Ubisoft has announced a release date for Claws of Awaji, its first Assassin's Creed Shadows expansion. The major new add-on will arrive on September 16 as a paid DLC, or for free to those who pre-ordered the game.

Included within it is a new region — the island of Awaji — fresh gear, abilities, outfits, enemies, and 10 hours of new story content that picks up Shadows' main plotline for those who've now seen the game's main end credits roll.

What new revelations lie in wait for Naoe concerning her family? Will Yasuke get to take down some more Templars? There are now less than two months to go until we find out.

A fresh roadmap of other content coming to Assassin's Creed Shadows includes a big progession update on July 29, featuring the addition of New Game Plus mode, a level cap increase from 60 to 80, further upgrades for all hideout buildings, and the ability to upgrade Knowledge ranks to 9 and 10.

It's also with this update that the game's third Animus 'Project' will arrive, offering further free rewards for undertaking weekly missions, including new modern day lore.

New Game Plus will unlock as soon as you hit the credits of the main game, and let you restart the game's story again from either the very beginning or after Naoe inherits ownership of your hideout. Handy! Story, location and objective board progression will be reset, but you'll keep your character level, gear, skill points, Knowledge rank and Hideout. Finally, completing the game again via New Game Plus will unlock unique rewards, so you can show off just how many hundreds of hours you have played.

Early in September, another free update will add several fan-requested quality-of-life improvements, including the ability to fast-forward the time of day, better unfog the world map when synchronising with viewpoints (finally!), and yet more improvements for your hideout. PC players will also be able to toggle an uncapped framerate in cutscenes.

There's no further word on Assassin's Creed Shadows' likely arrival on Nintendo Switch 2 today, but if Ubisoft boss Yves Guillemot is to be believed, it doesn't sound like it'll be long.

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

Donkey Kong Bananza has been out for a week now, and speedrunners are already figuring out incredibly fast ways to beat the game in as little as an hour and a half. While they're sure to find ways to cut that time down even more in the coming weeks and months, one really interesting trick has been discovered with a strange side effect: it skips getting Pauline as DK's companion.

Warning! Spoilers for the ending of Donkey Kong Bananza's Lagoon Layer follow. Read on at your own risk!

In a normal playthrough, Pauline bursts out of Odd Rock near the end of the Lagoon Layer when she and DK play music together and activate DK's Kong Bananza transformation. It's a critical story moment both in that it actually introduces Pauline into the story proper, but also because the cutscene is required to get Kong Elder to open the door to the next layer.

However, speedrunners have found a trick that lets them skip the whole thing. The drop to the next layer is hidden in a building that DK can actually clip into under the right circumstances. This video shows the trick in action, but it essentially involves hanging from a pipe close to a barred window into the building, and rapidly entering and exiting Photo Mode to get DK to clip through the bars and into the room with the hole. This works regardless of whether DK has Pauline or not, which means DK and Odd Rock can journey to the next layer together without progressing the story.

Unfortunately for Odd Rock lovers out there, you can't actually progress the game much farther this way. The next sublayer is a boss fight arena, and while you can collect a few Banandium Gems in there with Odd Rock's support, the boss won't actually spawn if you don't have Pauline with you. Weirdly, you will hear a bit of Pauline's (not Odd Rock's) dialogue as you approach the arena, but with no boss to fight there's also no way to manifest the big hole in the ground that leads to the next main layer. So you're soft locked until you go back and properly get Pauline.

That said, knowing how fast speedrunners work at breaking these things, I wouldn't be surprised if we hear about them solving this new problem sometime soon and doing something that results in some crazy no-Pauline tricks, or maybe even ways to skip Odd Rock entirely. After all, The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom runners figured out how to play as Link instead of Zelda. Video games are just wacky like that sometimes.

Donkey Kong Bananza is out now, and we love it, having given the game a 10/10 in our review. As our reviewer said, "Donkey Kong Bananza is a truly groundbreaking 3D platformer, with satisfying movement, powerful abilities, impressive destructible environments, and clever challenges that all come together in complete harmony to create Nintendo’s first Switch 2 masterpiece."

If you, like us, can't get enough of Bananza, we have plenty of walkthroughs to aid your journey underground, including Banandium Gem locations, starter tips and tricks, and a full walkthrough.

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.

We’ve grown used to supply shortages after a new game console comes out. I don’t even remember how many months it was after the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S came out that you could just go online and order one without any issue. To date, the Switch 2 stock seems to have been more available than other recent consoles (it’s the fastest-selling console in US history, after all). But generally since launch, if you looked for a Switch 2 at any of the usual retailers online, it’s almost certainly been unavailable. Until now: Nintendo Switch 2 is currently in stock at most retailers.

Get a Nintendo Switch 2 + Mario Kart World Bundle

Get a Nintendo Switch 2

Amazon Switch 2 Invites Are Going Out Fast

You Can Easily Preorder the Switch 2 Pokemon: Legends Z-A Bundle

When Eddie Alcazar was growing up, his favorite game was Street Fighter. And now, he’s taken that love and integrated it deeply into his new animated series Bullet Time. Alcazar, who spent years working in the video game industry - including a stint at EA contributing to the Medal of Honor series, developed Bullet Time as an ode to games and the fans who love them.

“I spent about eight years in the video game industry working on a lot of different titles, and they've always been a huge part of my childhood,” Alcazar says.” I think Mario was the very first game I ever played (but) my favorite game is Street Fighter. Once Street Fighter came out, that was very revolutionary. And so I wanted to do something that I was knowledgeable in and that I could have fun with. And I felt like it was almost in a way, Beavis and Butt-head when they watched music videos.”

Magic: The Gathering’s new space-themed set Edge of Eternities is just days away, making this an ideal time to check in on the competitive meta of the long-running card game before the second half of the year brings us spaceships and Spider-Man.

Using data from MTGDecks.net, we’ve got some of the best decks around in top-tier play. Naturally, some are pricier than others, but if you’re looking for something to put together with your own collection, here are some great options.

5 - Vivi Cauldron

Just in case there was any lingering doubt about the wild success of FromSoftware's juggernaut Elden Ring series, today publisher Bandai Namco confirmed its DLC, Shadow of the Erdtree, has sold over 10 million copies, and its co-op spin-off title, Elden Ring Nightreign, five million.

The base game itself has now exceeded 30 million copies sold.

Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree is a single-player DLC expansion for FromSoftware's hit RPG featuring an all-new story set in the Realm of Shadow, complete with new weapons, items, enemies, and boss encounters.

We thought Shadow of the Erdtree was a 'Masterpiece', and awarded it a rare 10/10, writing in IGN's Shadow of the Erdtree review: "Like the base game did before it, Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree raises the bar for single-player DLC expansions. It takes everything that made the base game such a landmark RPG, condenses it into a relatively compact 20-25 hour campaign, and provides fantastic new challenges for heavily invested fans to chew on."

The base game similarly received a 10/10 when we reviewed it on release back in February 2022, but Nightreign — another standalone adventure — didn't fare quite as well, securing a 'Good' 7/10 in our Elden Ring Nightreign review. Nonetheless, Bandai reported that it sold more than 2 million copies in under 24 hours.

"When Elden Ring Nightreign is played exactly as it was designed to be played, it’s one of the finest examples of a three-player co-op game around – but that's harder to do than it should be, and playing solo is poorly balanced," we wrote at the time.

Earlier today, we reported that Sony has acquired a 2.5% stake in Elden Ring publisher Bandai Namco. Sony said the 16 million-share acquisition forms part of a broader "strategic partnership" with Bandai Namco and "will focus on expanding the fan community for IP such as anime and manga around the world and strengthening engagement."

Perhaps unsurprisingly, then, yes, there's an Elden Ring movie under way. Director Alex Garland recently revealed he's currently on his seventh playthrough of the epic fantasy RPG, and still thinks "it's Malenia who's the tough one."

Vikki Blake is a reporter for IGN, as well as a critic, columnist, and consultant with 15+ years experience working with some of the world's biggest gaming sites and publications. She's also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.

The DC Extended Universe was set to rival the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but its become pretty clear that its track record didn't end up being as successful. As time went on, the films started becoming more standalone and only contained smaller references to the wider universe and story. This was made even more clear when Joker and The Batman shed off all their DCEU connections and began telling their own stories.

Despite that, there is still a lot to enjoy in the collection of films that began with 2013’s Man of Steel. Fans can obviously watch the films in the order that they were released, but there were a few entries that take place before some of the films that came before them. If you want to watch the DC films in chronological order, this guide was made specifically for you.

If you're interested in catching up on the DCEU movies before the new DCU arrives, we’ve listed all of the films in chronological order and release order below.

Jump to:

• How to watch in chronological order
• How to watch in release order

How Many DCEU Movies Are There?

There are 16 movies in the DCEU if you count both Suicide Squad films. The Batman and Joker are technically standalone films, and upcoming DC comic adaptations are primarily part of James Gunn's DCU reboot.

The DCEU Movies in (Chronological) Order

1. Wonder Woman (2017)

Despite being the fourth installment of the DCU, 2017’s Wonder Woman takes place earliest in the timeline. This film marks the second appearance of Gal Gadot as Diana Prince/Wonder Woman and follows her introduction in 2016’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.

Primarily a period piece set during the first World War, the film introduces audiences and Diana to US pilot Steve Trevor after he crashes on Themyscira, the hidden island of the Amazons. Soon after, German soldiers invade Themyscira, and certain other events that follow lead Diana and Steve to leave the island and travel to London.

Read our review of Wonder Woman.

2. Wonder Woman 1984 (2020)

As with Wonder Woman, its 2018 sequel is a period piece, this time primarily set in the year 1984. The events of this film bring Wonder Woman to face off against Cheetah (Kristen Wiig) and Maxwell Lord (Pedro Pascal). Wonder Woman 1984 takes place before all other DCU films besides the original, and doesn’t feature too many tie-ins to other characters or movies.

Read our review of Wonder Woman 1984.

3. Man of Steel (2013)

Man of Steel is the movie that kicked off the DCU and introduced the world to Henry Cavill’s Superman. The film begins by showing audiences the destruction of Kal-El’s home planet of Krypton before depicting Earth in roughly the year 2013. Clark Kent grows up and becomes the legendary Superman (spoilers, in case you hadn’t heard by now), and is accompanied by some familiar faces along the way, including Lois Lane (Amy Adams), General Zod (Michael Shannon), Martha Kent (Diane Lane), Jonathan Kent (Kevin Costner), and more.

Read our review of Man of Steel.

4. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)

Very loosely based on a pivotal fight in the classic DC comic The Dark Knight Returns, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice takes place eighteen months after the events of Man of Steel, and tells the story of how Batman (Ben Affleck) reacts to the idea of an alien as powerful as Superman having free reign.

This film marks the first time Batman and Superman have starred in a live-action film together, and it also introduced audiences to modern film versions of Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot), Flash (Ezra Miller), Aquaman (Jason Momoa), Cyborg (Ray Fisher), Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg), Alfred Pennyworth (Jeremy Irons), and more.

DC fans were also treated to a live-action version of the Superman villain Doomsday as well as a tease of DC Comics’ ultimate baddie, Darkseid.

Read our review of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.

5. Suicide Squad (2016)

The first of the Suicide Squad films takes place about a year after Batman v Superman and even features a quick cameo by Ben Affleck’s Dark Knight. Unlike the classic superheroes featured in that film, however, Suicide Squad stars a group of imprisoned criminals and supervillains who are recruited by government agent Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) to join what is officially known as Task Force X. The group is tasked with completing a seemingly impossible mission in exchange for a reduction of their prison sentences. However, if they stray from the mission, nanite bombs implanted into their necks will explode.

A divisive film, Suicide Squad nonetheless features an all-star cast. Will Smith stars as Deadshot, Margot Robbie gets her debut performance as Harley Quinn, and certain other recurring characters get their first bit of screen time, including Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman) and Captain Boomerang (Jai Courtney). Oh, and this is the film that introduced the world to Jared Leto’s take on Joker.

Read our review of Suicide Squad.

6. Justice League (2017)

Justice League takes place about one year after the events of Suicide Squad and stars the returning cast of Batman v Superman. The film deals with the fallout of the death of Superman, and also features Steppenwolf and his parademons as the main villains. J.K. Simmons also makes his first appearance as Commissioner James Gordon.

Mostly shot by Zack Snyder, Justice League was finished by Joss Whedon after Snyder exited the project due to personal tragedy.

Read our review of Justice League.

7. Zack Snyder’s Justice League (2021)

While many thought it would never happen, Zack Snyder’s Justice League finally saw its much-requested release in 2021. It is mostly the same overarching story, meaning it is set in the same place in the timeline. However, there are many differences between the two cuts of the film, including the return of Jared Leto’s Joker, a more prominent role for Darkseid, and the introduction of Martian Manhunter.

Read our review of Zack Snyder's Justice League.

8. Aquaman (2018)

Jason Momoa’s first solo DC film came in the form of 2018’s Aquaman. The film is set about a year after Justice League, but it takes a bit of time to dive deep into Aquaman’s origin story. Alongside the story of Aquaman’s rise to power and his attempt to protect Atlantis, the movie also introduced Mera (Amber Heard), Vulko (Willem Dafoe), King Orm (Patrick Wilson), Atlanna (Nicole Kidman), and classic Aquaman nemesis Black Manta (Yahya Abdul Mateen II).

Read our review of Aquaman.

9. Shazam! (2019)

2019’s Shazam! introduced audiences to orphan Billy Batson (Asher Angel), a teenager who is chosen by an ancient wizard named Shazam to be his new champion. With the powers he’s granted, Batson transforms into an adult superhero also named Shazam (Zachary Levi), and has to face off against obsessive scientist Thaddeus Sivana (Mark Strong), who is intent on claiming Shazam’s power for his own.

Shazam! is mostly a standalone story, and only includes a few references to other DCU characters and moments.

Read our review of Shazam!

10. Birds of Prey (2020)

Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) is set about four years after the events of Suicide Squad and picks up after the Joker and Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) break up. As Quinn recovers from the split, she crosses paths with crime lord Roman Sionis (Ewan McGregor) and his unhinged right-hand-man Victor Zsasz (Chris Messina).

As she struggles against Sionis and attempts to save a young pickpocket named Cassandra Cain (Ella Jay Basco), Quinn is joined by disgraced cop Renee Montoya (Rosie Perez), the vigilante known as the Huntress (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), and Dinah Lance, also known as the Black Canary (Jurnee Smollett).

Despite being a loose sequel to Suicide Squad, Birds of Prey is another example of a DCU film that is mostly disconnected from other films in the franchise, but this is where it would fit into the timeline.

Read our review of Birds of Prey.

11. Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023)

We know that the first Shazam film takes place around late 2018 and it has been confirmed that Shazam 2 takes place 2 years later. That would mean the movie takes place sometime between late 2020 and early 2021. It is unclear if Zachary Levi's child-like super hero will continue on in the DCU, but it's possible that James Gunn will decide to keep him.

Read our Shazam! Fury of the Gods review.

12. The Suicide Squad (2021)

Also a sequel to Suicide Squad, The Suicide Squad was directed by James Gunn (Guardians of the Galaxy), and is a new take on Task Force X. While it does include some returning characters, such as Harley Quinn, Amanda Waller, Rick Flag, and Captain Boomerang, the story is centered largely around the mercenary Bloodsport (Idris Elba) and fellow teammate Peacemaker (John Cena).

As has been the trend in these later films, The Suicide Squad is very much separate from the DCU’s main story that was being built up in the earlier years, but there are a few nods to the wider world, including of all things a giant, mind-controlling starfish from space named Starro the Conqueror, who was once the first villain the orignal comic book Justice League ever fought!

A huge success, The Suicide Squad is the first film in the franchise to spawn a streaming show in the MCU style, an offbeat miniseries featuring the return of Peacemaker.

Read our review of The Suicide Squad.

13. Black Adam (2022)

Black Adam was meant to usher in a new era of DCU movies, but with many lackluster reviews it didn't end up getting too far. Now that James Gunn has taken over direction of the universe, Dwayne Johnsons isn't likely to be one we'll see again.

As for the timeline of this movie, Black Adam is set after the events of Justice League and The Suicide Squad. This can be seen from the comic books, merchandise, and references from other movies. There's also the Black Adam post credits scene that features Superman alive that gives away it's placement on the timeline.

Read our Black Adam review.

14. The Flash (2023)

The Flash, timeline-wise, is set sometime after the events of Justice League (2017), but it also jumps around in time. Centering on Barry Allen (Ezra Miller), the film follows Barry as uses his newfound super powers of speed to go back in time and change a devastating moment from his past. But changing the past has consequences, and Barry will have to find a way to set things (and time) right.

Read our The Flash review.

15. Blue Beetle (2023)

Blue Beetle is a very standalone tale that can be watched at most any point in this timeline. It's also an interesting film as Xolo Maridueña's Blue Beetle will be part of the DCU despite this movie being part of the old DCEU. EIther way, Blue Beetle is an entertaining tale of Jamie Reyes fusing with an alien device called a Scarab and getting superpowers. This causes problems with those who wish to use these power for themselves, and Jamie needs to rise up become the Blue Beetle to save everything he loves.

Read our Blue Beetle review.

16. Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023)

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom has the distinct honor of closing out the DCEU. Unfortunately, it wasn't the grand ending everyone was hoping for. However, there are parts to enjoy and this film can be safely watched at the end, as it was meant to be, as it picks up after the events of the original film and follows Arthur Curry's reign as the King of Atlantis. He still has Black Manta to worry about, especially now that he has an ancient black trident of great power, and he has to free his brother Orm from prison to save everything.

Read our Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom review.

Bonus: Joker (2019)

2019’s Joker is a wildly successful film that earned over a billion dollars at the box office despite being entirely entirely unconnected to the DCEU. While Jared Leto’s Joker starred in 2016’s Suicide Squad, his behind-the-camera antics led to his eventual replacement. Director Todd Phillips cast Joaquin Phoenix in a new take on Batman’s most famous villain. Additionally, its separation from the DCEU means you don’t need to watch any of the other DCEU films to understand Joker’s story.

Read our Joker review.

Bonus: The Batman (2022)

Originally intended as a DCEU vehicle for Ben Affleck to produce, co-write, direct, and star in a feature film based on his version of the character, The Batman was eventually reworked into a standalone film by Matt Reeves after Affleck left the project.

The Batman takes place during Bruce Wayne’s (Robert Pattinson) second year as the Dark Knight, as he attempts to solve the mystery of multiple murders in Gotham being committed by The Riddler (Paul Dano). As a new take on the franchise, the movie also introduces new versions of Catwoman (Zoe Kravitz), Commissioner Gordon (Jeffrey Wright), and Alfred Pennyworth (Andy Serkis), as well as classic Batman villain Penguin (Colin Farrell) and mob boss Carmine Falcone (John Turturro).

Read our The Batman review.

All DCEU Movies in Release Order

• Man of Steel (2013)
• Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
• Suicide Squad (2016)
• Wonder Woman (2017)
• Justice League (2017)
• Aquaman (2018)
• Shazam! (2019)
• Birds of Prey (2020)
• Wonder Woman 1984 (2020)
• Zack Snyder’s Justice League (2021)
• The Suicide Squad (2021)
• Black Adam (2022)
• Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023)
• The Flash (2023)
• Blue Beetle (2023)
• Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023)

Upcoming DC Universe Movies

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom marked the end of the DCEU timeline, so upcoming movies are instead considered part of the "rebooted" DCU from James Gunn's DC Studios. While the first "Gods and Monsters" chapter of the DCU actually kicked off in December with the TV series Creature Commandos, perhaps the most anticipated part of this reboot is James Gunn's Superman movie (which just released in theaters). Outside of Gunn's DCU, we'll also (eventually) get to see a follow-up Matt Reeves' The Batman.

Upcoming DCU Reboot Movies and Series:

• Peacemaker Season 2 (August 21, 2025)
• Supergirl (June 26, 2026)
• Clayface (September 11, 2026)
• The Batman Part II (October 1, 2027)
• Dynamic Duo (Animated Robin Origin Movie) (June 30, 2028)
• Lanterns TV Series (Early 2026)
• Mister Miracle Animated Series (In Production)
• Batman: The Brave and the Bold (In Development)
• Creature Commandos Season 2 (In Development)
• The Authority (In Development)
• Swamp Thing (In Development)
• Teen Titans Movie (In Development)
• Bane/Deathstroke Movie (In Development)
• Wonder Woman Movie (In Development)
• Waller TV Series (In Development)
• Booster Gold TV Series (In Development)
• Paradise Lost TV Series (In Development)
• Blue Beetle Animated Series (In Development)
• Harley Quinn and Other Animated Titles (In Development)

Other Upcoming DC Movies:

• The Batman Part II (October 1, 2027)

For those interested in knowing what DCU movies are coming out next, we've got you covered. You can also read our guide to what DC comics will help you prepare for the big reboot.

Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

Retired WWE legend and ‘80s icon Terry Gene Bollea a.k.a. Hulk Hogan has died at 71.

The wrestling icon's family confirmed with US Weekly that the entertainment star and athlete passed away earlier today. TMZ Sports, which was first to report the news, said that medics were called to his Clearwater, Florida home this morning. Audio from operators at the time signals the call was related to “cardiac arrest,” but a formal cause of death has not been revealed.

We’re headed back to Wakanda a little early, folks. Eyes of Wakanda, the new animated Black Panther spinoff series, is set to debut earlier than expected on August 1 — a whole three and a half weeks before its original premiere date of August 27.

All four episodes of the series will premiere that day and will be available to watch on Disney+. The show, interestingly enough, is going to explore several different time periods, as each episode plays out in an entirely different time and place.

That said, the show as a whole centers on Winnie Harlow’s Noni, a former Dora Milaje member and new Hatut Zaraze recruit who is “a James Bond version of a Dora who just doesn't tow the company line," showrunner and director Todd Harris told Entertainment Weekly.

In the first episode, Noni goes after The Lion, played by Cress Williams. He’s a former Wakandan himself — but he betrayed his homeland by stealing its coveted technology and subsequently installing himself as a warlord as a result. It’s her job to take back what he stole, and Harris opened up to the outlet about using this as a jumping off point for the rest of the show.

"We always knew we needed an inciting incident," the series creator explained. "I kind of went off of Apocalypse Now. What if Wakanda turned into their Colonel? That combined with a Thulsa Doom, an Atlantian in Conan who was from a much older civilization, who created an empire off of the existing world. So with those two themes going into it, that's the kind of thing that would bring Wakanda into the situation where legitimate resources have to be put towards it."

Harris also previously revealed that folks will get to see fan favorite Marvel character Iron Fist in the series — but that he will be a decidedly different version from the one we’ve already met in Netflix’s short-lived Iron Fist series. Harris told EW that he and writers Marc Bernardin and Geoffrey Thorne made it a point to dive deep and touch "the weird corners in the Marvel universe to see what we can get away with,” including with Iron Fist.

Lex Briscuso is a film and television critic and a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. You can follow her on Twitter at @nikonamerica.

The official Battlefield 6 official reveal trailer has debuted in a cacophony of explosions, but wrapped up without providing the game's release date. Instead, today's look simply ended with word of a further reveal next week — this time of the game's multiplayer modes — on July 31.

Still, for Battlefield fans, today's big reveal provided some welcome reassurance that series staples such as large-scale destruction and vehicle-based combat featuring planes, trucks and tanks would once again return. We also got to see at least three helicopters crash in under three minutes.

But today's trailer did not include confirmation of the game's now-leaked release date. As IGN reported this morning, Battlefield 6 is widely-expected to arrive on October 10 — something that eagle-eyed fans have now seen is backed up by the game's own terms and conditions on EA's website, which note that date as when the game's pre-launch offers will end.

Instead, today's trailer was focused on Battlefield 6's campaign. Picking up on yesterday's tease of a new global mercenary group, Pax Armata, which has threatened the world and targeted NATO, this fresh trailer saw the US fighting back amid attacks on its own soil.

"For the Pax Armata mercenaries who are watching now, I have a message," the US president states, after nervously stepping up to the White House podium. "It's over."

After a lengthy development and an array of development studios working on the project, it was intriguing to see Battlefield 6's first proper trailer begin with a nervous-sounding US leader behind the microphone. For him, as with EA itself, this is something of a big moment.

The Nintendo Switch 2 and Pokémon Legends Z-A bundle is still live at Best Buy for $499.99, and it’s a smart pickup if you’re planning to get both anyway. You save $20 off the digital copy of the game, and with Switch 2 stock being all over the place, locking one in now isn’t a bad move.

On the Pokemon TCG side, both the Black Bolt and White Flare Elite Trainer Boxes have dipped below Amazon pricing on TCGPlayer, now sitting at $91.50 and $90.98, respectively. That’s some of the best pricing we’ve seen outside of limited restocks, and probably your best shot at avoiding inflated third-party listings (although it's still way over MSRP).

TL;DR: Deals For Today

Elsewhere in today’s deals, the Galaxy S24 Ultra is $799.99 at Best Buy, which is $500 off its usual price and a great buy for an unlocked flagship. ROG Ally is also down to $499.99 with the Z1 Extreme chip and 512GB storage, which makes it one of the better portable gaming options if you want full Windows access. Soundcore P20i earbuds are just $19.98, the Anker 332 Power Strip is $15.99, and the upgraded 100W Anker Nano Charging Station is $35.99. All three are practical, everyday gear at their lowest prices in weeks.

Switch 2 + Pokémon Legends: Z-A Bundle

Pokémon Legends: Z-A (Switch 2)

Pokémon Legends: Z-A (Switch 1)

Black Bolt Elite Trainer Box

Pokemon TCG White Flare Elite Trainer Box

The Most Expensive Black Bolt White Flare Cards

We're seeing some of the highest valued cards in the Scarlet and Violet era in Black Bolt White Flare. The major chase cards here are the Victini, Reshiram and Zekrom ex color rares, and there's two variants for Victini ex. Madness.

Destined Rivals Elite Trainer Box

Prismatic Evolutions Booster Bundle

Pokemon TCG: Scarlet & Violet—Journey Together Booster Build & Battle Box

Pokémon TCG Stock Update

Amazon is finally getting into the groove with Pokémon TCG Elite Trainer Box stock and pricing, and some are the closest to MSRP the big box retailer has been for weeks. Not only is the Black Bolt ETB vastly undercutting the secondary market, Paradox Rift ETB is even cheaper (and an overlooked set in my opinion, stock up now).

There's other great deals on ex boxes too, which are also near MSRP and around the same or just under listings on TCG Player. The sealed market is becoming more competitive, so it's more important than ever to give eBay a quick check before hitting buy.

Nintendo Switch 2 Stock Updates

Samsung - Galaxy S24 Ultra 256GB

ROG Ally AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme 512GB

Soundcore Wireless Earbuds

Anker 332 USB C Power Strip Surge Protector

Anker Nano Charging Station

Portable Neck Fan With LED Display

Fourth Wing (Wing and Claw Collection) (The Empyrean, 1)

Iron Flame (Standard Edition) (The Empyrean, 2)

Anker Laptop Power Bank, 25,000mAh

The Dark Knight Trilogy - Amazon Exclusive

Funko Pop! Plus: The Lord of The Rings - Frodo Baggins

BOOKOO Jump Starter 2000A

TAMASHII NATIONS - X-Men - Cyclops (GAMERVERSE)

Small Soldiers 4K UHD Steelbook + Digital

Serenity (2005) - 20th Anniversary Limited Edition Steelbook 4K

Compressed Air Duster: 100000RPM

The Legend of Zelda Hardcover Book Sale

Nearly every The Legend of Zelda hardcover book you need for your collection is available in this sale with some cracking discounts. It includes my favorite one, Hyrule Historia, that fills in more than a few gaps in the LoZ lore, although the timeline has already been slightly retconned. It also includes full and expanded official guides for Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom.

KRK Kreate Powered Studio Monitors

I can personally guarantee a set of powered studio monitors will sound better than almost any sound system with or without a subwoofer. The new line of KRK Kreate studio monitors aren't just for recording music (Although they'd do an amazing job), they're a versatile sound option for content creation, editing, gaming, watching TV and movies and more. Buyers can even teather to them via Bluetooth for no fuss connections.

I've been using the 8-inch speaker models for a couple of weeks now, and they destroy my soundbar and subwoofer combo that costs nearly double the price. There's precision adjustments knobs on the back, which I keep mostly in neutral with volume up by half for a crisp flat sound with the right amount of bass. Although that can be cranked up when needed.

I use an audio splitter so my Krate 8s can handle my Nano QuadCortex guitar amp moddler, my TV audio and gaming PC audio for the best experience. For me, going from a 3-inch to 8-inch speaker option is night and day. The clarity difference and range is top-tier, not to mention the jack, XLR and aux outputs available on each monitor that fits in perfectly in everyone's setup. You're getting top-of-the-range brand quality without the "gaming" brand tax, it's a win-win.

Apple AirPods Pro 2

INIU Portable Charger 10000mAh 45W

Donkey Kong Bananza

After positive review scores for both The Fantastic Four: First Steps and Superman, the villains behind this summer's big Marvel and DC blockbusters are having some fun over who's the best bad guy.

Ralph Ineson, whose gigantic stature and booming voice can be found in Fantastic Four this week, co-starred alongside Nicholas Hoult, aka Superman's Lex Luther, in last year's Robert Eggers-directed Nosferatu remake. And now, the pair have bonded further, as each currently serve as the main antagonist in this year's comic book movie tentpoles.

"I sent [Hoult] something off social media that said that he gave the all-time greatest superhero villain performance, and I said, 'Hold my beer,'" Ineson told The Hollywood Reporter.

Hoult apparently laughed in response, and said, according to Ineson: "It's hardly fair. You're a cosmic entity; I'm just a guy.'" That doesn't sound like Lex Luthor at all — maybe Ineson is the better baddie?

"I said," continued Ineson, "'Fair enough, but I am fighting four of them.' And then he said something like, 'But I get an upset tummy when I eat spicy food.' So I think he's given up on the man-on-demigod battle."

There we have it then! Galactus is a bigger bad guy than Lex — though I think we all knew that already.

Earlier this week, Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige praised Superman and said the film was living proof there was no such thing as "superhero fatigue" among theater-going audiences, despite a string of recent poor-performing movie entries. (Instead, Feige said, audiences had grown tired of comic book film makers prioritising quantity over quality.)

"I liked it a lot," Feige said of James Gunn's Superman. "I love you just jump right into it. You don't know who Mister Terrific is? Tough, you'll figure it out. This is a fully fleshed out world."

"The Fantastic Four: First Steps is a family dramedy that only stops working when it tries to be too much of a superhero movie," IGN wrote in its The Fantastic Four: Fest Steps review, which returned a 'Good' 7/10 score.

Comic-Con 2025 is here, and Marvel fans can expect plenty of new announcements from Hasbro's Marvel Legends line at Hasbro's Friday panel. But for now, IGN can exclusively reveal the latest in Hasbro's life-size Marvel props, the Marvel Legends Series Spider-Man Electronic Expressive Mask.

This mask is closely inspired by the one worn by Tom Holland in 2017's Spider-Man: Homecoming. Its biggest selling point is the fact that the eyes are fully articulated, able to change shape either manually or automatically and recreate several different Spidey expressions.

Check out the slideshow gallery below for an exclusive first look at the Spider-Man Electronic Expressive Mask:

Here's Hasbro's official description of the Spider-Man Electronic Expressive Mask:

Hasbro Marvel Legends proudly presents this 1:1 scale reproduction of Spider-Man's mask in the Marvel Studios' Spider-Man: Homecoming movie! This official Marvel Spider-Man mask comes with premium design and deco features a soft silicone texture and electronic eye movements. Using the included remote control, you can switch through 8 different eye movements in Manual Mode, with eyes moving independently or together from fully open to squinting. Switch the remote to Automatic Mode to activate 5 different pre-programmed series of eye movements, including surprised, suspicious, or "Spidey sense" reaction, and a winking or blinking sequence. Expressive eye movements can be activated when the mask is worn or displayed on the included stand.

The 1:1 scale mask is one size fits most with a cowl for neck coverage. Requires 4x 1.5V AA batteries (not included) for the mask and 3x 1.5V A76 batteries (included) for the remote control. Great for displaying in fans' collections or wearing with a Spider-Man Halloween costume or Marvel cosplay. Bring movie-inspired scenes to life with Marvel Legends action figures, roleplay gear, and collectibles (each sold separately, subject to availability).

The Marvel Legends Series Spider-Man Electronic Expressive Mask is priced at $129.99 and is expected to be released in Fall 2025. Preorders for the mask are live now on the Hasbro Pulse website, Amazon, and other retailers.

In other Comic-Con news, Hasbro is selling an exclusive Marvel Legends Savage Land 3-pack set at the show.

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

The Josef Fares-directed co-op games from Hazelight have been so good – and crucially, also so commercially successful – that it’s about time we started seeing some other developers trying to get in on that artistically beautiful, mandatory two-player action. And Out of Words, from poet Morten Søndergaard and co-developers WiredFly and Kong Orange, not only fits the mold cast by Fares, but has the potential to be as good as anything the former filmmaker has made so far.

It’s purely coincidental that Out of Words has so much in common with Hazelight’s games, but it’s an interesting coincidence nonetheless. Søndergaard, like Fares, is a European artist who came from outside of the games industry. And Out of Words promises an emotional two-player coming-of-age physics-based puzzle platforming journey for its pair of handcrafted protagonists, Kurt and Karla. Those parallels aside, though, Out of Words very clearly looks set to stand tall on its own two feet. First of all, it’s absolutely gorgeous, and completely handmade. Literally. Each character and set piece was made in real life and painstakingly animated frame by frame. In motion it looks – and sounds – absolutely gorgeous. I got to play it for a quick 20 minutes, but if the entire game is anything like my brief hands-on, then this could be up there with anything Hazelight has made so far.

Søndergaard jumped me around to a few different parts of the story, but I got to see a bit of the beginning, when Kurt and Karla find themselves transported to Vokabulantis just as they are each trying to find the words to say that they have feelings for each other. They awaken to find that they have no mouths – kinda like that part in The Matrix, but less disturbing – and must find new ways to communicate. This translates in game terms to co-op puzzles, usually physics-based.

For instance, in one section I played, whichever one of you held Aleph, a pet creature that is a literal symbol of your friendship, would have their gravity reversed and float up to the ceiling, while the other stayed on the ground. Navigating through various vertically oriented sections required careful timing of both jumping and tossing Aleph to the other person, lest one of you fall into the abyss. In another area, Kurt and Karla came to an area under Vokabulantis, where books are stacked everywhere and the doubt about their feelings for each other is represented by literal darkness. And in yet another spot, you both become a ball of primordial clay with each of you controlling an arm that can jut out from the body of the clay ball to grab onto the environment. You must work together to successfully work your way through all of the obstacles in your path.

I mentioned music earlier for good reason. During a serene early moment, as the two of you run across a puddle-strewn grassy field, a subtle-but-powerful musical note hits every time either of you jumps and lands back on the ground. Hopefully there are more moments like that throughout Out of Words’s run, as it added a poignant punch to what promises to be a very emotional game.

Look, if all of this sounds…weird, I get it. It’s definitely weird. But when you and a friend sit down to play it, via cross-play online co-op or together on a couch in same-screen, it’ll all start to make sense. I can’t say I’ve played a game quite like Out of Words. Sure, it has a lot in common with Hazelight’s body of work, but it’s also very much its own unique expression of art and story. The art I can already definitively vouch for, and the story? Well, let’s see what kind of metaphors, morals, and moments the poet Søndergaard can deliver when Out of Words ships for PC (via Epic Games Store), PS5, and Xbox Series X|S in 2026. I can’t wait.

Ryan McCaffrey is IGN's executive editor of previews and host of both IGN's weekly Xbox show, Podcast Unlocked, as well as our monthly(-ish) interview show, IGN Unfiltered. He's a North Jersey guy, so it's "Taylor ham," not "pork roll." Debate it with him on Twitter at @DMC_Ryan.

At the time of writing, Magic: The Gathering’s next set, Edge of Eternities, is about to launch (into prerelease), and that means we’ll be surfing the stars in no time at all and waving goodbye to Final Fantasy’s ludicrously popular Universes Beyond set.

And yet, with the set being standard legal for three years, there are still plenty of reasons to pick up some cards in the set for your decks. And, now that the pre-launch hype has died down, there are a bunch of cards that have dropped in value and are well worth a look.

Here are some powerful cards you can find very cheaply.

Sazh’s Chocobo

We're going back… and by that I mean we’re actually taking things out of the pizza parlor, believe it or not. The first Five Nights At Freddy’s 2 trailer has arrived and there are a ton of exciting things to highlight within it — the first, of course, being that the Freddy’s animatronics will be leaving Fazbear’s Pizza in the series' second entry, and wreaking havoc in the outside world.

But that’s not the only thing to focus on in this sneak peek. After being introduced to the device on the film’s first poster, we get a little bit more insight on what’s going on with the FazTalker, a toy that feels like a cross between a two-way radio and an old kid’s Fisher Price boombox. It seems as though it is functioning somewhat as fans speculated, by allowing spirits to communicate with the land of the living.

It appears, though, that instead of trying to communicate with Josh Hutcherson’s leading man Mike, the spirits are trying to get a hold of his younger sister, Abby, who built a connection with — spoiler alert — the spirits inside the animatronics in the first film. They ask for her help in the trailer, and it seems that she, her brother, and his cop friend Vanessa (Elizabeth Lail) answer that call. That said, I wouldn’t be surprised if this ended up being a trap, potentially one at the hands of Matthew Lillard’s William Afton, even if he is presumed dead.

Fans also get a glimpse of the Withered animatronics, particularly Withered Bonnie — also known as Faceless Bonnie, which we see on full terrifying display in the trailer. Withered Bonnie is the main antagonist for the second FNAF game, so it appears the movie will follow the game’s lead there.

Finally, one of the most fun tidbits from the trailer comes right at the end, when Mike finds a Freddy mask in the parlor’s office, which fans of the game will know should help him stay incognito when the animatronics start roaming around at night. “There’s no way this’ll work,” Mike says before Chica and Withered Bonnie attempt an attack.

All in all, FNAF 2 is shaping up to be an exciting ride that might actually follow the second game rather than trying to do something completely different than what fans would expect — which may just work in its favor if all the pieces come together just right.

Five Nights At Freddy’s 2 is set to arrive in theaters on December 5, 2025.

Lex Briscuso is a film and television critic and a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. You can follow her on Twitter at @nikonamerica.

The sequel to the 1997 flick of the same name, I Know What You Did Last Summer, is now available to preorder as a 4K steelbook. In other words, now's your chance to add this seasonally appropriate slasher to your physical media collection. Given it only just released in theaters (you can check out our I Know What You Did Last Summer review to see what we thought of it), the steelbook doesn't have a release date yet, but you can put your preorder in for it right now at Amazon, Walmart, and Target.

You'll want to be quick to pick it up, though, as these steelbooks have a tendency to sell out fast. Head to the link below to secure a copy for yourself now.

Preorder I Know What You Did Last Summer 4K Steelbook

• Get it at Amazon
• Get it at Walmart
• Get it at Target

The cover of this steelbook features Madelyn Cline's character, Danica, in a very blood red bathtub, with the iconic fisherman's hook on the back cover. It comes with the film on 4K UHD, Blu-ray, and as a digital copy. At the moment, no bonus features have been revealed for it yet - which, again, makes sense given how recently the film opened in theaters - but we'll make sure to add them in once they're known.

If you're on the hunt for even more 4K films to pick up for your library, there are plenty coming out over the next few months that are worth keeping on your radar. Our roundup of upcoming 4Ks and Blu-rays can point you towards a wide variety of movies and shows that are set to get physical releases, and there are so many worth checking out. Looking for more horror? The 28 Years Later 4K steelbook is available to preorder, as is the Final Destination: Bloodlines 4K Steelbook, to name a couple.

More Upcoming Blu-rays

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

WWE 2K25 only released on Nintendo Switch 2 yesterday, July 23, but fans have already noticed that community creations — and the image uploader to import them — are missing from its Switch 2 version.

“If you are playing on the Switch 2 you won’t be able to upload or view custom images from other platforms," 2K explains in the game's FAQ. Later on, addressing a different question, the publisher added: "Nintendo Switch 2 players will not see Image Uploader-based Community Creations from any platform or be able to upload their own.”

This means the community's popular user-created content, like custom arenas and CAWs (Create-A-Wrestler), will not be available on Switch 2, but are still accessible on PC, PS5, Xbox Series, and even last-gen systems PS4 and Xbox One.

While it's easy to chalk this up to tighter rules on Nintendo's family-friendly platform, as some fans on the WWE Games subreddit point out, WWE 2K18 for Nintendo Switch offered community creations just fine.

"Ended up going to Nintendo support to get a refund," said one player. "Have the game on PS5, only double dipped for a portable universe mode with custom creations." The same player later confirmed Nintendo did issue a refund, adding: "didn't take too long."

"Wait.. so custom images are forbidden by Nintendo?" asked another astonished player. "I really wish Nintendo would tell us their target audience. Why does Nintendo have to be like YouTube? You have parental controls for a reason, stop hindering grown adults' fun by protecting kids. Yall ain't their parents. The parents are."

"A couple of microtransaction-fueled missteps aside," we thought WWE 2K25 was 'Great', awarding it 8/10. In IGN's WWE 2K25 review, we said the game "looks fantastic, still feels good to play, and is full of welcome updates both big and small."

Nintendo recently made subtle changes to its guidelines for developers publishing on its Switch 2 eShop, seemingly in an effort to slow an oft-criticized flood of low-effort “slop” content that’s been crowding out other games and frustrating users.

IGN can exclusively reveal an exciting new Star Wars collection from Heroes & Villains for San Diego Comic-Con 2025 inspired by Rebel Pathfinders and Star Wars: Battlefront II's Inferno Squad.

SDCC 2025 marks a big milestone for Heroes & Villains, as the brand took shape on the floors of the con at the Lucasfilm Pavilion 10 years ago with a story-driven approach to apparel and accessories that "focuses on high-quality fabrics and thoughtful representation of fandoms" as opposed to "fast fashion."

As for the apparel, which you can see in the slideshow below, it features items inspired by two of the most "daring and iconic military franchises in the Star Wars universe."

First up are the Rebel Pathfinders, who were integral in the Battle of Endor and "represent the guerrilla grit of the Rebel Alliance's most elite ground forces." The collection that honors them "channels their survivalist spirit, tactical readiness, and rugged outdoor aesthetic."

As for the Inferno Squad, which was made famous by Iden Versio in Star Wars: Battlefront II, they are the Empire's black ops unit that "embodies precision, intelligence, and uncompromising loyalty to order." This line "evokes a sleek, tactical, and stealth-forward design - characterized by dark palettes, militaristic lines, and subtle Imperial insignia - ideal for those drawn to the allure of elite Imperial efficiency and covert operations."

Heroes & Villains prides itself on not making "surface-level Star Wars merch" and instead chooses to focus on two groups not often featured in mainstream merchandise. If you'd like to add these items to your collection, you can get them at Heroes & Villains Booth #2913 at SDCC and at Heroes & Villains online store.

For more, stay tuned to all of IGN's coverage of SDCC, including our liveshow that will feature Project Hail Mary, King of the Hill, Peacemaker, and much more.

Adam Bankhurst is a writer for IGN. You can follow him on X/Twitter @AdamBankhurst, Instagram, and TikTok, and listen to his show, Talking Disney Magic.

Although it’s a repurposing of an older game, Star Wars: Epic Duels, the Unmatched series quickly made a name for itself as the premier head-to-head skirmish board game after its release in 2019. Its formula of simple rules married to giving each character their own deck of cards, ensuring a unique feel and endlessly tweakable gameplay, shot it to the top of the charts.

Since then, its success has ensured that it’s spawned a dizzying array of different sets, all of which can be mixed and matched. After all, one of the key selling points of the series is that it lets you pit anyone from its bewildering array of fantasy and franchised characters against any other, offering huge replay value.

Featured in this article

There are so many sets available that we’re focusing on in-print ones for this guide, although it’s not hard to find the older ones second-hand. But if you’re confused by where to get into this exciting universe of carnage, or how best to expand your collection, we’re here to help with a rundown of the various options. Fundamentally, however, it’s a fantastic franchise with a strong core system, so wherever you start you’re unlikely to go wrong.

Unfranchised Versions

The original Unmatched box was Battle of Legends, which featured a variety of mythical characters from across the world. Even while it’s spun off into various licensed products, the series has continued to maintain this line and, unless you’re a superfan of one of the franchised versions available, these remain the best place to start.

Unmatched - Battle of Legends Vol. 1

Unmatched - Battle of Legends Vol. 2

Unmatched - Cobble & Fog

Unmatched - Slings and Arrows

Unmatched Adventures: Tales to Amaze

Unmatched - The Witcher: Steel & Silver

Unmatched - The Witcher: Realms Fall

Unmatched: Marvel - Redemption Row

Unmatched: Marvel - Brains and Brawn

Unmatched: Marvel - For King and Country

Unmatched: Marvel - Hell's Kitchen

Unmatched - Robin Hood vs. Big Foot

Unmatched - Sun’s Origin

Unmatched: Houdini vs. The Genie

From its epic scale and unmatched sense of adventure to its beloved characters and the unforgettable relationships between them, Lord of the Rings remains the all-time best series of fantasy films. Now, LotR is back in the zeitgeist thanks to Amazon’s Middle-earth TV series, The Rings of Power (which recently finished its second season).

Watching the Lord of the Rings movies in order is a fairly straightforward endeavor, and we’ve put together this article to make sure newcomers can properly navigate both The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies. With series newcomers in mind, the brief plot synopses below will be spoiler-free beyond broad plot points and character introductions.

At the bottom of the article, you'll find a second list that orders the films by their actual release dates, if you’d prefer to watch them in that order instead (as I do).

Jump to:

• How to watch in chronological order
• How to watch by release order

You can also check out our guide to reading the Lord of the Rings books in order, which includes the Silmarillion.

How Many Lord of the Rings Movies Are There?

There are seven total movies set in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth: three The Lord of the Rings movies, three The Hobbit movies, and an animated feature film. (There is also older animated trilogy of The Hobbit (1977), The Lord of the Rings, (1978), and The Return of the King (1980) which are separate from the newer films.)

Where Does Rings of Power Fit in the Lord of the Rings Timeline?

Amazon’s Rings of Power series is set during the Second Age of Middle-earth, thousands of years before the events of Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, which are set in the Third Age. This is the period in Middle-earth during which we’ll see "the forging of the rings, the rise of the Dark Lord Sauron, the epic tale of Númenor, and the Last Alliance of Elves and Men," according to showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay.

Here's our Rings of Power episode review guide for the series.

The Lord of the Rings Movies in Chronological Order

1. The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim (2024)

2024's animated feature film, The War of the Rohirrim, is set 183 years before The Lord of the Rings trilogy — and therefore 123 years before The Hobbit. Like the live-action trilogies, The War of the Rohirrim is set during Middle-earth's Third Age.

The War of the Rohirrim follows the ninth King of Rohan, Helm Hammerhand (voiced by Brian Cox), and his family. The story focuses primarily on Helm's daughter, Hèra, and her role in the conflict between Rohan and the Dunlendings.

Read our The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review.

2. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)

The Hobbit trilogy is set 60 years before The Lord of the Rings, despite being released a decade later.

Chronologically, the story kicks off with 2012’s The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, which sees Martin Freeman take on the role of a younger Bilbo Baggins (played by Ian Holm in the LotR trilogy). Gandalf – one of several characters whose stories run through both trilogies — recruits Bilbo to join Thorin (Richard Armitage) and Company to help reclaim the Dwarven kingdom beneath Erebor, aka The Lonely Mountain, that had been sacked by the dragon Smaug. Along the way, Bilbo encounters Gollum for the first time and comes into possession of the One Ring.

Read our The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey review.

3. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)

Thorin and Company continue their journey toward The Lonely Mountain, fending off giant spiders and orcs along the way. Orlando Bloom’s Legolas (another LotR staple) joins the fray alongside newcomer Tauriel (played by Ant-Man’s Evangeline Lilly). While the company reaches Esgaroth, a lake-town south of Erebor, Bilbo descends into the mountain, where he encounters Smaug (voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch). Smaug ultimately leaves his lair and departs for Esgaroth, setting up the conclusion of The Hobbit trilogy.

Read our The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug review.

4. The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014)

The conflict with Smaug is resolved and the film’s titular battle ensues involving the armies of men, dwarves, elves, and two tribes of orcs. We’re being extra vague here as The Battle of the Five Armies is ripe with resolution (and therefore spoilers), but prepare for an action-heavy film that ultimately leaves off where The Lord of the Rings trilogy begins: back at the Shire, 60 years later, as Gandalf visits Bilbo on his 111th birthday.

Read our The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies review.

5. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)

The first Middle-earth film by release date is 2001’s The Fellowship of the Ring. The perspective shifts from Bilbo to his much-younger cousin Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood). Following some exposition that sets up the current state of affairs in Middle-earth, we return to Bilbo’s 111th birthday celebration in the Shire.

Bilbo departs on one last adventure, leaving the One Ring with Frodo; Gandalf warns Frodo he must leave the Shire, as Sauron (the Lord of the Rings) and his evil cronies — specifically the Nazgûl, a host of nine horse-mounted wraiths — will be coming for the ring. Frodo departs the Shire with his best friend, Samwise Gamgee (Sean Astin), along with fellow hobbits Merry (Dominic Monaghan) and Pippen (Billy Boyd).

After some perilous travel and character introductions, including Aragorn (Mortensen), Legolas (Bloom), and Saruman (Christopher Lee), a plan is devised to destroy the Ring in the fires of Mordor's Mount Doom, where the Rings of Power were forged. The plan is to be carried out by a ragtag group dubbed the Fellowship of the Ring: the wizard Gandalf; the hobbits Frodo, Samwise, Merry, and Pippen; the elf Legolas; the dwarf Gimli (John Rhys-Davies); and humans Aragorn and Boromir (Sean Bean).

A treacherous journey leads them to Lothlórien, an Elven realm ruled by Cate Blanchett’s Galadriel, who also appears throughout The Hobbit trilogy and is one of the main protagonists of the new Amazon series (this younger version of Galadriel is played by Morfydd Clark). Galadriel advises Frodo, and he decides to continue his journey to Mordor without the others, bringing only his most trusted confidant, Sam.

Read our The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring review.

6. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)

Frodo and Sam take on a third, reluctant travel companion in Gollum (voiced by Andy Serkis), a hobbit long ago corrupted by the power of the One Ring. The trio makes it to the outskirts of Mordor, though are stalled by an unforeseen intervention. The other members of the Fellowship embark on a rescue mission; Gandalf takes a new form; and the trilogy’s first epic battle occurs in the gorge of Helm’s Deep.

Read our The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers review.

7. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)

As with The Battle of the Five Armies, The Return of the King’s plot is essentially all spoilers, so we’ll again highlight only the broadest story beats. Gollum, exploiting the influence of the Ring, pits Frodo against Sam and leads the former into the lair of a deadly foe. The other members of the Fellowship, meanwhile, partake in the Battle of the Pelennor Fields — a massive, final fight against the dark forces of Sauron.

Frodo and Sam ultimately enter Mordor in disguise and, with help from the other members of the Fellowship, see the original plan through. With the journey concluded, we enter the Fourth Age of Middle-Earth and are treated to a bittersweet finale.

Read our The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King review.

How to Watch The Lord of the Rings Movies By Release Date

1. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
2. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
3. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
4. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)
5. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)
6. The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014)
7. Rings of Power TV Series (2022-Present)
8. The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim (2024)

The Future of Lord of the Rings

The franchise's next big-screen entry will be a live-action movie called The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum. Directed by and starring Andy Serkis, The Hunt for Gollum is scheduled to hit theaters on December 17, 2027. Peter Jackson is also involved, serving as an executive producer, while Ian Holm has already confirmed his return as Gandalf. Fortunately, it seems this next movie has absolutely no connection to the (rather bad) Gollum video game.

Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema have also struck a deal to produce more Lord of the Rings movies. Few details have been revealed, though we know the deal covers "multiple" films.

When Is Rings of Power Season 3?

The Rings of Power: Season 2 aired its finale in October 2024. Fans of the show will be pleased to know Season 3 is already in the works, though a premiere date has not been announced.

I keep coming back to the same question with Killing Floor 3: where's the rest of it? I comfortably spent the last week teaming up against waves of mutant clone zombies, and mindlessly hacking and slashing through these Zeds was a lot of fun. But more than once, my teammates and I – many of whom enjoyed Killing Floor 2, myself included – found ourselves asking one another, "Is this the final release, or is it just Early Access?" Whether you like to play online or if you just prefer to go it alone, Killing Floor 3's singular Survival mode is generally a good time, but it’s also a much simpler, more tightly-woven shoot-em-up compared to its predecessors. The weapons and classes it does include are at least a blast to use, and its enemies are perfectly balanced; they're dangerous when you let them swarm you, but boy do they die good. But all this fast-paced action loses its luster once you've seen everything it has to offer, which doesn’t take long.

Killing Floor 3's moment-to-moment action follows the same formula as the first two games, just streamlined for a snappier, more live service-oriented delivery. That includes quicker movement that feels great immediately, letting you dash from side-to-side, mantle up surfaces, and powerslide from sprint to crouch. You’ll still be slashing and blasting your way through waves of enemies, setting up defenses and earning currency to spend on upgraded weapons, armor, ammo, grenades, self-heal refills, and so on between each assault. There’s no linear campaign to break up that chaos, and a relatively limited selection of options at launch: just six playable classes called Perks, 30 weapons (plus the knife), 13 enemy varieties, eight maps, and three total bosses. That does make this a good entry point for anyone just trying to get into the series compared to the infamously bloated Killing Floor 2, but a tougher sell to series veterans who have come to expect a higher level of complexity and tactical depth.

Thankfully, its lone Survival mode stays fun thanks to the off-the-wall combat system. The mode itself is pretty self-explanatory: the only goal is to survive five increasingly deadly waves of Zed and then fight one of the bosses at the end, like the Zerg-like Queen Crawler or the rhinoceros-horned Impaler. According to one of my teammates, who managed to get into a full group with over five players (we only managed to play together in smaller groups of three due to time constraints), these bosses will spawn in clusters as the team fills up – this is meant to keep everything balanced, in theory. You can get pretty creative with how you take them out as Killing Floor 3 hands you an arsenal full of deadly armaments, even down to the basic starting weapons for each class. That could be the Engineer's versatile Krait submachine gun, the Ninja's Kiba and Shuriken combo, or even just the knife that every class gets, which is delightfully overpowered.

There are always a few other tactical considerations at play too, adding layers of variety to the carnage. For example, timing your special ability – like the Ninja's shocking Hebi-Ken, or the Medic's area-denying and team-healing Sanctum – so that you use it on more powerful opponents like the Scrake or the Siren, or landing enough headshots at the right moment to activate Zed Time, aka sparkling slow-mo, to make wave after wave of these satisfying-to-kill enemies pass by pretty quickly. Class interplay in multiplayer, while still pretty simplistic on paper, can also get interesting when it works well. For instance, the Sharpshooter can turn a group of foes into ice sculptures with her Cryo Grenade, so the Ninja can quickly get in and shatter them with his sword.

Killing Floor 3's 13 monster types are way more believable-looking and just plain fun to fight, leaving behind puddles of gore and lasting destruction to the environment, and also responding to your attacks in ways that look and feel more realistic thanks to the new and improved physics system. They die quickly enough to make you feel powerful, but the real challenge is in making sure you manage your resources – ammo, health, grenades, trade tools, and your class's special ability – while providing enough of a fight to keep them from overwhelming you in numbers. Acid-spewing Bloats and sonic boom-launching Sirens show up way more often in Killing Floor 3 than I recall them showing up in Killing Floor 2, as do most of the other sub-boss type enemies – including the series-classic Scrakes, which now don cybernetic augmentations, heavy armor, and a fearsome combination of chainsaws and grappling hooks. Just be prepared for a lot of realistic-looking blood effects. More Zed blood flows across your screen in any given frame than water in a typical Final Fantasy X cutscene.

The eight maps you’ll fight them on are also decently unique in layout and aesthetic design, but there's nothing particularly different about each to set them apart. The main differences are in tactical advantages, like Convoy's generous placement of turrets or the height brought by R&D Lab's different floors, where you can use zip lines to quickly get away from enemies in the main atrium but mantling over the guardrails will drop you to your death. Radar Station is my personal favorite, since I like its spooky central Washington backdrop, complete with mist-cloaked forests under a full moon.

Aside from Normal difficulty, there are two harder difficulty variants to further test your reflexes across each map, as well as your tactical understanding of class, weapon, and monster mechanics. Plus, there's a pretty cool Weekly Mutation option in the world map menu that throws you into a match with randomized modifiers that work in favor of the Zed swarm. My party and I haven't managed to beat one of these tougher matches yet, so it's safe to say they provide a good challenge. I don't doubt that putting more time into Killing Floor 3, leveling up my characters a bit more, and getting even better with the mechanics will feel rewarding when I'm finally able to beat a boss on the Hell On Earth difficulty.

The six classes are distinct enough that playing each one feels like a meaningfully different experience. You've got the versatile small arms-wielding Commando, pyrotechnics-obsessed Firebug, crowd-controlling Sharpshooter, close-quarters combat-focused Ninja, utility and heavy-weapons-savvy Engineer, and a Medic who wields SMGs that shoot healing darts. These classes are pretty standard fare on the surface, and it’s nice that you can mix and match weapons between them, but they all feel unique thanks to meaningful skill progression, as well as their special abilities and unique grenades. Each one also starts with a different trade tools; for instance, the Engineer has the Multi-Tool, which can conveniently activate points of interest around the map, like automated turret installations, armor lockers, and zip line routes. Meanwhile, the Medic starts with a Syringe Bag, which allows players to load up on an extra self-heal syringe mid-battle instead of waiting to buy them at the end of a wave.

Developer Tripwire Interactive took the between-match skill-based progression from previous entries and made it way more accessible by having it come into play earlier on – it now starts when you hit level two with a class instead of level five, a la Killing Floor 2, and then rapidly increases in complexity by unlocking new options every two levels instead of every five, up to what appears to be a level cap of 30. Since leveling up is so quick between sessions, it can feel overwhelming (in a good way) to head back to the hub area after a long series of back-to-back attempts to select a ton of new skills for a given character class.

But that's all fine, because skills provide modest bumps in tactical performance in various areas, each one pushing your character in the direction of a specific playstyle but never doing so much as to completely redefine a class's appearance or role. For example, the Ninja is a clear predecessor to Killing Floor 2's Berserker, wielding melee weapons like the Kiba, Shurikens, and the dual-Katanas while exploiting enemy movements with shock traps. I've decked out my Ninja to heal himself by landing parries while increasing the damage of his heavy attacks, which incentivises me to stick to his starting Kiba longer, rather than invest in his Bow or Tanto weapons at the Trader between waves.

My Sharpshooter is the exact opposite, with skill progression that positions her as a stationary combatant by, for instance, giving her boosts to damage while crouching in place or freezing foes with her Cryo Grenade. This makes her tactically advantageous no matter which weapon she's using, just as long as I keep her far away from the action. This is a great amount of meaningful choice, letting me decide how I want to engage with the carnage ahead of time, without getting lost in the skill menu. My only issue here is a weird bug that caused my UI to completely lock up whenever I hovered above a skill choice for too long, forcing me to completely reboot my game.

Class customization feels deeper than before, but it comes at the expense of Killing Floor 3's weapon progression system. My main gripe is that the tier system feels completely backwards. First off, there is both persistent progression and mid-match progression to consider. Persistent progression takes place in the hub area, where you use the Armory system to set up custom loadouts for each main weapon and sidearm for each class, which exist in addition to fully decked-out default weapon loadouts that are immediately accessible mid-match – assuming you earn enough currency in a given match to afford those upgrades.

Those predetermined weapons scale from grey to purple, but the tier system only seems to make sense when you consider default loadouts. The basic weapons you start with can be permanently upgraded in the Armory to extremely powerful levels, and it only takes a match or two to earn enough crafting resources to do so. The higher-tier weapons do offer a boost against the default loadouts for lower-tier weapons, but my teammates and I kept finding that our upgraded starter weapons consistently outperformed the expensive purple-tier gear we had to save up for. It creates this weird economy where you're better off ignoring half the weapon selection entirely – since, with enough (easily obtainable) crafting materials you can craft every mod for every weapon from the very start – giving you the option to create an OP and relatively inexpensive grey weapon for any class, grab it near the beginning of any session, and stick to just that. This can make each match’s mid-game progression feel dull, since the expensive stuff you're meant to be working toward feels like a downgrade at that point.

At least the weapons across each of the four tiers all feel good to use, regardless of raw damage output, adding to each class's style and strategy when wielded with the right skill boosts and player tactics. That could be the Engineer's deadly Ifrit plasma cannon or the Firebug's explosive Dragonbreath shotgun, which is a total blast against bigger foes like the jetpack-wearing Husk or the aforementioned Impaler boss.

I love that the well-designed Stronghold hub area gives you a place to relax between matches and during Killing Floor 3's brief but helpful tutorial. This is the central spot to mess around with class and weapon modifications, try different weapons in the shooting range, play with cosmetics, dig into the Season Pass, and pick your next mission. Standing at the mission terminal and plotting a course from the world map genuinely feels like you're part of Killing Floor 3's world.

Similar to Killing Floor 2's Objective Mode, which is absent in the third outing, there are some basic side missions to complete for extra story flavor bits that are built directly into the Survival mode. Those missions have objectives like "scan all the cargo crates at a location on X map," or "kill 10 of X enemy type," or "run 2,000 feet," – you probably get the gist by this point. These reward crafting supplies, Battle Pass points, and experience points that later become useful when unlocking crafted weapon mods, Battle Pass rewards, and class skills in the hub. It's worth noting that you can also get more crafting supplies by taking out random pieces of equipment, like surveillance cameras and vending machines, which is a small but fun touch.

The missions are all easy to complete in large batches during routine gameplay, but they don't do much more than add lore flavor and loot. In fact, Killing Floor 3's story is entirely forgettable. If not for its rather hefty Codex explaining all the important details about these characters, weapons, enemy types, background stories, and so forth, I probably wouldn't even consciously realize there's any semblance of a narrative at all. But I already knew what I was getting myself into, and sometimes, as in the case with a series that's this irreverent, action-packed, and unapologetically gory, less is more.

The hub is also where you'll encounter the usual live-service stuff that comes with modern multiplayer shooters. Here, you can set up cross-platform multiplayer, which is a welcome inclusion that works well. And then there's the microtransactions store. It seems to have a small revolving selection of cosmetics for now, kinda like what Diablo 4's cosmetic store looked like during that game's launch. I only looked at it once or twice before moving on, so it's safe to call it an afterthought and not essential to gameplay.

Speaking of live-service checklists, I barely touched the Season Pass or messed with the limited cosmetic customization of my characters – you can only change headgear and armor skins, nothing else. Just expect to spend the equivalent of $4.99 for 500 in-game store points for aesthetics that don't really matter or differentiate your character too much. Are these microtransactions burdensome? Probably not. Marginally annoying? Definitely.

As the gaming industry buckles under the weight of constantly escalating triple-A expectations – not to mention triple-A budgets and triple-A development times – here comes Painkiller, a roguelike first-person shooter that is so comfortable being the mid-tier, low-stakes game that it is that I feel like it should come with a beer koozie and a cold can of your favorite brew, because that’s exactly what I picture most people having next to them while playing this game in co-op, online, while chatting with friends. Is Painkiller going to be the best first-person shooter of the year? Not while Doom: The Dark Ages exists. Is it going to have the best story of the year? Hell, it’s barely trying in that department – and that’s OK. But the revival of this bullet-hell first-person shooter delivers exactly what the original did: a minimal-stress, mostly mindless (in a good way) three-player cooperative FPS that lets you tune your weapons, perks, and difficulty for each new run across numerous levels. And there’s no live-service nonsense. In short, it’s simply a decent time, and we need more of that in the video game industry.

The demon, hell, and purgatory schtick starts right away with Painkiller. You’re a wisecracking demon-hunter dropped straight into Purgatory, but that’s apparently OK with you because you’ve got demons to shoot. Your hub from which all things happen is Purgatory’s Crossing, a safe space where you can choose your character, weapons, and tarot cards before either starting a match (called a raid here) or seeking one out. No matter which character you choose, there will always be three of you in a raid, with non-human players filled in for by bots – bots, I might add, that seemed reasonably capable during my time with the preview build. I started out as Ink, whose energy soul restoration (aka health) is improved by 20% before later trying Void (weapon damage +10%) and then Roch (+25 health points). A fourth character I didn’t get to try is Sol, who has 50% higher ammo capacity than her counterparts. They chat with each other on occasion during matches all on their own, which I appreciated as it broke up the quiet repetition intentionally baked into the gameplay loop.

Weapons-wise, I had a blast with the railgun-like Stakegun, which launches impaling wooden stakes with pointy edges at extremely high velocities. I quite loved how it would go into an enemy and pin them to the wall behind them, as this added a welcome bit of oomph to this weapon. The grenade launcher alt-fire came in quite handy as well when it was charged up and ready to go. The other weapon I spent the most time with was the Electrodriver, a machinegun-like sidearm that shoots tiny rapid-fire shurikens and has a secondary lightning-bolt attack that will zap any demons in your immediate radius. There’s also a default melee spinning blade weapon that’s useful for cutting down the weakest enemy types. All of these are permanently upgradeable for future raids using the in-game currency earned from racking up kills, taking down larger minibosses, and achieving objectives.

That brings us to ingredient number three in Painkiller’s familiar roguelike stew: deckbuilding. You can purchase tarot card draws to add buffs and enhancements to each run. For instance, one of the cards I drew, Profane Blessing, adds 30% damage to my weapons. Yup, I’ll take it, please and thank you! Note that the cost to draw cards is fairly steep – at least in the earlygoing chunk I played – so don’t expect to just keep redrawing from the deck until you get the exact modifier you’re hoping for.

Once you’re actually roaming Purgatory actively hunting demons, gameplay is pretty typical boomer-shooter. The bad guys aren’t smart, but they are plentiful, but as mentioned earlier, you’ve always got help, be it human or bot. And thanks to that whole never-roam-Purgatory-alone thing, if you go down, your allies can revive you, which adds a bit of extra tension to a match when you’re down to one teammate that’s still upright and the other two are bleeding out. It sure is nice to get that resurrection, though, rather than have your run come to an unfortunate end. Meanwhile, the graphics probably won’t blow your socks off and the dialogue is intentionally pretty cheesy. But again, Painkiller doesn’t take itself too seriously, and that’s just fine.

If you need a game to entertain you while you’re chatting with one or two friends online that doesn’t require a ton of investment (by any definition), Painkiller – out October 9 for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S – seems like it might do the trick. Maybe that won’t be enough for some in a year that is absolutely jam-packed with killer games, but for the specific purposes of hanging out online and gaming together, you could do a lot worse than Painkiller.

Ryan McCaffrey is IGN's executive editor of previews and host of both IGN's weekly Xbox show, Podcast Unlocked, as well as our monthly(-ish) interview show, IGN Unfiltered. He's a North Jersey guy, so it's "Taylor ham," not "pork roll." Debate it with him on Twitter at @DMC_Ryan.

Set photos showing the filming of Marvel's Punisher Special Presentation appear to have confirmed armed vigilante Frank Castle's next major adversary.

Following his recent return in Daredevil: Born Again, Jon Bernthal's popular take on Frank Castle, aka The Punisher, will next be seen starring in his own one-off Special Presentation, set to arrive next year on Disney+.

Plot details for the Punisher's return have remained under-wraps — but location filming in New York now looks to have revealed a key scene, with Castle apparently meeting a memorable adversary from the Marvel comics.

Leaked images show Castle standing across from a dark-haired woman in a wheelchair — someone that comic book fans have instantly recognised as Isabella Carmela Magdalena "Ma" Gnucci, a mafia boss who seeks vengeance for the murder of her sons by Castle.

Gnucci is a memorable villain, whose story is as dark as you'd expect for a story featuring the Punisher. In the comics, Gnucci's quest for revenge continues despite her being mauled by polar bears — set loose by Castle within New York City zoo — and subsequently left as a quadriplegic.

These photos show Gnucci already in a wheelchair, pointing her finger at Castle while they meet in a playground. We won't spoil what happens next in the comics, but for anyone who might assume Castle goes easy on the mob boss — well, you don't know Frank.

New BTS look at ‘THE PUNISHER’.

Possible first look at Ma Gnucci. pic.twitter.com/2gBk1ZzWZm

— Daredevil Shots (@_DaredevilShots) July 23, 2025

Next year marks a busy year for Punisher, who is also set to appear on the big screen opposite Tom Holland in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Quite how the cheery Holland will feel about the gun-toting vigilante remains to be seen, though it's been reported that the pair will team-up to once again pacify the Hulk.

"When Punisher is in the Spider-Man movie, it’ll be a different tonality," Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige recently told The Hollywood Reporter. "We are seeing for the first time in the Tom Holland Spider-Man stories him being a proper Spider-Man. Him being by himself, dedicated to saving the city, and dealing with, for lack of better terms, street-level crime, as opposed to world-ending events.

"So when you do that, you say, okay, who are the other street-level characters that we’ve never seen him interact with? And of course, I love that The Punisher started in a Spider-Man comic."

There's no word yet on when Frank's solo Special Presentation will debut. Spider-Man: Brand New Day, meanwhile, will arrive in theaters on July 31, 2026.

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