack

Resident Evil - Mother Miranda 1-4 Scale Statue

Pokémon TCG: Scarlet & Violet — Journey Together Elite Trainer Box

The Ultimate Cosplay Library

Pokémon TCG: Terapagos ex Ultra-Premium Collection

Pokémon TCG: Stacking Tin (Q1 2025)

Pokémon TCG: Scarlet and Violet - Paldean Fates Booster Bundle

Pokémon TCG: Iono’s Bellibolt ex Premium Collection

Pokémon TCG: Scarlet and Violet Shrouded Fable Elite Trainer Box

Pokémon TCG: Poké Ball Tin 3-Pack Bundle 2024- Poké Ball, Premier Ball, Moon Ball.

Pokémon TCG: Poké Ball Tin 3-Pack Bundle 2024- Poké Ball, Great Ball, Ultra Ball.

Pokémon TCG: Scarlet & Violet - Surging Sparks Booster Bundle

Pokémon TCG: Paradox Clash Tin: Iron Leaves ex or Walking Wake ex

Pokémon TCG: Azure Legends Tin - 5 Packs

Nintendo is teasing that a new 3D Mario game may be just around the corner, but we’ll have to wait to see it.

Nintendo of America president Doug Bowser addressed cries for another mainline Mario entry during a recent interview with CNN. While he stopped short of promising that there is indeed a follow-up to Super Mario Odyssey on the way, it sounds like it’s not the kind of thing fans will have to wait too long to see more of.

“Stay tuned,” Bowser said. “You know, we have a long, long catalog, and a long list of (intellectual property) that I’m sure will make its way to the platform.”

Bowser’s comments are far from confirmation that a new 3D Mario game will be announced soon, but it’s at least something for those who were confused to see a new entry omitted from the Nintendo Switch 2 launch lineup. When Nintendo officially unveiled its hybrid console sequel earlier this month, it pulled back the curtain on standout titles like Donkey Kong Bananza, Mario Kart World, and more – but a more traditional 3D Mario platformer was nowhere to be found.

The last true flagship Mario game arrived in October 2017, just a few months removed from the launch of the original Switch. It means it's been nearly eight years since the last big Mario game released, and although something like Donkey Kong Bananza may help fill the void in the meantime, it’s not quite the Super Mario Odyssey 2 announcement many were hoping to see. Still, there’s no doubt that Nintendo’s platforming plumber is an important part of that vast catalog Bowser mentioned, so if anything, it would be more of a shock to not see a new 3D Mario game show up sooner rather than later.

For now, a new mainline Mario adventure has yet to be revealed. While we wait for updates, you can check out Nintendo’s updated Switch 2 pre-order schedule here ahead of the console’s launch come June 5, 2025. You can also read up on everything revealed during last week’s Mario Kart World Direct as well as our hands-on thoughts on Donkey Kong Bananza.

Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor 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).

Mobile Suit Gundam: GQuuuuuuX is finally here for North American audiences. The new Gundam series features a new "alternate history" storyline, a name that’s harder than ever to pronounce (allegedly “G-Queue-x”), and, of course, a new line of model kits. In IGN's review of the GQuuuuuuX theatrical release, critic Juan Barquin calls the new series “exactly the kind of inventive reimagining of Gundam we deserve.”

There’s the notable influence of another massive sci-fi series in the credits of the new Gundam anime. GQuuuuuuX is directed by Kazuya Tsurumaki (co-director of End of Evangelion), and written by Yoji Enokido – who also wrote stone-cold anime classics like FLCL, Revolutionary Girl Utena, Ouran High School Host Club, and Bungo Stray Dogs, as well as scripts for several episodes of Neon Genesis Evangelion – and the Evangelion creator himself, Hideaki Anno. One can only imagine where this series will go with these minds behind it.

If you’re wondering where to watch new episodes of Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX or catch up on the original Gundam series beforehand, I’ve listed everything you need to know below.

How to Watch Mobile Suit Gundam: GQuuuuuuX

While you can probably enjoy GQuuuuuuX regardless of your Gundam experience, the “alternative” history is likely best enjoyed with knowledge of, well, the original history. You can watch the original Gundam anime as well as most Gundam series on everyone’s favorite anime streaming service Crunchyroll.

Gundam GQuuuuuuX Characters and Voice Cast

• Amate Yuzuriha (Machu) voiced by Tomoyo Kurosawa
• Nyaan voiced by Yui Ishikawa
• Shuji Itō voiced by Simba Tsuchiya
• Challia Bull voiced by Shinji Kawada
• Char Aznable voiced by Shin Yuuki
• Xavier Olivette voiced by Seiichiro Yamashita
• Comoli Harcourt voiced by Akane Fujita
• Annqi voiced by Mariya Ise
• Jezzi voiced by Yukitoshi Tokumoto
• Nabu voiced by Shoya Chiba
• Kaine voiced by Yuusuke Nagano
• HARO voiced by Rie Kugimiya
• Pomeranian voiced by Kosuke Echigoya
• Denim voiced by Goto Kousuke
• Dren voiced by Takeda Taichi

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

The Turtle Beach VelocityOne Race wheel and pedal set, which arrived around this time last year, wouldn’t necessarily be my first suggestion to eager racers looking to buy an entry-level direct drive racing wheel set-up for PC and Xbox. It is, however, a robust, all-inclusive bundle that comes with a 7.2Mn direct drive wheel and a three-pedal set WITH a load-cell brake. That combo, and a load-cell brake? That’s good value, right out of the box; no additional purchases necessary.

That said, a year later, one such additional purchase has arrived, in the form of the VelocityOne Multi-Shift – an add-on shifter module that can function in H-pattern mode, sequential mode, and even as a handbrake. Whether you’re looking to augment your Xbox VelocityOne set-up – or simply looking for a standalone PC shifter – it makes a strong case for being the shifter of choice at its price point thanks to its satisfying shift feel and its range of available settings.

Turtle Beach VelocityOne Multi-Shift – Design and Features

The VelocityOne Multi-Shift can be hard-mounted to bespoke sim rigs (mounting screws are provided in the box), but it also contains an integrated table clamp for racers with desk set-ups (or otherwise custom racing seat solutions without dedicated mounting points). The metal table clamp is firm, and tightens via an allen bolt hidden beneath a small flap in the faux carbon fibre faceplate of the unit’s base. It can accommodate surfaces up to 50mm thick, which is good if your desk or tabletop is particularly chunky. It’s an elegant and space-saving clamping solution; it’s hidden yet sturdy, and I like it more than the Thrustmaster TH8A – which essentially just has a large G-clamp attached to the base. If you’re tossing up between the Multi-Shift and the Moza HGP Shifter, consider that the latter requires a separate table clamp accessory for an additional cost.

The Multi-Shift is a good-looking unit overall. The carbon fibre-inspired faceplate brings it in line with those same accents on the VelocityOne Race wheel, the housing is understated with minimal branding, and the leather-look boot finishes it off nicely. Overall it’s the scale I find most pleasing; with the longer of the supplied shafts, it’s the first shifter of its kind that I’ve found actually feels like-for-like (in size terms) to my actual car. Logitech’s Driving Force Shifter, in particular, feels like a tiny toy in comparison.

On that note, however, know that the bespoke H-pattern knob does not come off the short shaft it comes out of the box with – despite images on Turtle Beach’s website displaying it overtly removed. The H-pattern knob comes factory aligned and tightened to the short shaft, so can’t be unscrewed and actually placed on the long shaft. For this reason the Multi-Shift does come with a second short shaft, for those of you who are interested in using your own gear knob. The thread size is M12x1.75, which is a typical automotive size. It won’t fit every knob by default but, like any real car, it will only require a standard adapter to do so.

The sequential knob comes off the long shaft easily, but I’ve just been using it regardless of whether the unit is in H-pattern mode or sequential mode. It has the superior feel by far as it’s larger and heavier. Putting the H-pattern knob on is not at all a necessity; besides, needing the numbers written on the gear knob to use it is a little like needing the letters on a piano to play it. If you’re still at that point you might be better served sticking to automatic.

A manual switch on the side of the unit instantly toggles the Multi-Shift from H-pattern to sequential. It’s a process that essentially takes one second. The shifter I’ve previously used most – the Thrustmaster TH8A – can also be switched from H-pattern to sequential, but that’s a process that involves manually removing the faceplate and replacing it with the dedicated sequential version that holds the gear shaft in the centre. That’s a task that requires an allen key and takes several minutes; longer still if your son has “misplaced” the second faceplate in his room, beneath the large pile of cords that have steadily vanished from my office over the past 12 months.

Two further electronic switches on the top of the unit are the high and low range gear option, and the handbrake option. The high/low button is designed for heavy vehicle simulation, allowing you to use gears 1 through to 7, then hit the button and go back through the gates as gears 8 through to 14. The handbrake button turns the Multi-Shift into an analogue handbrake when in sequential mode.

The Multi-Shift doesn’t feature any proprietary cables, and connects straight to the VelocityOne Race wheelbase via a short USB-C to USB-C cable, or directly to your PC via a generously long (2.5 meter) USB-C to USB-A cable. The recess for the USB-C connection on the Multi-Shift unit is nice and deep and the cable fitting sits in really snugly, so it shouldn’t be susceptible to damage from bumps or tugs.

Turtle Beach VelocityOne Multi-Shift – Performance

The Multi-Shift is easily at its strongest as an H-pattern shifter. I’m really happy with the feel of it, and it’s been working well for me. With the long shaft (about 12 centimetres, excluding the threads) and the heavier knob (intended as the sequential and handbrake knob but, as I mentioned, I’m using it for all purposes) it feels great to use. The action is firm and has a satisfying, two-stage clunk to changes, and there’s no sloppiness while it’s in gear. If you prefer a shorter throw, the shaft can be unscrewed and changed in about 20 seconds

Seventh gear (and reverse) are reached by pushing down on the shifter and pulling right. I do feel the shifter sag a little under the weight of my hand, so I was a little concerned that shifting from fourth to fifth (or from fifth to sixth and back again) might be a bit annoying if it let me accidentally grab seventh instead – or mash up against the gate. That’s never been the case, though; activating seventh and reverse requires quite a firm push down, so it’s not something I’ll do by accident. I haven’t had any problems downshifting from seventh to sixth, either; pulling the shifter out of seventh without any downward pressure instantly and effectively locks out reverse. Outside of heavy vehicle sims it’s not a shift you’d do much anyway, since sports cars with 7-speed manual transmissions are rarer than rocking horse crap.

As a sequential shifter, it’s okay. The return-to-centre action is strong and reliable. It does, however, have a fair bit of left and right wiggle in the neutral position – so there’s a bit of a soggier feel to it than you’d get in an actual sequential system. Handbrake mode is functional, but it feels the least realistic, because it unavoidably feels like you’re just changing a gear rather than pulling on a progressive brake. That said, as a lover of rally games, having an admittedly imperfect handbrake I can yank to lock the rears – rather than constantly needing to map a handbrake to the face of the steering wheel rim itself – is much better than nothing. I wouldn’t recommend the Multi-Shift for anyone looking to exclusively use it as a handbrake, but it’s still a great option to have in an entry-level shifter product.

Star Wars Celebration 2025 was a big show filled with some exciting announcements from that galaxy far, far away, including Star Wars: Starfighter starring Ryan Gosling, a new Darth Maul series, a first look at Rory McCann's Baylan Skoll, the news that you'll be able to take care of Grogu on Millennium Falcon: Sumgglers Run, and so much more.

There were a ton of big reveals, and we're gathering the ones you simply can't miss below and we'd love to know what you are most excited for in the world of Star Wars!

Star Wars Celebration's Ahsoka Panel Featured the First Look at Rory McCann's Baylan Skoll, the news of Anakin's Return, and More

Star Wars Celebration's Ahsoka had some big reveals and fun behind-the-scenes stories for the show's second season, including a first look at Rory McCann as Baylan Skoll.

For those unfamiliar, McCann is taking over as Baylan following the death of Rey Stevenson, and the panel gave us a first-look image that you can see below. It was also confirmed that Hayden Christensen will be returning to the role of Anakin Skywalker again in Season 2.

Speaking of Season 2, we got a few teases of what we can expect when it arrives in the future, including that such fan-favorite characters like Sabine, Ezra, Zeb, and Chopper will be back. It was also revealed that Admiral Ackbar will have a big part to play and will face off against Grand Admiral Thrawn, that there will be incredibly adorable Loth-Kittens, and that, according to Dave Filoni, there will be "X-Wings, A-Wings, and Wings I can't tell you about."

Hayden Christensen on Returning to Anakin Skywalker in Ahsoka and Liking When 'Star Wars Goes Dark'

Following the reveal that he'd be returning for Ahsoka Season 2, we spoke to Hayden Christensen about playing Anakin Skywalker again after nearly 20 years, why he likes when Star Wars goes dark, and even which Anakin meme is his favorite.

Rosario Dawson Had No Idea Mark Hamill Was Returning as Luke Skywalker in The Mandalorian Until He Walked On Set

We had the chance to speak to Rosario Dawson, Dave Filoni, and Jon Favreau about Ahsoka, and they revealed a funny story about how Dawson didn't know Mark Hamill was returning as Luke Skywalker until he walked onto the set of The Book of Boba Fett one day. As it turns out, she, like many others, thought Plo Koon was going to be the mysterious Jedi to save the day in the Season 2 finale as Filoni and Favreau used him as a decoy in the scripts.

The Mandalorian and Grogu Panel, Everything Revealed

The Mandalorian & Grogu is headed to theaters on May 22, 2026, and will be the first Star Wars film to be released on the big screen since 2019's The Rise of Skywalker. It was also the first major panel that kicked off Star Wars Celebration, and it included teases for the film and, perhaps most surprisingly, the reveal of the Shawn Levy-directed Star Wars: Starfighter that will star Ryan Gosling when it is released in theaters on May 28, 2027.

The footage of The Mandalorian & Grogu was shown for those in the crowd and included shots of an Imperial ship prepared to engage, Mando taking on Flame Troopers, AT-AT walkers collapsing in the snow, and our first look at Sigourney Weaver's character. And of course, Grogu was seen being adorable and chaotic while swimming, making objects levitate, and more.

The Mandalorian & Grogu's Sigourney Weaver on Grogu Stealing Her Heart and More

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is set to release on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC on April 24. It’s a turn-based RPG, but it also incorporates real-time mechanics sort of like the Mario RPG series. But the tone is way more serious, weird, and artsy. It looks great. It’s coming out in standard and deluxe editions, and they’re all available for preorder now (see it at Amazon). Let’s dive in to see what comes in each.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 - Standard Edition

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 - Digital Deluxe Edition

• Get it for PS5 - $59.99
• Get it for Xbox - $59.99
• Get it for PC (Steam) - $53.99

The deluxe edition comes with the base game, plus the following extras:

• The “Flowers” Collection - Six outfits and hairstyles inspired by the Flowers of Lumière, along with six additional “Gommage” outfit variations. One for each playable character.
• “Clair” - A custom outfit for Maelle
• “Obscur” - A custom outfit for Gustave

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Will Be on Xbox Game Pass

How Does the Deluxe Edition Upgrade Work?

• Get it for Xbox

If you have Xbox Game Pass, but you want the extras that come in the digital deluxe edition, you can buy the deluxe edition upgrade on the Xbox Store with the link above. It does exactly what it sounds like: turns your standard edition into a deluxe edition.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Preorder Bonus

While there are no universal preorder bonuses available, Best Buy is giving away free $10 Best Buy gift cards with purchase. Nice.

What Is Clair Obscur: Expedition 33?

Clair Obscur is a turn-based RPG developed by the French studio Sandfall Interactive that uses real-time elements during battles. It’s set in a dark fantasy world in which, once a year, a powerful being called the Paintress wakes and paints a number on her monolith. When she does, everyone of that age vanishes from the earth. As the game kicks off, the Paintress is going to wake soon and paint the number 33. You plays as Expedition 33, a group of 33-year-olds who plan to kill the Paintress.

The combat sounds like a real selling point for the game. It’s turn-based, but you do a lot of other things besides choosing attacks for your expeditioners. You can dodge, parry, and counter incoming attacks. You can chain combos together by pressing buttons in a rhythm, and you can use a free-aim system to target enemy weak points. It looks pretty cool. Check out our Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 preview for more info.

Other Preorder Guides

Chris Reed is a deals expert and commerce editor for IGN. You can follow him on Bluesky @chrislreed.com.

Three years ago, LEGO released Lord of the Rings Rivendell – a 6,000-piece tribute to Peter Jackson's vision of Middle-Earth and the J.R.R. Tolkien-written books that inspired it. You can check it out on Amazon. I reviewed the set for IGN and interviewed the designer in a follow-up feature. It is one of the best, most detail-oriented builds of the past five years.

In 2024, LEGO released another massive Lord of the Rings set, this time of Barad-dûr, the massive tower in Mordor that's topped with the Eye of Sauron. Similar to Rivendell, it is laden with numerous, movie-accurate details. And now, 2025 has brought us The Shire, another rich, albeit smaller, build

But aside from these three sets , there are no other Lord of the Rings sets on sale. This wasn't always the case. LEGO and Lord of the Rings first partnered in June 2012, and between June 2012 and October 2014, LEGO released numerous sets that celebrated both the original Lord of the Rings film trilogy and the subsequent Hobbit trilogy. The last of these went out of print in July 2015; the only way to obtain them now would be to go on the expensive secondary market.

Here is a showcase of the major LEGO Lord of the Rings sets over the past decade plus: what was released and subsequently retired; what is currently on sale; and what we might expect to see in the future.

Attack on Weathertop (Retired)

This set captured the moment when Aragorn defended Frodo and the Hobbits from the Ringwraiths. It included the key details, such as the spiral stone staircase that led to the top of the watchpoint, as well as the black horses that the Ringwraiths rode as they searched the realm for the One True Ring. This was part of the first wave of LEGO Lord of the Rings sets in June 2012, along with the second entry on this list.

The Mines of Moria (Retired)

This Mines of Moria sequence is one of the coolest parts of the Lord of the Ring movies. The set based on it included a massive cave troll and several freestanding elements to represent Balin's Tomb. The LEGO designers rigged the tomb to fall apart at the press of a lever, and you could also recreate the scene where Pippin knocked the skeleton into the well (via a trap door), thereby alerting everyone to the Fellowship's presence.

The Orc Forge (Retired)

A small but richly detailed build, the Orc Forge was a blacksmith forge with fanciful elements, with a chain lift and bucket to transport ore, and a chute that fed into a cauldron to melt the ore down. It also included an anvil and a light brick to make the fire glow.

The Battle of Helm’s Deep (Retired)

Based on the climactic siege that concluded The Two Towers, this was a massive castle set. It had the Horn of Helm Hammerhand at the top of its tallest tower, and its signature, curved outer wall, including a breakaway portion so you could recreate the moment when the orcs breached the defenses.

An Unexpected Gathering (Retired)

A charming build of Bilbo's home, An Unexpected Gathering included Gandalf, Bilbo, and 4 of the 12 dwarves who imposed themselves on his hospitality. Green was the predominant color of the set's exterior, which gave it the fertile, bountiful atmosphere that we associate with the Shire.

Battle at the Black Gate (Retired)

Obviously, the Battle of Black Gate, which was the climax to the entire LOTR trilogy, was much grander than what could be accomplished with 656 LEGO pieces. This is the exact sort of build that would most benefit from a modern reimagining. Can you picture what the LEGO designers could do with 3000 or even 4000 pieces? Still, there was lots to appreciate about this set, especially the Mouth of Sauron Minifigure, the Great Eagle, and the angular severity of the Gate itself.

Tower of Orthanc (Retired)

This model of Saruman's massive tower was two-and-a-half feet tall, and it was as imposing as the LEGO designers had hoped. But as intimidating as the exterior was, the interior was equally impressive and included a throne room (where Gandalf and Saruman had their wizard duel), a dungeon, a library, and an alchemy room. It also comes with a massive Ent and a Great Eagle, so that Gandalf can hitch a ride off the roof.

The Lonely Mountain (Retired)

This was Bilbo's big moment, when he discovered the entrance to the Lonely Mountain on Durin's Day. And this set includes the secret door, Smaug's lair, the mountain of gold, and a number of play mechanisms the dwarves' battle with Smaug, when they try to submerge him in liquid gold. This set was part of the last wave of Lord of the Rings sets from 2012-2014. We wouldn't get another set in the series until January 2023.

Gandalf the Grey & Balrog (Retired)

In January 2023, LEGO released several LOTR-themed pairings as part of their collectible Blockheadz line. There were four different sets available for purchase, each for $20: Gandalf the Grey & Balrog, Aragorn & Arwen, and Frodo & Gollum. LEGO retired them at the end of 2024.

Lord of the Rings: Rivendell (Currently on sale)

Lord of the Rings: Barad-dûr (Currently on sale)

Lord of the Rings: The Shire (Currently on sale)

The following article contains spoilers for both Episode 2 of The Last of Us Season 2 and the video game The Last of Us Part 2.

Abby kills Joel. It’s the inciting incident of The Last of Us Part 2, developer Naughty Dog’s darkly violent sequel to its fungal zombie apocalypse hit. Unsurprisingly for a project that mostly adheres to its source material like industrial strength super glue, HBO’s television adaptation also features this shocking moment rendered in live action. It’s the crescendo of the second season’s second episode, and so occurs exactly where it needs to in order to set the wheels of Ellie’s quest for vengeance in motion. But the show’s recreation of Joel Miller’s final moments falls short of the game’s brutal, shocking sequence due to several creative decisions that weaken the bloody blow.

The problems begin an episode prior. Season 2 opens with the reveal that Abby (Kaitlyn Dever) is seeking revenge on Joel (Pedro Pascal) following his rampage through the Fireflies’ Salt Lake City hospital in the finale of season one. As the first episode’s opening scene, this acts as the season’s mission statement: this story is about Abby’s pledge to kill Joel. There’s an unspoken promise that we’ll learn more about her motives, more about her past, and build empathy with a character who wants to kill the lead protagonist. There’s a lot the show needs to do to get us on board with her quest, but hey, this will be an interesting ride towards what’s sure to be a shocking season finale.

One week later, Joel is dead. It’s as if we hit the end of the line before we’d even started.

The timing of Joel’s demise may be faithful to the video game’s timeline, but the context in which it is delivered changes everything. In the game, Joel’s death comes with no warning. You have no idea who Abby is, nor why she hates Joel with such venom. It’s a confusing, shocking moment that sets up Ellie’s mission to kill the evil woman who took away her father figure for reasons unknown. It’s only at the game’s midpoint, when the perspective shifts and you’re forced to play as the “villain”, do you learn that Abby has sympathetic motivations for her actions – Joel killed her father when he rescued Ellie from the Fireflies. It’s an ingenious twist that challenges you to empathise with a character you’ve learned to hate over ten hours of play.

In this week’s episode of the show, Abby plainly explains her motivations to Joel moments before she kills him. Bringing such revelations to the forefront is not inherently a mistake, but it does change the shape of the story. Rather than a straight-up villain, Abby is introduced as something closer to the protagonist she eventually becomes in the second half of the game, and as a result, the moment of Joel’s murder is transformed into a much more complex event. In theory, this setup should have us torn between two conflicting viewpoints. But for that to work, those viewpoints need to be whole. And by killing Joel in episode two, showrunners Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann have failed to solidify those viewpoints. Had this season delayed Joel’s death by introducing more original material, we’d have had the opportunity to learn more about Abby’s journey toward this moment. As it stands, Abby has so far had less than a handful of scenes to establish her character, while Joel has had an entire season and change. When the golf club strikes, there’s no escaping it: Abby is the villain here, despite what you know of her motives.

Season 1 offers up a good example of what could have been. “Long, Long Time,” arguably the season’s strongest episode, depicts the turbulent romantic life of Bill and Frank. It’s all brand new material, showcasing a period of time not explored by the game. A similar episode illustrating Abby’s life during the five-year time gap between seasons may well exist further down the line, but its inclusion before Joel’s death would have better supported the creative decision to make Abby’s motives clear ahead of the incident.

Such an episode would also help address the issue of Abby’s physique. In The Last of Us Part 2, Abby is built like an MMA fighter. She’s tall and incredibly muscular. In the show, she’s played by Kaitlyn Dever and looks just like Kaitlyn Dever. Talking to Entertainment Weekly, Neil Druckmann explained that Dever had not bulked up for the role because Abby’s size was related to gameplay rather than story: “Abby was meant to play more like Joel in that she's almost like a brute in the way she can physically manhandle certain things,” he said. “That doesn't play as big of a role in this version of the story because there's not as much violent action moment to moment. It's more about the drama.”

I’m surprised by Druckmann’s comments because Abby’s physique doesn’t really provide any meaningful gameplay contrast between herself and Ellie in the game, aside from being able to wield slightly heavier weaponry. It does, however, play a significant role in the dramatic heft of the story. During the first half of the game, her stature preys on gender stereotypes; the story assumes you’ll buy into the idea that a woman with masculine features must be evil. When the story flips, Abby’s physique tells the tale of a woman who has spent five years sculpting herself into a weapon with a singular purpose. She has sacrificed everything in order to kill Joel. It’s a physical marker of what the thirst for revenge will do to a person, and represents just how concrete Abby’s dedication to her goal is.

Had the show’s version of Abby been of the same build as her video game counterpart, it would have helped illustrate what happened in the five years between the season’s first scene and Joel’s death. Sure, it wouldn’t be a detailed illustration, but it would be clear that Joel’s actions took their toll and he’s about to pay the price. In the absence of Abby’s physical transformation, what we ideally need is a depiction of how the character mentally sculpted herself into a weapon. Again, this may well exist further into the season, but including it ahead of Joel’s death would better capitalise on the show’s changes to how it presents Abby.

Mazin and Druckmann’s new approach to Abby isn’t the only issue with the show’s version of this tragic event, though. Much of this second episode is dedicated to a Game of Thrones-scale assault on Jackson, with hundreds of infected breaking through the town’s walls. In isolation, this is an incredible piece of television, and a fantastic example of the show introducing original material to the story. But the impact of this event is so strong that it almost overshadows Joel’s death, which is uncontestably the more important moment. The inciting incident of Ellie’s journey shouldn’t be fighting for space, and the time leading into it would have been better served by building tension rather than burning bloaters.

My hope for this season of The Last of Us was that it would have more conviction to tread its own path. As strong as Season 1 was, for much of its runtime it had the air of some (very well-funded) cosplayers performing reenactments of the game’s cinematic cutscenes. Season 2 certainly feels bolder than its predecessor so far, but the changes being made feel rooted in a lack of confidence in the material being adapted rather than the bravery to tread its own path. The game’s unforgettable mid-story twist is exchanged for a cards-on-the-table opening in the name of making sure viewers feel the “right” things about Abby, but the subsequent story beats throughout the first two episodes are not rewritten to make the most of that change. The result is a rendition of Joel’s death that, while practically a facsimile of the original version in terms of the physical events, feels morally confused and dramatically stunted.

For fans of the game, it will be immediately clear which version of this story offers the stronger depiction of this event. But the real issue is not Joel’s death itself, but everything that happens around it. If the season has bungled the framing of its vital inciting incident, will the story threads that spiral out of it stand up to scrutiny? When it comes to Abby, The Last of Us Season 2’s remaining episodes will need to tread a smart path in order to justify its new design, not just to old players, but to new audiences, too.

Matt Purslow is IGN's Senior Features Editor.

Delta Force made its return with a launch on PC last year, reigniting interest in the legendary tactical shooter franchise. Now, it is bringing its definitive free-to-play, modern, team-based tactical action to a whole new audience on mobile. Anticipation for the mobile release has been huge, with over 20 million players pre-registering across Android and iOS platforms ahead of launch on April 21st.

We spoke to Leo Yao, Head of Studio and Shadow Guo, Game Director at Team Jade about the development of Delta Force Mobile, the game’s content , graphics and optimization along with technical ambitions, and its play-to-win, not pay-to-win, philosophy.

Capturing epic battles on the small screen

Delta Force features realistic battlegrounds, class-based Operators, a deep weapons arsenal and multiple game modes; all designed to blend nostalgia from the original series with modern gameplay elements. Game modes cater to both solo-player and team-up experiences, including the world’s first 24v24 battlefield with vehicles and an extraction-based PvPvE mode. Parity of experience was a central part of the design ethos for this title.

“Our goal was to build a truly uncompromised AAA shooter experience for mobile players which feels just as thrilling and immersive as its PC counterpart,” said Guo. “We wanted to provide players with the opportunity to experience an array of modes and maps which they haven't ever experienced before, promising tons of action and fun. That’s why we’re especially proud of introducing groundbreaking features like our world-first 24v24 large-scale battlefield, which pushes the boundaries of what mobile shooters can achieve.”

Keep the fight going, wherever you are

Delta Force Mobile was designed to both introduce the game to new, mobile-first audiences, while also giving PC players a way to bring the game anywhere. Integral to this is Delta Force’s cross progression with PC which includes support of Google Play Games on PC, allowing players to progress and play across both platforms. Synced content between PC and mobile currently includes 7 maps for Warfare, 4 maps for Operations, 10 Operators, 12 vehicles and 55 weapons sets, with more to come. Player’s individual progression, including their inventory will also be synced.

Man, It’s great to have Fatal Fury back.

The OG SNK fighting game series, and the one that went toe-to-toe with Street Fighter 2 back in the 90s, Fatal Fury has been dormant for more than 25 years. SNK has been quite active in that time with the King of Fighters series and even a Samurai Shodown revival, but those offer two very different styles of fighting game, leaving Street Fighter without its most comparable SNK competition for far too long. And that’s what Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves brings to the table: A more direct alternative to Street Fighter 6 — one that is similar in its gameplay structure, but without neutral skipping system mechanics, Drive Impacts, and throw loops. It’s missing a few modern-day fighting game features that should be standard at this point and its UI is lacking to say the least, but in all of the areas that matter most, City of the Wolves hits like a Buster Wolf to the face.

Like its 90s predecessors, City of the Wolves is a four-button fighter that gives you a light punch, heavy punch, light kick, and heavy kick. There’s also a close and far version of each of these buttons, with the close versions typically leading to bigger damage and better situations, while the far versions are used more for pokes and whiff punishes. One big thing that separates City of the Wolves from Street Fighter 6 and several other modern fighting games is that there are no universal ways to easily get in on an opponent. There are no shared high speed dash-ups that let you keep your turn even if they’re blocked, no universal vanishing teleports, and no projectile-invulnerable quick steps. Characters still have plenty of options to approach, but none that are shared among the whole cast, and all of which carry significant risk.

While I personally don’t mind a good neutral skip, I still greatly enjoy that larger focus on the mental chess game of each of us trying to get a feel for how the other will try and approach, and reacting accordingly. It also makes the characters that do have the ability to cover ground very quickly and safely feel a lot more unique among the rest of the cast.

New to City of the Wolves is the Rev Meter, which works very similarly to how the Drive Meter functions in Street Fighter 6, only you’re actually building this meter up instead of depleting it. You begin every round at 0%, and you’ll increase that percentage by blocking enemy attacks or using special Rev techniques – those include EX special moves, a Rev Guard that adds substantial pushback to your guard and avoids chip damage, and armored attacks called Rev Blows. Once you hit 100%, you’ll overheat and the meter will slowly start to deplete, but until it gets back to zero (which takes a really long time) you can’t use any Rev techniques, and your guard gauge will deplete every time you block an attack. Once that’s gone, your guard will be broken and you’ll be open to a free combo from your foe.

It’s a great system that has me making very important meter management decisions on the fly. Since you can chain EX Special moves into each other in order to squeeze out more damage from a combo, that gauge can rise very high very quickly over the course of just a single combo. That pushed me to ask myself whether it was worth fully cashing out on a big combo and risk either overheating or being close to overheating, or whether I should end the combo early and save some of the gauge for the rest of the round.

Rev Blows are the only part of the equation that I’m not fully on board with. These armored attacks may initially bring to mind Drive Impacts from Street Fighter 6, but there are some very important distinctions. Like Drive Impacts, they can be used to power through an enemy flurry to deliver a big attack of your own, but unlike Drive Impacts, they only result in a full combo if they hit as a counter, not just if they absorb an attack. Still, even without countering, they do a sizable chunk of damage, are safe on block, and only cost 17% of your Rev Meter, meaning they can be used pretty liberally without much consequence – that’s especially true if the other player doesn’t know how to deal with them, which would be understandable as City of the Wolves doesn’t tell you that in any of the in-game tutorials.

Of course, these hits are not unbeatable. Like Drive Impacts, the best way to counter them is with a Rev Blow of your own, which will turn the tide and give you a free combo opportunity. Unlike Drive Impacts, though, Rev Blows can only be used during SPG (Selective Potential Gear), which is a special buff that is only active while in your choice of either the start, middle, or end portion of your health bar.

You decide where you want your SPG buff to kick in before each fight, and there are advantages to each position – but if someone starts a match with their SPG at the beginning of their health bar, and I have it set anywhere else, I just straight up don’t have my best defense against this technique until I lose either half or the majority of my life. There are other defenses, like throws, supers, and dodge attacks, but none that really match the ease and reward of the attacker just throwing a Rev Blow out there. At higher levels, you’ll see people canceling their dodge attack with a feint and getting full combos off that, but the timing window for this is very tight, and it feels like there’s no good answer for this move at low-to-mid level play.

Outside of that one relatively small issue, however, the actual fighting in City of the Wolves is excellent. There’s a great flexibility in the combo design that lets you go for either reliable and easy damage just by stringing a couple of EX special moves together, with the option to end with a super, or a more execution heavy combo that incorporates techniques like special move braking and feints, both of which require fast fingers and much greater precision. That lets you weigh the potential of an increased reward against a much higher chance of dropping the combo however you want.

There’s a great balance of both offensive and defensive options as well that make it hard to just fall into a rhythm of doing the same things over and over again. On wake up you can roll forward and backwards, there are a couple of frames of throw invulnerability to prevent throw loops, and well-timed just defenses or hyper defenses are rewarded with an opportunity to guard cancel and punish attacks that aren’t normally heavily punishable. It all just feels really good.

Between a Rock and a Bogard Place

The City of the Wolves roster is a respectable 17 strong at launch, and it is a mechanically diverse cast that covers most of the original Mark of the Wolves roster along with four newcomers. Two of those newcomers, Preecha and Vox Reaper, are excellent without any caveats. Preecha is an easy to pick-up-and-play Muay Thai scientist with flashy and satisfying combos and a well-rounded skill set; while Vox Reaper is just rushdown personified. He’s one of the few characters on the roster without a projectile, but he more than makes up for it with lightning fast speed, tricky divekicks, and by being one of the few characters with one of those aforementioned plus-on-block neutral skipping dashing attacks.

I have been spending the most time with Terry and Hokutomaru. Terry because of the familiarity I have with him from other games, and Hokutomaru for the sheer variety of approach options he has. He can double jump, teleport while in the air, and use Akuma-like air projectiles to both threaten from afar and alter his jump arc to bait out anti-airs.

Then there are the guest characters: Real-world soccer pro Cristiano Ronaldo and real-world DJ Salvatore Ganacci. To get the good out of the way first, they are at least cool characters mechanically. Ronaldo’s main gimmick is that all of his normal attacks are soccer techniques that can not only damage the opponent on their own, but also be used to hit a soccer ball that can be summoned with one of his special moves. This can lead to some truly wild set ups that force you to block the ball and then guess or predict where Ronaldo is going to hit you from.

Salvatore on the other hand is largely a gag character, with moves taken directly from his music videos and performances as a DJ, but at least they’re very entertaining to look at. I still find myself chuckling when he looks dead into the camera as he pounds an enemy’s face to the beat, and while many of his moves are slow and awkward, he surprisingly hits extremely hard even without having to spend a ton of meter.

But here’s the thing: Very little was done to make these characters feel like they belong in Fatal Fury, especially Ronaldo. Salvatore at least has his own story in the Arcade and Episodes of South Town single-player modes, but Ronaldo is completely absent from both. Not to mention, their visual designs are boring and too ordinary to match the flash and flair of someone like B. Jenet or Kain. It’s hard not to feel like these characters would have been better suited as optional DLC like most guest characters tend to be, which would’ve freed up more spots for characters that actually belong in South Town.

Greetings From South Town

As far as the rest of the package goes, the single-player options in City of the Wolves are pretty fun, even if they are pretty basic. The first is the classic Arcade mode that works as you’d expect: Each character has an intro establishing who they are and what their goal is, a rival battle, and an ending. As far as Arcade modes go, it’s actually pretty solid, even if it is very ordinary. I’ve only beaten a handful of them, but each one has had some really nice character building moments and long awaited pay offs for anyone who’s been following Fatal Fury lore for a while.

The marquee single-player option is Episodes of South Town, which is an RPG-inspired mode that lets you play through a more substantial version of a character’s story by selecting battles on a map screen. You’ll gain experience with each battle that then lets you level up and become stronger, increasing your stats and giving you access to new skills and abilities as you progress. It’s a solid diversion that adds some very welcome light progression and RPG elements while giving each character’s story a more satisfying beginning, middle, and end than what Arcade mode offers.

Some of the battles in this mode have unique conditions too, such as having to fight multiple enemies in a gauntlet, enemies always being in SPG mode, or (in one of the more frustrating conditions) your opponent being immune to every attack with the exception of a 1/66 chance that you’ll land a one-hit kill. Outside of that last one, which is a miserable time, the additional conditions do a pretty good job of adding some variety to each match without overcomplicating them or taking away from what’s fun about the combat in the first place.

One area City of the Wolves could have used some extra attention is in its teaching tools. There is a passable tutorial that covers all of the mechanics, but it doesn’t do a great job of explaining the context or usage of many of its more advanced techniques. Defending against the aforementioned Rev Blow is one example, but it also doesn’t do a great job of explaining the uses of things like Feints or Brakes. In fact, the tutorial section for Brakes basically just tells you how to do them, explains that they can be used in combos, then says that it’s a lesson for another time – but it doesn’t actually have another lesson for it!

On the online side of things, the most important question to ask when it comes to a modern fighting game is “does it have rollback netcode?” The second most important question is then “is it good rollback netcode.” For City of the Wolves the answer to those two questions are “yes!” and “ehhhh.” For the most part, during my experience with both the betas and a handful of matches on the full game’s pre-launch servers, online felt pretty good. That said, the best netcodes are able to make a bad connection still feel playable, and that definitely wasn’t the case during the worst of what I saw. I had one match with eight frames of delay that felt like I was moving through sludge, and another where my button inputs just occasionally wouldn’t go through.

Most of the usual suite of options are otherwise here and accounted for. There are ranked matches, casual matches, room matches, and a replay theater to watch both your own replays and public ones (though there’s no way to filter or search for replays featuring a specific character). Unfortunately, the UI to navigate through these menus is some of the worst I’ve seen in a fighting game, with the biggest offender being the room match menu that for some reason needs to be controlled with a slow moving mouse cursor and has the look of an excel document or powerpoint presentation. In the grand scheme of things, it’s not a huge deal, and the lobby itself is functional in all of the ways I’d expect – but still, it’s surprising to see in a game that otherwise drips with style once you’re in a match.

The following article contains spoilers for The Last of Us season 2, episode 2.

If the first episode of The Last of Us season 2 was the scene setter, then episode 2 is the catalyst for everything that comes next. It features – SPOILERS! – the death of Joel Miller, and it takes place in pretty much the exact same way as it did in the game. The devil is in the details, though, and not everything about that scene is a 1:1 recreation. That’s where our TV show vs game comparison comes in.

We’ve taken the major scenes of episode 2 that are taken from the game and compared them against the original source material, analysing what’s changed and what’s stayed the same. You can see both versions in the video above, or read on below for our written explanations.

Joel’s Death

As the instigating incident of the game and the big main event of the season’s second episode, Joel’s death was naturally going to be a meticulously recreated sequence. Both the broad strokes and many of the small details are all here; Abby blasts his leg with a shotgun and then proceeds to lay into him with a golf club. Kaityn Dever delivers the “You don’t get to rush this” line exactly as her game counterpart did. When Ellie arrives on the scene, the direction largely follows in the footsteps of the original cutscene, using the same floor-level camera angles and high-pitched sound break as Abby deals the final blow.

Lurking between the many game-accurate details are several changes, though. First and foremost is that Joel is with Dina for this scene, not Tommy. Furthermore, Dina is drugged for the whole event, which means Ellie is the only Jackson resident to witness Joel’s murder. Abby’s behaviour is also slightly different; in the show she reveals to Joel who she is and why she’s about to kill him. In the game there’s no such scene, and we’re left to believe that Joel died without truly knowing why Abby hated him so much.

Oh, and then there’s the matter of Abby’s hole in… well, not quite one. The game depicts the blow that finally kills Joel as a horrible bit of blunt force trauma to the skull, using the actual head of the golf club. In the show, the club is broken in Abby’s assault, and so all that’s left is the sharp broken end. Abby uses this as a shiv, stabbing it into Joel’s neck.

Abby’s Flashback

Episode two features a sequence in which a young Abby searches the Fireflies’ hospital for her dad. It’s a recreation of the end of Tracking Lessons, the chapter of the game where the perspective shifts from Ellie to Abby. While the setting of this scene remains the same – the hospital corridor bathed in red emergency lighting – the actual events are rather different.

In the show, older Abby confronts her younger self, cementing that this is a dream sequence rather than a flashback. Abby tells herself not to look inside the operating room, as she’ll have to see her dead father. Younger Abby does go into the operating room, but the camera does not follow, and so we’re left with just the older Abby’s restrained tears to relay the horror found inside. In the game, since you are in control of Abby, you get to see the inside of the room and Abby’s reaction to finding her father.

This reframing of the scene is likely due to its shifted position; in the game, this is the moment you learn that Abby’s father was killed in Joel’s attack on the Fireflies, and so the raw emotion of seeing Abby cry on the operating room flaw is necessary to humanise a character who has been portrayed as a villain for the prior 10 or so hours. The show reveals Abby’s motive from the very start and moves this sequence to much earlier in the story, and so it serves a different purpose.

Ellie’s Awkward Morning

The most faithful scene recreation of episode two arrives when Jesse comes knocking at Ellie’s door to go out on patrol. What follows is an awkward exchange regarding Ellie and Dina’s kiss the previous night at the barn dance – Dina, of course, had only recently split up with Jesse. The dialogue here is a 95% match to the game’s script, and the camera work also does its best to recreate the conversation in exact detail.

The main difference here is context. In the game, the barn dance isn’t shown until right near the end of the campaign, and so when playing this sequence you’re using the information provided by the characters to piece together an event you’ve not witnessed. In the show, you know exactly what Jesse and Ellie are talking about, as you watched it happen in the previous episode.

Bigot Sandwiches

Similar to Ellie’s conversation with Jesse, her encounter with Seth the morning after the dance is largely a 1:1 replication of the same scene in the game. Seth has once again prepared steak sandwiches as an apology, and much of the dialogue around this awkward exchange is taken straight from the game’s script. The main difference here is that Jesse is now part of the scene, and he thanks Seth for the sandwiches rather than Maria. Additionally, the building itself is visually very different to that in the game, looking more like a canteen than a timber-constructed bar.

Eugene’s Weed Farm

The show sees Jesse and Ellie head out on a patrol that recreates the middle section of the game’s first chapter. Fans of the game will instantly notice a key difference, as Ellie’s discovery of Eugene’s weed farm actually takes place during the same patrol depicted in episode one where Ellie and Dina explore the supermarket. These events have been split up and changed, as it’s now Jesse, not Dina who accompanies Ellie. That means the show removes the sequence in which Ellie and Dina smoke weed and are implied to have sex.

Despite this, there are still several key elements of the sequence that are kept intact. Ellie still discovers Eugene’s Firefly pendant, as well as his once-impressive marijuana operation (which is far less well hidden in the show.) Among the belongings scattered about, Ellie finds Eugene’s bong gas mask, which can also be found in the game. Jesse, however, is much less impressed with Eugene’s ingenuity than Dina was.

Abby’s Escape

Abby’s fateful encounter with the infected horde plays out much like it does in the game’s first chapter. A chase sequence results in Abby becoming trapped behind a chainlink fence that begins to collapse under the weight of the clawing runners. If anything, this sequence is even nastier than it was in the game thanks to a shot of a hand being pushed through the fence, the wire cutting through the flesh. Aside from that, the broad direction of this scene is very close to the framing of the game, right up to the way Joel’s revolver appears from the side of the shot to blast the infected that pins Abby to the ground.

For more from The Last of Us, check out our spoiler-free season two review and our spoiler-filled review of the second episode. We’ve also asked the show’s creators about how canon can change, and what that means for the show's biggest plot points.

Matt Purslow is IGN's Senior Features Editor.

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The following contains full spoilers for The Last of Us Season 2 Episode 2.

Let’s face it, this week’s The Last of Us is all about one thing: the death of Joel Miller. As such, it creates certain expectations: Abby killing Joel will leave as big an impact as possible – a crater in Ellie’s life that she can only fill with vengeance – and everything else in the episode will be geared toward making sure that happens. It’s the inciting moment for the rest of the story. The most crucial moment in the series (perhaps, outside of Joel’s fateful choice at the end of season 1). It’s therefore disappointing that for most parts of season 2 of The Last of Us’ second episode, it feels like an afterthought – a sideshow to an explosive, albeit exciting, battle sequence. Neither halves of this story are executed poorly – far from it, with both thrilling visual style and character-led substance – they just don’t fuse together into a satisfying whole.

Mark Mylod of Succession fame (and seemingly HBO’s go-to pair of hands when it comes to an episode ticking down to a father’s death) has a lot to juggle when directing this chapter. It’s partially an ode to The Lord of the Rings’ Helms Deep sequence (plus some Hardhome from Game of Thrones), and partially a cold, brutal examination of murder as a means of closure. The latter is the most crucial piece of the jigsaw, and for the first half of the episode, the tension is ratcheted up beautifully, culminating in a wonderfully claustrophobic sequence that sees Abby struggling through the snow under a wire fence buckling under stacks of infected. The pressure generated is suffocating, and a true display of the rabid relentlessness of the infected.

It’s preceded by a truly haunting image of her pursuers emerging from the ground and defrosting themselves like some incredibly angry frozen peas, as the camera pulls up to reveal the sheer scale of their numbers. It’s a clever representation of the layers of evil being exposed to us in this second season. The avalanche of human fungus makes us fear for Abby, a character we should show little sympathy towards, considering what brought her to Jackson – the irony of Joel rescuing her is not lost on anyone.

It’s therefore a shame that such tension in that scenario is then completely let out by a lengthy detour back into the town, the new target of the infected’s ire. It takes all of the emotional stakes out of the episode for a good chunk of time as the characters we’ve grown most attached to (Joel and Ellie included) find themselves outside the walls and away from the onslaught.

Episode 2 is a budget-flexer, and whereas the first season was restrained in its infected approach, it’s enjoyable to see mayhem take hold and fire meet ice in a way only HBO knows how to pull off. There’s no doubting the skill at hand when it comes to the production design and performances that breathe life into it. The invasion is stunningly shot at times, with vast mountain faces beautifully photographed as characters dot them like ants and snarling Clickers rise from the snow in incredible detail. There’s no denying the spectacle that the battle itself delivers – the Bloater breach and subsequent flamethrower retaliation is a real standout piece of staging. But Tommy and his family aside, our ties to these characters are limited.

The battle, as a result, almost serves as a distraction from Joel's death, which is overshadowed by the bombast. The fateful scene itself is well constructed, but just feels at odds with much of the episode. I should make it clear that I’m a huge fan of The Last of Us Part 2 and the bold decisions the game makes; when I first played the game, this turn packed a hell of a gut punch, shocking me with its stark violence and sudden nature. Maybe I’ve grown desensitized to its brutality after experiencing it several times, but I think my muted reaction to episode 2 is also due to a lack of calm before the storm. With some of our attention directed to what’s going on a few miles from the lodge that’s been commandeered by Abby and her WLF comrades, we’re ushered into the torture suddenly before the re-creation of the game’s swift, devastating shotgun blast to Joel’s knee.

Once we’re fully in the lodge, however, the scene mostly achieves its goals. The unsteady camera takes on the palpable unease as it floats around the room and Owen, Mel, Manny, and Nora share uncomfortable glances with each other. They’re in stark contrast to Abby, who is cold and menacing, and taken hold by an anger that instills fear in her closest allies. It’s a great showcase for Kaitlyn Dever’s range, which is fully on display as she slips into an almost sadistic mindset – the slow focus pull from her determined face to a nearby set of golf clubs almost met with a smile.

I am torn about the actual method of Joel’s departure, though. On the one hand, I like the finality of the mangled club shaft nestling into his neck and the way Abby leaves sitting there almost like a monument to her victory. It also offers some nice symmetry to when Joel finds himself impaled in season 1, but this time, there is nothing Ellie can do about it. And though it’s undoubtedly violent, some of the shock is dulled, falling short of the blunt punctuation delivered by Abby’s final swing in the game.

Of course, Pedro Pascal is no stranger to having his head pulped on HBO (the GoT parallels abound in this episode), and in depicting the death of the show’s antihero (or villain, depending on your viewpoint), he delivers a note-perfect performance. There’s an acceptance in his eyes that his time has come and an acknowledgment that he must pay for his decisions. It may be barely believable that Pascal is portraying a 60-year-old Joel here, but I completely bought into his softer portrayal of a character Troy Baker originally brought a gnarlier edge to. A word should also go out to Bella Ramsey who excels at conveying Ellie’s devastation. Her cries are heartfelt and genuine, but laced with an anger towards Abby that seemingly won’t soon dissipate.

So there is some shock in this sequence – and within the 15 minutes or so where it’s the sole focus of the episode – it’s just a shame then that so much of the runtime is dedicated to a story that arguably could have been told as a separate chapter. It’s breathtakingly rendered at times, but watching people we barely know fall prey to waves of infected takes us away from the episode’s emotional core all too often. (Give or take Tommy’s alleyway blowout with a Bloater.) This is a rare miss from a creative team that has historically weaved together its big moments with much less strain.