At this point, most competitive online multiplayer games on the PC come with some kind of kernel-level anti-cheat software. As we’ve written before, this is software that runs with more elevated privileges than most other apps and games you run on your PC, allowing it to load in earlier and detect advanced methods of cheating. More recently, anti-cheat software has started to require more Windows security features like Secure Boot, a TPM 2.0 module, and virtualization-based memory integrity protection. Riot Games, best known for titles like Valorant and League of Legends and the Vanguard anti-cheat software, has often been one of the earliest to implement new anti-cheat requirements. There’s already a long list of checks that systems need to clear before they’ll be allowed to play Riot’s games online, and now the studio is announcing a new one: a BIOS update requirement that will be imposed on “certain players” following Riot’s discovery of a UEFI bug that could allow especially dedicated and motivated cheaters to circumvent certain memory protections. In short, the bug affects the input-output memory management unit (IOMMU) “on some UEFI-based motherboards from multiple vendors.” One feature of the IOMMU is to protect system memory from direct access during boot by external hardware devices, which otherwise might manipulate the contents of your PC’s memory in ways that could enable cheating. Read full article Comments View the full article
Netflix announced it is acquiring Ready Player Me, a platform that lets players personalize the avatars they use across games. Netflix said Friday it plans to use the Estonia-based company’s development tools and infrastructure to build avatars that will allow Netflix subscribers to take their own customized personae and fandom across different games. .memberful-global-teaser-content p:last-child{ -webkit-mask-image: linear-gradient(180deg, #000 0%, transparent); mask-image: linear-gradient(180deg, #000 0%, transparent); } Read This Article Free Get instant access by joining the GB MAX Access tier — it’s free to sign up and unlock premium content.Join Now to Start ReadingAlready a member? Sign in The post Netflix acquires Ready Player Me avatar maker appeared first on GamesBeat. View the full article
Deltarune Chapter 5 is still several months away, as a new message from Toby Fox sets a realistic timetable for the release of the next installment in the episodic bullet hell RPG. While fans still have a long time to wait, progress on Deltarune Chapter 5 is coming along nicely, and its creator wants fan to know what to expect as it creeps nearer to completion. View the full article
Battlefield 6 has spoken a little about what players can expect to see from the game and the REDSEC battle royale heading into 2026. The tease doesn't give too much away, but it's still helpful in setting player expectations for Battlefield 6next year. Interestingly, the update does appear to confirm one of the most prominent leaks ahead of Season 2. View the full article
We're a bit over two months away from Resident Evil Requiem, and fans of the survival horror franchise are already spinning their wheels on theories of what to expect thanks to last week's reveal trailer. The newest look at RE9 that unveiled grizzled series veteran Leon S. Kennedy as the game's second playable character also had some big secrets within, or so some gamers are convinced. The new theory making the rounds online is that a returning villain was teased in plain sight. Image via Capcom At one point in the trailer (as seen in the image above), Leon can be seen looking at images on a computer screen that show some sort of virus or affliction that appears to be rotting people's skin or turning it ******. The same condition can be seen in some images creeping up the side of Leon's neck, so he may not be doing so well in his 50s when the game takes place. Also seen on the screen, however, is the lower half of somebody's face. And that somebody is—brace yourselves—none other than big bad Albert Wesker. Or, that's what people are thinking, anyway. The former S.T.A.R.S. captain and Umbrella agent has not been seen in the canon since the events of Resident Evil 5. As cool as it would be, I'm not sold on it. The last time we saw Wesker, he was mutated by the Uroboros virus and fighting Chris Redfield and Sheva Alomar in a volcano. The duo even shot two rockets at him to seal the deal to try and drive home the point that he was dead dead. Gamers have been theorizing since 2009 that Wesker somehow survived the events of RE5, but I've never bought into that. They blasted him with RPGs and lava. How could he survive it? Of course, it's Resident Evil, so weirder things have happened, but I'm not buying the idea. If it truly is Wesker in the picture on the computer screen, then maybe Leon is just looking up some research on his own affliction. That doesn't mean Wesker has somehow returned (like Emperor Palpatine, oh god), but I wouldn't count out his inclusion or relevance to RE9, even if he has no real connection to Leon at all (he was tied directly to Chris, Jill Valentine, and other S.T.A.R.S. members, so if one of them shows up, then maybe I'll change my tune). Then again, if this truly is the "requiem" for the Umbrella era of the series before Resident Evil moves on to something new, then having Wesker as a plot point would make sense. He's responsible for a lot of what Umbrella did and was capable of from the beginning, and is arguably the most overarching main villain of the franchise. [Hidden Content] To add further fuel to the rumor, the trailer also includes a shot of what looks like some sort of sarcophagus or coffin with the Umbrella logo emblazoned on. Is Wesker in there, waiting to rise like Dracula? We'll see when Requiem drops on Feb. 27, 2026, but for now, I'm keeping my Albert expectations tempered. The post Some Resident Evil fans are convinced this deader-than-dead villain is somehow coming back in Requiem, but I’m not sold appeared first on Destructoid. View the full article
Fortnite Chapter Seven Season 1 has heated up with plenty of free gifts for players to obtain from the Winterfest event, and you can find Shiny Llamas to unlock the new Starbite Slasher pickaxe for free. To do so, you'll have to find a certain number of these Shiny Llamas over the next couple of weeks. Since this specific item is completely random, it can be slightly tricky to find it. However, this guide will make your job easier by listing all possible sources from which you can find the Shiny Llamas. Table of contentsHow to find Shiny Llamas in Fortnite in Chapter 7 Season 1How to get the Starbite Slasher in FortniteHow to find Shiny Llamas in Fortnite in Chapter 7 Season 1 You can find Shiny Llamas across different game modes. You can get them in the Battle Royale mode (both Zero Build and traditional works). You can also find them across other official modes, including OG, Reload, and Blitz. There are multiple instances when you can find a Shiny Llama. Eliminating enemies can drop these Llamas.You can find them from various Supply Drops and treasure chests.Taking down bosses in Chapter Seven, Season One can also get you Shiny Llamas occasionally. Additionally, you can only gain Shiny Llamas when you play in a squad. Solos, Duos, and Trios won't count. You can either matchmake with your buddies or fill in with random players. Interestingly, you'll enjoy shared progression for the event. Screenshot by Destructoid In simple words, all Shiny Llamas found by your squad will count for quest progression. This will make things slightly easier if you're looking to unlock the Starbite Slasher Pickaxe. How to get the Starbite Slasher in Fortnite The key to obtaining the Starbite Slasher is locked with Shiny Llamas. You'll have to find 400 Shiny Llamas to add the Starbite Slasher pickaxe to your in-game inventory. As mentioned above, you don't have to collect all 400 Llamas manually. The number of statues picked up by your squad will also be considered in the total tally. The post How to get Shiny Llamas in Fortnite Chapter 7 Season 1 and get Starbite Slasher appeared first on Destructoid. View the full article
The Frostbite Finisher Evolution is now live in FC 26, and you can upgrade one of your attackers with incredible stat boosts. For the first time, we can put 86-rated cards in an evolution. Your chosen card will get an overall rise, along with new playstyles, roles, and more. With so many great options, let's look at the best possible choices based on the requirements and the offered upgrades. Table of contentsFC 26 Frostbite Finisher Evolution requirementsFC 26 Frostbite Finisher Evolution upgradesBest players to use in Frostbite Finisher EvolutionFC 26 Frostbite Finisher Evolution requirements Here are the requirements of Frostbite Finisher Evolution in FC 26. Overall: Max 86PlayStyle: Max 10PlayStyle+: Max 1Not Rarity: World Tour Silver StarsPosition: STNot Position: RW, LWFC 26 Frostbite Finisher Evolution upgrades The evolution has five levels of upgrades, each with certain conditions to fulfill. Level 1 upgrades Overall: +5|88Pace: +10|88Passing: +5|75Agility: +10|86Balance: +10|86Stamina: +15|85PlayStyles: Low Driven Shot|7 Level 2 upgrades Overall: +5|88Finishing: +20|90Penalties: +20|87Shot Power: +20|88Weak Foot: +2|4PlayStyles+: Low Driven Shot|1Roles: Target Forward++ Level 3 upgrades Overall: +2|88Aggression: +10|88Long Shots: +10|86Positioning: +20|89Volleys: +15|87Composure: +15|86PlayStyles: First Touch|7 Level 4 upgrades Ball control: +15|86Dribbling: +10|86Reactions: +15|86Skills: +2|4PlayStyles: Enforcer|7Roles: Poacher++ Level 5 upgrades Aggression: +10|88Heading Acc.: +25|84Jumping: +20|87Strength: +20|88PlayStyles: Finesse Shot|7Roles: Advanced Forward+ Level 1 upgrade requirements Play 1 match in any mode using your active EVO player in game. Level 2 upgrade requirements Score 1 goal with your active EVO player in any mode. Level 3 upgrade requirements Play 1 match in any mode using your active EVO player in game. Level 4 upgrade requirements Play 1 match in any mode using your active EVO player in game.Score 1 goal with your active EVO player in any mode. Level 5 upgrade requirements Play 1 match in any mode using your active EVO player in game.Best players to use in Frostbite Finisher Evolution Here are some of my best recommendations for inclusion in the evolution. Xavi Simmons **********Cristiano Ronaldo TOTWMarcus Rashford Ultimate ScreamHugo Ekitike TOTWJoao Pedro Ratings ReloadCan Uzun Ratings ReloadRomelu Lukaku Ultimate ScreamWout Weghorst ThundnerstruckDoumbia Base Hero While the upgrades are significant, you will be able to include these cards in future evolutions to create a chain and evolve their stats further. The post Best players for FC 26 Frostbite Finisher Evolution appeared first on Destructoid. View the full article
The Left Sided Attacker Evolution is a swift option to consider for FC 26 players for those who are looking to improve the wings of their squads in Ultimate Team. The evolution, available for free, allows you to add stat boosts, new roles, playstyles, and more. There are plenty of useful cards that you can include in this evolution. Let's look at the best choices based on the requirements and upgrades. Table of contentsFC 26 Left Sided Attacker requirementsFC 26 Left Sided Attacker Evolution upgradesBest players for Left Sided Attacker Evolution in FC 26FC 26 Left Sided Attacker requirements Here are the requirements for Left Sided Attacker Evolution in FC 26. Overall: Max 84Total Positions: Max 3PlayStyle: Max 10Position: LM or LWFC 26 Left Sided Attacker Evolution upgrades The Left Sided Attacker Evolution has two levels of upgrades. To obtain the boosts, you’ll need to complete specific tasks. Level 1 upgrades Overall: +1Acceleration: +8|90Sprint Speed: +8|88Positions: LMPlayStyles: Low Driven Shot|6 Level 2 upgrades Finishing: +12|88Positioning: +12|90Shot Power: +10|86PlayStyles: First Touch|6Roles: Inside Forward++, Winger+ Level 1 upgrade requirements Play 2 matches in Squad Battles on min. Semi-Pro difficulty (or Rush/Rivals/Champions/Live Events) using your active EVO Player. Level 2 upgrade requirements Play 2 matches in Squad Battles on min. Semi-Pro difficulty (or Rush/Rivals/Champions/Live Events) using your active EVO Player in game.Best players for Left Sided Attacker Evolution in FC 26 You can include a wide variety of items in this evolution. Jeremy Doku TOTWRafael LeaoLuna Ultimate ScreamKouassi TOTWDavid Neres World TourBarnes TOTWBradley BarcolaPhilogene TOTW These are arguably some of the best options you can include in this evolution. Since the cards won't go above the overall rating of 85, it leaves plenty of room for you to include the upgraded versions in extra evolutions. The post Best players for FC 26 Left Sided Attacker Evolution appeared first on Destructoid. View the full article
The Right Sided Attacker Evolution is a useful upgrade currently available in FC 26 Ultimate Team, and you can use it to reinforce one of your wings. The free evolution allows you to add stat boosts, new roles, playstyles, and more. There are plenty of cards that can be included to receive the boosts. Let's look at the best choices you can consider based on the requirements and offered upgrades. Table of contentsFC 26 Right Sided Attacker requirementsFC 26 Right Sided Attacker Evolution upgradesBest players Right Sided Attacker Evolution in FC 26FC 26 Right Sided Attacker requirements Here are the requirements for Right Sided Attacker Evolution in FC 26. Overall: Max 84Total Positions: Max 3PlayStyle: Max 10Position: RM or RWFC 26 Right Sided Attacker Evolution upgrades The Right Sided Attacker Evolution has two levels of upgrades. To obtain the boosts, you’ll need to complete specific tasks. Level 1 upgrades Overall: +1Acceleration: +8|90Sprint Speed: +8|88Positions: RMPlayStyles: Low Driven Shot|6 Level 2 upgrades Finishing: +12|88Positioning: +12|90Shot Power: +10|86PlayStyles: First Touch|6Roles: Inside Forward++, Winger+ Level 1 upgrade requirements Play 2 matches in Squad Battles on min. Semi-Pro difficulty (or Rush/Rivals/Champions/Live Events) using your active EVO Player. Level 2 upgrade requirements Play 2 matches in Squad Battles on min. Semi-Pro difficulty (or Rush/Rivals/Champions/Live Events) using your active EVO Player in game.Best players Right Sided Attacker Evolution in FC 26 You can include a wide variety of items in this evolution. Jeremy Doku TOTWMarcos LlorenteSavona TOTWMahrezMason Greenwood TOTWSoule TOTWMoussa DiabyPhilogene TOTWViktor Tsygankov Your upgraded card can have a maximum overall rating of 85. This makes it relatively easy to put them in other evolutions that are currently live for more upgrades. The post Best players for FC 26 Right Sided Attacker Evolution appeared first on Destructoid. View the full article
The Winter Wildcards Challenge 1 SBC is now live in FC 26 Ultimate Team, and you can use your lower-rated cards to get a free pack. The objective is the same with this fodder challenge, as you aim to use cards that you don't need. In exchange, you'll get a free pack. If you're lucky, you could end up finding a promo card/walkout from the pack. This guide will help you complete the challenge without a hassle so that you can get all the available rewards. Table of contentsFC 26 Winter Wildcards Challenge 1 SBC tasksFC 26 Winter Wildcards Challenge 1 SBC solutionsFC 26 Winter Wildcards Challenge 1 SBC tasks The Winter Wildcards Challenge 1 SBC has just one task, and here are the requirements. Winter Wildcards Challenge 1 SBC Max. 4 Players from the same ClubMin. 3 Players from the same NationMin. Leagues in Squad: 4Min. 6 Players: GoldPlayer quality: Min. SilverMin. Squad Total Chemistry Points: 22 The conditions aren't as hard as some of the recent fodder challenges. The biggest challenge will be to meet the chemistry requirement of 22, but that's not very difficult. FC 26 Winter Wildcards Challenge 1 SBC solutions Since the requirements aren't too hard, you can use cards that are already in your inventory. However, feel free to use the following solution if you get stuck. Kabongo ST 68Obi ST 65Ouattara LM 77Cham 75Uche CM 76Fransson 67Morato LB 76Troost-Ekong CB 71Vitor Reis CB 70Aina RB 80Stanek GK 76 Completing the challenge will get you a tradeable Small Prime Gold Players pack. This pack includes six Gold Player items, with one guaranteed to be rated 80 or higher. Any three of the six cards will be Rare, with the chance for it to be a walkout/Winter Wildcards item. Hence, try to complete the challenge as quickly as possible before it expires from Ultimate Team. The post FC 26 Winter Wildcards Challenge 1 SBC tasks and solutions appeared first on Destructoid. View the full article
Winter PC game sales have officially begun, making now the perfect time to stock up your library with some excellent new games to play over the holidays. Steam, Fanatical, GOG, Humble Bundle, and the Epic Games Store have each launched their respective Winter sales, and there's a treasure trove of discounts to look through right now while they're still live. Winter PC Game Sales Each of these sales is stacked with excellent discounts at the moment. Some of our favorites include The Game Awards' Game of the Year winner Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 getting a 28% discount, down to $35.99 at Fanatical; Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 dropping 50% to $29.99 on Steam; and Silent Hill f coming down 53% to $32.89 at Fanatical, but they're just the beginning. Below, you can see a few more of our favorite offers from the various Winter sales right now. If you're curious to see the sales in full, just click on their individual links above. Doom: The Dark Ages - $34.99 (50% off)Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater - $41.99 (40% off)Resident Evil 4 Gold Edition - $16.99 (66% off)Blue Prince - $17.09 (43% off)Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty - $20.99 (30% off)Fallout 4: Game of the Year Edition - $15.99 (60% off)Alan Wake 2 - $14.99 (70% off)Silent Hill 2 - $34.99 (50% off)Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 - $23.99 (60% off)Battlefield 6 - $48.99 (30% off) Clair Obscure: Expedition 33 is a winner all around, with critic Michael Higham writing in his review, "Wearing its inspirations on its sleeve, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 paints itself into the pantheon of great RPGs with a brilliant combat system and a gripping, harrowing story." With Christmas coming up next week, this is an excellent time to treat yourself to some new games to play over the holiday *******. However, if you have to get last-minute shopping done right now for other people in your life with a love of games, we can help there as well. We've also gathered up the 10 best gifts for gamers to help you find the best gifts to give this year, from Xbox Game Pass gift cards to the sleek Meta Quest 3. Hannah Hoolihan is a freelancer who writes with the guides and commerce teams here at IGN. View the full article
Fans expect Nintendo to soon make cheaper Switch 2 cartridges available to game publishers as a fresh alternative to Game-Key Cards, though one developer has said it expects its game to still cost around $10 more as it shifts to a proper game card. In a statement today, R-Type Dimensions 3 publisher Inin Games initially said it would take advantage of two new Switch 2 cartridge size options that Nintendo will offer to developers currently stuck choosing between an expensive 64GB cart or a cheap Game-Key Card release. Inin Games has now reworded that same statement to clarify that Nintendo itself has not made any announcement concerning cartridge storage capacities, and in a further post on social media said that any references it previously made "should not be interpreted as official information from Nintendo." That corporate snafu aside, Inin Games is still now launching R-Type Dimensions 3 as a physical release where previously it was not, due to what its hastily-edited announcement now blandly describes as it being able to "recalculate the production in a way that wasn't possible before." (Such as with a smaller cartridge size, hypothetically.) Game-Key Cards — mostly-blank cartridges that simply prompt users to download the game's contents — have proven unpopular among Switch 2 fans, though some developers have defended their use, saying they are necessary for games that otherwise would not fit on a 64GB cartridge, and a cheaper option for both publishers and players alike. As if to demonstrate that, Inin Games has said it will switch its physical production run for R-Type Dimensions 3 to cartridges rather than Game-Key Cards, though at a higher price point that's €10 (just over $11) more expensive. Still, that's cheaper than the "at least" €15 higher price Inin Games previously said it would have cost players had it used the standard 64GB Switch 2 cards. Not that other, smaller cartridge sizes are confirmed for now, of course. Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at [email protected] or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social View the full article
Thanks to a listing on the Writers' Guild of America website, it's all but confirmed that the big bad of Godzilla x Kong: Supernova, the fifth film in Legendary's Monsterverse, is going to be SpaceGodzilla, who made his silver screen debut in 1994's Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla. I'm only one of countless Godzilla fans who've been crystal-balling SpaceGodzilla's return since Supernova's first teaser dropped back in May, and to celebrate the prophecy's fulfillment, I've been revisiting the Godzilla game that introduced me to the King of the Monsters' cosmic shadow: Godzilla: Save the Earth. Godzilla: Save the Earth is a must-play multiplayer brawler for Toho fans Image via Pipeworks Software Released for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox back in 2004, Godzilla: Save the Earth is a follow-up to 2002's Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee. Developed by Pipeworks Software, both games are multiplayer fighting games that let you pit Godzilla and his menagerie of friends and foes against each other in city-leveling clashes. Godzilla: Save The Earth's bread-and-butter combat probably won't endear experienced fighting game veterans, but it absolutely delivers the "giant monster energy" kaiju fans crave. There's weight behind every hit here, and heavier blows almost always send your opponent flying across the arena. Said arenas are full of destructible assets that collapse with a satisfying crunch. If you love giant monster movies, you'll love Save the Earth, but you'll love it even more if you're a die-hard Toho nerd. Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee featured a respectable set of eleven playable monsters (twelve in the American Xbox version), but Save the Earth trumps it with a magnificent eighteen-monster roster. Said roster features some surprisingly deep cuts from Toho lore, including Baragon, Jet Jaguar, and a certain extraterrestrial doppelgänger. Godzilla Save the Earth introduced me and many other Godzilla fans to SpaceGodzilla Screenshot by u/GhettoPanda78 on Reddit In his debut film, SpaceGodzilla established himself as one of the most diabolical members of Godzilla's rogues' gallery. Driven by homicidal hatred for the original Godzilla, SpaceGodzilla's life goals are simple: destroy his genetic double and reduce Earth to a crystal-skewed wasteland. I've been a fan ever since I saw Mystery Science Theater 3000 rip on Godzilla vs. Megalon on TV as a kid, and I gobbled up every bit of obscure lore I could glean off forums and DVD special features. However, I'd never heard of SpaceGodzilla until I played Godzilla: Save the Earth, so when I played through the game's story mode on hard and found myself face-to-face with the crystalline foe on the final stage, my brain somersaulted. As Godzilla: Save the Earth's resident super-boss, SpaceGodzilla has a wicked move set. His special moves, from psycho-electric shocks to telekinetic grapples, feel alien in the truest sense of the word. They gobble up SpaceGodzilla's energy reserves, but his ability to summon crystals that speed up his recovery time balances out the frustration. When the kit clicks, playing SpaceGodzilla makes you feel like an unstoppable force, bathing in the eldritch glow of your crystals while you toss your foes around like rag-dolls. My friends and I sunk plenty of hours into Godzilla: Save the Earth growing up, and thanks to it, SpaceGodzilla has become one of my favorite Toho creations. We're well over a year out from Godzilla x Kong: Supernova's current release date, but if the movie delivers as well's the previous films did, seeing SpaceGodzilla duke it out with the titular monarchs will erase the ravages of time and bring me and other Godzilla fans back to the lost glory days of giant monster couch co-op. The post I liked SpaceGodzilla before he was cool, and it’s all thanks to this Godzilla game appeared first on Destructoid. View the full article
The idea of using AI to help with computer programming has become a contentious issue. On the one hand, coding agents can make horrific mistakes that require a lot of inefficient human oversight to fix, leading many developers to lose trust in the concept altogether. On the other hand, some coders insist that AI coding agents can be powerful tools and that frontier models are quickly getting better at coding in ways that overcome some of the common problems of the past. To see how effective these modern AI coding tools are becoming, we decided to test four major models with a simple task: recreating the classic Windows game Minesweeper. Since it’s relatively easy for pattern-matching systems like LLMs to play off of existing code to re-create famous games, we added in one novelty curveball as well. Our straightforward prompt: Read full article Comments View the full article
Variety is, as they say, the spice of life, and 2025 provided a fantastic array of different video games. We’ve survived and extracted from the robot-ruled battlefields of Arc Raiders, adventured across the medieval lands of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, and established mind-expanding exhibitions in Two Point Museum. We helped Keeper’s sentient lighthouse solve puzzles, and unearthed the secrets buried in Atomfall’s eerie England. But which of the year’s many different video games is worthy of being crowned the very best of 2025? Every December, the IGN team considers all the games they’ve collectively played and reviewed across the year, and votes on which one they think is the greatest of them all. Which one is the “Game of the Year”? Sometimes that choice is incredibly difficult. Other years, it’s easy. 2025 was the latter, with our winner securing almost three-quarters of the vote. But what is that near-universally admired game? That’s what we’re here to reveal. Honorable Mentions Before we run down the games that made it onto our final shortlist, we’d like to recognise several other brilliant experiences that we’ve had this year. Hazelight Studios once again proved that it's the king of co-op with the wonderful Split Fiction, a creative action platformer that builds atop the successes of 2021’s It Takes Two with some of the most surprising and innovative level design that we’ve seen not just this year, but this decade. There was some interesting innovation happening over at Konami, too. With Silent Hill f, developer NeoBards Entertainment took the series’ trademark oppressive horror and blended it with a novel approach to new game plus to create a remarkable story that deepens with each replay. Talking of replays, that’s the name of the game for Ball x Pit, the brick-breaking roguelike from Kenny Sun and Devolver Digital, whose furious action had us coming back for one more run time and time again. So long as our time wasn’t being stolen by Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time, of course – Level-5’s smart blend of Animal Crossing’s cosy slice-of-life and The Legend of Zelda’s dungeon diving turned out to be a real comfort game for us this year. The same could be said for Ghost of Yotei, too, which rekindled happy memories of 2020’s Ghost of Tsushima, but boosted all of that game’s good ideas with even deeper mechanics and more striking landscapes. It’s safe to say that 2025 was pretty good for games, and we’ve not even discussed the very best of them, yet. Runner-Up - Death Stranding 2: On the Beach Exactly half of our shortlist for the Best Game of 2025 is made up of sequels that faced tough challenges. Death Stranding 2: On the Beach arguably faced the most difficult one: how to turn a divisive “walking sim” into something more universally beloved, without betraying its core, admittedly niche values? The answer, perhaps unsurprisingly for a Kojima Productions project, was to look back to Metal Gear Solid and incorporate the freedom of The Phantom Pain into this open-world delivery simulator. A constantly rolling conveyor belt of gear, from ladders and boots to coffin hoverboards and weaponised electric guitars, ensures you always have the tools to tackle Death Stranding 2’s missions on your own terms. While this is still a game fundamentally about transporting items from location A to location B, no two deliveries feel the same. An ever-evolving and adapting world sees journeys that once unfolded on foot upgraded to make use of roads, ziplines, and eventually monorails, with destinations pursued either via your own pathways or by making use of creative solutions designed by other players. Such a journey isn’t purely physical, either; as you travel, your growing team supports you through an emotional ordeal that ponders the value of human connection. All this ensures that On the Beach finally fulfills the unique promise of the original Death Stranding. Runner-Up - Hades 2 The creative juggernaut that is Supergiant Games likely could have simply recreated its 2020 roguelike hit, Hades, with just a few mechanical upgrades and still received critical acclaim. And, on the surface, that’s what Hades 2 appears to be. It takes just a single scratch to reveal the truth about this incredibly ambitious sequel, though, which smartly rethinks and remixes many of its predecessor’s fundamentals. Yes, this is still a game in which you battle as far as you can through the branching routes of a dungeon until death forces you to start all over again, but new protagonist Melinoë’s quest to kill Chronos, the Titan of Time, takes place along two opposing routes. Every run starts with a choice: ascend Mount Olympus, or descend into Tartarus. Each location provides entirely different bosses, biomes, storylines, and challenges, which solves the age-old roguelike issue of grinding repetition. Stuck on a formidable boss? There’s an entire other world to conquer instead. And conquer you will, armed with the most refined set of skills and upgrades the genre has seen. This is a buildcrafter's dream, even in spite of the random nature of your God-given boons, and each run is an opportunity to mold Mel into a brand new kind of magic weapon. With unrivaled art and music, and one of the tightest combat systems around, Hades 2 is a spectacular triumph. Runner-Up - Hollow Knight: Silksong The eight-year wait for Hollow Knight’s sequel did the expectations around Silksong no favours. This wasn’t just one of the most anticipated indie projects of all time – many major series with decades of history would envy this kind of attention. Some would say it’s nothing short of a miracle that Silksong met (and arguably exceeded) those expectations, but the reality is anchored in creative talent, clear vision, and exceptional art. This is one of the most beautifully drawn video games of the generation, packed with haunting caverns, overgrown dungeons, and myriad more unmissable vistas. Such regions are not just pretty, but precision-engineered to provide some of the best platforming challenges this side of Celeste and Super Meat Boy. And at the heart of each level are the exhilarating boss fights that are partially responsible for Silksong’s fiendish reputation. Yes, this is an unapologetically challenging adventure that stings as fiercely as any of its insectoid characters. But it never strikes unfairly, and its elegant Metroidvania map always offers an alternative route, should a foe prove too imposing. In a world where difficult games have perhaps become something of an oversubscribed format, the idea of a challenge being truly worth the pain has perhaps worn a little thin. But in Hollow Knight: Silksong, developer Team Cherry really has crafted a treasure worth fighting for. Runner-Up - Blue Prince The roguelite is nothing if not an incredibly malleable genre. You can make an action RPG roguelite, a shooter roguelite, a card game roguelite, even a puzzle roguelite – although that latter one is certainly rarer than the others. Joining that small roster of looping head-scratchers is Dogubomb’s Blue Prince, an elegantly crafted labyrinth in which the corridors are all of your choosing. Every new run is, fundamentally, an attempt to find a mysterious hidden room within a sprawling mansion where every new chamber you enter is chosen from a random selection of blueprints. But that overall goal is ultimately less important than the many secrets that await in every fresh attempt – room combinations that unlock clues to further mysteries, and breathtaking discoveries that deepen the house’s story. Its random nature is the initial obstacle, as building rooms in the correct order is all but impossible when you don’t know which blueprints you’ll be dealt. But soon you realise that the real challenge is in logic, pattern, and connections. And when you finally see the fine lines that link its many ideas together, it instantly becomes clear how immaculately constructed Blue Prince is. Runner-Up - Donkey Kong Bananza When Nintendo launched the original Switch, it did so with the open world-redefining Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. And so with Switch 2, the pressure was on to craft yet another ground-breaking launch window game. Nintendo took on that mission quite literally with Donkey Kong Bananza, in which your core interaction with the world is to shatter it into tiny chunks. We’ve had games with destructible environments before, but there’s nothing quite like Bananza’s complete demolition of its levels, which somehow still manage to maintain their Mario-grade craftsmanship even after having been pummeled to pieces. That terrain is filled with buried collectables, and excavating them often requires the completion of clever challenges that feel satisfying to solve every single time. The banana on top of this platforming delight, though, is the duo of DK and Pauline, whose pairing is not only charming, but also mechanically powerful: the titular Bananzas, activated via catchy songs, turn you into unstoppable brawling machines that can easily defeat monkey, monster, and mountain. It’s perhaps Nintendo’s best-ever power trip. Winner - Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 There’s something undeniably nostalgic about Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. Its turn-based battles, party-driven story, and linear exploration are distinctly old-school in nature, and undeniably indebted to the RPG greats of yesteryear. There’s perhaps no other game out there that wears its love for Final Fantasy as proudly as Expedition 33 does. But with its debut game, Sandfall Interactive has done more than pay homage to the past – it has demonstrated a scholarly understanding of why those games succeeded, and how their ideas can be revitalised. Within the framework of a traditional, Japanese-style role-playing game, the young studio has created a distinctly modern take on the genre. Breathtaking combat encounters demand both split-second, real-time reactions and careful turn-by-turn tactical planning. Daunting bosses are overcome by smart (and sometimes enjoyably exploitative) use of a deep perks system that empowers you to transform your band of adventurers into a battalion of unstoppable heroes. And the archetypes used for each party member, from elegant fencers to destructive mages, are defined not just by weapons, but by bespoke battle mechanics that ensure each character feels like a distinct, unique personality. Sandfall’s artistry is not limited to its impressive combat systems, though. Clair Obscur transports you to a breathtaking world where every sight and sound feels genuinely fresh. Its distinctly French, Belle Époque-influenced art style is unlike anything in the genre, as is its incredible music, composed by Lorien Testard, which is destined to play alongside Nobuo Uematsu’s best work in the video game concerts of the future. But it’s Expedition 33’s deeply affecting, emotionally resonating story – and the powerfully drawn characters who live and suffer through it – that leaves the greatest mark. In a world where a deity extinguishes swathes of ever-younger people on an annual basis, what does it mean to survive, grieve, and, ultimately, continue on? The answers to those questions changed not just Clair Obscur’s characters, but its players, too. This is without a doubt the year’s most talked-about game, and it comes as no surprise that it didn’t just win IGN’s end-of-year vote, but stole it by a landslide. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is IGN’s Best Game of 2025. Congratulations to Sandfall Interactive, and also to all of the studios whose games were nominated and recognised as part of our end-of-year awards. Did we choose your favourites, or do you think we missed a worthy winner? Let us know in the comments, and be sure to check out our full list of awards to see who else we honored in our round-up of the very best of games, movies, TV shows, and more from across the year. But for now, we hope you had a brilliant time with the fantastic games of 2025, and we’ll catch you for even more in 2026. Matt Purslow is IGN's Executive Editor of Features. View the full article
Around The Game Awards we had the chance to sit down to discuss the upcoming Phantom Blade Zero with the studio's titular director, Soulframe "S" Liang. View the full article
Halo fans have had mixed reactions over the recent announcement of the Halo: Campaign Evolved remake, with many feeling a bit discouraged and underwhelmed by the lack of a multiplayer feature that was arguably the best part of Halo: CE. However, according to a reputable insider, it seems that Halo Studios isn't stopping there. View the full article
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The indie roguelike RPG will have Hakui Koyori fight against chibi Hollows shaped after other Hololive Vtubers. View the full article