Fans expect Nintendo to soon make cheaper Switch 2 cartridges available to game publishers as a fresh alternative to Game-Key Cards, though one developer has said it expects its game to still cost around $10 more as it shifts to a proper game card.
In a statement today, R-Type Dimensions 3 publisher Inin Games initially said it would take advantage of two new Switch 2 cartridge size options that Nintendo will offer to developers currently stuck choosing between an expensive 64GB cart or a cheap Game-Key Card release.
Inin Games has now reworded that same statement to clarify that Nintendo itself has not made any announcement concerning cartridge storage capacities, and in a further post on social media said that any references it previously made "should not be interpreted as official information from Nintendo."
That corporate snafu aside, Inin Games is still now launching R-Type Dimensions 3 as a physical release where previously it was not, due to what its hastily-edited announcement now blandly describes as it being able to "recalculate the production in a way that wasn't possible before." (Such as with a smaller cartridge size, hypothetically.)
Game-Key Cards — mostly-blank cartridges that simply prompt users to download the game's contents — have proven unpopular among Switch 2 fans, though some developers have defended their use, saying they are necessary for games that otherwise would not fit on a 64GB cartridge, and a cheaper option for both publishers and players alike.
As if to demonstrate that, Inin Games has said it will switch its physical production run for R-Type Dimensions 3 to cartridges rather than Game-Key Cards, though at a higher price point that's €10 (just over $11) more expensive. Still, that's cheaper than the "at least" €15 higher price Inin Games previously said it would have cost players had it used the standard 64GB Switch 2 cards. Not that other, smaller cartridge sizes are confirmed for now, of course.
Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
The holiday season is fast approaching and there are plenty of Christmas and winter-themed events taking place all across Roblox. Many of them have already launched their holiday-centered updates, including advent calendars and daily login rewards. But if you haven't dipped your toe in yet, and you're looking for games to keep you entertained over the festive period, here are all the updates you can expect over the next few weeks.
99 Nights in the Forest Christmas Update
99 Nights in the Forest has sat near the top of the Roblox charts for months, showing that survival horror isn't just for Halloween. For the unfamiliar, the game involves trying to keep your character fed, warm, and sheltered while you rescue missing children and avoid a dangerous deer-like entity at night.
If like me, you love a spooky experience at any time of the year, then the Christmas Week updates are for you. In Part 1 of the Christmas update introduces elves that need saving, and help with their festive tasks. There's also a North Pole Biome and Christmas Shop, along with Santa's Helper as a new class. With Christmas Week 2 launching on December 20, there's lots more Christmas in the forest to be celebrated.
Fish It! Christmas Update
If you're a fan of Fisch, you're likely to be a fan of Fish It! The fishing simulator boasts over 1,000,000+ variations of fish for you to catch. A Christmas Event has been running in Fish It! for a week, introducing a huge new update that brought along a new island, 43 new fish, and a reworking of quests.Christmas Week 2 begins on December 21, where you can expect an expansion of the current event, and special luck admin event.
Brookhaven Christmas Update
Brookhavenis a roleplaying game where all of the inhabitants live on an island and can use vehicles and visit stores. The simulator experience regularly releases new items, clothing, and more to customize your character. On December 19, the Winter Festival begins. Expect ice skating, sledding, carols, festive rewards, and more in this new update.
Steal a Brainrot Christmas Update
Steal a Brainrot is a particularly popular Roblox experience where you'll need to capture Brainrots from a conveyor belt and keep them locked away from other players. You can steal Brainrots and have your Brainrots stolen, so we advise you stick close to that lockdown button if you want to protect your Secret Brainrots.
Adopt Me!is a notoriously adorable experience that lets you collect and trade pets. Well, it's about to get a lot cuter and fuzzier, as winter descends on Adoption Island. We're already into Week 2 of the Adopt Me Christmas Week, which has seen the emergence of Snowball Pugs and the use of Yarn Beanies to tame them.
Christmas Week 3is about to begin on December 19, and introduces a new Legendary Frost Phoenix. You'll also be able to spend the Gingerbread you've built up on the Cozy Misletroll in case you missed in the 2025 Advent Calendar. There will also be a special party with admin abuse hosted on December 20, where I'm sure even more rewards will be available.
The Forge has quickly stormed the Roblox charts in recent months. The RPG is focused on mining for rare ores, rolling for different character classes that will give you special perks, and fighting off hordes of zombies and skeletons in underground caves. After releasing in Beta, The Forge is ready to launch its first big expansion.
Just before that takes place, there's another Luck Boost weekend coming on December 20. These have become a regular occurrence each weekend since the launch, and have helped people mine for rare ores like Rubies, which are essential for quests. On December 25, the Winter Expansion will begin, and though little has been revealed so far, there are talks of a third island, new armor, a blueprint system, and more.
Scary Shawarma Kiosk: The ANOMALY Winter Update
Shawarma and horror is probably not the first combination you'd think of, but the creators behind the Scary Shawarma Kiosk have created a simple experience with plenty of jump scares. Throughout your shift, you'll need to create shawarma and hand it to customers. The problem is, some of them are a little bit strange, and its in your best interest to shut the service window as soon as possible.
They'll be taking the Christmas Night Shift and giving it an ho-ho-horrifying twist with new anomalies and screamers disrupting your service. As part of the seasonal updates on December 20, The Narrator will also be joinig the horror experience during the New Year and Christmas shift.
Murder Mystery 2 Christmas Update
InMurder Myster 2, you'll play as either a Innocent, Sheriff, or Murderer. The idea is for the Innocents to hide and survive against the Murderer, while working with the Sheriff to try and identify the culprit. The Sheriff is the only person who can take down the Murderer. Meanwhile, the Murderer works hard to eliminate everyone before being caught.
Last week, the experience launched an enormous Christmas 2025 update. This brought with it daily quests, a battle pass, and Christmas Mystery Boxes. There's even a new Ski Village map and game mode, which is a seasonal Snowball Fight. This will run until January, but you'll also get the addition of Santa's List from December 20 to December 29. If you can find seven items hidden around maps, then you'll get a special reward of a Knife Skin from Santa.
Dandy's World Christmas Update
Another horror experience on Roblox is making sure it gives as much attention to the festive period as it does Halloween. If you've never played Dandy's World, it's a multiplayer survival horror, where you'll work together to go deeper into the Gardenview Center by completing machines.
The Christmas Event has already launched, but there's more coming on December 19 with the update that brings the Bobette and Coal quests, along with new skins. Then, on December 26 to January 2, you can expect to see the introduction of the New Years Calendar and even more holiday skins.
Dress to Impress Update
Dress to Impress is all about serving looks by creating outfits that you can strut on the runway. For the Winter Update, we're currently saying "bonjour" to Paris. The event launched on December 13 and has introduced snow, snowflakes, shimmer, and more. Each day, you can login to unlock a reward from the Winter Advent Calendar. There are also some adorable Gingerbread Onesies available.
Lauren Harper is an Associate Guides Editor. She loves a variety of games but is especially fond of puzzles, horrors, and point-and-click adventures.
Late night maestro Jimmy Kimmel got emotional while reflecting on the difficult year he and his show endured during the final Jimmy Kimmel Live show of 2025, shedding some tears as he gave his opening monologue.
"Thank you for joining us here at our home in beautiful Hollywood, California, for what is our final show of the year," the host began on Thursday, December 18. "And this one, this has been a strange year. It's been a hard year."
He got a little choked up, but continued, "We’ve had some lows. We've had some highs. For me, maybe more than any year in my life. But on behalf of all of us — I'm crying already. I'm sorry."
After collecting himself, Kimmel added: "On behalf of all of us at the show, I just want to say that we appreciate your support, your enthusiasm," he said. "And not just for watching this year — you literally pulled us out of a hole, and we cannot thank you enough, personally."
Kimmel has had a rollercoaster 2025. ABC temporarily took Kimmel’s program off the air for a week back in September following his comments about the killing of right-wing political personality Charlie Kirk. The network’s decision made way for a national debate on freedom of speech, which prompted Disney, which ownss ABC, to reverse the decision.
Since then, and even prior, in the wake of the shocking cancellation of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert earlier this year, President Donald Trump has repeatedly made insulting comments about Kimmel and his show, as well as called for Live to be cancelled.
During his final opening of the year, the host noted that "there are a lot harder jobs" than his, but that "this is not an easy job to do, and sometimes it feels like we're spinning our wheels." He added: "You see so many awful and destructive acts, all this damage we inflict on ourselves, on purpose, and it can make you feel crazy trying to wrap your head around these things that are so clearly wrong."
Winter PC game sales have officially begun, making now the perfect time to stock up your library with some excellent new games to play over the holidays. Steam, Fanatical, GOG, Humble Bundle, and the Epic Games Store have each launched their respective Winter sales, and there's a treasure trove of discounts to look through right now while they're still live.
Below, you can see a few more of our favorite offers from the various Winter sales right now. If you're curious to see the sales in full, just click on their individual links above.
Clair Obscure: Expedition 33 is a winner all around, with critic Michael Higham writing in his review, "Wearing its inspirations on its sleeve, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 paints itself into the pantheon of great RPGs with a brilliant combat system and a gripping, harrowing story."
With Christmas coming up next week, this is an excellent time to treat yourself to some new games to play over the holiday period. However, if you have to get last-minute shopping done right now for other people in your life with a love of games, we can help there as well. We've also gathered up the 10 best gifts for gamers to help you find the best gifts to give this year, from Xbox Game Pass gift cards to the sleek Meta Quest 3.
Hannah Hoolihan is a freelancer who writes with the guides and commerce teams here at IGN.
There’s never really a bad time to be reading comics, but 2025 proved to be an especially strong year for the industry. From DC’s Absolute Universe and Marvel’s Ultimate Universe to Skybound’s Energon Universe and IDW’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles relaunch, it’s never been easier or more rewarding to dive into the big franchises. And this was an equally great year for indie titles at publishers like Image Comics and Dark Horse.
Each December, the IGN team looks back at all the comics we’ve read over the past year and votes on which one we think is the greatest of them all. Now, the time has come to narrow down 2025’s lineup to the absolute best of the best and pick a winner. Keep reading to find out which book came out on top.
Honorable Mentions
As mentioned above, there’s rarely been a better time to dive into the big superhero properties, as publishers are making things more accessible than ever with reboots and relaunches like the Absolute Universe and Ultimate Universe. In fact, last year’s winner was Deniz Camp and Juan Frigeri’s The Ultimates, and that remains one of the best books on the stands. The same goes for Jonathan Hickman and Marco Checchetto’s Ultimate Spider-Man, Jason Aaron and Juan Ferreyra’s TMNT, and Daniel Warren Johnson’s Transformers.
Elsewhere in the industry, we were enamored by several Image Comics projects in 2025, including Johnson and Riley Rossmo’s fantasy adventure The Moon Is Following Us and Matt Rosenberg and Stefano Landini’s spy/revenge thriller We’re Taking Everyone Down With Us. It was also a great year for original graphic novels, including Mike Mignola’s Bowling With Corpses and Other Strange Tales from Lands Unknown, Mariko Tamaki and Nicole Goux’s This Place Kills Me, and Craig Thompson’s Ginseng Roots.
Runner-Up: Assorted Crisis Events
One of the challenges this year was figuring out which of Deniz Camp’s various projects to single out. The Ultimates is still great, and his collaboration with Javier Rodriguez, Absolute Martian Manhunter, is equally strong. But in the end, we had to give the nod to Camp and Eric Zawadzki’s Image Comics series Assorted Crisis Events.
Assorted Crisis Events is a sci-fi anthology series set in a world where a cosmic calamity is causing the very laws of time and space to break down. It’s like Crisis on Infinite Earths, only it focuses on the ordinary men and women who have to soldier on as the world collapses around them. It’s a high-concept, deeply character-focused series that never fails to tug at the heartstrings.
Runner-Up: Batman - Dark Patterns
DC publishes so many Batman comics that, statistically, one of them was bound to end up on this list. But as much as we’re enjoying the flagship Batman title from Matt Fraction and Jorge Jiménez and the bombastic thrill ride that is Scott Snyder and Nick Dragotta’s Absolute Batman, there’s a slightly more under-the-radar Bat-book that has truly consumed our attention this year. That would be Dan Watters and Hayden Sherman’s Batman: Dark Patterns.
In many ways, Dark Patterns is the spiritual successor to the classic Legends of the Dark Knight series. It’s set earlier in Batman’s career and takes more of a detective, noir-laden approach to his nightly adventures. It’s also an expertly plotted, gorgeously rendered series that trades blows with any superhero book on the stands. It’s just a shame we only got 12 issues.
Runner-Up: Drome
Of the many great graphic novels released in 2025, none left quite as strong an impression as Jesse Lonergan’s Drome. Lonergan has been one of the most exciting new cartoonists to hit the scene in recent years, and he truly levels up with this massive fantasy epic. Drome is essentially a sci-fi creation myth following a demigoddess sent to lead mankind away from its darker impulses. It’s a stark, beautifully rendered story, with all the inventive panel work and use of color we’ve come to expect from Lonergan.
Runner-Up: Ice Cream Man
Ice Cream Man has easily ranked among Image Comics’ best ongoing series for the past several years. Writer W. Maxwell Prince and artist Martín Morazzo have crafted one of the most unique horror comics on the stands. It’s an anthology series loosely tied together by the sinister title character, and one crammed full of disturbing, unsettling sights.
Part of the fun with Ice Cream Man is that the creators are never content to rest on their laurels and follow the same formula month-to-month. They’re always finding ways to experiment. Case in point: Issue #43 features a number of guest creators (including Grant Morrison and Patton Oswalt) crafting one-page tales of terror. It’s risks like that that make Ice Cream Man one of the most rewarding comics you’ll find today.
Winner: Absolute Wonder Woman
In many ways, 2025 really felt like the year of the Absolute Universe. This new line is easily the most exciting thing DC has launched in years, offering fresh, contemporary takes on DC’s classic heroes free of the burden of 80+ years of continuity. One need only look at the monthly sales charts to see that the Absolute line has struck a serious chord with readers.
We could have crowned any one of several Absolute titles as the winner this year and felt satisfied with our pick. Absolute Batman is an inspired revamp of DC’s most popular hero, and Absolute Martian Manhunter is quite possibly the most inventive superhero comic on the stands right now.
But, in the end, we had to give the crown to Kelly Thompson and Hayden Sherman’s Absolute Wonder Woman. More than any other Absolute comic, this series realizes the full promise of this blank canvas of a universe and truly reinvigorates Diana. Thompson’s characterization of a woman raised in Hades but whose heroic heart burns as brightly as ever fuels this series. And as for Sherman, his art is simply stunning, characterized by both massive scale and a true sense of warmth. Along with colorist Jordie Bellaire and letterer Becca Carey, they make a truly killer team.
Absolute Wonder Woman is IGN’s best comic of 2025.
Congratulations to DC Comics, and to the other publishers whose projects were recognized in the Best of 2025 awards. Did your favorites make the cut, or would you have picked different winners? Let us know in the comments below, and be sure to check out our full list of awards to see who else we honored in our round-up of the very best of games, movies, TV shows, and more from across the year. We hope you had a great year, and we’ll see you soon in 2026.
Variety is, as they say, the spice of life, and 2025 provided a fantastic array of different video games. We’ve survived and extracted from the robot-ruled battlefields of Arc Raiders, adventured across the medieval lands of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, and established mind-expanding exhibitions in Two Point Museum. We helped Keeper’s sentient lighthouse solve puzzles, and unearthed the secrets buried in Atomfall’s eerie England. But which of the year’s many different video games is worthy of being crowned the very best of 2025?
Every December, the IGN team considers all the games they’ve collectively played and reviewed across the year, and votes on which one they think is the greatest of them all. Which one is the “Game of the Year”? Sometimes that choice is incredibly difficult. Other years, it’s easy. 2025 was the latter, with our winner securing almost three-quarters of the vote. But what is that near-universally admired game? That’s what we’re here to reveal.
Honorable Mentions
Before we run down the games that made it onto our final shortlist, we’d like to recognise several other brilliant experiences that we’ve had this year. Hazelight Studios once again proved that it's the king of co-op with the wonderful Split Fiction, a creative action platformer that builds atop the successes of 2021’s It Takes Two with some of the most surprising and innovative level design that we’ve seen not just this year, but this decade. There was some interesting innovation happening over at Konami, too. With Silent Hill f, developer NeoBards Entertainment took the series’ trademark oppressive horror and blended it with a novel approach to new game plus to create a remarkable story that deepens with each replay.
Talking of replays, that’s the name of the game for Ball x Pit, the brick-breaking roguelike from Kenny Sun and Devolver Digital, whose furious action had us coming back for one more run time and time again. So long as our time wasn’t being stolen by Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time, of course – Level-5’s smart blend of Animal Crossing’s cosy slice-of-life and The Legend of Zelda’s dungeon diving turned out to be a real comfort game for us this year. The same could be said for Ghost of Yotei, too, which rekindled happy memories of 2020’s Ghost of Tsushima, but boosted all of that game’s good ideas with even deeper mechanics and more striking landscapes. It’s safe to say that 2025 was pretty good for games, and we’ve not even discussed the very best of them, yet.
Runner-Up - Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
Exactly half of our shortlist for the Best Game of 2025 is made up of sequels that faced tough challenges. Death Stranding 2: On the Beach arguably faced the most difficult one: how to turn a divisive “walking sim” into something more universally beloved, without betraying its core, admittedly niche values? The answer, perhaps unsurprisingly for a Kojima Productions project, was to look back to Metal Gear Solid and incorporate the freedom of The Phantom Pain into this open-world delivery simulator. A constantly rolling conveyor belt of gear, from ladders and boots to coffin hoverboards and weaponised electric guitars, ensures you always have the tools to tackle Death Stranding 2’s missions on your own terms. While this is still a game fundamentally about transporting items from location A to location B, no two deliveries feel the same. An ever-evolving and adapting world sees journeys that once unfolded on foot upgraded to make use of roads, ziplines, and eventually monorails, with destinations pursued either via your own pathways or by making use of creative solutions designed by other players. Such a journey isn’t purely physical, either; as you travel, your growing team supports you through an emotional ordeal that ponders the value of human connection. All this ensures that On the Beach finally fulfills the unique promise of the original Death Stranding.
Runner-Up - Hades 2
The creative juggernaut that is Supergiant Games likely could have simply recreated its 2020 roguelike hit, Hades, with just a few mechanical upgrades and still received critical acclaim. And, on the surface, that’s what Hades 2 appears to be. It takes just a single scratch to reveal the truth about this incredibly ambitious sequel, though, which smartly rethinks and remixes many of its predecessor’s fundamentals. Yes, this is still a game in which you battle as far as you can through the branching routes of a dungeon until death forces you to start all over again, but new protagonist Melinoë’s quest to kill Chronos, the Titan of Time, takes place along two opposing routes. Every run starts with a choice: ascend Mount Olympus, or descend into Tartarus. Each location provides entirely different bosses, biomes, storylines, and challenges, which solves the age-old roguelike issue of grinding repetition. Stuck on a formidable boss? There’s an entire other world to conquer instead. And conquer you will, armed with the most refined set of skills and upgrades the genre has seen. This is a buildcrafter's dream, even in spite of the random nature of your God-given boons, and each run is an opportunity to mold Mel into a brand new kind of magic weapon. With unrivaled art and music, and one of the tightest combat systems around, Hades 2 is a spectacular triumph.
Runner-Up - Hollow Knight: Silksong
The eight-year wait for Hollow Knight’s sequel did the expectations around Silksong no favours. This wasn’t just one of the most anticipated indie projects of all time – many major series with decades of history would envy this kind of attention. Some would say it’s nothing short of a miracle that Silksong met (and arguably exceeded) those expectations, but the reality is anchored in creative talent, clear vision, and exceptional art. This is one of the most beautifully drawn video games of the generation, packed with haunting caverns, overgrown dungeons, and myriad more unmissable vistas. Such regions are not just pretty, but precision-engineered to provide some of the best platforming challenges this side of Celeste and Super Meat Boy. And at the heart of each level are the exhilarating boss fights that are partially responsible for Silksong’s fiendish reputation. Yes, this is an unapologetically challenging adventure that stings as fiercely as any of its insectoid characters. But it never strikes unfairly, and its elegant Metroidvania map always offers an alternative route, should a foe prove too imposing. In a world where difficult games have perhaps become something of an oversubscribed format, the idea of a challenge being truly worth the pain has perhaps worn a little thin. But in Hollow Knight: Silksong, developer Team Cherry really has crafted a treasure worth fighting for.
Runner-Up - Blue Prince
The roguelite is nothing if not an incredibly malleable genre. You can make an action RPG roguelite, a shooter roguelite, a card game roguelite, even a puzzle roguelite – although that latter one is certainly rarer than the others. Joining that small roster of looping head-scratchers is Dogubomb’s Blue Prince, an elegantly crafted labyrinth in which the corridors are all of your choosing. Every new run is, fundamentally, an attempt to find a mysterious hidden room within a sprawling mansion where every new chamber you enter is chosen from a random selection of blueprints. But that overall goal is ultimately less important than the many secrets that await in every fresh attempt – room combinations that unlock clues to further mysteries, and breathtaking discoveries that deepen the house’s story. Its random nature is the initial obstacle, as building rooms in the correct order is all but impossible when you don’t know which blueprints you’ll be dealt. But soon you realise that the real challenge is in logic, pattern, and connections. And when you finally see the fine lines that link its many ideas together, it instantly becomes clear how immaculately constructed Blue Prince is.
Runner-Up - Donkey Kong Bananza
When Nintendo launched the original Switch, it did so with the open world-redefining Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. And so with Switch 2, the pressure was on to craft yet another ground-breaking launch window game. Nintendo took on that mission quite literally with Donkey Kong Bananza, in which your core interaction with the world is to shatter it into tiny chunks. We’ve had games with destructible environments before, but there’s nothing quite like Bananza’s complete demolition of its levels, which somehow still manage to maintain their Mario-grade craftsmanship even after having been pummeled to pieces. That terrain is filled with buried collectables, and excavating them often requires the completion of clever challenges that feel satisfying to solve every single time. The banana on top of this platforming delight, though, is the duo of DK and Pauline, whose pairing is not only charming, but also mechanically powerful: the titular Bananzas, activated via catchy songs, turn you into unstoppable brawling machines that can easily defeat monkey, monster, and mountain. It’s perhaps Nintendo’s best-ever power trip.
Winner - Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
There’s something undeniably nostalgic about Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. Its turn-based battles, party-driven story, and linear exploration are distinctly old-school in nature, and undeniably indebted to the RPG greats of yesteryear. There’s perhaps no other game out there that wears its love for Final Fantasy as proudly as Expedition 33 does. But with its debut game, Sandfall Interactive has done more than pay homage to the past – it has demonstrated a scholarly understanding of why those games succeeded, and how their ideas can be revitalised.
Within the framework of a traditional, Japanese-style role-playing game, the young studio has created a distinctly modern take on the genre. Breathtaking combat encounters demand both split-second, real-time reactions and careful turn-by-turn tactical planning. Daunting bosses are overcome by smart (and sometimes enjoyably exploitative) use of a deep perks system that empowers you to transform your band of adventurers into a battalion of unstoppable heroes. And the archetypes used for each party member, from elegant fencers to destructive mages, are defined not just by weapons, but by bespoke battle mechanics that ensure each character feels like a distinct, unique personality.
Sandfall’s artistry is not limited to its impressive combat systems, though. Clair Obscur transports you to a breathtaking world where every sight and sound feels genuinely fresh. Its distinctly French, Belle Époque-influenced art style is unlike anything in the genre, as is its incredible music, composed by Lorien Testard, which is destined to play alongside Nobuo Uematsu’s best work in the video game concerts of the future. But it’s Expedition 33’s deeply affecting, emotionally resonating story – and the powerfully drawn characters who live and suffer through it – that leaves the greatest mark. In a world where a deity extinguishes swathes of ever-younger people on an annual basis, what does it mean to survive, grieve, and, ultimately, continue on? The answers to those questions changed not just Clair Obscur’s characters, but its players, too. This is without a doubt the year’s most talked-about game, and it comes as no surprise that it didn’t just win IGN’s end-of-year vote, but stole it by a landslide.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is IGN’s Best Game of 2025.
Congratulations to Sandfall Interactive, and also to all of the studios whose games were nominated and recognised as part of our end-of-year awards. Did we choose your favourites, or do you think we missed a worthy winner? Let us know in the comments, and be sure to check out our full list of awards to see who else we honored in our round-up of the very best of games, movies, TV shows, and more from across the year. But for now, we hope you had a brilliant time with the fantastic games of 2025, and we’ll catch you for even more in 2026.
Matt Purslow is IGN's Executive Editor of Features.
Superheroes – either wholesome and hopeful or riddled with trauma and anxiety – were still a big part of the landscape, while big risky horror releases found success with both critics and the increasingly fickle box office. Zombies and Predators proved they could still draw audiences, while a trio of singing demon slayers flipped Netflix on its head... and made it cave to the all-important theatrical release.
So what was IGN's Best Movie of 2025? Well...
Honorable Mentions
Naturally, there were some fabulously fun flicks that sadly didn't quite make the nomination cut. James Gunn's Superman soared to rapturous heights as the hero we sorely needed in 2025, while Dan Trachtenberg went three for three with his amazing Predator entries, with Badlands proving to be a rollicking twist on the classic Yautja formula. Of course, we also can't overlook Danny Boyle's return to the 28 Days Later saga with 28 Years Later, a thoughtful dystopian adventure full of large emotions and even larger... well, you know.
Runner-Up: Weapons
Comedian/gamer/newly-minted horror maestro Zach Cregger nailed it with his follow-up to 2022's Barbarian, unleashing another terrifying modern fable with plenty of nasty zigs and zags. Weapons is a mystery piece that keeps you bobbing and weaving through its non-linear narrative until it levels you with a diabolical, spellbinding, cosplay-worthy twist. Anchored by Julia Garner, Josh Brolin, Benedict Wong, Alden Ehrenreich (hey, they're all in the MCU!), and a scene-stealing Amy Madigan, Weapons had moviegoers running back to the theaters, arms outstretched in a downward V, to see it again and again.
For writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson to make what is arguably his best work (among many other strong PTA contenders) in 2025 is a stunning achievement, and he did it by adapting a Thomas Pynchon novel too, which did not go so well for him with 2014's Inherent Vice. One Battle After Another had a tricky time with its marketing, unspooling several tonally different trailers ahead of its release: Some focused on the drama and action, and some on the quirky offbeat humor. But once you see it, it's clear why this film was hard to tease; there's nothing else quite like it. It's a generational saga that touches on a handful of relevant revolutionary social issues while also maintaining its own spirit and identity, and it's full of powerful performances (including a standout Chase Infiniti) and unforgettable sequences. See this VistaVision gem again... maybe after a few small beers.
At long last, Oscar winner Guillermo del Toro got to make the monster movie he's always wanted to tackle – his favorite piece of literature, complete with his favorite misunderstood creature: Frankenstein. The result is a glamorously gothic yarn about obsession, creation, the failings of fathers, and the nurturing of kindness. Mary Shelley's pioneering sci-fi novel has never been so preciously cared for and breathlessly adapted. Oscar Isaac embodies the fiercely flawed doctor, devilishly driven to achieve at all costs, while Jacob Elordi slinks his way into our hearts as a patchwork beast who ultimately overcomes being beset by violence and scorn since his first breaths, blossoming into a merciful being.
Equal parts fun and stressful – much like 2019's Uncut Gems before it – Marty Supreme combines the chaotic directing style of Josh Safdie with the charisma of Timothée Chalamet to make a one-of-a-kind ping pong movie that is, without a doubt, one of the year’s best films. It's an amazing first solo directing credit for Safdie that continues to build on the chaotic vibe he and his brother have been honing since Heaven Knows What. If you’re a fan of previous Safdie brothers efforts, you won’t be disappointed. But thanks to a career-defining performance from Chalamet as the charismatic Marty Mauser, Marty Supreme will appeal to more than just the film (and ping pong?) bros.
Netflix, notoriously coy about marketing and advertising most of their projects ahead of time (ideally wanting viewers to just turn on Netflix every night to see what's new), has relied heavily on organic viewer-generated buzz for over a decade. As we bid farewell to Stranger Things – a show that originally found a massive audience via word-of-mouth after having hardly any early advertising – it's fitting to spotlight the catchy, joyful phenomenon of KPop Demon Hunters, an animated film that shocked the streaming world, doing so well for Netflix (by the company's mostly secretive metrics) that the decision was made to release it in theaters over the summer after it already cleaned up at home! It's an awesome animated adventure with terrific fight sequences, captivating musical numbers, and an ample amount of harmony and heart.
Ryan Coogler's Sinners drops vampires into the 1930s South for a deeply personal, heartfelt, sexy, bloody story that sticks with you. Michael B. Jordan wows in a dual performance as twins Smoke and Stack, and other frequent Coogler collaborators – like cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw and costume designer Ruth E. Carter – do remarkable work bringing the brothers’ world to life. Sinners also puts music to beautiful use, as we’re reminded that vampirism is but one way to achieve immortality.
Coogler’s first horror movie expertly blends tears, fears, the Blues, and a macabre Southern Gothic setting for a look at love, loss, racism, and the blood that connects us all. And while we ultimately gave Weapons our Best Horror statue this year because, well, it was more horrific, Sinners is much more than just a horror movie. It's an ambitious swing that paid off, filled with clever uses of sound, color, and clothing. It was a clearly defined "vision" phenomenally brought to life in a way that AI could never – a grand accomplishment, made by humans with wisdom and soul, meant to be experienced in the movie theater. Sinners is IGN's pick for Best Movie of 2025!
So how'd we do? Did Sinners deserve to get best movie of 2025? Or what do you think should have won? Let’s talk in the comments, and don’t forget to vote in the poll above. And make sure to check out all our IGN Awards for 2025 across film, TV, gaming, anime, and comics!
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 fans have now had a week to play around with the game's new Photo Mode, introduced in its free DLC. And what a photo mode it is, resulting in some really incredible shots, funny meme recreations, and even discoveries of previously-hidden little details that are making us love this game even more.
The update, which launched on December 11 following Clair Obscur's incredible Game Awards sweep, includes a brand new location: Verso's Drafts, with new enemies and bosses and story. It also adds new language localizations, costumes, new ultra-hard bosses in the Tower, and the aforementioned Photo Mode. While all that other stuff is fun, the Photo Mode is really helping Clair Obscur shine. It's already a beautiful game, but some of these shots players are taking are next-level.
(Warning: While I endeavored not to include any overt story spoilers below, some of these images are from Act 3 of the game)
But my favorite part of this update has been a handful of new revelations about some of Clair Obscur's more precise details, such as the intricacy of the game's snowflakes, a hidden world map image, and a lot more.
Continued leaks of Marvel's Avengers: Doomsday marketing plans have left fans convinced they know everything in next week's Thor-focused trailer, prompting a stream of lookalike AI versions to hit the internet.
Another supposed leak has spilled the audio for Thor's trailer, which has since been widely-shared on reddit, and seemingly corroborated via Marvel tipster Daniel Richtman. The trailer apparently features a solemn prayer from Thor to his father during a quiet moment in a forest, as if reflecting on the eve of some fiercesome battle.
"Of all the crowns, the kingdoms, the pride, I ask for none.
"Father, hear your son. I am not worthy of life, but still I beg you to let the thread lengthen.
"Not for thunder, not for war... let me remain long enough to see my love once more."
Fans have noted — with no small amount of relief — that this version of Thor is clearly being pitched as more sober and less wacky than the character's last appearance in Taika Waititi's goat-screaming chucklefest Thor: Love and Thunder. There's not a sniff of the Russo Brothers' mopey takeaway-chomping, Fortnite-playing Infinity War version here either. Instead, the dialogue is spoken with a more mature and world-weary tone.
The other main point of discussion here is Thor's use of the word "love," which many fans have taken to mean his adoptive daughter Love seen in Love and Thunder. Without an official transcription, it's impossible to say for sure if Thor is using a capital L here or not, though it's likely intended to be ambiguous. Alternatively, it could also be a reference to Natalie Portman's Jane Foster, who now resides in Valhalla, or some character we haven't yet met.
Still, the reference to Thor's daughter would also be an obvious spark for a separate point of speculation: what is going on with the Avengers' kids, and why does Doctor Doom want them? Our first glimpse at Doom came at the very end of The Fantastic Four: First Steps, where he turned up seemingly to kidnap Reed and Sue's son Franklin. This week's reveal that Steve Rogers is now a dad has prompted fans to immediately expect Doom to turn up at his door too. Could Thor now be mourning the similar disappearance of his daughter?
Anyway, put all that discussion aside and fans have been left feeling pretty confident they know what next week's Thor trailer will look like, and if you head to YouTube right now it will serve you up a string of videos showing just that: Thor in a forest saying his prayer to his father, referencing love (or Love) at the end. One such trailer on the MCU Talk channel has 259,000 views. Another on the Snap Saga channel has 285,000 views. A third on the Everything Always channel has 154,000 views. A quick scroll downwards shows at least a dozen more.
Of course, none of these are real — and if they were, they'd likely be removed, as happened with the many, many uploads of the leaked Steve Rogers trailer. Instead, all of these videos are made with varying levels of poor quality by AI. Most are designed to look bad, shakily recorded on a potato phone at the back of some non-existant theater, in order to add to their 'authenticity.'
While fake trailers are certainly nothing new, it's still remarkable to see a situation where so many fakes have been made, all of which are near-identical to what fans believe the real thing will look like, when it arrives in theaters in less a week's time.
This week, it emerged that YouTube had killed two of its biggest channels dedicated to creating fake movie trailers. Both Screen Culture and KH Studio, whose fake movie trailer videos had collectively generated billions of views, are now unavailable, ending their ability to mislead fans into believing what they were watching was the real thing. As for Doomsday's next trailer, the real thing featuring Thor is now believed to be six days away. It'll be interesting to see how close those AI versions were when it does arrive.
Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
Eiji Aonuma, the producer of The Legend of Zelda series, recently dropped some hints about what players can expect from the next game in the series in an interview with Japanese news site 4Gamer. He noted that the collaboration with Koei Tecmo on Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment may influence the next mainline Legend of Zelda title.
While the Wii got Twilight Princess and the Switch got Breath of the Wild as launch titles, there has yet to be any announcement about an upcoming mainline Zelda game for the Switch 2. However, owners of Nintendo’s latest console do have Hyrule Warriors: The Age of Imprisonment to play. Age of Imprisonment is the latest entry in a spin-off series that combines Dynasty Warriors-style 1 vs. 1000 musou gameplay with the characters, lore, and locales of The Legend of Zelda. It allows players to experience the Imprisoning War that sealed away the Demon King Ganondorf. Like previous Hyrule Warriors games, Age of Imprisonment was a collaboration between Koei Tecmo and Nintendo, with Koei Tecmo and its new AAA Games Studio handling the development.
Zelda series producer Aonuma said that his team wanted to be the first to release a new Zelda title on the Switch 2, however Koei Tecmo beat them to it. “The Legend of Zelda: Age of Imprisonment is the first Zelda title released for the Nintendo Switch 2. To be honest, we wanted to bring out the ‘first’ (Zelda game on the new console),” he laughed.
Commenting on the collaboration with Koei Tecmo on Age of Imprisonment, Hidemaro Fujibayashi (director of Tears of the Kingdom and Breath of the Wild) said: “it was incredibly fun. They always had ideas we never would have come up with on our own, it was truly stimulating.”
In turn, Age of Imprisonment’s director Koki Aoyanagi talked about how motivating it was to receive such positive reactions from the Nintendo team, saying: "since they (the Nintendo team) were playtesting the game, we wanted to give them big surprises and moments of awe to experience." Age of Imprisonment producer Ryota Matsushita described the Zelda team and Koei Tecmo’s team as being “on the same wavelength” when it came to collaborating on the game, noting that Fujibayashi’s knowledge of real-life castles enabled them to instantly understand each other regarding how Hyrule Castle should be depicted in Age of Imprisonment.
“We aimed to combine these two approaches; the Zelda-like, strategic back-and-forth of using Zonai gear and varied techniques against powerful foes with the exhilaration of musou (i.e. feeling mighty powerful as you cut down waves of weaker foes),” noted AAA Games Studio head Yusuke Hayashi. Even when Nintendo’s Zelda team gave feedback on points of concern, Fujibayashi said that Koei Tecmo would come back with “proposals that elevated it into something even better.”
Aonuma even suggests that this fruitful collaboration might influence the next mainline Zelda title. “The inspiration we received from this collaboration with Koei Tecmo may be reflected in the (next) Zelda we create. Please picture this while playing Age of Imprisonment, and look forward to our Zelda.”
Aonuma’s comment is mysterious, but this means that we might get elements from Age of Imprisonment’s gameplay in the next mainline Zelda adventure.
“In the first place, the reason I decided to make this a sequel to the previous work was because I thought there was value in experiencing a new game in that Hyrule place,” Aonuma said. “If that's the case, if a new reason arises, we might return to the same world again. Whether it's a sequel or a new work, I think it's going to be a completely new game, so I hope you're looking forward to it.”
Director Hidemaro Fujibayashi also chimed in with his own comment: “We are very grateful that so many customers have been playing Tears of the Kingdom for so long and deeply, so we will do our best to make the next game even more enjoyable.”
Verity Townsend is a Japan-based freelance writer who previously served as editor, contributor and translator for the game news site Automaton West. She has also written about Japanese culture and movies for various publications.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 launched last month to become the best-selling game of November in the U.S. by dollar sales. That's a pretty good showing, right?
So what's up, and why is one of the best-selling games of the year already so heavily discounted? Well, it doesn't take a genius to realise that Black Ops 7 doesn't seem to be doing as well as last year's Black Ops 6.
Still, Call of Duty bounced straight back in 2024, and before that only Rockstar heavyweights like GTA 5 and Red Dead Redemption 2 had managed to knock it off the annual top spot, stretching all the way back to Rock Band in 2008.
Viewed in that context, it is hardly shocking that Activision is reportedly rethinking how it plans and releases Call of Duty year to year, or that it is already leaning on aggressive discounts not long after one of its biggest games hit shelves.
Robert Anderson is Senior Commerce Editor and IGN's resident deals expert on games, collectibles, trading card games, and more. You can follow him @robertliam21 on Twitter/X or Bluesky.
Your Labubu is about to be a star — a movie star that is. Last month, Sony snagged the rights to bring the hugely popular kids accessory to the silver screen in a major way, and now, it has announced Paddington director Paul King will direct the upcoming Labubu feature.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, King will produce as well as direct, alongside Department M and Wenxin She. Plus, Sony is working directly with the Chinese retailer of Labubu, brand owner Pop Mart, on this movie adaptation. As far as someone to write it, the project is so early in its development that they’re still looking to lock in a writer, so more on that in the future.
Labubu is the name of the lead monster doll of the brand, who will undoubtedly be featured in the film. Other named characters, who will also most likely show up in a movie adaptation, include Zimomo, companion Mokoko, and boyfriend Tycoco.
Labubus have become a cultural phenomenon over the last few years. Pop Mart sold the accessory via “blind boxes,” which have contributed to both the popularity of the dolls as well as the demand for them, as fans keep buying to try to get their favorite from the blind box. Because of this crazy demand, the secondhand market has spiked intensely, where collectors will pay insane prices to get the dolls through pop up sales and reselling sites, as well as auctions.
But that’s only one piece of the puzzle that got us to a Labubu feature film. The other element that made the dolls blow up in the zeitgeist was the celebrity endorsement. Major stars, including superstar K-Pop group Blackpink member Lisa, have publicly used them as accessories in the last couple of years, which raised their profile on a major scale.
As for King, he’s perhaps best known for directing the first two Paddington movies, which earned him two BAFTA nominations. He also wrote the third film in the franchise, Paddington in Peru. The last project he directed was the Willy Wonka prequel Wonka starring Timothee Chalamet in the title role, but early in his career, he also previously directed all of the episodes of the beloved The Mighty Boosh series.
No word yet on when to expect the Labubu movie to hit theaters, but just know: the monsters are coming... and knowing King's work on building Paddington into a beloved British icon, we might just love them, too.
Photo by Michael Simon/Getty Images for POP MART.
Lex Briscuso is a film and television critic and a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. You can follow her on Twitter at @nikonamerica.
While it might appear to most fans that Fallout Season 2, Episode 1 answered any lingering questions about the true identify of antagonist Mr. House, there are lingering theories that the character may not be who he seems. Well, it really is that simple, Fallout fans are insisting — and no, that’s not his brother.
If all that sounds a little like word soup to you, let’s get some background in. Fallout Season 1 ended with Rafi Silver as Mr. House plotting to end the world with a nuclear bomb for profit. We saw a shadowy figure watch on, a character who was not named.
Season 2, however, “recast” Mr. House with Justin Theroux taking over. But as becomes apparent in the first scene from Episode 1, this isn’t a recast situation. Rather, there’s a perfectly good in-universe explanation for why we all of a sudden have a new actor playing Mr. House.
We see Rafi Silver’s Mr. House on the TV, calling on the government to let his company, RobCo, do all sorts of things a company really shouldn’t be doing. This is the public-facing Mr. House, the Robert House the people of Fallout’s alternate history believed to be the real boss of the company. But watching on in a bar is Justin Theroux as Mr. House. He’s his own biggest fan, he admits. That’s because he’s the real Robert House, pulling the strings from the shadows, and the obvious candidate for that shadowy figure from the end of Season 1.
Justin Theroux’s Mr. House, it turns out, has a horrible mind control device that he ends up testing out on a hapless goon. Perhaps he was using this to control his body double at the end of Season 1? It will surely play a crucial role in what’s to come, either way.
In the Wasteland of the future, Lucy and The Ghoul are traveling to New Vegas, where Mr. House rules the roost. We haven’t seen him yet, but post-apocalyptic Justin Theroux will be waiting for The Ghoul in what looks like the computer form we saw him in the much-loved video game.
Why is all this important? Because there is a theory doing the rounds that Theroux is playing Anthony House, Robert House’s brother. Anthony House is a character mentioned only in Fallout: New Vegas, and the show would have to be doing some deep and potentially confusing cuts here to work him into the events of the show.
But fans now believe the body double theory to be the answer here, based on what we’ve seen in Episode 1 and various pieces of promotional material released to support the second season. And then there’s a quote from Rafi Silver himself, speaking to Deadline on the Fallout red carpet: “I’m a dude playing a dude disguised as Robert House.”
“Thank goodness,” one fan said. “Tired of the overexplaining theories. Some things are just... that simple.”
The question is, to what extent does Silver’s body double believe he is in fact the real Mr. House? And what happened to him in the last 200 years? And, which Mr. House do we meet in Fallout: New Vegas, really?
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
It's mighty high MSRP is $120, but if you don't mind paying a little more, Amazon has got the elusive set down to $139.99 right now (sold and shipped directly from Amazon, not a dodgy third-party). That's below market price, around $150, and even better than trusted resale sites like TCGplayer.
Unfortunately, it won't arrive until after Christmas, but if you're keen on picking it up, here’s a complete list of what’s included in the collection:
1 foil full-art promo card featuring Mega Charizard X ex
1 foil full-art promo card featuring Oricorio ex
65 card sleeves featuring Mega Charizard X
1 playmat featuring Mega Charizard X
1 deck box featuring Mega Charizard X
1 metal coin featuring Mega Charizard X
6 damage-counter dice
18 Pokémon TCG booster packs:
2 Surging Sparks TCG booster packs
4 Journey Together TCG booster packs
4 Destined Rivals TCG booster packs
4 Mega Evolution TCG booster packs
4 Phantasmal Flames TCG booster packs
A code card for Pokémon TCG Live
This should go without saying, but this collection really only makes sense if you want the exclusive TCG accessories included in the box, at least in my experience with it.
There’s nothing inherently wrong with what’s here, but the selection of booster packs feels just a tiny bit tired. More Phantasmal Flames, or even Mega Evolution packs, would have gone a long way.
Instead, the heavy reliance on Surging Sparks and Journey Together makes the whole thing feel a step behind where it should be. Still, if that isn't an issue for you, than this is the best value going for the latest Ultra Premium Collection online right now.
If you're looking to just chase cards, however, I'd also recommend checking out how much some of the best single chase cards are going for right now, to pick up individually. Or, to consult after you've cracked open all your packs. Good luck!
From aggressive Mega attackers to powerful evolution support, Phantasmal Flames brings a fiery mix of competitive threats and high-demand pulls.
Robert Anderson is Senior Commerce Editor and IGN's resident deals expert on games, collectibles, trading card games, and more. You can follow him @robertliam21 on Twitter/X or Bluesky.
If you need to get last-minute shopping done before Christmas, Amazon has a wide variety of deals available at the moment that can ship to you just in time. Right now, that even includes a couple of fantastic discounts on select amiibo.
The Yunobo amiibo from The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is currently marked down to just $8 at the retailer, and the amiibo of Donkey Kong and Pauline from Donkey Kong Bananza is on sale for $20. Usually these both come with $30 price tags, so this is a great opportunity to pick them up. Amazon even notes that they'll both arrive before Christmas, so the timing couldn't be better.
Amiibo on Sale at Amazon
On top of that, these deals even mark new all-time low prices for both the Yunobo amiibo and the Donkey Kong and Pauline amiibo. However, it's worth keeping in mind that they're both listed as limited-time deals, so you'll want to be quick to pick up your favorite while they're still at their lowest prices yet.
As for what they each do in-game, the Yunobo figure sets you up with exclusive goodies in Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, including a fabric for Link’s paraglider in the latter. The Donkey Kong and Pauline figure, on the other hand, gets you Pauline’s Diva Dress outfit and gold KONG tiles that can explode on impact when you swing or throw them.
Looking for even more gaming-related items to grab before Christmas hits? We have plenty of options worth exploring in our roundup of the 10 best gifts for gamers, whether you're looking to grab a Nintendo Switch 2 for someone you know this year or treat them to the incredibly cool LEGO Game Boy.
Hannah Hoolihan is a freelancer who writes with the guides and commerce teams here at IGN.
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