When everyone is glued to a different screen, it’s probably time for a board game. From assembling the perfect sushi platter to building your own mushroom kingdom, there is now far more choice than Monopoly or Scrabble (although these time-tested games are classics for a reason). Here are some of the very best board games to try. Sore losers beware.

Sushi Go Party!

Relatively affordable and “easy to learn”, Sushi Go Party! is a great choice for families, said Matthew Thompson on The Conversation. The “fast-paced” game sees competitors trying to score the most points over a series of rounds by collecting the “best combination” of sushi, appetisers, specials and desserts on “colourful” cards. It’s a lot of fun.

For ages 8+

Mycelia

We loved the “magical, whimsical theme” of this unique board game, said Katie Gregory in The Independent. “Quite different to anything else we tested”, the aim of the game is to build a deck of cards which players “use to earn leaves and buy more cards to help you move magical dewdrops off the board” and build a mushroom kingdom. Mycelia comes with four double-sided boards to “keep things interesting”, and unlike most board games it can be played solo.

For ages 9+

7 Wonders

Although this “fast and fun civilisation-building game” is “competitive, it’s not divisive” so it won’t ruin any friendships, said James Austin on Wirecutter. It does have a “high strategy level” so can “take a few rounds to master”, but the rules are fairly straightforward and once you’ve got the hang of it “the game remains true to its 30-minute estimate” of playing time.

For ages 10+

Catan

“I have never sat with anyone who didn’t enjoy a game of Catan,” said Peter Jenkinson in The Telegraph. Players “set out collecting resources” to build settlements, cities and roads. This is a “longer game at a slower pace” – which is one of its draws. For “newbies”, the first game should be treated as a “walk-through” to get everyone up to speed on the rules. “There are a fair number of mechanics to take in, but it’s well worth the effort.”

For ages 10+

Root

This “devilishly tough” war game is “disguised as a fairytale romp” complete with “adorably anthropomorphised woodland creatures”, said Wirecutter. Players take the role of one of four factions and compete to “control the different clearings in the forest”. Expect “consistently surprising interactions”, plenty of strategy and “gorgeous, playful art” that fully immerses you in the fictional world.

For ages 10+

Wavelength

Wavelength promises lots of “friendly chaos”, said Which?. Players split into two teams, with one person taking on the role of the Psychic and providing clues to help their team guess the dial’s position on a hidden spectrum. The “ultimate bonding board game”, it sparks “hilarious debates and unexpected conversations” throughout. For a “guaranteed crowd-pleaser that gets everyone talking”, this is a safe bet.

For ages 14+

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These seven games serve dual purposes — they can help you beat boredom during long flights and give you something fun to do with friends and family when you finally arrive at your destination. Bonus alert! Each game also comes in a compact container, so it tucks away easily in your carry-on.

The Chameleon travel pack

Bluff your way to a win. This social word game is all about determining who is the chameleon — unless you’re the chameleon, and then the goal is to escape without getting caught. Participants will enjoy the fast pace and having to stay on their toes, coming up with clue words that help them blend in and stay under the radar. ($14, Amazon)

Hive Pocket

In this portable version of Hive, players must think quickly, moving their tiles (emblazoned with images of different insects) so they surround their opponent’s queen bee. It doesn’t take long to learn this “deeply strategic” game, which has the “tactical depth” of chess without the game’s “cultural expectations,” said Wirecutter. Rounds last about 30 minutes and setting up takes seconds. ($35.75, Amazon)

Jaipur

Designed for two players, Jaipur puts competitors in the “shoes of rival traders” vying to “earn the favor of the Maharaja,” said GamesRadar+. It’s an “easy-breezy” game where the aim is to take and sell goods for points. While “straightforward,” Jaipur is also “absolutely riveting” and comes with beautifully illustrated cards. ($28, Amazon)

Kanoodle Ultimate Champion

Race against the clock — or friends and family — to see how fast you can solve 2D and 3D puzzles. This edition has 500 puzzles to complete, ensuring you’ll never run out of games to play, even on the longest of plane rides. The compact case slips into any bag, so it’s “perfect” for travel, said Reader’s Digest. ($18.48, Amazon)

Murdle: Volume 1

Whodunit? You’ll find out as you use logic, deduction and skill to solve 100 mysteries, ranging from elementary to impossible, and then complete the grid to determine the culprit. The puzzles are fun and witty, and once you crack one you’ll want to keep going. ($9, Amazon)

Scout

This fast-paced strategic card game “revolves around a unique feature: being dealt a hand of cards you can’t rearrange,” said Wirecutter. The goal of each 20-minute cycle is to come up with the strongest combination of cards, making the gameplay “surprisingly expansive” and every round exciting. ($23, Amazon)

Smug Owls

Show off your verbal prowess during a game of Smug Owls. Players use a card deck to create a riddle, then try to come up with the most creative response. Everyone will take their own approach to the riddle, and there are no right answers. Some might crack jokes, while others make profound statements. This is great to bring along on a group vacation, as up to 15 people can play. ($22, Amazon)

This year marked another step forward for the gaming industry. With a slew of big releases in 2025 and the world of video games set to expand further in 2026, here are some of the most notable games released over the past 12 months.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

Role-playing games have made a significant comeback over the past few years and may have reached peak status with Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. The game, which takes inspiration from a variety of historic RPGs like the Final Fantasy series, sees players dropped into an alternate French history where magical creatures exist. The player is then sent on a quest to defeat the world’s longstanding arch nemesis.

Clair Obscur features many classic elements of RPGs, such as skill trees and different character builds. The game was critically acclaimed when released. Its “creative turn-based combat system is brilliant,” said IGN. And while some portions of the storyline generated gripes, the “modern RPG classic” has an “earnestness to how it frames mortality, grief and the small moments of joy we find.” (Xbox Series X, Windows, PS5)

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach

The first installment received positive reviews after its 2019 release, and six years later, the sequel garnered similar acclaim. Death Stranding 2: On the Beach shifts the setting from the U.S. to Australia, where players must learn to survive in a post-apocalyptic world. The game is “beautiful, horrific, nuanced and, crucially, a lot of fun,” said IGN.

Unlike many other video games, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach features an ensemble cast of Hollywood A-listers, with Norman Reedus, Léa Seydoux and Troy Baker reprising their roles from the first game. Joining them are Elle Fanning, George Miller, Guillermo del Toro and more. (PS5)

Ghost of Yotei

Ghost of Tsushima is widely considered one of the best video games of the decade, and fans rejoiced at the sequel’s release this year. Ghost of Yotei continues the story of Japan’s samurai, with some returning elements as well as some all-new features. The game is set more than 300 years after Tsushima and allows the player to control Atsu, a ronin who embarks on a quest for revenge against six samurai.

The free-roaming game allows players to don their katana again as a cunning warrior but also hide in the shadows for stealth gameplay. While generally considered not as good as the first installment, Ghost of Yotei “leans into its young protagonist’s thirst for bloody vengeance,” said The Guardian. (PS5)

Mario Kart World

Let’s a-go and hit the racetrack! The iconic Mario Kart franchise is back with its latest installment, Mario Kart World. As a Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive and launch title for the console, the game can tap into all the Switch 2 offers, allowing players to enjoy Mario Kart on the road or at home on their television.

While the game has several notable upgrades, the most remarkable change is the adoption of an open world, which is “exactly like driving in a new country,” said Nintendo Life. Mario Kart World is not “quite a reinvention of Mario Kart or a completely new, innovative racing game. But the freedom, variety and new modes” make it a worthwhile franchise entry. (Nintendo Switch 2)

Split Fiction

While most of the other games on this list are single-player, Split Fiction is designed as a multiplayer experience. It is best played with another person in the same room, as the game involves a split-screen experience where the players must work together to solve a variety of puzzles.

Set in a science fiction-fantasy world, Split Fiction is hardly the first multiplayer game, but it received rave reviews for how its cooperative elements blend seamlessly. It’s the “most fun I have had with a video game in years,” gaming contributor Erik Kain said at Forbes, calling it a “game bursting with creativity and endless fun that’s at once technically impressive and astonishingly clever at every turn.” (Xbox Series X, PS5, Nintendo Switch 2, Windows)

As the leaves begin to drop from the trees and the weather chills, there are plenty of video games to keep you busy indoors. From a new LEGO game to a big sports title, plus one of the most anticipated action sequels in years, fall will prove to be a busy time for gamers.

NBA 2K26

Get back into the starting lineup with the latest installment of the popular basketball game franchise from 2K Sports. This will be the 27th edition of the game, so 2K has made some updates to keep things as fresh as possible.

This includes the coveted Leave No Doubt edition of NBA 2K26. While this retails for a hefty $149.99, it has numerous bonuses for the MyCareer mode, which allows players to step into the role of an NBA player. But there are several other editions, and the “choice between them ultimately comes down to how early you want to play the game, which bonuses you care most about, and how much you want to spend,” said ScreenRant.

The game also highlights different cover athletes for different editions; the standard edition features Oklahoma City Thunder standout Shaivonte Gilgeous-Alexander, while the WNBA edition features Chicago Sky star Angel Reese. (Sept. 5 preorder for Xbox Series X, PS5, Steam)

LEGO Party

You can build your party brick-by-brick with the upcoming LEGO Party, which allows up to four players to compete at once in a series of digital challenges. The game, which appears to be heavily inspired by similar co-op titles like Mario Party, features at least 60 LEGO-themed minigames and allows players to customize and control their own LEGO minifigures.

The game lets players “experience nonstop action, humor, surprises, and hours and hours of play, all crafted through the medium of the beloved LEGO brick,” LEGO said in a press release. Video games aren’t exactly new for LEGO: the toy company has licensed numerous successful franchises for LEGO games, including “Star Wars,” “Batman” and “Harry Potter.”

LEGO Party is enjoyable whether “you’re playing solo, with your friends on the couch or online with cross-platform multiplayer,” said LEGO. (Sept. 30 preorder for Xbox Series X, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Steam)

Ghost of Yotei

Ghost of Tsushima is widely considered one of the best video games of the decade, and fans have been begging for a sequel since its 2020 release. Now that time has finally arrived: Ghost of Yotei is set to continue the story of Japan’s samurai, with some returning elements as well as some all-new features.

Ghost of Yotei is set more than 300 years after Tsushima and allows the player to control Atsu, a ronin who embarks on a quest for revenge against six samurai. The free-roaming game, which, like its predecessor, is a PlayStation exclusive, allows players to don their katana again as a cunning warrior, but also hide in the shadows for stealth gameplay.

The game has a new mechanic that “lets you quickly switch between outfits instantly,” something fans were wishing for in the first game, said Vice. This lets you craft the perfect armor set for each mission. (Oct. 2 preorder for PS5)

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7

One thing there’s no shortage of is Call of Duty games, and you will soon be able to pick up the whopping 22nd installment of the series. Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 has many of the same gameplay mechanics and modes as prior entries, but also takes players to new heights.

But the franchise itself has been waning in recent years amid “accusations of predatory monetization, pay-to-win skins, swarms of in-game bugs, and the recent use of AI to create in-game, paid-for content have understandably irked many players,” said The Guardian. Even so, many are still excited for the latest entry.

The game “features a mind-bending campaign starring Hollywood actors,” alongside a new 20-player mode with its own dedicated maps. (Nov. 14 preorder for Xbox Series X, PS5, Steam)

Roblox has become one of the most popular video games of all time, but it has a darker side, where hate speech and racism are reportedly spreading unchecked. The online platform enables users to interact with one another while creating various games, allowing Roblox's 111 million daily users — many of whom are children — to be exposed to hate, according to a series of investigations. This is happening despite Roblox's official ban of hate speech on its website.

What kind of hate speech is on Roblox?

While Roblox claims it moderates against hate speech, it "currently has at least 18 active lawsuits pending nationwide due to inappropriate content found on its games," attorney Matthew Dolman, whose firm is representing people suing Roblox, told CBS News. There are millions of different games created by the platform's users, and "hate can run rampant across various Roblox games."

One of the most notable is the popular Roblox game "Spray Paint!," in which users "can bypass moderation by spray painting hate messages across walls, ramps and other virtual game settings," said CBS. There were "dozens of swastikas and at least a dozen instances of hate speech targeting minority groups across 'Spray Paint!' servers," and they can often be hard to avoid. "Within three minutes of getting in there for the first time, I also saw a swastika," said Rachel Franz, an employee at the children's online safety advocacy group Fairplay, to CBS.

Investigations have also found "white supremacist virtual clothing being monetized on the platform," said the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism (GPAHE). This includes "direct references to transnational neo-Nazi networks such as the Active Club Movement, mass deportation operations conducted by ICE in the United States, and white nationalist political parties abroad such as the National Party in Ireland." These monetized items are available to kids under 13, the GPAHE said.

What else is happening on the site?

Beyond speech, reports have emerged that some people may use Roblox for even more sinister purposes. At least one prominent group on Roblox has "gained notoriety for creating Roblox maps that replicate real-life mass shootings, including the infamous tragedies at Columbine, Uvalde and Parkland," said the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). Other maps also reproduce "mass shootings conducted by white supremacists and other extremists as terrorist attacks."

These maps are "not simple game environments — they are disturbingly graphic and detailed, designed to mimic the mass shootings they're based on with unsettling accuracy and gore," said the ADL. In the Uvalde map, for example, students clearly depicted as children are "programmed to hide under desks or play dead when the shooting begins." Other controversies around Roblox include allegations of sexual misconduct; in at least one case, a "child sexploitation lawsuit has been filed" in Clay County, Missouri, where it was alleged that a "dangerous male predator pretending to be a young girl" groomed a 15-year-old boy.

When all of these factors are combined, these "reports highlight how hate has proved resilient online after some temporary setbacks, reinvigorated by technologies meant to connect people and bring financial services to underserved populations," said NBC News. The type of extremism seen on Roblox "now often appears as just another piece of content, able to reach the most impressionable minds."

Roblox has denied any allegations of wrongdoing. The company's "24/7 moderation system closely monitors the platform," Roblox told CBS in a statement. It will take "swift action against any content or users found to be in violation."

You might not find a full casino at U.S. military bases, but that doesn't mean gambling isn't happening. Much of the gambling is sanctioned and encouraged by the U.S. armed forces in the form of slot machines on military bases. As a result, researchers say gambling addiction in the military has reached critical levels, with many soldiers stationed overseas finding a dangerous solace in the habit.

How prevalent are slot machines at US military bases?

The machines are coordinated by the Army Recreation Machine Program (ARMP) and are located on military bases across the world (the ARMP runs slot machines for the Army, Navy and Marines, while the Air Force has their own program). The exact number of slot machines is unclear. Officially, there are "1,889 slot machines in 79 locations abroad, including Korea, Japan and Germany," Neil Gumbs, the general manager of the ARMP's installation program, told Wired. However, the National Council on Problem Gambling claims there are over 3,100.

While there are no table games at these bases, the military has more than made up for it in profit from the slot machines. In 2023, the ARMP "brought in $64.8 million in revenue with $48.9 million in net proceeds," while in the prior year it "made $63.1 million in revenue with net proceeds of $47.3 million," said Wired. During the peak year of 2017, these machines brought in over $100 million, according to the Government Accountability Office.

The machines "are often found on bases where there is precious little to do," said NPR. This includes Diego Garcia, a small island in the Indian Ocean, where the "Navy runs 52 slot machines." Notably, these slots can be "played by service members as young as 18 — individuals who wouldn't be allowed to enter most casinos in the U.S. before they turn 21."

What is happening as a result?

These slot machines are causing widespread gambling addictions among soldiers, experts say, and "gambling is a blind spot in the military's approach to mental health," said Task & Purpose. This is because each military branch "treats problem gambling differently, ranging from a mental health issue to a 'crime against society' like prostitution." And data on military gambling "comes through voluntary surveys, responses to which are often not truthful," making it easier for people to hide their addiction.

The government itself has acknowledged that there are rampant issues with military gambling addiction. "Pathological gambling disorders among service members and veterans is soaring, with more patients receiving a diagnosis in the first half of 2024 as in all of 2022," according to VA research obtained by CNBC. It is "not terribly surprising, because with accessibility and availability increases we tend to see a rise in unhealthy engagement," psychologist Dominick DePhilippis said to the outlet.

Certain studies "have found the prevalence of problem gambling and gambling disorder among veterans to be as high as 10.7% in some parts of the U.S.," said CNBC. Many military advocates are trying to raise awareness of the issue on a broader scale. Several gaming companies have been writing to "Senate appropriators to impel them to fund gambling behavior research in the Pentagon's fiscal 2026 budget bill," said Military.com.

Despite the push for betting research, the Defense Department "rarely focuses on the behavioral health aspect of the disorder," former Army Staff Sgt. Dave Yeager said to Military.com. Without a behavioral health referral, soldiers with gambling problems should "seek out an anonymous 12-step program or substance abuse treatment."

Kirsty Coventry broke several barriers when she became the president of the International Olympic Committee on Monday, as she is both the first woman and first African person to hold the position. Coventry's election to run the IOC shouldn't come as much of a surprise given her long history in Olympic athletics as a former competitive swimmer. But she will also be taking over an IOC with several looming questions, which could make her tenure as president a crucial one.

Coventry's career

Coventry, 41, was born in Harare, Zimbabwe, and learned to swim at a young age. After high school, she accepted a scholarship to swim for Auburn University in Alabama and continued honing her skills in the water, according to the South African swim history database.

The athlete went on to compete in swimming events at five Olympics, winning two gold medals, four silver medals and one bronze medal. This makes Coventry the "most decorated Olympian from Africa, having won seven of Zimbabwe's eight Olympic medals to date," said Business Insider Africa. Coventry is also a five-time world record holder, according to her alma mater.

IOC president

As Coventry settles into her new role, she will be "expected to move quickly to shape the organization," said the Sports Business Journal. This includes focusing on commercial evolution and sponsorship deals for the Olympics, as the "media landscape fragments and sponsors seek greater involvement to leverage their assets." Spearheading the next decade of Olympic Games is also a priority, with hosts for the Summer and Winter Games set through 2034.

The most pressing matter will likely involve dealing with the Olympics on the world stage, especially regarding controversial issues. This includes questions over gender roles, as the "first Summer Games under a female presidency will be the first with a majority of athlete quota places for women," said The Associated Press. Coventry "often states the importance of 'Olympic Values,' which include gender parity, inclusion and inspiring young people through sports," which she will likely prioritize during her tenure.

But Coventry has also taken less clear stances on other matters; when "asked whether she thinks trans women should be allowed to compete in women's competitions, she was evasive," said Deutsche Welle. She also "avoided going too far out on a limb on another hot topic before the IOC election: the possibility of Russian and Belarusian athletes competing at the Olympics." Russian athletes have been banned from competing under the Russian flag since 2017, and the Russian Olympic Committee has been suspended since 2023. At "some point in Coventry's presidency, Russia could possibly return fully to the Olympic family," but it is "unclear exactly when," said the AP.

As she gets started on her to-do list, Coventry "may end up being a lot more independent and interesting" than the IOC was expecting, said The Guardian. While the new president is "likely to enjoy a honeymoon period, she knows there are landmines lurking everywhere." Even the "biggest of beasts would struggle to lead a mammoth organization that not only runs the Olympics but is a cheerleader, funder and regulator for much of sport."

But Coventry is up for the challenge. "The way in which I like to lead is with collaboration," she told reporters. "All those people who may look at me and see one thing, kind of excites me. Because I think that they won't see what is coming."

The hotly anticipated Nintendo Switch 2 is finally here and, with it, its keystone launch title: "Mario Kart World". A "thrilling combination of retro racing and modern open-world freedom", the new release isn't without a few "growing pains", said Jordan Minor in PC Gamer. But it's "wildly entertaining" and a "fantastic next-generation racer for all ages".

The main draw is, of course, the "huge, open map". Each of the courses are now connected by a series of roads making the game feel more "organic and dynamic". There are 32 tracks in total, including a mix of new and "heavily reimagined" retro courses.

The "addictive and exhilarating" Knockout Tour lets you race across six different areas of the map, as the bottom players are gradually eliminated until just one winner remains. The fact that the new game can accommodate up to 24 players (double that of "Mario Kart 8 Deluxe") adds to the "chaos", as "one unlucky red shell can send you plummeting down 20 spots".

Most of "Mario Kart World" looks "nice enough", said Ollie Barder in Forbes. But the new Rainbow Road is "genuinely astonishing to behold". The game's functionality has been expanded with several new tricks added alongside the traditional boost slide.

The open world is "incredibly well designed", said Metro. However, there's a "distinct lack of satisfying unlockables", especially in the new Free Roam mode. While there are "secrets to discover", the missions can be relatively "simple" and quickly become "repetitive". Still, it's an "entertaining and unique" game that takes the series into "exciting new directions".

Feeling more akin to a "journey with your friends than a straight competition", "Mario Kart World" is an "easy-breezy social game that also lets you get extremely competitive", said Keza MacDonald in The Guardian. Beyond the races themselves you can "roam freely" in the search for hidden coins, finding "scenic little spots" to gather together with your mates.

The most significant difference is the movement; you can now "charge up a boost-jump to grind along rails" and "ride walls", giving racing an entirely new feel. Other highlights include the "broad and ridiculous" collection of characters, including a "new-look Donkey Kong hunkered hilariously over the steering wheel".

Thanks to the various assist options for kids and less-skilled players, it really is an "impressively welcoming game". "Generous and detailed and unfailingly fun", Nintendo has captured the spirit of the original game, while proving that it still has a "talent for reinvention". It's a winner.

When you've created "Doom (2016)" and "Doom Eternal", two of the most highly regarded shooters of the last decade, what do you do next? Announce a prequel, said Phil Iwaniuk in Top Gear. The easy option for game developer id Software would have been to add a few extra levels while keeping the systems and mechanics "untouched". But, far from playing it safe, "Doom: The Dark Ages" "veers wildly into new territory".

So many new options have been introduced that "simply aiming a gun at something and pulling the trigger feels somehow unimaginative". From timed parries to melee attacks and a throwable razor shield, the game is bursting with combat mechanics.

While 2020's "Eternal" challenged players to pick off their enemies one at a time, "The Dark Ages" allows you to "obliterate dozens of demons simultaneously", said Rick Lane in The Guardian. "Ripping and tearing is out. Blunt force trauma is in."

While the "slower pace", "less stringent toolset" and emphasis on "standing your ground" doesn't create the same "adrenaline rush", it's a "fascinating reformulation" of the game's core ideas – and figuring how to best use all of the new weapons is a lot of "fun". Instead of "resting on its laurels", id Software has pushed boundaries by releasing a "much more experimental" shooter.

"Rarely do I find myself skipping cutscenes," said Sean Migalla in Screen Rant, but "I couldn't wait to jump back into the action". The shield charge is a particularly "satisfying" addition to the weapons line-up: as well as closing the gap between you and your enemies, it keeps the action moving "quickly and smoothly".

The Plasma Rifle and Super Shotgun are still there "with some slight changes" but it's the Pulverizer that "had me the most excited", said Anthony Franklin II in Vice. "You can shoot skull chips at your enemies. Skull chips." And whoever decided to dress the new, beefier Doom Sayer in a fur cape "deserves an astronomical raise". The way he gears up for battle is "seared into my brain".

It's a "successful" transition, said Morgan Parker in PC Gamer but the new game is not without "sacrifice". Like its predecessors, "The Dark Ages" is "indulgent and deliciously violent". However it's "undeniably the easiest of the trilogy" and feels somewhat "dumbed down", with "uncharacteristically barren" maps and "obvious" puzzles.

There are "cool little moments" sprinkled throughout the 22 levels, like "dogfighting with hellships", but the "peaks are lower". It seems that id Software has listened to feedback that "Doom Eternal" was too "complicated" but I fear "The Dark Ages" is an "overcorrection".

Still, it's the "strongest 'Doom' story there's ever been", said Mitchell Saltzman in IGN. Players are transported to a series of "hellish landscapes" as the history of conflict between humans and demons is fleshed out. The prequel is certainly "heavier" than its predecessor but it's "energetic and exhilarating" nonetheless. And id Software "has once again proven that, like a Super Shotgun blast from point-blank range, they don't miss".

New safety features on the popular children's gaming platform Roblox don't go far enough, experts have said.

Roblox introduced the new features after warnings that children were being exposed to inappropriate content, and adults were creating fake child accounts to message, harass or groom them. The changes are a step in the right direction, say experts, but will still leave vulnerable kids at risk.

What is Roblox?

Roblox is a "gigantic platform" where users can create, share, and play games, said the BBC. It hosts some 40 million user-generated games and experiences and has more monthly users than Nintendo Switch and Sony PlayStation combined. Last year, the "vast empire" averaged more than 80 million players per day – and 34 million of them were children under the age of 13.

Young people are drawn to the range of experiences Roblox offers, from "raising and dressing up virtual pets to playing an online game of hide and seek using GPS", said Joanne Orlando on The Conversation.

So what's the controversy?

Roblox has been "dogged" by claims that some children have been exposed to "explicit or harmful" content, with multiple reported allegations of "bullying and grooming", said the BBC.

There has been material featuring players dressed up as members of the KKK, wearing swastikas and using racist terms, said The Times. And there have been incidents of "sexual exploitation" and "grooming by paedophiles", said The Conversation's Orlando.

What are the new safety features?

The new features limit who children can communicate with on Roblox, and what content they can play with.

Parents already had the ability to set time limits on play and to prevent their child from accessing experiences beyond a set maturity level, but they will now be able to block individual experiences, too. Another new feature allows parents to block users on their child's friends list. Users under 13 are already barred by default from exchanging direct messages with other users, unless a parent changes this setting.

However, to access the new controls, parents must have their own Roblox account, to which must be verified either by submitting credit card details or a government-issued ID. They can then can link their account with their child's account.

What do experts say?

The new safety features only apply to children under the age of 13, who have parental controls set up on their accounts. This means only those with "vigilant and engaged parents – the children we need to worry least about" – will be better protected, Ian Acheson, a former director of community safety at the Home Office, told The Times. "For other kids, perhaps the more vulnerable, they still remain at risk." The company said it takes "proactive steps" such as built-in filters on text chats to identify and remove material that breaches its community standards, including extremist or sexualised content.

And however vigilant parents may try to be, constant supervision has its limits. "We all know that, with the best will in the world, life sometimes gets in the way", Mumsnet boss Justine Roberts told the BBC. If you've got several children, "you probably can't 24/7 watch everything they're doing, even if you've got all your parental controls set".

The new measures have "significant limitations" Ashton Kingdon, a criminology lecturer at The University of Southampton, told The Times. There is still "no proper user verification to prevent adults from creating fake accounts".

Roblox co-founder and CEO Dave Baszucki insisted his company is vigilant in protecting users. But his "first message" to parents is "if you're not comfortable, don't let your kids be on Roblox".

"Chess is the least telegenic thing ever," said The Guardian, and BBC Two’s new elimination game show "Chess Masters: The Endgame" is "so dull it's almost unwatchable".

Host Sue Perkins does her best to give it "warm, 'Bake-Off' vibes" and the 12 contestants have clearly been chosen for their dramatic backstories, but the show struggles to capitalise on the surge of interest in the game that began during lockdown.

The unexpected success of Netflix drama "The Queen’s Gambit" in 2020 "remains modern TV chess's killer first move", said The Telegraph. More people than ever are playing chess and following it online so "you have a huge, sedentary, screen-ready fanbase", but televised chess has never really taken off because the players are static and games take ages.

Yet "Chess Masters: The Endgame" manages to be "quietly compelling and full of chequered charm", said The Telegraph. In the studio, ex-"Traitors" contestant and chess coach Anthony Mathurin and British grandmaster David Howell explain moves "without patronising more experienced players", with "positively pawn-ographic" injections of innuendo from Perkins.

But can Perkins keep the double entendres going for eight episodes, asked Carol Midgley in The Times. "A long game played in silence between two sedentary people should, technically, be television turkey," but the "wholesome nerdy charm" of "Chess Masters" is indeed seductive. Plus, the programme has a great origin story: BBC producer Camilla Lewis got the idea after seeing her teenage daughter's depression lifted by playing chess online.

The contestants are a diverse bunch who demonstrate the changing demographic of a game once associated with "bookish older men with nose hair". Lula, aka "the Chess Princess", is a 26-year-old content creator and Nick, "the Swashbuckler", learned to play while in prison. The contestants might be endearing, but their nicknames – such as "Smiling Assassin" and "Unrelenting Warrior" – "had the whiff of monikers made up five minutes earlier at a producer's urgent request".

"None of them were any match for The Unimpressed Viewer," said Garry Bushell in the Daily Express. Trying to inject excitement via "daft nicknames" and "slo-mo replays" results in an end product that is "too trite to hook viewers who play chess well, too dull for those who don't".

It's a "valiant attempt" to drag chess the way of pottery, sewing and playing the piano, said the Irish Independent. But the fundamental problem is that "chess makes pottery, sewing and playing the piano seem positively speedy".

'What are the emotional risks of losing a student to such an injustice?'

Larry Strauss at USA Today

As President-elect Donald Trump plans for the largest deportation operation in American history, "I am left wondering where that leaves me and my colleagues, those of us whose students are the children of — and in some cases themselves — the people the Trump administration plans to make refugees of," says Larry Strauss. Many teachers "anticipate facing difficult choices," not just about "cooperating with authorities," but also in "dealing with the aftermath of fractured families and shattered lives."

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'I suggest we consider eye contact as an art form'

Michael Chad Hoeppner at Time

"Eye contact, once a cornerstone of human connection, is becoming increasingly rare in our screen-dominated lives," says Michael Chad Hoeppner. "This decline reflects a cultural shift away from face-to-face engagement, one that has profound implications for how we communicate and connect." Attempting more regular eye contact will "give you an opportunity to connect more deeply and vividly with those around you, allowing you to notice the subtleties of human interaction that enrich your day-to-day experiences."

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'Why do we game?'

Stephen Bush at The Financial Times

"Why are ancient dig sites littered with backgammon sets and mancala pieces? Why do ancient urns depict Achilles and Ajax bent in concentration over some sort of dice game? I think there are two answers," says Stephen Bush. "The first is that gaming is a lot of fun," and the second is that "gaming doesn't only entertain: gaming often reveals." While "games amuse us," they also "tell us truths about our characters that are often kept hidden."

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'Russia … cannot be allowed to once again escape accountability'

Max Boot at The Washington Post

After an Azerbaijan Airlines flight crashed on Christmas Day, killing 38 people, an investigation "concluded that a Russian antiaircraft missile most likely brought down the plane," says Max Boot. While "Russian spokesmen blamed a bird collision," the Kremlin, "given its history, has not earned the benefit of the doubt." If Russia is responsible, "the question now is what, if anything, the West will do about it," Boot adds. This is "another argument" for increased "support for Ukraine in resisting Russian aggression."

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What happened

Gukesh Dommaraju, 18, became the youngest chess world champion when he unseated China's Ding Liren at the FIDE World Chess Championship in Singapore Thursday. The Indian prodigy broke a record set by Russia's Garry Kasparov, who was 22 when he first won the title in 1985.

Who said what

Dommaraju has "long been considered a rising star in the chess world after he became a chess grandmaster at 12," The Associated Press said. He won the right to challenge Ding, 32, for the title when he triumphed in the Candidates tournament in April.

The 14-game series was tied after 13 matches, and game 14 "was heading for a draw" when "Ding blundered on move 55" and Dommaraju "exploited the error to clinch the title," the BBC said. "I was totally in shock when I realized I made a blunder," Ding said afterwards. "When I realized that I was winning," Dommaraju said, "it was probably the best moment of my life."

What next?

Dommaraju is "obviously an extraordinary talent," but he's no "lone ranger," the BBC said. "India has over 85 grandmasters, many of whom are not yet of driving age," and its "robust chess ecosystem" is "perhaps the best in the world."

China has broken new ground with its first true blockbuster video game, "Black Myth: Wukong," but the project has also found itself at the center of a political controversy involving the country's longstanding use of censorship. In a unique twist, though, the censorship does not involve the content of the game itself, but rather the players who have flocked to try it out.

These censorship issues come as the action role-playing game has quickly become a cultural phenomenon in China since its Aug. 20 release. The game, a collaboration between Chinese game developer Game Science and game marketer Hero Games, is considered China's first-ever "AAA" game release — and has the popularity to show it. In the first 24 hours after its release, "Black Myth: Wukong" had more than 2 million concurrent players and became the most-played single-player game ever on PC. Concerns are growing, though, that its marketing partner is regulating what these players are doing while streaming the game.

How is China trying to censor 'Black Myth: Wukong'?

Criticism of Chinese censorship of "Black Myth: Wukong" is "not of the game's source material, design or entertainment value," said Variety. Rather, detractors "have aimed their fire at Game Science and at the kind of censorship of discussion that is commonplace in China, but sits less comfortably in the West."

Many prominent game reviewers who were "given advance access reported they had been instructed not to talk about certain topics while livestreaming the game," said NBC News. Specifically, a document provided to these reviewers by Hero Games "listed one 'Do' ('Enjoy the game!') and a number of 'Don'ts,'" NBC reported. The "Don'ts" listed in the document included "using 'trigger words' such as 'quarantine,' 'isolation' and 'Covid-19,' as well as discussing politics, 'feminist propaganda' and 'other content that instigates negative discourse.'"

By "using the game key and creating content, you acknowledge that you have been informed of the following guidelines, and any statements made are your own and not related to our marketing team," said an email from Hero Games to French gaming YouTuber Benoit Reinier, per NBC. He has "never seen anything that shameful in my 15 years doing this job. This is very clearly a document which explains that we must censor ourselves," Reinier said in a translated YouTube video. A gaming company "sending recommendations through a PR agency to avoid 'negative discourse' is a big red flag to me," Reinier further said to NBC.

How will this affect China politically?

The "global interest in the game also highlighted China's push to exercise its 'soft power,'" said The New York Times. This is true in part because it is based on a novel, "Journey to the West," which is "considered one of China's four great classics. The game also depicts important cultural landmarks throughout China."

However, the specific censorship surrounding Covid comes as "Beijing has sought to rewrite its handling of the pandemic," said the Times. The country's "'zero-Covid' policy helped to contain the virus for almost three years, but it crumbled amid widespread opposition." After the policy was stopped, censors "erased mentions of many of the hardships, such as extended periods of forced isolation for hundreds of millions of people," and the censorship of "Black Myth: Wukong" appears to be a continuation of that.

Despite this, "Chinese gamers have rallied to the game's defense," said AFP. Some are "painting any criticism" of the product, which is largely "focusing on the lack of diversity in the game — as evidence of foreign bias." There are also "signs that the government is recognizing the industry's potential value for exports and culture, notably the interview of Game Science's founder by state media Xinhua agency ahead of its game launch," Goldman Sachs said in a note, per Reuters. The financial services company expects "more Chinese AAA games to enter the global market in the future."

"The production is slick, the pundits are sharp and the players are gods," said Sky News, but these sporting professionals have keyboards and headphones and their UK tournaments are getting bigger and bigger.

Around 15,000 fans from across the world gathered on Sunday to watch gamers battle for a $300,000 (£240,000) first prize at ESL One Birmingham, a "major event in the esports calendar", said the BBC. The UK "has a thriving grass-roots scene" and this is also "a bumper year for big spectator tournaments".

'Training regimens'

Esports (or electronic sports) differs from standard video gaming in that it is "competitive (human-vs-human)", said British Esports, and "usually has an engaging spectator element to it, like traditional sports".

At the Birmingham tournament, held at the Resorts World Arena, one particular game was being played. Described by one analyst as "kind of like chess", "Dota 2" is a multiplayer online battle arena game featuring "flashing lights and novelty characters", said Sky News.

"Many people think of the esports team as just five guys who like playing the game at home", Alvaro Sanchez Velasco, product manager at ESL One Birmingham, told Sky News. But teams have boot camps and "schedules that include training regimens" and "psychological visits".

As for the fans, "there isn't the same territorial spirit that comes with supporting a particular football team", as "mostly this is about respect for the individual players".

The appeal comes from "the professional aspect of it, similar with football", said one fan, because "you can go and play football but it's nice to see people playing it at a level you could never play at".

And the players are paid like pros: they can make $10,000 (£8,000) a month, plus tournament winnings and sponsorship deals. The overall prize pot in Birmingham was $1 million (£800,000).

'Kickstart major moves'

In recent years, the UK esports scene has "felt neglected", said Esports.net, with tournaments "too few and far between". Now, they are "running wild". Investment from organisations and government has bolstered the gaming infrastructure, and this year the country is hosting "some of the most impactful events in the business".

These include the Blast Premier Spring Final at Wembley Arena in June and the huge League of Legends Worlds finals at the O2 arena in London in November. This number of major title events "would be unheard of just a year or two ago", said Esports Insider. If handled well, they could "kickstart major moves in the UK esports industry".

As educational institutions embrace gaming too, "it seems like UK esports is growing in popularity at a rapid pace".

Londoners are putting their knowledge of the city's intricate Tube network to the test in a popular new memory game.

BBC Radio 4 listeners have long enjoyed a segment of the spoof panel quiz show "I’m Sorry I Haven’t a Clue" called Mornington Crescent, where players ostensibly try to negotiate the London Underground in order to reach the Northern Line station in the fastest time. Of course, long-time listeners will know there is "no system to the game at all", but rather a "completely random, decades-long utterly pointless in-joke", said The Times.

But for Benjamin Tran Dinh, the inventor of the now viral Metro Memory game, "such levity is heresy", said the paper. His deceptively simple online game asks its players to name every station on London's Tube map – "and not only the classic lines but those served by the London Overground, the Elizabeth Line and the Docklands Light Railway", continued the paper. With 112 London Overground stations and 272 Tube stops, the task is "brutal". 

A game for list lovers and those with an 'obsessive streak'

Yet Tran Dinh's game has now attracted more than 500,000 players, with the game presumably speaking "to that obsessive streak in the nerdier members of human race fascinated by lists", continued the paper.

Part of the game's charm lies in these three qualities: "it's easy to understand, it's fun, and it's incredibly addictive", said Ben Lynch for London World. And aside from providing "a joyous run of dopamine hits as you input your first batch of correct stations", it is also "a useful exercise in recognising your own geographical ignorance". Stations along routes you "ordinarily take around the city" can be quickly filled out, but it can be a struggle "to think further down the lines".

'Haunting resonance of place names'

Tran Dinh has explained the game's "remarkable success in terms of the haunting resonance of place names", said Jane Shilling in The Telegraph. "Even if you have never visited London, it is the setting for so many stories, from Chaucer and Shakespeare to Martin Amis and Zadie Smith, that its geography feels as personal as memory."

Indeed, to create the game, Tran Dinh drew on his own memories of studying in London in his early twenties, "when he was a regular user of South Kensington Tube station and the Circle and District lines, and would sometimes go climbing at Latimer Road", said The Guardian. And it is memories associated with the geography of London that explains the game's popularity, believes Tran Dinh, who is now based in Paris.

"Maps tell different stories depending on the reader's location," he told the paper. "They are also a visual way to anchor those stories in the real world. In the case of Metro Memory, I have seen people zoom in on the map, remember a specific moment they have spent in a certain neighbourhood and suddenly link that memory to a station name."

Besides great gameplay and visually appealing graphics, the most alluring thing about video games is their capacity for storytelling. Some games have been around long enough to have developed a deep and complex lore that has captivated players for years, while others have had a leg up because they are based on existing IP, like "The Witcher" franchise or the recent "Hogwarts Legacy." Here are 5 video game franchises with the best lore.

'The Legend of Zelda' (1986- )

When you think of iconic video game characters, the cast of the "Legend of Zelda" franchise is up there with some of the most beloved. Since the first game was released on the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1986, the franchise has blossomed into several successful games that expand upon the history of the hero Link, the eponymous Princess Zelda, and their eternal foe, Ganon. Sometimes you can even find Easter eggs that refer to past iterations of the games. The series is "well worth diving into if you like the idea of trying to wrap your head around multiple diverging timelines," The Gamer wrote. Multiverse nerds could have a field day trying to piece together the deep history of Hyrule and its battle against evil.

'Destiny' (2014- )

You might not automatically associate storytelling and lore with multiplayer games focused on gameplay, but the lore and worldbuilding of "Destiny" are notable. The series has spent nearly a decade continuing the story of the Guardians and the mythology that comprises the constantly evolving world. But the game's worldbuilding did go through some growing pains — the franchise used to be "so bad at in-universe storytelling that you essentially needed YouTubers and wikis to explain it to you," wrote Forbes. In the past few years, especially with expansions to "Destiny 2," the game has "dramatically improved how the story is told there, in cutscenes, live conversations, mission dialogue, lore books, and more."

'The Elder Scrolls' (1994- )

With the "Elder Scrolls" series, video game publisher Bethesda delivered five lore-rich games that bring worldbuilding to another level. The depth of the lore in the universe is only accentuated by the sheer number of in-game books players can read throughout the series. Each game covers a different aspect of the universe and its diverse races, each with its own deep history that adds to the overall tapestry of the series' lore. The fifth installment, "The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim," has become massively popular, in part due to the "sheer depth of fascinating history players can uncover in the titular Tolkien-inspired high-fantasy land," ScreenRant reported.

'Fallout' (1997-2015)

Bethesda also played a significant role in developing the in-universe lore of the "Fallout" series (though it didn't develop the first two iterations). The games are set in an alternate timeline "where the USSR is still kickin'" and where China remains deeply communist," WatchMojo described. This post-apocalyptic version of Earth deals with the aftermath of the international tension that led to the Great War of 2077. Much of the lore can be gleaned from the smaller details of the game, such as the diary entries of survivors strewn about the world. The lore of "Fallout" is "heartbreaking and eerily rooted in society's greatest fears: war, disease and total destruction," WatchMojo said.

'Diablo' (1997- )

The "Diablo" series has been around for decades, with a massive fanbase that is obsessed with its immersive world-building and lore. That is a large part of why the series is the "most popular dungeon-crawling RPG series to date," Game Rant reported. "Diablo" has been around since the 90s, but the game's universe expanded with 2023's highly anticipated "Diablo 4." Along with cinematic cutscenes and the game action, "fans can discover tons of lore and information as they fight through the demon hordes," Game Rant noted.

Movies based on video games often struggle to live up to expectations. Capturing the nostalgia of an existing franchise can be challenging. However, films that focus on the experience of playing video games can be incredibly successful, showcasing the storytelling and stunning visuals that make gaming such a popular pastime. Here's a list of some of the top films that best represent the essence of gaming.

1. 'Tron' (1982)

The original "Tron" is an '80s cult classic whose influence can still be felt across many forms of entertainment. The movie tells the story of a video game developer who gets trapped in a virtual world inside of software after he goes snooping for proof his company is stealing his ideas. He then has to compete in dangerous games, including a race on the iconic light cycle, while trying to find a way to escape. "Tron" is one of the first films to use extensive CGI and backlit animation to create its signature glowing neon look. While it has been criticized for having a slow-moving plot, the visuals were trailblazing at the time. Disney/Pixar animator John Lasseter once acknowledged that "Without 'Tron,' there would be no 'Toy Story,'" Variety reported.

2. 'War Games' (1983)

What if the games we played had real-life consequences? "War Games" wrestles with this question in another film from the early days of gaming. Matthew Broderick stars as a teenager who hacks into a U.S. military supercomputer to play what he thinks is a video game. Unfortunately, he triggers an advanced AI war simulator and must fight to beat the "game" before it kicks off World War III. The film motivated former President Ronald Reagan to meet with a group of congressional representatives to discuss the scenario's plausibility, Collider reported. The film was "intelligent, tightly wound and ahead of its time," Reid Goldberg mused in Collider, "with themes surrounding the struggle to control emerging AI technology and how to effectively respond to national security threats."

3. 'Wreck-It Ralph' (2012)

Disney/Pixar's "Wreck-It Ralph" takes us into a more literal version of a video game world, with a story set in an arcade. Ralph is the villain in a popular arcade game but dreams of being a hero when the game shuts down for the day. Ostracized by the other characters in his game, Ralph abandons his game for a heartwarming journey of self-discovery. The movie features many retro cameos like Pac-Man and Sonic and is one of the funnier movies on this list. With a "fair amount of heart in the movie," according to Screen Rant, the film is "among Disney's best original animated films in recent memory."

4. 'Ready Player One' (2018)

Based on a book of the same name, Steven Spielberg's "Ready Player One" brings the audience into the future with this sci-fi flick. Set in 2045, everyone escapes the reality of the real world by playing in the massive virtual reality simulation world Oasis. The film surrounds a team of gamers pursuing a secret Easter egg hidden by the game's eccentric creator before an evil corporation does. The most fun part of the movie is its "exuberant and generous handing out of pop-cultural goodies," A.O. Scott wrote in The New York Times.

5. 'Free Guy' (2021)

"Free Guy" is an ode to the unsung heroes in the background of games, the nonplayable characters, or NPCs. It stars Ryan Reynolds as Guy, an NPC bank teller in an advanced massively multiplayer online (MMO) game. The movie follows him after he crosses paths with a player, who helps him realize he's part of the game. From there on, he starts to have a mind of his own, captivating players' attention everywhere. "Free Guy" is another gaming movie brimming with pop culture Easter eggs, cameos and "thematic parallels with everything from "The Lego Movie" to "The Matrix," Wendy Ide wrote in The Guardian. The key to the film's appeal is an "unabashed sweetness and goofy enthusiasm that proves irresistible."

An already excellent year for video games is about to be taken to the next level. As the holiday season approaches, the next few months are packed with one AAA title after another, including long-awaited sequels and an original RPG that could be a game of the year contender. These are the most anticipated new video games you won't want to miss this fall:

'Starfield' (Sept. 6)

September is getting off to a big start with one of the most anticipated games of the year — and possibly the decade. From the developer behind "The Elder Scrolls" and "Fallout" comes Bethesda's first new franchise in over 25 years, the role-playing game "Starfield," which you can think of as "Skyrim" in space. It allows players to control a fully customizable protagonist, who joins a group of space explorers known as Constellation ("like NASA meets Indiana Jones," director Todd Howard says), and its massive open world features over 1,000 planets that players can visit. But "Starfield" is exclusive to Windows and Xbox, so PlayStation fans are about to experience some serious FOMO.

'Mortal Kombat 1' (Sept. 19)

Ready to test your might? The fighting game franchise famous for its bloody fatalities returns with this reboot following up 2019's "Mortal Kombat 11." Players are introduced to a brand new world created by Liu Kang that features "reimagined" versions of the franchise's characters, according to the developer. New additions to the series include Kameo Fighters, who can assist players during fights and are selected separately from the main roster. There's also a new single-player mode called Invasion, where gamers progress through a "board game-like map," per PlayStation. Play it with a roll of quarters in your pocket for the full throwback experience.

'Payday 3' (Sept. 21)

The long wait for a third "Payday" game is about to finally pay off. In this new installment in the first-person shooter series, which involves players embarking on various heist missions, the gang has vanished and abandoned the life of crime following the events of the second game. But now, they're ready to make a comeback. The original crew of Dallas, Chains, Hoxton and Wolf return alongside two new heisters. "Payday 3" is set in New York, and the developer says it features an "enormous representation of the city." New Yorkers, who were already menaced by Ghostface this year, just can't catch a break.

'Assassin's Creed Mirage' (Oct. 5)

After a whopping 13 entries, the "Assassin's Creed" franchise is going back to its roots. This follow-up to "Assassin's Creed Valhalla" is set decades before that 2020 game, taking players to Baghdad in the 9th century. Its protagonist, first introduced in "Valhalla," is Basim Ibn Ishaq, a "cunning street thief with nightmarish visions seeking answers and justice," per Ubisoft. The developer has said the game is a love letter to the original installments, and creative director Stéphane Boudon told GamesRadar it offers a "character driven story, focused on the core pillars of the first ACs in a more intimate scale." It's time to make it 2007 again through science or magic.

'Forza Motorsport' (Oct. 10)

Turn 10 Studios is giving "Forza" a fresh coat of paint. This new entry in the racing simulation franchise follows up 2017's "Forza Motorsport 7" but serves as a reboot, and the trailers promise the series' most stunning graphics yet. Players can choose from over 500 real cars and race on 20 "world-famous environments," including five "never-before-seen tracks in a Motorsport game," according to the developers, who have boldly proclaimed this is the "most technically sophisticated racing game ever."

'Marvel's Spider-Man 2' (Oct. 20)

With great Spider-Man movies come great Spider-Man games, and Insomniac's 2018 one may be the best ever. The developer returns with this PS5-exclusive sequel, which features the iconic villains Kraven the Hunter, Venom, and the Lizard. "The incredible power of the symbiote forces Peter and Miles to face the ultimate test of strength, both inside and outside the mask, as they balance their lives, friendships and their duty to protect those in need," Insomniac says. Players can swap between Peter Parker and Miles Morales and explore an expanded map of New York, which now includes Brooklyn and Queens — and thanks to your superpowers, traveling between the two won't be as arduous as in real life.

'Super Mario Bros. Wonder' (Oct. 20)

Mario fans are eating well in 2023. After the success of "The Super Mario Bros. Movie," the game franchise's first new 2D side-scroller in years is here, and its gameplay looks comparable to the "New Super Mario Bros." series. But there are some key additions like Wonder Flowers, items that Nintendo says "trigger spectacular moments you have to see to believe" — including a pipe that starts to come alive. There are also new collectibles called Wonder Seeds and a power-up will also allow players to transform into Elephant Mario, who uses his trunk to take out enemies. Luigi, Peach, Daisy, Yoshi and Toad join the fun, and co-op is available for up to four players. Let's-a-go!

'Alan Wake II' (Oct. 27)

Just in time for Halloween comes a long-awaited sequel to an early 2010s favorite. In this follow-up to 2010's "Alan Wake," the title character has been missing for years after a horror story he was writing came to life. The sequel follows both Wake and a new protagonist, FBI agent Saga Anderson, who investigates a string of murders linked to a story Wake is writing in an attempt to escape from the Dark Place, where has been trapped for 13 years. Although it's a sequel, the developer says "Alan Wake II" is "set up as a stand-alone experience," so you can understand it without playing the original.

'Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3' (Nov. 10)

If it's the fall, it must be "Call of Duty." The annual first-person shooter franchise's latest installment is the third in its "Modern Warfare" reboot series, and its campaign is set immediately after the events of last year's "Modern Warfare II." But the game should appeal especially to fans of the original "Modern Warfare 2," as its multiplayer features all 16 launch maps from that 2009 game. There will also be more than 12 new 6v6 maps and the "largest Call of Duty Zombies map ever," Activision says — appropriate for a video game franchise that may never die.

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Once seen as a distraction for children, the video game industry has evolved into one of the world's preeminent entertainment sectors. It is also known for being one of the most secretive industries, with much of its inner workings hidden from the public. Here are some of the top books about the evolution of the gaming world and its behind-the-scenes machinations, perfect for lifelong fans or those who are simply curious.

'The Stuff Games Are Made Of' by Pippin Barr (2023)

In "The Stuff Games Are Made Of," experimental game maker Pippin Barr attempts to demystify the game design process while offering insight into why different aspects matter in the larger scheme of things. He uses eight case studies to examine every part of the design, "whether it is code, graphics, interface, or even time itself," per the book's blurb. "The Stuff Games Are Made Of" challenges "both human and hardware" and is an "entertaining unpacking of the systems and quirks behind game design," Chris Allnutt opined for the Financial Times. And while Barr relies on his background and Ph.D. in computer science, the book "is no dusty academic slog," Allnutt concluded. Order here.

'Press Reset: Ruin and Recovery in the Video Game Industry' by Jason Schreier (2021)

Jason Schreier is back with another behind-the-scenes look at the game industry, this turn focused on how and why some of the most prolific video game studios of past decades failed and what they did next. "Press Reset" also relies on insider interviews to tell the stories of the employees affected by studio shutdowns. Readers "won't find a more riveting or more well-researched account of the complicated realities of the video game industry," Emily Martin wrote for Book Riot. Schreier's other book, 2017's "Blood, Sweat, and Pixels: The Triumphant, Turbulent Stories Behind How Video Games Are Made," is also worth a read. Order here.

'Console Wars: Sega, Nintendo, and the Battle that Defined a Generation' by Blake J. Harris (2014)

Blake J. Harris' "Console Wars" details the original video game console battle that emerged between Sega and Nintendo from the perspective of former Sega of America CEO Tom Kalinske. While it reads more like a novel than some of the other books on this list, it still offers readers a peek into the industry's business side. The book is based on over 200 interviews with former employees of both companies, and is still a "fast-paced page-turner that anyone with an interest in classic gaming history will want to read," Chris Kohler wrote in Wired. Order here.

'Replay: The History of Video Games' by Tristan Donovan (2010)

If you're looking for a broader look at the industry, Tristan Donovan's "Replay: The History of Video Games" is an excellent place to start. Donovan compiled the input of over 140 game developers and other industry experts to chronicle gaming's global evolution. To that end, he touches on the rise of gaming in North America, Japan, and other lesser-known markets, like Europe. "Replay" is "a fascinating read that leaves no stone unturned," per David Heath at Game Rant. Order here.

'Masters of Doom: How Two Guys Created an Empire and Transformed Pop Culture' by David Kushner (2003)

Despite being about 20 years old, "Masters of Doom" remains one of the top video game history books. It tells the story of how John Carmack and John Romero founded id Software and created "Doom," a franchise that helped shape a generation of first-person shooter games. The ups and downs of the pair's friendship and professional relationship make for a gripping story, which is told with a similar narrative approach as "Console Wars." Kirkus Reviews applauded Kushner's "laudable coverage of an undeniably important, unsettling cultural transition." Order here.

The five-day U.S. Federal Trade Commission hearing regarding Microsoft's pending acquisition of video game publisher Activision Blizzard has wrapped but not before the trial exposed some closely kept industry secrets. In defending itself against the FTC's request for a temporary injunction, the company behind the Xbox revealed a lot of behind-the-scenes tidbits that have the industry talking.

"For a company that is ordinarily extremely buttoned up in an industry that's full of secrets, the trial has been a rare window of transparency," Shannon Liao said in an analysis for IGN.

With time running out for the $6.9 billion deal to close, the stakes are high, and what happens next "could not only be a historic moment in video gaming, it could shape how millions play them for years to come," Polygon stated. The decision is now in the judge's hands.

The biggest secrets revealed

Microsoft has maintained a "tightly crafted image" for decades, with Xbox executives appearing "jovial, calm and unpressed about the console wars," but the "mask has slipped" in the FTC trial, Liao wrote for IGN. One of the first bombshells came when the company admitted the Xbox has been losing the console wars against Sony's PlayStation and Nintendo since its release in a filing leading up to the hearing. Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer called the console wars a "social construct within the community" during his testimony while acknowledging that the Xbox "remained in third place for quite a while."

Liao noted that the trial also revealed the "lengths that Microsoft is willing to go to in order to buy an advantage" after trailing in third for the past two decades. Despite trying to downplay their competitive edge in court, internal emails from Matt Booty, the head of the Xbox gaming division, revealed that in 2019 Microsoft intended to "spend Sony out of business" by spending $2 billion to $3 billion on acquiring content for the Xbox Game Pass subscription service. However, Microsoft General Manager of Public Affairs David Cuddy told The Verge that the email was outdated and referred to "industry trends we never pursued and is unrelated to the acquisition [of Activision Blizzard]."

Many revelations surrounded "Call of Duty," Activision's massively popular first-person shooter. Jim Ryan, the CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment, said he had "significant concerns" about whether "CoD" and other Activision titles would continue to be available on PlayStation if Microsoft acquires it. A court exhibit revealed that Sony's "Call of Duty" deal with Activision only includes one more game and will end in 2023. Microsoft publicly offered Sony and Nintendo 10-year contracts for the game, but an FTC attorney pressed Spencer to commit on the record that it would not become an Xbox exclusive.

Court documents also revealed how much money video game developers and platform owners spend on high-budget and high-profile projects, categorized as AAA games. Sony spent $212 million over five years to make "Horizon Forbidden West," a figure "in line with major Hollywood movie budgets," Keza MacDonald wrote for The Guardian's Pushing Buttons newsletter. Knowing the costs "provides a stark insight into how expensive it actually is to create cutting-edge games these days."

What's next for the deal?

Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley is expected to rule on the FTC's request to extend a restraining order that prevents the deal from closing. The ruling will likely come before July 18 since Microsoft has until then to complete the acquisition or risk paying $3 billion in breakup fees or renegotiating terms. The FTC also filed a lawsuit to block the deal at the end of 2022, and the U.K.'s Competition and Markets banned the merger in April.

The decision could also affect how much access Activision will have to PlayStation's future console kits. During his deposition, Ryan said Sony could not share details about the PlayStation 6 if the deal closed because they "could not run the risk of a company that was owned by a direct competitor having access to that information."

The burgeoning cloud gaming industry could be the next big thing for video games. Tech companies have been increasingly offering ways to offer streaming services that could untether gamers from hardware like consoles and PCs. Still, cloud gaming has had its share of setbacks, as evidenced by Google shutting down its game streaming service Stadia earlier this year.

Debate over whether cloud gaming is the industry's future was sparked when the U.K.'s Competition and Markets Authority attempted to block Microsoft's $69 billion bid for Activision Blizzard over fears that the company could monopolize the market. Is a future where most people get their video games from the cloud near?

Cloud gaming is the next stage for video game tech

If you follow the "smart money," then the next stage for the video game industry is cloud gaming, Dave Lee opines in Bloomberg. Building a catalog of premium games to be streamed, like Netflix, "is tipped to be the definitive way the vast majority of gamers will access top titles in the future," Lee added. "Subscription plans will likely form the bedrock of this model, rather than the purchase of individual games."

Tech problems are keeping the industry from blossoming

Cloud gaming can bring gamers "an experience approaching that of a high-end gaming PC when everything lines up," Sean Hollister argued for The Verge. But a massive amount of interconnected technology is needed to make it work, which can sometimes cause friction that dampens the experience. For example, the service relies on "not just your internet speed but the Wi-Fi congestion in your neighborhood," Hollister added.

The nascent cloud gaming market "won't take off until the friction disappears," he asserted. There are more technical problems "standing in the way of a vibrant cloud gaming market," Hollister pointed out, "not least of which is how most big games require companies to have an entire graphics card waiting in a server room for every single player."

Video game hardware is 'here to stay'

Cloud gaming is not going to make contemporary platforms obsolete. "Video game consoles and PC gaming, and mobile gaming are all here to stay," Paul Tassi declared in Forbes. He's been hearing about the "death of video game hardware" for years, "and yet PS5 is about to break sales records and become one of the best-selling systems in history." Having the ability to stream games digitally could be a useful option for video game connoisseurs, "but it's mostly going to be an addition, not the core way people play games," Tassi said. Plus, the internet service in the U.S. especially, "is often so crappy that cloud gaming is barely going to be useful most places," he added, "and where it is, there is still enough micro latency to make games feel worse than playing them natively on hardware."

If industry vets are impressed, others should be too.

One of the most significant events that foreshadowed "a gaming future dominated by the Cloud" was an announcement of a collaboration between Xbox and PlayStation collaborator Hideo Kojima, Jake Selway wrote for Game Rant. The untitled project was "billed as a game that is crafted completely around the Xbox Cloud system," and Kojuma cited Microsoft's "cutting edge Cloud technology" as a leading reason for his decision to work with Xbox. "Considering that this level of praise is coming from an industry veteran who is renowned for pushing the boundaries of established gaming norms," Selway said, "Cloud gaming could very well be the future of the industry." With Microsoft's existing technology likely to improve over time, cloud gaming "is well poised to become more and more ingrained as other companies follow suit."

Video game developers are becoming more proactive in designing features that make games more accessible, a welcome change after years of pushback from disability advocates and accessibility consultants. The recent proliferation of accessibility options signals a shift towards a more inclusive video game industry.

What's changed?

It used to be rare for a video game to include settings that allowed players to customize their gameplay to fit their needs. "But now mainstream developers are leveling up," PBS News Hour reported. In the last few years, developers have been "increasingly considering accessibility when designing their games, whether to accommodate a visual impairment, a motor control issue, or an anxiety disorder."

Disability advocates have been saying for years that the industry is slow to consider the needs of people with cognitive and physical disabilities and those with auditory and visual impairments. Mainstream and indie developers are taking notice. Some hire accessibility advocates and organizations as consultants during the game's development process.

Anita Mortaloni, accessibility director at Xbox, told PBS that company policy mandates that creators consider accessibility from the beginning of the game's development. It had made integration easier than in previous years when accommodations were often added to games retroactively. "If there are barriers to play because a game's not accessible or inclusive, people won't play it," Mortaloni said.

The Game Accessibility Conference Awards started recognizing the efforts of those who "raise the bar for accessibility." Still, identifying what makes a game accessible is more complicated than adding new features, Tara Voelker, co-director of The Game Accessibility Conference Awards and senior Xbox Game Studios accessibility lead, said. That's because "different gamers have different needs and different barriers that stop them from being able to play," Voelker explained in an interview with Polygon. "A title may be incredibly accessible to deaf/hard of hearing gamers but completely inaccessible to those who are blind."

What are the new accessibility features?

A few developers recently incorporated features designed to help people with specific phobias play their games. Sony PlayStation included a thalassophobia mode in a recent update to "Horizon Forbidden West" for players afraid of deep water. The mode allows users to keep their character from running out of air while swimming underwater and adds "pulsing and glowing effects to the game's underwater environment," Axios described.

Electronic Arts' "Star Wars Jedi: Survivor" and Warner Bros. Games' bestseller "Hogwarts Legacy" have arachnophobia modes that change some creatures' appearance to look less spider-like. Members of Electronic Arts' Star Wars team at Respawn Entertainment said they began designing their "arachnophobia safe mode" a year ago after a developer had trouble working on a critical level with a spider-like creature. The whole team valued being able to "create that accessible game for players [who] otherwise wouldn't have been able to complete the story and experience the journey," Respawn senior development director Jonas Lundqvist told Axios.

PlayStation unveiled Project Leoonardo, a codename for a fully customizable controller the company built with accessibility in mind. Though many of the studio's games have extensive software accessibility features, "the company's accessible hardware options have been noticeably lacking," Grant Stoner wrote for Wired, "meaning that some physically disabled players couldn't experience those award-winning worlds or their award-winning features."

The device will allow physically disabled players to customize the buttons and layout of the controller to fit their unique needs. The controller was built with a split design, "meaning players use significantly less energy to move between inputs," Stoner explained.

Indie and mainstream developers are also making games increasingly accessible for low-vision and blind players. Features like audio cues and descriptions, text-to-speech, and assisted navigation help visually impaired players participate without assistance from another person.

There is still room for improvement, Stoner wrote for his IGN series on gaming accessibility. "Accessibility in games should seamlessly coexist with the user experience," Stoner said. Instead of having to wade through numerous options on a menu, "disabled players should expect their game to be playable, and if necessary, use options to alleviate barriers that design cannot fix."

Is Hollywood's next big franchise a Nintendo Cinematic Universe? The Super Mario Bros. Movie is already a massive hit, making a sequel highly likely. But the film has been such a success that it's hard to imagine Universal isn't also eying other Nintendo franchises that can be brought to the big screen. While nothing has been confirmed, these are the Nintendo properties that seem most likely to spawn movies:

'The Legend of Zelda'

Among fans, the most commonly requested Nintendo adaptation is easily The Legend of Zelda, perhaps the company's most iconic franchise after Super Mario Bros. The games generally follow a hero named Link as he goes on an adventure to defeat the evil Ganon and save the kingdom of Hyrule. Zelda is a princess of Hyrule, though the player character is usually Link. From the original 1987 Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) game to next month's The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, the series has tons of mythology and worldbuilding to work with for a movie, much more so than Super Mario Bros.

A potential Zelda animated film would surely have a much more serious tone than The Super Mario Bros. Movie, closer to The Lord of the Rings than Minions. A rumor from Giant Freakin Robot in January suggested a Zelda animated movie is already in the works from Illumination, the same studio that made the Mario film, but that hasn't been confirmed. As far back as 2007, though, animation house Imagi Studios put together a pitch for an animated Zelda film, which you can watch on YouTube. It never went forward, but after the success of Mario, now may be the time to revisit the idea. A Zelda TV series, rather than a movie, could also be a possibility, and Netflix was rumored to be in talks for a live-action adaptation in 2015.

When recently asked by Screen Rant about potential movies based on Zelda or other Nintendo properties, Nintendo game director Shigeru Miyamoto said "there's nothing I can really comment on at the moment" but that "I think there'll be opportunities in the future."

'Luigi's Mansion'

If Nintendo is looking for potential spinoffs of The Super Mario Bros. Movie, though, an obvious contender would be Luigi's Mansion.

The horror-themed series began with a 2001 Nintendo GameCube game, in which Luigi is the one trying to rescue Mario. That first entry sees Luigi visit a mysterious mansion and subsequently search for his brother after he goes missing, and he teams up with a scientist to capture ghosts using a vacuum cleaner. So a movie could have a similar tone as Ghostbusters and flip the script from The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which was about Mario trying to rescue Luigi. The game spawned two sequels, the most recent of which, Luigi's Mansion 3, hit the Nintendo Switch in 2019.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie already draws on Luigi's Mansion a bit in the scene where Luigi ends up in a spooky forest. Luigi voice actor Charlie Day has also expressed interest in a Luigi's Mansion spinoff, telling ComicBook.com, "Yes I do [want to do a Luigi's Mansion film], big time. Let's get that out in the zeitgeist. Let's make this happen, okay? I am in!"

'Donkey Kong Country'

Another potential Super Mario Bros. Movie spinoff could be one focused on Donkey Kong, who's voiced in the film by Seth Rogen. The character has had his own successful series of games, including the Donkey Kong Country franchise, which are also platformers like Super Mario Bros. Besides, Mario actually originated in a Donkey Kong game, not the other way around.

Like Super Mario Bros., the Donkey Kong games usually don't put a tremendous amount of emphasis on story. But there are tons of characters in Donkey Kong's family to work with, some of whom already make cameos in The Super Mario Bros. Movie, including Cranky Kong, his father. An adaptation of the Donkey Kong Country games would also likely introduce King K. Rool, a villainous crocodile who commands an army known as the Kremlings.

Rogen has already expressed hope that a Donkey Kong spinoff film will happen. "There's a lot of opportunity there," he told Collider, adding that there's room to explore "the family unit of the Kongs" further.

'Yoshi's Story'

The Super Mario Bros. Movie's post-credits scene teases that Yoshi will be a character in a likely sequel. If he's a fan favorite there, there's always room for yet another potential spinoff about this character considering Yoshi has also led a whole series of games.

Yoshi's early games include 1998's Yoshi's Story for the Nintendo 64, which was also a side-scroller, and the story involved Baby Bowser turning the island where the Yoshis live into a storybook and stealing their Super Happy Tree. Other Yoshi games include the more recent Yoshi's Woolly World and Yoshi's Crafted World.

As The Super Mario Bros. Movie implies, the Yoshis are meant to be a whole species of dinosaur-like creatures, so a potential sequel or spinoff could include many of them, though the green Yoshi is the one best known to players.

'Metroid'

Outside of Mario games, Metroid is another hugely popular series that Nintendo fans have suggested could make a great film, either animated or live-action. The sci-fi series follows a bounty hunter named Samus Aran on various adventures in space, during which she encounters alien creatures known as Metroids. The series' first game was Metroid on the NES, though a fan-favorite entry is Metroid Prime for the Nintendo Gamecube. The series was also somewhat unique for the time in that players take control of a female action hero.

A live-action Metroid move has previously been discussed, with none other than legendary Hong Kong filmmaker John Woo at one point in talks. Producer Brad Foxhoven told IGN the film would have explored Samus' origins, though Nintendo apparently had second thoughts about filling in the gaps in her backstory via a movie.

"Things started to go south when we tried to dig into the character a bit more," Foxhoven said. "...What are Samus's aspirations, history, and fears? Nintendo appreciated the questions, but had never thought about them before, and ultimately didn't have a lot of answers. In the end, they felt uncomfortable with our team being the ones to propose those answers."

'Star Fox'

Another popular Nintendo sci-fi franchise is the Star Fox series, which gets a shout-out in The Super Mario Bros Movie. The model spaceship that Mario has in his room is the one used in the Star Fox games.

Beginning in 1993 for the Super Nintendo, the games follow a group of anthropomorphic animals, including Fox McCloud, and their adventures in space as part of the titular Star Fox team. Other main characters include Peppy Hare, a rabbit, and Slippy Toad. In the right hands, an animated Star Fox film could be like a more kid-friendly version of the Guardians of the Galaxy movies.

A claymation Star Fox series was once in the works, but it was canceled by Nintendo, Adam Conover revealed. But in 2020, a fan poster for a proposed Star Fox animated movie made the rounds on Twitter and earned the attention of Gary Whitta, a screenwriter who received a story credit on Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. "I want to write this animated movie," he tweeted.

'Pikmin'

Another classic Nintendo franchise that got a shout-out in The Super Mario Bros. Movie was Pikmin — one of the titular creatures was seen in the form of a statue — and it's also a potential candidate for an animated feature.

Released in 2001, the original real-time strategy game involved a pilot, Captain Olimar, becoming stranded on a mysterious planet and attempting to repair his ship. He controls hordes of Pikmin, small creatures that look sort of like plants. It spawned several sequels, and Pikmin 4 is set for release on the Nintendo Switch this year.

The story of the games is somewhat thin, but Nintendo already has experience adapting it, having released a series of animated Pikmin shorts in 2014. Could these serve as a sort of demo reel for a potential film?

'Super Smash Bros.'

If a potential Nintendo cinematic universe seeks to model itself off the Marvel Cinematic Universe, could its equivalent of the Avengers films be based on Super Smash Bros.?

The hugely popular fighting game series involves all the characters from various Nintendo franchises coming together to do battle, everyone from Mario and Luigi to Star Fox, Samus, and more. Long before Avengers: Infinity War was the most ambitious crossover event in movie history, these were the most ambitious crossover events in gaming history.

In terms of plot, a movie could perhaps draw inspiration from the single-player mode of the most recent game, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and involve a protagonist — in the game's case, Kirby — seeking to rescue various characters and bring them together to defeat the evil Galeem and Dharkon. So it could be sort of like the first Avengers film, with all of the Mario characters doing battle against one another before eventually teaming up against an external force.

'Animal Crossing'

Animal Crossing, the life simulation game series that sees the player move into a fictional village and live with anthropomorphic animals, may seem impossible to turn into a movie given there is virtually no story to work with. But believe it or not, an Animal Crossing anime movie already exists.

It's called Gekijōban Dōbutsu no Mori, and it was released in 2006. But it only came out in Japan and has never made its way to the United States. Similar to the games, the film follows an 11-year-old girl who moves into a village filled with animals. The most recent game, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, was a massive phenomenon in 2020, in no small part thanks to being released right as COVID-19 lockdowns hit the U.S.

So after the success of The Super Mario Bros. Movie and New Horizons, perhaps a new Animal Crossing animated movie could be on the table, or at least an official American release of the existing one. Move aside, Darth Vader: The greatest cinematic villain of all time may soon be Tom Nook.

You haven't seen the last of them. The recent finale of HBO's The Last of Us left fans anxious for season 2, either because they didn't play the video game or because they did and can't wait to see it brought to life. So without delving into major spoilers, what's next for the hit series? Here's what we know about season 2:

Has 'The Last of Us' been renewed for season 2?

Yes, HBO renewed The Last of Us for a second season after just two episodes had aired. Co-creators Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann are set to return, with Mazin saying he "couldn't be more ready to dive back in."

What will season 2 of 'The Last of Us' cover?

The Last of Us' first season covered the entire original game, ending at the exact same point in the story. So season 2 will move on to adapting the sequel, The Last of Us Part II, which was released in 2020.

But Part II is longer and more narratively complex than the first game, so Druckmann confirmed to GQ the show will cover it across "more than one season." It hasn't been confirmed, though, if Part II will be adapted into two or three seasons. "We will not say how many," Mazin told GQ. "But more than one is factually correct." We also don't know at what point the game's story will be split up.

If you're interested in a general sense of where things are going without heavy spoilers, this was the official plot synopsis Sony provided for the second game:

"Five years after their dangerous journey across the post-pandemic United States, Ellie and Joel have settled down in Jackson, Wyoming. Living amongst a thriving community of survivors has allowed them peace and stability, despite the constant threat of the infected and other, more desperate survivors. When a violent event disrupts that peace, Ellie embarks on a relentless journey to carry out justice and find closure. As she hunts those responsible one by one, she is confronted with the devastating physical and emotional repercussions of her actions."

Part II received rave reviews from critics, with some calling it one of the greatest games of all time, though it attracted some controversy among fans for a few unexpected narrative choices. Think of it as the Star Wars: The Last Jedi of the video game world.

Will Bella Ramsey be back for season 2?

Ellie is 19 at the start of the second game after a five-year time jump, though there are also flashbacks to the period that's skipped over. But this led some fans to wonder if Bella Ramsey would be replaced with an older actress. The show's creators, though, have confirmed she'll continue in the role. "The only way we would ever, ever consider recasting Bella is if she said, 'I don't want to work with you guys anymore," Druckmann said, per IGN. "Even then, I'm not sure we would grant her that. We might still force her to come back to season 2."

Mazin also noted that Ramsey is currently 19, the same age as Ellie in the game.

Who might be joining the cast in season 2?

Without getting into spoilers, Part II introduces a number of new characters fans can expect to see in the show. By far the most significant is a woman named Abby, whose storyline intersects with Ellie and Joel's in a big way.

The casting of Abby hasn't been announced, though there's been speculation she could be played by Shannon Berry. The actress, who starred in The Wilds, looks a lot like Abby in the game, and fans noticed that Druckmann followed her on Instagram.

Another important new character in Part II is Dina, who already had a sneaky cameo on the show in the episode "Kin" as the girl who was watching Ellie as she ate at Tommy's commune. She was played in that episode by Paolina van Kleef, but it's not clear if she'll reprise the role in season 2. It wouldn't be surprising to see the show cast a more experienced actress in the role permanently considering van Kleef has just one other IMDB credit. On the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Bella Ramsey noted she's "really excited" about bringing the game's Ellie and Dina plot to the screen.

The show is also expected to introduce a trans teen named Lev, played in the game by Ian Alexander. Alexander has expressed interest in reprising the role, though that may be unlikely given they're 21 and Lev is meant to be 13.

When might season 2 be released?

A release window for season 2 hasn't been announced, though star Pedro Pascal told Collider that "there is a chance" it will begin filming this year. The first season began filming in summer 2021, though, so we may be looking at a season 2 premiere in 2025 or late 2024 at the earliest.

What else do we know about season 2?

On the official Last of Us podcast, co-creator Craig Mazin teased that in adapting the second game, the showrunners will "take advantage of the freedom we have in television, specifically the advantage of changing perspective."

While the first game is a relatively simple plot about two characters traveling from point A to point B, the second game is much more sprawling, leaving room for the show to shift between many different characters and perhaps even have entire episodes without Joel or Ellie. But Part II's surprising narrative structure may also work better in the medium of a video game, so the order of events might need to be moved around significantly in the series.

Indeed, as with the first season, fans can expect some tweaks to the source material, and co-creator Neil Druckmann told GQ, "Some of the stuff I'm most excited for are the changes we've discussed and seeing the story come to life again in this other version." Mazin also said on the Last of Us podcast that the idea of "interconnectivity" between the infected will be explored further next season, and he teased to Variety it's "quite possible that there will be a lot more infected" going forward, "and perhaps different kinds."

Will there be another 'The Last of Us' game?

After Game of Thrones, it's reasonable for fans to be concerned about an HBO series catching up with its ongoing source material and not knowing where to go after that. So what happens when the show is finished adapting Part II? It's possible a third game will be out by then, though The Last of Us Part III hasn't been confirmed, and Druckmann has said it may not be made at all.

"If we can come up with a compelling story that has this universal message and statement about love — just like the first and second game did — then we will tell that story," he told BuzzFeed. "If we can't come up with something, we have a very strong ending with Part II and that will be the end."

For now, a new multiplayer Last of Us game is in the works, which Druckmann told BuzzFeed will be a "brand new story and cast of characters that live in another city that we haven't seen yet in the world of The Last of Us." But that presumably wouldn't provide much, if any, source material for the show to use. There was a seven-year gap between the first and second games, so going by that timeline, a potential The Last of Us Part III might not be released until 2027.

But the good news is that the second game ends in a way that could easily serve as the series finale of the show, so fans should still be satisfied if Part II is the last of The Last of Us.

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It's safe to say the video game adaptation curse has been broken. HBO's The Last of Us has been receiving rave reviews and strong viewership, proving video games can be successfully adapted into other mediums without disappointing fans. Its success could inspire a wave of new video game movies and TV shows, just as there was an uptick in fantasy series after Game of Thrones, and many are already on the way. So which could be similarly successful? Here are some of the most notable video game adaptations on the horizon:

God of War

If we're searching for the "next The Last of Us," one of the strongest candidates would be another series adaptation of a hit PlayStation game lauded for its cinematic storytelling that centers on the relationship between an adult and a kid: God of War.

Specifically, we're referring to the 2018 version just called God of War, though the franchise dates back to 2005. Drawing on Norse mythology, the game follows former God of War Kratos and his son, Atreus. After the death of Kratos' wife, he and Atreus go on a quest to scatter her ashes at the highest peak in the realm to fulfill her final wish. 2018's God of War and its 2022 sequel, God of War Ragnarök, are widely regarded as two of the greatest games of all time, with each receiving a perfect 10 out of 10 score from IGN. The 2018 game also won the top prize of Game of the Year at the Game Awards, the video game equivalent of the Oscars. Like The Last of Us, it has been praised for its story in addition to the gameplay, particularly for the exploration of the central father-son relationship.

A television adaptation of God of War received a series order from Amazon Prime Video in 2022, with Rafe Judkins, who previously worked on The Wheel of Time, serving as showrunner. Children of Men writers Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby are also on board.

Gears of War

Speaking of war, Gears of War is another hugely popular video game franchise being turned into both a movie and a TV show courtesy of Netflix.

The first Gears of War game, a third-person shooter, was released in 2006 for the Xbox 360, but it has continued to receive sequels and spinoffs, including 2019's Gears 5. The games are set in a world where humanity is at war with a race of genetically altered humans, the Locust Horde, on the planet Sera. The first three installments center on a soldier named Marcus Fenix.

Netflix has confirmed it's working on a live-action film and an animated television series based on Gears of War. The casting hasn't been announced, though fans have long suggested Dave Bautista for the lead role of Marcus Fenix, and Bautista has expressed interest. Game developer The Coalition will be involved.

Fallout

After the death of Westworld, the show's creators are turning to a hit role-playing game next.

Westworld creators Lisa Joy and Jonathan Nolan are producing a series adaptation of the Fallout franchise, which is headed to Amazon Prime Video. Dating back to 1997, the series takes place in a post-apocalyptic wasteland following a nuclear war, making use of a retrofuturistic aesthetic. The games tell a sprawling story with many different possible quests that the player can explore, so the show will have to streamline things rather than being a one-to-one adaptation of a contained story like The Last of Us.

Walton Goggins is starring in the show, and Deadline reports he will possibly be playing a ghoul, which in the game are humans mutated by radiation. Ella Purnell and Kyle MacLachlan will also star, and Bethesda, the studio behind the games, is producing. "It is just a gonzo, crazy, funny, adventure, and mindf--k like none you've ever seen before," Joy told Collider. The show began filming in 2022, so it could potentially debut by the end of 2023.

BioShock

Would you kindly do a BioShock adaptation justice? A movie based on 2K Games' first-person shooter has long been discussed given the game has so much compelling lore to work with, and a film was confirmed to be in development at Netflix in 2022.

The original horror game, a first-person shooter, is set in a run-down underwater city called Rapture, a planned utopia built by an Ayn Rand-esque figure named Andrew Ryan. As players progress through the city, they learn about Rapture's rise and fall and how a substance called ADAM was discovered that can alter a person's genetic material and give them supernatural abilities. The game's most iconic enemies are known as Big Daddies, genetically-altered humans in diving suits.

A BioShock movie was once set to be helmed by Pirates of the Caribbean director Gore Verbinski, but that version of the project fell apart. It's now moving forward at Netflix from Francis Lawrence, director of most of the Hunger Games films, and Logan screenwriter Michael Green is writing. The original BioShock was released in 2007 and spawned two sequels, 2010's BioShock 2 and 2013's BioShock Infinite, so Netflix could have a trilogy on its hands if it plays its cards right. Get ready to watch with your little sister.

Borderlands

Another classic 2K game getting the feature film treatment is Borderlands, and with this one, the co-creator of HBO's The Last of Us is involved.

Similar to the games, the movie will follow an outlaw named Lilith, who "forms an alliance with an unexpected team" and "must battle alien monsters and dangerous bandits to find and protect the missing" daughter of the "universe's most powerful S.O.B." in a journey on the planet Pandora, per the official plot synopsis. Cate Blanchett is set to play Lilith, and the rest of the cast includes Kevin Hart, Jack Black, and Jamie Lee Curtis.

Borderlands will be released by Lionsgate, and it was directed by Eli Roth, who wrote the script with The Last of Us co-creator Craig Mazin. But there's been speculation the project could be in trouble considering it began shooting in April 2021 and still doesn't have a release date. The last we heard was that another director, Tim Miller, is set to step in to direct two weeks of reshoots because Roth is busy with another project.

Horizon Zero Dawn

Along with The Last of Us and God of War, one of the most acclaimed PlayStation franchises of recent years is the Horizon series.

Beginning with 2017's Horizon Zero Dawn, the games take place in a post-apocalyptic world where machine creatures roam, and they center on a hunter named Aloy, played by Ashly Burch. "Explore distant lands, fight bigger and more awe-inspiring machines, and encounter astonishing new tribes as you return to the far-future, post-apocalyptic world of Horizon," the game's plot synopsis says.

The 2017 game received a sequel, Horizon Forbidden West, that was lauded as one of the best games of 2022 and received seven nominations at the Game Awards, including Game of the Year. A Horizon TV series is now in the works at Netflix, and the showrunner of The Umbrella Academy will be involved.

Death Stranding

From legendary video game designer Hideo Kojima (Metal Gear Solid), the 2019 sci-fi action game Death Stranding boasted a surprisingly star-studded cast including Norman Reedus, Mads Mikkelsen, Léa Seydoux, and Margaret Qualley. So it only makes sense that a film version is now in the works.

The original game is set in a near future where "mysterious explosions have rocked the globe, setting off a series of supernatural events known as the Death Stranding," the game's website explains. The protagonist, Sam Porter Bridges (Reedus), must save humanity and "travel across the ravaged wasteland" with "otherworldly creatures plaguing the landscape, and mass extinction imminent."

A Death Stranding movie was confirmed in December 2022, and Kojima Productions is set to produce. With Kojima himself involved, the game will "introduce new elements and characters into the Death Stranding world," according to Variety. It isn't yet clear whether Reedus or any of the other stars will reprise their roles.

Ghost of Tsushima

One of the most acclaimed games of 2020 was Ghost of Tsushima, which was nominated for the top prize of Game of the Year at the Game Awards, and it's now getting the feature film treatment.

The game sees players take on the role of a samurai in the 13th century when the Mongols invaded Japan. "As one of the last surviving samurai, you rise from the ashes to fight back," the game's website explains. "But honorable tactics won't lead you to victory. You must move beyond your samurai traditions to forge a new way of fighting — the way of the Ghost — as you wage an unconventional war for the freedom of Japan."

A Ghost of Tsushima movie was confirmed in 2021 with John Wick director ​​Chad Stahelski attached, though it sounds like it's still years away. In November 2022, Stahelski told IGN the movie is on his "list of things I'm dying to direct" but that while "we have a very good script," they're "still working out some of the details."

Tomb Raider

The Tomb Raider game franchise has already spawned a few movies, but Hollywood isn't finished excavating it.

Amazon has reportedly ordered both a new TV series and a movie based on the Tomb Raider franchise, an Indiana Jones-like adventure series centered around archaeologist Lara Croft. Fleabag's Phoebe Waller-Bridge is reportedly writing the show, though she isn't expected to star in it. But Amazon has also ordered a Tomb Raider film, and The Hollywood Reporter says the "idea is to build out a connected world of Tomb Raider" with a film, TV show, and new video game all existing in the same universe, similar to Marvel. However, Waller-Bridge would reportedly only be involved in the show, not the movie or the game. The Reporter noted this is one of Amazon's largest commitments outside of the Lord of the Rings franchise.

Angelina Jolie starred in the original two Tomb Raider films in the 2000s, while Alicia Vikander took over the role in a 2018 movie. But MGM lost the rights after failing to make a sequel to the 2018 film.

Twisted Metal

The writers behind Zombieland and Deadpool are taking Twisted Metal out for a spin.

Based on the vehicular combat games that center on a chaotic demolition derby and include characters like a killer clown named Sweet Tooth, a Twisted Metal TV series in the works at Peacock. It will follow a "motor-mouthed outsider offered a chance at a better life, but only if he can successfully deliver a mysterious package across a post-apocalyptic wasteland," per Deadline. "With the help of a trigger-happy car thief, he'll face savage marauders driving vehicles of destruction and other dangers of the open road, including a deranged clown who drives an all too familiar ice cream truck."

Anthony Mackie has been cast in the show, and he'll star alongside Stephanie Beatriz, Thomas Haden Church, Will Arnett, and Neve Campbell. The series adaptation comes from Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, who wrote Zombieland and the Deadpool films, and it's expected to debut sometime in 2023.

Five Nights at Freddy's

One of the popular horror games of the past decade is Five Nights at Freddy, and one of the past decade's biggest horror studios is giving it the big-screen treatment.

The original games take place in a Chuck E. Cheese-esque pizza restaurant, and the player takes control of an employee, who must survive as the various animatronic characters come to life. The first game was released in 2014, but it has spawned numerous sequels and spinoffs.

A Five Nights at Freddy's horror movie is now in the works at Blumhouse, the famed studio behind films like The Purge and M3GAN. Emma Tammi (The Wind) is directing, with Matthew Lillard and Josh Hutcherson set to star. No release date has been set, but the project began shooting in February 2023, so it should be just around the corner.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie

The first major live-action video game movie was 1993's Super Mario Bros., and it was a notorious disaster. But 30 years later, could Illumination finally get it right?

Unlike the 1993 version, The Super Mario Bros. Movie is animated, and it comes from the studio behind Minions. Though the Mario games aren't driven by story, the film appears to be much more faithful to them than the previous adaptation, which invented a plot involving dinosaurs that was poorly received by fans. The movie is also incorporating elements from various Mario franchises beyond just the main platforming games, including a Mario Kart-inspired sequence teased in the trailers.

The casting of Chris Pratt as the voice of Mario attracted much online derision, though, with critics arguing he sounds too much like himself as the character. But fans have been more accepting of the rest of the cast, which includes Charlie Day as Luigi, Anya Taylor-Joy as Peach, and Jack Black as Bowser. Box office expectations are sky-high, especially since the film has secured a coveted China release. It hits U.S. theaters on April 5.

New Harry Potter video game Hogwarts Legacy is flying off shop shelves despite calls for a boycott of the new release.

After winning global fame as the author of the hit book series, J.K. Rowling has “fallen from beloved to beleaguered” in recent years over her outspoken views on transgender women, said Newsweek. The 2020 unveiling of a Hogwarts Legacy trailer prompted debate about whether Rowling's attachment to the game would “prove to be problematic” – despite her having no direct involvement.

But despite many gamers and members of the LGBTQ+ community calling for a boycott, others argued that “choosing to play the game doesn’t automatically mean they support the author's statements”, said the BBC’s gaming reporter Steffan Powell.

That argument appears to have won the day, with the new title – the first open-world action game set in the Hogwarts wizarding universe – topping the sales lists on Steam, Epic Store and Amazon even before its official release on Friday.

J.K. Rowling controversy

Rowling’s stance on trans people has “alienated large swaths of her fanbase” and “fanned the flames of an already red-hot debate”, said entertainment journalist Erik Kain on Forbes. But Hogwarts Legacy can be viewed as “a victory for the LGBTQ community and for progress”, Kain argued, as it features a “prominent trans character” and also “allows you to play as a trans protagonist”.

All the same, said The New Statesman, many fans have felt “unable to ignore” Rowling’s comments on trans women and her connection to the game as the creator of this wizarding world.

In January, one of the voice actors in the game, Sebastian Croft, tweeted: “I was cast in this project over three years ago, back when all Harry Potter was to me was the magical world I grew up with. This was long before I was aware of JK Rowling’s views. I believe wholeheartedly that trans women are women and trans men are men.”

Some gaming forums, such as ResetEra, have banned all mentions of Hogwarts Legacy, while some sites, such as The Game, have decided not to review the new title despite the potential resulting “revenue loss”.

Failed boycotts

The pushback against the video game is far from the first brand boycott that has failed.

Sales of Nike products jumped by 31% after the company faced criticism for appointing American football quarterback-turned-activist Colin Kaepernick as its spokesperson in 2018. Some consumers posted footage on social media showing them destroying Nike products over the choice of Kaepernick, who popularised the act of “taking a knee” at football games to protest against racial inequality.

Donald Trump joined in the online criticism, but the then president “inadvertently helped out” Nike, said NBC, by “drawing more attention” to the brand, which ultimately helped to boost sales.

Trump was also at the centre of another backlash against a company in the US in 2020. Sales of products made by Goya Foods soared by 22% after social media users called for a boycott in response to CEO Robert Unanue praising the Republican politician.

Fast-food chain Chik-fil-A has also been a target of boycotts and negative press, as a result of the anti-LGBTQ+ stance of its owners. A decision in 2011 by a Chick-fil-A outlet in Pennsylvania to donate food to a marriage seminar conducted by the Pennsylvania Family Institute, “a group known for its anti-gay advocacy, prompted a nationwide boycott of the chain”, said Vox.

But overall, the bad press and boycotts did little harm. According to latest figures, Chik-fil-A was the third-largest fast-food chain in the US by sales in 2021.

HBO's The Last of Us is a largely faithful adaptation of the hit video game. But that's not to say there haven't been major changes made to the source material along the way. Here are the most significant ways the series has deviated from and built upon the game — and why:

The show's opening scene wasn't in the game

Right from the top, the HBO show's first scene isn't from the source material. The series begins in 1968 with an epidemiologist on a talk show making the chilling case that a fungus infection spreading across the world would be far more dangerous than a viral pandemic.

None of this was in the game, which doesn't begin in the 1960s. Instead, it jumps straight into the action with Joel and his daughter, Sarah (who is white in the game, whereas she's played by a biracial actress in the show), fleeing their home during the outbreak only a few minutes in. This also means most of the show's opening scenes, where we see more of Joel and Sarah's home life and meet their neighbors before the outbreak, was added.

One reason for including the talk show opening, co-creator Craig Mazin explained on the official Last of Us podcast, was that the series was being released amid a real viral pandemic. So this allowed the show "to address the elephant in the global room" and make clear that this apocalypse isn't like the COVID-19 outbreak, Mazin said.

"I thought it was important to say to people, 'We are not a show that's asking you to share some of your own personal horror about the viral pandemic with us,'" he noted.

Other reasons for the addition included wanting to expand the timeline of the story and increase the tension of the following prologue scenes.

The car crash happens differently in the game

Once Sarah, Joel, and Tommy flee, the show's escape sequence is almost an exact recreation of the scene in the game, right down to being similarly viewed from Sarah's perspective in the backseat of the car. But one notable change comes when a plane comes down, causing the car to crash. In the game, the car simply crashes because another vehicle hits it, and there's no plane crash. Oh, the joys of having an HBO budget.

The game takes place in 2033, not 2023

The HBO series shifts the timeline of the story back a full decade. When the game jumps forward after an initial 2013 outbreak prologue, it takes us to the year 2033 — 20 years in the future from when the game was released — whereas the show brings the prologue back to 2003 before jumping to 2023.

Mazin told Insider this change was made so the show could take place the same year that it airs.

"I just had this thing where if I'm watching a show and it takes place 20 years in the future from my time now, it just seems less real," he said. "...There's just something about saying this is happening now in this parallel universe."

The show fleshes out Marlene's relationship with Ellie

In the game, players barely see Marlene and Ellie interact before Joel and Tess take her on the smuggling mission, largely because the story is being told from Joel's perspective. The show, though, has more time to flesh out their relationship before the mission begins. We get a scene between just Ellie and Marlene that wasn't in the game, where we learn Marlene put Ellie in a FEDRA military school when she was a baby to keep her safe.

"The relationship between Ellie and Marlene in the game was sort of like, 'Look, just take this kid. I need you to take this kid, it's important,'" Mazin noted on the Last of Us podcast. "Here, you get the sense that Marlene has this profound connection to Ellie, which will be something that we're going to pay off and pull on quite a bit later on."

Joel's romance with Tess is confirmed in the show

The game implied that Joel and Tess were an item, but this was never actually confirmed. The show, though, removes any doubt, showing the two in bed together.

Joel goes on the mission with Ellie for a different reason in the game

In the show, Joel agrees to leave the quarantine zone and escort Ellie largely out of concern for his brother, Tommy. He's promised a car battery that Robert sold to the Fireflies, which he needs to go find Tommy, in exchange for escorting Ellie.

In the game, Joel is instead promised weapons, which Robert similarly sold to the Fireflies, in exchange for escorting Ellie. But finding his brother isn't why he accepts the assignment. In fact, Joel and Tommy haven't been keeping in touch at this point in the game, unlike in the show.

The show changed the way the infection is spread

In the game, a person can become infected either through a bite or through breathing in airborne spores, so there are many sequences where Joel has to wear a gas mask. But in the show, the spore concept was replaced with tendrils, as we see in the scene with Tess' nasty zombie kiss in the second episode.

The reason for removing the spores, co-creator Neil Druckmann told Polygon, was to avoid having the show's characters constantly covering their faces in masks. "Then we lose so much, which is maybe the most important part of the journey is what's going on inside behind their eyes, in their soul, in their beings," he said.

Still, Mazin told Variety, "I don't necessarily know if we're going to see any spores this time around, but to say that our world is devoid of them would not be accurate. We don't quite know yet."

The show seems to have tweaked the infection's origin

Similarly, the game suggests the outbreak can be traced to infected crops in South America, whereas the show has changed this so the outbreak's origins appear to have been a flour and grain factory in Jakarta, Indonesia.

We learn this in a cold open at the start of the episode "Infected," in which a mycologist in Jakarta is asked for advice on the outbreak, only to recommend that the city be bombed. Nothing like this happened in the game.

"We wanted to give a little bit more of an origin story" of the infection and show it was "global," not "something that was just happening in America," Mazin explained on the official Last of Us podcast. Druckmann noted this was a "huge deviation" from how the game was made, though. "We made a conscious choice [in the game] that we will never leave the perspective of the United States," Druckmann, who wrote the original game, said.

Ellie being bitten again was added

This led to another change in the second episode, in which Ellie is bitten but doesn't become infected. This second bite doesn't happen in the original game, but the change ties back to the removal of spores.

In the game, there are many moments where Joel has to wear a mask to avoid breathing in spores. But Ellie can breathe them in without a mask and not become infected, proving she really is immune. The show couldn't give Joel this same kind of evidence without spores, so the next best thing was having her receive a second bite.

Tess' death was tweaked

Tess' death at the end of the episode "Infected" is similar to the game in spirit, but with one important difference. In the game, Tess, Joel, and Ellie are being pursued by FEDRA at this point, so Tess is shot at the State House while holding the soldiers off. In the show, though, FEDRA is nowhere to be found during this sequence. Instead, it's the infected that are the threat, and Tess is killed in an explosion, rather than being shot.

On the official Last of Us podcast, Mazin explained this change was made because he questioned why FEDRA would care to follow Tess, Joel, and Ellie out of the quarantine zone at all. "It didn't make much sense to me to have FEDRA all the way out there," he said.

The other reason for the change was to show a "different result of being infected, which was not one of mere violence or horror, but rather a sick kind of community," Mazin said. This idea of the infected being connected through a hivemind also wasn't in the game — though Druckmann admitted on the podcast he wishes it was.

Bill and Frank's storyline is radically different

But by far the biggest departure from the game came in the third episode, "Long, Long Time," in which nearly the entire story of Bill (Nick Offerman) and Frank (Murray Bartlett) was changed for the series.

First of all, Bill is still alive in the game when Joel and Ellie find him, whereas in the show, he has died by suicide by then. Bill is initially antagonistic toward Joel and Ellie in the game before reluctantly agreeing to help them gather gear to fix up a car. So the three travel across town together, encountering infected along the way. Eventually, they come across Frank's body, and we see he has hanged himself. Unlike in the show, we find out that Frank committed suicide after being bitten to avoid becoming infected.

The game does imply that Frank and Bill were lovers like in the show. But their relationship is only alluded to — there are no flashbacks of them together — and it's clear that things ended badly between them. Bill tells Joel that he once "had somebody that I cared about," a "partner" whom he had to "look after," but "in this world, that sort of s--t's good for one thing: getting you killed." After finding Frank's body, we learn that he stole Bill's car battery and planned to run off before he was bitten. Joel then comes across a note that Frank left Bill, where he writes, "I want you to know I hated your guts."

"I grew tired of this s--tty town and your set-in-your-ways attitude," the note from Frank to Bill says. "I wanted more from life than this and you could never get that. And that stupid battery you kept moaning about — I got it. But I guess you were right. Trying to leave this town will kill me. Still better than spending another day with you."

The show changed all of this so that Frank and Bill are genuinely a loving couple until the end, and they die together after Frank develops a degenerative disease. In the game, Joel and Ellie leave with a car from Frank's house like in the show, but Bill doesn't actually die at all. The last time players see Bill, he doesn't impart a meaningful lesson on Joel like he does in his series with his note. Instead, he simply tells Joel to "get the f--k out of my town."

One reason for these massive changes, Druckman explained on the Last of Us podcast, was to contrast a hopeful love story with the tragedy of Tess' death at the end of the previous episode. Tess' death showed "what you stand to lose when you love someone: you can feel this immense loss," Druckman said. The Bill and Frank love story shows, though, "here's what you gain."

From Pittsburgh to Kansas City

In the fourth episode, "Please Hold to My Hand," Joel and Ellie are ambushed in Kansas City, where we see that a group of revolutionaries has overthrown FEDRA.

The ambush also happens in the game, but all of this occurred in Pittsburgh, not Kansas City. It sounds like this change was primarily based on needing to switch to a city that looked similar to where The Last of Us was filmed.

"The Pittsburgh-ness of Pittsburgh wasn't necessarily important [in the game]," Mazin said on the official Last of Us podcast. "We had certain environments we knew we could shoot in because we were shooting in Alberta — largely around Calgary, a little bit in Edmonton — and it looked closer to Kansas City. It just literally came down to that."

But Druckman added that they also wanted to move this section of the story closer on the map to where Joel and Ellie are heading next.

Ellie saving Joel happens differently in the show

In the fourth episode, Ellie rescues Joel by shooting a bandit while he's being attacked. Joel finishes the job, but not before the show brutally gives this bandit some characterization and even a name, Bryan.

There's a similar moment in the game where Ellie shoots a man to save Joel, but it happens later on in a hotel once they're deeper into the city. In the game, Ellie also straight up kills him, so Joel isn't the one to finish the job, and it's just a random guy who doesn't plead for his life and give his name like in the show.

More significantly, Joel is angrier about this in the game, asking Ellie why she didn't "hang back like I told you to" and proclaiming he's "glad I didn't get my head blown off by a goddamn kid." The show softens this reaction, with Joel feeling guilty and apologizing to Ellie for putting her in a position to save him.

Melanie Lynskey's Kathleen is a show invention

We meet Kathleen, played by Melanie Lynskey, in the fourth episode, the leader of the group that has taken over Kansas City. This character is an invention for the show, as is the idea of Henry being wanted for apparently ratting Kathleen's brother out to FEDRA. Perry, Kathleen's second-in-command, is also a new character for the show (though he's played by Jeffrey Pierce, the actor who played Joel's brother in the game).

In general, the show has dramatically expanded on this section of the game by fleshing out these antagonists significantly. While the player does come across these enemies who have taken Pittsburgh, the game never really gives us a good look at them and their motivations.

"In the game, they were just an obstacle," Druckman explained on the "Inside the Episode" featurette. In the show, though, he noted the aim was to make them "feel like people with a real goal and real motivation and humanity."

Henry and Sam have a new backstory in the show

Henry and Sam were characters in the game, and the broad strokes of their story are similar. But the show tweaked it so that Henry and Sam are in hiding after Henry gave up information about Kathleen's brother to FEDRA. In the game, Henry and Sam were just looking for supplies in the city before being ambushed like Joel and Ellie, but they have no connection to the revolutionaries.

Sam wasn't deaf in the game

Another significant change is that unlike in the show, the Sam of the game wasn't deaf.

On the Last of Us podcast, Mazin said this change stemmed, in part, from a desire for the Henry and Sam dynamic to not be too similar to Joel and Ellie's. "It automatically brings a certain kind of intimacy to those scenes because they're quiet, which I love," Mazin said, noting that this would also put them "in this bubble that had to expand to include Joel and Ellie." On the "Inside the Episode" featurette, Druckmann admitted his reaction to this idea was, "That's so good, it makes me upset that I didn't think about it [for the game]."

Sam is also a bit younger in the show. He's meant to be 13 in the game, just a year younger than Ellie, whereas he's eight in the show. "We liked the idea that Ellie would have somebody that could look up to her the way that she looked up to Joel," Mazin said on the Last of Us podcast.

The sniper being an old man was new for the show

The sequence where Joel has to take down a sniper to protect Henry, Sam, and Ellie was fairly faithful to the game — at least up until the point where the sniper is revealed to be an old man with poor aim.

On the Last of Us podcast, Mazin explained this idea came from the realization that "we weren't going to get the same value from presenting the action the way that" the game did. This led to the idea of there being a "sadness" to this sequence in that the sniper is "really bad" because he's old and can't see well, Mazin recalled, a change from the game, in which the sniper is actually "really good."

Sam didn't reveal to Ellie that he's infected in the game

The basics of Henry and Sam's fate — that Sam becomes infected and Henry kills him before shooting himself — are the same in the show as in the game, but with one big difference.

In the show, Sam reveals to Ellie that he's infected the night before he turns. That doesn't happen in the game, in which Sam never tells anyone that he was bitten (though he hints at it during a final conversation with Ellie, where he says he's scared of becoming infected). This also allows for the moment where Ellie reveals that she's immune and attempts to heal Sam with her blood.

"We thought that because of the nature of the relationship between our Sam and our Ellie, which is that he looked up to her, that it made sense that he would trust her," Mazin said on the Last of Us podcast, adding that by having Ellie seek to cure him, "we really wanted to show Ellie starting to believe that she could do something special."

The original game never went inside the Jackson commune

The sixth episode sees Joel find his brother, Tommy, at a commune in Jackson, Wyoming. Joel similarly reunites with his brother at this point in the game, but it happened at a dam, where Tommy and his wife, Maria, were trying to restore electricity.

In fact, the original game never took players inside the Jackson commune at all, though on the Last of Us podcast, Druckmann explained this was only due to "time and budget" limitations.

"We actually had all this concept art for going inside, and we just didn't have the resources to pull it off," Druckmann said. "So when we started talking about this sequence, we were like, 'Oh, we could just see the dam, but it would actually be way more interesting to go into Jackson itself and see what's at stake.'"

Players later, however, saw the Jackson commune in The Last of Us Part II.

Maria isn't pregnant in the game

Tommy is reluctant to take Ellie the rest of the way in the show largely because his wife, Maria, is pregnant. In the game, Tommy also doesn't initially want to take Ellie because he tells Joel "my cause is my family now," but Maria wasn't expecting a child in the game.

Speaking to Variety, the episode's director, Jasmila Žbanić, said this was a "really important touch" because it "makes Tommy's decision much, much heavier that he accepted to take Ellie."

Ellie's conversation with Maria happened off-screen in the game

The sequence where Ellie talks with Maria and learns about Joel's daughter was an addition to the show, and it wouldn't have really been possible in the game, where the player is almost always with Joel. Ellie mentions in the game that Maria told her about Sarah, but that conversation wasn't depicted until the show. "You just see the aftermath of that conversation [in the game]," Druckmann noted on the Last of Us podcast, "...and here, we got to brainstorm and flesh that out."

Joel's emotional monologue didn't happen in the game

In an emotional conversation with Tommy in the sixth episode, Joel admits how afraid he is of failing Ellie and getting her killed. He doesn't have a monologue like this in the game, as Joel is more guarded throughout this section, though he does tell Ellie he trusts Tommy "better than I trust myself."

"This is not at all like something we saw from Joel in the game," Mazin noted on the Last of Us podcast. "This is different. This is sadder, I think. It's a little more broken down."

Joel also doesn't have panic attacks in the game as he does in the show.

Ellie briefly ran away at this point in the game

Joel's fight with Ellie near the end of the sixth episode is almost an exact, word-for-word recreation of a famous scene in the game. The only significant tweak is that in the game, Joel tells Ellie that "you are treading on some mighty thin ice here" when she brings up his late daughter. On the Last of Us podcast, Druckmann explained this line was adjusted simply because Joel doesn't quite talk this way in the show.

But there's one other change to the context of this scene. In the game, Ellie takes one of the horses and runs away after learning Joel is planning to leave her with Tommy, so their argument happens after Joel has caught up with her.

Joel's injury was far more severe in the game

Joel is seriously injured after being stabbed at the end of the sixth episode, but this has been significantly toned down from the source material. In the game, Joel falls from a balcony and is impaled in the stomach after landing on a rebar.

This was tweaked for the show largely to make the injury more realistic. "[The injury in the game] does make sense tonally in a world where you are curing yourself of gunshot wounds, for instance," Mazin said on the Last of Us podcast. "But we're dealing with a more grounded approach to the way violence impacts the human body."

The Ellie flashback wasn't part of the original game

Ellie's flashback episode, "Left Behind," wasn't in the first Last of Us game, though it's also not new material. This story is from a standalone piece of downloadable content called The Last of Us: Left Behind released in 2014, the year after the original game debuted. So players didn't find out Ellie's backstory until the entire first game was over, whereas the show folded this back into the main story.

The show gives us more backstory at the military school

The episode "Left Behind" opens with a few scenes showing Ellie's life at the FEDRA military school, including one where she punches a girl, Bethany. These scenes weren't in the game, as the Left Behind DLC's flashback picks up the night Riley returns.

The game has Ellie search for supplies at a mall in the present

The game's version of "Left Behind" cuts back and forth between Ellie's flashback and Ellie in the present trying to find medical supplies for Joel, while the show focuses almost entirely on the flashback. In the game, the present-day storyline also saw Ellie look for supplies in a mall, echoing her flashback, where she fights to survive against both infected and humans. The show moves all the present-day material to a garage and house, never having Ellie go to a mall.

Ellie and Riley didn't encounter a dead body in the game

Before they arrive at the mall in the show, Ellie and Riley encounter the dead body of a man who appears to have overdosed and falls through the floor. Ellie and Riley do walk through a building in the game before arriving at the mall, but this moment with the dead body doesn't happen.

The arcade game didn't work in the game

Riley takes Ellie through the "four wonders" of the mall in the show, which are largely faithful to the game. But one difference comes when they arrive at an arcade. In the game, the arcade machine they try to use doesn't actually work, so Riley has Ellie close her eyes so she can imagine playing it. It was also a fictional arcade game called The Turning, but the show changes it to a real game, Mortal Kombat II, and allows Ellie to play it.

Ellie and Riley didn't dance in Halloween masks in the game

In the game, one of the first places Ellie and Riley go in the mall is a Halloween store, where they wear masks. The show changes the timeline of this so the Halloween store is where their kiss scene takes place later on, and they have the masks on while they're dancing. The game had the dancing and the kiss take place in an electronics store, though the show's adaptation of it is otherwise quite faithful, and the Halloween masks are even identical.

Ellie and Riley were attacked by a swarm of infected in the game, not just one

Ellie and Riley getting bitten happens slightly differently in the show. The episode reveals the presence of an infected person about 15 minutes before the attack, infusing a sense of dread into Ellie and Riley's dance scene, while the game didn't reveal that the infected had been woken up before they suddenly attack. And in the game, a whole horde of infected come after Ellie and Riley, leading to an action sequence where they run for their lives. In the show, it's just a single infected person.

On the Last of Us podcast, Mazin said one reason this change was made was to show that "that's all it takes, is just one."

Ellie killed a rabbit in the game, but not in the show

One small change comes near the start of the episode "When We Are in Need." In the game, this section memorably opens with Ellie killing a rabbit. In the show, Ellie tries hunting a rabbit, but she trips and falls and it gets away — which should delight the streamer who reacted in horror to the rabbit being killed in a 2019 video that spawned a popular meme.

Ellie was also using a bow and arrow, not a rifle, during this part of the game.

Ellie and David faced off against infected together in the game

In the game's version of "When We Are in Need," David gains Ellie's trust partially by fighting alongside her against a swarm of infected. In the show, though, they never encounter any infected.

"In the gameplay, you save each other's lives, and that's how you build trust," Druckmann explained on the official Last of Us podcast. "Here, we have to build trust through a conversation."

The game's action was removed because "the plot implications of a lot of infected running around out there that could just get you any moment" would "permeate throughout the episode" in a way the showrunners wanted to avoid, Mazin added.

The show expands on David's backstory

We learn more about David in the show than we do in the games, with the most crucial additional detail being that he was apparently a math teacher pre-apocalypse, whose students were Ellie's age. That detail wasn't in the game, though it only makes the implication that he's a pedophile more chilling. We also get to see more of how David's cannibalistic cult functions, which we didn't quite get in the game because players are always following either Ellie's or Joel's perspective.

The basement sequence wasn't in the game

The tense sequence where one of David's men comes down into the basement while Joel is still recovering wasn't in the game, in which Joel wakes up and simply leaves the house to go search for Ellie. This scene does, however, tip its hat to the game by having Joel kill the man just like players do when performing a stealth kill. The subsequent scene where Joel violently interrogates another one of David's men is also directly lifted from the game.

Joel pulled Ellie away from David in the game

After Ellie brutally kills David in the show, she goes outside and encounters Joel, who embraces her and calls her "baby girl." This happens a bit differently in the game, where Joel comes in while Ellie is still in the restaurant, which is burning down. He also pulls her off of David while she's hacking away at him, whereas Joel doesn't stop her in the show.

According to the official Last of Us podcast, this was partially a practical change. "We didn't want it to happen with the fire around … there's the danger of the fire that just felt a little different in live action than it did in the game," Druckmann said, while Mazin noted there "was a question of how does Joel get inside if the keys are on David."

But Mazin added the change was also partially due to "wanting our Ellie to have completed" killing David "to the point where she can literally walk away on her own."

Ellie's immunity origin story is new

The season finale, "Look for the Light," begins with a flashback of Ellie's mother, Anna, becoming infected just as she's giving birth, implying this is why Ellie is immune. None of this was in the game, which never provided an explanation of Ellie's immunity, nor did it show players Ellie's mother at all.

The idea, though, came directly from Druckmann, who had at one point planned to tell this backstory in an animated or live-action short that was never made. On the official Last of Us podcast, Mazin recalled being blown away when Druckmann shared this idea with him. "Here's an answer [to why Ellis is immune]," Mazin said. "And what I loved so much about it was that the answer was soaking in sadness."

Anna is played in the show by Ashley Johnson, who portrayed Ellie in the games.

Joel's suicide attempt backstory wasn't in the game

A big new detail in the show comes when Joel reveals he attempted suicide after the death of his daughter, a backstory that wasn't made explicit in the source material. The game does, however, arguably hint at it via a brief line where Joel mentions that suicide isn't "easy."

But this moment in the show was somewhat of a replacement for a similar emotional beat in the game when Ellie gives Joel a picture of his daughter that she took from Tommy's wife, and he gets choked up. On the official Last of Us podcast, Druckmann said the moment with the picture didn't feel "as grounded as how the show is turning out to be," leading to the decision to replace it with a similar "opening up for each other" beat.

A set piece in a flooded tunnel was removed

Before they arrive to the Fireflies, there's a major action sequence in the game where Joel and Ellie fight off infected while progressing through portions of the city that are partially underwater. At one point, they end up in a flooded tunnel, and there's a set piece where Ellie nearly drowns. So the Fireflies confront them, and take Ellie, while Joel is struggling to get her to breathe again. This was all removed for the show.

Joel's final lines of the season are tweaked slightly

From there, the rest of the finale is quite faithful to the game right up to its famous ending scene, which is recreated virtually shot for shot and line for line, though some of the dialogue is slightly tweaked.

As noted on the Last of Us podcast, in the game, Joel tells Ellie, "I struggled for a long time with surviving, and no matter what, you keep finding something to fight for." In the show, Joel is a bit more verbose. "Sometimes things don't work out the way we hoped," he tells her. "You can feel like you've come to an end, and you don't know what to do next. But if you just keep going, you find something new to fight for."

On the Last of Us podcast, Mazin said he wanted to make clear that Joel is "engaging in rhetorical bluster" because he feels caught in his lie. "He's entering this kind of platitude cloud," Mazin noted.

But otherwise, Mazin and Druckmann changed little about the ending, one of the most fervently debated in video game history. "For all the fun we have changing things, there are times where you just don't," Mazin said on the podcast. "Because if you change the end of The Last of Us, you're a f--king idiot."

Trans activists are calling for a boycott of a new Harry Potter game set to be released in February in response to J.K. Rowling’s views on gender ideology.

Hogwarts Legacy is expected to be “one of the blockbuster games of the year” when it goes on sale on 10 February, reported The Times.

But the build-up to its release has sparked calls by some gamers to avoid it, despite Warner Bros Games insisting it is inclusive and the game’s website stating that the Harry Potter author was “not involved in the creation of the game”.

‘Any support is harmful’

YouTuber and journalist Jessie Earl was one of several trans activists to voice opposition, arguing that “any support of something like Hogwarts Legacy is harmful”. Earl’s tweet provoked a response from Rowling, who said such “purethink is incompatible with owning ANYTHING connected with me, in ANY form”.

Rowling has attracted widespread criticism from trans groups since a series of tweets in June 2020 in which she responded to a headline on an online article discussing “people who menstruate”. “I’m sure there used to be a word for those people. Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud?”

Rowling denied she was transphobic and said she stood by her comments, saying: “It isn’t hate to speak the truth.”

She has since been outspoken on the topic, most recently branding Nicola Sturgeon a “destroyer of women’s rights” over the passing of the Scottish government’s Gender Recognition Bill, said The Herald.

The author was also critical of the Scottish first minister over “the jailing in a women’s prison of a trans woman who was convicted of rape”, said The Times. Rowling tweeted: “Deeply amused by those telling me I’ve lost their admiration due to the disrespect I show violent, duplicitous rapists.”

Will Overgard, a US gamer, said that by supporting Hogwarts Legacy “you are essentially aligning yourself with some really heinous transphobic values”. He argued for a complete boycott of the game, which lets players take the role of a student at Hogwarts, in a video that has been viewed two million times.

One leading gaming forum, ResetEra, has banned discussion of Hogwarts Legacy altogether, and accused Rowling of “pushing transphobic legislation”, said the Daily Mail.

‘We know it’s a diverse audience’

When the game’s voiceover cast was announced, Sebastian Croft, a British actor who worked on the LGBT Netflix series Heartstopper, also faced a backlash. “I was cast in this project over three years ago, back when all Harry Potter was to me was the magical world I grew up with,” he said. “This was long before I was aware of JK Rowling’s views. I believe wholeheartedly that trans women are women and trans men are men.”

The game’s director, Alan Tew, has maintained that the game is inclusive, with players able to play as trans wizards and witches. “We know that’s a diverse audience. For us, it’s making sure that the audience, who always dreamed of having this game, had the opportunity to feel welcomed back,” he told IGN.

Warner Bros Games told fans in September 2020 that Rowling “is not directly involved in the creation of the game” – although her team did reportedly collaborate in its making, said The Times.

However, since the premise of Hogwarts Legacy is based on Rowling’s work and intellectual property, “she is sure to receive royalties”, reported Newsweek. “Multiple sources have cited that Rowling earns anywhere between $50 million to a $100 million each year from royalties.”

Despite the uproar, according to Newsweek, forecasters continue to predict that the game will sell well, and pre-release sales seem to confirm this.

Since its invention in 1974, the Rubik's cube has taken the world and its hobbyists by storm. But the brightly-colored block puzzle has also fostered some fierce competition, as global puzzle fanatics put their algorithmic understanding and finger dexterity to the ultimate test. Welcome to the world of speedcubing — here's everything you need to know:

First and foremost — where did the Rubik's Cube come from?

The Rubik's Cube was first invented by Hungarian architecture professor Ernő Rubik to model 3D movement for his students. The original version, called the "magic cube," was made of wood and paper and held together with rubber bands, glue, and paper clips.

Now, the puzzle is one of the most iconic toys in human history, with over 350 million sold as of 2018. Though the cube looks approachable, it's deceptively difficult to solve — there are over 43 quintillion ways of scrambling it. Even Rubik himself took a month to solve the puzzle for the first time, noting that he felt "a great sense of accomplishment and utter relief" once he did.

The solution process is also incredibly algorithmic, to the point where Pulitzer-Prize-winning scientist Douglas Hofstadter has called the cube "one of the most amazing things ever invented for teaching mathematical ideas."

What is speedcubing and how did it start?

Eventually, the Rubik's cube sparked a worldwide phenomenon known as speedcubing, in which individuals compete to solve the cube as fast as possible. The challenge has since moved past the classic 3x3x3 cube and evolved in ways that have pushed the boundaries of what is mathematically and physically possible.

The first official speedcubing world championship took place on June 5, 1982, in Budapest, Hungary, where American Minh Thai won with a solve time of 22.95 seconds. His is regarded as the first official world record relating to the Rubik's Cube.

Shortly after, however, speedcubing in a competitive sense took a hiatus. Even The New York Times deemed the cube a "fad" that had "become passe." But the movement picked up again in the 1990s with the advent of the internet, where online speedcubing groups and games were launched.

The Yahoo! Speedsolving Rubik's Cube Group — where people discussed tactics and compared times — then started in 2000, with speedcubing.com, which unofficially tracked major cubing news and time records, arriving shortly thereafter. In 2004, the World Cube Association (WCA) was formed and competitions were held more regularly.

What is the World Cube Association?

The WCA is the governing body for cubing competitions, which includes those related to the Rubik's Cube as well as other twist-to-solve puzzles. The WCA hosts over 1,000 speedcubing competitions annually and a world championship every two years.

The body standardized competitive speedcubing by releasing rules and regulations, centralizing records and information, and setting up a system for people to host valid competitions for speedcubing. Over 140,000 cubers from 143 countries are officially registered with the WCA.

What do cubing competitions look like?

The first official WCA speedcubing competition was held in Kyoto, Japan, in 2005. But what does a competition look like?

A speedcubing competition can have between one and 18 events and tends to have multiple rounds for each event. Competitors are split into groups and set up with a so-called stackmat timer, which is used to time attempts and keep the cube from sliding once the attempt is complete. All competitors participate in the first round and those who qualify will participate in subsequent rounds.

The scrambled puzzle is kept covered until the start of the run, when the participant has 15 seconds to examine the cube before officially starting their attempt. The cubes are computer scrambled in the exact same way for every competitor so as to standardize the competition.

After inspecting their cube, the competitor then puts it down and places both their hands on the stackmat before getting the signal to begin solving. Scoring can occur in different ways depending on the competition — some competitions take an average of multiple attempts and some take the best time. China's Yusheng Du holds the current world record — 3.47 seconds — for solving a 3x3x3 cube.

Over the years, the competition has greatly expanded to include 4x4x4, 5x5x5, 6x6x6, and 7x7x7 puzzles, as well as categories where contestants solve the cube while blindfolded or with one hand.

More than a cube?

The impact of the cube has been far greater than even the now 78-year-old Rubik could have imagined. He attempted to parse that legacy in his book Cubed, published in 2020. "I don't want to write an autobiography, because I am not interested in my life or sharing my life," Rubik told The New York Times at the time. "The key reason I did it is to try to understand what's happened and why it has happened. What is the real nature of the cube?"

But as he wrote Cubed, "I changed my mind," Rubik remarked. "What really interested me was not the nature of the cube, but the nature of people, the relationship between people and the cube."

Get those controllers charged and PlayStation updates installed. 2023 is shaping up to be a packed year for video games, as the slate includes a hotly anticipated Zelda sequel, new installments in the Harry Potter, Spider-Man, and Star Wars franchises, and more. Here's a look at what gamers have to look forward to in the new year:

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

Ready for Nintendo to once again take your breath away with a new Zelda?

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was a launch title for the Nintendo Switch in 2017, and after drawing praise for its emphasis on open world exploration, it's still considered one of the greatest games of the past decade. Six years later, Nintendo is squeezing another Zelda in before the Switch's life cycle is over with this long-awaited sequel, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (a.k.a. Breath of the Wild 2). It's set for release on May 12.

Breath of the Wild director Hidemaro Fujibayashi returns for the follow-up, which utilizes the same art style as the previous game. But after trailers showed Link falling through the air and teased a series of floating islands, fans were reminded of another Zelda game: 2011's Skyward Sword, which was also directed by Fujibayashi. Could he be combining ideas from these past two Zelda installments into Tears of the Kingdom, giving us the best of both worlds? And could those fans who have long argued "actually, Skyward Sword is great" finally get some vindication?

"In addition to the vast lands of Hyrule, the latest entry in the storied Legend of Zelda series will take you up into the skies and an expanded world that goes beyond that," Nintendo says.

We don't know much about the plot, though fans have already run wild with speculation based on the footage we've seen, theorizing the game could involve traveling back in time 10,000 years and potentially even playing as Ganondorf. Either way, if Tears of the Kingdom is anywhere near as great as the original masterpiece, the titular tears may belong to every other publisher hoping to win Game of the Year 2023.

Hogwarts Legacy

Every kid's fantasy of getting a letter from Hogwarts may never come true in real life, but Hogwarts Legacy is set to offer the next best thing.

This highly anticipated role-playing game set in the Harry Potter universe allows players to take control of a student at Hogwarts. Trailers suggest the school has been faithfully recreated based on what we've seen in the movies, though there's a catch: The game isn't set during the time of the films and books, but in the 1800s. After the Fantastic Beasts movies fizzled out, could this be the Harry Potter prequel we really needed?

"Your character is a student who holds the key to an ancient secret that threatens to tear the wizarding world apart," per the official synopsis. "Now you can take control of the action and be at the center of your own adventure in the wizarding world."

The game promises an open world that players can freely explore featuring a variety of familiar locations, including Hogsmeade and the Forbidden Forest. There will also be plenty of customization options, and you'll reportedly be able to play as a transgender character, too. Take that, J.K. Rowling.

Hogwarts Legacy's release date will depend on your console of choice, as it heads to Windows, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and S in February; PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in April; and Nintendo Switch in July.

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor

It's hard out here for a Jedi in a post-Order 66 world.

The best Star Wars game we've gotten in the Disney era — and maybe even ever — was 2019's Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, a story-driven adventure following Jedi Padawan Cal Kestis as he struggles to survive in the aftermath Emperor Palpatine's order to execute all of the Jedi. Electronic Arts is now following the game up with this direct sequel, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor.

The game takes place five years after the events of Fallen Order. "The Dark Times are closing in — with enemies new and familiar surrounding him, Cal will need to decide how far he's willing to go to save those closest to him," the official plot synopsis says.

Other details about the story haven't been revealed, though one of the antagonists is apparently an Imperial Senator. The trailer also teased Cal coming across a character in a bacta tank, who fans have speculated could be a Jedi from the High Republic — the era in Star Wars history before even the prequels — who was potentially left there for hundreds of years. Just wait until someone catches him up on the latest regarding the taxation of trade routes. The game launches on March 17.

Marvel's Spider-Man 2

Spider-Man fans who don't play video games are seriously missing out.

The 2018 Spider-Man game didn't just make swinging through New York City an exhilarating experience; it also included one of the better Spider-Man stories we've seen in any medium in recent years. Developer Insomniac Games released a spinoff, ​​Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales, in 2020, but we're now getting a proper sequel to the original with Marvel's Spider-Man 2.

We don't know a lot about the plot of the game yet. But we do know Miles Morales will be back alongside Peter Parker, and according to the initial reveal trailer, they'll have to face down Venom, voiced by Tony Todd — and possibly resist the urge for a Spider-Man 3-style dance number.

Unlike the last two games, though, this one will be exclusive to PlayStation 5 and won't get a PS4 release, so fingers crossed it's slightly less impossible to find a PS5 by the time the game launches in the fall.

Starfield

The makers of Skyrim and Fallout are headed to infinity and beyond.

Starfield is the latest role-playing game from Bethesda, the publisher behind the Elder Scrolls and Fallout franchises. Set in the year 2330, players join "Constellation, the last group of space explorers seeking rare artifacts throughout the galaxy," per Bethesda. In other words, "It's like Skyrim in space," Bethesda Executive Producer Todd Howard told The Washington Post, and the outlet noted this will be the developer's first new IP in 25 years.

During a gameplay reveal, Howard also promised this is Bethesda's "most ambitious game ever," featuring its "most flexible" character creation customization options yet and the ability to build your own spaceship.

"For me, 'Starfield' is the Han Solo simulator," Bethesda Managing Director Ashley Cheng also told the Post. "Get in a ship, explore the galaxy, do fun stuff." Hopefully, Bethesda is leaving out the "get murdered by your son" part of the Han Solo experience.

PlayStation users without a gaming PC will be out of luck with this one, though, as Starfield will be exclusive to Microsoft Windows and Xbox.

Pikmin 4

Fans of cute little guys, we've got great news: A new Pikmin is coming.

The Nintendo strategy game franchise, which sees players direct a legion of "Pikmin" creatures, hasn't had an installment made for the Switch yet, as its most recent main entry was Pikmin 3 on the Wii U. But after a decade-long wait, a fourth entry is finally debuting sometime in 2023.

A first look was shown during a 2022 Nintendo Direct presentation, and it revealed … virtually nothing. But Nintendo game director Shigeru Miyamoto did tease that you'll be able to play "from the Pikmin's perspective near the ground" this time. "Nintendo Switch has made controlling the game simpler, meaning you can further concentrate on the core essence of Pikmin gameplay," he added.

Hopefully it's worth the long wait for Pikman fans, who were anxiously anticipating updates ever since 2015 when Miyamoto claimed the game was "very close to completion." Clearly, he graduated from the George R.R. Martin school of meeting deadlines.

Street Fighter 6

Prepare yourself for flashbacks to digging through your pockets for quarters and taking down your best friend with a masterfully timed Hadouken, as the Street Fighter franchise has a new entry slated for 2023.

Street Fighter 6 will be the fighting series' first main installment since 2016. Notably, though, this entry actually features an open-world single-player story mode, which is fairly unique for a fighting game. There's also a new mechanic called the Drive System, which players utilize to "perform five different techniques that can easily enhance your offense or defense," per Capcom.

A closed beta was held ahead of the game's launch, and IGN gave it a rave review. "Street Fighter 6's closed beta was the best fighting game beta I've ever played," wrote IGN's Mitchell Saltzman, describing the game as "hard-hitting, fast-paced," and "powered by the excellent Drive system that opens up a whole world of new tools and options for every character."

Street Fighter 6 is being released on a variety of platforms including Xbox Series X and S, and there will be both a PlayStation 4 and 5 version. It launches on June 2, at which point the age-old "Street Fighter vs. Mortal Kombat" debate can pick back up.

Resident Evil 4 Remake

The video game industry is in a similar position as the film industry was in the 2000s: Remakes are all the rage.

But 2023 will see the release of an especially highly anticipated remake of arguably one of the greatest games of all time: 2005's Resident Evil 4. Widely considered the best entry in the Resident Evil series, the original survivor horror game sees the player try to rescue the president's daughter after a cult kidnaps her.

The remake, set for March 24, looks like it will be fairly faithful to the original with spiffy new graphics to give it a modern look. But Capcom has said that while this remake "preserves the essence of the original game," it will also be "introducing modernized gameplay" and a "reimagined storyline," in addition to the "vividly detailed graphics."

We already know about some minor changes, including the fact that while the original game featured a moment where you can help a dog stuck in a bear trap, the remake appears to have tweaked this so the dog is dead already when you find it. #JusticeForTheBearTrapDog!

Hollow Knight: Silksong

If you find getting hopelessly lost frustrating, the original Hollow Knight may not have been the game for you.

But otherwise, the Metroidvania from 2017, which has players explore an underground kingdom, is considered a modern 2D classic, and 2023 will see it get a follow-up, Hollow Knight: Silksong. According to developer Team Cherry, the "very large" sequel will include over 160 new enemies, and it will "evoke the feeling of exploring a vast, surprising new world; one that matches (or exceeds) the scale and diversity of" the original.

"As Hornet, princess-protector of Hallownest, adventure through a whole new kingdom haunted by silk and song," Team Cherry also said of the plot. "Captured and brought to an unfamiliar land, Hornet must battle foes and solve mysteries as she ascends on a deadly pilgrimage to the kingdom's peak."

The game was originally intended to be downloadable content for the original, but it grew too large for that during the development. It will hit pretty much every platform imaginable, including PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch, sometime before June 2023.

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League

It's simple … we kill the Justice League.

Rocksteady Studios has released a string of acclaimed Batman games like Batman: Arkham Asylum, but this time, they're turning focus to the Suicide Squad instead. Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is a new action-adventure game that's part of the Batman: Arkham series, but the plot revolves around the Suicide Squad, who are sent by Amanda Waller to take down the Justice League because they've been brainwashed by Brainiac.

Though it's a narrative game, Rocksteady has teased it's set in an "expansive open-world" in Metropolis. You can switch between Captain Boomerang, Deadshot, Harley Quinn, and King Shark while playing by yourself, or you can play co-op with friends who each control a different Suicide Squad member.

Superman, Batman, Flash, Green Lantern, and Wonder Woman will all also be featured in the game, which launches on May 26. We look forward to the thrilling conclusion where the player must defeat final boss David Zaslav to prevent him from erasing the Suicide Squad from history for a tax write-off.

Epic Games Inc., the video game developer behind Fortnite, has agreed to pay $520 million to settle allegations from the Federal Trade Commission that it violated online privacy laws for children and purposely misled customers into making unintended purchases, The Wall Street Journal reports.

The agreement covered two separate civil complaints the FTC had filed against Epic. The first complaint alleged that the company violated the federal Children's Online Privacy Protection Act by collecting personal information from Fortnite players under 13 without obtaining parental consent. The lawsuit also claimed that the game illegally defaulted to enabling voice and text chat communication features for minor players. The FTC said Epic put children at risk by exposing them to strangers, leading some kids to be "bullied, threatened, harassed, and exposed to dangerous and psychologically traumatizing issues such as suicide." Epic will be charged a $275 million fine for the alleged COPPA violations, the largest civil penalty linked to the privacy law, per the FTC.

The second complaint, filed in administrative court, alleged that the company engaged in "dark patterns," or tactics that trick players into paying for goods and make it difficult to cancel the transaction. The FTC said Epic used a variety of tricks to drive unintended purchases in Fortnite, including inconsistent and confusing button configurations. "These tactics led to hundreds of millions of dollars in unauthorized charges for consumers," the FTC said in the complaint. Epic agreed to refund $245 million to customers to resolve this complaint.

"No developer creates a game with the intention of ending up here," Epic said. "We accepted this agreement because we want Epic to be at the forefront of consumer protection and provide the best experience for our players."

Let the games begin! On Monday, Netflix announced its intention to add a gaming studio to its current "production and streaming powerhouse," CNN Business reports.

Amir Rahimi, the Netflix VP of Game Studios, revealed that the new studio will be "built from scratch" in Helsinki, Finland, and Marko Lastikka — formerly an executive at Zynga and Electronic Arts — will be the studio director. Rahimi explained that Helinski is also home to Next Games, which was acquired by the streamer earlier in the year as part of its ongoing push into gaming.

Netflix's product manager of mobile games, Sophia Yang, further said in a statement that the company will "continue to expand [its] mobile games catalog to span many genres and categories." Netflix is also working to "create game handles for a more personalized gameplay experience."

Tom Forte, a senior research analyst at D.A. Davidson, told CNN that Netflix is "a long-term thinker," noting that "their pivots [from] DVDs to streaming" are an example of how "they think long-term and they act long-term."

Netflix saw a big decline in subscriptions during the spring and summer months of 2022, losing "almost a million subscribers," BBC News reports. Making inroads into gaming will give Netflix an opportunity to build revenue off its preexisting franchises that are already popular, such as the series Stranger Things, CNN adds.

A US teenager’s shock victory against the world champion has sparked extraordinary speculation in the world of chess.

Allegations have emerged of cheating, “including wild speculation involving vibrating anal beads”, which have “rocked chess to its core”, said The Guardian.

Musk and Mourinho memes

Two weeks ago the world champion, Magnus Carlsen, pulled out of the $500,000 (£433,000) Sinquefield Cup tournament in St Louis, Missouri, and then, on Monday he resigned from a game after just one move. The opponent on both occasions was the 19-year-old American Hans Niemann.

After the St Louis event, Niemann, the lowest-rated grandmaster in the tournament, was less than gracious about his victory. “It must be embarrassing for the world champion to lose to me,” said the teenager. “I feel bad for him.”

Carlsen, 31, from Norway, then posted a cryptic tweet that included a video clip of football coach José Mourinho saying: “If I speak, I am in big trouble.” People interpreted this as a hint that Carlsen believed his opponent had cheated.

There was “frenzied speculation”, said The Guardian, with one theory, popularised by Elon Musk, suggesting that Niemann had “used vibrating anal beads to help him”.

Vibrating anal beads?

Yes, the suggestion is that Niemann was using wireless vibrating anal beads to read signals from a computer chess engine about what moves he should make, wrote Thomas Mitchell for The Sydney Morning Herald.

“Talent hits a target no one else can hit,” wrote Musk, the billionaire CEO of Tesla, in a since-deleted tweet, “Genius hits a target no one can see (cause it’s in ur butt).”

Although there is no evidence that Niemann had done this, he has admitted to using a computer chess engine to cheat at online chess in the past (when he was 12 and 16).

But he insists that is in the past and denies ever breaking the rules at a live tournament. “If they want me to strip fully naked, I will do it. I don’t care. Because I know I am clean,” he said.

The saga has caused shock, not least because Carlsen’s own organisation is hosting the tournament he withdrew from. “Carlsen effectively invited his apparent nemesis to his virtual home and then walked out the back,” said Kotaku.

The saga has “set off waves across the chess world”, said Forbes, while CNN said the tension between the pair “rocked the chess community”.

England’s leading woman player, Jovanka Houska, accused Carlsen of “pouring more fuel on the fire” of the controversy with his latest withdrawal, said the FT. The paper said this week’s “bizarre happening” is “almost without precedent in international chess”.

The story is so exciting for the media it is “as if a rogue editor has dropped a bunch of random, enticing words into a headline generator and waited to see what it would spit out”, wrote Mitchell.

For the past two years, my daughter has been a barbarian.

Friendly, thoughtful, and kind in real life, her player character in our family's Dungeons & Dragons campaign, Navarra Dune, is reserved, tough, and itching for a fight. When her party of adventurers is surrounded by blood-thirsty ghouls or under attack by marauding orcs, Navarra is the first to run into danger, her enchanted mace swinging wildly. Throughout her fifth and sixth grade years, my daughter has collected in-game kills with a zeal normally reserved for Harry Potter memorabilia. Truly, it's a sight to behold.

I grew up in the aftermath of the satanic panic of the 1980s when the fantasy role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) was wrongly blamed for tragedies involving troubled young people. My personal exposure to the game came from a friend's older brother: a brooding, Metallica-loving teenager with long hair who dressed in all-black and accessorized with chains and combat boots. My husband, Ronnie, and I had become Christians as teenagers during a time when D&D was still decidedly verboten. Reading J.R.R. Tolkien was fine; playing a game inspired by his epic stories was not.

So when my pre-teen son brought home a D&D Player's Handbook in 2019, I was hesitant. But while I fretted about the potential risks of fantasy violence and the occult, Ronnie, a gregarious, sports-loving former jock, jumped in with both feet. He was eager to connect with his nerdy and bookish oldest child. With no background in fantasy whatsoever, Ronnie immersed himself in the role-playing world. They bonded over character creation, homebrew rules, and the minutiae of fantasy lore. They even started a campaign with a group of church friends. I was happy for them but watched it all from the outside.

Then, when the pandemic hit in early 2020, we struggled as did many households to find ways to cope. We continued to eat dinner together every night and share our daily "highs" and "lows." We implemented morning and evening prayer to keep us spiritually grounded. We started reading novels together every night before bed. And all of that helped. But the year our children spent in e-learning was remarkably difficult. Motivation was low, and joy seemed nonexistent. We knew we needed something more — something fun and, preferably, cooperative. "Why not play D&D together?" our son asked one night.

Since then, Ronnie, our friend Brandon, our two oldest children, and I have played D&D every Saturday. I am the Dungeon Master, or DM, which means I serve as rule-keeper and lead storyteller as they play fictional characters in a fantasy world. Though I provide a central plot with planned challenges, the full story — all relationships and actions — are improvised at the table with dice rolls to determine success or failure. Together we've crafted a tale of unlikely friends traveling the Sword Coast of Faerûn. Our adventurers have rescued kidnapped children, slain a dragon, restored an abandoned mansion, and defeated fire giants. (Thus far our youngest has been too restless to join in regular play, but she's currently considering a cameo as a human fighter.)

Yes, it's been a fun distraction from the international upheaval, but it's also been so much more. We've navigated differences in personality and strategy, both among the real-life players and their in-game characters. Working together despite these differences has meant learning to communicate well and set boundaries — and then figure out what to do when such attempts fail.

I've watched my kids, 13 and 12 years, learn to see each other as teammates instead of rivals. As they play and interact with characters very different from themselves, they've practiced seeing things from another's point of view, growing in kindness and generosity. They're brother and sister, so they still have their spats. But every week they come back to the table and re-enlist in a common cause.

I've seen us as parents learn to give our children the freedom to play with integrity, too, to take risks and make mistakes. It's easy to forget our children are their own people, but watching them play a character every week has kept that reality always before us. When a critical moment arises, we're tempted to engage in parental "metagaming," a role-playing cheat that involves giving outside information or advice to help things come out "right." But learning to let go in-game has helped us learn to let go outside the game, trusting in our children's maturing sense of self to guide them.

Just a few weeks ago, my daughter's beloved barbarian character was killed unexpectedly following a lengthy battle. Though depleted in health, headstrong Navarra wanted to pursue an enemy in retreat. I knew this was a bad idea, and my husband knew it was a bad idea, but we let her play as she chose. Despite her best efforts, the brutal armor-clad Orog brought her down with a single blow from his great axe. After four rolls of the dice, one "save" and three "fails," Navarra was dead. It was a surprisingly emotional moment as the characters gathered around her, both in-game and in real life, to mourn the loss. A few of us wept openly around the table.

It took a few days to come to grips with Navarra's death. At first, the party considered the different ways they might seek a resurrection. There are spells in D&D that can accomplish such a feat, but they are costly, rare, and would take a long time. Eventually, my daughter decided that she'd rather accept Navarra's death and start anew. With her brother's help, she brainstormed another barbarian and imagined how she might enter the story we've crafted so far. We plan to introduce her to the party next week.

I know that for American families the past two years have contained a decade's worth of stress and upheaval. We've endured a pandemic, a national reckoning on race, a contested election, an attempted insurrection, and a recession, all accompanied by a drastic decline in mental health nationwide, especially among youth. Many families have rallied through these pressures, and many have fractured and collapsed.

As I look at our own experience, I can see that alongside God's grace, favorable circumstances, and sheer dumb luck, our life together has been sustained at our kitchen table. There we've gathered to eat, pray, worship, and, yes, play Dungeons & Dragons. I never thought we'd become a "D&D family," but now I can't imagine our life without it. Our family's cooperative storytelling has transformed our relationships for the better (no small victory for a household with three adolescents). And I know we aren't the only ones.

I don't know where our family D&D campaign will conclude or what the future will be for this pandemic, let alone for our country. But I know that in-game and in real life, we have many more stories to tell.

Some say "spire." Others "nears" or "death." This reporter's wife came up with the particularly clever method of testing out four of the five vowels at once with "adieu."

But there is no need for further speculation or debate. The ideal starting word in Wordle has been revealed, NME reported Saturday.

Wordle is a daily online word game in which players have six tries to guess a five-letter word. The answer is the same for all players.

And now, without further ado (not "adieu") the perfect starting word is — "crane."

The ideal word was determined by WordleBot, a new tool created by The New York Times, which bought Wordle in January. According to the Daily Mail, the bot "will pick apart your Wordle strategy and offer you patronizing advice about what you should have done differently."

"WordleBot solves the 2,309 possible Wordles using the fewest number of guesses when it starts with 'Crane' in normal mode and 'Dealt' in hard mode," a version of Wordle where "any revealed hints must be used in subsequent guesses," the Times explains.

Per NME, WordleBot also identified other solid starters, including "crate," "slate," "slant," "trace," "carte," "least," and "trice."

It's more than three years since Wordle, the online word-guessing game, took the internet by storm.

It began as a "humble independent game" played only by its creator, Brooklyn-based software developer Josh Wardle, and his family and friends, said digital news site Chron. But its popularity exploded, from fewer than 100 players in its early days in October 2021 to around 300,000 each day by the following January.

Wardle had designed the puzzle for his partner Palak Shah, "who was absorbed by word games like the New York Times Spelling Bee and Crossword", said tech website The Street. At first, it was a "guessing game for just the two of them", said the New York Times, with its name a pun on its inventor's surname – although an earlier version was "Mr. Bugs’ Wordy Nugz", reported The Verge. 

It was after he shared the game on the family WhatsApp group, where it became an "obsession", that he put it on the internet, where it achieved a "meteoric rise", added the NYT, which bought the game in January 2022, for a sum “in the low seven figures” as part of its gaming division. 

It's been a daily fixture in the newspaper ever since, with "Wordle" becoming the most googled word of 2022 and even helping rescue a pensioner held hostage in their basement. It's also turned into a money-spinner for the NYT, helping "funnel players" to a paid subscription to either the paper's other games or news site, reported CNN. 

But if you've tired of the original, some alternatives have sprung up, including the new New York Times word-search-based option. And should you get bored of any of these, try The Week's very own Quiz of The Week, crossword, codeword and sudoku.

WordGuessr

This is Wordle for people who "don't want to wait 24 hours before getting a new puzzle", said The Gamer. As well as being able to play as many games as you want, WordGuessr lets you customise how many letters you want to be in the word – you may be surprised by how difficult it becomes when you have a six-letter word to discover. 

Play WordGuessr

Pinpoint

LinkedIn's word association game is perfect "for those who like Connections in the New York Times app. It's a slower version of that", said Tom's Guide. Five clues are revealed one by one as you attempt to guess the category with as few hints as possible.

Play Pinpoint

Quartiles

Conquering this "tough" game is "as satisfying as remembering something that was just on the tip of your tongue", said CNET. In the new Apple News game, users are challenged to form words from tiles containing two to four letters, collecting points based on the length of the word. If you can fit together four tiles, you make a Quartile, the longest word possible.

Download Quartiles

Strands

The latest New York Times game, Strands, was released in beta form in March 2024. It's "a well-designed and unique puzzle that takes the familiarity of a word search and adds a thematic layer", said The Gamer. Words are hidden in a six-by-eight grid, but unlike a typical word search, they're not vertical, horizontal or diagonal. Instead, they're "in twisty-turny sequences that snake around and double back on themselves". This makes finding the words harder, so each puzzle has a theme, a "clue that connects all of the hidden words", and a "spangram", a word that spans across the entire puzzle from left to right or top to bottom that reveals what the entire puzzle is about".

Play Strands

Dordle

A "devious word game that doesn't let you off easy", Dordle challenges players to guess two five-letter words at once, "but you can only input one word guess at a time", said CNET. "Confused? Play it and you'll get it." And unlike Wordle, you can play new puzzles on the same day, so newbies can take multiple turns to get the hang of things. While Wordle is more of "a calm, breezy experience", the reviews site continued, Dordle "should give you some exciting moments. Or anxious moments. Or both." It's a "different beast", with "a bit of an attitude". But "that's what makes it fun and challenging".

Play Dordle

Quordle

Want even more of a challenge? Quordle presents players with four Wordle-style puzzles to solve. So while the principle is "the same", you have to guess "four five-letter words at the same time", said The Independent . You get nine attempts, "with each guess appearing in all four fields", and you can take a practice turn too. According to Quordle creator Freddie Meyer, his game has attracted more than 500,000 players daily, but he has insisted there are no plans to monetise the puzzle.

Play Quordle

Octordle and Sedecordle

Each of these word games "requires you to simultaneously solve a different number of words at once", said CNET . Octordle is eight at once, and Sedecordle a "whopping" 16.

Play Octordle

Play Sedecordle

Byrdle

While Heardle is perfect for pop lovers, Byrdle is designed for the classical crowd. Named after Renaissance composer William Byrd, the game follows the same principle and allows the same number of goes as Wordle, but the words are related to choral music. According to the game site, Byrdle gained 50,000 players within three weeks of launching. "Much like a delightfully dissonant English cadence, we're lost for words," said Classic FM.

Play Byrdle

Hello Wordl

As with Wordle, you get six tries to guess a word, using the familiar coloured blocks to track your progress. You can "play as many games as you want", said CNET, and you can also "change the number of letters in the word you're guessing" to between four and 11. But "no matter how long the word is, you still only get six guesses".

Play Hello Wordl

Waffle

All the words are in the crossword-like grid; "your job is to unjumble them" by swapping letters, said AARP, formerly the American Association of Retired Persons. to guess the correct words. Like Wordle, the puzzle uses green to denote a letter in the correct spot, and yellow for those that appear, but in the wrong place. You can make 15 swaps to "guess the six words on the board".

Play Waffle

Crosswordle

You have to "guess two words, which cross each other, in as few tries as possible", said the Independent. There's one puzzle each day, but no limits on the number of guesses. And you "can guess as many times as you want – until you either win or give up". You can also create your own Crosswordle puzzle to share with friends, which is "something none of the other Wordle alternatives offer", said Pocket-lint.

Play Crosswordle

Absurdle

Described by The Guardian as a "much more confrontational, brain-burning" version of Wordle, Absurdle also revolves around trying to guess a five-letter word but "sharpens the original premise into a horrific machiavellian scheme". The key difference is that "the target word changes as you play", said Tom’s Guide. "Essentially, you're competing against a malevolent AI which uses your guesses to narrow down the possible answers, discounting anything that contains a letter you've used." And "the more guesses you make, the smaller the answer list gets", The Guardian explained, until "there is only one word in the dictionary that fits the algorithm that you and the game have created". "Voila, you've beaten Absurdle at its own game" – but in how many goes?

Play Absurdle

Sweardle

Billed as "the sweary" guessing game, Sweardle was invented as a "joke parody of Wordle", swapping five-letter words for four-letter expletives, with approximately 50 swear words used in rotation. You get only four chances, so "don't f*** it up", warns the site. A message on the game site explains that its creator "wishes to remain anonymous because this really isn't the sort of thing you want to have come up in a future job background check".

Play Sweardle

Semantle

Unlike Wordle, the game isn't about spelling, but about the semantics or the word's meaning. Semantle challenges players to guess the word or short phrase of the day by guessing words that get "closer and closer to the right word's meaning", said the London Standard.

Play Semantle

SpellTower

Like Boggle mixed up with Tetris: players make words out of adjacent letter tiles to clear the play space. It tests vocabulary as well as spatial planning skills, with words used as tactical objects. "If the idea of making words under pressure lights a fire in your soul," said The Escapist, "then you're in luck. Effectively a mixture between a word search puzzle and Tetris, SpellTower prompts players to make as many words as possible while a rising stack of letters continues to grow.

Play SpellTower

Lewdle

Are you a fan of Wordle and an aficionado of vulgar vocabulary? Then Lewdle is an appropriately inappropriate option for you. "It gets explicit, wild, suggestive, and torrid at every turn, making it a big no-no in family-friendly or professional settings," said Nerds Chalk , which describes the game as a "grossly inappropriate and oddly engrossing Wordle variant". As a bonus, you can even suggest words to the team behind the game.

Free on iOS and Android. Play Lewdle

Antiwordle

"While Wordle wants you to guess a word in as few tries as possible, Antiwordle wants you to avoid the word by guessing as many times as possible," said CNET. With each guess, letters turn grey, yellow or red. Grey means it isn't in the word and can't be used again, yellow means it is in the word and "must be included in each subsequent guess" and red means the letter is in the correct position and "locked in place". Use every letter on the keyboard without finding the correct word, and you win. And you might find this "much harder than the original".

Play Antiwordle

A simple online word game that had just 90 players in November has been acquired by The New York Times (NYT) in a seven-figure deal.

Wordle, a guessing game where players have six attempts to decipher a five-letter word, is the brainchild of Josh Wardle, a former Reddit software engineer based in Brooklyn.

The game was initially popular in his family’s WhatsApp group, but has grown massively over the last couple of months, attracting millions of daily players around the world.

The NYT said its purchase of Wordle “reflects the growing importance of games, like crosswords and Spelling Bee” and is part of the company’s quest to increase digital subscriptions to ten million by 2025.

“New York Times Games play a big part in [Wordle’s] origins, and so this step feels very natural to me,” said Wardle in a statement posted on Twitter.

Wordle was acquired for a price “in the low seven figures” and the game will eventually move over to the NYT website.

The company said that Wordle would “initially remain free to new and existing players”, sparking concerns among loyal fans that the game may go behind the NYT’s paywall in the future.

“The NYT took one nice and simple thing that a lot of people really liked, a dumb bit of fun in our exhaustingly dark times, and implied that they’ll stick it behind a paywall. Exhausting,” wrote one Twitter user.

How to play

Wordle players have six goes to work out a five-letter word. When they guess a correct letter in the correct spot in the word, the letter goes green. A correct letter in an incorrect spot turns orange, while an incorrect letter becomes grey.

The game can be played just once a day and participants are shown a countdown to the next Wordle, which refreshes at midnight, once their turn is complete.

Players are able to share their results on social media via a coloured grid as opposed to the actual words, making it spoiler-free.

Wardle created the game for his partner, Palak Shah, after the pair started regularly attempting the New York Times Spelling Bee (a word game where participants see how many words they can make out of seven letters) and the daily crossword.

‘Low frills’

The limit of one game per day was partially inspired by the Spelling Bee, Wardle told the NYT in an interview published on 3 January. It “leaves people wanting more”, he explained.

There are around 2,500 Wordle words, which Wardle thinks should last for a few years. The selection was narrowed down by Shah, who sorted through 12,000 five-letter words, marking whether they were familiar to her or not.

The game has been described as “low-frills” due to its lack of ads, pop-ups and flashing banners. “It’s something that encourages you to spend three minutes a day,” said Wardle in his NYT interview. “And that’s it. Like, it doesn’t want any more of your time than that.”

Wordle can currently be played at powerlanguage.co.uk.

1. FR Skates FR1 80 Inline Skates

Especially good for city skaters tackling uneven surfaces, the wheels of these compact skates offer a great “bounce”. Best for those with some experience, they are highly precise.

£250; slickwillies.co.uk

2. Roces PIC TIF Inline Skates

For fast skating as exercise, these unisex skates from the Italian brand Roces are a reliable option, with a light aluminium frame and multiple supportive ankle straps.

£170; skatepro.uk

3. Rio Roller Rose Quad Roller Skates

While Rio’s quad skates come in plenty of colours, these cream ones, with a nicely cushioned heel, are perfect for a classier, neutral look.

£100; skatehut.co.uk

4. Play 5 Kids’ Skates

If you’re looking for inline skates for children, these from Decathlon are both affordable and clever. They are adjustable to three sizes, so will continue to fit your child as they grow, and come in three colours.

£30; decathlon.co.uk

5. Impala Roller Skates

Impala’s retro-inspired skates come in a huge array of designs, including leopard print and a psychedelic pastel fade. They offer good ankle support and are made of PVC, so are vegan-friendly.

From £95; skatehut.co.uk

1. Kids Wooden Guard Skittles

Easily usable inside or out, these skittles are made from sustainably sourced wood, and shaped and painted to look like the Queen’s Guards. The set contains ten skittles and two balls, all of which pack away in a Cath Kidston carry case.

£20; cathkidston.com

2. Professor Puzzle Giant Toppling Tower Game Garden Set

A twist on the traditional Jenga set, this game has a die which tells you what colour of block you have to remove. Although it’s “giant”, it’s not that big.

£28; whsmith.co.uk

3. Softarchery Archery Set 100

Simple but addictive, this children’s archery set is easy to set up and is great for competitive games or solo practice. It’s very portable – the target folds up and it has a carry handle.

£40; decathlon.co.uk

4. Classic Swingball All Surface

A great way to burn energy after months stuck inside, Swingball is a stationary racquet ball game. The base fills with water to keep it steady, making it portable when emptied.

£30; argos.co.uk

5. Sunnylife Beach Bats Unicorn

Games with beach bats are just as fun to play in a garden as on a seaside holiday. This sturdy pair, from the Australian brand Sunnylife, have soft foam handles, and come in several brightly coloured designs.

From £18; uk.sunnylife.com

6. Professor Puzzle Sports Day Kit Garden Game Set

This kit is full of sports day classics: bean bags, rubber eggs and wooden spoons, relay batons, and three-legged race bands, as well as a booklet of 50 games to play.

£4.40; whsmith.co.uk

7. Big Game Hunters Jumbo 4 Connect

Measuring 75cm tall, this jumbo set of the classic game is a great way to get children outside. It is easy to fit together, and its wooden frame packs down flat making it easy to store.

£90; biggamehunters.co.uk

8. Throw Throw Burrito: Extreme Outdoor Edition

Silly and original in equal measure, this game is described by its makers as “the world’s first dodgeball card game”. It involves collecting cards, and throwing inflatable burritos at your opponents.

£27.49; board-game.co.uk

Switch off the TV, put down the tablet and log off the gaming console. If it’s family fun you’re seeking then there’s nothing better than gathering round to play a board game.

The Week picks out nine of the best family board games to keep the kids - and adults - entertained.

1. Ginger Fox Dough Nab

Players in this bakery-themed game (packed like a box of doughnuts, with a winner’s baker hat) have to keep an eye on the cards and race to grab the corresponding doughnut when they spot a match.

£18; amazon.co.uk

2. Einstein Eats Eggs

A fast-paced game a bit like charades, this involves teams guessing as many alliterative phrases as possible in a 90-second round. There are 1,200 three-word phrases to get through.

£20; amazon.co.uk

3. Ravensburger kNOW! quiz game

Powered by Google Assistant, this board offers several games you can play on- or offline, which are based on challenges involving intuition, knowledge and creativity.

£12; argos.co.uk

4. Sequence

A “classic strategy game”, Sequence involves players playing a card from their hand and then putting a chip on the corresponding space on the board. The aim is to try to get five in a row.

£20; argos.co.uk

5. Bank Attack Electronic Game

This is a collaborative game in which you work together as criminals to crack the vault before the alarm goes off. It comes with an electronic safe, a little drill and explosives.

£20; thetoyshop.com

6. Counting Mountain Game

This 3D game for ages 4-8 is designed to help children learn maths. They scale the mountain by solving problems, or get sent down with a yeti card.

£10.50; orchardtoys.com

7. Waddington’s Number 1 Harry Potter Lex-Go! Word Game

In this fast-paced word game, you race to get rid of your tiles by creating words, swapping letters and attacking other players’ words. It has extra Harry Potter spell tiles, and if you can spell “Snitch” you win the round.

£15; amazon.co.uk

8. Dixit

In Dixit, one player comes up with a sentence – like a saying, or a song title – and the others guess which of the vividly illustrated cards inspired it.

£30; waterstones.com

9. Exploding Kittens

Billed as a game for “people who are into kittens, explosions, laser beams and sometimes goats”, this is a fun card game inspired by Russian roulette.

£18; argos.co.uk

US video games giant Electronic Arts (EA) is in pole position to acquire Codemasters in a proposed buyout that has been agreed by the boards of both companies.

Formula 1 game maker Codemasters had been set to sell to New York City-based Take-Two Interactive Software, which made a £725m bid for the British firm in November. But Fifa publisher EA has “gatecrashed” the takeover with a last-minute bid of $1.2bn (£945m), Sky News reports.

Codemasters develops a range of racing games including the F1 franchise, DiRT, DiRT Rally, Grid and Project Cars. The takeover would see these titles join Need for Speed, Burnout, and Real Racing in EA’s portfolio.

And while that combined line-up does not represent a total monopoly on racing games, it’s “as close as you’re likely to find for any major genre in gaming”, says ARS Technica.

‘Superior offer’

The Codemasters board has withdrawn its recommendation to accept Take-Two’s lower offer in order to “unanimously recommend” taking the bid from EA, Sky News reports. The proposed deal would see Codemasters shareholders receive 604p per share - a premium of 13.1% to the last closing price of the company’s shares.

The takeover is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2021.

In a statement confirming the offer, Codemasters said: “The EA offer price of 604 pence per share in cash represents an aggregate value of £945m for Codemasters’ issued and to be issued share capital.

“In evaluating the EA offer, the Codemasters board has considered various aspects of the EA offer and considers the EA offer to represent a superior offer for Codemasters’ shareholders as compared with the Take-Two offer.”

Boom time

With people worldwide stuck at home as a result of Covid outbreaks, the video game sector has been “one of the largest winners of the pandemic” as the industry’s sales “boom”, says gamesindustry.biz.

Thanks to new titles and the strength of its back catalogue, Codemasters saw its first-half revenues double in 2020, and the group’s year-on-year sales increased to £80.5m in the six months to the end of September.

F1 2020 was “especially well-liked” by gamers, reaching the No.1 spot in the UK physical games charts in July, in the “best opening week in three years” for the series, This is Money reports.

Staying in has become the new going out by necessity this year, leaving millions of people looking for ways to stay entertained at home.

Coronavirus lockdowns have triggered huge increases in book sales and time spent watching TV and streaming services, along with a surge of interest in activities such as gardening or baking. And families have been making the most of their time together to enjoy some at-home play too.

The first week of the lockdown that started back in March saw sales of board games and jigsaw puzzles soaring by 240%, as The Guardian reported at the time. According to research published by research company NPD Group, Monopoly Classic was the best-selling game, with other titles in the top ten including Cluedo and Scrabble.

Quality time

The surge in demand for board games has been fuelled by three factors, says Claire McCool, owner of British game manufacturer Drumond Park and creator of family favourite Articulate!. “Firstly, families have spent longer together over the past few months than they have in a very long time,” she explains. “We were designing games all through lockdown and actually test-playing them on our kids.”

Second, board games have offered a means of escape from the constant “bad news” reel during the global pandemic, becoming a staple form of entertainment for both young families and for parents of older children who have returned to the nest.

“There were definitely different levels of anxiety going around and what better way to lighten the atmosphere than with playing a light-hearted good-fun game,” McCool said.

Ironically, new technologies have also boosted the popularity of traditional board games. At a time when many people are feeling so disconnected, digital communication channels such as Zoom, FaceTime and WhatsApp have become vital tools for everyday lives. And with the click of a button, people can play games in a video conference without physically meeting up.

Drumond Park are among the many companies who have embraced the shift to online board-game play. McCool said: “We made Articulate! cards available digitally, which meant that if you had a game of Articulate! but your friends didn’t, all they had to do was go online and they could access the cards at no cost.”

This strategy was an instant success, with the Articulate! online cards accessed more than 150,000 times in the first four months.

’Tis the season to be playing...

This year’s sales boom follows a steady increase in demand for board games over the past decade. Along with traditional classics such as Monopoly and Scrabble, new games including Settlers of Catan, Codenames and Pandemic are becoming increasingly popular, while eight million copies of strategy game Ticket to Ride have been sold since its initial release in 2004.

The board games industry has always been exceptionally seasonal, says McCool, whose company is releasing a second edition of its popular LOGO quiz and further products under the Articulate! brand. “Historically, Christmas is the peak time to play games because it’s the time of year when families get together.”

With England’s second lockdown expected to end in early December, Christmas shoppers are likely to be snapping up more games for festive fun.

“The vast majority of people just want a simple, fun game where they can have a good laugh,” McCool adds.

Sounds like a winning strategy for us all.

Mario has come a long way since jumping on that first Goomba in World 1-1 of the original Super Mario Bros.

Now, 35 years since the launch of that game in Japan, the iconic plumber is starring in new titles on Nintendo Switch and lending his likeness to brands such as Lego and Monopoly.

There will even be a Super Mario-themed splatfest in Splatoon 2 while in Animal Crossing: New Horizons Super Mario furniture will be available from March next year.

To celebrate the 35th anniversary of Super Mario Bros, Nintendo has announced a range of new games and merchandise. Here, we pick out the best products. Wahoo, let’s-a go!

Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit

Created in partnership by Nintendo and Velan Studios, Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit brings the fun of the Mario Kart series into the real world by using a Nintendo Switch or Nintendo Switch Lite to race against opponents using a physical kart. Players place gates to create a custom course layout in their home, where the only limit is their imagination. Race against Koopalings in grand prix to unlock skins to customise courses and costumes for Mario and Luigi, and play with up to four players in local multiplayer mode.

Available from 16 October, the Mario or Luigi Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit models can be pre-ordered for £99

Super Mario 3D All-Stars

Optimised versions of 3D Super Mario games Super Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine and Super Mario Galaxy, are coming to Nintendo Switch in one package. In addition to having higher resolutions than their original versions, the games have been optimised for a smooth gameplay experience on Nintendo Switch. Super Mario 3D All-Stars also includes an in-game music-player mode to play the music and songs from all three games. Players can also listen to music on their Nintendo Switch systems when the screen is off. The packaged version software is a limited-time only production, and the digital version will be a limited-time only release until the end of March 2021.

Available to pre-order for £49.99, Super Mario 3D All-Stars launches exclusively for the Nintendo Switch on 18 September

Game & Watch: Super Mario Bros

This new collectable device is inspired by the original Game & Watch systems first released in the 1980s. The original handheld device included a game and could also be used as a watch to tell time. The original Game & Watch series sold more than 43 million worldwide. In addition to playing classic games Super Mario Bros, Super Mario Bros: The Lost Levels and a special version of Ball with a Mario makeover, Game & Watch: Super Mario Bros also functions as a clock, with 35 little touches to discover, including some guest appearances from Mario’s friends and foes.

Costing £44.99, Game & Watch: Super Mario Bros launches on 13 November

Super Mario Bros 35

In this online battle game, 35 players will compete to be the last Mario standing… or running. Enemies defeated will be sent to other players’ courses, but that also works the other way around. Players can activate special items to try and outpace their opponents.

Launches 1 October as a digital-only game exclusive to Nintendo Switch Online members. The game will be playable until 31 March 2021

When Microsoft released the first version of Flight Simulator in November 1982 it opened up a new world for aviation geeks.

Now, 37 years later, the 11th instalment has left gamers stunned.

By using accurate geographic data from Bing Maps, a global cloud computing network and real-time weather information, the 2020 edition “is as much a visual spectacle as it is a simulator”, The Guardian reports.

Developed by Asobo Studio and published by Xbox Game Studios, Microsoft Flight Simulator lets pilots file a flight plan to anywhere on the planet. Featuring 37,000 airports, two million cities, 1.5 billion buildings plus real mountains, roads, trees, rivers, animals and traffic, the intricate detail is epic.

With a choice of light planes to wide-body jets, pilots can fly during the day or night, amid the challenges of realistic weather conditions.

Critics have been waxing lyrical about the sim since its release. IGN’s Seth Macy calls it the “most incredible experience” he’s ever had on a computer while Jordan Oloman of the NME describes it as a “hotbed of pure wonder”.

Here we take a look at the video trailers, game information and critic reviews for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020.

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020: the key details

• Publisher: Xbox Game Studios
• Developer: Asobo Studio
• Simulator platform: PC Windows 10
• Release date: out now
• Download price: standard edition £59.99; deluxe edition £79.99; premium deluxe edition £109.99 (it’s also included with Xbox Game Pass for PC)

What the critics are saying

Martin Robinson, Eurogamer

“So often, Microsoft Flight Simulator feels like the future. I’ve been playing daily for pretty much a month now, and I still struggle on occasion to believe it’s real. Over the past month or so, Microsoft Flight Simulator has sent me on a spiral of discovery, exploring the world as well as the often mundane, frequently magical detail of air travel, my appreciation of what Microsoft and Asobo have achieved growing all the while. When it all comes together, this thing can be as uplifting as flight itself.”

Seth Macy, IGN

“Microsoft Flight Simulator is the most incredible experience I’ve ever had on a computer. The realism, the depth, the almost limitless replayability - it’s like nothing I’ve ever played before. It does so much to recreate the feeling of actual flight, at a level of accuracy never before seen, that there were times when I came in for a landing at real-life airfields I’d seen during my time in the Air Force where I was simply stunned.”

Keith Stuart, The Guardian

“There are specific flight challenges and missions to try out, and even a global scoreboard where you can match yourself against other pilots, but you never have to do any of this. You can merely pick a departure point and a destination, and fly along the Amalfi coast, or up over the Ural mountains; you can cross the Atlantic, the Irish Sea or Lake Wakatipu. Wherever you go, this game captures the wonder of flight, and the spiritual and emotional rush of seeing the world in a different way.”

Jade King, Trusted Reviews

“Microsoft Flight Simulator is a triumphantly ambitious venture which pushes the boundaries of photorealism in the gaming medium. It requires a lot of horsepower and the support of Azure technology to accomplish such a feat, but these barriers are washed away when you're staring down at endless cities and thick jungles from thousands of feet in the air. It’s breathtaking, and I hope it brings such simulators further into the mainstream.”

Jordan Oloman, NME

“Flying planes in Microsoft Flight Simulator will make you question your relationship with the landscape of the places you love for the better by making you reconsider your place in the environment. It’s given me an adventurous zeal and a strong desire to conquer the woods and nature nearby that I’ve been neglecting in quarantine, purely by showing me what’s on offer. Where other games can trap you in your own head, Microsoft Flight Simulator is a hotbed of pure wonder.”

In-game visuals

Gamers have been offering their verdicts on the new Playstation 5 after Sony offered a sneak peek of the upcoming next-generation games console - and not everyone is impressed.

The new machine is due to be released alongside Microsoft’s rival Xbox Series X over the Christmas period. Sony is also showing off a raft of new PS5 games, include Spider-Man and Resident Evil sequels, a Ratchet and Clank game subtitled “Rift Apart”, Gran Turismo 7, and Horizon Zero Dawn follow-up Horizon Forbidden West.

But while fans are excited about the new game titles, conversation online is focused on the console’s design.

Although Sony says the PS5 is its “most striking design yet”, people on Twitter “are very split on whether they like or hate the look of the box”, freelance games critic Laura Kate Dale told the BBC.

Many gamers claim the new console resembles a Wi-Fi router.

The machine has also been compared to a duck’s bill, a coffee machine and even the Eye of Sauron from the Lord of the Rings films, reports The Independent.

However, the new rival Xbox is coming in for a fair share of ridicule too, adds Creative Bloq, a design-focused blog.

Indeed, when Microsoft first revealed its new console, so many people likened the design to a fridge that the company felt compelled to tweet a clarification.

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“It’s-a me, Mario!” Say ciao to Nintendo’s legendary Italian plumber as he is brought to life via the power of Lego bricks.

The two iconic brands have teamed up to create what could be one of the must-have toys of 2020: Lego Super Mario’s Adventures with Mario Starter Course.

Available for pre-order now and launching in August, kids (and big kids) will see the Nintendo character leave the digital sphere for a real-life world that is neither a video game nor a traditional Lego brick-based set.

Takashi Tezuka, executive officer and game producer of Nintendo, said: “Super Mario has continued to appear, always in a form adapted to the current hardware of the time.

“I am thankful that in this project with the Lego Group, Mario is jumping out of the digital world of game consoles and smart devices, and we are able to bring him into the world with a new, physical type of Mario play.”

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About Lego Super Mario

The new product line features an interactive Lego Mario figure that collects coins in real-life game levels created with Lego bricks.

Lego’s Mario has LCD screens in his eyes, mouth and belly to display a wide variety of instant reactions to movement, colour and action bricks. Also included is a speaker that plays iconic sounds and music from the video game series.

Designed for kids aged six years and older, the Adventures with Mario Starter Course comes with 231 pieces and features seven action bricks for different interactions with the Lego Mario figure.

How to pre-order

The Lego Super Mario products will officially launch on 1 August, but UK customers can pre-order the Adventures with Mario Starter Course for £49.99 at lego.com.

A number of expansion packs - Piranha Plant Power Slide; Bowser’s Castle Boss Battle; and Monty Mole & Super Mushroom - will also be available when the range is released.

Lego Super Mario: in pictures

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The rise of Pokemon Go left the Canadian military struggling to deal with a surge in trespassing, newly released documents have revealed.

The files - which include correspondence between military officials - have finally been handed over to Canadian national broadcaster CBC in response to an information request made more than three years ago, shortly after the mobile phone game was released. The news organisation made the request in July 2016 after spotting a criminal advisory warning police that many defence locations were “game landmarks”.

Or to put it another way, civilians were wandering onto restricted and often highly sensitive operational bases in search of Pokemon - fantasy pocket animals - that players “catch” with their smartphones.

In one incident, documented just three days after the app was first launched, two men drove a van into an air base outside Toronto at midnight. A corporal who confronted the occupants found them playing Pokemon Go on their phones.

The sudden influx of trespassers sparked a flurry of anxious emails from military bosses.

“Plse [sic] advise the Commissionaires that apparently Fort Frontenac is both a PokeGym and a PokeStop,” wrote a major at a base in Kingston, Ontario. “I will be completely honest in that I have no idea what that is.”

“There’s a game out there taking off like gangbusters, and it requires people to move to digitally cached locations to get points,” said a colonel in Petawawa, west of Ottawa.

“The game’s premise seems to be going to the ‘PokeStops/Gyms’ to collect ‘Pokemons’ (we should almost hire a 12-year-old to help us out with this),” wrote a security expert at a base in Borden, Ontario.

The newly released files show that a woman was caught playing the game at the Borden base while her three children climbed over tanks. In a separate breach, a man stopped by officers there explained: “I had to beat my kids [at the game].”

As part of the response to the sudden influx of players, at least three military police officers were tasked with playing Pokemon Go at various bases, logging the appearance and location of wild monsters, PokeGyms and PokeStops, the BBC reports.

But not everyone viewed the Pokemon Go trend as entirely negative. One major in Petawawa wrote that the game might encourage more people to visit the base’s military museum.

Gamers are waiting patiently for the launch of Microsoft’s Xbox Series X and Sony’s PlayStation 5 later this year, but in the meantime there’s plenty of fresh titles to enjoy across the various platforms.

From sci-fi role-playing games and fantasy adventures to sports and looter-slashers, there’s a new release to suit any player.

Ahead of the festive console launches, we look at the best new games to play in 2020 on PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC.

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Animal Crossing: New Horizons

• Release date: out now
• Platform: Nintendo Switch

The new Animal Crossing game for the Switch has been given strong reviews by the gaming press, including a 9/10 rating by Games Spot. In New Horizons players escape to a deserted island and create their own paradise.

Doom Eternal

• Release date: out now
• Platforms: PC, PS4, Stadia, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch

Game Rant’s Nicholas Wilder sums up this new Doom title as “fast-paced, smooth, action-packed gameplay, accompanied by intense, raw, heavy-metal”. The first-person shooter sees players taking on “the demonic forces of Hell”, spanning multiple worlds including Earth and Mars.

Half-Life: Alyx

• Release date: out now
• Platforms: PC

This first-person shooter is set between the events of Half-Life and Half-Life 2 and is playable only in virtual reality. The Guardian’s Rick Lane gave it a five-star review and called it a “spectacular immersive experience”.

Ori and the Will of the Wisps

• Release date: out now
• Platforms: Xbox One, PC

The highly anticipated sequel to Ori and the Blind Forest has been described as an “irresistible challenge” by The Guardian’s Tola Onanuga while Den of Geek’s Megan Crouse says despite some technical troubles the game is “enchanting”.

Final Fantasy VII remake

• Release date: out now
• Platforms: PS4

Square Enix’s remake of the 1997 classic is being hailed by critics. CNN praises the “sparkling” graphics and gameplay while The Verge calls it “messy and beautiful, thrilling and confusing - which is to say, the remake is 100% Final Fantasy VII”.

Journey to the Savage Planet

• Release date: out now
• Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC

This first-person adventure game sees players dropped onto an uncharted planet. The review by PC Gamer’s Phil Iwaniuk describes it well: “It’s a comedy-metroidvania-survival-shooter-platformer, then, a kind of Subnautica among the stars with extra bells and whistles.”

Dreams

• Release date: out now
• Platforms: PS4

Create your own dreams in games, art, films, music or anything in-between and beyond. Stephen Tailby of Push Square calls this title a “thing of wonder” and says: “Describing it as a game almost undersells what’s been achieved here; Dreams is so much more than that.”

Minecraft Dungeons

• Release date: 26 May
• Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PS4, PC, Xbox One, Xbox Game Pass

Two editions - standard and hero - will be available for this brand new, standalone game set within the Minecraft universe. The developers say: “Minecraft Dungeons is our new action-adventure, dungeon crawler-style game in which up to four players fight together to defeat the evil Arch-Illager and his relentless swarm of new-and-nasty mobs – one action-packed level at a time.”

Tour de France 2020

• Release date: 4 June
• Platforms: PS4, Xbox One and later on PC

The official game of cycling’s premier event introduces its new first-person gameplay and will be available on PC for the first time. With this new camera perspective, the game brings players closer than ever before to the experience of becoming a real pro cyclist with a highly-realistic perspective. Breakaways, steep slopes and high-speed sprints will be more staggering than ever this year.

F1 2020

• Release date: 10 July
• Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, PC, Google Stadia

The official game of the 2020 Formula 1 World Championship gives players the chance to drive on new circuits and take part in the new “My Team” game mode. There will also be a Michael Schumacher Deluxe Edition.

Ghost of Tsushima

• Release date: August (TBC)
• Platform: PS4

Sucker Punch’s upcoming PS4 game was meant to be launched on 26 June, however, Games Radar reports that the PlayStation Canada website is now listing a release date of 1 August. Away from the launch date delay, the visually stunning game sees one of the last surviving samurai forge a new way of fighting - the way of the Ghost - to wage an unconventional war for the freedom of Japan.

Marvel’s Avengers

• Release date: 4 September
• Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, Google Stadia, PC

The game features iconic heroes as you’ve never seen them before, notable villains, recognisable locations, and awesome powers set in an original Avengers story.

Cyberpunk 2077

• Release date: 17 September
• Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, PC, Google Stadia

It’s been seven years since the original teaser trailer for Cyberpunk 2077 was released. But the wait is almost over, as the sci-fi role-playing game (RPG) finally arrives in September. Developed by CD Projekt Red, the Polish games studio behind the acclaimed The Witcher franchise, Cyberpunk 2077 takes the form of a open-world RPG set in the fictional Night City – described by Polygon as “a coastal metropolis lodged smack dab between Los Angeles and San Francisco”.

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020

• Release date: late 2020
• Platforms: Xbox Series X, Xbox One, PC

Microsoft’s Flight Simulator franchise has allowed PC gamers to live out their aviation fantasies for over two decades, but the series has never wound up on consoles. That changes later this year, though, when an all-new version of the simulator launches on Xbox One and Microsoft’s next-generation console. It’s due to launch alongside the Xbox Series X in late 2020.

Dying Light 2

• Release date: late 2020
• Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, PC

The sequel to 2015’s Dying Light is expected to be released later this year. Set 15 years since humanity lost to the virus, the game’s main character Aiden Caldwell, an infected survivor, must enter places no one else dares in this decaying metropolis.

Halo: Infinite

• Release date: late 2020
• Platforms: Xbox Series X, Xbox One, PC

The Master Chief returns once again in 2020 as Halo: Infinite becomes a launch title for Microsoft’s next-generation Xbox. It will be the sixth instalment in the sci-fi franchise’s main-line series and it will mark the arrival of the Xbox Series X. Bonnie Ross, head of Halo: Infinite developer 343 Industries, told IGN that the game would be a “spiritual reboot” of the franchise.

Godfall

• Release date: late 2020
• Platforms: PS5

Keith Lee, CEO of Counterplay Games, confirmed that the PS5 will welcome a new genre: the looter-slasher. Announcing Godfall, which will be released in late 2020, Lee said: “Our game is uniquely one-part gear driven and one-part player-skill driven. Godfall retains the desire for offense-oriented, mastery-driven combat, rewarding you with head-turning, powerful loot that then inspires your next set of character builds.”

Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga

• Release date: TBC
• Platforms: Xbox One, PS4, Nintendo Switch, PC

There’s no official release date for this anticipated game, which features all nine saga films. Games Radar says players will be able to roam the galaxy at their own pace and locations will adapt depending on what Star Wars era the player is in. The website also says Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is “on track to be the best Star Wars game ever… yes, really”.

The Last of Us: Part II

• Release date: TBC
• Platforms: PS4

Games Spot reported earlier this month that Sony has delayed the game’s launch indefinitely due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Sony director Neil Druckmann said: “Internally, we know we have a great game. It’s just we have to wait a little bit longer to get it out there to fans. I know fans are disappointed. Believe me when I say this: we’re just a disappointed if not moreso to not be able to get the game out on time.” Once the title does get released it is likely to be one of the biggest PS4 games to launch this year, says Tech Radar.

Overwatch 2

• Release date: TBC
• Platforms: TBC

Not much is known about when Overwatch 2 will be released, but the sequel is in development and could be unveiled this year. Developer Blizzard Entertainment says: “Reunite and stand together in a new age of heroes. Overwatch 2 builds on an award-winning foundation of epic competitive play, and challenges the world’s heroes to team up, power up, and take on an overwhelming outbreak of threats around the globe.”

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Black Friday has finally arrived and retailers are slashing the prices of the latest games consoles.

The annual sales event is an ideal time to get hold of a new system, with shops cutting the price of both standard consoles and the more recent, performance-focused systems such as the PlayStation 4 Pro and Xbox One X.

Most retailers are bundling in some of the latest releases with their console offers, too, including Death Stranding and the rebooted Call of Duty: Modern Warfare first-person shooter.

Here are the best Black Friday deals on games consoles so far:

Xbox One X

• Xbox One X 1TB with Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, £309.99 - amazon.co.uk
• Xbox One X 1TB with Forza Horizon 4 and Forza Horizon 4: Lego Speed Champions, £299.99 - amazon.co.uk
• Xbox One X 1TB Gears 5 Limited Edition console with Gears 5 and Rage 2, £309.99 - amazon.co.uk
• Xbox One X 1TB with Metro 2033 Redux, Metro: Last Light Redux and Metro Exodus, £299.99 - microsoft.com
• Xbox One X 1TB with Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order plus one additional game of choice, £304.99 - argos.co.uk

Xbox One S

• Xbox One S All Digital Edition 1TB with Forza Horizon 3, Minecraft and Sea of Thieves, £99 - ebay.co.uk
• Xbox One S 1TB with Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order plus one additional game of choice, £179.99 - argos.co.uk
• Xbox One S 1TB with Forza Horizon 4, Forza Horizon 4: Lego Speed Champions and a Lego McLaren Senna model kit - game.co.uk

PlayStation 4 Pro

• PS4 Pro 1TB with Death Stranding and a six-month subscription to Spotify, £299 - currys.co.uk
• PS4 Pro 1TB with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, £299 - amazon.co.uk
• PS4 Pro 1TB with Fifa 20, £299 - amazon.co.uk
• PS4 Pro white 1TB with Death Stranding, £299.99 - amazon.co.uk

PlayStation 4

• PS4 500GB with Horizon Zero Dawn, The Last of Us Remastered and Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, £199 - amazon.co.uk
• PS4 500GB with Fifa 20, £199.99 - argos.co.uk

Nintendo Switch

• Nintendo Switch plus a Nintendo Labo kit of your choice, £279 - amazon.co.uk
• Nintendo Switch with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, £299.99 - amazon.co.uk
• Nintendo Switch, a Nintendo Labo kit of your choice, Lego Jurassic Worlds and a Stealth case, £299 - argos.co.uk

Nintendo Switch Lite

• Nintendo Switch Lite console in grey, yellow or turquoise, £179.99 - amazon.co.uk
• Nintendo Switch Lite plus a 12-month subscription to Nintendo Switch Online, £199.99 - store.nintendo.co.uk
• Nintendo Switch Lite in turquoise, Pokemon Sword and a Pokemon sticker set, £214 - amazon.co.uk