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Today’s Top Deals: Borderlands 3 for $10, $20 Off Game Pass Ultimate, LEGO The Starry Night Hits New Low

If you’ve been wanting to try out an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription, today might be the day, as Newegg is offering $20 off a 3-month membership. Those after a few new games will want to check out the discounts on Metroid Prime 4: Beyond for Switch 2, Borderlands 3 for Switch, and more. Plus, The Beatles Anthology Collection, LEGO The Starry Night, and Marvel Studios Cross-Sections book are all down to their lowest prices. Below, you’ll find all the best deals for March 5:

TL;DR - The Best Deals for March 5

$15 Off Metroid Prime 4: Beyond for Switch 2

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond for Nintendo Switch 2 has dropped to its lowest price ever on Woot. Normally selling for $69.99, you can grab the action-adventure game that came out just a few months ago for only $54.99. Amazon Prime members can also enjoy free shipping. In our review of Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, Logan Plant found: “It nails the essential elements of a Prime game that remain special decades later: tense exploration through haunting locations highlighted by amazing worldbuilding, breathtaking art direction, new twists on classic abilities, and flawless technical performance.” If you’ve been waiting to pick this title up, now’s a great time.

Pokémon TCG: Mega Evolution—Perfect Order Booster Bundle Preorder In Stock on Amazon

The Pokémon TCG: Mega Evolution—Perfect Order preorders are up on Amazon and selling for under market price. You can grab the Booster Bundle for $49.99 right now; the six packs of Boosters come out to about $8.33 each. Best of all, it's shipped and sold by Amazon, coming with that awesome preorder guarantee should the price drop any further before the release on March 27th.

$20 Off a 3 Month Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Membership

Newegg is back with another solid Game Pass deal. This time, you can get 3 months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for only $69.99 when you enter the promo code “SSF3663” at checkout. That’s $20 in savings. Ultimate is the highest membership tier. With it, you get all the perks of the other subscriptions, along with over 500 games on supported devices, up to $100 a year in rewards, access to third-party and Xbox games at launch, and more.

Borderlands 3 Ultimate Edition for Switch Is Only $10

Borderlands 3 Ultimate Edition for Nintendo Switch is only $10. Sure, this looter-shooter game is several years old, but it earned an “Amazing” 9/10 rating in our review. Reviewer James Duggan even said, “Borderlands 3 sticks to its guns and outdoes itself with an amazing arsenal of weapons, humor, and missions.” In addition to the base game, the Ultimate Edition comes with all six content add-ons and the full collection of bonus cosmetic packs.

Save $30 on LEGO The Starry Night

The LEGO Ideas Vincent Van Gogh The Starry Night is back down to its lowest price ever at Amazon. For just $139, you can grab this awesome 2,316-piece set featuring incredible 3D wall art and a little Van Gogh minifigure. It was created in collaboration with the Museum of Modern Art, where the actual painting is located. So, you know this is the real deal. You can even hang this masterpiece on a wall after completion, thanks to the frame and included wall hook.

Score up to $300 Off a MacBook Air M4

With the release of the MacBook Air M5 coming on March 11th, the MacBook Air M4 models are up to $300 off. The 15-inch M4 model with 24GB of Unified Memory and 512GB SSD is at its lowest price ever, and with those internals, it’s a multitasking maven. It’s not just that model that’s discounted; every MacBook Air M4 is on sale at Amazon. If you don’t care about the slight performance gains that come with the new M5 processor, be sure to grab this deal.

Save $100 on The Beatles Anthology Collection (2025)

The complete 2025 Edition of The Beatles Anthology Collection is down to its lowest price ever on Amazon. In total, there are 12 LPs and 191 tracks in the box set. The original three Anthology volumes, each with three vinyls remastered by Giles Martin, are included. Anthology 4 is a new addition, and it features unreleased demos and rare sessions from 1963-69. There are a few new mixes by Jeff Lynne, plus that 2023 single Now And Then. You can also grab just Anthology 4, as it’s nicely discounted. Any Beatles fan or vinyl enthusiast will want to add this box set to their collection.

Marvel Studios Cross-Sections Hardcover Book Hits New Low Price

Marvel Studios Cross-Sections is an awesome hardcover book that features cross-section artwork of iconic vehicles, locations, and more from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. From the Wakanda Citadel and Avengers Tower or the S.H.I.E.LD. Hellecarrier and Iron-Man’s armor, you get a deconstructed look inside. With incredible detail and annotations, it’s great for technically minded Marvel fans. Right now, you can grab it at its lowest price ever on a lightning deal from Amazon. It’s just $33.80, down from $50.

Pokémon Mega Evolution - Ascended Heroes Elite Trainer Box Drops to $109.88 on Amazon

Get the Pokémon Mega Evolution - Ascended Heroes Elite Trainer Box for $109.88 on Amazon. That’s Amazon’s lowest price ever. Admittedly, this isn’t the best deal, but it's cheaper than the $119 it was selling for last week and right around market value. It’s also shipped and sold by Amazon for added peace of mind, and it’s actually in stock. With the Trainer Box, you get 9 Ascended Heroes booster packs, a full-art foil promo card featuring N’s Zekrom, 65 card sleeves, 40 Energy cards, 6 damage-counter dice, a competition-legal coin-flip die, a plastic coin, a collector’s box, and a player's guide.

Alan Wake 2 Deluxe Edition for PS5 Hits New Low

Alan Wake 2 Deluxe Edition for PS5 is at its lowest price ever on Amazon and Walmart, just $34.96. Alan Wake 2 was our top horror game of 2023, and in our review, Tristan Ogilvie gave it an “Amazing” 9/10 rating. Tristan even went on to say, “Alan Wake 2 is a superb survival horror sequel that makes the cult-classic original seem like little more than a rough first draft by comparison.” The Deluxe Edition also comes with a few bonuses, including the Night Springs and the Lake House expansions, plus cosmetics and items for Alan and Saga.

Save 45% on Astro Bot

While the Astro Bot deal might be out of stock on Amazon, Walmart has price-matched it, so you can still grab this awesome PS5-exclusive title for only $32.99. That’s 45% off the list price. Earning IGN’s Game of the Year Award in 2024, this 3D platformer brings fun for the whole family and even a bit of PlayStation nostalgia. In our review of Astro Bot, Simon Cardy found that with the “collection of endlessly inventive levels and fantastically fun abilities, it delivers joy in spades, never once becoming even remotely dull or repetitive.”

MTG x TMNT Pizza Bundle Preorder Is Under $100

MTG x TMNT Pizza Bundle is back in stock and up for preorder on Amazon. What’s even better? It’s under $100. Plus, you get the Amazon preorder guarantee if the price goes down further. The Pizza Bundle has been a hot commodity, with the preorder rarely staying in stock for long. This fun, pizza-themed box features 9 Play Boosters, 1 Collector Booster, 25 non-foil Pizza lands, 5 foil Pizza lands, 2 foil promo cards, and an oversized spindown life counter. That single Collector Booster may be reason enough to grab this bundle.

$15 Off MTG x TMNT Commander Deck

Ahead of its release on Friday, the Magic: The Gathering TMNT Commander Deck preorder is $15 off. The Turtle Power Commander Deck is down to $54.74 from the list price of $69.99, which is below the market price on TCGplayer. Best of all, if the price drops anymore before Friday, Amazon has an awesome preorder guarantee. With this Commander Deck, you’ll receive a 100-card deck with 43 new cards, 1 deck box, 10 double-sided token cards, a strategy insert, and a reference card.

Save $50 on the MTG x TMNT Collector Booster Box

If you’re after premium treatments, the Collector Booster Box is down to only $401.94 These awesome cards feature textured foils, alternate frames, and more unique art for an often stronger resale value and just all-around cooler deck. Thanks to this discount, 12 Collector Booster packs come out to just $33.50 each. Individual packs are selling for $37.99, making for one heck of a deal.

Be sure to check out some other MTG x TMNT preorders below, or pick up some of the MTG x Marvel Superheroes preorders, too.

Save 30% on the LEGO Super Mario Piranha Plant

The LEGO Super Mario Piranha Plant is down to $41.99 on Amazon for 30% savings. This fun 9-inch-high, 540-piece model is perfect for popping on a bookshelf or desk. The head, mouth, stalk, and leaves are all poseable too. Plus, it comes with two coins, which will be much easier to grab than when you’re actually playing the game. Just note that this set is best for adults.

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

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Disney+ Drops Its Best Deal of 2026 Right Before Zootopia 2 Comes to Streaming

Disney+ has revealed a new discount on its Hulu bundle for March 2026. The offer gets you both Disney+ and Hulu basic for $4.99 per month (down from $12.99) for the first three months. This is the best deal we've seen on the service in 2026, with last month's discount only dropping the price a few dollars for a single month.

The new discount is only available for the ad-supported Disney+ and Hulu bundle plan and will auto-renew at $12.99 after the first three months of the subscription is over. According to the offer page on the Disney+ website, the discount is only valid for new and eligible returning subscribers. If you already have the ESPN Unilmited bundle that includes Disney+, for example, you will not be able to get these savings.

New Disney+ Deal for March 2026

You can currently redeem the latest Disney+ deal until March 24 when the offer officially ends. Coincidentally, this is also the same day that season 2 of Daredevil: Born Again premieres on the platform. The episode release schedule has yet to be revealed for the upcoming season, but we do know that there will be a total of eight episodes. It's likely safe to say that you'll be able to watch all new episodes of the new season in the first three months of your subscription. You can also cancel at any time to avoid paying full price if you only want to use it for this show.

And while the timing of Daredevil: Born Again season 2 seems to suggest its the main reason for this new discount, there is one other huge thing coming to Disney+ in March that's worth mentioning. Zootopia 2 is arriving on the platform on March 11, following a record-breaking box office run. The animated Disney movie has been available on digital since February, but only recently got an official streaming release date after the Blu-ray edition came out at the beginning of March.

Looking for more Disney+ subscription options? Check out our guide to all of the best Disney+ deals and bundles going on right now.

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AliExpress Has Popular Sofirn High-Powered LED Flashlights for Less Than Half the Price on Amazon

It's smart to have a light source on hand for emergencies, especially since everyday carry flashlights can be had for a throwaway price. The Sofirn brand is extremely popular amongst the enthusiast flashlight community for the amount the light they throw out at a bargain price. Sofirn's official store on AliExpress routinely sells these flashlights for a much lower price than on Amazon. They ship free from a local US warehouse with no tariff fees or obnoxious shipping times.

Sofirn Q8 Plus 16,000-Lumen LED Flashlight for $49.88

Arguably the better deal of the two flashlights here is the Sofirn Q8 Plus. It's currently $49.88 after $7 off coupon code "7USAFFS". This exact flashlight sells for $120 on Amazon.

The Q8 Plus is a beefly flashlight, measuring a modest 5.2 inches long but weighing in at just over one pound. This is an incredibly bright light with a maximum 16,000 lumen output and a throw distance of 554 meters (over 1/3 of a mile) thanks to six Cree XHP50B LEDs each with its own reflector. The light can be adjusted down to extend battery life. The hefty body acts as a heatsink that keeps the LEDs from thermally throttling, although the flashlight can get quite warm during extended usage under maximum power. Three 21700 batteries are included and can charged via a USB-C port.

I purchased this flashlight myself at AliExpress last year. It arrived quickly and was packaged in a retail box. The flashlight was in new condition and all the accessories were included. It is an outstanding flashlight for the price.

Sofirn SP36 Pro 8,000-Lumen LED Flashlight for $29.56

The powerful yet compact Sofirn SP36 Pro 8,000-Lumen Rechargeable LED Flashlight has also dropped in price to $29.56 after you apply $4 off coupon code "4USAFFS". This exact flashlight sells for $70 on Amazon.

The Sofirn SP36 Pro is a compact EDC style flashlight, measuring just 5" in length and weighing about 10 ounces without the battery. It features a rugged aluminum shell and has an IPX8 rating, which means it can be submerged in water up to 1 meter deep. The flashlight comes with three 18650 Li-on batteries that can be recharged with a USB Type-C cable.

The light array is comprised of four Luminus SST-40 LEDs each with is own individual reflector. They combine for a maximum output of 8,000 lumens and a beam distance of up to 450 meters, which means that this little flashlight can illuminate an entire football field. The intensity is adjustable so you can conserve battery life.

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

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LG's C6 and G6 OLEDs Will be Available This Month Without a Price Increase

LG has announced that it's now taking preorders for its next generation of OLED TVs, the LG OLED Evo G6 and OLED Evo C6. The TVs, which range in price from $1,399 for the 42-inch C6 all the way up to an eye-popping $24,999 for the 97-inch G6, will be available to buy at an unspecified time later this month.

Happily, LG isn't raising prices for the new TVs, despite supply chain costs that have been rising in recent months due to tariffs and the voracious appetite of AI companies, particularly for RAM and storage. What you get for your money is a pair of 4K TVs with 120Hz-native variable refresh rate panels that are some of the brightest in the business. In the case of the G6, the company has claimed it will be 20% brighter than its predecessor, the G5, already impressively bright, thanks to four-stack OLED panel tech the company started using last year.

That brightness is a big part of why the G5 is our money-is-no-object gaming TV pick. That doesn't mean the C6 is a bad TV, though. Both TVs will support good TV picture and audio certifications like Dolby Vision (although not Dolby Vision 2) and Atmos, HDR10, HLG, and now, Filmmaker Mode with Ambient Light Compensation – that last one is a feature, developed by the UHD Alliance in collaboration with professional Hollywood filmmakers, that algorithmically compensates for the ambient light in a room in a way that, in theory, correctly represents the artists' vision.

They've each also got built-in AI upscaling via LG's A11 AI Processor 4K Gen 3. Interestingly, LG downgraded from Wi-Fi 6E to Wi-Fi 5 for both TVs. That won't necessarily translate to a worse experience for most owners, unless your TV is in an area with lots of Wi-Fi interference and you're trying to stream from Sony Pictures Core, Sony's super high-bitrate streaming service. Finally, the G6 will come in five screen sizes, ranging from 55 inches up to a behemot 97 inches, while the C6 starts at 42 inches and goes to 83 inches.

Wes is a freelance writer (Freelance Wes, they call him) who has covered technology, gaming, and entertainment steadily since 2020 at Gizmodo, Tom's Hardware, Hardcore Gamer, and most recently, The Verge. Inside of him there are two wolves: one that thinks it wouldn't be so bad to start collecting game consoles again, and the other who also thinks this, but more strongly.

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Best Buy Has Open Box Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 RTX 5070 Ti Gaming Laptops for $1,765

Best Buy is offering an outstanding deal on a laptop that marries powerful gaming performance with a slim and lightweight profile. While supplies last, you can pick up an open box "excellent condition" Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 RTX 5070 Ti gaming laptop for just $1763.99 with free delivery. Compare that to the brand new price of $2,400. These preowned laptops are Geek Squad verified and sometimes still have all or some of their original warranty.

Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 RTX 5070 Ti Laptop for $1,764

Open box "excellent condition"

The latest Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 gaming laptop is one of the thinnest and lightest gaming laptops, measuring 0.63" thick and weighing in at under 3.5 pounds. It features a gorgeous 14" 3K 120Hz ROG Nebula OLED display, AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370, GeForce RTX 5070 Ti GPU, 32GB of LPDDR5X RAM, and 2TB NVEMe SSD. The entire shell is made of CNC-milled aluminum construction keeps the weight down and features premium accents like a huge glass touchpad.

The G14 is for anyone who wants a thin and light laptop that can be brought anywhere as a daily driver, but still with the power to play games. The RTX 5070 Ti discrete graphics is capable of playing just about any game on the display's upgraded 2880x1800 resolution, especially if the game supports DLSS 4.5 (which most new games do nowadays). This is about as powerful of a GPU you can get while maintaining a slim footprint. Most RTX 5080/5090 gaming laptops are huge.

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

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Masters of the Universe: Revelation/Revolution Blu-ray Steelbook Is Up for Preorder, Here’s Where To Get It

The new live-action movie isn't the only Masters of the Universe release coming in June. The Blu-ray steelbook for Masters of the Universe: Revelation and Revolution is also getting re-released on June 2, just a few days before the new film on June 5, 2026.

The Masters of the Universe: Revelation/Revolution Blu-ray steelbook is currently available to preorder from select retailers (see it here at Walmart). If you're hoping to add it to your collection, this is the time to grab it. There's every chance it could sell out fast, so better to make a move on it now than wait too long and let it slip through your fingers.

Preorder Masters of the Universe: Revelation/Revolution Steelbook

This complete series Blu-ray steelbook features quite a colorful cover with all of the characters bursting from the center, which you can see in greater detail above. Even the inside has fun artwork of He-Man and Skeletor. If you're a fan, it looks like a great addition to a physical media collection.

Masters of the Universe: Revelation is a show we were very big fans of, giving it an 8/10 in our review. Writer Matt Fowler said: "Masters of the Universe: Revelation uses the original He-Man sandbox to truly go wild and explore these characters in ways that allow them to break tired molds and dissolve old conventions."

We weren't quite as big on Masters of the Universe: Revolution, which earned a 6 in our review. Writer Ryan Gaur called it, "a great-looking show with a storyline and writing style that are comforting in their familiarity for long-time fans." As for what held it back? "some lackluster action sequences and its short length detract from what could have been a classic crowd-pleaser, even for newcomers."

Searching for even more physical shows and films to grab for your library? Have a look through our breakdown of upcoming 4Ks and Blu-rays. Here, you can see what else is set to release over the next few months, and stock up on the best options that catch your eye.

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

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Metroid Prime 4: Beyond Scores a Great Discount on Switch 2 For One Day Only

A new video game deal has joined the party that is Woot's 'Video Games For All!' sale, and it's one we called "an excellent comeback" in our review. Metroid Prime 4: Beyond for Nintendo Switch 2 is currently discounted as part of the Amazon-owned online retailer's latest sale event, marked down to $54.99 (see it here).

Overall, this is a 21% discount from its original list price of $69.99, which means you'll get to save $15 on it. If you have a Switch 2 and have been waiting to get your hands on the latest Metroid game, now is a great time to pick it up.

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond for $55

It's worth keeping in mind that this offer on Metroid Prime 4: Beyond may not be live for very long, so you'll want to be quick to scoop it up. The store page states that the deal is live until the end of Woot's sale - which runs until April 4 - or until it's all sold out. So, it's better to grab it now to make sure you have it at this discounted price before it's all gone.

If you're curious where we landed with Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, IGN's Logan Plant reviewed it and found quite a lot to enjoy in it. Giving it an 8/10, he said, "Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is an excellent, if relatively uneven, revival that reaches heights worthy of the Metroid name in its best moments."

Alongside Woot's big video game sale, there are a few more gaming deals worth having a look at right now. PlayStation Direct's big sale is still going on, until March 9, and offers great discounts on a variety of PS5 games, accessories, and more. Or, if you prefer to play on PC, Humble Bundle's March Humble Choice is officially live, with a fresh selection of games to add to your online library.

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

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Sarah J. Maas Reveals Back-to-Back New ACOTAR Novels, Book Six to Arrive in October 2026

Sarah J. Maas is author to some of the most popular romantasy novels in existence. Arguably her most popular series, A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR), has been in limbo for five years as fans have waited for any news about the next book. And as of March 4, we finally have a release date for book six on the record. The biggest surprise, however, was Maas announcing book seven with a release date just over two months after book six comes out.

Mass announced ACOTAR book six will release on October 27, 2026, followed by book seven on January 12, 2027. She shared the news on the most recent episode of the Call Her Daddy podcast.

"It's been a long time coming. It's something that took me a long time to write, just because there were enough things going on in my life," Maas said in the interview. "It's taken a while because it took me a while to find the right story and to be in the right head space. And then what poured out of me was this, and it poured out very quickly."

This is massive news for fans of A Court of Thorns and Roses and was a surprise announcement after going quiet following her previous reveal of finishing her first draft of ACOTAR 6 back in July 2025. The previous entry in the series, A Court of Silver Flames, released in February 2021.

Maas went on to discuss why she decided to release two books at once, saying: "So there will be two books within a very short span. And what that means and giving you a glimpse into this project, it's just the story that was finally ready to come out of me was big – really, really, really big. And as I started writing this in this, Montana-like energy vortex, it came out of me in a way that surprised me." She continued on about her process, detailing that, "it's meant to be read ideally as like one massive, massive story as opposed to a trilogy."

Maas explained she writes books in parts, and that ACOTAR six is "Part 1" with ACOTAR seven being "Parts 2 and 3" while hinting at "Part 4" coming at a later time as book eight – but her main priority is getting the two books edited and released first.

In the interview, Maas was also asked about the ACOTAR TV series, which was reportedly scrapped at Hulu last year. She mentioned that she has regained the rights, and may soon talk more about that process after she stops focusing on the books.

"Right now my focus is on books and it's been a little while since you guys have had something, so I'm focusing on that, but I look at any TV movie adaptation as kind of like another facet of the worlds that I've created and it's something that I want to be in charge of," Maas said about a potential series.

"I want to be a part of that and I want to see everything adapted the way I envision it and the way I know fans want it, and I don't ever want to hear like, 'Oh, we need to change this to appeal to XYZ’s demographic.' I'm like, 'No, that's not how you make art. That's not how I create my stories,' so when I do it, it's gonna be me and I will dedicate everything that I have to making it right"

With other popular romantasy stories like Fourth Wing getting TV adaptations, it seems almost inevitable that ACOTAR will eventually get a series. In the meantime, two new books in the span of a year is wonderful news for fans.

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'We Need to Prepare America for My Ascension' — The Boys Season 5 Trailer Shows Homelander Sitting Pretty in the Oval Office

The Boys Season 5 has its final trailer, showing off Homelander's attempt to realize what he believes to be his true destiny.

The trailer reveals The Boys' resistance to Homelander's rule. They believe the ultra powerful supervillain is looking for V1, Vought’s first iteration of Compound V. If Homelander gets some, he’d become immortal.

The Boys’ plan is to use a virus to wipe out every supe on the planet. We see Billy Butcher doing his tentacle thing, once again (gross). Homelander wakes up Soldier Boy, as he threatened to do in the previous trailer. “I need you, father,” Homelander says. Soldier Boy responds with something entirely in keeping with the shock value we’ve come to expect from The Boys.

“We need to prepare America for my ascension,” Homelander goes on to declare. A super-powered Butcher goes up against Soldier Boy, throwing a car at him. All of the major characters are present and correct in the trailer, setting the Prime Video series up for its grand finale. I'm worried about Ryan Butcher, who we see as Homelander mentions "the backstabbers." A-Train feels in trouble, too.

Meanwhile, Homelander seems thrilled in his position as ruler of the United States, and even affords himself a smile while sitting in the Oval Office. And yes, Kimiko talks now, which perhaps shouldn't come as much of a surprise given how she reacted to what happened to Frenchie last season.

Last month, Karl Urban, who plays Billy Butcher, teased that character deaths will come thick and fast in Season 5 — and insisted "nobody is safe."

Speaking to Variety, Urban told fans they should look forward to The Boys “coming to a big crescendo” when the fifth and final season hits Prime Video on April 8 with a two-episode launch. He wouldn’t point to any specific moment as jaw-dropping, no doubt to avoid spoilers, but did say there are plenty of shocking moments to come.

“Every season, but particularly this season, from episode one, you’re like, oh wow,” he said. “Nobody is safe. Fatalities right from the get-go. Let’s go! Last season! It’s all on!”

Shocking moments are The Boys’ trademark, so we can expect plenty of over-the-top, gore-filled scenes. But who might die? The main character fans are wondering about here is Homelander, who starts Season 5 ruling over the United States with an iron fist.

Here’s the official blurb on The Boys Season 5:

In the fifth and final season, it’s Homelander’s world, completely subject to his erratic, egomaniacal whims. Hughie, Mother’s Milk, and Frenchie are imprisoned in a “Freedom Camp.” Annie struggles to mount a resistance against the overwhelming Supe force. Kimiko is nowhere to be found. But when Butcher reappears, ready and willing to use a virus that will wipe all Supes off the map, he sets in motion a chain of events that will forever change the world and everyone in it. It’s the climax, people. Big stuff’s gonna happen.

Season 5 not only follows on from the end of Season 4, but Season 2 of spinoff Gen V. Fans were left wondering how the incredibly powerful Marie from Gen V might fare in a showdown with overpowered The Boys supervillain Homelander. Showrunner and executive producer Eric Kripke has said in the past, however, that fans shouldn’t expect Marie to appear in The Boys Season 5 as a Captain Marvel-style deus ex machina who kicks Homelander’s ass. That’s because Marie still hasn’t mastered her powers, or as Kripke has put it in a number of Gen V Season 2 finale spoiler interviews, she’s not Neo at the end of The Matrix.

For a much deeper dive on all this, check out IGN’s Gen V Season 2 Ending Explained: How It Sets Up the Final Season of The Boys article, but to summarize, Marie can control blood, which potentially makes her more powerful even than Homelander. Homelander, for the uninitiated, is a sort of evil Superman, a character so overpowered that few rivals dare question his word. But Marie Moreau, played by Jaz Sinclair, has the potential to kill him due to her ability to command and weaponize blood.

The big question, of course, is whether Homelander actually dies in The Boys Season 5. Kripke told THR last year that Butcher is “front of that line” when it comes to characters wanting to take Homelander out. But then there’s the likes of Stan Edgar, the aforementioned Marie, Annie, and Huey who would no doubt all like a piece of the action.

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.

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Marvel's New Spider-Man Series Seemingly Confirms Punisher and Hulk Will Appear in Spider-Man: Brand New Day

It's basically an open secret that Jon Bernthal's Punisher and Mark Ruffalo's Hulk are appearing in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, even if Marvel and Sony have yet to confirm as much. But Marvel seems to have indirectly confirmed this three-way team-up with the announcement of a new comic book series called Spider-Man: Long Way Home.

Long Way Home is a new limited series written by Jonathan Hickman and Adam Kubert and drawn by Kubert. Like the movie, this series focuses on the slightly unusual pairing of Spider-Man, Punisher, and Hulk, as all three characters fight to liberate a Cosmic Cube from the clutches of A.I.M.

Check out the slideshow gallery below for a preview of Spider-Man: Long Way Home #1:

While Spidey has an established history with both Punisher and Hulk in the comics, Marvel has never really spotlighted all three characters at the same time. The fact that they're suddenly releasing a Spider-Man/Punisher/Hulk crossover series weeks before Brand New Day hits theaters would seem to be all the confirmation fans need that Punisher and Hulk are appearing in the movie.

Long Way Home isn't tied to MCU continuity, nor is it set in the traditional Marvel Comics universe. This series is set in a standalone continuity and is meant to be easily accessible to newcomers, much like Hickman's 2024 comic Wolverine: Revenge, which was released alongside Deadpool & Wolverine.

Here's Marvel's official description of the new series:

It’s a world before the Punisher. A world where the existence of the Hulk is but a whisper of a rumor. A world where A.I.M. has just developed a Cosmic Cube in the jungles of South America. Frank Castle, Bruce Banner and Peter Parker are all on a mission to keep the Cube out of the wrong hands – including each other’s. In this three-way free-for-all for the power of the cosmos, who will come out on top?

Spider-Man: Long Way Home #1 will be released June 17. Brand New Day will debut in theaters on July 31.

With Brad New Day's release date fast approaching, fans are still impatiently waiting for the first trailer to drop. The trailer did apparently leak back in December 2025, offering new clues to the identity of Sadie Sink's mysterious character.

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

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HBO's Rooster Season 1, Episodes 1-6 Review

Rooster premieres Sunday, March 8 at 10:00p.m. ET/PT on HBO. New episodes drop weekly.

Rooster is Steve Carell at the top of his game. It’s also Danielle Deadwyler at the top of her game. Phil Dunster, Charly Clive, Annie Mumolo, Lauren Tsai, and John C. McGinley too. The new series from Scrubs and Ted Lasso co-creator Bill Lawrence and his producing partner Matt Tarses (Sports Night, The Goldbergs, Scrubs) is a delightful comedy about coming home, even if “home” is an unfamiliar place.

The HBO series (the first s 6 of 10 total episodes were available for review) stars Carell as Greg Russo, a famous author known for his breezy “beach reads,” and whose fictional protagonist is nicknamed the titular Rooster. Greg pays a visit to the college campus where his daughter Katie (Clive – The Lazarus Project, All My Friends Hate Me) teaches and hijinks ensue. Katie is going through a personal crisis – her husband Archie (Dunster, in a delightful smarmy twist on his Ted Lasso character Jamie Tartt) left her for a younger grad student – and is hanging on by a razor’s edge. In a moment of midadventure, Katie accidentally burns down Achie’s house and Greg is more-or-less blackmailed by the school’s president (McGinley) into taking a teaching job in order to get Katie out of hot water.

Greg is immediately a stranger in a strange land; the students consider his novels little more than populist trash and he’s living in the shadow of his revered ex-wife (Connie Britton), who made a huge donation to the school. But soon, unsurprisingly, Greg finds his place. He uses the teaching job to move past his divorce and help Katie. But this isn’t an “Old School” situation. Rooster isn’t the story of an awkward man trying to reclaim his youth. It’s much more subtle, thoughtful, and brilliant than that.

Rooster utilizes Carell’s blend of comedic timing and dramatic chops to perfect effect here. Greg Russo is a masterclass performance from Carell, a natural extension of what he does best. Greg is a somewhat emotionally awkward fish out of water trying to figure out “what’s next.” It’s the next step in Carell’s parade of loveable-yet-biting on-screen characters after The Office’s Michael Scott and The 40 Year-Old Virgin’s Andy. But while those characters are at times completely out of their depth, Greg is more sure of who he is even if he doesn’t know exactly what he wants.

The show is frequently laugh-out-loud hilarious. The dialogue is sharp, humorous yet realistic. The pacing is crisp. But the biggest showcase of Rooster’s comedy is a surprising one given the show’s HBO pedigree: scene after scene of sidesplitting slapstick that borders on farce. Aside from Katie inadvertently burning down Archie’s house, Greg and Archie engage in riotous on-camera fisticuffs, Greg is repeatedly hauled in front of the school’s disciplinary committee for politically incorrect comments, inappropriate shoes lead to inappropriate interactions with students, the list goes on. The buffoonery is a surprising revelation that serves as a perfect balance to the top-tier dialogue and deep connections between characters.

The relationship between Katie and Greg is the beating heart of the show. Katie is going through it and Greg tries his best to support her, even if he’s in way over his head. Katie repeatedly says she doesn’t want Greg to be there (she does) and he tries to give her space (not always) while still being a good father. As Katie, Clive is instantly believable as Carell’s daughter and performs her as a woman on the brink – just barely holding it together while the world around her crumbles. Carell’s mastery of the overzealous and well-intentioned paternal archetype is on full display here and Clive serves as his perfect scene partner and foil.

Deadwyler (Till, The Piano Teacher) is perhaps best known for her powerhouse dramatic roles, but shines here as Dylan, Katie and Greg’s university colleague and potential love interest for Greg. Carell and Deadwyler have grounded, simmering chemistry throughout the series. The “will they or won’t they” throughline that runs through each episode is the perfect balance to some of the more uproarious elements of Rooster’s first six episodes.

Dunster is also brilliant as Archie. He subverts his most famous on-screen character, Jamie Tartt, and makes us both love and hate him in entirely new ways. We’re meant to detest Archie for cheating on Katie, but (dammit) we just can’t. Those doe eyes and smarmy British charm leave us constantly thinking that maybe it’s OK if they get back together. Likewise, we can’t completely despise Lauren Tsai, who plays Sunny, the grad student with whom Archie is having an affair. Sunny is going through her own turmoil and Tsai plays her in a way that encapsulates all the fear and anxiety that comes with being a young college graduate who’s just trying to make their way through the world.

Rounding out the cast (which also includes appearances by a murderer’s row of actors like Connie Britton, Alan Ruck, Robbie Hoffman, and Annie Mumolo) is John C. McGinley as Ludlow College president Howard Mann. McGinley, perhaps best known for his longrunning role as Dr. Cox on Scrubs, is dynamite in Rooster. Whether in his campus office, running shirtless on the college grounds, or while having frequent conversations with other characters in his at-home hothouse sauna, McGinley’s Mann serves as both a grounding force and laugh-out-loud scene-stealer throughout the show. He brings both gravity and levity to a series that’s already bursting with both.

Lawrence and Tarses deftly take all of these superb performances and blend them into an engaging cocktail that’s at once uproarious and profoundly meaningful. A story that seems simple on its surface (daughter is going through a crisis, father swoops in to help) becomes a character study of what it means to connect with other human beings in the real world.

Rooster is the type of show so many others desperately want to be: elevated in its approach and broad in appeal. It’s comforting yet biting; serious but also hilarious. Deep but light enough to be consistently entertaining.

Rooster is somehow like everything else on television yet wholly unique. It’s a magic trick of a TV show, and one that's worth a watch.

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Legendary The Dark Knight Returns Artist Klaus Janson Featured in New Exhibit at The Philippe Labaune Gallery

As the inker on the legendary Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Klaus Janson's Bat-pedigree is guaranteed based on that series alone. But Janson has had a long, prolific career drawing the Caped Crusader and numerous other superheroes, and that work is being celebrated at a new exhibit at New York's Philippe Labaune Gallery.

IGN can exclusively reveal some of the original artwork on display at the new exhibit. Check out the slideshow gallery below to see pieces from The Dark Knight III: The Master Race, Batman: The Last Halloween, and more:

Janson's 50-year career started with a stint on Marvel's Black Panther series in 1974. Janson has worked as a solo artist and as an inker for a number of acclaimed pencillers like Frank Miller, John Romita Jr., John and Sal Buscema, Dick Giordano, Bill Sienkiewicz, Gil Kane, and Gene Colan. The exhibit brings together 100 pieces of original art from across Janson's career.

“Through this survey, Klaus Janson emerges as a singular figure whose adaptability, sensitivity, and understanding have permanently expanded what comics can achieve,” says Philippe Labaune. “His ability to work as a penciler, inker, colorist, writer, and teacher demonstrates the depth and range of his contributions to the medium and underscores why this exhibition is so significant. The exhibition celebrates a life in comics, offering a rare and considered perspective on the medium, and honoring an artist whose work has defined the visual and emotional language of American comics for generations.”

The Klaus Janson exhibit will run from Friday, March 6 through Saturday, April 11 at the Philippe Labaune Gallery, which is located at 534 West 24th Street in New York. There will be an opening reception on March 5 from 6pm to 9pm ET.

Previous artists featured at the Philippe Labaune Gallery have included Frank Cho, Paul Pope, and Will Eisner.

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

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Pokémon Pokopia's First Event Starts Next Week, But You Can Access It Right Now

Pokémon Pokopia is out today (hooray!), and if you somehow don't have enough to do in that game already, there's a limited-time event on the way later this month that will give you even more little tasks, items, and Pokémon pals, as it's bringing Hoppip, Skiploom, and Jumpluff to the game. It starts next week, but if you don't mind a little manipulation, you can just play it right now.

Per an official announcement, beginning March 9 at 1pm PT through March 24 at 12:59pm PT, you'll be able to encounter Hoppip in Pokémon Pokopia, as well as collect a new "cotton spore" material. Cotton spores can be exchanged for picnic-themed furniture items, which you can then use to build habitats that will attract Hoppip's evolutions, Skiploom and Jumpluff. The official announcement warns that you won't be able to encounter these Pokémon outside the event, so you'll want to make sure to play during these dates if you want them in your game.

What's more, you'll also need at least one rebuilt Pokémon Center in order to encounter Hoppip and friends. Rebuilding a Pokémon Center is an endeavor that can take a few hours of gameplay minimum, so you'll want to get a jump-luff on that to make sure you don't miss out.

But you don't have to wait until March 9 to get started. If you open up your Switch 2 system clock and set it to a date and time within the event range, and you already have the finished Pokémon Center, Hoppip will just be chilling in your game right next to it. I managed to get Hoppip to appear in my game, and it sent me out to the Dream Islands to collect Cotton Spores for furniture. Be mindful that doing this can potentially muck with things in other realtime games, like Disney Dreamlight Valley and Animal Crossing, so it may be best to set it back to normal once you're done and before opening any of those games.

In addition to the Hoppip event, those who purchased Pokopia early can get an in-game Ditto rug for free using the Mystery Gift function in the menu. The Ditto Rug is available until January 31 of next year so you're not likely to miss out even if you wait to buy the game. And, as a heads up, you can get the Ditto Rug in-game without using this function too. This just gives you a free one much earlier than you'd otherwise encounter it.

Pokopia is amazing, and I said as much in my 9/10 review: It's "an enjoyable building and town simulator that capitalizes on the charming personalities of its monsters in a way that appeals to both the creative and collector alike." Wondering which Pokémon you'll be able to live alongside? Check out our list of all the Pokémon in Pokopia, and take a look at our Things to Do First in Pokopia guide to make the most of your first few days. To help you get started, we've also got a list of 17 things that Pokopia doesn't tell you, plus How to Raise the Environment Level and How to Raise Pokémon Comfort Level.

Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.

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Nathan Fillion Is Getting Firefly Fans All Sorts of Excited, Over 20 Years After the Show Was Canceled

Nathan Fillion has hyped up Firefly fans with a number of social media posts that has some hoping for a series return over 20 years after it was canceled.

Fillion, who plays Captain Mal Reynolds in Firefly, has made several social media posts where he visits various cast members from the show while highlighting a mysterious “announcement.” He’s made videos with folks like Morena Baccarin, Gina Torres, Summer Glau, and Sean Maher, and in the clips, he tells his former costars that “it’s time.”

It seems as though Fillion is hinting at some kind of cast reunion, but in what form will that reunion take? That’s anyone’s guess right now. In the post where Fillion joins forces with Maher, the caption tells fans: “Some of you have guessed convention, podcast, or cross-over. You are wrong.” And that means some folks who assumed Fillion and his other former Firefly costar Alan Tudyck would be hosting a reunion (and maybe even a rewatch, too) on their podcast Once We Were Spacemen are probably ultimately incorrect.

When is this big announcement happening, you might be wondering? Well, in Fillion’s latest post — all of which have been made on his podcast account, fueling that speculation — he visits costar Jewel Staite and confirms that the surprise will be revealed on Sunday, March 15, though he doesn't clarify where or how the announcement will be made.

As far as what the announcement could actually be, fans have been musing about a potential 25th anniversary reunion special, one bigger than a podcast meetup, or even the highly anticipated and hoped-for revival series fans have waited patiently for.

"I swear by my pretty floral bonnet, if Nathan Fillion is leading us on with these hints I will curse his sudden but inevitable betrayal," said one fan on the Firefly subreddit, which as you can imagine is all sorts of busy right now.

That said, Baccarin, who played Inara Serra, previously opened up about how unlikely it was for a full-scale revival to happen. "There’s always talk. There’s always people asking about it. Part of me would be excited to revisit that world, and part of me is also a little bit like, I love it so much where it is, that I’m worried about reopening that door,” she explained on Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum back in July 2025. “That’s a lot of different careers and different people that you have to negotiate with and make work and all that … schedules and whatnot. Could there be a comic book or [another] thing–maybe?"

Firefly premiered on Fox in September 2002 and ran for just 11 of its 14 episodes before being cancelled. The series, created by Joss Whedon, followed the crew of the spaceship known as Serenity helmed by Fillion’s Mal Reynolds in the year 2517 and ended up becoming a cult classic once it made its way to DVD. We’ll see where this new announcement takes things for the fans.

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

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Marvel Rivals Dev Threatens Players Who Are 'Maliciously Idling' or Intentionally Throwing Games, Acknowledges 'Disturbing Trend' in the Community

The developer of Marvel Rivals has addressed what it called the “disturbing trend” of "incentivized throwing,” where players are enticed by third-party bounties to deliberately sabotage matches.

Last month, Marvel Rivals players called on developer NetEase Games to take action after the emergence of an unofficial bounty website that triggered fears it could harm the community it was supposedly trying to protect.

Fans of the hero shooter sounded the alarm when third-party site Intlist.org went live on February 22. Established by Marvel Rivals content creator and X/Twitter user EchoRivals, Intlist’s goal was to give players an avenue to name those who intentionally sabotage or “throw” multiplayer matches and “put a price on their head.”

“Put a bounty on griefers & throwers,” the first, now-deleted post on its X account read, promising a system that offered an 80% payout for those who successfully throw matches in retaliation. “Someone queues in, throws it back, gets paid.”

One Reddit user calling attention to the issue said they’d seen an increase in sabotaged matches for every kind of player, warning that “now every game is people throwing each other’s games.” The Intlist account replied to the criticism, insisting: “Collateral damage is an unfortunate reality of war.”

Now, in an official statement published to the Marvel Rivals Discord, NetEase threatened players who engaged with external bounties with a permanent ban.

Here’s the statement in full:

We have recently identified a disturbing trend within our community: "incentivized throwing," where players are enticed by third-party bounties to deliberately sabotage matches. This behavior not only undermines the integrity of our game but also tarnishes the experience for honest players who are committed to fair competition.
In light of this, we want to make our position clear:
We maintain a strict zero-tolerance policy against any form of malicious disruption. To combat this issue, we are implementing a specialized investigation protocol focused on identifying and addressing negative gameplay linked to these external bounties. Accounts found to be violating our policies will face serious repercussions, including, but not limited to, permanent bans. We strongly advise players against jeopardizing their valuable accounts and hard-earned progress for the sake of temporary incentives.
Moreover, to reinforce the principles of fair competition, we have enhanced our regulations regarding negative gameplay. Accounts found to be engaging in disruptive behaviors, such as malicious idling (AFK) or intentionally throwing matches, will incur significant penalties following reporting and verification.
If you encounter players who are maliciously idling or intentionally throwing games, we encourage you to utilize the reporting feature immediately. Your reports are crucial and will be thoroughly investigated by our dedicated team.
Maintaining a positive gaming environment is a collective responsibility. Thank you for your continued support!

Intlist had already been pulled offline last month, promising “something big is coming.” At the time, EchoRivals claimed the site was locked down after they “detected unauthorized access to our database from a single bad actor.”

Today, March 5, EchoRivals posted in the Intlist Discord to say the website would remain offline “for the time being,” adding: “No ETA on when/if we will be back. This was my decision.”

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.

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Doomsday Diner Trailer Is a Post-Apocalyptic Sausage Fest

Doomsday Diner is the restaurant sim that dares to take post-apocalyptic storytelling to a new height by focusing on an element we so often overlook, that of the humble hot dog. A new trailer and a playable demo drop today, ahead of a PC release on Steam later this year.

It has all the hallmarks of the classic diner sim, cooking, cleaning, upgrading your equipment piece by piece but with some added carnage as you do your best to defend your humble eatery from wasteland raiders. To keep things spicy, the controls are physics-based, which should make for some sausage slinging chaos when the pressure is on.

The maniacs behind the game are Space Rock Games, a studio in New Zealand that is also working on Criminals Within, an asymmetric co-op multiplayer action-adventure game with a fantasy flavor. Members of its team have worked on notable titles like Fable, Path of Exile, Chivalry 2, Alien vs Predator and Black And White 2.

Doomsday Diner joins the collection of increasingly unhinged sim games on Steam, which includes big names like House Flipper, Goat Simulator and Powerwash Simulator, but also hidden gems like Paver Simulator, TCG Card Shop Simulator, and Crime Scene Cleaner.

You can wishlist Doomsday Diner now.

Rachel Weber is the Head of Editorial Development at IGN and an elder millennial. She's been a professional nerd since 2006 when she got her start on Official PlayStation Magazine in the UK, and has since worked for GamesIndustry.Biz, Rolling Stone and GamesRadar. She loves horror, horror movies, horror games, Red Dead Redemption 2, and her Love and Deepspace boyfriends.

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Hidalgo, a Cozy Co-op Narrative Adventure, Announced for PC

You play a handcrafted puppet in a papercraft world in Hidalgo, a newly announced cozy narrative adventure that's playable in co-op. It's based on the novel Don Quijote de La Mancha, and it's in development for PC.

Appropriately named developer Infinite Thread games promises first-person parallax puzzles, cozy boss battles, environmental puzzles, and a wholesome-themed story. When playing in co-op, one player controls Don Quijote, while the other controls Sancho. Check out the announcement trailer above and the first screenshots in the gallery below.

Hidalgo is due out later this year on PC. Wishlist it on Steam if you're interested.

Ryan McCaffrey is IGN's executive editor of previews and host of both IGN's weekly Xbox show, Podcast Unlocked, as well as our semi-retired 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.

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'When You Watch the Movies, They're Kind of Like Video Games' — John Wick Game Dev Teases a Younger Keanu Reeves

Earlier in 2026, we got our first look at Saber Interactive’s currently Untitled John Wick Game at a Sony State of Play. But apart from an impressively cinematic trailer, very little is known about the upcoming project. Well, IGN recently spoke with Saber’s Chief Creative Officer, Tim Willits, and squeezed a few extra tiny details out.

A John Wick game seems like a no-brainer. In theory, it's gun-fu action, which is not overly dissimilar from Remedy’s Max Payne bullet-time combat or Sifu’s hand-to-hand melee combos — the former has already received a movie adaptation, with the latter in production at Netflix from, incidentally, John Wick’s Chad Stahelski. So, the Keanu Reeves-led movie series making its way into video games seems a natural reversal of the adaptation process.

It’s a sentiment shared by Willits. “The great thing about the Wick series is when you watch the movies, they're kind of like video games. You have a group of enemies, then you have some tough guys, and you have a boss fight, and then you have a group of enemies, tough guys, and a boss fight. So it's really exciting to bring that action to a video game. It's going to be like watching a movie. That's all I can say.”

While the structure of the game remains unknown, we can infer that this will perhaps be a level-based action game in the mold of classics like the aforementioned Max Payne, if the flow of grunts, brutes, and bosses that Willits mentioned is as suggested. What we do know, however, is when the game will be set, and, in turn, how its place on the John Wick timeline may impact its style of gameplay.

“So yes, it's before movie one,” Willits confirms. “And you can kind of infer that because [in the reveal trailer] he's getting measured for his suit, and he looks a little bit younger.”

Because this John Wick is a prequel, Saber’s intention is for fights to be a little bit more clumsy than what fans have seen on the big screen, and the combat is more instinctual. This would, in theory, give the game a nice sense of progression, as we presumably gain experience and unlock skills on our way to becoming the much-feared Baba Yaga figure inhabited by Keanu Reeves’ assassin in the first movie. It also, crucially, means he isn’t fuelled by the murder of his beloved dog, so, thankfully, we won’t have to go through that trauma all over again.

We’ll learn plenty more about the Untitled John Wick game as we creep closer to its release, but Willits is very excited about getting it in players’ hands, claiming it's “Saber's biggest announcement we've ever done.”

For a developer now highly adept in adapting existing IP into games, that’s no small claim, with the highly successful Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 and Evil Dead: The Game under the studio’s belt, as well as the upcoming John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando, Jurassic Park: Survival, and Hellraiser: Revival.

Simon Cardy is a Senior Editor at IGN who can mainly be found skulking around open world games, indulging in Korean cinema, or despairing at the state of Tottenham Hotspur and the New York Jets. Follow him on Bluesky at @cardy.bsky.social.

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'I'm at a Convention, and I Say Stupid Things' — Boba Fett Star Temuera Morrison Reveals Lucasfilm Phone Call After Telling Star Wars Fans to Lobby for His Return

What next for Temuera Morrison and his iconic character Boba Fett in the ongoing Star Wars franchise? Not much, it sounds like. In a new interview, the actor said Boba is still “on the shelf” — despite his attempts to spark a return.

In August last year, Morrison called on Star Wars fans to inundate Lucasfilm with requests to see the actor reprise his role as the iconic bounty hunter, with The Book of Boba Fett Season 2 looking increasingly unlikely.

Morrison, alongside Daniel Logan, who played young Boba/Jango Fett’s clone son, told fans at the FanX's Tampa Bay Comic Convention that there’s nothing in the works in terms of a new appearance. He then used the opportunity to issue his plea: “I think we really have to treasure those moments now. All of you need to send a fax, or a letter, or an email, to those powers that be at Lucasfilm. I'm sure they'd love to hear from everyone. Please give Daniel Logan and Temuera Morrison another chance and put them somewhere.”

It turns out that slightly irked Lucasfilm, who called Morrison up to reiterate Boba’s situation.

“I was only joking. I’m at a convention, and I say stupid things,” Morrison told Inverse. “Then I’ve got [Lucasfilm] ringing me: ‘Look, you’ve been put on the shelf, Boba Fett. We might open up the jar later.’”

Morrison originally played Jango Fett in Star Wars: Episode 2 – Attack of the Clones, but years later rejoined Star Wars as Jango's son and clone Boba Fett.

The last time we saw the 65-year-old New Zealander play Fett was at the end of The Book of Boba Fett, in February 2022. The Disney+ spin-off series proved divisive, with some Star Wars fans feeling it went too far in softening the iconic villain's character.

Morrison told Inverse that he had hoped to get multiple seasons out of Boba Fett. “It was a big deal for me,” he said. “When you do a series like Boba Fett and work with Ming-Na [Wen], I started to think, ‘Man, this is it. I’m away. Season 2, 3, 4.’ But at the end of it, we had a great time. I was honored to be brought back after all that time.”

Even with The Mandalorian and Grogu coming out in May, a Boba Fett return feels low down on Lucasfilm's priority list. Will there be a The Mandalorian Season 4? Lucasfilm has yet to say, but if it does happen, perhaps Boba Fett would pop up there. Otherwise, if Lucasfilm actually makes the Dave Filoni New Republic team-up movie it has announced, perhaps Boba will join forces with Mando and Ahsoka in an Avengers-style fight against Grand Admiral Thrawn.

However, outgoing Lucasfilm boss Kathleen Kennedy made no mention of the Mandalorian, Ahsoka, and Boba Fett crossover movie when revealing her exit in January, though it's likely her successor, Filoni himself, will be the one to give an update on this as its fate likely rests on the performance of The Mandalorian and Grogu this year.

In June last year, Morrison revealed he actually pitched Lucasfilm on Boba Fett appearing in Ahsoka Season 2 ("can I be Rex and take his helmet off, please?"), pointing out that he plays not just Boba Fett but all the clones based upon the character.

In 2024, speaking at the From Clone Troopers to Bounty Hunters panel at Fan Expo Chicago, Morrison cited The Book of Boba Fett's poor reception as the reason for the once beloved character not returning in Star Wars: The Mandalorian & Grogu. The show, which told the story of Boba Fett as he escaped from the Sarlacc Pit and acted as a miniature season of The Mandalorian, was among the worst received Star Wars shows. "This show's reception does seem to have impacted the future of the character in the franchise," Morrison said at the time.

Amid all this, only two Star Wars films are definitively confirmed to release: The Mandalorian and Grogu launches in theaters on May 22, and Ryan Gosling's Star Wars: Starfighter arrives on May 28, 2027.

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.

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Forza Horizon 6: 9 Minutes of Exclusive Gameplay | IGN First

We’re dumping the clutch on our March IGN First "cover story" effective immediately with Forza Horizon 6! As such, feel free to slide into the passenger seat and enjoy nine minutes of exclusive gameplay from the next instalment of Forza Horizon: the reigning heavyweight champ of open-world racing series.

This never-before-seen gameplay features a Saleen S7, an American turn-of-the-century cult supercar, being taken on a brisk journey through a portion of Forza Horizon 6’s Japan-based map. Moving from the south, you’ll be able to observe segments of rural, rolling countryside and a section of Tokyo itself before reaching the base of the mountains. We'll have much more exclusive coverage of Forza Horizon 6 all throughout March as part of IGN First!

Forza Horizon 6 takes the acclaimed driving delights of the series and finally sets them loose on the distinctive roads of Japan. With more cars than ever on day one, a progression system inspired by the original 2012 Forza Horizon, and long-awaited tweaks to customisation, Forza Horizon 6 appears it’ll be barrelling into our homes with its foot flat to the floor. After you’ve checked out the exclusive gameplay above, check out the first developer gameplay overview, as well as our initial interview with the Playground team following the game’s announcement.

Forza Horizon 6 is coming to Xbox Series X|S and PC via the Microsoft Store and Steam on May 19, 2026, though it will be available with Early Access for Premium Edition players starting four days earlier (on May 15). It’s also coming to PlayStation 5 later this year.

Luke is a Senior Editor on the IGN reviews team. You can track him down on Bluesky @mrlukereilly to ask him things about stuff.

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Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man Review

Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man is in select theaters on Friday, March 6, and premieres Friday, March 20 on Netflix.

Four years after the Season 6 finale and 13 years since Tommy Shelby first rode into frame on a black horse, Peaky Blinders is back, ushering in a new era for the British period crime drama now set against the backdrop of the Birmingham Blitz. But Director Tom Harper's The Immortal Man is both a beginning and an end – a final hurrah for Cillian Murphy's beloved antihero as he's pulled out of self-imposed exile to settle a score as World War II rages on.

Full disclosure: I never watched the series beyond the first episode of Season 1, but after 112 minutes of viewing this film, I'm inclined to make up for lost time. That's due in large part to Murphy, an actor brimming with so much pathos that he elevates everything he's in. Here, as Tommy – contemplating his life of violence, the losses, and legacy while hiding out in an isolated farmhouse – you don't need to know the ins and outs of his criminal past to recognize the heavy burden on his soul. It's present in every shrouded glance and the stiffness of his body. It’s there in his pained eyes as ghosts of dead loved ones invade his solitary retreat, which soon morphs into stoic resolve once he realizes the chaos of war won't let him hide away any longer.

In 1940, Birmingham was taking heavy fire from Nazi forces; bombs rained down on the midland city, aiming at munitions factories worked by local women. Their tragic deaths are devastatingly reimagined in an incendiary opening sequence that soon leads to the arrival of the Peaky Blinders, now led by Tommy's illegitimate firstborn son, Duke, who calmly enacts violence to take ownership of the country's weapons.

Barry Keoghan replaces Conrad Khan in the prodigal role, showcasing a less sinister edge than we're accustomed to when he's cast as an antagonist. Duke is really just an insecure kid with abandonment issues; he was sold by his Irish-Romani family to his father, who subsequently disappeared. His aunt Ada (Sophie Rundle), now a Member of Parliament, has zero patience for the aggressive resurgence of the Peaky Blinders under his leadership.

It's the sort of morally ambiguous, character-driven arc that Peaky creator and writer Steven Knight is known for. Duke seeks acceptance through power, even if that means accepting a deal with the Nazis to flood the British banking system with hundreds of millions of forged banknotes in order to send the country into freefall and help Germany win the war. He sees it as an opportunity to step out of his father's shadow, but once Ada threatens the contract, he's forced to reckon with his actions, which Keoghan calibrates with quiet fortitude and vulnerability.

Once a suited, booted, and flat-capped Tommy returns to Birmingham, the real action begins. A tense but hilarious confrontation with a gobby (chatty) soldier at the Blinders' haunt, the Garrison Tavern, reminds everyone who Tommy Shelby is – the type to bring a grenade to a gun fight and throw in a one-liner about music in pubs for good measure. It's one of a few dry jokes that earn a knowing chuckle, with Packy Lee earning a fair few laughs as Tommy's long-suffering sidekick, Johnny Dogs. Tommy’s reunion with Duke is far messier; he throttles his son and throws him around a pig sty, demanding answers about his involvement in the murder of a relative. With lesser actors, this scene might have veered into the ridiculous, but Murphy and Keoghan play it so intensely and emotively straight, you're swept up in the image of men's dirty behavior coming to a head.

The Immortal Man certainly has style. Fontaines DC's Grian Chatten and Amyl and the Sniffers' Amy Taylor add original songs to the anachronistic, atmospheric score with some recognizable needle drops from Massive Attack and Nick Cave. We see a muddied Tommy riding through Birmingham's battered streets like he's just come from the Front Line trenches with citizens reaching out to him – a messiah returned to save them. Tim Roth's smooth-talking Nazi sympathizer Beckett makes his entrance with a casual "heil f**king Hitler." Roth is always a reliably likeable baddie, and here he exudes a charmingly nonchalant energy for a war profiteer.

Rebecca Ferguson oozes into Tommy's life as a Roma fortune teller, the camera shifting seductively as she embodies his dead lover and manipulates him out of stagnation. Peaky Blinders clearly celebrates the Irish-Romani roots of its characters, and it makes sure its mystical practices, language, and ceremonies are sensitively handled…though I do wonder how many actors with that particular heritage were cast in these roles.

The Immortal Man ticks most of the boxes for Peaky Blinders fans, with Murphy and the cast playing a blinder.

The elephant in the room is Arthur Shelby, Tommy's volatile brother, played by Paul Anderson in the series. Legal issues regarding substance abuse prevented his involvement in the film, and his absence is felt in a shakily-handled flashback subplot. But devotees will be happy to see the returning Ned Dennehy as Charlie Strong and Stephen Graham as union convenor Hayden Stagg, who both aid Tommy in his mission to foil the Nazi's counterfeit scheme in the Liverpool dockhouses. It's a tense, action-packed finale complete with exploding canal boats, Nazis getting punched, and a heartbreaking showdown between Tommy, Beckett, and Duke.

The Immortal Man may not have reinvented the wheel with conventional wartime escapades, but it ticks most of the boxes for Peaky Blinders fans, with Murphy and the cast playing a blinder.

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‘We Had to Take Nothing Out’ — Extreme Horror Game Hellraiser: Revival Gets Its ESRB Rating

If you’ve seen anything of the upcoming survival horror game Hellraiser: Revival, then you’ll know it isn’t for the faint of heart. Full of bloody violence, gruesome gore, and BDSM-themed sex and nudity, it's a true translation of the pain and pleasure film series, which, despite all of these extremities, has managed to secure an ESRB rating.

Chief creative officer at Saber Interactive, Tim Willits, shared the news in a recent interview with IGN. “I can say that we have our ESRB rating, which was great, and we had to take nothing out for that,” he confirmed.

The fact that nothing had to be cut may come as a surprise to some. Of course, different ratings boards around the world weigh different aspects of mature games more than others. In the U.S. and Canada, the territories covered by the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) are traditionally stricter when it comes to sexual content, something that Hellraiser: Revival certainly doesn’t shy away from — its opening scene is an extended sequence of sadomasochism involving hooks and other sharp objects. So, it’s somewhat impressive that the game has passed through with nothing needing to be taken out.

As for other regions around the world, that’s still very much work in progress for Saber. European ratings boards such as PEGI and the USK view graphic violence in a different way than America does, but are more liberal when it comes to the sexual side of things. Similarly, the Australian Classification Board is far stricter on games involving drug use, so it remains to be seen if just one version of Hellraiser: Revival will be able to be released globally, or if altered versions exist depending on where you live.

'Oh my God, I can't believe they did that.’ That's the kind of emotion that we want to get out of people.

It’s something that Saber is exploring currently and feels confident about. “We're working with all the other ratings groups now, and I think that we're going to do really well,” said Willits. “It's all context. It all fits with the IP. It is an artwork, and it is a mature game for mature audiences. We've stayed within those lines, and we've been very successful at moving the game through all rating boards.”

Willits and the team are not shying from the graphic side of the game either. “It's an active goal for the team. Yes. You can actually say that,” Willits explained. “Because if you are familiar with the franchise, if you're familiar with what Clive [Barker, Hellraiser creator] has done, it definitely pushes. And when we announced that we were making this, lots of people online were like, ‘They better do it right, they better not make some ‘whooshy’ game that's all censored.’ So we've tried to embrace it as much as we can. I really hope that players, they're kind of like, ‘What's around the next corner? What crazy stuff am I going to see next? Where is this going to go? Oh my God, I can't believe they did that.’ That's the kind of emotions that we want to get out of people.”

Last year, we heard from Willits that Saber intended to push its M Rating as far as it could with the upcoming video game adaptation. In that interview with IGN, he said: “We are going to go as far as we possibly can, as far as the people that make rules will let us go.” Well, it looks like that’s exactly what the team has done, securing an ESRB rating long before we even know the game’s release date.

Having played a good chunk of Hellraiser: Revival at gamescom 2025, I can indeed confirm first-hand that the limits for what’s allowed in a video game are being stretched by this blood-soaked pain and pleasure fest, where internal organs more often than not end up becoming external ones. You can read my full Hellraiser: Revival preview here, where I called it “Resident Evil for sickos.” I stand by it, even following some of the gory sights I’ve seen in Capcom’s latest, Resident Evil: Requiem.

Simon Cardy is a Senior Editor at IGN who can mainly be found skulking around open world games, indulging in Korean cinema, or despairing at the state of Tottenham Hotspur and the New York Jets. Follow him on Bluesky at @cardy.bsky.social.

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The 10 Biggest LEGO Sets You Can Buy in 2026

When it comes to LEGO sets, high piece counts and high prices often go hand-in-hand. For years, the standard LEGO pricing came out out to approximately 10 cents per brick, which meant a 5,000-piece set would probably cost $500, give or take. But the modern era has made this formula a bit more nuanced. Partnering with a third-party (like Disney, for example) will drive the price higher. And sometimes, the uniformity and commonness of the pieces will make the price lower.

So, even though this list and our list of the Most Expensive LEGO Sets have some significant overlap, it's not identical. Here, in ascending order, are the 10 Biggest LEGO Sets You Can Buy, as measured by piece count. We'll be updating this list, but it'll probably be awhile before another set tops 10,000 pieces.

Biggest LEGO Sets You Can Buy

The above is a quick TL;DR of the list. If you want details about any of the sets, keep on reading.

Avengers Tower

The Avengers Tower set comes with the entire OG Avengers crew, along with attachable clear pieces so you can pose Iron Man and Scarlet Witch fighting midair battles. The interior is six stories tall (minus the roof) and includes a fascimile of Stark's workshop. The exterior is composed of 271 windows, which you build individually. It's excessive, but gloriously so.

@ign_deals The biggest LEGO set you can get has over 10,000 pieces, and it's probably not what you expected. #lego #bricktok #bricktoker ♬ original sound - IGNDeals

Star Wars: Venator-Class Republic Attack Cruiser

There are some big Star Wars LEGO sets out there. This model of the massive Venator-Class Republic Attack Cruiser is over three-and-a-half feet long, and it captures the power of the Republic Army during the Clone Wars – a power that would one day be absorbed by the Galactic Empire years later. The model comes with a display stand and minifigures of Captain Rex and Admiral Yularen.

The Lord of the Rings: Barad-dûr

Close to three feet tall, Barad-dûr is one of the biggest Lord of the Rings LEGO sets. It's topped with a glowing fire eye, and spiky, intimidating architecture covers the entire structure from base to peak. Each piece of the tower slides and stacks onto the others, like a grotesque wedding cake. The model opens in the back to reveal numerous, detailed interiors, including a dungeon, an armory, and Sauron's throne room. We reviewed this set at the time of its launch; check out our We Build feature and photo gallery of the entire build process.

Harry Potter: Hogwarts Castle

Scaled down to microfigure proportions, this recreation of Hogwarts Castle is over two feet tall and a little under two feet wide. In September 2025, it will have been 7 years since it first launched – an eternity in LEGO land, especially when some sets retire in under two years. It contains 27 microfigures, but the real treat, at least for Potter afficionadoes, are the four full-size minifigures of the Founders: Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Salazar Slytherin.

The Lord of the Rings: Rivendell

Rivendell is not only one of the biggest LEGO sets for adults ever made. It is one of the best designed and the prettiest, with elven architecture that looks too light and delicate to be real. From the iconic gazebo to the bridge over the River Brunein; from Bilbo's study to the Council of Elrond; there's so many movie references, so many cool little details for the discerning eye. Check out our review and photo gallery of this set.

Venusaur, Charizard, and Blastoise

Pokémon knew how to make a splash with its first wave of sets. This massive model of Venusaur, Charizard, and Blastoise is close to 7000 pieces. There is some scenery and set dressing, but the vast majority of the build is dedicated to making the three Kanto Starters as big and detailed as possible. You can pose them separately, or as a trio for maximum impact.

Star Wars: Millennium Falcon

The oldest LEGO set on this list has been available for purchase since 2017 – a time when LEGO was just dipping its toes into the adult demographic. That it is still flying off the shelves is proof how timeless and bar-setting this set truly was and continues to be. Close to three feet long and two feet wide, the entire Falcon mounts on a stand that allows it to 'fly' at a dramatic angle.

Death Star

This thing is massive and heavy; one should not build this set without reinforcing the shelf that it will eventually display it. It's fragile, and it would not survive a fall. The LEGO Death Star is six floors tall and nearly three feet wide. It contains a working elevator to all of its floors, which operates by the turn of a crank. It's an ambitious build, but it's also decadently expensive, costing close to $200-$300 more than the only two sets with higher piece counts.

Titanic

The excessive piece count is almost the point of this set. The 'unsinkable' Titanic was the largest ship ever built when White Star Line launched it in 1911. It's best known today for its tragic sinking on its maiden voyage, in which 1,500 people died. But this four-and-half-foot long build remembers Titanic the way she was, with all her first class decadencies in tact. Check out our review and photo gallery.

Eiffel Tower

The Eiffel Tower is composed of 10,001 pieces, which sounds terrifyingly expensive on its face. But it's actually $630 instead of the $1000 that conventional wisdom would dictate. Nearly five feet tall, with observation decks and elevators that run on cables, this is the biggest LEGO set by piece count in the company's history, beating even the 9,036-piece Roman Colloseum that retired at the end of 2023.

What's The Best Way To Get LEGO Sets On Discount?

LEGO piece counts and prices often go hand-inhand. So what's the best way to get expensive, big sets for cheaper?

First, join the LEGO Insiders program, which gives you points for every purchase that you make from the LEGO Store. Those points translate into money, which you can use towards the purchase of an expensive LEGO set. There are also select promotions – Star Wars Day, for example –where purchase of certain LEGO sets will garner double the points. So keep an eye out for deals.

Also, check Amazon, Walmart, Target, Barnes & Noble, and other places where LEGO are sold. Extra inventory, especially when a set's about to be retired, can often go for cheap. And these online and brick-and-mortar outlets often have specific days (Amazon Prime Days, for example) that offer deep discounts on sets that would otherwise sell at retail price.

Kevin Wong is a contributing freelancer for IGN, specializing in LEGO. He's also been published in Complex, Engadget, Gamespot, Kotaku, and more. Follow him on Twitter at @kevinjameswong.

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The Best LEGO Nintendo Sets for All Ages to Enjoy

It's been several years since LEGO formalized its creative partnership with Nintendo – a partnership that has resulted in several of LEGO's most inspired, accessible sets. Back in 2020, LEGO delineated a clear division between their child audience and their adult audience. On one hand, the children received Super Mario playsets – digital/physical hybrids that allowed kids to build their own Super Mario courses. On the other hand, the adults received iconic replicas – massive sets that triggered waves of Gen-X nostalgia

But in the years since, LEGO has deliberately blurred the line between their child and adult audiences. The new LEGO sets for kids are a bit more complex and involved; the new adult LEGO sets are a bit more cartoonish and whimsical. It's befitting that Nintendo, which bills itself as a family-friendly company, features LEGO sets with such cross-generational appeal.

LEGO/Nintendo is slowly expanding its sub-themes, from exclusively Super Mario to Sonic the Hedgehog and Animal Crossing. And now, LEGO Zelda and LEGO Pokémon are here too. Below we've highlighted some of the very best LEGO Nintendo sets available in 2026.

Adventures with Interactive LEGO Mario

The LEGO Super Mario playsets allow you to build your own Mario courses. You use an LED Mario figurine to scan barcodes on enemies and obstacles, which creates audio feedback like music and classic Mario sounds. The coins you collect are tallied in an app, which syncs to Mario and documents your progress.

This is the most recent starter set that comes with the Mario LED figure; all the other expansion sets will not "work" without it. It also comes with other essentials: a starting pipe, a Yoshi figure, a flagpole, and a a Bowser, Jr. figure that rides inside a Junior Clown Car.

LEGO Piranha Plant

We built this set for its launch, and it managed to over deliver on its promise. The LEGO Piranha Plant has personality and adorability to spare, and its price belies its quality. It's rare to feel like you're ever getting a deal when you buy a LEGO set. But this Piranha in a pipe is reasonably priced and worth every penny. Highly recommended.

LEGO Super Mario World: Mario & Yoshi

One of the best, most nostalgic LEGO sets in recent memory, this depiction of Mario & Yoshi moves with the turn of the crank. And it's not just Yoshi's feet – it's his head and arm, as well as Mario's cape. A separate mechanism triggers Yoshi to open his mouth and stick out his tongue. It's also nearly 16 inches tall, so the bright, 16-bit colors really pop. It's a great set that comes straight from our overall favorite Mario game ever made.

LEGO Great Deku Tree Set

We photographed and wrote about this set when it launched. A 2-in-1 build, this set lets you choose between the Ocarina of Time iteration or the Breath of the Wild iteration. You also get three versions of Link, one Princess Zelda, and accessories that include the Master Sword and a Hylian Shield. While it is definitely fun to put together, it is overall one of the more expensive LEGO sets you'll find.

Mario Kart - Mario & Standard Kart

The Mario & Standard Kart set mounts onto a tilted stand, which gives the impression that Mario is performing his signature power slide maneuver. We built and reviewed this set for its launch, and we were impressed by its size and expressiveness.

Prince Florian & Castle Bowser

Typically in Mario games, Bowser is the final boss of the final castle. But in 2023's Super Mario Wonder, he merges with and becomes the castle itself. Prince Florian & Castle Bowser doubles as both a display piece and a playset (compaticle with the other LEGO Super MArio sets). Take the castle off its stand, and the head opens up to reveal additional interactive elements inside.

Game Boy

The LEGO Game Boy has a relatively low price of $59.99, along with a low piece count of 421. However, it's a near 1:1 scale replica of the classic gaming handheld, and it comes with two buildable "Game Pak" cartridges, Super Mario Land and The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening.

Yoshi Bike

A self-contained playset, the Yoshi Bike is technically one of the LEGO Super Mario playsets, but it looks sharp enough and complete enough to stand apart from it. The bike itself has a great design (with Yoshi eggs on its sides) and a red shell launcher on its back to protect it from incoming projectiles.

Ocarina of Time – The Final Battle

At the end of Ocarina of Time (1998), Ganondorf reveals his true "Ganon" form —a hideous boar-like demon with tusks and a bad attitude. This LEGO set includes a massive buildable Ganon with two swords, plus minifigures for Link, Zelda and Ganondorf. You can pose these elements within a larger diorama of Ganon's ruined castle, which also conceals three Recovery Hearts and the Megaton Hammer.

Venusaur, Charizard, and Blastoise

In March 2026, Pokémon joined with LEGO to launch three incredible sets. But while Evee and Pikachu were the obvious picks for 'most popular,' it's the massive model of Venusaur, Charizard and Blastoise that's made the biggest impact; it's been on backorder since its launch. The set has you build all three Kanto Starters and then merge them into a single, impressive build. We built this set at it launch and we were blown about by how involved and fun it was to build and pose.

How Many LEGO Nintendo Sets Are There?

As of March 2026, there are 20 LEGO Super Mario sets, seven LEGO Sonic the Hedgehog sets, six LEGO Animal Crossing sets, two LEGO The Legend of Zelda sets, and three LEGO Pokémon sets available for purchase on the official LEGO store.

A Shift in Approach

Prince Florian & Castle Bowser is technically an expansion playset, but it is marketed as a standalone set. It demonstrates what seems to be a new LEGO Nintendo approach for 2026 and beyond: a design ethos that does not strictly delineate a children's set from an adult set. We saw this with the Mario Kart - Mario & Standard Kart set that launched in May 2025. And we're seeing it again with the Ocarina of Time - The Final Battle set that will launch in March 2026.

We've also noticed an increased emphasis on the Mario Kart playsets over the Super Mario platformer playsets. And that makes sense from a financial standpoint. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (not Super Mario Odyssey), was the top selling game on the Nintendo Switch. And 82% of players who bought the Nintendo Switch 2 also bought Mario Kart World Tour, which launched with the console.

The early, child-oriented LEGO Super Mario playsets were very piecemeal and airy – isolated, singular elements and simple, flat plates that connected the elements together. The builds were too rudimentary, even for children's builds – they felt like LEGO sets designed for children who don't like LEGO.

What Does the Future of LEGO Nintendo Look Like?

Today, the LEGO Super Mario sets are more substantial and detail-laden, even though they still have the barcodes that designate them as expansion playsets. The best of these sets make the mobile gameplay a secondary concern to how it looks on display, and how fun and engaging it is to build. And that is where the emphasis should always be. Because whether it's for kids or adults, the joy comes from the build itself; the final product is the outgrowth of that.

There's a great LEGO documentary on Netflix; it's part of a running series called "The Toys That Made Us," and I would recommend it to anyone. My biggest takeaway from the film is that LEGO has tried, many times, to escape or broaden its appeal by creating other toys or by reinventing the bricks somehow – by overlaying them with augmented reality, or repurposing them in some odd, niche fashion. But it never turns out well or lasts, and LEGO keeps returning to the thing that people love most.

Those initial Mario playsets were a step too far and emphasized play over build. And now that LEGO is creating sets that are more in line with their design and company strengths, the future looks bright.

Also, be sure to check out our lists of the best Star Wars LEGO sets and best Harry Potter LEGO sets. And if you're more into superheroes, you can take a look at the best Marvel LEGO sets as well.

Kevin Wong is a contributing freelancer for IGN, specializing in LEGO. He's also been published in Complex, Engadget, Gamespot, Kotaku, and more. Follow him on Twitter at @kevinjameswong.

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