Let's remove the mystery from the headline. Three Mass Effect games are going for next to nothing right now on PC, and you need to jettison your modern perspective misgivings and take a chance on them. Forget the hot mess that was Mass Effect Andromeda. Mass Effect, Mass Effect 2—and, to a lesser extent, Mass Effect 3—were genre-defining RPGs. The remaster process has made 'em much easier on the optical implants. The writing, world-building, and companion NPC bonds you'll forge, meanwhile, all remain timeless.

In retro news, today's a day of sombre remembrance for two consoles. 27 years ago, we witnessed the discontinuance of Sega's Game Gear, a battery-guzzling beast that sold 10.62M units that I fondly remember for its Sonic games and extravagant TV Tuner attachment. It's also been 22 years since we bade farewell to the Nintendo 64, which delivered phenomenal four-player action, groundbreaking 3D AAAs, and a highscore of 32.93M units sold. I am not shedding a sentimental tear over it. That's just...Control Stick dust in my eye.

This Day in Gaming

Aussie birthdays for notable games.

- Dr. Mario (GB) 1991. Get

- Sega Game Gear discontinued 1997. Ebay

- Nintendo 64 discontinued 2002. Ebay

- Child of Light (PC,PS3,X360) 2014. Get

Table of Contents

• Nintendo Switch
• PC
• Xbox
• PlayStation

Nice Savings for Nintendo Switch

Expiring Recent Deals

Back to top

Purchase Cheaply for PC

Expiring Recent Deals

Back to top

Exciting Bargains for Xbox

Expiring Recent Deals

Back to top

Pure Scores for PlayStation

Expiring Recent Deals

Back to top

Bethesda fans won’t have to wait much longer before they finally get their hands on Starfield’s first expansion, Shattered Space, and there is even more content on the way, too.

Bethesda Game Studios director Todd Howard updated fans wih more information on post-launch content during an interview with Kinda Funny. When talking about how Starfield will be fleshed out throughout the year, he teased that Shattered Space is scheduled to launch this fall.

Details on Shattered Space remain a mystery, though some fans speculate that it will focus on House Va'ruun. In an interview with IGN last year, Howard promised plans to add “a lot of add-on content,” going on to suggest that the team was looking forward to fleshing out Starfield with future updates, too.

In the near term, Bethesda is continuing to deliver smaller updates that should address fan feedback and iron out a few wrinkles. Howard says the next update should be “announced in a few days” before it’s available on Steam Beta.

“It’s got some great stuff for ship building as well,” he added.

Howard also teases another “big update” that is “coming really soon for Starfield.” Details on what changes it will bring are uncertain, though the Bethesda boss does tease long-asked-for tweaks for the in-game maps.

"We redid the map stuff, so we have some city map stuff," he says.

More info on the Starfield Creation Kit "soon"

Elsewhere, Howard touched on the Starfield Creation Kit. Bethesda has offered similar creation tools in the past, allowing players to more freely mod their games and ensure long legs after launch. He didn’t go as far as to announce a release date but did reassure players that it is still on the way.

“We’ve delivered it to some people, some of our creators for Starfield,” Howard said. “You’re going to hear some information about that soon. We don’t have date to announce on when its full release is coming, but it’s really, really important to us. Our modders out there have been incredible.”

Bethesda brought Starfield to PC and Xbox Series X | S players last September. In our 7/10 review, we explained that we enjoyed the long-awaited space RPG but had a few gripes.

“Starfield has a lot of forces working against it,” we said at the time, “but eventually the allure of its expansive roleplaying quests and respectable combat make its gravitational pull difficult to resist.”

Bethesda has continued to churn out updates for Starfield since its launch. March brought a pair of worthwhile changes, including lots of quality-of-life improvements in Update 1.10.30 as well as the removal of the lockpicking penalty with Update 1.10.31. If the official updates aren’t enough to keep you satisfied until Shattered Space launches, you can check out one of Starfield’s DLC-sized mods.

Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He started writing in the industry in 2017 and is best known for his work at outlets such as The Pitch, The Escapist, OnlySP, and Gameranx.

Be sure to give him a follow on Twitter @MikeCripe.

In its quarterly earnings presentation, Remedy Entertainment shared an update on its remake of Max Payne 1 and 2, as well as the news that Tencent has nearly tripled its investment in the studio.

In a report for shareholders, Remedy announced that Max Payne 1 & 2 remake is expected to move into "full production" during Q2 of 2024 (April through June of 2024). Additionally, Codename Kestrel — Remedy's upcoming multiplayer action game formerly known as Vanguard — is still in the concept stage.

Elsewhere, the Control 2 team is finalizing its proof of concept and is expected to advance to the "production readiness stage" during Q2. Codename Condor, a multiplayer game set in the Control universe, is in "the final development stage before a game is launched," or full production.

With all these games in the cooker, Remedy has received a new infusion of cash from existing stakeholder Tencent. Previously, Tencent acquired a minority (3.8%) stake in Remedy that it later upped to 5%. Today, Remedy announced that Tencent increased its stake again to 14.8%, nearly triple what it was prior.

A busy year for Remedy

It was a busy period for Remedy. The company fully acquired rights to the Control franchise from 505 Games, and is currently discussing future partnerships and business and publishing models, including self-publishing. Alan Wake 2 sold 1.3 million units as of the start of February, and Remedy says today that the game has recouped "a significant part" of its expenses.

The company additionally announced today that its COO Christopher Schmitz is resigning, and that long-time Remedy veteran and Control game director Mikael Kasurinen is being appointed as a company-wide creative director. Remedy's revenue for the quarter was up 56.2% year-over-year to €10.8 million ($11.6 million).

Two planned expansions for Alan Wake 2 are currently in the works, one entitled Night Springs, and a second entitled The Lakehouse. Neither has a release date just yet.

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

Google Play recently decided to pay tribute to Sonic the Hedgehog on social media. Reasonable, given that the famous mascot is currently having a bit of a cultural moment. The only problem? Most of it was completely wrong.

Over the weekend, Google Play’s X/Twitter account took it upon itself to make an impromptu Sonic The Hedgehog appreciation thread where the chili dog-eating hero gets older the more you scroll through it. But the Google Play’s scrapbook-esque thread's dabbling in historical revisionism of the blue hedgehog would spark a wave of corrections, even prompting Sega's own social media account to ask what was on every Sonic fan’s mind: What are you doing?

Google Play’s Sonic-themed thread, which sporadically covers the blue blur’s evolution from 1991 to 2022, is now riddled with community notes criticizing the social media account for its litany of factual errors.

1991 Sonic. The cover? Rotund. Husky. Still fast as lightning. The actual game? 8-bit GLORY 🙌 pic.twitter.com/a2k2j9mvXH

— Google Play (@GooglePlay) April 27, 2024

For instance, Google’s first threaded post of Sonic and Tails in 1991 is actually of Sonic’s 2013 mobile game. The key signifier of this error on Google Plays part is the fact that Tails isn’t Sonic’s companion in the original game. The post also refers to the original Sonic the Hedgehog as "8-bit glory" despite first releasing on the 16-bit Sega Genesis. And that's just the beginning.

what are you doing

— Sonic the Hedgehog (@sonic_hedgehog) April 28, 2024

Other blatant errors in Google Play’s thread include a screenshot of Sonic from 2014’s Sonic Boom cartoon saying this was the “short king” in 1993; a 2022 screenshot of Paramount Picture’s live-action Sonic that was actually from the 2020 movie, and a 2006 Sonic image from the 2017 mobile game Sonic Forces Mobile —which is available on the Google Play store.

Fans went so far as to wonder if AI was used to create the strange thread, not the least because one of the images is poorly altered to remove background characters.

2022 Sonic. Just like us, he’s healed from 2020 but isn’t quite the same 😆 pic.twitter.com/f9XYSeLtxm

— Google Play (@GooglePlay) April 27, 2024

While the endgame of Google Play’s Sonic thread remains a mystery, what isn’t is the fact that Sonic fans are treating it like material for Twitter's version of a comedy club's open mic night with a sea of hilarious memes at Google Play’s expense. Here's one of our favorites.

We all know who's behind this https://t.co/CMgSvvd31X pic.twitter.com/1qpmQu6RRc

— Artvader || Commission Season (@Artvader_AF) April 29, 2024

All in all, it was a strange moment for Sega's biggest franchise, which is otherwise celebrating the release of the Knuckles TV series on Paramount+. We called it a "fun, chaotic bonus level that nails everything that made the Sonic movies great, earning a well-deserved fist bump," and is one more step along the path toward a potential Sonic Cinematic Universe.

In the meantime, the third Sonic the Hedgehog film, starring Keanu Reeves as Shadow the Hedgehog, hits theaters on December 20, 2024.

Isaiah Colbert is a freelance writer at IGN.

With the Fallout TV series topping 65 million viewers to become one of the most watched Prime Video shows ever, the pressure is on for more content set in the wasteland, and Bethesda is seemingly ready to oblige.

In a new interview with Kinda Funny Games, director Todd Howard appeared to tease two unannounced Fallout projects, saying, "We look at what we are doing with the [Fallout] franchise and then we say do we still feel good about — I can't reveal it now — but here is our runway for Fallout as a franchise."

He continued, "When is Season 2 happening. What are we doing on mobile. What are we doing in [Fallout 76]. What are we doing with this thing. What are we doing with this other thing. And when are these landing. And again if I could snap my fingers and have them all be out and ready I would. But the main thing is how do we deliver these at a high quality level. That is always most important."

Howard's oblique comments appear to suggest that at least two projects are in development, though it's unclear what they might be and when they'll be released.

One of the projects may be the Fallout 3 Remaster revealed in the documents accidentally published by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which also leaked an Oblivion remaster and other projects. The remaster did not have a formal date, but appeared to be targeting financial year 2024, which ends in June.

Howard has also said that Fallout 5 will be arriving sometime after Elder Scrolls VI, and that he has a "one-pager" for the project. With Elder Scrolls VI seemingly still in pre-production, though, Fallout 5 may not appear until 2030 or later.

In the meantime, Bethesda recently released the long-awaited Fallout 4 next-gen update, which stirred controversy by breaking various key mods among other issues. Bethesda also confirmed that those who own Fallout 4 via the Playstation Plus Collection do not get the next-gen update for free.

One way or another, demand for Fallout is higher than ever thanks to the success of the show, and Bethesda is seemingly doing its best to keep up. Elsewhere, we talked to Howard in our own interview, where he clarified some of the big questions about Fallout's timeline among other issues. For more, check out our complete guide to Fallout's official timeline as well as everything we know about Fallout 5.

Kat Bailey is IGN's News Director as well as co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.

There's something truly magical about special events at Disney Parks, and one of the most exciting parts is all the new, exclusive merch you can snag up and wear or display with pride. Keeping up with that trend, Pixar Fest has a ton of wonderful options for fans of all ages, and Disney invited me out to Disneyland to check out what guests can expect from the event that has officially started and will run through August 4.

While there is a ton to talk about, the popcorn buckets may just be the highlight of all the merch out there. Pixar Fest will allow guests to purchase three buckets - a Coco Guitar, an Alien Pizza Planet Truck, and one modeled after Up's Dug that's exclusive for Magic Key holders - and they are all spectacular. You can read their full descriptions below, but they are great for so much more than just popcorn as you can play the guitar, play with the truck, and can make the Dug bucket talk.

Move aside Dune 2 and whatever ridiculousness Deadpool & Wolverine will throw our way, as we have some new champions in town!

Speaking of the Alien Pizza Planet Truck, the team behind Pixar Fest really made them a focus as it has also put 50 unique Alien Pizza Planet Trucks around Disneyland for guests to find. I won't spoil where they are, but I will tell you there is a Guardians of the Galaxy one in Disney California Adventure and a Mad Max-esque truck with Grogu as the driver (!) in Downtown Disney! Happy hunting!

As for the merch as a whole, the Pixar Fest team built the items with a theme of "friendship and beyond" and wanted to go with a style that could unite all of these films that all have their own unique look to them.

"The coolest thing for Pixar Fest 2024 is that there are 15 unique items that all celebrate the ‘friendship and beyond’ idea and what we love about Pixar," Disney's Carlos Martinez told me. "For me, I love the fact that everything has that comic book style, which is very unique, and it bonds all the characters together from across the different stories. After all, it's not very common that you get to see Woody and Miguel together in a store with Mei and Lightning McQueen. This comic book style gives us that opportunity to be able to celebrate all the stories in one, unified way.

“Also, there is a versatility of having items that are gender inclusive, so it's not a male or female thing. There's sizing for young and old, big and small, and it's a just great opportunity to be able to just showcase your love for Pixar no matter who you are.”

Inside Out 2 was a big question on a lot of minds going into Pixar Fest 2024 as it is set to be released in theaters on June 14, 2024. While the original Inside Out is represented, there is nothing yet quite specific to the sequel in the merch department. However, Disney didn't shut the door on something being added closer to its release.

“You'll have to come out and see,” Martinez said when asked about Inside Out 2 at Pixar Fest. “You'll have to wait, because you never know what's going to happen here at the Disneyland Resort. As we learned from the original Pixar Fest, there's fun and excitement at every corner.”

WIthout further ado, please check out the slideshow below and the details below that to learn all about the best merch you can buy at Pixar Fest 2024! For more, be sure to check out my Ultimate Pixar Fest Guide and my guide focused on the best food and treats you can get!

The Best Merch and Popcorn Buckets at Pixar Fest 2024

Pixar Fest Spirit Jersey

This Pixar Fest Spirit Jersey was one of the most popular items I saw on the opening day of the big celebration at Disneyland and it's easy to see why. The Spirit Jersey features such fan-favorite characters as Mei, Woody, Miguel, Lightning McQueen, Joy, Sadness, Anger, and Sulley, and they are all in that wonderful comic book style the other Pixar Fest gear has.

Coco Guitar Popcorn Bucket

Considering Coco is one of my favorite films of all time, this guitar, which is based off the one from the film used by Héctor and Ernesto de la Cruz, was probably the winner of the entire Pixar Fest merch collection for me. It has such a nice shine to it and you can actually play the guitar, even if it isn't the most high quality instrument out there. It also has really nice touches like skulls for the tuners and a picture of Miguel ane members of his family on the back. That picture is also where you'll find the compartment to store popcorn or another favorite treat.

Alien Pizza Planet Truck Bucket

While the Coco guitar popcorn bucket may have been my favorite, this Alien Pizza Planet bucket comes very close as it is so much more than just a thing to hold popcorn. The truck is a high-quality build and my son has been using it as a toy ever since I got home. The truck also lights up and comes with an Alien dressed in his best Pizza Planet attire that you can take out and use as a figure! The merch team knocked it out of the park with this one.

Magic Key Dug Popcorn Bucket

This Magic Key-only Dug popcorn bucket rounds out the trio of truly amazing popcorn buckets on offer at Pixar Fest 2024. This adorable version of Dug not only holds popcorn, but it talks and has a soft tongue. Simply put, this is another winner.

Pixar Fest Gear

If you love that comic book style of all your favorite Pixar characters for Pixar Fest, there are a few other options to own items with it while Pixar Fest is underway. This includes shirts, hoodies, a bucket hat that is reversible, a hat, a water bottle, a mug, and more!

Pixar Fest Lug Bag

This Pixar Fest Lug Bag, which features a very similar design to the bucket hat inside and out, is a first for Disneyland Resort. It is meant to be the perfect size for carrying the essentials, whether that be a phone, external battery, snacks, sunscreen, or a lucky charm, and nothing more! Instead of carrying around a big, heavy bag, this is meant to give guests the option of travelling light and wearing it as a fanny pack, satchel, or even backpack. Oh, and it has a see-through slot for your ID!

Slinky Dog Sipper

While not a popcorn bucket, this Slinky Dog sipper can stand tall with those juggernauts as it's adorable and can hold your favorite drink. Seeing these characters being brought to life in different, functional ways is just so great.

Pixar Lamp, Alien Macaron, Mei, and Edna Straw Friends

If you've been bored with your drinks lately, I've got some great news for you! Pixar Fest 2024 is offering straw clips and bottle toppers featuring the Pixar Lamp, the Alien Macaron, Mei, and Edna.

Create Your Own Headbands

These may not be strictly Pixar, but they are debuting for the first time at Disneyland for the event and they absolutely deserve a mention for how cute they are and how they will probably brutally attack all of our wallets. These headbands first debuted at Hong Kong Disneyland Resort, and now guests at Disneyland can purchase a headband and a wide selection of mini plush accessories to put on them.

Do you want to make them like a Mickey Ears Headband and choose your two favorite characers as the ears? Do it! Would you rather try to fit three or four since you have trouble choosing? Also an option!

At launch, some of the characters available include Mickey, Donald, Minnie, Chip, Dale, Daisy, Alien, Lotso, Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Stitch, and Buzz, and you know more are going to be on the way. If this is a new collection you can't wait to try out, you'll be able to find these at The Mad Hatter in Disneyland and Bing Bong's Sweet Stuff in Disney California Adventure.

Pixar Fest 2024 Medallions

If you love collecting medallions like I do, you'll be happy to know there will be vending machines across Disneyland that will let you collect 28 coins from across Pixar's biggest hits! Will you collect them all?

We'll be updating this article with new additions to Pixar Fest throughout the next few months, so be sure to check back often! Until then, you can check out the full Disney Parks Merch Guide for Pixar Fest 2024!

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

Microsoft just held its latest ID@Xbox, a digital showcase showing many fantastic indie games headed to Xbox and PC. From existing games getting updates, such as Palworld and Vampire Survivors, to new details on existing indie games, like 33 Immortals and Lost Records: Bloom & Rage, today's showcase likely had a game for just about every type of player.

If you missed today's ID@Xbox showcase, don't worry. IGN has recapped everything announced, which you can read below.

Astor: Blade of the Monolith is out on May 30

Originally announced as Monolith: Requiem of the Ancients before the rebranding, Astor: Blade of the Monolith is a hack-and-slash ARPG. Players control the titular character, Astor, as he ventures off to unravel the mystery regarding the disappearance of the ancients.

33 Immortals' closed beta is set for late May

If you are looking for a co-op roguelike game with 32 of your friends, 33 Immortals' is the game for you. The top-down action game has beautiful hand-drawn visuals reminiscent of Spiritfarer combined with constant on-screen action from something like Vampire Survivors, 33 Immortals' closed beta is set for May 24.

Palworld is getting a massive update with new Pals this Summer

Palworld, the indie darling that has become a breakout hit for Xbox early into 2024, is getting a big update this summer that includes the introduction of four new Pals. More interestingly, the trailer showed a flamethrower weapon being wielded by a player; previously, players who wanted to use a flamethrower in Palworld needed a Foxsparks to replicate a flamethrower.

WWII-era game Commandos: Origins is getting a closed beta this Summer

Claymore Game Studios has provided a new look at the next entry in the Commandos franchise, subtitled Origins. Set in World War II, players control Jack O'Hara or one of his five companions in a series of missions that set in " historically authentic WWII environments."

A closed beta is set to be held sometime this Summer.

Centum is an 8-bit point-and-click adventure game coming this Summer

If you like 8-bit visuals and point-and-click adventure games, Centum might be worth adding to your watchlist. The gameplay from the reveal trailer reveals that the game will shift between medieval and modern settings. Centum is out this Summer.

Lost Records: Bloom & Rage gets a new trailer, but no release date

Announced at the 2023 Game Awards, Lost Records: Bloom & Rage is the next project from Don't Nod, the creator of Life is Strange. Unlike Don't Nod's previous story-driven choose-your-own-adventure games, which were set in a more modern period, Lost Records is set in 1995. The latest trailer oozes 90s nostalgia, with kids skateboarding and footage of the trailer being "recorded" from a 90s-era camcorder.

Keylocker is out this Summer on PC and Xbox

A turn-based cyberpunk action game, Keylocker, will be released on PC and Xbox sometime this Summer. Set in a world where music is outlawed, players control a singer. Developer Moonana explained on the game's Steam page that the Mario & Luigi RPG series and Chrono Trigger inspired Keylocker.

Stampede: Racing Royale is a battle royale racing game with 60 players on the course

While Mario Kart is still the franchise that dominates the kart racing subgenre, it is still limited to Nintendo hardware. Sumo Digital's Stampede: Racing Royale might give Xbox players something to fill the Mario Kart void.

A racing game that fuses kart racing and battle royale, Stampede: Racing Royale has 60 players burning rubber on the course. The gameplay and power-ups are similar to those in a Mario Kart game, combined with the goofiness found in MediaTonic's platform battle royale game Fall Guys.

Jackbox Games is finally making an adult-themed Party Pack coming this year

Adult Jackbox players wishing for an adult-themed Party Pack can stop praying as Jackbox Games announced today that it is finally making one.

Jackbox Naughty Pack is coming sometime this year. While there is no information on what games will be included in the party pack, the announcement reminds me of how Apples to Apples and Cards Against Humanity exist, with the Naughty Pack taking a darker and more provocative twist.

Times & Galaxy gets June release window

Copychaser Games' upcoming point-and-click game Times & Galaxy will be available on PC and Xbox sometime in June. Payers control a robot, the first robot reporter for the prestigious Times & Galaxy newspaper. The reporter is asked to find stories across the Galaxy as an intern, hoping to get a scoop.

Sulfur is a contemporary shooter with old-school vibes coming to Xbox

A contemporary first-person shooter with roguelike elements and an old-school design. One of the user-defined tags on the game's Steam page describes it as a "boomer shooter." Looking at the previous trailer and the one that appeared at ID@Xbox, gameplay might remind people of the older Doom and Wolfenstein games.

Fera: The Sundered Tribes is out later this year

Massive Damage Studios has shared a new trailer for Fera: The Sundered Tribes, an action RPG that fuses monster hunting with tribe management and building mechanics. The gameplay and screenshots resemble Monster Hunter: World.

Fera, The Sundered Tribes is launching later this year.

All You Need Is Help is a quirky puzzle game from the creators of PixelJunk Monsters

If you are looking for a silyl but cozy puzzle game, PixelJunk Monsters creator Q-Games' next project, All You Need Is Help, is hitting the sweet spot. The trailer indicates that this puzzle game is a multiplayer game in which players have time and need to place their puzzle pieces in the correct position.

All You Need Is Help is out sometime this Fall.

Tails of Iron 2: Whiskers of Winter gets new trailer, still no release date

Odd Bug Studio's upcoming soulslike action RPG Tails of Iron 2: Whiskers of Winter got a new trailer at ID@Xbox, flaunting more of its comic book 2D art style. Players will control Arlo, who is on a quest to defeat giant beasts and bandits that are scattered throughout the world.

Hangry briefly appears at ID@Xbox

Hangry, the "snack n' slash" RPG in which players hunt down and eat monsters, briefly appeared at ID@Xbox, where players got a brief new look at gameplay.

Promise Mascot Agency is the next game from the creators of Paradise Killer

Kaizen Game Works, the developers behind Paradise Killer, are back with a sophomore title called Promise Mascot Agency. As the name implies, players run a mascot agency, and gameplay includes card-based battles.

I promise Mascot Agency will be out sometime next year.

Five games published by Gamera Games are headed to Xbox Game Pass

Indie game publisher Gamera Games appeared at ID@Xbox today, revealing that five games—Depersonalization, Firework, Volcano Princess, Kelperth, and The Rewinder—are headed to Game Pass. All these games were released initially on PC before today's announcement.

Over 15 games from the Triple-I Initiative showcase will be playable on Xbox

Earlier this month, the Triple-I Initiative showcase highlighted many indie delights that are headed shortly. Games such as Palworld Arena and Cat Quest 3 appeared. Towards the end of the showcase, it was revealed that 17 games from that sizzle during ID@Xbox will be playable on Xbox.

Dungeons of Hinterberg gets a colorful new trailer focusing on gameplay

A fusion of social sim and action RPG genres with cel-shaded graphics, Dungeons of Hinterberg is set in the Austrian Alps where players control Luisa, a law trainee suffering burnout who opts to drop the corporate life and trade it in for the rugged life of living in the wild and conquer dungeons.

Vampire Survirors: Operation Guns DLC gets one more trailer before its May 9 release date

Vampire Survivors: Operation Guns, known affectionately as the Contra DLC, is headed to all platforms early next month. We got another look at the new DLC before it gets into players' hands. But the most interesting thing about the new trailer is that at the end, viewers get a "one more thing..." revealing that Brad Fang, a character who first appeared in Contra: Hard Corps, will be featured in the DLC.

Taylor is a Reporter at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.

Jackbox players who are older and have been wishing for an adult-themed Party Pack: your prayers have finally been answered, as Jackbox Games announced at ID@Xbox today that its next party pack is aimed at the older demographic.

As the name implies, Jackbox Naughty Pack is the next entry in the party game franchise and is designed specifically for adults. Though there are no details, such as what mini-games would appear in the pack, we do know it is out this year.

Jackbox Games has released a new party pack nearly annually since the first installment was released in 2014. Each Party Pack entry consists of five mini-games designed to be played ideally with three or more friends while everyone uses a device with an internet browser, most commonly a phone, to play.

The Jackbox Party Pack series grew in popularity thanks to content creators hosting streams where they play one of the ten currently available Party Packs. The series spiked exponentially in 2020 during the pandemic as family members or friends hosted virtual game nights on video conferencing apps like Zoom while social distancing. Beyond content creation and social distancing, Jackbox is a great option for those looking to host a game night or have a fun activity to engage in during a dinner party.

Though Jackbox is designed for all ages, releasing a Party Pack is unsurprising, particularly as many adults will typically host a game night that requires participants to be 18 or older. Or the fact that some players typically use snark or vulgar language when playing mini-games such as Quiplash.

Taylor is a Reporter at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.

One dedicated fan of The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim has added two haptic feedback suits that simulate real pain to their already $15,000 mass immersion setup.

As reported by GamesRadar, GingasVR on X/Twitter shared how they've made their Skyrim virtual reality experience even more immersive by adding touch and feeling to the world.

GingasVR, who already boasted an extensive VR setup that includes an HTC Vive headset, three Vive trackers, microphones, and face trackers, as well as tons of mods, has added an OWO haptic feedback suit, a haptic feedback vest, and smart plugs hooked up to fans.

The first suit contains electrodes that shock the player when they receive actual damage in the game, while the second is purely for vibrations to simulate feelings of water and other less intense feelings. The fans are hooked up to simulate temperature, so they'll turn on when visiting colder regions of Skyrim and off when it's warmer.

Wearing 2 haptic feedback suits in Skyrim while talking to an OpenAi NPC and simulating temperature with smart plugs 🫡 #vr #skyrim #tech #gaming pic.twitter.com/3vDB17FM4c

— GingasVR (@gingasvr) April 25, 2024

These are shown off in the video, with the pain simulators tested against the Whiterun populus, mages, and even a dragon. GingasVR also used an OpenAI mod to give characters unique and adaptive dialogue which, partnered with their microphone and a mod that projects speech in-game, allows for lifelike interactions with the residents of Skyrim.

With The Elder Scrolls 6 still five years away at least, fans have had to find their own ways, like this, to keep the ageing Skyrim entertaining. Another player recently accrued a 267,000 gold bounty murdering 5,000 NPCs in a quest to kill "everything that was killable", for example, while one fan recreated the game in Age of Empires 2.

Waves of sentimental fans recently booted up their old Xbox 360s and PlayStation 3s to "retire" their original characters too, showing how much Skyrim has remained in player consciousness over its 12 years of being available.

In our 9/10 review of the beloved role playing game, IGN said: "Skyrim is a rare kind of intensely personal, deeply rewarding experience, and one of the best role-playing games yet produced."

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.

Today, Amazon is offering the powerful and high capacity Anker Prime 20,000mAh USB Power Bank for only $89.98, a hefty 31% price drop from its original $130 MSRP. This is the successor to the Anker 737 that we deemed the best Steam Deck and ASUS ROG Ally charger. It boasts an absolutely massive 200W of USB power delivery to charge all of your mobile devices simultaneously.

Anker Prime 20,000mAh Power Bank for $90

with 200W of USB Type-C Power Delivery

The Anker Prime can be used like any other power bank; it does a fine job of charging any of your standard mobile electronics. However, its main purpose is to charge more power hungry devices like laptops, portable gaming systems, and high end phones. It has two USB Type-C ports and one USB Type-A port. Each USB Type C port supports up to 100W of Power Delivery. In fact, both ports can charge 100W at the same time. If you want to charge using all three ports simultaneously, then the power distribution will be 100W (Type C), 60W (Type-C) and 40W (Type-A). The 20,000mAh is under the TSA's 27,000mAh limit so it can be brought onto airplanes; it can charge a Nintendo Switch OLED about 4 times, iPhone 15 Pro Max about 4 times, Steam Deck about 3 times, and an ASUS ROG Ally about 7 times.

What makes the Prime unique compared to most other power banks is the LCD digital readout which displays a lot of useful real-time information like remaining battery capacity, power input, and power output from each port. The power bank measures 5"x2"x2" and weighs in at 1.2 pounds.

The Anker Prime is an excellent Steam Deck / ASUS ROG Ally charger

The Anker Prime is an outstanding charger for the Steam Deck and ASUS ROG Ally portable gaming handhelds. The Steam Deck accepts up to 38W of USB Power Delivery and the ASUS ROG Ally accepts up to 65W. That means the Prime can charge three Steam Decks or two ASUS ROG Allys simultaneously at their maximum charging rate. Both the ROG Ally and Steam Deck suffer from a short battery life when gaming on the go. For instance, when playing most games at 60 FPS, you're likely looking at four hours of battery life for the Steam Deck and far less with the ASUS ROG Ally, which is equipped with a measly 2600mAh battery. During our Steam Deck review, we even found games like God of War or Spider-Man would tap out in under 2-hours as well. At the end of the day, you'll never get the full potential out of your Steam Deck or ROG Ally if you're not equipped with a decent portable charger.

Game of Thrones is reportedly the basis of a massively multiplayer online role-playing game set from The Finals publisher Nexon.

Sources told Redanian Intelligence that the game will at least partially be set in the North with locations such as Winterfell and The Wall both featured. It will reportedly take place around Seasons 4 and 5 of the hit HBO show, when Roose Bolton is Warden of the North and Jon Snow and Sam Tarley are still posted at The Wall.

Players will allegedly explore Westeros through a story campaign threaded throughout the MMO, coming across the aforementioned characters and others as they do, according to Redanian Intelligence. The HBO show cast apparently will not return for the game, and players will create a brand new character for themselves, with male and female options.

The game was described as a package similar to The Elder Scrolls Online, though no release window for the alleged MMO was shared. IGN has asked Nexon for comment.

Nexon, as well as publishing Embark Studios' hit shooter The Finals, has hundreds of millions of registered users across all its games, including Dungeon & Fighter, MapleStory, and KartRider.

Despite having a critically acclaimed TV show based on a critically acclaimed ongoing novel series, Game of Thrones hasn't had as much of a presence in the video game space. Beyond a handful of strategy games, an RPG based on the TV show was released in 2012 to poor reviews, while Telltale Games created an episodic, story heavy game in 2014 that failed to get a second season. Interestingly, a Game of Thrones MMORPG for mobile was announced by Netmarble in 2022 but hasn't been heard from since.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.

Sonic Superstars is down to just £12.32 on PS5 right now at Amazon in the UK. It's also down to £12.35 on Xbox, a pretty hefty discount for a £54.99 game that only came out in October of last year. Still, Sonic fans, if you haven't yet got around to playing it, this is likely the cheapest it's going to get so check out the deal ASAP while it's still in stock. We'll leave a handy link just below!

In our review of Sonic Superstars, we said: "I started hedgehog over heels for Sonic Superstars, but the more time I put into it, the easier it was for me to see its Eggman-sized flaws. The decision to focus more on exploration was a great idea on paper and creates a unique dynamic to each level, but I wish it hadn’t sacrificed speed in exchange. The boss designs are creative and clever, but often wear out their welcome with long periods of being untargetable and occasionally frustrating one-hit KO mechanics."

"The soundtrack may not have anything as iconic as Hydro City or Spring Yard Zone, but it features some excellent additions to an already long list of Sonic bangers – if only the sound design was up to the same quality standard. And while the campaign is still enjoyable, Superstars’ multiplayer components are far worse options than anything in past Sonic games. Like digging Emeralds out of the rough, Sonic Superstars’ new ideas end up feeling like a mix of both interesting and ill-advised, making it an amusing Sonic game but not exactly a Super one."

Other big gaming deals right now include Stellar Blade for just £57.48 with code PAYAY20 (see here), with over £12 off the RRP for a limited time only. We'll leave a handy link to the Stellar Blade preorder discount just below, but as we mentioned, this deal will expire soon at 11:59 PM on April 30 -- so don't hang around on this one.

This is part of a new payday sale at eBay using code PAYAY20, which includes some pretty impressive discounts, and 20% off some of the best games going right now -- including Stellar Blade which will likely be on a lot of PlayStation gamers' radar for the end of this month.

Plus, there are also games like Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth on PS5 is down to just £47.16, alongside Steam Deck 512GB for £374.95. These payday discounts are well worth taking advantage of if you're making any purchases in the spring sales and beyond, so keep them in mind. For more amazing UK discounts, ensure you're following @IGNUKDeals on Twitter/X.

Robert Anderson is a deals expert and Commerce Editor for IGN. You can follow him @robertliam21 on Twitter.

Escape From Tarkov developer Battlestate Games has been called "shameless" and "tone deaf" over its response to controversy caused by a $250 expansion, with fans and even its esports associate calling out the studio.

The community behind Escape From Tarkov — a hardcore and realistic online first-person shooter currently in beta — erupted on April 26 after Battlestate announced the $250 Unheard Edition upgrade, which added an exclusive player-versus-everyone mode amid other extras, and notably wasn't deemed downloadable content by the developer. This meant those who'd bought the $150 Edge of Darkness edition of Escape From Tarkov, which came with a Season Pass and thus "free access to all subsequent DLCs", wouldn't obtain this new content without spending another $250.

Many players therefore deemed the Unheard Edition "pay-to-win", "unacceptable", "disrespectful", and more, but immense backlash has now arisen in response to the developer's official comment on the matter, which was seemingly intended to rectify the situation.

Nik Buyanov, Battlestate COO and studio head, posted on Reddit to announce owners of the Edge of Darkness edition would get access to the mode upon Escape From Tarkov's full launch but couldn't yet because of server capacity issues.

Players would "have the opportunity to test this mode by purchasing the Unheard edition of the game", Buyanov said, announcing a 50% discount for owners of the Edge of Darkness edition. These players would therefore be paying $275 in total to access this part of the Escape From Tarkov beta.

Another Reddit post came from Buyanov after this one didn't go well. "I would like to say that I am very sorry that fans and the game community in general are experiencing these feelings," he said, the wording of which further upset many Escape From Tarkov players.

"Fake apology," said redamid. "'I'm sorry you feel this way' does not equal 'I'm sorry I betrayed you'." ZeroPointZero_ chimed in too: "'I'm sorry you feel this way' is really not how an apology should sound," they said. "I don't really expect much better than this, however, considering all that has happened. The corrective actions are now on the right track, but hardly enough. Introducing pay-to-win features that are infinitely more potent than the ones in Edge of Darkness is just tone deaf."

Buyanov said the reaction, "which he did not foresee", will affect future decisions and announced a handful of other changes to these editions. PvE will be made available to those who own the Edge of Darkness edition but only "in waves" because of the server capacity issues, though it's unclear how far apart these waves will come.

He also promised to balance the items and perks in this addition but provide more to those who already bought it for $250, and said Battlestate will continue to work on other patches and content for Escape From Tarkov, among other things. "Thank you for your time, love and hate, and thank you for your increased attention to the current situation," Buyanov said.

These changes aren't enough for many, however. "Saying you're 'sorry about the feeling we are experiencing' is such as BS statement," said broken-cactus. "Clearly you're not sorry for what you did. While this is a good step, honestly you guys have shown your true colors with this whole fiasco. I'm just very disappointed, and I hope you guys will take some time to build back the trust you lost with this community."

A comment from paulfunyan suggested Battlestate had made false promises in the past, and said the company is asking for too much money for a game currently in beta. "You've had the privilege of us testing your game for the past seven years, and this is the product you're delivering. If you expect anyone to pay more money to test this then you're bats**t insane," they said. "Shameless."

Escape From Tarkov's Reddit is currently full of fans sharing similar thoughts, though Battlestate's recent actions appear to be a step too far for many. A post from WebFirm4870 with a screenshot of them uninstalling the game has 3,500 upvotes. Mleeimlele's post telling other players not to fall for the apology has 6,700 upvotes. A screenshot of the Wikipedia page for a "non-apology apology" has 5,100 upvotes.

But the backlash took a step further when Evasion GG, the first Escape From Tarkov esports team and a host of more than 200 tournaments for the game, posted on X/Twitter to claim Battlestate is a bad company to work with as a result of "control issues, blatant nepotism" and more.

"We have produced over 200 Tarkov shows but if you’ve wondered why we haven’t been as active as we once were it’s because we will not be railroaded into doing events that we don’t believe in," Evasion said.

"What happened to the Tarkov community over the past week is what’s been happening to us for the last two years dealing with Battlestate. Promises not kept, gaslighting, event cancelations, control issues, blatant nepotism, [and] all while wasting our time, money, and efforts. This year we found out how terribly they have been treating the smaller event orgs as well. Now this treatment has spread to the player base.

"We’ve held back sharing this information but seeing how the community was treated as a whole recently was too much. We will not create Tarkov events until we see things truly change."

IGN has asked Battlestate for comment regarding these allegations and the community backlash.

Escape From Tarkov was released in closed alpha in August 2016 before its closed beta was released in July 2017. It has stayed in this form ever since despite regular updates and paid add-ons, with no word on a proper launch date as of yet.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.

Bethesda has issued a clarification amid confusion surrounding the much-anticipated free next-gen update for Fallout 4, confirming who does and who does not qualify for the upgrade.

Following last week’s launch of the update, PlayStation 5 owners were left confused over which subscription version of the game would qualify as getting the native next-gen patch for free when it, at least initially, wasn’t available for anyone. It turns out the free update is only for subscribers who have the game via the PlayStation Plus Extra catalog. That means everyone else has to pay for Fallout 4’s native PS5 version, if they didn't already own the game outright, including those who own Fallout 4 via the now defunct PS Plus Collection. Meanwhile, all Xbox Game Pass subscribers get Fallout 4 and the next-gen update for free.

PS Plus Collection was a promotion that gifted PS5 owners who subscribed to PS Plus a number of PS4 games to play on their new console, including Bloodborne, Persona 5, and the aforementioned Fallout 4. It was removed from PS Plus in May last year.

“We've seen some confusion regarding the free Fallout 4 next-gen update for PlayStation Plus Extra members,” Bethesda said in a statement. “The Fallout 4 next-gen update will be available to PlayStation Plus Extra members through the PlayStation Game Catalog. Your patience is appreciated while the teams work on this.”

As you’d expect, people who do own Fallout 4 via PS Plus Collection and had expected to get the next-gen update for free have expressed their disappointment, and pointed out Bethesda had said the next-gen update would be free for all owners of Fallout 4.

Bethesda has also faced tough questions around refunds for Fallout 4 after some who owned the game via PlayStation Plus Extra but bought the PS5 version during the period when a bug made the free next-gen update unavailable. IGN has asked Bethesda for comment.

The Fallout 4 next-gen update has suffered a troubled launch, and the update that launched alongside it for the PC version of the game has had technical problems of its own. Xbox players found their version lacked the promised Quality Mode. Bethesda tweeted to say the next-gen update on Xbox Series X targets 4k and 60 frames per second in all modes, with Performance Mode “more aggressive in lowering settings to maintain this target.”

The Fallout 4 next-gen update launched amid the breakout success of Prime Video’s Fallout TV show, but its release date scuppered the Fallout London mod, which relies upon third-party mods now broken following the PC patch.

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

Manor Lords’ huge Steam wishlists have translated into a bumper launch that saw over one million copies sold in just a day.

Manor Lords launched on April 26 in Early Access form and soon rose through the player concurrents ranks on Valve’s platform. It hit a peak Steam concurrent player count of 173,178 — according to publisher Hooded Horse, that’s the highest ever for a city builder, and even other similar genres, such as GSG/4x/colony sims. That means Manor Lords has enjoyed a bigger Steam launch than the likes of Civilization and Cities: Skylines.

Manor Lords is a medieval strategy game featuring in-depth city building, large-scale tactical battles, and complex economic and social simulations. It was developed by Slavic Magic, a one-person studio founded by Greg Styczeń. IGN’s Manor Lords Early Access review returned a 7/10. We said: “Manor Lords is a gorgeous medieval city-builder that kept me occupied for hours building my perfect, cozy hamlets, but it definitely feels very early in its Early Access development.”

In a tweet, Styczeń outlined the main points for the planned next patch:

• Fix all the weird homeless bugs.
• Tune the archer damage.
• Tune the trade oversupply mechanics (it's too harsh and punishes regional specialization).
• Slow down the rate of the AI claiming territories.
• Improve the sawpit efficiency / storage.

Manor Lords is the latest mid-priced game to see enormous success in early 2024 following the release of Pocket Pair's Palworld and Arrowhead's Helldivers 2. The trend comes at a time when some triple-A $70 games, such as Rocksteady's Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League and Ubisoft's Skull and Bones, have struggled.

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

Amazon Gaming Week sale is now live until May 5, making this an incredible opportunity to save, and will likely be the last chance to grab a big discount on Game Pass, SSDs, SD Cards, and power banks until the Prime Day sales later in the summer. Plenty of sales occur outside of events like Prime Day or Black Friday, so be sure to take advantage while the massive collection of discounts is available this week.

Buying new video games, hardware, and accessories for your preferred console doesn’t need to make a massive dent in your wallet. Deals happen all the time for items like these, so you can save money while investing in your favorite hobby. We also cover hot items coming back in stock, like the PlayStation Portal which is now available again at Best Buy for $199.99. For now, whether you play on PS5, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, or PC, you’ll find the very best deals listed below. And if you've taken advantage of lots of these deals, see our roundup on game storage ideas.

TL;DR - Our Favorite Video Game Deals

3-Months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for Just $36.99 (Stackable Codes)

There's a hot chance this sells out fast, so get those codes in ASAP. Woot is offering an excellent deal on three months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. You can save $13 on a digital 3-month Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription, bringing its price down from $49.99 to $36.99. It's also still stackable for up to 36 months for new or existing members - huzzah! Microsoft has also recently announced the second wave of games coming to Game Pass in April 2024. Highlights include Orcs Must Die! 3, Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes, and the hotly anticipated Manor Lords.

Our Favorite Micro SD Cards for Switch and Steam Deck Are On Sale

The best Switch or Steam Deck SD card should be fast, reliable, and as future-proof as possible. That last one is important, as it's quite likely we'll be getting a Switch successor / the next Nintendo console within the next year or so (if rumors are to be believed). Therefore, you're going to want to opt for the latest in SD card tech, which is a micro SDXC UHS-I U3 A2 V30 memory card. That's a lot of random letters, so to save you a bit of time we've left our top suggestions and deals just below for your convenience. To see even more SD card deals, make sure to check out our roundup of the best SD card deals.

More SD Card Deals

Our Favorite Power Bank for Steam Deck is Discounted Right Now

Some excellent power banks are discounted at the moment for Amazon Gaming Week that are perfectly portable and packing plenty of power to keep you going. In particular, the fantastic Anker Prime Power Bank is down to just $89.98 right now. This is a huge discount for the 200W enabled 20,000mAh Portable Charger, and likely the best we are going to see until Prime Day later in the summer.

PlayStation Portal Is Finally Back In Stock at Best Buy

See our PlayStation Portal review here.

There are some amazing PS5 deals to check out right now, including a selection of PlayStation games that have dropped to just $20 at Walmart. Not only that, but the PlayStation Portal, a surprise hit, and Sony’s newest handheld gaming accessory, is back in stock at Best Buy for $199.99 (there's also an open-box version for just $159.99 while stock lasts).

Meta Quest 2 Active Bundle (128GB) is Down to $196.11

Amazon is offering a very nice discount at the moment on the 128GB Meta Quest 2 Active Bundle. This is one of the best Meta Quest deals available right now, and well worth considering for anyone interested in VR. Normally, this VR headset retails for $249.99, but you can grab it for $196.11 right now, which is a great price for such a high-quality headset and the active bundle alongside. We gave it a 9/10 in our review back when it was released, stating that it "improves an already amazing VR headset with better resolution, refresh rate, and a lower price tag."

Perfect PS5 4TB SSD with Heatsink for $239.49 at Amazon

Looking to completely maximize your PS5 storage capabilities? Then this is the deal for you. For a limited time only, this PS5 4TB SSD is available at Amazon for just $239.49 (see here). It has an MSRP of $699.99 which is rather dramatic, but in reality, this and many other 4TB SSDs have been sitting around $280-$300 recently. The 1TB version is also down to just $71.49 as well, the best price you can find on a PS5 SSD at the time of writing. Again, we're unlikely to see better deals than this until Prime Day in the summer. You can also check out the more PS5 SSD deals here.

WD Black C50 1TB Expansion Card for Xbox for $124.99

Amazon is offering the lowest price we've ever seen on the officially licensed WD Black C50 1TB Expansion Card for Xbox Series consoles. Right now it's only $124.99, a 16% off price drop from its original $150 MSRP. It's currently $25 cheaper than the Seagate 1TB Expansion Card. The C50 is one of the best SSDs for the Xbox, which isn't surprising since your options are pretty limited.

More Xbox Expandable Storage Deals

HyperX Gaming Headsets Are Discounted for Amazon Gaming Week

Looking for a brand new headset? Consider these HyperX sets that are currently discount in the Amazon Gaming Week sale. Whether you're on PS5, Xbox, or PC, the HyperX Cloud III could be the pick of the bunch, down to just $79.99 from a list price of $99.99.

More HyperX Deals

Steam Deck Internal SSD: Big Discounts for Amazon Gaming Week

If a micro SD card deal isn't floating your boat for Steam Deck, how about a new internal SSD instead? The WD_BLACK 2TB SN770M M.2 2230 NVMe SSD is down to just $175.99 right now, a considerable drop from its $239.99 list price, and well worth considering. If you don't need all that extra storage, there's a more affordable option for the 500GB version as well, down to $67.99.

Up to 40% Off PC Gaming Accessories From Corsair

Corsair also has a massive sale for Amazon Gaming Week, with several big discounts on PC gaming accessories like mice, headsets, keyboards and more. We've selected a few of our favorites in the sale, but there's so much on offer we can hardly cover it all -- so ensure you're checking out everything that's recieved a discount here as well.

More Corsair Deals

Amazon Gaming Week: CYBERPOWERPC Deals

CyberPowerPC gaming PCs are built from off-the-shelf parts, so they are easy to maintain and upgrade yourself. The individual components are comprised of whatever brands are currently available at the moment, so the PC you get may not have the exact same components as the PC someone else gets (if you want consistency, you would buy from a brand that supplies its own components like Alienware). In addition to the individual parts warranties, you get a 1 year CyberPowerPC warranty.

Amazon Gaming Week: GIGABYTE Motherboards

Amazon Gaming Week: Dell Gaming Laptops/Gear/Monitors

Amazon Gaming Week: ASUS Motherboards, Graphics Cards, and More

Back to Top

Best PC Game Deals

If you're looking for the latest and greatest deals on PC games, don't worry, we've got you covered there as well. Here, you can find some excellent deals on new releases, like Dragon's Dogma 2, and highly-anticipated upcoming releases like Elden Ring's Shadow of the Erdtree expansion. You can check out more of our favorite PC game deals below.

Back to Top

Score 2 Free Months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate (New Members Only)

Walmart is now offering two months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for free for any current or new Walmart+ members. If you're not currently a member of Walmart+, the retailer offers a 30-day free trial (which will make you eligible for the Game Pass offer), alongside plans for $12.95 paid monthly, or $98 paid annually.

For those interested in the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate offer, it is worth qualifying that this code will only apply to those who currently don't have an active Game Pass Ultimate membership, and Walmart stresses that this is for new members only. If you're on Game Pass Core, it should be fine to apply to your account. Otherwise, if you're a current Game Pass Ultimate member, the code won't be applicable. If you do qualify, it's a pretty simple process if you're looking to bag the two-month free trial, here's how:

Steps:

1. Visit the Walmart+ Offer Page and select 'Get Offer' next to the 2 free months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate listing
2. On the 'Offer Page' you will see a unique promo code, copy this code and keep a record of it
3. Hit the 'Redeem Offer' button on the page to go to the Xbox Site
4. Sign in to Your Account
5. Your promo code will autofill -- if it does not then paste/type
6. Redeem your offer and receive your 2 Free Months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate
7. Disable auto-renewal afterward to avoid being charged at the end of the trial -- this can be located in 'Services & Subscriptions' in your Microsoft account. You should also do this for Walmart+ if you used a free trial to access the Game Pass offer

Back to Top

Score a Spider-Man 2 PS5 Slim Bundle for $449 (20% Off MSRP)

This deal has been one of our favorites for quite a while (since last year's Black Friday, actually!) and it's been selling out at a variety of retailers. Thankfully, Best Buy still has some in stock, so if you've been hoping to grab one of these PS5 Slim bundles, now's your chance to do so. Who knows how long it'll stick around for, so act fast! Normally, it retails for $559.99, but it's been marked down to $449 for a while now which is an excellent deal.

Back to Top

Get $20 Off a Super Mario Party + Red & Blue Joy-Con Bundle at Walmart

Who doesn't love a bundle? Right now, Walmart's offering a nice deal on a Super Mario Party and Red & Blue Joy-Con bundle. It's currently available for $79 (the price is shown after adding it to your cart), which is $20 off its MSRP of $99.99. Be ready for your next game night with a fantastic game and additional Joy-Con all ready to go.

Xbox Console & Bundle Deals

The Diablo IV Xbox Series X bundle is still holding on at Walmart, down $92 from its MSRP of $559.99 to $467.99. This has stood the test of time since last Black Friday as one of our favorite console bundles, and is well worth investing in before it's all gone for good.

Back to Top

Alienware Aurora R15 RTX 4070 Gaming PC for $1399.99

Do you prefer to play on a dedicated tower? Navigating the options online can be a lengthy ordeal. Desk space (or lack of desk space), portability, and price point are often factors in the decision. Utility, function, and fun little extras like RGB capacities or sound-enhancing add-on devices to pair with your PC often make up the list of desired needs. However, there are some great PC deals that pop up every now and again that are worth jumping on before they disappear. One of our favorite deals at the moment is on this Alienware Aurora R15 RTX 4070 Gaming PC, which is down 39% to $1399.99. To see even more PC deals, check out our roundup of the best gaming PC deals.

Robert Anderson is a deals expert and Commerce Editor for IGN. You can follow him @robertliam21 on Twitter.

Hades 2 developer Supergiant Games has signaled the end of the game’s technical test and early access launch soon afterwards.

The technical test winds down from today, April 29, at which point it will no longer be available in participants’ Steam libraries, Supergiant said. The developer plans to launch Hades 2 in Early Access on Steam “relatively soon after.” No release date was announced, but the wording of the statement suggests Hades 2’s launch is imminent.

Supergiant said the test helped the studio identify and address a number of key technical issues it wasn’t able to find before, and thanked players for their help. Hopefully this will make for a smoother launch.

Hades 2 is the sequel to 2020's critically-acclaimed roguelite Hades. It features Melinoë, daughter of Hades and sister of Zagreus, as its main character. The original game was acclaimed for its sharp writing, beautiful visuals, and clever take on roguelite storytelling, and Hades II looks to be more of the same.

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

There isn’t another game series more loaded with pop culture references than Goat Simulator. Pilgor, the crazy, ragdoll-tossed, licking protagonist of the series has been getting up to endlessly stupid hijinks for 10 years, and what started as a daft premise built from a game jam idea has now spawned a decade of insanity, spoofing almost every major video game along the way such as Skyrim, Dead Island and even P.T.

But not every crazy Goat Simulator idea makes the cut, and concepts based on the Hitman series and L.A. Noire never made it past early development. We spoke to developers Coffee Stain North about how these ideas came about and why they never made it to the finish line.

“We started with very broad themes for all of the [game] jams.” explains lead producer, Sebastian Zethraeus. “[The themes were] Under the Sea, Mythology, and Dev's Choice, which is what turned into the Hitman one.”

Since Goat Simulators' inception in 2014, Coffee Stain Studios has regularly run game jams with their teams and these small, freeform creation events give developers the freedom to create any idea, despite how ludicrous, from scratch.

“We have one rule.” shares art director, William Birgersson. “It [needs] a goat. Everything else is open.”

To come up with DLC for Goat Simulator 3, Coffee Stain North let its staff run wild, which resulted in ideas not only inspired by other popular games like Hitman and L.A. Noire, but allowed the associated genres to dictate the gameplay.

“What can we do that breaks the mould?” says Birgersson. “What if we place Pilgor in a single-player, noir detective story? How do we implement the Goat Simulator jankiness and weirdness? How do we make it not too silly, but also very silly? It's a super weird balancing [act] you have to do. How can we make this special? That's where we found the key is changing the gameplay essentially.”

Most references from Goat Simulator 3 are visual jokes and tend not to stray too far from the run, jump, lick and headbutt gameplay. But for the DLC, Coffee Stain North was looking for an idea that not only referenced a popular series but also significantly altered the gameplay, and the game jams allowed them to go crazy with those concepts.

“It's super low effort [when you only make] something for a week.” says Zethraeus. “You can go all the way with a very, very implausible theme and if it's thrown away, that's not an issue. Before we showed [IGN] we didn't think [the ideas] would amount to anything, and that's okay because that's part of the creative process. Finding what sticks.”

One of those discard ideas was ‘Goat55’, which was based on IO’s much-loved assassin series Hitman. During its development Coffee Stain ran with the concept of implementing Hitman’s social stealth mechanics in the world of Pilgor, allowing players to kill, hide bodies, change outfits and infiltrate to reach their target. It was Hitman for all intents and purposes, but with a goat instead of a bald assassin. And in classic, whacky Goat Simulator fashion, there was also a reference to another great of the stealth genre, with a familiar-looking cardboard box triggering a giant Metal Gear Rex to rise from the sea.

“I had forgotten all about that!” exclaims Birgersson. “The social stealth part of Hitman was [what] enticed us, but Metal Gear Solid’s stealth would be awesome as well. An actual stealth experience with goats… That would be pretty great.”

Coffee Stain North tried out a handful of different gameplay ideas during the game jam and another popular stand-out was Detective Pilgor, a murder-mystery detective story that bared more than a striking resemblance to Rockstar Game’s 2011 hit, L.A. Noire.

“Writing a who-done-it mystery story was super, super fun. We [even] did an entire interrogation sequence where you could actually doubt.” shares Birgersson, referencing L.A. Noire’s lauded interrogation scenes, which infamously often resulted in the characters pulling insane-looking facial expressions. ”I don't think it made it in but the idea was to go for [those] facial expressions. Like their eyes sticking out, mouths opening up. Yeah, we could have had a lot of fun with that thing.”

“I want to make Detective Pilgor so bad,” Birgersson continues. “A story mode is something that we've always talked about [for Goat Simulator] and we would like to try it out. Having one be the main part of the game is super interesting I think.”

Surprisingly, Goat55 and Detective Pilgor look surprisingly complete, despite them being very much unfinished following the small amount of time they were in production. Additionally, there was also a rhythm game that made it a reasonable distance during the game jam, as well as a familiar-looking mythology idea.

After learning about all these amazing ideas it was time to address the elephant (or goat?) in the room: Why did they never get completed?

“We found something better.” admits Zethraeus. “We found something that was even more enticing I think. I loved the hitman idea. I want it to become a full game so much, but when you try to finalize a product and make it into a complete package somewhere along the line, we tend to go a bit big.”

“It's always that balancing between what's fun for the player and how much content the player wants (or needs) for this to be fun.” continues Birgersson. “It's going to be super interesting to see the audience's reaction to this and what they’re interested in.”

Coffee Stain North was quick to state that nothing is definitive though, and should there be enough player demand, perhaps one day it would revisit these ideas. One thing is for certain though, the Goat Simulator series has been built on the foundation of game jams and the opportunity for improvisation they provide.

“Essentially all the best ideas are stupid ideas that someone comes up with on the spot.” laughs Birgersson. “It's such a perfect game for ideas to come alive. I wouldn't dream about making a rhythm-based dance game with goats, but trying that was super fun.”

Since 2014 Coffee Stain has been putting Pilgor in increasingly crazy scenarios and that’s not slowing down anytime soon. And in such a po-faced industry, a decade of successful, silly goat games isn’t anything anyone expected, including the developers.

“Dedicating my life to goats wasn't something I was prepared for.” admits Birgersson. “My mother asks me weekly if it’s still relevant? And I'm like, ‘yeah’.”

“There's so much variety in it, so much creativity, and it's just a framework.” says Zethraeus. “You have the same base – everyone's love for goats and what the goats will do when released on society and you can go crazy with it. That's what's so beautiful about it. It's so creative we can do whatever we want.”

Dale Driver is IGN's Executive Producer of Video Programming and kindly requested Coffee Stain North seriously consider a Metal Gear Solid Goat Simulator parody. You're welcome. Follow him on Twitter.

Capcom has finally fully revealed Street Fighter 6’s long-awaited DLC character Akuma, confirming a release date and showing off gameplay.

The famously overpowered Street Fighter fan-favorite launches on May 22, Capcom said. Owners of the Deluxe and Ultimate Edition or the Year 1 Character Pass and Ultimate Pass for Street Fighter 6 get Akuma immediately when he releases. Year 1 Ultimate Pass owners also receive the new stage, Enma's Hollow.

The gameplay reveal, below, shows off Street Fighter 6’s version of Akuma, older than previous incarnations but complete with his famous moveset. Akuma has his air fireball, dive kick, and his teleport move. Capcom saved the best for last: Akuma’s iconic Raging Demon attack. It very much looks like poor Ryu dies one thousand deaths.

Dropping right alongside Akuma are three significant new updates: Outfit 3 becomes available for all Year 1 Characters, including Rashid, A.K.I., Ed, and Akuma. Year 1 Ultimate Pass owners will automatically receive these including their colors 1-10 on May 22. The highly anticipated battle balance updates are coming to the game, too. Capcom said it will share more on these in the coming weeks. And there's the newest stage in Street Fighter 6, Enma’s Hollow, "where Akuma resides to continue his hellbent training". Year 1 Ultimate Pass owners will automatically receive this stage on May 22.

Akuma is available across all three Street Fighter 6 game modes, including World Tour where you can learn more about his story, Battle Hub where you can apply his moves to your own avatar, as well as the classic Fighting Ground experience. His throwback Outfit 2 style, in the slideshow of images below, is inspired by his debut look in Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo.

Capcom provided detail on a sample of some of Akuma's moves:

• Gou Hadoken: Akuma’s infamous fireball is back and can be charged up to blast a “red fireball” that gives him more options on hit or block.
• Ashura Senku: Like his previous iterations, Akuma uses Ashura Senku to glide on the battlefield cloaked in shadows.
• Adamant Flame: One of Akuma’s new moves, where he performs a forward thrust engulfed in flames. This move is useful in combos and for exploiting vulnerable opponents due to its long reach.
• Messatsu Gohado: Akuma’s Level 1 Super Art where he fires a highly concentrated ball of Satsui no Hado.
• Empyrean’s End: Akuma’s Level 2 Super Art where he turns the Satsui no Hado into a powerful flame and ignites it within the opponent.
• Sip of Calamity: Akuma’s first Level 3 Super Art where he throws opponents on the ground face-first and follows up with a single devastating blow.
• Shun Goku Satsu or 'Raging Demon': This second Level 3 Super Art can only be performed when his Vitality is low enough for a Critical Art and can be used to end combos. This time, he allows you to see what happens during the one second worth of nightmares.

The Year 1 DLC characters for Street Fighter 6 are Rashid, Akuma, Ed, and A.K.I. Akuma rounds out the list nearly a year after Street Fighter 6 launched in June 2023. The fighting game has sold three million copies so far, and enjoyed critical acclaim. IGN’s Street Fighter 6 review returned a 9/10. We said: “Street Fighter 6 is the most feature-rich a Street Fighter has ever been at launch, but even beyond that, it's roster of 18 characters is excellent, the new mechanics revitalize the one-on-one fighting formula, and it absolutely nails all of the little things that make for a stellar fighting game.”

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

Helldivers 2 developer Arrowhead has released a significant patch for the game that makes big balance changes to weapons, stratagems, enemies, and missions.

Patch 01.000.300 includes a much-needed tweak to burning damage, now reduced by 15%. Burning damage was causing chaos to friend and foe alike in the hugely popular PlayStation 5 and PC co-op shooter after a recent buff. Hopefully now planets such as Hellmire, which features fire tornados, will be more manageable.

Elsewhere, armors with an armor rating above 100 now also reduce damage on headshots, and victory poses will now only play for the extracted, which means, as Arrowhead put it in the patch notes: “no stolen valor on my ship.”

As for weapons, it’s worth checking out the patch notes, below, for the details, but one highlight is a quickfire change to the recently released RL-77 Airburst Rocket Launcher, which was causing havoc. It will now no longer detonate when shot near stratagems (HMG turret, Sentries, Resupplies) and other Helldivers, and has a reduced proximity radius.

On enemies, again, it’s worth checking out the patch notes, but players will welcome a change to Gunship spawners, which now have a much lower cap on how many gunships they can have active at the same time. Meanwhile, patrol spawning has been increased when there are fewer than four players. The fewer the players the bigger the change, Arrowhead said. For four-player missions there will be no change compared to before. The biggest noticeable change will be for solo players at higher difficulties, Arrowhead clarified.

Welcome gameplay changes include the ability to disable automatic climbing and vaulting while sprinting, which will help with movement. There are some fun “democracy spreading” changes, too. For example, when readying up, Helldivers now salute “to ensure maximum democratic readiness.”

And be warned: shots that ricochet from heavy armored enemies will now properly hit the Helldiver who fired them. “Trigger discipline is highly recommended,” Arrowhead said.

If you’re looking for more on Helldivers 2, check out IGN’s feature on the Let Me Solo Her of Helldivers 2, a player who has answered over 100 SOS Beacons as part of a mission to help others.

Helldivers 2 has become one of the surprise hits of 2024 since launching in February, topping the charts on Steam and reportedly selling around three million copies. According to at least one analyst, it's still growing. Check out IGN's Helldivers 2 review to find out why it's going down so well.

Helldivers 2 update 01.000.300 patch notes in full:

Overview

For this patch, we have made improvements and changes to the following areas:

• Balance changes to weapons, stratagems, and enemies
• Change to the Spread Democracy mission

Balancing

General

• Armors with armor rating above 100 now also reduce damage on headshots.
• Victory poses will now only play for the extracted. (No stolen valor on my ship.)
• Burning damage reduced by 15%

Primary, Secondary & Support Weapons CB-9 Exploding Crossbow

• Slightly smaller explosion
• Increased stagger
• Decreased number of maximum mags from 12 to 8
• Increased number of magazines received from resupply from 6 to 8
• Slight reduction in ergonomics
• Muzzle velocity increased

LAS-99 Quasar Cannon

• Increased recharge time by 5 seconds

BR-14 Adjudicator

• Full auto is now the default fire mode
• Reduced recoil
• Increased maximum mags from 6 to 8
• Increased number of magazines received from resupply from 6 to 8
• Now placed amongst assault rifles

LAS-98 Laser Cannon

• Slightly increased damage
• Slightly reduced damage versus large volume bodies

SG-8P Punisher Plasma

• Decreased maximum mags from 12 to 8
• Increased amount of magazines received from resupply from 6 to 8
• Increased projectile speed, but will still keep a similar range
• Decreased damage falloff on the explosion
• Now placed in the energy weapons category

ARC-12 Blitzer

• Increased shots per minute from 30 to 45
• Now placed in the energy weapons category

R-36 Eruptor

• Decreased number of maximum mags from 12 to 6
• Explosion damage drops off slightly faster

LAS-16 Sickle

• Decreased amount of magazines from 6 down to 3

LAS-5 Scythe

• Increased damage from 300 to 350
• Decreased max number of mags from 6 down to 4

RS-422 Railgun

• Increased armor penetration in both safe mode and unsafe mode
• Stagger force slightly reduced

MG-101 Heavy Machine Gun

• Third-person crosshair enabled

63CS Diligence Counter Sniper

• Damage increased from 128 to 140
• Ergonomics improved

R-63 Diligence

• Damage increased from 112 to 125

P-19 Redeemer

• Slight increase in recoil

P-2 Peacemaker

• Increased damage from 60 to 75

P-8 Senator

• Increased damage from 150 to 175
• Speedloader added when reloading on an empty cylinder–speeds up reload on empty considerably

LAS-7 Dagger

• Increased damage from 150 to 200

AR-19 Liberator

• Damage increased from 55 to 60

AR-23C Liberator Concussive

• Damage increased from 55 to 65

JAR-5 Dominator

• Damage decreased from 300 to 275

Guard Dog Rover

• Decreased damage by 30%

Guard Dog

• Slight increase in damage

Stratagems A/MG-43 Machinegun Sentry

• Increased health to match other Sentries

A/ARC-3 Tesla Tower

• Increased health by 33%

FAF-14 Spear

• Added reload stage reload after the spent missile had been discarded

RL-77 Airburst Rocket Launcher

• Airburst Rocket Launcher will no longer detonate when shot near stratagems (HMG turret, Sentries, Resupplies) and other Helldivers.
• Reduced proximity radius

Enemies

• Bile Spewer and Nursing Spewers movespeed slightly reduced
• Hulks: Force required for them to stagger slightly increased
• Hulk Scorcher direct flamethrower damage reduced by 20%
• Devastator fire rate slightly increased (only the standard devastator)
• Gunships sideways movement slightly increased
• Scout strider Riders now less vulnerable to explosions
• Fog Generators health and armor increased
• Gunship spawners now have a much lower cap on how many gunships they can have active at the same time

Enemy Patrols

We unintendedly had non-linear scaling of the patrol spawns so they didn't spawn as often as they should have when less than four players. The intention is that one player has 1/4th of the patrols compared to four players, but it used to be that they had 1/6th.

• Patrol spawning has been increased when there are fewer than four players. The fewer the players the bigger the change. For four-player missions there will be no change compared to before. The biggest noticeable change will be for solo players at higher difficulties

Gameplay

• Made minor level generation improvements to how we distribute locations throughout the mission map. This should improve variation in distance between objectives, and objectives will likely not spawn as far away from each other as often as before.
• Added setting in the options menu gameplay section to disable automatic climbing and vaulting while sprinting.
• The Spread Democracy mission otherwise known as “raise the flag” can now be enjoyed on higher difficulties for maximum freedom spreading.
• When readying up, Helldivers now salute to ensure maximum democratic readiness.
• Added ambience to the Tremor planetary hazard to underline the severity so Helldivers can react accordingly
• Shots that ricochet from heavy armored enemies will now properly hit the Helldiver who fired them. Trigger discipline is highly recommended.

Fixes Crash fixes

• Fixed crash that could occur when host abandoned mission with squad.
• Fixed crash that could occur if a player tried to enter an occupied EXO-45 Patriot Suit.
• Fixed crash that could occur for all players after or during mission results screen.
• Fixed crash that could occur after shooting from the EXO-45 Patriot Suit’s rocket launcher.
• Fixed crash that could occur for all players apart from the one that rejoined the ongoing mission with different armor and got reinforced.
• Fixed Superior Packing Methodology ship module not working properly.
• Fixed Blast Absorption ship module so that it correctly increases sentries’ resistance to explosions.
• Fixed issue where players could not navigate to the search results in the Social Menu.
• Fixed some issues where items equipped in a Warbond were not actually equipped.
• Fixed an exploit that allowed overly eager Helldivers to use grenades excessively.
• Fixed issue where kills from orbital barrage did not progress Indirect Fire Exercise order.
• Fixed issue that allowed traitors to try to sabotage the extraction shuttle by deploying sentry stratagems below it.
• Fixed issue where ion storms incorrectly prevented extraction beacon from deploying.
• Fixed some stratagem beams using incorrect color-coding.
• Fixed issue where the left stick on a controller could not be used to navigate the Social menu.
• Fixed some issues where various UI elements were cut off, off-centered or too close to the edge of the screen on ultrawide displays.
• Fixed Anti-Materiel Rifle facing away from the Helldiver after deploying it.
• Fixed bug where player could duplicate rounds by canceling the reload of Anti-Materiel Rifle at a specific time.
• Fixed bug where Anti-Materiel Rifle would consume an extra magazine after a canceled reload.
• Fixed bug where Recoilless Rifle would consume an extra shell from the backpack if the reload was canceled just after a shell was inserted, but before the reload was completed.
• Fixed issue where the Sickle and Quasar Cannon could not shoot through foliage.
• Fixed several issues where weapon thumbnails would disappear when scrolling through Armory.
• Fixed issues where Automaton Gunships sometimes could not see the player.
• Fixed incorrect collision being left over after destroying Automaton bunkers or detector towers with hellbombs.
• Fixed issue where Hellbombs would not deploy on certain missions
• Fixed certain issues that resulted in Helldivers drowning in deep water upon landing.
• Fixed issue where Hellpod Space Optimization made ammo go above capacity.
• Fixed issue where Stalkers became very visible in fog
• Mines are now pingable for better coordination with your team.
• Receiving friend requests now gives the player a pop up.
• Improved readability of prompts and hints displayed in the tutorial and onboarding.
• Total experience is now visible in the career tab.
• Added better support for ultrawide monitors by fixing the aspect ratio of menus to 16:9 and adding a setting to control the width of the HUD.
• Keybinds bound to numpad will no longer reset upon restart.
• Fixed inconsistent audio when headphones are plugged into the Dual Sense controller while playing on PC.
• Playing Rock, Paper, Scissors in front of the ship no longer causes player to fall out into space.
• APW-1 Anti-Material Rifle and MG-206 Heavy Machine Gun now trigger hitmarkers while scoped in.
• Secondary weapon no longer remains in the Ballistic Shield ADS position after using a stim with the Ballistic Shield Backpack equipped.
• "Open Text Chat" is now rebindable.
• Explosive weapons such as R-36 Eruptor, CB-9 Exploding Crossbow. GP-31 Grenade Pistol no longer pulls players inward from the blast.
• Disabled the squad invites during the tutorial which caused an overlap in the UI.
• Fixed Primary and Secondary weapons overlapping on the character model in the armory.
• Fixed UI elements during first boot are cut off on a 21:9 aspect ratio monitor.
• Report and block player is now visible in the squad menu.
• Dead Scavengers now stop screaming for help if killed while calling in reinforcements.
• Fixed Anti Air cannons showing up as "Stratagem Scramblers" in danger warnings.

Known Issues

Various issues involving friend invites and cross-play

• Friend Request cannot be accepted when the requesting player changed their username before the request was accepted.
• Cross-platform friend invites might not show up in the Friend Requests tab.
• Players cannot unfriend players befriended via friend code.
• Players cannot unblock players that were not in their Friends list beforehand.

• Damage-over-time effects may only apply when dealt by the host. We expect to have this fixed in the next patch.
• Reinforcement may not be available for some players who join a game in progress.
• Helldiver may be unable to stand up from crouching when surrounded by enemies.
• Game may crash if the host leaves while dead and rejoins the same play session.
• Game may crash if the player changes the text language while on a mission.
• Players may experience delays in Medals and Super Credits payouts.
• Enemies that bleed out do not progress Personal Orders and Eradicate missions.
• Scopes on some weapons such as the Anti-Materiel Rifle are slightly misaligned.
• Arc weapons sometimes behave inconsistently and sometimes misfire.
• Spear’s targeting is inconsistent, making it hard to lock-on to larger enemies.
• Stratagem beam might attach itself to an enemy but it will deploy to its original location.
• Explosions do not break your limbs (except for when you fly into a rock).
• Area around Automaton Detector Tower makes blue stratagems such as the Hellbomb bounce and be repelled when trying to call them down close to the tower.
• Planet liberation reaches 100% at the end of every Defend mission.

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